We've moved!

Hey all!

 

Just a friendly heads up that AFFCS has moved to a different format and a different site. 

I hope you follow over! To check out all the new blogs and tid-bits from here at the farm, go to...

http://www.afarmhousefromchickenscratch.com/

See you there!

And as always, Like AFFCS at

 https://www.facebook.com/afarmhousefromchickenscratch

See you there!

 

 



You tell 'em Elsa! "Let it Go" people!

Ahhh, Don't you just love surprise warm(er) days during winter?

 

Me too.

 

It makes the ole' ticker smile :)

 

Today is a good day.

 

 Today, between the hours of 2:00pm and 4:00pm, we are getting a big delivery.  A stainless Kitchen Aid refrigerator (to match our awesome deal of a Craigslist find...post to come soon), our couches and a big roll of bedroom carpeting, to be exact. I'm excited! 

 

...just wish we hadn't run into that hardwood flooring hiccup a few weeks ago so that we could have had the fridge placed and hooked up....

 

Oh wells.

 

So, I had a post ready to go about the refrigerator that we are receiving today. More specifically, the matching stainless Kitchen Aid appliance package we found for a STEAL on Craigslist about a year ago, and had to drive 20 hours to go pick up....

 

...but I have decided to change gears.  I'll save that post for another time.

 

I have decided to get a little political. A little controversial. A little "OH NO SHE DI'INT!"...

 

I know I know. Not my usual style, but I'm not all genius advice and dry humor *wink wink*, I have opinions on other stuff too.

 

I was scanning through Facebook a little bit ago during my 8:30am coffee break and I came across an article someone had shared about a woman who runs a blog based around her Mormon beliefs.  I won't name names, but the article she had written was about how the Disney movie, "Frozen" was riddled with secret underlying, homosexual messages, and ultimately, how she was NOT ok with this and how WRONG this is.

 

*shakes head with disappointment*

 

Basically, she is very much against homosexuality. It's no surprise that there are people out there who are against this, or against that, or think that this is morally wrong or this or that is against the Bible, or this or that is setting a bad example for our children, and so on.

 

I guess today, I'm here to give my opinion to those people who are against gay people and homosexuality in general.  I told myself when I started this blog that I would never get controversial on any "hot topics", but I guess I just had enough. So, here it is, my opinion. I'm leaving religion out of it, as I am not an overly religious person, and I don't personally think that should matter anyways. My opinion is strictly from the that of being a good human being, and nothing more. 

 

So here it is...

 

To those of you who feel the need to preach to others...

We hear you.

You've been heard.

Now sit down and be quiet.

Yes, it is your right to have your opinions, and it is your right to voice them, but at what point will you realize that you are just coming across as hateful and cruel?

 

Is that that kind of person you want to be?

 

Sure, there are some people out there who are gay who have succumb to your constant preaching and have been shamed to the point that they have chosen to deny their sexuality. Because of you have chosen to live a life of solitude and shame when it comes to relationships. They have been told over and over again that being gay is wrong, that they are an abomination, that they are sinners, and that they, in general are just wrong.

 

Congratulations.

 

Does that make you feel good?

 

Do you feel proud of yourself for causing this person to now live a life of loneliness and internal struggle?

 

Do you feel that by ridding the world of one more openly gay human being, that you have made the world a happier place?

 

Happier for who?

 

You?

 

When you successfully shame someone into denying their sexuality, all you have done is stolen their ability to live happily, and kept it for yourself.

 

If you want the word to be better, to be happier, then you are the one that needs to change.

 

People who happen to be gay, are not a problem.

 

They are not wrong.

 

They are not an abomination.

 

They are just people, who want to live their life and fall in love, just like everyone else.

 

Whether homosexuality is something they are born with, or something they choose, who cares?

 

Doesn't matter. It's their choice, not yours. 

 

It isn't your job to decide if their choices of who to love are right or wrong.

 

It's because of hateful people like you that the young man in high school feels so ashamed that he commits suicide, or the young woman marries a man she doesn't love simply to fit in and avoid ridicule.

 

If everyone was accepting and kind, why would any of these poor souls feel the need to take their own lives or make decisions they weren't happy with simply to please others?

 

In general, if it isn't hurting anyone, and it makes you happy, then what is the harm?

 

I could twist and turn this in all different directions which would inevitably just come across as the same sentences with the words rearranged, so I'll end it with this....

 

I don't think that Elsa in Frozen was singing "Let it Go" to herself, I think she was singing it to all you people out there who feel the need to dictate how other people live their lives.

 

Try turning your direction to people who are actually hurting society or others, and leave those who simply want to love who they love, alone.

 

Leave religion out of it.

