Dodging the Draft

Okay, so the fun thing about living in an old home is that there are a lot of drafty places.  You have to get creative to cut down on those drafts.  Thankfully, the windows have been replaced with double pane windows, I cannot imagine how drafty it was before those were put in!

During the day, I open all the curtains to let the light in and warm up the rooms.  Most of the windows have thick curtains or roman shades that I can close/lower at night to keep the heat IN.

But, there are those pesky little areas where you have to get creative.  We have this adorable little cubby off of our living room with shelves and a window seat.  The kids have their books there and can sit in the window and read.

  Just above the window, though, is a vent to the outside.  I am not sure what it was originally used for, but it lets quite a bit of air in, especially when it is windy.  There is currently a piece of cardboard taped over it, but for some reason, the tape is coming off and we have been unable to get more tape to stick to the wall.  We are going to have to get some heavy duty sticky tape to try and adhere it back over that vent.

I told you before that our house has two front doors, because it used to contain a shop.  And also that one of the front doors, while still existing on the outside, is merely a built-in bookcase on the inside.  The mail slot is located in the faux door, so our mail comes in through our bookcase.  As does a very breezy little draft!  I keep a towel next to it and remove it during the day so the post man can deliver anything through the slot and then replace the towel in the evenings.

Our front and back doors are also very old and quite drafty.  I love them and wouldn't want them replaced, but, again, it takes some creativity to keep from losing heat and taking in cold air.  I bought two draft blockers, but the door sill is too high for the blocker to properly block it.  So, once again I had to get creative.  It isn't pretty, but it works!

front door

back door

 See how high the sill is?  This blocker is not high enough to block the draft which comes right between the white and black part.

my solution- not pretty, but it works!

front door

Lastly, I wanted to share a short video with you.  Most mornings, after putting the kids on the bus, I pass the church just as it is chiming the eight o'clock hour.  I don't know why, but I just love it!  It reminds me that I am living English village life- just like I wanted to do.  It just has the sound of days gone by- and reminds me that for hundreds of years, villagers have passed this very church and listened to those bells.  I have been trying to get a video of the clock chiming the hour for over a week now, but I never time my journey just right.  The kids' bus has to arrive exactly on time, and I have to "take big steps" as one of my college professors used to say, in order to be back up at the church when it chimes the hour.  This morning, I managed to get it.  You may not find it as charming as I do, but I wanted to share, because I love it so much.