family scrapbook . . .

My last post got me thinking about something I wanted to do a few years ago, but never started it.  It was a fleeting thought, in the car as I was driving to school on day, that turned into a desire that just never developed.  Until now.

Along with that, a couple of years ago, I thought about my children getting older, marrying, and leaving my home.  (which makes me sad by the way)  I thought that this blog would become a "family" affair where all of us, no matter where we were, could contribute and tell our stories, to one another and others who wanted to read, and it be a family scrapbook of sorts.  It would also be a place where the children and grandchildren could "get to know" extended family members who did not live close enough to have frequent times to spend with each other.  It would be a place, a "story", that could be read to find out about one another.

With that in mind, over the next several weeks, I am going to add some personal posts that tell my story for my grandchildren's children to read.  Posts that tell about my life up to this point.  Snippets of who I am and how I got where I am today.  I want them (my great grandchildren) to be able to hear about where and how I grew up, the types of things I liked and hated, and to have a glimpse of who I was.  I want them to have a story to read that gives them a sense of who I was.  These posts being that story.

For those that are interested, follow along to get a peek into my world for a season.  For those that are not, I am still going to post updates on family life here on the farm, and include pictures of course.  You can just skip the personal posts!  :)

us now . . .

It has been a VERY long time since we have taken a family picture.  For some reason, we just can't seem to get everyone on board with getting a picture with all of us in it.  It seems to never work.

However, today, we finally got a picture.  I look at pictures like this and think "is this all?"  wondering where everyone else is . . . as if there are others.

The Opel's visit was fantastic.  They shot arrows, rode on the Gator, rode Lady, cut some wood, and did a whole bunch of visiting.  It is refreshing to spend time with friends sharing ideas . . . experiences . . . our lives.  This weekend we heard the whole story of how Kurt and Anna met and the time leading up to their marriage.  We had fun laughing and sharing.

This past summer the Opel family came to the farm to visit.  They live in Michigan now, but years ago their family and my family all attended the same church.  In CALIFORNIA!

 

Through a series of moves around the country (and in their case out of the country) our families have ended up only a couple of hours away from each other.  GREAT for us!  So last summer, when work brought them down to Ohio, they stopped in for an evening meal, a tour of the farm, and a nice time of good old fashion visiting.  It was great to see them again, and reconnect in a completely different context.

That evening they came was a time where we got to know each other a little better and discovered that our family vision and direction was following a similar path.  It was quite natural to ask them to come back down and spend some more time getting reacquainted and finding out more about how God has been changing our lives in a more agrarian sort of way.  As a result, this weekend they are coming to stay with us for a night!

I am thinking that it would be nice to have them put some farm clothes on and help us out with the many things that have to be done before the winter sets in.  We have walnuts to harvest, wood to cut, barn windows to replace, and barn doors to repair.  I am hoping they want to come a get their hands dirty with some real farm work!

If not, I am sure I'll be OK with being talked into sitting around in the warm house (it is 42 degrees out right now as I write) drinking some coffee and laughing a lot.

more before and after . . .

This is the bridge in the woods that I now have completed.  It was a bear to get there and I ended up having to take it mostly apart after building it.  I built it close to electricity, and then when Nolan and I started on our journey out to where we where going to install it, we ended up popping two of the tires on the Gator!  It was REALLY heavy.  We left it in route to the creek for a couple of weeks until we had more materials to work with, and decided how we could get it there with LESS work.

 

The pasture behind our woods is a 17 acre field used for crops

 

And this woods view is back up to our Big Barn.  Right above where the new bridge sits.

And now for some more before/after pictures of the house . . . down the stairs to the basement is our Downstairs Kitchen.  I don't have the electric stove hooked up yet, but that is the next electrical piece I do down there.  I painted the walls white and the floor a favorite coffee color.  We have harvested the pear tree and are using the floor space there to allow the pears to ripen.

Before

    

After

 

 The second room we are calling the Garden room.  It beats calling it the second room huh? It is the area where we store come winter items when not in use, and some canning materials.

Before

After

 

And our laundry room also got updated as well.  Sure makes doing laundry a little nicer.

And now the laundry area is equipped with a small dress-up area for the children to change after swimming, or being outside in the snow.  And the clothes stay RIGHT THERE in the laundry room!

And here is the final change in my bedroom.  It went from BRIGHT, flowery, and cold to DARK, plain, and warm.  Just the way I like it.

FREE mini chalkboards . . .

