Happy Monday! Whew. We made it through the laundry room project. Our dreamy Sunday evening took a bit of a turn when our friends got the flu but on the upside a yummy dinner was made, the house was clean and tidy and it forced us to finish the laundry room. For now, anyways. I have long term plans to refinish the cabinets but that might be years from now!! This week we have some fun peeks into friends nests. Today my friend Rebecca is writing for us about her humble abode in Purcellville, VA! Later this week we will get a peek into my friends home in Warsaw, Poland, and then on Saturday we will get to see my friend Annie’s home in Louisville, KY.

My friend Rebecca and her husband Blake have done an amazing job renovating an old farm house.  I think Rebecca is my most carefree, laid back friend and she has faced the house challenges with so much grace! She always has the ability to laugh through the challenges and keep her head on straight.  Of course that also means she brings home puppies unexpectedly and ends up with roosters instead of hens! PS- I think her Birmingham accent has gotten thicker since she moved to the farm 

So here ya have it, southern hospitality at it’s best!

Welcome to the Farm!

In the Fall of last year, my typically predictable and always cautious husband sent me an email link to a property about 30 miles west of us in Purcellville, Virginia.    I was thrilled of the opportunity to be spontaneous and throw caution to the wind and I jumped in right away.   After a long painful process ( involving many opportunities to grow in trust and faith ) we bought the farm and moved in to our home.   “Emerald Hill Farm” is the homestead of a dairy farm from generations past.  The home is circa 1880- 1900 and the property includes a bank barn, a dairy barn, a stone cottage and 2 ½ acres.

The past 10 months have been full of hard work – cleaning, painting, repairing, painting and more cleaning.  “Decorating” has just happened along the process.    We have found junk in the barns and turned them into home accents.   There is still so much to be done – I can’t even make a list b/c it makes my head hurt.    We have learned to prioritize and I have struggled to find the balance between what I want and what we really need.    We are still missing a front doorknob and one closet has yet to be drywalled.  But, we have a front door and the skeletons of a closet – so we’re happy.

Our first (and only) big investment in the house was a paint job this summer.  It took a professional painting company 7 weeks to powerwash the house and metal roof and the barn and its metal roof.    We changed the color and painted the doors and I finally was able to have my dream side porch!   The swing and bench are craigslist purchases I repainted and I love the look!

The kitchen was my first big project.   I took apart the cabinets and stripped, sanded, primed and repainted them white.   The look is so much cleaner and makes the kitchen bigger.    Some new appliances (thanks to home warranty) also helped with the look.   The door to the kitchen stairs we painted with chalkboard paint and have our monthly family calendar on it.   And, as you can see- the kids enjoy it also.  I found an old table and 4 rickety antique chairs in the barn.  I refinished them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and upholstered the chairs with fresh fabric.   What a difference!

The den has an old woodburning stove – not the only source of heat , but the most reliable.   I love starting a fire first thing in the morning and snuggling up in front of it.    Our picture wall in the den includes an original window from the house with the old leaded glass and beautiful shape.   If you think the picture looks slanted – you’re right.  NOTHING is level in our house.   We just do our best and call it character!

At the end of the hall upstairs is my favorite little nook.   This is right outside our bedroom door and I call it my “quiet time nook”.   I can sneak out and sit here without waking up the kids as I walk down our very loud creaky hallway.

Last room –my latest and most painful project.   The before shot does not do it justice.   What it is missing Is the smell.   This room is above the kitchen and I ignored it for months.  When I finally got around to it, my goal was fresh and clean.   Thanks to friends for bed ( Kristen), mattress and coverlette, it was decorated quite cheaply.   The window coverings are roller shades that I attached material to with spray adhesive.

Looks beautiful Rebecca! Can’t wait until you turn the cottage into a B&B!! We want the first reservation….if our kids can stay in the barn that is!

Hope you all have a great Monday! You can hop over to www.worldmomsblog.com today if you have time for extra reading!  I’m on there talking about extending grace to other moms!