the stone cottage

This is the lovely stone cottage we rented through Airbnb. It's located in Navarre, Ohio and was built in 1846.

The night we arrived, it was quite cold and dark. We had been up since 4 in the morning and then spent the day touring around. But on the way into town, we passed the local high school. The field was lit up, the stands were packed and the field was covered in football players, cheerleaders on the sidelines and two marching bands. It was a Friday night football game! Welcome to the U S of A. The boys were so excited (even Ryan admitted he would love to stop and watch) so off we went. "It's kind of like hockey but with no sticks and ice!" announced Hudson as we made our way to the field. Unfortunately, the minute we got to the entrance it started pouring.We had umbrellas and raincoats, but we could only make it through about 20 minutes. It was just too much for the littlest ones.

Driving up to this old house was such a warm welcome. We were so excited when we opened the front door because honestly, the photos online didn't do it justice. And really, neither will mine. But here they are anyway.

The entire house must have been redone - a total gut job.

Thankfully, all of the beautiful character was left, and in some cases, made more beautiful. The exposed stone looks like it has been re-pointed. The beams have been exposed, but all the electrical and plumbing has been moved and hidden. This makes everything look clean.

Patio doors to the back yard allow for extra light. The hidden plumbing and vents are to the right, in the bump out.

There is a brand new kitchen.

And small dining area.

And then upstairs, there are two bedrooms, and a bathroom. This is the master bedroom. It's a good size, though it had a double bed. I think this may be because it would be hard to get a queen sized box spring up the stairs.

I'm very picky when it comes to quilts, but she had a couple lovely ones! The blue one was actually the reverse side of a very classic, busy quilt, but I so preferred this fabric.

The bathroom is also lovely with a large shower (though no tub), and an antique wash stand that has been made into a sink.

The second smaller bedroom is also so charming with it's exposed beams. It has a tiny door which lead to a tiny ladder-like staircase to the the attic space. It hadn't been touched, but it would make a cozy loft space.

It was so nice to have a whole house to ourselves - especially for the kids. It gave them room to play and stretch out (or separate) after being in the car for so long. And we had everything we would need, including access to laundry, which was very handy.

For a rental house, it was furnished nicely, but it was so fun to sit with my coffee, dreaming up how I would furnish it if it was ours. With a house this full of character, it doesn't take much!

weekend in ohio

 I'm a proud Canadian - I love my country. But if I'm honest, every time we take a trip to the US and discover these amazing small towns, full of historic homes and a rich history, we get a little day-dreamy and start looking up real estate.

Of course we wouldn't actually move there. After all, we have our dream historic home right here! But I am always thankful that so many great places are only a days drive from us: Nantucket, New York, Boston, New England, and even Ohio. Aside from the cottage, most of our favourite places to road trip to are in the States - usually out East. We are very much drawn to the East Coast. (Though we can't wait to head South one year and cross Charleston off our list!)

We stayed in this charming stone house I found on Airbnb. It was more reasonable than staying at an inn or hotel as a family of 6, and was so much more comfortable. It has recently been completely refinished, and done very well! It had all the gorgeous character of a stone house - exposed beams, exposed stones and deep window ledges - but all the comforts of a modern home. It was also spotless.

My parents "cottage" in Amish Country a couple times a year. We decided to find somewhere to stay near them, in the Holmes County area, so we could meet up with them, but also tour around the surrounding countryside. 

I think my favourite small town was Winesburg, with it's population of 352 people. Wooster was a pretty city, with a gorgeous college district full of big old homes, and some great little shops. And the countryside, it's just beautiful. Farms are tucked in the valleys, horses, cows and sheep dot the rolling hills, and every now and then you have to slow down for a horse-drawn buggy.

This stone cottage was a tiny inn in the town of Winesburg. It was beyond charming!

Another reason we picked this area was because we were travelling with the kids. It's a lot harder travelling with four kids - one a toddler and one a newborn. We made lots of stops, and did a lot of "dividing and conquering". If Ryan found a brewery he wanted to check out, he would pop in for a tasting and I would sit in the car and feed George while Jude slept, and the boys ran around outside. Or I would drop Ryan and the boys off at a great park in town and take George to quickly pop into the shops I wanted to browse. And then of course one evening my parents took the boys so we could go out for a couple hours which was lovely. We also selected buffet style restaurants which meant the boys could pick what they wanted and didn't have to wait around. (It's also their favourite kind of place to eat, so it was something special for them.) While driving we listened to Harry Potter on audio book, which kept them fairly quiet and entertained. And having a house to ourselves was nicer than a hotel room, especially for them to have space to play.

I will hopefully get around to posting some photos of the rental soon. Honestly, the one morning I just sat in the arm chair, sipping my coffee, furnishing every square inch of the home in my mind.