 

There are so many beliefs or bible passages that can end up conflicting with others that it makes it near impossible to truly know which of those beliefs or passages is the correct one, so with that said, instead of hating, and instead of preaching, and instead of telling people that they are a problem, or that they should be ashamed, Let it Go.

 

 

 

The world could use a few more rainbows and lot less dark clouds.

 

Hell, the word "gay" means "happy" for crying out loud!

 

I love happy people. Happy people make the world a happy place.

 

It's as simple as that.

 

There, I got all controversial....it's out of my system.

 

I'm off to frost some cupcakes, drink my 4th cup of coffee, then go supervise the delivery out at the Farmhouse....

 

...I'm sure the delivery guys will looooove that...

 

 

;) Ashley

 

 

 

 



Random snippets from our week of painting...and a seriously cute door bell.

Happy Valentines Day!

May your day be full of roses, kisses, and copious amount of chocolate.

I've already treated myself to 10 minutes alone with a tub of Nutella and a spoon...so, yeah.

Ok, I'm gonna go ahead and admit now that today's post is going to be a bit of a hodgepodge of random snippets from the last few days... mainly paint related.

Yes, more paint talk...

You may want to grab a drink in order to make this more interesting...I'll wait.

 

So the past week or so, as you know, we have been priming the entire interior of the house.

 

Every. Single. Room.

I'm all for child labor to speed it along.

 

At times, to ward off the madness of applying stroke after stroke after stroke of boring white paint, we had to take a dance break...

 

I got to test out my beat-boxing skills.

Nailed it.

 

 

 Surprisingly, despite the mania that painting a million inches of walls in boring white paint can cause, it has gone very well. We are moving along nicely and with the exception of the stairwell walls that are simply too high for my vertically challenged self to reach, we are completely done with priming and have now moved on to the exciting stage of painting...

 

PRETTY PRETTY COLORS!

 

So again, as you know from my constant Facebook updates (sorry for blowing up your news feed by the way) I have been in a frenzy the past few months trying to decide on the perfect color scheme for each and every room of this lovely Farmhouse of ours.

I liked to stay organized and methodical during my color choosing...

That was a big lie.... I woke up with a paint swatch stuck to my face this morning.

Sure, it may have cost me countless hours of my life choosing these colors, but that's ok. It was worth sacrificing my precious minutes, as well as the minutes of the employees at Sherwin Williams who had to listen to me think out loud for 20 minutes, on 4 separate occasions, while I tried to decide between Repose Gray, Alpaca or Agreeable Gray....

...I could tell by looking at them that they weren't really sure if I was in deed just thinking out loud to myself, or in fact talking to them, so they just stood there waiting for me to shut up....

They are all so different! See?

 (2nd row. Can you see why the Sherwin Williams guy was looking at me like I had lost my marbles?  Yeah, I suppose I get it...whatever )
 

 

 Anyways, standing in front of a wall of color swatches or planted in front of my laptop scanning hundreds of inspiration photos night after night was well worth it in order to make this house a beautifully designed oasis of coziness...

 

...yes, I think highly of my design skills.

So after much deliberation on the neutral tones above that would grace the walls of the family room, entryway, office, and stairwell going upstairs, I finally decided on Agreeable Gray...

The lighting isn't good, and without the pretty Dover White baseboards and crown molding, and the dark hardwood floors installed yet, it's hard to really even notice that the wall opposite the fireplace wall is even painted, but trust me, it looks goooood ;) It's very Agreeable. Not too cool, not too warm. It's classy and soft and will be the perfect backdrop for all the little accents and accessories I plan to throw everywhere when all is said and done.

I also decided on Lucy's room. She requested a purple blue pink room, so naturally, in order to prevent her room from looking like a bruise, I took it upon myself to pick one and run with it. I didn't want blue, because their bathroom will be a very soft, greenish grayish blue color right across the hall.
 Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams to be exact.

(paint swatch photo borrowed from www.cottagemagpie.com)

 

I didn't want pink, because well, I just didn't. Neither myself, nor my little Lulu are girly enough to rock pink walls, so that left purple, the perfect happy medium between blue and pink. Probably the easiest color choice I've made in the entire house.

 

What a lovely puuuurple it is!

 

A little edging and I'll be done!

 

Reminded me of this guy...

 

 

I started this post yesterday, and last night I did manage to get Lucy's room finished off and I also got Olive's room painted too. A lovely shade of green (no, not Olive green) called Shagreen by Sherwin Williams...

 

 (photo borrowed from www.houzz.com)

 

It will look perfect with her white furniture and pink flowery bedding. 

 Bright, cheery and happy, just like her!

 

Eeeeeer, well, normally happy and cheery...she's been fighting the plague all week...

 

  So let's see, the last and largest of my adventures in paint this week have been revolved around the dining room paint colors, which I now lovingly refer to as the Bane of my Existence, which my husband now refers to as "Oh my God just pick one", and which my children now refer to as "time to call grandma"...

