Midweek Inspiration...beautiful places

this is always the approach taken...so much more rewarding!

via Pinterest

Midweek Inspiration...summer

"the cure for anything is salt water.

sweat, tears or the ocean."

so true.

Happy first day of summer!

via Society 6

Midweek Inspiration...finding strength

I need to remember to be patient and appreciate
all of the little moments each day that bring me joy.
Be grateful for the small things that have been accomplished and build from them. Find comfort knowing that it is all of these minute steps that make up the big picture and create the whole.

Image by Kim Klassen Cafe quote from Mother Teresa

Weekend Visitors

My parents came up for their first visit to The Farmhouse this past weekend. It couldn't have been more perfect.


We both ended up working late on Friday (instead of getting home early, we ended up getting home around dark) and therefor decided to leave early in the morning to head up to The Farmhouse instead of arriving on Friday evening like we planned. We made a stop at Home Depot and picked up some materials and a gorgeous new grill.


It was the first weekend that my husband and I were able to relax and enjoy all the work that we've done over the last six months since we bought the house...


We reflected on all that we had accomplished so far:

• carpet: ripped it out in the living room, kitchen (I know disgusting; right!?!), hall and master bedroom
• linoleum: tore it up in the kitchen and hallway (that was under the carpet)
• paint: the living room walls, trim and ceiling, master bedroom walls (primed), ceiling and temporary floor and the kitchen cabinets
• interior walls: tore down the wall opening the breezeway up into a single open space
• grounds: cleared dirt, debris, pine needles and ivy away from the house
• trees: limbed trees surrounding the house
• fencing: removed barbed wire fencing along driveway (which will become amazing rusty barbed wire wreaths once I get a little extra time to finish side projects)
• and cleaned 20 years of dirt, grime, cobwebs, grease and who knows what else...

My parents arrived about a half hour after we did, so we put away everything we brought up and then gave them the extended tour with the commentary on all of the projects we have planned:

• front porch: replacing old red "hand-hewn" posts with white 6"x6" posts ~ we'll re-use the posts on the guest cottage
• siding: replacing existing red wood siding with white Hardy Boards (fire resistant, rot resistant and eco because it's not using trees) ~ we'll re-use the siding on the guest cottage
• fireplace: tear down the manufactured "stone" chimney, remove the interior petrified wood fireplace surround and the mantle (an old wood plank ~8' long, 18" wide and almost 6" in depth) ~ we're excited to create a cool bench, bar or something else amazing
• entry from kitchen to living room: replace the door with a 6' wide opening, creating a connection between the living room and kitchen
• kitchen: push the wall out 24" into the breezeway, open up the pantry, replace the windows, add french doors to the back deck (that doesn't exist yet), remove the rest of the linoleum and replace the floors (not sure what it will be yet), replace lighting and all appliances
• entry from kitchen to breezeway: replace the door with a rustic barn door on galvanized steel casters
• breezeway: move entry door, replace windows, remove back door, create an open space including a mudroom with sink, bench and coat hooks, a pantry with shelves for extra food items, linens, platters, pitchers, vases, etc., a laundry room and office
• upstairs bathroom: replace the old tub with a huge shower with subway tiles and glass below the existing skylight, remove the sweet pink floral wallpaper, rip out the linoleum and tile the floor and replace the pink vanity with a pedestal sink
• guest bedroom: rip out carpet, paint the walls, either paint the subfloor or figure out some eco alternative ~ eventually we'll turn it into my craft room once we get the downstairs guest bedroom completed and the guest cottage finished
• master bedroom: replace the windows, remove the door to the bathroom, build a closet (standard or walk-in is the question)
• downstairs bedroom: paint the walls and ceiling, install the laminate flooring (my brother gave to us was extra from his beach house remodel)
• downstairs bathroom: mostly gut and start fresh
• roof: replace with a corrugated tin roof (eventually)
• outside: create a guest cottage from the outbuilding, build a back deck, build patios in the front and back, clear some trees, create a meadow area, build a greenhouse and garden, move the existing fort from the front yard to the woods in the backyard, build a fence along the lane and extend the driveway to make a big loop and connect with the side lane
• and the project list goes on...

kabobs & corn on the new grill

We had an amazing dinner, grilled on the new bbq, a game of scrabble and maybe a bit too many drinks - beer, wine, sangria and margaritas. We started the next day with coffee at the house, a late breakfast at our favorite restaurant South Pine and then a drive to 

the gorgeous Yuba River

Washington for our first dip in the Yuba River this year and then a beer at the Washington Hotel. Once we made it back to the house we popped the bottle of champagne my mom brought up and toasted with some cheese and bread. We sent my parents on their way and relaxed the rest of the weekend, waking to an unusually rainy day. A perfect day to spend cuddling in our new Keetsa Cal King bed (eco mattress purchased on Craigslist brand new in the box at half price!).


And on our way back Monday night we found a a bunch of corrugated metal panels on a neighbors junk pile. Of course we had to throw them in the back of the truck. So many possibilities ~ garden fencing, a frame for artwork, roofing for a small shed, interior or exterior siding, the front of a counter or outdoor bar, the back of a cabinet or...


Another perfect weekend at The Farmhouse!