She Shed

Last summer, Art got it in his head that he'd like to build me a little "she shed".  I'm not sure if y'all have heard of them, but it was a project that he wanted to tackle.  His purpose in converting this little shed for me was to give me a space of my own, where I can escape the hustle and bustle of homeschooling The Girls, working, and general life to get away - if even just for half an hour. 

We took an old shed that we had kicking around (the cutest one, I might add!).  I emptied it out....and let me tell you friends, it was FULL.  Of junk!  And not even good junk!  I think in it's former life it was used as some sort of workshop, so it smelled like oil, had pegboard hanging everywhere, and the floor was full of mouse dropping and dead bugs.  Yuck. 

There was an old desk, nasty dirty junk, and anything else you can imagine!

I kind of loved the pegboard, and thought about painting it white.... but alas, we took it out.

Here's the outside, before we did anything.  After we emptied it out, I put a fresh coat of pain (red, naturally!) on the outside, and we put new skids underneath, to be able to move it.

Here's the side, before we put in the windows.

Right after we painted the building, our dog went and rubbed up against the building.  When I saw him, I definitely did a double take, wondering where he was bleeding from....until I realized it was red paint!  The paint on him last for a good few weeks... poor guy.

We painted the inside of the shed white (of course!), to make it nice and bright.  Thankfully, Art was able to spray the paint, so it was a quick (and messy) job.

Art used old fence boards for the flooring and window trim, and he added a few old barn windows to let more natural light in.  The door was already a wonderful, chippy white, with glass on the top half, so that was great. 

After we moved the shed into place, Art built a deck on the outside, so we could sit and enjoy the view.  This shed is right close to my garden, so it's got a great view!

The most fun part of doing this shed, for me, was to decorate it.  I didn't buying anything for this shed, but rather, shopped my home and storage room for furnishing it.  The loveseat was given to us when we were first married.  It's not my taste, but I covered it with a drop cloth, and the loveseat looks great. 

I've furnished it with a cabinet, some old egg boxes, books, some antique quilts and lots of candles.

In the fall, Art also put an electric fireplace in here, so that I can enjoy the shed in some of the colder months as well.

All in all, this was a relatively quick project, and it really, really turned out well.  I'm thrilled with the results.

An Outhouse

Any of you who know us in real life know that my Man is a man who loves a project.  He loves being creative, and building things - especially something new made to look old. 

 

Over Christmas, he decided to get started on building an outhouse.  We have one here at the farm which is rotten and caving in, and it's close to the house.  We decided it would be nice to have an outhouse back in the farmyard, where it will most likely be more accessible and handy to use when we're outside. 

 

After a few hours here and there working on this beast, he finished it this past weekend.  Here's his masterpiece!

 

He built the outhouse in the shop, on skids, so over the years, it will be easy(ish) to move it if we need to.  I love the unique touches of an old shovel handle, bent and used as the handle, and old hinges and chain, used for the door.

 

He bought rough cut lumber, and did board and batten on the outside, which was help maintain privacy when the boards shrink due to cold weather and dry weather. 

 

We talked quite a bit about how to provide some light in the outhouse, so I picked up this battery operated lantern for the inside, as well as a solar powered light for the outside. 

I'm super happy with how this cute, little outhouse turned out!

Summer Projects

Summer is a time for outside projects around these parts, and it was a nice treat to be able to work outside so much this year.  Last year at this time, we were still so busy working on house renos, and it was awfully fun to work on the yard instead, while the sun was shining and there was so snow on the ground. 

Our biggest undertaking this year was to do a bunch of fencing around the yard and shop.  I really wanted 3 rail fencing, simply because it looks so nice.  It's rustic and country and classic and beautiful.  It was, of course, a family project.  The Girls laid out all the fence and gate posts for us, and they measured and marked them, so we knew how far to pound them in.  They got a little creative in their markings, and left us funny little notes on many of the posts.  We spent the day chuckling at their sense of humor....

 

 

I really wanted to rework the garden as well this year - to beautify it.  The garden was massive - too big for me to take care of, so I decided to put some square foot gardens in part of the garden, as well as just a regular garden.  I think it's a nice compromise?  I had already planted my garden, so it made it a bit awkward, but next year, I'll plant it differently.  We pulled an arbor from another part of the yard (for now), but Art will eventually build a wooden one, and one of the other gates is an old headboard from an antique iron bed.

 

 

 

I'm super happy with how the garden area turned out, with even an area in the shade for sitting and relaxing...