 

"Grandma, come pick us up. Mom just busted out the paint swatches and it doesn't look pretty."

 

Anyways, I wrote about choosing these colors a few days ago. Missed it? You can check it out here.

 

After some helpful opinions from you lovely people who took the time to read my post and weigh in, I had it narrowed down to three.

 

The blue, the green, and the red, so I bought some samples at Sherwin Williams...

I immediately ruled out red. I hated it. Hated it so much I didn't even take a picture, and coming from the queen of phone pics, well, that's saying something.

I liked the green, it was pretty, but it just wasn't getting me excited. I expect a certain flutter of happy anxiety to overcome me when I put paint up on a wall that I have high hopes for. I compare this feeling to that of a surprise date night, or finding a $20 in the pocket of an old coat, or settling in with a plate of nachos and finding out that The Goonies is on television...

You know what I'm sayin'.

Anyways, my husband liked the green, but I just couldn't get on board. I did/do, however really like the blue/green color, but he wasn't so sure, so as a compromise I offered to try out a dark chocolate brown color....

 

The brown is pretty. It's classy and safe and he really liked it, but I'm still leaning to the blue....

 

I haven't gone back to Sherwin yet to purchase the gallon of Hazel (the blue square painted above) because I figured I should at least act like I'm considering my husbands opinion about preferring the brown...

 

...I do take his likes and dislikes into account despite how it may seem...

 

...sometimes...

 

...ok not often, but I do try really hard.

 

Honest?

 

 

:) Ashley

 

 

Oh and here's our doorbell button!

 

 

So cute!

 

I wonder if they make a door bell that plays "Ring my Bell" by Anita Ward...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Choosing a Dining room color...and being left alone with bacon.

Praise the Lord, drywall is done!!

 

*raises hands to the sky, looks up, closes eyes, smiles like a fool, does a wee jig, then proceeds on*

 

On top of that elating news, my husband said that our trim guy, Mike, was already out at the house and was getting ready to hang doors! I love, love, love it when people just show up at our house, first thing in the morning, tools on hand and ready to start working, without having to be called 732 times to ask where the bleep they are at?!

 

It maketh me very happy...

 

..happy to the point of Shakespearian vocabulary.

 

Another occurrence that makes me very happy? My wonderfully helpful mother offered to fly back to this wintery hell from her Utopian location atop a hill in sunny California, in order to help us prime and paint the whole Farmhouse and she's out there right now as well, just workin' away!

Another upside to today?
 

It smells like sweet vanilla cupcakes and bacon in the bakery right now...

 

Pure bliss.

 

Anyways, with my mother out priming away, the deadline for picking out all the colors for the interior walls of the entire Farmhouse is quickly nearing, and in case you have realized yet, I'm not the best at making quick decisions.  I mean, it took me 5 months to pick the perfect shade of white for the exterior of the house. You can read about that debacle here.

 

So, past paint blunders aside, I now have a lot of paint colors to decide on. I know I could just go the easy route and pick one lovely shade of light taupe for the whole house and call it a day, but I just don't operate that way. I love taupe. In fact I'm sure my family room and some hallways, entryway etc. will most likely be a nice classy neutral shade of it, but I loves me some color too. I was lucky enough to decide quickly on the girls bedroom colors and was mentally stable enough at the time to make the final decision and pull the trigger on purchasing those gallons, but there are 5 other rooms right now that I just can't decide on.

1. Master Bedroom
2. Master Bathroom
3. Girls bathroom upstairs
4.Kitchen
5.Dining room

After thinking of ways to make the decision making easier, I'm decided I needed help and that I would have to break these down into a few separate posts, complete with my inspiration pictures that I have been flipping back and forth between. Today I've decided to start with #5, so let's get to decision making!

Excuse me while I find my clear-minded Zen place, steal a piece of bacon that was designated for scones tomorrow, and settle back in....

...ok now I'm ready.

The Farmhouse Dining Room

So, to help us out with the dining room wall color, there are currently two aiding factors in place.  One is that we will have very tall (6 feet tall, ceilings are 9 feet), craftsman style, white wainscoting in that room, so all the photos I will include have wainscoting to help us visualize.  The second factor is that I had recently reupholstered 6 dining rooms chairs that I had found on Craigslist.
 You may remember them?

They look a little brighter than they really are, but as you can see they are full of colors, so I figured choosing one of these lovely colors for the walls would be a helpful start. I already know I don't want the orange or the dark greenish/brown color, so those are out.  So that leaves, deep red, golden yellow, cool neutral, medium blue/green, or a green that's best described as a "bright sage". 

So here we go.
(all pictures from www.houzz.com)


1. Red

 

Very Classy, very warm, very Farmhousey.

