It's Been Awhile

Hello, friends! It's been awhile! 

This picture just about sums up our feelings on winter. We're pretty tired of it. We've been fairly busy here at the farm.. winterizing the farmhouse, trimming lots of trees and plants and spending as much time outside as possible. Although it's been tough considering how cold it's been and how unpredictable Alabama weather can be. We decided to haul in a load of gravel for the path that leads out to the barn and the back of the property. After a few days of heavy rain we were left with a mud-pit-of-a-yard and Brett's truck nearly slid down an embankment and into a fence. We actually need a little bit more, but what we were able to put down has helped tremendously!

Nap time for this farmhand. (Baker 18 mo.)

Gravel to the rescue!

Before the weather turned too frigid, we did get in several beautiful days to explore in the woods and fish to our hearts content! As I've mentioned before, our property is home to the oldest man made lake in Shelby County, Alabama. It has a drainage system and the spillway empties on the backside of the lake's dam. The cascade of the overflow is beautiful to watch after a long rain. So peaceful.. This is definitely our happy place!

It's seems like we're always chopping/cutting/sawing/picking/building with wood in some way around here. We found this old nail right in the middle of a huge log while chopping wood for the fire pit and stove. The tree was from our property. It must have been nailed to the tree when it was young and then the tree grew around it. We're nerds, but we think it's cool!

The barrel stove has been rocking' and rollin' with all this cold weather. Brett built it to keep the barn toasty and warm while we work in the shop this winter!

Shop projects.. Antique bread boards weren't in the budget, so Brett made me some!

Brett spent two weeks in Colorado for work, but before he left our best buddies came to spend some time at the farm with us! Braxton, Cole and Caleb are the sweet boys I nanny for and Baker LOVES having playmates to get in trouble hang out with around here. :) We went fishing, rode Mr. Brett's tractor, went on a nature walk, drove the ATV, and Braxton even got to build a birdhouse in Mr. Brett's workshop. My sweet nanny family just welcomed baby number four - another precious boy! We absolutely cannot wait to watch Baby Banks as he grows and I'm sure these guys will show him the ropes in no time!

Four little monkeys playing on the farm!

To say we were glad Brett was home after his time away traveling would be a HUGE understatement. Between things around the house breaking, stomach bugs, bad weather and a surprise birth, we COULD NOT WAIT to see his face and hug his neck! They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and that rang true for us this month. Not only is he our handy man and provider, but he is the heart of our home and we missed him more than words can say.

Thank you so much for stopping by to catch up. We just finished up a pretty big overhaul on one of our spare bedrooms and we're almost done with Baker's room. I know I keep saying that, but really. It's almost ready for reveal! :)

God Bless and come visit! 

 -Lauren

Who Wants S'mores?! - Our Latest Project

The day we found this piece of property I spotted the PERFECT spot for an outdoor project we've been dreaming about for years. A flat, grassy knoll perched just high enough to enjoy a panoramic view of the entire property. Although we have what seems to be an eternal list of to-do's for the farmhouse interior, we decided to jump right in and start this project first so that we could enjoy this beautiful fall season to the fullest. To say we're thrilled with how it turned out would be an understatement! It's definitely one of the coolest spaces we've ever created and we're already having a blast hosting our family and friends.

S'MORE PLEASE!

Before you see the finished project, I wanted to show you a little of the build process. This was definitely a labor of love, but SO worth it! Brett is a ROCKSTAR and we completed this entire project ourselves in about three weeks. (Mostly comprised of late afternoons and a few weekend days.) The project was inspired by a popular pin on Pinterest and we added a few customizations to fulfill our vision for the space, as well.


First things first, we had to decide how big we wanted to build this thing and plot out where we were going to place the posts. We initially struggled with the post hole digger, but I'll let you guess who won that fight. (Hint: The support posts are now set nearly 4 ft. in the ground - with concrete. They aren't going anywhere.) ;)

The Perfect Spot

One afternoon I thought I caught Brett in a death trap as he was placing the top beams with the tractor bucket. Alas, the beams are secure and Brett survived. Thank goodness.

Brett completed the fire pit and then we had to figure out a plan for seating. We knew we wanted several swings because they represent everything we had in mind for the space. They're peaceful and southern and just plain awesome. I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy some good porch swingin'. However, the frame of the structure was so large that we didn't think the swings would be close enough to enjoy an intimate fire. Our dilemma: porch swings are expensive we hadn't budgeted for additional seating. Brett is incredibly talented, but we were worried that if we attempted to build all the swings ourselves it would take us so long to complete the project that we wouldn't get to enjoy it very long this season. Thanks to some great referrals, we found someone local who built us SIX 6-ft porch swings and we spent less than half of what we budgeted! (HAPPY DANCE!) Brett then built six additional adirondack style chairs to surround the fire pit that turned out beautifully.

The last addition we made to complete the project was an area that would serve dual purposes: firewood storage and a table top. Brett crafted a bar style ledge that is the perfect height for dining and serving. We're planning on installing some exterior outlets on the back so we can easily use crock pots, carafes and other party essentials out there, too.

 

We still need to stain and seal the structure but it's completely functional right now and we couldn't be happier! This is our little piece of farm heaven.

Happy Camper!

Soooo....... WHO WANTS S'MORES???!!!

xo-Lauren


**We are so excited to partner with Remodelaholic to offer a detailed tutorial on this project! Click HERE to check it out!**

**UPDATE**

Here is an updated photo of this area after we completed staining it!