 

 

 While we had the fence post pounder going, Art also decided to put some hitching rails around the shop, to make it easier to tie horses to while we tack up.  We also put those rustic beams around the overhang of the shop this year, to add a bit of rusticity (is that even a word?!) to the boring, metal shop. 

 

The Girls spent many, many hours creating their own "forts" this summer, and it was fun to watch them make something out of nothing.  There were many trips to "The Junkyard" (aka our scrap metal pile that has yet to be removed) to find materials for their forts, as well as many sticks and pieces of scrap wood from who knows where. 

 

 

One of the fun parts of watching them create their forts was seeing how they used "junk", and with their imagination, created really neat spaces. 

 

Since we moved in, just over a year ago, The Girls have been begging Art to build another swing set for them.  At our last house, we had a fairly sweet swing set/playhouse, and The Girls spent many afternoons playing on them.  After finishing up some other projects, Art decided it was time to get this one done.  He had an auger all booked and ready to go, when he happened on some guys that were doing work on power poles in the area.  After talking with them a bit, they said they'd come and auger the holes for us with their truck.  We were so thankful and blessed that they not only did the holes, but they also placed the poles for us as well.  What took this crew of guys 2 hours would've taken us about 3 days.  We made sure we fed them lots of treats, and everyone went away happy, happy, happy!

 

We still have to put up the tire swing, but meanwhile, The Girls are enjoying having a swing once again.  The rails are 18 ft. high, so it's quite fun for even the older kids to play on. 

 

 

We've had some other projects here and there, one especially exciting one, but I'll leave that for a post of it's own... one day.  Although we had a terrible drought here this year, which left us with terrible crops, it was nice to have many dry days to get work done.  Art was able to take many Friday's off, so that we could work around the farm, and I'm so thankful for that.  It was fun to watch my perennial gardens come up again, and set some plans for the next few years of things I want to change.  We (hopefully) got some of the weeds under control in some of the beds, and I'm always amazed at how quickly those beds go from looking overgrown and nasty to quite beautiful.  I'm blessed to have many, many mature perennials, and these delphiniums are just one example of that.  These flowers grew to be almost 6 ft. high!  They are beautiful!

 

Now, as fall is arriving, we will start to switch our focus back to finishing up a few outstanding projects inside.  I'm looking forward to some days curled up by the fire, reading a book, instead of working, working, working, outside. 

 

"...For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under the heaven..."

Ecc. 3:1

Back Woods Beauty

Every summer, we try and pick a spot on our property to do a project.  For the past number of years, we've been wanting to tackle our back woods, and have started, in the past, but never finished.  This year, we started....worked and worked and worked and worked, and finished.

Our back woods is full of stinging nettle, rotten, falling down trees, waist high grass and some healthy trees.  We've been wanting to make trails throughout the area, and so we did.

There's a company in our area that contract their services to the power company to cut down trees and maintain the area around power lines.  After they've cut down the trees, they chip them all up, and are always looking for places to dump the mulch.  This year, we were the lucky recipients of 4 dump truck loads of mulch.  And the best part about it?  It was all free...As in, it didn't cost us a penny!

Here are a few of the before pictures....

The brush was so thick you couldn't even walk!

And....the after pictures....

I am very, very glad that this project is all done... and my sore body is too!  I don't think I want to see another shovel full of mulch for quite some time!

We also did the area in the front, around and underneath the girls playhouse, so that has tidied up that area nicely.  Now, we can enjoy the trails for the rest of the summer....along with the swarms of mosquitoes!

Rusty Junk

So here's the deal.  I love rusty junk.  I love it in my house.  I love it outside.  I love it in my garden.  I love it in my flower beds.  When in doubt, buy rusty junk is kinda my mantra.  I have loads of it, just waiting for the right time and place to use it.  And when you use it outside, it gets rustier, and eventually dies.  And then you have to replace it.  But rusty junk is especially excellent with flowers in it.  I bought this bad boy chicken feeder at an auction.  I love it in front of my house with flowers in it. 

And this spot in my flower beds was feeling a tad bit empty.  What did I do?  You guessed it....rusty junk!  Rusty junk covers a multitude of empty spots in my flower garden.  It's adds a bit of character and "charm", in my opinion....

So there you have it....rusty junk!  Enjoy your weekend!

Weekend Project

This weekend, I made my life a little bit easier....I hope!  We decided to do a square foot garden this year instead of our traditional garden.  And let me tell you, I've jumped in with both feet!

