I love it so much when my man gets excited to do home improvements. It’s like a spell that sneaks into our home, subtle at first. Andy will begin staring at corners and ceilings, doing math while rhythmically sipping espresso. And then the magic takes hold and he dutifully, quietly changes into his superhero outfit: coveralls, trucker hat and tool belt. Game on.
We have so much we will do to our house. It will be many years, which is sometimes overwhelming to think about but mostly it’s just fun and we feel grateful and giddy dreaming about ripping out walls, converting the garage into an art studio, plucking grass and planting natives, painting the exterior, replacing vinyl floors…oh, and on. We will be in this home for a long, long time.
:: Recently, my strapping electrician scored a deal on some can lights from a job site so we were able to check off the ‘new light fixtures’ item earlier than expected. There are still many places that hold a lone bulb but our living room, kitchen, hallway and bedroom are well-lit! Yo.
:: In our last home we spent some cash money on nice looking ceiling fans, which, in our opinions, are ridiculously hard to find. Seriously, what up with hideous ceiling fans? The thing is, the pretty ones still weren’t even that great. Not a fixture, not something we want to look at. This time we decided that we’d like our fans to function and disappear as much as possible. We went with cheap and white.
happy side effect: afternoon feathered ceiling shadows dance
:: I curate the clothes on the line, hanging my favorites on the outside. It makes me happy.
How darling is that clothespin bag? Made from vintage fabric by Montana company Once Again.
:: Andy constructed our deck railing last summer. Two rungs in we realized our climbing daughters would be attracted to it like moths to a flame. Andy planned to build a lip that would prevent high, teetering kids and I asked if it could be some sort of planting container. He did it up but I didn’t have a chance to plant anything in it last summer.
It is pretty shallow so to retain moisture I lined the bottom with plastic bags. I wanted a thick hedge of herbs but at the last minute decided to include some flowers too. White pansies and basil. Pansies remind me of my mama. I was a little late getting the basil in but it’s coming right up.
:: Chicks are growing.
L to R: Tiffany, Sparkle, Rosetta, Cayenne
:: Also on the deck, I found a use for this basket I fell in love with at a garage sale last summer. And we hung a bird feeder. It’s the perfect spot because we can get unbelievably close while the little feathered dudes feed in the morning. The glare on the window makes it so they can’t see us.
:: Reconstructed the girls’ fort.
:: Our front yard sculpture by Nathan Tonning.
:: I started pruning (what’s a more aggressive word for pruning?) the juniper along our driveway LAST SUMMER. Since then, we’ve had a growing pile in our driveway. Andy and I finished cutting a few weeks ago and borrowed our friends’ truck and trailer to haul the pokeys (as our kids call juniper) away. We also cleaned up our side yard where 14 pine trees live. Remember those giant branches I cut last summer? They still needed to be hauled away. Two dump trailers full of pokeys, pinecones and branches. The act left my arms like overcooked noodles.
While we scooped, sawed and tossed,Β Margot and Ruby, with their neighborhood pack, bobbed in and out to ask questions like have you seen my lighter blue sparkly thingie?
:: It doesn’t look great now but it will! We will plant gobs of native flower seeds this fall and the juniper will grow in like big arching bonsais. We will likely pull the juniper eventually and replace with sagebrush. Or let those aspens grow in. Before and after:
I was able to lean exhaustion on my shovel and squint into the sun just enough to notice the satisfaction in watching all that debris drive away.
We have a great composting company here, Eko, so the ridding was easy.
:: Alice.
:: It’s still so green here. Soon to change.
:: I have been on the hunt for an old wood tote for our kitchen table and I recently found one at a thrift store for $5. It holds seasonal love and our daily napkins.
I’ve been posting less regularly here, a natural consequence of summer for me. I do have several posts written in my brain and I am excited to download them here:
My garden plot, plans and pics.
Our kitchen redo that is still very much in-process. It hasn’t cost a penny; we just took down a wall and moved around, reconfigured existing cabinets. That new counter is temporarily a hollow core door that Andy fanageled. Making do until we can afford what we want. Here’s a little snap of the before and current views from our front door. We are loving it.
More soon, friends. xo
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39 Comments
Simply put, I love your house π
This post has inspired me to clean and move furniture around!
It’s amazing what a little furniture rearranging can do! Love it.
The changes are amazing Burb! I can’t wait until I see them in person…less than a month away! How fun to know that you will be in this home for a long time! As much as I enjoyed moving every 2 to 3 years, building new nests. I have always loved it when people my age, say they are going home to their childhood home where their parents still live!