 

2. Golden Yellow

 

 

 Traditional Dining Room by Portland Interior Designers & Decorators Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc.

It's bright, it's warm, it's happy.

Or this one, a hair lighter.

Beach Style Dining Room by Santa Ana Interior Designers & Decorators Darci Goodman Design

3. Classy cool neutral

 Traditional Dining Room by Morristown Architects & Designers Arturo Palombo Architecture

Beautiful. Exudes class and is very inviting and cozy.

4. Medium Blue/Green

                         Farmhouse Dining Room by Charleston Architects & Designers The Middleton Group

This one is a little on the "cool" side, and could stand to be a hair more on the green side, but it's close to the cushion color. I would pick a version of this color was also just slightly darker and richer.

 

5. Bright Sage

 

 Farmhouse Dining Room by Millbrook Architects & Designers Crisp Architects

Very classy, bright but not "in your face!" and it's crisp.

So? Any opinions? I'm struggling to choose and I really need to make up my mind. The kitchen is connected to the dining room and the kitchen will be mostly white beadboard but there will be some painted wall space, so any color I pick for the dining room will need to go nicely with the kitchen as well. 

Hmmmmm.... what to choose, what to choose....

...............

Maybe one more piece of bacon will help me decide....

...or two...

....alright fine, I already ate 6 pieces while I was typing this all out.

...ok 7.


:) Ashley

 

Craftsman Fireplace Surround Project... and forgetting the corkscrew...

Happy Snowy Day to you!

Anyone else ready for Spring?

 

As I mentioned last night in my "Hardwood Faux pas" post, on Saturday night my husband and I decided to forgo the traditional anniversary date night of lookin' swanky and smellin' nice, in order to get caught up on some Farmhouse related projects.

 

The project of choice?  

 

Our Craftsman Style Fireplace Surround!

 

We had decided early on that we were going for a lovely, Craftsman Style fireplace surround to match the rest of the Craftsman feel throughout the house. We were also pretty sure that we were going to build our own, mainly to save a ton of cash, and also, because of the pride that comes along with building your own stuff...and bragging rights to all your friends.

 So after hours of looking through picture after picture on www.Houzz.com, I stumbled upon the PERFECT fireplace, and I knew that this was the one we were going to try to match.

 

 

We loved the clean craftsman style trim and the dark slab mantel., so we got to work!

 

First and foremost, it was still our anniversary after all, so we started out by setting the mood...

 

 

A little pizza and wine makes any construction project a little more classy.

 

**Not Pictured: The 10 buffalo wings we utterly annihilated in the car on the way out to the Farmhouse...I was a saucy mess, and I didn't care***

 

The first and only snag of the night? We forgot the corkscrew. Luckily we know the "bottle in shoe against the wall" method. 

 

Wine Survivalist right here.

 

 

It wasn't just us out at the house that night. We had some dinner guests...

 

 

Look how cute I am. Feed me your pizza. All of it. I'm starving. I love you. Feed me.

 

 

So we stuffed our gobbs, wiped our faces and hands so we didn't leave greasy fingerprints all over our woodwork, and we got crackin'.

 

Step 1:

Measure thrice, cut once...

 

 

(a view from our family room out the front doors. Best Craigslist find ever!)

 

Step 2:

Build the boxes

 

Because of some light switches between the fireplace and the door going out to the porch, we only had about a 16 inch width to work with. Per codes, the non-combustible material surrounding the firebox opening (ie, tile, stone etc) has to be at least 8 inchs wide, so that left us with another 8 inches to work with for the wood trim surround.  We built 8 inch wide and 6 inch deep boxes up the sides and then a box to fit along the top that was slightly taller to accommodate a little extra trim that would go along the top, but directly under the mantel top, once we get that... like this...

 

 

Pretty exciting, I know.

 

 

Side Note: I love when people find cool stuff inside the walls of their 100 year old homes, so I figured I'd add a little secret something of our own...

 

I hope whoever discovers this one day isn't disappointed that I didn't leave them a bundle of cash...

 

So how did we attach this frame to the wall? Well I'll tell you.

 

Step 3:

Attach anchor boards to the wall

 

In order to attach this boxed frame to the wall, we attached two 2x6's to the wall for the edges and one 2x8 for the top, taller box to attach to... like this...

 

I know, I know.. it looked simply stunning just like this, but we figured we better keep going.

 

It was a very tight fit getting the frame to slide over the boards that we attached to the wall, and for a second I was worried that it just wasn't going to give, but finally, with a little persuading and a few harsh words, the frame slipped on over the boards. We threw in no less that 700 nails to secure it...

 

...and we were on to the next step.

 

Step 4:

Attach the trim!

