This is a tribute to my parents:

[disclaimer - we (sister & I) are AUBURN GRADUATES... ignore their shirts]

So, this "design blood" that pumps thru my body comes from those 2… they are a design obsessed duo.  They have (in addition to their "real jobs" (designer & marketing executive)… have renovated and restored more houses than I can count.  Before we were born (in Norfolk, VA) they had an antique booth and spent weekends scouring for deals. This post in particular is about their renovation efforts at the farm… in a teeny tiny town in Southern Illinois.  Dad saw the dilapidated early 1800s farm house and knew it was perfect (mom wasn’t convinced, you see he tends to buy it – dream big, then have mom manage the project).  He also had his eye on the town’s One-Room School house that was about to be torn down…

Kathryn (aka Snippet & Ink) & Martha B (aka NIBS) and I have had some recent discussion about 1 room school houses.  Kathryn’s post about "school" inspired weddings, prompted me to fire off an email with photos of the one-room school house my father saved and had it moved 4 blocks to their farm property.

[Mt.Carmel Daily Republican Register, article on dad (in photo in front of school house)]

[yes, (a) that's a happy-crying face and (b) we got married in the dark- see light not turned on... it was an oversight - kinda funny]

When the boyfriend and I became engaged, I knew all along I wanted to be wed on the family farm. Here we are – in front of the Lancaster Zion United Methodist Church… which is next door to my parents farm property.  It was built in 1840 (thus a door for women to enter, and a door for men to enter).

[photo credit Jason Reese - www.photorexit.com - those are white cowboy boots I'm wearing]

Alright, back to the school house.  Here she sits in her new home behind my parents farm house and barn.  New replacement windows, coat of paint inside and out… and there she is in all her beauty.

The school house pendants came from Visual Comfort. Fans are similar to Hunter Original. Chalkboards are original, as are the floors.  Here she is set up for our Rehearsal Dinner.

Here is the "farm house"… circa 1800 – this is where we spend a lot of time since parents sold their home in Louisville, KY.  In fact mom lives here – since dad took job in Chicago. They are back and forth frequently.

Here is a view of the barn and blueberry patch.  I think dad searched for a windmill for over 5 years, until he found one that was in good working order.

You also may (or may not) recall this school house from my Christmas recap post. We do spend most family holidays down at the school house.

[daddy-o enjoying the fruits of his labor Christmas day @ School House- pecans on table from husband's parents farm in Alabama - the best in the world]

Sorry this post is all over the place… there is so much good design and architecture to share – I don’t know how to stop. Here are a few other houses my parents have or are in the process of rehabbing:

[this house (above) has about a million books inside... anyone in the antique book business - leave comment, seriously... a gold mine if someone has the time to sort thru them]

[oh, and the school house has an Illinois map... here are the Illinois friends I have pointing to where they come from]

[this one was a major overhaul... a downtown c.1903 stone front bank building - mom + my husband]

[dad kissing mom because she has probably just said to him "you are crazy for renovating this building"]

[me (3rd from left) + girlfriends on wedding morning. this is my grandmother's house (background) not a good picture- it's like the 2nd oldest house in town - her cellar was a part of the Underground Railroad - mom and dad renovated it about 15 years ago]

[there's the mother duck and one of her little specialties]

[and because I thought this was funny - me and dad being stupid- after savoring some serious architecture at the Bernheim Forest in Kentucky - a whole other post entirely]

That’s all (as if that was brief) I can find for  now… HAPPY MONDAY!

Will post some pictures from Martha B (NIBS) of one room school houses in upstate NY tomorrow!