Today our seamstresses arrived with the Madison Master Suite’s Canopy for the Full Tester Bed!

Wow what a difference it makes for the bed!

It really makes the bed look taller than before and really dresses the suite up!

All we have left to do is add some portraits, pictures and small decor and we will have a finished room!

Thank you to Gates Antiques, most especially Mrs. Jo Gates for putting so much time into getting the details right for this suite! It looks beyond beautiful! Any President would be over joyed in staying here!

Gates Antiques

12700 Old Buckingham Rd  Midlothian, VA 23113

http://gatesantiques.com/

Now I wonder who will be the first to sleep under this canopy!

At this moment, the suite is available for this coming weekend!!

To see more pictures of our Suites or to Book a Suite with us

Please visit our Official Website at

https://www.bellegroveplantation.com/

Yesterday was a great adventure! I was back in Chesapeake Friday night so we could head to Richmond on Saturday to meet with our design team. We decided to make a day of it and headed up Surry, Virginia to eat lunch at the Surrey House Restaurant and Inn. We have been following them on Facebook for awhile and have seen some of the awesome dishes they make.

https://www.facebook.com/SurreyHouseRestaurant?fref=ts

As soon as we sat down, Jennifer (one of the owners) pops out of the kitchen to say hello and asked about my finger. The restaurant is wonderful. They have such a “homey” feel when you come in. They have some sayings framed around the place and I loved the one that said:

“Unattended Children will be given Expresso with an Energy Drink and a Puppy.”

Lunch was great too! I started with something I have never had before but wanted to try – Virginia Peanut Soup. This area around Suffolk, Smithfield and Surry is a large producer of peanuts. And I have to tell you, I LOVE Peanut Butter. But the soup must be an acquired taste. The waitress asked me if I had ever had it before and I said no. So she suggested that I take a sample first. It was awesome! So I asked for a cup.

It was like drinking warm, liquid peanut butter! It is even had bits of peanuts in it. They served it with crackers which was just perfect! When I was young, my grandmother, Nannie, would always make me an afternoon snack of peanut butter on crackers. What a great memory it brought back! I tried very hard to get the recipe, but it is a closely guarded secret. (Time to start experimenting!)

Brett ordered a Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich and I got a Cheeseburger. Instead of fries, we both got an Apple Fritter. He had his without sugar, I had mine with sugar. They were heavenly! I could have made a meal of just them!

After we finished, we headed out to go to Richmond. Just as we started to pull out, Sam, Jennifer’s husband flagged us down to say good-bye. What a great couple! You must stop here and grab a bite! Make sure you say Belle Grove said “Hello!”

We arrived in Richmond at Gates Antiques for a day of reviewing and approving new purchases. It is such a “hard” thing to do… not! Here are some wonderful things we saw yesterday.

You  may remember this Federal Linen Press from a recent post. It was in pieces as they were working on making some repairs for us. Well, it’s done and will be making it’s way to Belle Grove on Monday!

They also have the English Slant Top Desk ready to head to Belle Grove!

They have started work on a Settee that we are planning on placing in the Grand Hallway upstairs. Look at this carving repair they have completed! It is hard to believe that it wasn’t part of the Settee to start with!

I finally got to see in person the Sideboard we picked for the Formal Dining Room!

It is very more beautiful in person than in the photographs!

We selected these two Victorian Chairs for the Parlor!

One has a Fruit Detail at the head and the other has a Rosewood Detail!

We also selected a matching Settee to go in the Grand Hallway downstairs! It looks allot like the one they just started working on, but has just a very differences. We won’t be using this leather covering. We are going to do both in a gold fabric with a diamond pattern and light blue accents in the fabric to match the wall color in the Grand Hallway.

You can see here that similarities with some of the carvings.

But this inlay is different on this one. It is in the head rail at the top.

And this carving in the foot rail.

We selected this Corner Cupboard for the Parlor too. Can you see the tea cup collection in this?

And of course the best for last!

This is the Egyptian Black Marble Serving Table that will go in the Parlor beside the Corner Cupboard.

The marble has white and gold veining in it! It is amazing!

We returned to Chesapeake last night completely happy with all the selecting and repairs being made!

Our design team is doing an awesome job and working very hard to get us ready to open soon!

This morning, I head back to Patients First here in Chesapeake to see my long time primary doctor, Dr. Mansfield. I have been seeing her for years now and its almost like seeing a friend when I come in. I wanted her to follow up on  my broken finger to make sure it was looking good. I had gotten a call just two days after my accident (three weeks ago) from Patient First telling me that it was in fact broken. They had advised me to go to an Orthopedic Surgeon to have it looked it. Thinking that it was just a hairline fracture, I declined the referral and said I would just splint it and watch it.