 

We bought 1x2's to attach to the edges and across the top for that lovely craftsman detail like the inspiration picture above. We went up the outer and inner edges first, then across the bottom and top of the top box, then we cut the little pieces to fit between for that little extra added detail...

 

My new favorite tool...although pulling that little trigger a few hundred times apparently utilizes a special forearm muscle that I am not accustomed to using, and I now, 3 days later, feel as if I have a severe case of Arthritis tunnel.   

 

Yes, it's a thing.

 

Almost done!

 

The damn dirty thieves helpers at this point were exhausted from all the pizza they stole and were officially down for the count...

 

 

 

And here's it is with the last of the little trim pieces...

 

 

Success! Aside from the mantel top which we still have to cut, all the woodwork is complete, and all in 3 hours!

 

I still haven't decided on the tile inside the trim, but I do know the mantel will be a 3 inch thick, rough sawn, dark stained oak, and the wood trim will be Dover White by Sherwin Williams to match the rest of the house trim.

 

We are very happy with our handy work and are now completely confident in our abilities to add wainscoting to the entryway and dining room walls, but that's a post for a later date.

 

I'm now off to lather my arm in Icy Hot and then soak it in a warm salt bath, much like Tyson after a big fight....

 

...yes, my arm is just as valuable and impressive as Mike Tysons....

 

Shush.

 

:) Ashley

 

 

 

 

Hardwood flooring Faux pas....

So it has been a busy couple weeks around the Farmhouse.  We've been dealing with drywall delays, returning of tub faucets, a nasty cough circulating through our house, and my husband and I had our 5 year anniversary!  In 5 years, we have added two baby girls, 2 businesses, almost completed the Farmhouse of our dreams, and have successfully managed to double the mice population of Saunders County inside the walls of our current home.

 

Not too shabby if you ask me.

 

Anyways, instead of the usual anniversary date night consisting of rummaging through my closet in hopes of finding a cute outfit that isn't covered in paint splatters or bakery stains, and also is not one of the many old maternity shirts that still grace the dark corners of my closet, all to go overeat at some overpriced restaurant, we opted for a more productive, construction related venture....

 

Building our fireplace surround!

My husband's mom offered to take the girls overnight so we could enjoy ourselves, and we were off to get our build on!

But more on the fireplace surround tutorial tomorrow...

 

Originally, we had decided we were going to start laying our hardwood floors upstairs, but unfortunately, the drywallers are still not done (shocking), and their many random gadgets, buckets, and ladders still occupy every corner of our home.  They said we could start anyways, and to just lay down cardboard over our finished areas, but that just seemed like too much work to me, and for once, I felt like that would be getting ahead of ourselves. That inconvenience aside, did I mention that we have had our hardwood flooring stored in the basement for months now, but never opened a box until 3 days ago to take a peak? 

 

Yes it's true.

And guess what? The floors I spent weeks and weeks and weeks researching and picking out, are too dark.

 

And I'm talking DARK.

 

Nearly black, kind of dark....

 

Midnight in a cave full of black bats, kind of dark...

 

Marianas Trench kind of dark...

 

 Stephen Hawking would write a thesis about it, kind of dark...

 

(ok that last one is a stretch, but you get the point)

 

Let's just say, the sample in the store must have been slightly faded from the sun or something, because I NEVER would have ordered floors this dark.  All I could see when my husband sent me this text picture was my Swiffer Sweeper budget going through the roof.

 

See?

 

 

 Plus, they are shiny... also not my taste.

 

So after my initial panicked stricken reaction to the dark and shiny floor reveal wore off, I calmly turned to my husband and said...

 

"How mad would you be if I tried to find a lighter floor and we returned these?"

 

Keep in mind, he about flipped his lid when I exchanged a bathroom light fixture at Lowes for a different style.

 

I half expected him to off me right then and there... but I think asking him on our stress-free, kid-free anniversary date saved me.  His reaction?

 

"Babe, that's a whole lot of flooring... and those boxes are heavy, and there's about 40 of them, and we are ready to start installing flooring in about a week."

 

Then I said (batting eyelashes and looking all sweet and cute-ish),

 

"I know...but I don't like them. They are just too dark and I don't want to regret installing them because we were too lazy to put forth the effort to load them back up and return them.  I'll load them all if I have too..."

 

He said,

 

"Ha, yeah right. You'll break your back. You owe me!"

Me (shocked that he agreed),
 

"I can live with that!"

 

So the urgent hunt began and needless to say, after much looking, internet researching and hassling the Lumber liquidators salesman, we finally found the hardwood we really loved that is a nice warm medium tone, with just enough hand scraping and rustic appeal while still being classy and lovely.

 

I give you, Astoria Birch.

 

 

Much better. Much MUCH better.

