Small splurges for the house = big happiness

Yes, we're about to totally empty our bank account (and more) to get this HVAC installed, but we needed to splurge on a few things for the house. Actually what we really needed was an enjoyable, dare I say almost date-like afternoon without the grandkids, and we got that today with a late breakfast out, a little shopping for necessities, then stops at three different area antique shops.

Shop #1 was waaaaay too big, in both size and prices, plus most of their stuff was either too shiny and over-refinished or too purposefully "distressed." No insult intended towards those who like the look of purposefully distressed furnishings, but that stuff gags me - if I want distressed, which I actually like when it can also be categorized as genuinely well used, I'll buy something that was pulled out of the back of someone's barn or handed down so many generations for utilitarian purposes that it's lived in the laundry room or workshop for 4 decades.

Shop #2 was a bit too small, though not really all that small on prices, but we did end up buying two framed items that we both really liked. One is a framed receipt for a real-estate transaction from 1804. (click to see larger version)



We not only think it's just really cool, but I'd also love to figure out exactly where this land is located, figure out the oldest house on the land (perhaps belonging to the original purchaser?), and offer them a copy - or the original, if they want to purchase it from us.

This is what it says, as best as i can make it out. The bold text is handwritten, and where I've typed an f that clearly doesn't belong, it's actually printed as a character that looks like an f without the cross mark. I put a ? where I just couldn't figure out what it was:

RECEIVER GENERAL's OFFICE, Lancaster

Received the 3rd Day of February 1804 of John Jones the Sum of sixty eight dollars pounds & 63 cents - Specie, being in full of the Arrears of Purchafe-money and Intereft, on Settlement, of 132 Acres and 139 Perches of Land, fituate in Juniata Townfhip, Cumberland County, furveyed something crossed out by two Warrants one dated the 1st Day of July 1762 to John Parkison the other dated 23 November 1774 to Ebenezer Jones. $68.63 Ru???en? fees $2.99. pd. Surveyor Generals fees 3.40 paid. Decip? fees pd 3.95 for John M Kif?sick? C????. . John M. Miller.

I 'd like to find someone who is better at reading old script than I am to help make out the names listed. So if I'm interpreting this correctly, it's a 203 year old receipt for back-payment of two mortgages that were both taken out for this land before the start of the war of independence. Pretty damn cool if you ask me.

Anyway, that now hangs at the bottom of our stairway, and this is the other print we got which is in our dining room (click to see larger):




On we went to the 3rd store, which was delightfully just the right size and filled with things that we felt were very reasonably priced. There we bought this pine cabinet which we plan to use in our downstairs bathroom (though not perched on top of the toilet, as shown!!).





We're trying to figure out if it was originally a built-in that was up against a wall on the right, or part of a larger piece, since the right side is flat instead of trimmed out like the left. It's got some beautiful joins (joints? joinery? it's well made.) and the door is one solid piece of pine that's been cut on the surface to look like wide T&G.

Just thought I'd sneak in a pic of my honey and our pugs: