Isn't it ironic ...

It had been a long time dream of my Mom to have her very own 1:7 scale doll house, with a bunch of rooms to decorate with victorian furniture, bobbin lace table runners, tiny accessories, fancy wall paper, working light fixtures, shingles, porch, well, the whole thing.
So what we did last time we went to visit her, we took a Vermont Farmhouse Kit with us. In a big, heavy box. All the way there.


This is the one me and the girls chose for Oma.


And we spent the first few weeks there - besides getting the girls used to German school and German food LOL - trying to build that thing. So after a few obstacles and challenges (like figuring out how to electrify the house, what kind of outlets to use, what kind of a transformator, where to install/hide the transformator etc.) we had it pretty much put together, painted and ready for roofing (hundreds of wooden shingles were waiting to be stained and nailed onto the roof top). I knew my Mom was going to be happily occupied for hours, days, weeks, months with the completion of this project of a lifetime. A dream came true for her and a new chapter of arts and crafts had begun!
Little did I know ....
that she was going to end up doing the same kind of work, wallpapering, figuring out where to put outlets, sanding, painting, drilling, prying, glueing, on a much bigger scale only a few weeks later!!!

putting some finishing touches around the newly installed energy saving windows

 With us youngens Peter and I far away to help with calling plumbers, carpenters, contractors, electricians and even worse not there to help with doing hours and hours of prep work for those handy guys, like tearing paneling down, taking ugly vanities and rusty steel bathtubs out, ripping layers and layers of wallpapers off, all this dirty work was left for my parents.


After removal!



Panelling before



Before: pink tiles in the upstairs bathroom (I almost considered saving them)

After: banging off all the lovely pink tiles and jack hammering (lack of a better word) out the old tiny bathtub upstairs

wallpaper on top of wallpaper on top of wallpaper ....

Mom!!!! Something tells me you should be playing bridge or going on a shopping spree with some ladies or taking an afternoon rest instead of THIS!!!

Remember: vanity in upstairs BED!-room

YES, this is the AFTER picture: that hidious thing is gone.

 It makes me feel rather guilty even though they keep reassuring me that they "enjoy" the unexpectant work load, they feel "rejuvenated" and they are "rising" to the challenge.
Well, I know their quiet, endless days of retirement are officially over and they started a new phase of going to work every day. Again.
We are very thankful for all their hard work, we worry every day and hope that they stay safe