This Island

I hesitated for a moment before I begin typing this post.  The pictures are beautiful- the island is beautiful- I wondered if I should resist the urge to add any words alongside of them.  But there is a story in here too so I am foraging ahead with the words.



Living the secondhand, do-yourself, scrappy sort of life that we live has been, and continues to be, an incredible lesson in patience for me.  There are usually no "insta-fixes" here.  Things in our lives materialize in an altogether different sort of way.  First there is a need or idea about something.  Then there are discussions about it.  Many of them usually.  Sometimes there are fights about it.  And compromises.  There is this whole messy, complicated process that must take place in order to proceed.  On top of that, there is the time that is needed to complete something.  Sometimes time comes in small pockets over a few weeks, sometimes time comes in small pockets over several years.  And almost always, in those pockets of time, are flailings and failings.  Sometimes the whole idea or project is scrapped and we/he/I must completely start over.  This is all to say that life here is always moving in slow motion.



But, once (or if) the thing/idea is ever completed, it is always incredibly beautiful, even if only to our own eyes.  For we know what went into it.  We know about the life that was infused into it.  Looking around our humble, imperfect home I can say this about almost everything, whether it's something I did, something Ryan did, or something we did together.  The garden, the interior of our home (homemade quilts, thrifted furniture, painted walls), the barn.



Shortly after we moved in here, Ryan decided to build us a kitchen island out of barnwood.  And now, approximately 6 years later, here it is.  Every time I walk by it, it almost brings tears to my eyes, because it is so beautiful yes, but also because of what it stands for to me.  Because of what is inside of it- the starts and stops, the vision, the discussions, the sweat, the love, the whole long process Ryan went through to get to this.  When I look at this island, I see all of that wrapped in there.  It's like a giant mascot for our lives, sitting right in the middle of our kitchen.

The World's Smallest Playroom

I have been meaning to take some updated pictures of our little playroom for the last few years.  A lot has evolved in there since we first created it.  Yesterday we did a complete clean out/rearranging/reorganizing of the space so I was inspired to finally take some pictures.



This space is actually an under the stairs closet.  It is probably about 21 square feet in size.  It is teeny, tiny.  But I think that's what makes it so special.  And with some good organization and a minimalist mindset it serves it's purpose beautifully.



On the wall to the right when you walk in are hanging some of the most often used dress up clothes.  We keep the rest upstairs in a toy box and I switch things up from time to time but this makes for easy access to the favorites.



This is the kitchen.  In our most recent rearrange we put the stove and dresser back to back to create two separate rooms- a bedroom and a kitchen.  The kids are really liking this part of the change.  As Grace says, "It feels so much more like a home in there!"



Here is the kitchen "pantry".  And yes these shelves usually don't look like this.  In such a small space things get messy really fast.  The flipside is with the small space and less toys it is also a very easy room to clean up (my favorite actually).  Under the curtain at the top there is where all our games are housed.



Here is the bedroom/beds and dresser (you can barely see that).  That's Grace's new bunkbed on the left.



Another view of almost the whole room (except that I'm taking up half of the kitchen).
So yes, it is very small, or as we like to say here, it's cozy.

Beauty...

Is all around me.

Playing with the big kids (and that shelf I made two years ago)

Oh does Nora love it when her big brother and sister let her play with them.  It doesn't usually last very long but when it does she is in heaven.





Even just being in their rooms is a treat.  They of course have much more interesting toys to play with.



And while we were in Jackson's room playing this afternoon I realized I've never documented the bookshelf that I made a couple years ago.  Or I guess it was more of a remake then a make... the original trunk came from Santa several years ago.



While the trunk was very cute it was also very big and it didn't fit well anywhere in our house.  So a few years ago when Jackson needed a bookshelf for his room I turned it sideways, nailed a board inside and presto- a bookshelf!



Probably not the most glamorous bookshelf but pretty cute and very functional.

Good Morning

The Piano!

It's here!  These pictures are kind of dark because they were taken in the early morning (which is a great time to play the piano right... good thing we don't have any close neighbors).  It was a bit of a squeeze to fit it in here but after a little rearranging I think it fits perfectly. 
I took piano lessons for 8 years when I was little but unfortunately I probably lost a lot of what I learned.  I'm hoping it comes back with some practice.  And these two are also both excited to start lessons.  I think we'll start this fall for Grace, but maybe wait a few more years for Jackson. 
It is so beautiful too.  A great craig's list find (and gift from my mom).  We are thinking it's around 100 years old... and made right here in Minnesota which is kind of neat.  Now I only need to refinish the piano bench and we'll be all set.

New Spaces ~ The Bathroom

For some reason the bathroom has never bothered me that much, even though it was in desperate need of new paint and some freshening up.  I finally decided that I was ready to make the change though.  I debated between colors and finally settled on this one.  But, that meant I should really paint the dark woodwork... and I wasn't so sure I could do it.  It really was beautiful, and it was the original wood.  But with some convincing from everyone I went for it knowing it would really lighten it up and go much better with the paint.  And I really have to say that I love it.  It's so bright and filled with light in there now. 



And it looks great with the chair.  When I bought this chair this summer I always envisioned it having a spot in the bathroom (I love a bathroom with a chair).  So with a little rearranging it worked.  And everyone is loving the new sitting space in the bathroom.



But now we must get a new bathroom sink (and mirror).  There is nothing (and I mean nothing) pretty about this sink but for some reason I have a weird attachment to it.  I just always think about all the past farmers having used it for all those decades... it's our farm sink.  But with everything being so white in there now it stands out way to much... even I can't help but notice it.  So hopefully sometime soon a new sink and mirror will make it to the top of the list. 

