I do not know a lot about East Saint John, New Brunswick. A friend shared an 1875 map book with me and looking at this 1875 map of East Saint John peaked my interest. I saw the name Tisdale (also the name of a town in Saskatchewan) and I got curious. I know we have…
Our Attic Bathroom
Our attic, as featured in another blog, was the only unfinished attic of the five homes with the same floor plan on Alexandra St. It had been plumbed though and a rough bathroom was in place. This meant that we were able to finish the attic bathroom as we saw fit without worrying about the…
Art Glass in 5 Alexandra St.
Our home has nice art glass – stained and leaded beveled glass – and I want to share what we have in the house and what we added when restoring our home. At the end of this blog are pics from some spectacular sample in Saint Awesome. I cannot strongly encourage you enough to snoop…
Saint John’s Colorado Cowboy Survives Bullet in Head and Earns Diamond Encrusted Marshal’s Badge
I was recently invited to peer inside an Uptown Saint John home and decided to say thanks with some research for the family. In doing so, I stumbled upon these 1890 newspaper excerpts from our beloved Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (I put text in bold) and now I am obsessed with Robert Dwyer: “Robert…
Hoosiers – the unsung kitchen hero
I wanted to draft this blog for three reasons. First, I first learned about hoosiers from my Uncle Tim. He restored one that had been painted and neglected on my dad’s family farm. My uncle’s work was incredible – a pretty amazing feat and the finished product is a restored beauty which I have found…
Functional Foyer
When we lived in The Netherlands we made friends with a couple from Texas. They had a small and functional apartment where they made use of all their space. They shared with us that in Texas they had a huge home where they did not regularly use many of the rooms and they thought it…
Storm doors and some fun doorbells
We needed storm doors on 3 exterior doors to our home. The doors to the side of the house and the kitchen had ugly 1960s storm doors and one blew off during a severe storm [edit – to be clear it was one of the ugly 1960s doors]. The basement had a single door with…
Landscaping, lawns, and fences – an historical and environmentally friendly perspective in Saint Awesome
Landscaping is important, it makes our homes inviting spaces that are part of a neighbourhood. When I take a walk, of course I care about beautiful architecture, but what brings me back to a place is the vibe of the area. The plant life around a building is a necessary aesthetic. Good landscaping helps with…
Skip to the loo – enjoying our main floor bathroom with all its faults and beauty
I remember looking at a heritage home with my now husband in 2003 that we considered buying. I would have absolutely gutted the kitchen and the bathroom. Why? I was under the mistaken belief that renovating these two rooms were requirements when you bought a home. As I age and learn, I realize that there…
St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery near Rosthern, Saskatchewan
Within a monument at St. Mary’s is a list of the people buried at St. Mary’s (children are located in many unmarked graves in the southeast corner). This page contains both a list I compiled, and a transcription of the list at St. Mary’s, but is organized by the list I made. There are some…