Thursday this week, I got a second follow-up call from Patient First. They again asked if I had gone to the Orthopedic Surgeon. I reminded them that I had declined, but then it got me to wondering why a second call. So I asked the nurse for a little more detail about the break. Come to find out, I didn’t have a hairline fracture. I had a compression fracture and she told me that I broke part of the finger tip off!

So today, I thought it wise to follow up with Dr. Mansfield to make sure I really don’t need to go. When she came into the room, she sat down and said that after reading the notes from the two follow-up calls, all she could say was, “That’s Michelle.” I guess you can say I get pretty involved in my own medical care. She had them take a second set of X-rays to review the finger.

After the X-rays came back, she said, “I have to say, you don’t do anything half way do you?” I kind of laughed and asked what the results were. She told me that I did have a compression fracture and that I did break the tip off. But that the break was in eight pieces!

Good news – I don’t have to go to an Orthopedic Surgeon! There is really nothing they can do but splint it and let it heal. She said it should heal nicely. The two cuts (one on top and one of the side) are healing good with no infections.

Bad news is that it is going to take longer to heal. But I have been using my hand and there really isn’t any pain unless I hit it or touch it. The splint is pretty much keeping it from that.

She did tell me that the reason they followed up twice was more because of the cuts. That it could have had some of the bone coming out! Yikes! But thankfully that didn’t happen either.

So splint, clean dressing and no dirt or water and I should be good. Typing has taken some getting use to, but its not really slowing me down.

I do want to thank everyone for the kind words and the gifts that I have gotten since it happened!

It means allot to me!

We have such great supporters!

Don’t forget our Virtual Housewarming Party

Help Us Stock Our Library!

Click below and read how you can help us and

become part of the history of James Madison’s Birthplace – Belle Grove Plantation!

https://virginiaplantation.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/housewarming-party/

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I have to tell you, things are starting to move along at a faster pace now. We are down to about 30 plus days before we open. We have had to push the date several times due to delays, but I think July 1st is going to be the date!

I almost feel like I am neglecting you because I am not writing as much or being able to read your blogs as much. I hope you will understand my absence for the next month or so! I am trying to get pictures in everything I do so you will have a chance to enjoy the fun with us!

This week, I have had my nose in the computer most of the day working on our Official website text. We hope to have it complete and ready to launch by mid-June. I’m not sure if we will have the photographs ready by that point, but at least we can get the site up. Depending on how firm the July 1st opening date is, we may even be able to start taking reservation by mid-June! So get ready and watch for the launch date!

I did get a break yesterday. I needed to go to Richmond for the day to finalize the fabrics for the rest of the rooms. It was great fun! Of course I didn’t have to look at tons of fabrics since we pretty much picked out the whole house last time. We just needed to get a few rooms done that we didn’t get to before.

I also got to see some of the furnishings that we have already purchased. It was so cool to see them standing in the shop with at red “SOLD” tag on them!

I got to see some of the items we are having restored. They are doing such a great job with them! One was an Acorn Bed we purchased for the Conway Room. They have been working on the finish and had the first coat on! It was amazing! Just to see it together and with the details just took my breath away. I knew it was beautiful, but never knew it was going to be this beautiful!

They have been working on our bed for the Madison Room. They showed me the rail from this 1810 bed that they were adding some length to. It is amazing how they do it and make it look like it was always a part of the bed!

They had our Federal style Linen Press for the Madison Room in the workroom. They had it broken down and were making adjustments to the shelves so we can house a flat screen television in it. They were also making repairs to the details that were missing. Can you believe the work that they have done to make this look so perfect!

We needed to pick out a chest for the Hipkins-Bernard Room. Jay, one of the owners of Gates Antiques, showed me this beautiful chest from the late 1700s! I love it and can’t wait to see it in the HB Room! It is going to look so perfect! And the best part is that the family this room honors was at Belle Grove between 1790 and 1839!

Jay also showed me a serving table he has found for the parlor. The base is mahogany with an Egyptian Black Marble Top that has Gold Veining running through it! The top was out for repairs, but the base is just beautiful! I can’t wait to see it together!

One last piece that Jay just called me about. We purchased a sideboard from an old, prominent Richmond family. The previous owner was looking for just the right person to purchase it. He didn’t want it to go to just anyone. In fact if he didn’t find a good home for it, he was thinking of donating it to a university! I am so glad we made the cut! But it has just arrived at the shop and they sent me pictures of it. It had a gallery added to it that isn’t original so they are going to remove it for me. I can’t wait to see it at Belle Grove!