Love you tons…..Mom
I love how your house is coming together! My hubby isn’t quite as handy as yours, so we do what we can and finagle our way around the rest of it – we’re both learning. π There certainly is plenty of magic in changing things up and seeing it come together on the home front though!
I just want to say that you and your family are such an inspiration! My husband and I are getting ready to pack up our little clan (3 kids 4 & under, 1 dog, 3 new baby chicks) and move to the country. As in..we’re going from a small plot in a semi-urban town to 7 acres an hour away (with a stream!). Needless to say, we have to downgrade a bit in the “fancy” department home-wise but we’ll be seriously upgrading in outside space. Something I’ve always wanted.
We’re super excited! Our families…not so much. They kind of think we’re crazy — that in order to be comfortable with 3 kids we need a big house not a big “yard,” modern conveniences like a playroom..not DIY projects that will take years.
Anyway, my point is. Sometimes their attitudes really gets me down and I feel like maybe I am a little crazy and maybe I am screwing my kids. Then I read your blog! And oh how much better I feel! Thank you for that. Thank you for being an inspiration to the rest of us “homesteader wannabes”
π
I’ve found that when people have strong opinions about what is best for me, it is usually what is best for them and they have a hard time separating the two. You know? I love this Walt Whitman quote: “Be curious. Not judgmental.” I am excited for you! It is brave and awesome to follow your heart.
Warmly,
Nici
Thanks for that quote Nici! We live in a fast growing southern city in a hip neighborhood that is growing even faster than the rest of the city. All we can do is think and talk about getting our crew out to our 4 acres of land an hour away. We are going to build a small place and really have a change of lifestyle, but we are running into the problem of being so integrated into what is going on with society and financial obligations and capitalism stuff that I feel stuck on where to go to make it happen. Anyone please – suggestions on how to break free and make it happen? And yes this blog is so inspiring and yes our family will think we are crazy! My mother grew up dirt poor and worked her whole life not to live the life we are aching to live and it breaks her heart to even hear us talk about our plans to become homesteaders!
I love it when you show us around your home and the changes you make. It’s inspired stuff! x
Oh good! I want to share more and plan to….just as soon as I finish a few projects here and there! Ha.
Taking that wall down in the kitchen — such a transformation for your cooking space. Great job!
You’ve inspired me to hunt down a bank of old file card drawers now, too.
You inspire me!!
Though I love my mountains (so very much), your posts give me a growing desire to see your mountains. Your posts – each and every one – inspire me; somehow, your words and photos reconnect me to what counts. Now, that’s a skill!!
Wishing you all the very best from my mountains to yours,
Ali in Switzerland
Switzerland? Sister, let’s trade homes for a week! π
I LOVE THIS!
Nici of Montana…
Perhaps you said that in jest? … but, what is it about true words said in jest?…
Let me know when you’re ready for the trip and I’ll book mine, we’ll cross mid-air, and I’ll feed the chickens whilst you settle into my Heidi land for a week. π
Ali of the Alps
Thanks Nici! What a great way to look at it! I have to remember that so that the next time I get criticized I can respond without getting as defensive as I sometimes do.
Have fun with your home projects!
^ Sorry, I should’ve put that under your reply.
,,,i was always wondering what was on the side of that wall. i figured the kitchen but i wanted to see it for myself. love all the blood, sweat, tears and “hooray we’re done for the day” accomplishments! and your lavender that hangs two sides of the window…my favorite. i miss its plentiful in DC. i tried growing it in AZ and the soil and sun have killed it, so so sad. xo,,,
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1st, if you don’t want your tote natural colored, milk paint would be awesome on it. 2nd, when we built our house, we used marble and granite remainders from the SilverCity Stone in Helena for wide window sills, a pass through window/shelf, a shower shelf and 2 bathroom countertops. We were flexible about colors/widths and checked more than once (with a sheet listing all the sizes we needed). SilverCity Stone had (and hopefully still has) a side yard with their scrap pieces to buy and were great to work with. They can seam it too. http://www.silvercitystone.com/ 3rd, our kitchen countertops are concrete made by my husband who took a class from Cheng Concrete. http://www.chengdesign.com/geocrete-countertops.html We’ve got fossils, petrified wood, other great stones and even a brass airplane his dad made embedded in them. Then hubby, used the same charcoal color and made a sitting bench & shelf for our masonry stove too. (I thought that color would be industrial and boring, but it is really ties in beautifully with the walnut countertop for the seating part of our cooking island.) Since you & Andy are both artists, you might want to take a look at their gallery and be inspired.
