At The End Of The Day, Your Feet Should Be Dirty

I'm may be crazy. And I probably have NO idea how much work I'd be creating for myself....in fact, I'm sure I don't....

But one of these days, I will have me a cow, some chickens, a couple goats, maybe a horse and definitely a muddy pig. Oh, and throw some honey bees in there for good measure as well.

I want a farm. a real farm with real farm animals...a sweet, smelly stench in the air...dirty kids! (oh, we already have that part!)

Since moving into the "barnhouse", the kids have repeatedly asked for animals and to have a farm. So the idea has always been there. We've always dreamed of this being our little farm...we have the garden and a dog! ha! But we want a "real farm" as they put it.
 
This past weekend, we went on a spontaneous trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sometimes I think I was made for that place. I could totally sink my bare feet into the freezing streams and dance through the grassy knolls. I could rock my babies to sleep on a big wide front porch in a rickety old rocker with a quilt over our laps. I could see us growing old there. But the roads are so long! The curves, so curvy!! And I get super motion-sick. So trips are probably the extent of my life in the mountains. But I do love it. It feels like home to me. In fact, a little shop in Blowing Rock was where I first heard Michael Buble over the stereo system and instantly fell in love. "Home" was our song.  It's a barefoot in the rain, arms tight around each other, swaying to the beat kind of song.



But our home is where we are now. And I'm ready for my farm...to grow our peaceful haven by a few chickees and calves!

What really set my heart and mind in motion was after leaving Linville Caverns, we backtracked to a little store we saw alongside the road that was selling cheese. Cheese, as in, the best food on the planet...fresh, homemade, straight from the cow in the pasture, cheese. The Caverns give you a ticket stub, that, if you present to the store clerk at , they'll give you a dollar off your purchase! Bingo! We love a deal!

The rain pouring didn't stop us from having a blast. We ran for the door and as soon as we landed on the porch, Jasper hollered "Momma! It smells so YUCKY!"....I said, "Baby, that's the sweet smell of poopy cows!" we giggled, opened the door and I walked straight into home.

Farmer man was sitting on a cooler spooning his icecream with his leathery-tanned skin and white t-shirt and muddy boots as granny sat on the bench quilting by hand. She marveled at Alanna's teething necklace wondering where those were when her children were little! The cheese samples called our names...

...Key Lime spread with graham crackers (the grown-up's favorite)
......Buttercup cheese with spicy pepperoni (Lukas' favorite, the buttercup, not the pepperoni!)
..........Roasted tomato and basil spread with crispy crackers (who doesn't love a dip?!)

And a cooler wall full of curds, cheese blocks, homemade pickles, farm-fresh eggs. Holy toledo.

It's exactly what I want. (To be a voluptuous farmer's wife, overdosed on cheese, obviously!!!)

I want my tanned, rugged and musky husband sitting by my side enjoying a bowl a handmade icecream or cheese drizzled with honey as the rain beats on the tin roof of my red cabin store.

I want my kids running around in muddy boots and learning the importance of raising animals and providing food for our family. 

I long to use my hands to feed people; cultivate the earth; to prick myself with quilt pins.

I really do want the simple life. I want a farm that keeps us all busy and together.

I don't want much. But it sure will take a lot to make it happen. Our garden is growing, we are on our way to a more self-sustaining life. I don't want to go backward...but forward isn't where I want to be either. There's nothing wrong with the way people use to live before traffic and cellphones and Facebook and RUSH.

I want that.

You may think I'm crazy or don't have it in me....
but it's my dream and a burning desire of my heart.

While I pound away on a computer from 7-5:30 each day, my heart beats for home.
My Pinterest board knows that farm life is on my constantly begging at me.

So if the Good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise, hopefully one day soon, I'll invite you over for some fresh cheese curd, a ripe summer tomato & watermelon salad, maybe some warm bread straight out of the oven slathered with freshly churned butter, and we can chat about the crazy chickens, our dreams, homeschooling and raising children.

Sound like a plan?
Never stop dreaming.
Never think you are too old or too invested in a career.
Never give up hope, and always...

Master Bedroom Makeover Reveal!

I am ashamed to say that we have lived in this house for a year now, "Happy Homie-versary" to us!, and we had yet to actually DO anything to the upstairs living area which includes our master bedroom.

These are all pictures from before we moved in. And yes! we ended up owners of the vintage bedroom suit!!