New Spaces- The Kitchen

Well of course I didn't finish yet (of course).  It was a lot harder to do then I anticipated (may have helped if I wasn't 18 months pregnant and climbing on counters and such).  But I'm so in love with my new kitchen walls.  The clay was really fun (just labor intensive) to work with and it really is kind of like an art.  Not that it's an art I've mastered yet, but I love how it looks anyway, mistakes and all.



It really gives the kitchen a warm and fresh new look.  Of course this is only phase one of the kitchen remodel but the other phases won't happen for a long time I'm sure, which is just fine because I'm very happy with this for now. 



Now I just need to finish the second coat of those last two walls.  My goal is to have it done sometime before baby arrives but we'll see.

What To Do When You Have A Lot To Do

American Clay your walls of course.  It did seem like the perfect time to start this project (I am serious... this is how my mind works).  We spent the last two days using the coffee table as our kitchen table.  The walls are still not finished...

So Long

This is what a hundred years worth of barn contents looks like as it's leaving your house.  Don't get me wrong, we have found plenty of treasures in that barn too.  When we moved in we inherited some real gems.  But we also inherited over a centuries worth of "oh let's just put that in the barn for now"s.  Of course we contributed a lot to this pile too.  As we've replaced windows and doors to our house, the old ones were put in the barn.  When Ryan worked at smaller jobs and needed to get rid of miscellaneous this or that's, they were put in the barn too.  But no more.  It felt so good to get rid of all that.  On top of the dumpster, we also made countless trips to the goodwill and two trips to our county environmental center (with old paint cans, old tvs, etc.).   There's still a lot of organizing that needs to be done, especially on the top floor.  But, slowly but surely everything is getting a place.  It feels wonderful.

Someday... (Or Restoration Hardware Love)

I have been walking around with this catalog for the past month- dog earring pages and gathering inspiration...



First of all, this paint palette is awesome. 



Second of all, Ryan brought home a barn/hay trolley exactly like this several months ago (from a barn he was working on) and set it aside determined to do something really neat with it, though he wasn't sure what yet.  And then, a few months later, this catalog shows up with a light made from one just like it.  Someday we will have one.



Thirdly, a kitchen island out of barn wood like this is in my future.



And lastly, this furniture is my dream living room furniture.  Someday (way, way someday).

My Bookshelves!

Well these aren't the best pictures because this room is pretty small and I wasn't able to back far enough away to get them all in.  But I am SO in love with them.  Ryan worked so hard on them and they turned out so beautiful.  And it just feels so good to have all my books in their own special place. 



And while I'm here, a few more pictures of the art room.  I have recently been on the most intense nesting, cleaning, organizing spree of my life... and feels so good.  This room was one of the first ones I hit, and I got rid of so much.  SO much.  I am finding that with art (as well as with almost all aspects of my life), less is more.  While it is so hard for me to give up art supplies, etc, that I might use someday, the payoff in doing so is well worth it.  There is a sort of creative freedom that opens up when more physical space is available.



I see it in myself as well as with Grace and Jackson.  I use to feel like I needed to give them a huge variety of art experiences, supplies, and choices.  As a result the art room was often cluttered and messy.  They also didn't always have the best appreciation for their things which I think is a direct result of too many things.



So when I cleaned out this room, I got rid of most of the supplies I usually have sitting out for them, or I stored them away for a special day.  I have found that they are using this space much more again, and with a greater respect for the space and their things in it.  



I know over time things will start to build up in here again because it is such a popular spot for all of us.  But I'm going to try my best to continue to keep it clutter free... and instead leave more room for our creativity. 

In Progress...

A Good Look Around

(two sides of the barn almost finished being painted)

Tonight, after a long (mostly enjoyable) day of working outside (interspersed with several episodes of running inside to keep dry from the rain), I had some time all to myself. And instead of picking up the to do list (which is more of a "to plant" list), I picked up my camera.


(bean sprout)

Over the past few months the majority of our time has been spent right out here. Gathering rocks, tilling the soil, shoveling dirt, building garden beds, planting seeds... planting plants. And don't get me wrong, I love every minute of this work. In fact when we are all outside working/playing together I am often my happiest.


(first apple blossom)

However, it has been a long spring, and working outside to get all this done hasn't always been easy. We have had a lot of rain and snow, and cold and wind. It can be hard to stay positive when planting seeds on rainy day number 89.


(broccoli garden)

But we did it. And we did a lot. This year we added 16 new garden beds. Which makes for a grand total of 30 (fairly large) beds, all of which are edible plants.


(Grace's very own garden)

There is still so much to be done with the gardens, but the most important part, the planting, is finally almost done.


(oats)

And walking around tonight, with my camera in hand, I felt like I was seeing all our hard work for the first time.

\
(begonias... my favorite shade loving, all summer blooming plants)

I could finally see the big picture of what we had done... as opposed to just lines on a to do list.


(blueberries)

And I marveled at every little bit of it.


(strawberries that we planted last year)

Of course there will be things that don't work (I've already planted lettuce and carrots twice).


(lilacs- one of the many gems that came with the house)

Surely this year will have it's crop that "didn't quite do so well" (please don't be tomatoes again, please don't be tomatoes again).


(crabapple tree)

But surely this year will also have it's successes. Maybe there will be some "star" crops that perform better then ever.


(some of our new and old garden beds and the new sandbox. of the 16 new beds I harvested the rocks for- and built- 10 myself. yes I am proud.)

As always, new things will be learned. New recipes will be tried.



And we will grow... right along side our seedlings.