 

Lovely wide planks of varying lengths that aren't too warm, aren't too cool, with perfectly placed scratches and scuffs, and that definitely say "Farmhouse".

 

It wasn't so easy though. After one salesman at Lumber Liquidators told me that I was out of luck, and that all of the Astoria Birch in the whole United States was taken, I was feeling defeated and that I may in fact be stuck with the oil spill flooring.  The next day, because I am a huge pain in the keister for whatever reason, I decided to call back and ask if they could double check ONE MORE TIME, and low and behold, he managed to find out that their store in Oklahoma City will be getting a large shipment of this floor the first week of March!

 

Triumph!

 

In hindsight, this miracle may have happened because I threatened to return all of the flooring we had already purchased, and it's amazing what kind of miracles can happen when a company risks losing a sale...

 

We aren't super thrilled about the delay in flooring installation, but we will take what we can get, and in all honesty, the drywall may not be done by then anyways, so what's the rush?

 

Fireplace Surround Pictorial tomorrow!

 

 

:)Ashley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Project Bridge Plank...and missing the freedom to wander my house freely, like Sasquatch.

So drywall is almost done! But naturally, this wouldn't be a Welch project without delays, so of course the mudder/taper guy (as I have so lovingly named him) came down with the flu...

...if it ain't one thing, it's another.

Fortunately, he called us today and is on the mend, so he will be back to work mudding and taping tomorrow.

Don't take me the wrong way. I do feel bad when people get sick. I'm not completely heartless...

...Ok, ok, 80/20 is the best I can give you.

Anyways, so drywall is back on track and that light at the end of the tunnel that I mentioned seeing last week, well, I can see it again.

So, in the meantime, I've been on the hunt lately for the perfect piece of wood to make my new kitchen's open shelving.  You would think finding a good piece of weathered wood would be easy considering all the cute crafty projects you see plastered all over the Pinterestphere...

 

...well, its not.

 

I have found countless weathered barn boards that were either too weathered, or too new, or too small, or too thin, or are perfect, but they have been treated with a thick coating of creosote.  As much as I'd love to look past the chemical treatment, I'm sure my family and guests would prefer to NOT be poisoned when dining at our house.

 

So the hunt continues.

 

If I could, I would love to call upon you fine folks to please, oh please, keep an eye open for me, and if you see some seriously sexy wood...

...keep it clean people...this is a family blog...minus the occasional sailor mouth and reference to drunkenness...

... please shoot me a message!

 

Here's what I'm looking for, like, exactly...

 

Photo totally stolen from http://ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com

 

(I love her kitchen)

 

Anyways, she was totally lucky enough to be given (yes given, as in free) three, big, thick walnut boards that she later turned into these beautifully rustic, but not too rustic, open shelves.

 

After showing my husband this picture, he advised me that these boards are bridge planks and he then whipped out the iPad and found several listings on Craigslist right out of the gate!

 

I was stoked and was sure that one of them would be the listing I was looking for that would indeed end up supplying me with the beautiful wood I had been searching for...

 

...not the case.

 

One listing only had pictures of the planks that were completely covered in snow, and although I am searching for weathered, I don't actually want the weather to come with them, so that was out.

(plus I'm pretty sure some of that snow was yellow...)

 

Next up were some planks, that looked PERFECT and the price? $2.50 per foot! Totally worth it considering I need 21 feet of them, so I was thrilled with the idea of only spending $53 for 6 beautiful big open shelves. Unfortunately like most things that seem too good to be true, when I contacted the listing, my dream was shot down like literally every goose that flies near our house between December and whenever goose murdering season is over...

 

....seriously, there is always a fleet of trucks parked either in our driveway, or in the field on the other side of our driveway. 

 

Excuse me while I reminisce about being able to walk around my house in my robe during the winter months without fearing that a random stranger wearing camo and toting a shotgun will scope me through our living room window pacing around like Bigfoot in the woods... 

 

No Privacy...No privacy at all.

 

Anyways, the dream that was too good to be true?  The perfect planks were in fact coated in creosote.  For those of you who don't know, creosote is some kind of chemical treatment that mean, bitter people put on wood to prevent it from becoming my kitchen shelves.

 

Just sayin'.

 

Next up, and last up, was a posting that also had perfect looking bridge planks. Weathered, but not too weathered and just light enough in color that they indicated that they did not have a thick coating of the dreaded poison. Score! I called the number and was informed that they were being sold for the low low cost of $150 per plank...

 

...ummmmm, sorry, wrong number.

 

I told the guy that unfortunately my budget really couldn't go over $75, so thanks, but no thanks.  He did tell me that he would keep me in mind and to call back next week to see if he had any left, which I think was his way of saying,

 

"...get off my phone line little poor girl so that people with money can get through."