The most we've done to the room was move in our bed, a couple of dressers and a bunch of junk! "They" always say that your master bedroom should be a haven for...you know....good rest! :) But it's always just been an after-thought, if that. Even at our old house. Well a week ago, Alanna was super sick and puked in our bed (lovely, right?!) and we went to change the sheets and bedding and it was just pathetic. The before was like a college boy lived there. Grungy comforter, gross pillows - most of which didn't even have a pillow case. Then to top it off, my nightstand was covered in baby junk, bobby pins and used tissues. Seriously....I'm a grown woman. What's so difficult about using a trash can and remembering to dis-bobby-pin my hair before bed??

It was time for a grown-up look and time to make our room special, just for US....so that we can relax and um....sleep...well! ;)

So on Friday, while hubby took the van to get the tires rotated, I pain-stakingly (not really) shopped Marshalls....all alone...in the quiet....no one had to pee, nothing got knocked off the shelves. It was bliss, really. We should rotate the tires more often. I had the tiniest buggy in the entire store, I'm sure of it, and it was piled high with pillows, blankets, sheets....(and clothes and shoes! shhhh!).

This is what I came up with on a limited budget and repurposing things from throughout the house.

Check it out! Grown ups with a grown up bed and fancy pictures on the wall! And it's sooo super comfy. I love a comfy bed. Now if Alanna would only let me SLEEP in said comfy bed.

Jasper was super excited to help me rip the sheets off the bed and clean everything out of the room. (This is a REAL "before" shot!)

This boy will get away with everything. Forever. Because he is that kid. The one that winks and makes you forget he is the biggest stinker on the planet!

  More before pictures. Where the littlest squirt (pretends to) sleep.

See? Borrrrrring!!

But now.... now it's so peaceful.
Every night since has been a little bit more restful knowing that things are in order. There are no stinky tissues covering the table - well until last night when I decided to come down with (another) sinus infection! argh! But it just feels good knowing that at least one room is closer to being done.

My mom recently moved and gave me these curtains. I had forgotten about them when I was picking out the bedding. But they work perfectly. Hubs is so excited to have a dungeon again for sleeping! I think the curtains are totally what transformed the room. I went with a simple & cheap rod from, none other than, Wal-mart. I actually had bought these for the boys room but have yet to get to that project. They were handy, so they were used.

Schweeeeeet little lovies.
(And, yes, this co-sleeper (from Babies R Us) is typically secured against our bed)

This furniture was given to us by my stepdad. It was his mother's and came all the way from Cali. I absolutely fell in love with it while we were there. I love the shapes, the handles, the color of wood is perfect. It holds all my lovelies just perfectly as well.

I knotted up my tights so they would be all nice and neat. Does anyone else do this?

These two. Sigh.
I never knew how much I loved this man until I saw him with our daughter.
He's most definitely my honeysuckle.
And I'm his honeybee.

One more shot of the room....

I love it! I still want to paint the dresser on the left with chalk paint and distress it, I want to add a few rugs for some added color. And I even think I want to do something fun on the far right wall. Maybe some chicken wire, add some white lights to set the mood...again...for sleeping, of course. I'm not done but it is already SO much better than it was before!!

So now you know where I sleep.

And that's a tad creepy....

PRODUCT DETAILS:

You & Me wall art from Hobby Lobby
Always Kiss Me Goodnight wall art from Marshalls
Soft suzanni-style printed, king size blanket from Marshalls
LOVE pillow, Teal throw pillows, Gray over-sized pillows, all from Marshalls
Calvin Klein sheets from Marshalls
Mint Laura Ashely frame from Marshalls
Love You More block art from Marshalls
Petal Candle Holder & Chevron Ring Holder from Marshalls


Repurposed items or things that were already in the room....

Comforter (had on hand) from Ikea
Lamp from Marshalls
Faux Fur Throw from Marshalls (use as a photography prop!)
Oversized Jack (I think) from Marshalls
Vintage Quilt, Quilt Stand & Lamp
Vintage Oversized Mason Jar
Candle Lantern - gifted to me from a client's wedding reception
Bamboo Blinds from Home Depot (I think...because I waffled between there and Overstock.com!)

*Some have asked...no, we do not have a headboard right now. That's another future project! We currently use the base from an old water bed (hello 80's!) so that we have the extra drawers for storage. Could definitely use a bed skirt.

I believe that's everything! I would say the overhaul cost us around $200 for everything from Marshalls that I purchased during this trip! Not too shabby for a made-over looooooove shack!!

One more time...

DIY Chalk Paint Part:2

That other post went a totally different direction than I had planned....sorry 'bout that!

So here's really where you want to be to learn how to paint with "chalk paint" and DIY some of that old ugly furniture you've been hanging onto!

There's a million blog posts out there with DIY Chalk Paint instructions. Basically....

