Friday, November 27, 2009

The Perfect Gift


It is Black Friday today and do you know what you are going to get everyone on your list? There is always that one person that is impossible to buy for. That one person that seems to have everything. You rack your brain and are simply stumped! What do they want? What can you get them?
How about a Carriage House Bed and Breakfast Gift Certificate? Everyone appreciates the gift of relaxation.
You can buy gift certificates for one night, two nights or as many nights as you would like. Simply call us and we can help you decide the type of gift certificate that you need. We can take your order over the phone and mail you the gift certificate or email it to you if you would like to print it out yourself.
A Carriage House Bed and Breakfast Gift Certificate is perfect for a special teacher, your pastor or best friend. So give them the gift they really want, give them the gift of relaxation and pampering.

Monday, November 23, 2009

The Transformation Continues!


OMG! What a week we have had here at The Carriage House. We have been remodeling and updating this old house. I don't think that our repeat guests will recognize their favorite rooms.

There really was too much action last week for me to go into a lot of detail. So I will just give you some bullet points.

  • I ordered a new Queen size bed for the Jay Gould Room. The room had a double bed and I don't believe that most grown adults like to sleep in such a small bed. The new bed will be delivered tomorrow (11/24). I already have a beautiful quilt that my mother made for the bed so I am ready for the new furniture.

  • The mattresses that used to be in the Jay Gould Room has been moved to the Jewel Room. The Jewel Room used to have a Double Bed and a Twin Bed. Now that the Jewel Room has two Double beds, it can sleep four people instead of three. Of course the bedding that was on the twin bed did not fit on the double bed, so I had to purchase all new bedding for that room.

  • The Diamond Bessie Room has a new floor, new furniture and new rugs. We also added a fireplace to the room to make it even more romantic.

  • The Ladybird Cottage has been going through a complete makeover. It now has a new floor, new paint, new curtains, new rugs, new bedding, new furniture, new ceiling fan and a new flat screen TV. We also added a fireplace to this room to amp up the charm factor of this truly pretty room. My mother has been making a new quilt for this room and I will pick it up next week. Chris Garrett, our painter, said the room looked very "spring" like.

  • Kathy Lambert of My Fathers Garden is trowel deep in restoring the gardens. We had all of the old overgrown gardens pulled out about a month ago. The trees were in bad need of a trimming and we had that done as well. Now Kathy is in the process of planting new butterfly and hummingbird gardens. She has the whole project broken into about seven phases and she completed phase one today. She installed some ground cover and new plants between the two carriage houses. Words cannot describe what a difference that made already. The whole project should be complete some time in the spring. Stay tuned for an announcement of an open house to show off our new gardens some time in May.

What a difference a week can make. I can't wait until all of you can get out here and see the place! We will be updating the room pictures on the website in the next week.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Transformation Begins


I have been threatening this since the day we moved in. I have talked about it and planned for it. I have mentioned it to others to gain their approval. I have described it in detail and gotten bids on it. The time for talk has passed. It began this week.

I am writing about the remodeling of the Ladybird Cottage (f/k/a the Garden Cottage). The paint was yellowing and was badly stained in areas. The carpet was worn and dingy. The quilt was threadbare and had holes in the pillow cases. Several of our guest complained about a musty odor in that room. The Ladybird Cottage was dark and uninviting.

I had enough of this gloomy and dank room and so the transformation begins!

We are having all of the walls painted a bright white and the trim painted a cheerful green. The dingy dark carpet is coming out tomorrow 11/18 and a Swedish Maple laminate is being installed. On December 1, I will be going back to McKinney to pick up a brand new handmade quilt for the bed. I have only seen the quilt in pieces but I have had it described to me as "happy". I have purchased a new bed skirt and other new linens for the room. By time I am finished, the room will no longer be dark and dreary but bright and cheerful.

I was able to get such a great price on the laminate that I am also having the Diamond Bessie room (f/k/a the Scarlett Room) done as well. The carpet in that room is stained and filthy. It also needs to be stretched and re-cut. After the holidays, I will be purchasing new curtains and linens for that room and getting rid of the matchy-matchy bed in a bag look that it has right now.

Stay tuned for my next post where I will talk about the garden restoration project.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Do You Really Want to Go to a Mall?


No seriously...do you really want to spend the day after Thanksgiving in a shopping mall? You don't have to you know. You have options!

Christmas is a magical time of year in Jefferson. It is full of sparkle, cheer and memories of Christmas past. It is a place where there is an enchanted Christmas tree forest and a train that takes you around the world. It is a place full of Christmas lights, and a Victorian Santa.

The Christmas Season gets kicked off in grand style the weekend after Thanksgiving. There will be a city-wide lighting ceremony on November 27th that is free to the public and the Enchanted Forest in Lions Park will be glittering with festively decorated Christmas trees. Come be amazed by all of the beautiful and sparkling Christmas lights and displays.

I know. You need to get your Christmas shopping done. Everybody loves all of the unique and quaint shops in Jefferson and of course we all love a bargain. The day after Thanksgiving will be the Merchant's Open House. All of the shopkeepers in the historic distric will be rolling out the red carpet and the Christmas sales. Jefferson is the place to find that exceptional and distinctive gift for that hard to buy person.

At the end of a long day shopping and merryment, it is time to kick up your heels and have some fun. Auntie Skinners will be hosting the Hustler's Ball on November 28th. It will be a loud and entertaining time!

So I ask you again, Do you really want to go to a mall? You will have to fight for parking and a seat in the food court. The stores will crowded and hot. Let's face it. Nobody will be in a good mood. Your better choice is to come to Jefferson for some fabulous bargains and be swept away to an old fashioned Christmas.