Etsy sellers and bloggers . . .

Here's the post for the FREE mini chalkboard set.

All you need to do is leave a comment on this posting and you will be entered to win a FREE set of eight mini chalkboard signs, or a set of eight mini chalkboard place settings.  At the end of this week, (Saturday at midnight) I will have one of my children choose the lucky winner.

I will contact the winner for their shipping address and the package will be sent out in the mail on Monday Priority Mail!

Happy posting . . . 

garth (gfout.etsy.com)

oh, the ideas . . .

Here's the finished outhouse where it's going to stay.  It's up close to the rode so that in case a passerby needs to use the restroom, they have a place to stop!  It also serves the people that come to buy eggs from us.  The Star (men) and the Moon (women) are the symbols used that denotes that it is a unisex bathroom.  

I propped the door open to take this picture of the inside.  A natural toilet paper roll holder made from a small log, a small table to hold some wipes and sanitizer, and a painting made by Macy adorns the inside.  There is also a solar light (with remote) located on the ceiling.

And this is my proposed site for my Wall Tent Bed and Breakfast spot.  I am hoping to build a deck, and have a 12 x 14 wall tent on top of it.  I also want to include a bathroom (outhouse of course) equipped with a outdoor tub.  The site would also have a fire ring for night fires and a hammock for daytime relaxing.  An outdoor library, an old propane stove, ohhhh the ideas!

seeing the sides at night . . .

yearbookyourself.com is a funny little site that Jostens Yearbook Publishing company has come up with to play around with vintage images. Here I am, back in 1968 playing basketball with a school mate friend. I am number 32 . . . and that was back before my beard.


Even from a half mile away you can see the barn illuminated as you drive down the route toward our farm. Two weeks ago, I dug out some of my spotlight yard lights and hooked them up to the barn to highlight the Ohio Bicentennial logo. Currently I just have them in with extension cords so drivers could see the sides of the barn as they traveled down the route at night. I am planning to make them a permanent part of the exterior decor. I have had several comments from local farm neighbors saying that they "LOVE" the lights and are happy that we are taking such care of a once neglected farm. In fact, this farm, back in the day (1907-1930) was the most recognized farm in the county. And everyone that I talk to around here has some historical connection to this place. For example, their aunt married one of the brothers, their grandparents bought meat from the family, or their dad mowed the fields for the family. It seems that our Big Barn is the center of this farm community and that there is a buzz about what we are doing here on our place with it.

hay ring . . .

Last year, when we bought this place, it was full of weeds . . . mostly teasel, an invasive, eye sore of a plant that grows to almost 6' tall. Hidden in the barn pasture teasel was a worn looking, ill repaired hay ring. I didn't even find it until after spring came! This weekend I decided to give it an update with some cinnamon color that blends in nicely with the fall backdrop that is slowly creeping up on us from the woods.

I am extremely influenced by color, and love making the farm and farm items display the beauty of subtle color. The hues are fun to work. (Corrie . . . you would appreciate this color in a blouse or sweater)

the one-seater . . .

My Etsy business has taken OFF this past year and I find that I am out in the wood shop most nights cutting chalkboards. However, I am finding some time each evening to do a "little" work on the outhouse and have gotten about half way done with it. Here's some updated photos of my progress thus far.

Inside seat (it's a one-seater)

Sliding Plexiglas windows with screen

View from the front

I have it close to the garage now while I am working on it, but when I am finished, it will go out next to the Big Barn. I am painting it the same color as the rest of the outbuildings and trimming it to match the barns.


I suppose if I keep at it a little at a time, I'll be able to finish it in a week or so. Good thing, I have an after-school program of 60 children coming to visit the farm the latter part of the month. And it has to be ready for then!

small town fun . . . and big time charm

Oakwood, a small village of 607 people (last census) had it's annual Homecoming Labor Day Weekend Parade today. Homecoming meaning those that have moved away come home for the weekend, not the football homecoming game being played. For such a small village, there was a HUGE turnout with a whopping 45 minute parade train!

These were some of the people that participated in the parade this year. Since it was our first visit to this small place (only fifteen minutes down the country road from us) it was a real treat to see this place full of small town pride . . . and small town charm.


And for us, the real WOW of this event was the children were participants in the parade, riding horseback! Here the children are riding with Cathy (the lady that is training the children on riding and training horses) along the 1/2 mile course. This is the first parade the children have ever been in, and was definitely exciting because they were able to ride horses along the parade route.