Not to mention all the homes we found along the way that would be gorgeous. Like this old home with an attached storefront - I mean seriously...

The Country Living Fair

This past weekend, I enjoyed a girl's weekend away (with our babies) in Ohio. I can't even call it a weekend as we left before the sun was up on Thursday and arrived home very late on Friday. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, actually, but it was so fun. And to be honest, it was very needed.

Arriving just before lunch time on Thursday, we spent the afternoon touring about the Holmes County area. This is an area of Ohio that we've been to a few times, so we knew all the places we wanted to stop. We stocked up on homemade chocolates and our favourite preserves, drove the prettiest back roads, stopped for once-a-year pumpkin pie, and hurried through all our favourite shops before they closed at five.

I couldn't get over how much it felt like fall! The leaves had just started turning and all the farm stands had piles and piles of every kind of pumpkin, in every size. And speaking of pumpkin! I found the most delicious mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Buttercream filling that we nibbled on the entire trip. And fall candy! I never knew there were so many varieties of fall-inspired candy corn! I couldn't resist picking out some for their class parties.

After enjoying a home-style buffet for dinner (broasted chicken, real mashed potatoes and the fluffiest dinner rolls!), we made our way to our hotel in Millersburg. It was full of charm, running along the top floors of about four shops on the main street of town. This meant that every time you left one building, and the hall took you into the next, the floor level changed and the doors and windows were different. Inexpensive antique artwork hung on all the walls and the main areas boasted tin ceilings and creaky floors. The town of Millersburg is a classic, small American town, but as we left early to head to Columbus for the fair, we didn't have time to enjoy any of it.

After breakfast, we made our way to Columbus, winding up and down hills, the countryside under a thick blanket of fog.

One of the reasons I was looking forward to the show in Columbus was because I really love that it's set in Historic Columbus Village. It's a great show, but the beautiful old town makes it even more enjoyable to browse around.

The pile of Pumpkins, in every size and variety, right in town square.

I loved the simple bales of hay and corn stalks.

This little home is my favourite in the village.

And then there were all the booths. I just love the creativity that some vendors put into their spaces. Farmhouse Frocks was a beautiful shop in Millersburg that we weren't able to see, but their booth didn't disappoint.

I'm always drawn to displays of ironstone.

Findings is another favourite booth I look forward to visiting.

I only purchased a couple things for myself on the whole trip. I brought home a couple packages of these little birch leaves. I figured they would look pretty for place settings on a Thanksgiving table, but also double as Christmas ornaments.

Some great architectural salvage throughout the show.

And then there's that one thing you decide not to purchase, and then regret immediately after. You know what I'm talking about. There's always something.

For me it was a pair of these beautiful tables. It was near the end of the show, Jude was ready to eat and I couldn't fit the stroller in the booth, so I was half looking from near him. I didn't realize until later that they were a pair, and I wish I would have got them! They would have looked perfect as night tables in our master. I did contact the seller, and she was graciously going to let me know if they didn't sell at her remaining two shows. So fingers crossed!

While I loved the show, I loved driving about the countryside, stopping whenever we saw something we wanted to take a photo of (which happened quite often!). I loved having hours to get to know a new friend better - crying babies, frequent nursing stops and all!

And I especially love that I left not quite ready for summer to end, and came home ready for Fall.

Mrs. Millar's Cabin

For Christmas last year, my parent's generously gave our family a trip to Charm, Ohio to stay in Mrs. Millar's Cabin. They go a few times a year, and think of it as their own cottage getaway.

Charm is a quaint, rural town, that's small and peaceful. It's set in rolling hills, and has many neighboring towns just minutes away. It's in the heart of Amish country. There are also antique malls, barns full of treasures and roadside picking stands throughout the surrounding counties. All in all, it's a fun way to spend a few days away with family.

I wanted to show you the cabin we stayed at. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but this was not it. We were so pleasantly surprised when we turned down the driveway, crossed the covered bridge and arrived at our week's destination.

Behind the cabin was a beautiful hillside garden. 

This was the view from the kitchen windows. 

The front porch, with it's many rockers and walls of wisteria, was the perfect spot for reading with a cup of tea, or lazily watching the traffic trot through town.

The perimeter of the cottage was classic split-rail fence. It was beautiful!

These beautiful Belgian's warmed up to me eventually, and came to visit at the edge of the fence.

The cottage was set just behind the main road, far enough to feel secluded, but close enough to still hear the buggies passing through.

There was a small creek that ran in front of the cabin. The covered bridge went over top of it.

The whole countryside was just so beautiful.

Everywhere you went, horse and buggies were busy about town.

Though our cabin had all the modern conveniences (a phone, satellite, a laundry room, dishwasher and even wifi), we thought the town's phone booth was charming!