For the last few years, my garden, although I love the fruits (or veggies!) of my labor, has been just that...labor!  The soil needs some help, I've got loads of thistle, and I just plain detest weeding!  Last year, a friend of mine did a square foot garden, and just raved about it.  So, we made the plunge.  Art sprayed our garden, and this week (if it ever stops raining!), I'm going to get a load of top soil delivered, spread it out and will plant grass over it.  Gasp!  It's true... I'm gonna do it!  But only because this weekend, I made these bad boys....

2 square foot gardens!  We all know I say me, but really, Art built them.  And then I stained them and mixed all the dirt and shoveled it all in....yes, me!

...and planted them!  I used the markers that the Girls made us for Christmas.  So now, it's raining...a lot (hopefully not to much for those little seeds), and we'll wait to see how this garden grows.  Yippee for less weeding....I hope!

Another New Project

Spring is the time for projects.  The weather is good, the bugs aren`t bad, and after a winter of being cooped up, we are ready to work!  Last year, one of our major projects was getting chickens.  They survived the winter, however, their laying has slowed down, so we thought we should think about replacing our layers.  Last week, we headed out to  the hatchery to pick up these wee babes!

We decided to make our flock a bit bigger this time, so we got 20 laying birds.  We also thought we`d try our hand at raising some broilers, so we got 20 of those as well.  Lastly, I really, really, really wanted to try to raise a few turkeys.  We bought 2 to try them out...

Here they are.  We named them Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We`ll see how that goes... But they are awfully cute!

After making it through the winter, and expanding our flock, we also realized that it would be great to have a bigger chicken house.  Hence, our next new project...

A chicken mansion!  We had friends that got chickens for the first time, so the guys got together, and worked their butts off all weekend and built not one, but 2 of these bad boys!  They got them framed, the walls on, and the roof done.  They worked really hard, and got lots accomplished!  On Sunday, Art was just finishing up the roof...well, Art and I.  I did help, you know.  Really!  I cut shingles for them, all afternoon.  I should be a roofer`s assistant....not!  Anyhow, Art stopped for a little break and we went up on the roof to have a drink with him.  It was a pretty nice view from up there.  And no one even fell off (not then....Art did fall off the roof flat on his back earlier in the  weekend....thank goodness he was not injured!) 

There`s still lots to do, but at least the really hard manually work is done... the rest we can do together.  I am looking forward to seeing the chicken mansion completed....hopefully soon!  The chickens are outgrowing their box!

Lulu

Meet Lulu

Lulu is a cow/horse (gives a whole new meaning to a cow horse, don't ya think?).  Lulu the horse is great with kids....

Very quiet....

And loves to play!

She only occasionally bucks them off!

Lulu the cow is also very quiet.... she just stands while the Girls try to rope her!

...and with lots of practice, they're getting pretty good!

Lulu has become a well loved part of our family.  She gets introduced to everyone who comes over, and most kids will even ride her.  We love Lulu!

Signs of Life

We were working outside this weekend, and I took a quick walk through my garden to see if anything was springing it's head yet.  Along with many weeds, I did find some signs of life, springing up from the ground!

This time of year almost feels like Christmas...you never know what you're going to find when you take a walk outside.  What plant will makes it's spring appearance today?

I also noticed that my tulips had started to poke their heads....ahhh, Spring!  It's God's gift to us for making it through another cold winter in the great, white North!

The Road to Hanna

When we drove to Hanna to pick up our "project", we made a stop in Red Deer at one of my favorite stores

 UFA (United Farmers Association).  It's fantastic.  Truly.  I could spend hours in there, walking around, looking at all the things made out of galvanized tin.  I love that stuff!

 We went through a beautiful river valley close to Big Valley (aptly named, I know!)

 And drove across a one lane bridge.  It was here that Molly realized that she had left her camera in the bathroom stall at UFA, so we had to drive back through Red Deer again on the way home.

 We did some of this....

 And this...

 When we got home, Art used the quad to pull the "project" off the trailer.  I must admit, I was a bit skeptical, since it took 5 guys to put in on the trailer....

 But, he's the man....he did it.  And here it sits, in it's place.

 Once again, being the "best Mom", I bought The Girls a few lead lines.  And a few buckets, which were pronounced the "coolest bucket ever!" by Hannah.  They have not stopped playing with the 2 since we got home.  They tie each other up, play "horse", and many other things.  Want to win the "Best Mom" award?  Buy your kids buckets and lead lines.

 And here's a few things we needed for our project. 

Now you know what it is!