You get a bag of DAP Plaster of Paris. I went with a 25 lb bag.... Go big or go home!

Then you'll need a few brushes. I went with the cheaper ones because I wasn't quite sure how they'd wash up. Project Source 3" Synthetic Brush. I personally like the 3" (we also got a 2" as well but I like the wider one for this).

Then the only other things you need are your paint and some tap water.
Simple enough.

Again, here's the paint we chose. Valspar Low Odor, Zero VOC in Field of Daisies.

Now that you know the supplies you need...onto the HOW part!! The fun stuff!

DIY Chalk Paint Mixture:
1/3 cup Water
1/3 cup Plaster of Paris (PoP)
1 cup Paint (flat)

Items you'll Need:
Plaster of Paris (PoP)
Water
Flat Paint
Paste Finishing Wax
Stir Stick
Bucket to mix ingredients
Paint Brush
Drill or Screwdriver

To start, remove all hardware from your piece of furniture and lay it out for spray painting.

I used Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze. This stuff is my fave!! It covers so well and gives a nice flat-ish finish with a shimmer. It sprays so easily and evenly.

You think those clod-hopper handles would never look amazing no matter what color you paint them? Well trust me, paint them before replacing. You'll be pleasantly surprised how a little spray paint can go a LONG way in totally transforming some ugly old brass handles!

Do this step first. That way, you can get in a second coat of spray paint and hit spots you somehow missed the first go-round. And.....so that you can get everything put back together once the last coat of paint dries on the furniture. You'll want to get your piece back together ASAP to see your hard work!!

Now for the paint, and why we're all here....

Basically, you mix equal parts water and Plaster of Paris. I am always mixing up way more than I need because who wants to only get a cup of whatever-it-may-be mixed up only to find out you needed like five?! So I mixed 2/3 cups water, 2/3 cups PoP and then 2 cups of paint.

HOWEVER....I didn't actually put 2 cups of paint. I only added one somehow and my mixture was watery and didn't cover extremely well the first two coats. Whoops!

HOWEVER-EVER....It still worked! It covered, albeit streaky.

As you can see, the paint went on pretty watery. I gave all of the drawer fronts and the base itself a good coat, then I went back and added a little paint to my mixture once I realized I had only added 1/2 of the called-for amount.

This really is one of those projects that the kids can actually help! Yay for not having to say no! My youngest was sleeping, shew! But L-man got to help out. I was a little paranoid that his major streaks and drips would show, but in the end, it worked out great and it covers nicely. I like the imperfections myself. And I REALLY just like the help!!

Here is after two coats. So you can see, still some streaks, still some dark showing through. But it helped me to see a "distressed" look and I was diggin' that!

This is when I began to really love the 80's touch on this dresser. The fan was actually adding some character. I love character!

I actually gave the base of the dresser only two coats because it had more paint added to it. 

So once I added a third coat to the cabinet door and drawer fronts and let them dry, I went back with a 220 grit piece of sandpaper and just scrubbed in spots - some places a little more than others to give it a nice distressed look. (You can see that the above photos had already been distressed) The distressed look really fits our house. Distressed = Good. Because then when it gets banged and scratched, it looks like it is meant to be there!

Swoon! I love it already!! And here's why I say to spray paint the handles first!! I was ready to assemble and see the masterpiece!

But first, all of the posts I researched said to add a layer of Paste Finishing Wax for a protective finish. It also gives it just a bit of shine and brings the color out just a tad. It gets a little "chalky" - hence the name....duh! But the paste wax with give it just a bit of sheen that is nice.

I took an old washcloth and just rubbed it into the wood and voila. Easy stuff. I suppose I did it correctly?! This stuff smells pretty strong so I recommend doing it outside or wearing a mask.

I let it dry for, oh, about fifteen minutes. It says to let it dry longer but that was good enough for me and my impatient self!

We reassembled the dresser handles, hinges and drawers and moved it on into the living room for it's new home.

 I'm in LOVE!!! Luuuurve!!!! The yellow just makes me happy!

Ain't she purdy?! I'm so proud. And she holds all of our DVD's and Wii games & equipment perfectly!

This was a fairly quick and easy, Sunday afternoon project that turned out way easier than I expected. It isn't perfect. But it works. And it is DONE! Whoop!! Now....to just finish that pallet wall!!!!!

 So again....

We opted out of the top mirror piece for obvious reasons but I do think it would've looked pretty cool in a bedroom setting.

Not using the top piece will allow us to hang the flat screen TV above on the wall...just is case it isn't obvious to you why we didn't use it. Ha!

Can't wait to see this whole room come together!
Stay tuned!