So now I am off to pack up and head back to the plantation. Our goal this weekend is to get the Madison Room painted. It will be going from green to a beautiful Presidential Blue, Gold and White. Brett will be joining me later today after he gets off work. He will be working on pulling the rest of the bricks from the riverside and pulling the old fountain out. We need to get this done really soon too. The company that will be making the final repairs to the mansion will be starting on June 3rd. They will be putting in our sidewalks and arrival pad at the front door. All the bricks we pull will be used to do the sidewalks and arrival pad.

A Couple of Quick Announcements!

We are excited to announce that we will be at a Bridal Show with the Virginia Wedding Network on June 2nd!

It will be in Fredericksburg at the beautiful Riverside Conference Center from noon to 4pm!

Come out and see us if you can!

We are also planning our own vendor fair soon too!

Watch for details to come!

To see more photos of our shopping adventures

Please visit our Facebook Fan Page!

 

Last Monday, we had the interior design team here at Belle Grove to pick out fabrics and curtains. It was an all day a fair and so much fun! Those that follow us on Instgram and Twitter had the chance to see it in real time. So we wanted to share the fun with our blog friends too! I have been trying to write this blog since Monday afternoon, but we have been crazy here at the plantation!

I want to first show you the layout of the mansion, so you will understand when I say a room name.

Now here is what we picked out!

Conway Room (downstairs junior suite on the riverside)

Bedroom Window (1)

Fabric Selected:

Curtain Style:

Just using the top valance with a long drapery on both sides that will reach the floor and by pulled back with a tie to a hook to open.

Hipkins-Bernard Room (downstairs junior suite on the plantation side)

Bedroom Window (1)

Fabric Selected:

Curtain Style:

Just using the top valance with a long drapery on both sides that will reach the floor and by pulled back with a tie to a hook to open.

Library

Window (1)

Fabric Selected:

Fabric Not Selected yet. We found some wooden cornices in the ice house and I wanted to see if we could use them. When I showed them to Jay today, he was amazed. He dates these cornices to the early history of the house.

I couldn’t select a fabric today because I wanted to wait and see what color is on this cornice after it is restored.

Curtain Style:

No Curtain Style selected

Once we get the cornice restore and select a fabric, we will look at curtain styles.

Parlor

Windows (4)

Fabric Selected:

We found some wooden cornices in the ice house and I wanted to see if we could use them. When I showed them to Jay today, he was amazed. He dates these cornices to the early history of the house.

Curtain Style:

We would use this style, except not have the big cornice as it shows here. We would use the cornices (4) that we found and restored. It would still have the same swag line. The drapery would come down on both sides and pull back with a tie to open.

Formal Dining Room

Windows (4)

Fabric Selected:

Curtain Style:

We are not going to have long drapery in the Formal Dining Room. We are going to extend the long section to hang lower. Mrs. Gates is going to locate four medallions to use. We will not use the bows in the corners. The outside of the fabric will be the red and the inside will be a solid gold color.

Small Dining Room (also known as the Family Room)

Windows (1)

Fabric Selected:

Fabric Not Selected yet. We found some wooden cornices in the ice house and I wanted to see if we could use them. When I showed them to Jay today, he was amazed. He dates these cornices to the early history of the house.

I couldn’t select a fabric today because I wanted to wait and see what color is on this cornice after it is restored.

Curtain Style:

No Curtain Style selected

Once we get the cornice restore and select a fabric, we will look at curtain styles.

Upstairs Hallway

Windows (2)

Fabric Selected:

Curtain Style:

We are going to use just a valance on these two windows without a drapery. It will have this style without the bows and flowers added or wood cornices.

Madison Room (to the right of the stairs)

Windows (4)

We have decided to repaint this room from Green to Blue. It is to give it a more Presidential feel.

This is a Sherwin Williams color – SW 6959 Blue Chip

Fabric Selected:

Curtain Style:

We are going to use this Empire Valance style with the gold color as the swag and the blue color as the drops. We will have a drapery that is blue and will drop to one side to open with a tie.

Turner Room (to the left of the stairs)

Fabric Selected:

We did not select a fabric for this room yet. When we purchase the bed from the Portsmouth Antique Store, we will be receiving two sets of curtains.

We are going to take them and see if we can use the drapery part to create two more valances just like the original ones we purchased. Then we will select a new fabric for the drapery under the valance so they all match. It will be just a one side open drapery with a tie.

Curtain Style:

No curtain Style selected until we get the curtains from the other antique dealer to match fabrics and styles.