 

So, unfortunately my quest for the perfect bridge planks that look like the beautiful ones up top, has come to a halt.  I did however get my husband to take me abandoned barn hopping and we found this beautifully weathered 2x12 board laying on the floor...

 

 

Clean, weathered, thicker than a regular board, and straight.  So far, this will be the top contender for our kitchen shelves.  Even if I do magically stumble upon the perfect bridge planks, I'm pretty sure I'm going to still bring this barn board home for another project of some kind...

 

...maybe a cool wine shelf?

 

After all, you can never have enough liquor storage.

 

:)Ashley

 

 



My Life before Building...and now.

Happy Wednesday to you all.

 

We have been sick this week.

 

Well, everyone except my husband, which works out well, because he needs to build the house.

 

Would I have given him time off if he HAD gotten sick?

 

nope.

 

So yeah, he lucked out...

 

...or, perhaps, it was I who lucked out, because we all know how bad a "man cold" can be....

 

...one little sniffle or sneeze and you'd think someone had shot them in the gut.

 

Luckily we are all on the mend now and the coughing is starting to subside and the gastrointestinal battles have been won.

 

One thing that has not gotten better however, is the rate in which the Farmhouse is getting its drywall installed.  Perhaps you remember that we were told 48 hours for the high majority of the drywall to be hung, and then a couple more days for taping and mudding the joints...

 

...if that load of bull had been true, it would have been done by now.

 

Needless to say, the upper level of the home is still not completed, the lower level hasn't even been touched and no taping or mudding has gone down anywhere.

 

I am so close to buying a whip....

 

...I'm talking Indiana Jones style.

 

 

So being overly irritated by workers who have taken it upon themselves to (most likely) quadruple their original time frame, thus messing up our now, very tight time schedule of 9 weeks and counting, has got me thinking...

 

...building a house sucks.

 

Now don't get me wrong, it is very rewarding when you do a ton of the work yourselves, just like we have done, and the end result is wonderful, however, the toll the process takes on your sanity, your ability to be patient and rational, not to mention your physical self, is a lot for anyone to take.

 

Drywall frustrations aside, I have noticed quite few differences between my life before building and my life now...

 

Let me share with you the comparisons...

 

 

Before Building

1. I woke up with a smile and a clear plan for my day.

2. I was very productive at work.

3. My children smiled at me and said things like "Mommy your pretty".

4. I had clothes that matched and although not fancy, fit appropriately.

5.  My hair more often than not was styled and smooth.

6. I wore makeup and looked nice, some may say "Audrey Hepburnesque"...just saying

7.We went out to dinner as a family and didn't rush.

8. My husband and I got dressed up and went on dates for sushi or wine tastings.

9. My eyes conveyed kindness and approachability.

10. I had a glass of wine here and there with dinner.

 

 

During Building

1. I wake up wondering what month it is and whether or not I remembered to bathe or feed my kids the night before.

2. I walk around disoriented at work...like a zombie in a cage.

3. My children look at me and say "Mommy, you're OOOOLD."

4.  All of my clothes have since been covered in paint or caulk, so I now wear oversized t-shirts from the bottom of my husbands pajama drawer... and mom jeans.

5. Half of my hair has fallen out, and the other half gets thrown in a bun that resembles something a blind rat would create as its nest.

6. I wear Chapstick and mascara and pray that my Covergirl foundation covers my under eye bags...some may say "Steve Buscemi-esque".

7.  We grab Jimmy Johns on our way to Lowes and eat it in the cart in the plumbing fixture aisle...that trail of shredded lettuce is from the Welchs...sorry.

8.  My husband and I go on dates still...to Builders Supply and Menards. If only Menards would start carrying sushi, we would be set.

9. My eyes convey hostility and sleep deprivation.

10. I rarely have blood in my winestream these days.

 

 

So there you have it... I have deteriorated greatly in mind and body over the past 7 months because of the stress this big, beautiful bastard of a home has caused me.  But its ok.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and that in itself makes me feel lighter in the shoulder area. 

 

...and hopefully soon, my children will call me pretty again, because this "old" thing is SO not cool...

 

 

:) ashley

 

 

 

 



Waiting to Exhale: A two week test in patience and non-violence...

Happy Pre-Friday!

 

It smells of Cinnamon Rolls and Chili in the bakery today, and it's taking every fiber of my being to not head over to the crock pot and eat up all the profits.

 

It's good stuff.

 

So, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the Farmhouse.

 

As I have mentioned before, the drywall phase of construction has been delayed repeatedly, and those delays have me in a near psychotic state....

 

...I'm talkin' a Jack Nicholson in the Shining kind of whacked out...

 

 Over the course of a couple weeks, here's how the drywall related discussions between my husband and I have gone down....

 

*insert the Law and Order ominous DUN DUN, here*

 

Monday

Husband: "I talked to the drywallers today and they are coming on Thursday."

