When my parents asked me if I was interested in living in my grandparents home and making it my own my immediate response was "Sure, why not?"...followed quickly by, "Dear God, what was I thinking!" The house is less than a thousand square feet and sits on a 3 acre lot, mostly lawn, backed up to a wooded ravine. The house, and property, hadn't been touched or improved in any way since my grandfather passed away in the mid-90's.
Green shag carpeting, wood paneling in every room and a yard full of scubby shrubs and more weeds than grass...certainly not a pastoral paradise. But as a long time devotee of HGTV and House Beautiful I decided it would be a challenge and learning experience. And it has been. Dubbing the house "B's Hive" in honor of my grandparents--Bob and Betty--I have been whittling away at its faults and trying to transform it into a cozy, country cottage. There's still a loooong way to go.
It bears metioning that I am a city girl, through and through. I have never lived anywhere remotely rural, never cared for a yard and have never grown a plant in my life. Its proven to be an adventure already and I'd like to think I am just getting started.
