Barn Light Electric Giveaway

Barn Light Electric is having an AMAZING giveaway! 

The Winner gets a $1000 Barn Light Electric gift certificate! 

Wow!!  The possibilities are almost endless...front porch light, kitchen pendant lights, bathroom sconces, and the list goes on...

And even if you don't snag first prize, second and third are pretty awesome, too!

2nd place - $500 gift certificate

3rd place - $250 gift certificate

Enter in three easy steps:

1. Take a look around Barn Light Electric's incredible website, and pick out a few of your favorite things that you would love to have adorning your own abode. (pretty easy, right?)
2. Then feature your choices on your personal blog.
3. At the bottom of the post, include directions for entering so your followers can enter, too.

(you can just copy and past the instructions below to make it easier!)

So here's my wish list:

These galvanized metal sconces would be perfect beside all of the exterior doors (front, mudroom, garage, dining room and for the cottage entrance.)

And in the kitchen, three of these would be perfect over the big farm table.

And then to finish the look, two of these sconces would be amazing in the bathroom above the pedestal sink.

Obviously I have a galvanized metal theme going on here at

The Farmhouse. I think these would all stand out perfectly against the white backdrop and would highlight all of

the rustic elements throughout.

Fingers crossed!

How to Enter:

1. Look around online at Barn Light Electric and pick lights you’d love to own
2. Feature your lighting picks on your personal blog, and link to the lights if you can!
3. Copy/Paste these rules at the bottom of your blog article so others can enter
4. Once your personal article is up, you must email your blog link to:marketing@barnlightelectric.com to be qualified to win. The contest ends Monday, July 2nd, 2012
5. Don’t have a blog? Find out how you can enter by reading the Official Rules

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!

Monday Mood Board #2 - Wedding Inspiration

Midweek Inspiration...simplicity

The epitome of summer in all ways...keep it simple.

 via http://www.divasanddreamsblog.com/

Midweek Inspiration...gratitude

There is so much to be grateful for...

the sunshine

my husband

Sammy girl - we call her a Healador

(she's a mix of Blue Healer & Black Labrador)

graduating

our bad ass kitty Buckaroo

our artichoke plants that we inherited & that just continue

to provide amazing meals

Pinterest

my fabulous job & wonderful boss

The Farmhouse

What are you grateful for?

Midweek Inspiration...believe!

Yes!  I did!!!

I just graduated with an MBA in Sustainable Business from Dominican University of California.  It was just over 3 years ago that I decided to go back to school to make a difference in my life & the world around me.  I am passionate about the environment & look forward to creating a community that believes we can make a difference.  The first step is always the most difficult, but once you start it's just

one step at a time.

Do you believe?

Midweek Inspiration...summer

dreaming of summer...

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!!

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors,

we borrow it from our children." 

- Native American Proverb

somewhere in Nevada...

Green Tips for the Laundry

With Earth Day approaching this weekend, I've pulled together a short list of some easy ways to be green (and save green):

1.  Wash your clothes in cold water. Every once in a while you may have a load that requires hot water, but washing just 80% of your laundry in cold water for a year could save you more than $60 in energy costs -- and up to $100 if you live in an area with high electric rates.
2. Wash less. Your clothes will last longer. Some clothing belongs in the wash after only one use, but many garments can stand two or even three wearings before they need washing.
3. Follow directions. Use the amount of laundry detergent that the manufacturer recommends. Using more detergent than necessary actually gets in the way of effective cleansing of the fabrics, which will then require an extra rinse cycle, which uses more energy and water. More is not always better!
4. Wash full loads of laundry. Sort clothes and schedule laundering so you can wash only full loads. It takes almost as much electricity to run a small load as it does to run a full one, and it is better for the machine to have a full load during the spin cycle so it doesn't fly off balance.
5. Clean your dryer's lint filter before every load. It can slash your energy usage by as much as 30%!
6. Don't overload or underload your dryer. Dry a full load in your dryer, but don't overload. It uses way too much energy, and it causes excessive wrinkling, which in turn may force you to iron your clothes, using even more energy.
7. Or my favorite tip...put up a clothesline in your backyard (or over you tub). By using a clothesline instead of your dryer, you'll cut your residential energy costs by 5%. That may sound like pennies, but it can add up to savings of over a hundred bucks a year. Check out Project Laundry List for more inspiration and to share your clothesline photo.

We will definitely have a clothesline at The Farmhouse this summer! It brings me back to my childhood, growing up without a dryer. Luckily we don't have goats at The Farmhouse yet, because my childhood goats loved to eat all of our shirt sleeves off the clothesline. My brother and I definitely lived up to the hippie beach kid look growing up.

And some inspiration...

Midweek Inspiration...Rebuilding

www.inspiredbycharm.com via Pinterest

Antioxidant Water

It's a simple concept, which is partly why I'm so thrilled...

Add a couple scoops of frozen berries, a fresh lemon slice and a squeeze of the juice to your purified tap water for a refreshing and antioxidant-filled drink. How easy is that!

I am not a big water drinker; now I can't wait to fill my cup up again and again. So not only am I getting the benefits of the water, but lemons and berries are both high in antioxidants.

A little about antioxidants:

They slow down, or even prevent, the oxidation of other molecules which in-turn can create free radicals. Free-radicals can wreak havoc on our cellular structures causing them to become unstable. Because of the inherent instability of free-radicals, they try to attack other healthy cells to get stable themselves. This then causes the once-healthy cells to react in the same way, attacking others in an never-ending attempt for cellular stability.

What are the benefits of antioxidants to our health:

• better resistance to colds and flu
• softer, younger-looking skin
• relief from allergies
• weight loss
• increased energy
• relief from asthma
• improved circulation
• reduced high blood pressure
• improved digestion
• relief from arthritis
• help in controlling diabetes
• improved sleep
• relief from menstrual symptoms
• better memory, concentration
• resource

Make sure you use organic berries and lemons because studies have shown that they contain up to 40% more antioxidants than conventionally grown food.

Using frozen berries is also a great technique for Summer Sangria's (I'll share this recipe in a later blog) to keep them cool without watering them down.

Enjoy!

Monday Mood Board #1 - Winter Whites

Inspired by our last trip to The Farmhouse...

ironstone, vintage GE fan, white cow,

snowy trees, dried Queen Anne's Lace, vintage metis sheets