 

Me: "Good! Progress!"

 

Thursday

Me: "Did you talk to the drywallers? Are they out at the house yet?"

 

Husband: "No, I just talked to him and they got delayed at another job. They won't be able to come out until Tuesday."

 

Me: "AHHH, fine!"

 

Tuesday

Me: "So what time are they showing up today? I want to go out and look after work."

 

Husband: "Not sure. I haven't talked to him yet, but they may not even be coming today...he only told me "maybe" when he told me Tuesday."

 

Me: "....You told me Tuesday, not MAYBE Tuesday."

 

Husband: "Babe, they will get there when they get there. You can't make them just leave their other job to come do our house. Be patient."

 

Me: *dead stare and teeth grinding* "fine"

 

Thursday

 

Me: "Any word from the drywallers?"

 

Husband: "No, I will call him later to see what the plan is."

 

Me: "We are just sitting here now...can you just call him now so I can listen?"

 

Husband: "No I'm not going to call him with Dora the Explorer on in the background."

 

Me: *facial tick developing*

"Why does that matter? I don't think the drywallers will give a crap if you are watching a cartoon with your kids while making a phone call."

 

Husband: "Will you just leave it alone? I'll call him later!"

 

Me: *with a hint of murder in my voice* "yep."

 

Later Thursday

 

Husband: "I talked to the drywallers. They will be out tomorrow to stock the house with drywall"

 

Me: "Awesome! So they are starting tomorrow?!"

 

Husband: "They are just stocking tomorrow, they aren't actually gonna start hanging it until Monday."

 

Me: "Shocking"

 

Friday

 

Husband: "Don't be mad..."

 

Me: "What? So help me God if you tell me the drywallers aren't coming, I'm going to flip out..."

 

Husband: "They got held up at their current job, but they assured me they will be out to start on Wednesday for sure."

 

Me: "Wednesday?!?!?"

*grabs my kids Disney princess stool and places it at my husbands feet so I can stand eye to eye with him, face to face, finger pointed at his retinas, voice deep, quiet, and quivering*

"You tell him, that if he and his crew aren't at our house at the crack of dawn on Wednesday morning, I will hunt each of them down, and there will be murder in the air....  You got it?  Muuuurrrdeeerrr"

 

Husband: "Yes ma'am. I got it."

 

Me: *still in his face, finger pointed and quivering* "ok then..."

 

Wednesday

 

Husband: "Quentin, Branson, and Steve are meeting me out at the place to help the drywallers stock the house with sheetrock. It'll go faster that way."

 

Me: "Good.  Will they be able to start hanging it that day too?"

 

Husband: "Might not be today because we have to make a few trips to get all the drywall, so if they can't start today, they will start first thing in the morning."

 

Me: *gives him the look implying "yeah, they better be, or that murder threat is back on*

 

Wednesday afternoon

 

I drive out to the house after work to check on progress. There are a lot of cars. Good, that means progress. I walk into the house and immediately hear a group of guys in the basement, laughing, talking and being just loud enough to imply that they all have a few beers in their bloodstreams. I walk downstairs to find a huddle of dudes who seem to have taken it upon themselves to call it a day, and have cracked into a case of beer to reward themselves for their day of hard work...It's 2:00.  I plaster on the fake smile and try to hold back my urge to ask why they all think that 2:00 is a good time to call it a day and start drinking, when this whole house SHOULD have been completely done 2 weeks ago.

Me: "Sooo, are you all done for the day?"

 

Husband: "Yeah, his crew is stuck at a job, so they are going to work the weekend to finish our house. They will be out Saturday and will work through Sunday. Their boss said they should be able to have it all done by the end of the day."

 

Me: "I'm not surprised. But they really think that they will be able to do this whole house in 48 hours?!  I have a feeling that it's gonna look sloppy and there will be nail pops everywhere..."

 

Husband: "Nah, I told him that if they do a bad job and there are nail pops everywhere, that I'm gonna be hammering them back in with his forehead."

 

Me: "awwww, thanks honey...You do love and understand me :)"

 

Husband: "No problem babe."

 

 

 

So, now we wait for Saturday...

 

*queue the Law and Order "DUN DUN"*

 

 

:) Ashley

 

 

P.S. I would never actually murder a person over delayed drywall work and my husband would never use someone's forehead to hammer nails.

 

We are a peaceful folk...

 

...a heavily medicated, slightly maddened, peaceful folk.

 

P.S.S. I'm just kidding, we are not heavily medicated, or maddened...

 

...but we did just finish Season 5 of Sons of Anarchy and are now forced to wait months before Season 6 is available...

 

...ok, a little maddened...

 

...and drunk...

 

...almost always half in the bag. 

 

Just sayin'.