Ooh thanks for these ideas! π
1) The rail planter!
2) Re: Fans. I KNOW. Been there, done that, twice. Our current fixtures we scored from a house that was slated to be burned down.
3) Alice. My heart melts each time I see a photo of that old girl. Reminds me of my old girl.
you are awsome !!! whether its pics or writing….you do it nicely. Loved it.
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Thanks !!!
I have never commented on a blog, or anything else on the computer for that matter, but felt compelled to write. I so very much enjoy getting a glimpse into your life. Blogging is so inherently vulnerable; you are putting yourself out there for comment and, unfortunately, judgement. I just wanted to thank you for putting yourself out there in that way. My husband and I just bought a piece of land we love and a quirky but beloved home, that we are now slowly renovating. I agree that it is often daunting to think of repairs and remodeling in terms of years. We are busy pulling, hacking, and pruning our property as well, with two little girls of our own in tow. Reading your blog provides inspiration (I love those feathers hanging in your window!), a glimpse of beautiful land I have never seen (I am a 7th generation Floridian), and a reminder to relax, smile, and enjoy all the beauty and chaos my own life holds. Thank you.
My favorite comments are first-time comments! It’s like peeling back a sweet little layer and peeking into who is on the other side of my words. So, thanks so much for taking the time to write! Blogging is indeed vulnerable. That’s a big reason I like it (and have, at times, not liked it). We connect through real experiences and feelings — big and small. And connection begins with sharing, opening our most authentic selves to each other. Congrats on your new homestead!
Nici
Just read this again, how could I have not mentioned Alice! I love that girl!
xo
Ahh, I love posts like these, getting to see the inside of your home. Love your taste, love being inspired π Thanks
Even though I am more than happy with our recent move from a house in a small Tennessee town to an apartment in Atlanta (what can I say, I’m a City Mouse), I LOVE your homestead. It’s funny, two of things I miss the most about owning a house are the ceiling fans (maybe I can talk our landlord into installing some) and my rotary washing line, which is sitting in my in-laws garage, just waiting for us to have a backyard again some day. In the meantime, I’m living vicariously through you. Next time you hang some clothes on the line, think of me, a Londoner living in the American South, who dreams of drying clothes outside.
Ah…just what I needed…a big dose of dig. My inn keeping job is keeping me busy so I was a bit behind on reading your post and reading a few together was just what I needed right now. I loooooove the photos from the camp trip! *sigh* I love those mountains in the West. I love that you show these little tidbits into your life and your house. That orange tea kettle- it warrants a note of mention every time and the mason jars. I just love seeing mason jars in the room.
The other thing, when I saw the picture of the chickens, I can say well and true, before I read which hens had which names, the Tiffany hen was my favourite. π
Okay…my favorite part of this post is those two sleeping beauties on the couch! π
I love all your nuggets. All the love you put into your homestead is obvious, and I think it’s awesome that your girls are part of the process too. I’m currently trying to find more time to devote to my home (lack of time is an ever-present problem!), so your post is really inspiring and motivating. Thank you for sharing!
I love the big sky of your writing, your surroundings, your outlook. Reading your blog is like a long, happy smile.
Peace,
Barb
Love seeing more of your house & fantastic style. Rail planters are genius & love the changes in the kitchen. We love our funky warehouse living but sometimes being a renter is such a bummer… oh the projects I’d love to tackle! Thank you for sharing your beautiful life.
xo
Kate
The little changes are so inspiring. The hillside where you went to town on the junipers feels so much lighter; I cannot wait to see it evolve with native plants.
And the flow of your living space after removing one wall – it’s such a simple (and briefly messy) change that creates a drastic impact!
As always, thanks for sharing these moments with us.
Summer has also taken me away from my regular commenting- but I am still reading, usually late at night in bed on my phone π Love to see what you’ve done with your house, it’s such a charming space, inside and out.
I have also been loving following your IG feed- fun to see your day to day, since you are one of my imaginary friends you know…. hahaha
you have a great blog here! would you like to make some invite posts on my blog?
Useful info. Hope to see more good posts in the future.
I am just catching up on you from afar, missing my missoula home while I’m at my childhood home in milwaukee… you have made so much progress since Will was born… kitchen wall gone!??! love that red basket. bushes slashed. garden in full swing. and speaking of swings, that swing in back along the hill under the tall pines. goodness I am missing you I can nearly smell it! See you in about 10-days! keep the photos and posts coming. the nostalgia is contageous.
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