Meet Murphy

 We've been looking for a little dog for about three years. We went through a ton of foster dogs hoping to find the perfect addition to our family, but they were meant for other families. One night I stumbled upon this little guy while scrolling through the local classifieds website. The Farmer was out of town so I texted him the picture with the link. He replied in a text: "Let's do it!" We don't usually make major life decisions via text...

The day we picked him up... a very happy boy

 He is a Shorkie (Shih Tzu and Yorkie mix). At three and a half months he weighs 8 lbs. Not to big, not too small...

JUST RIGHT

His name was a bit of a dilemma because we have 5 opinionated people living at Willow Hill Farm. Some of the names in the running were Oliver, Nugget, and Bucky. After a veto and two votes, we finally agreed on Murphy, which suits him perfectly.

 He is so sweet and cuddly. He wants to be by my side constantly when the kids aren't around. Seriously, who can resist that face??

He has wiggled his way into our hearts, so I'm sure you'll be reading more about Murphy here on WHFG.

July Recap

It's been a super busy month around here.  I thought I'd share the good, the bad, and the beautiful.  My brother is currently deployed, so if some of this seems trivial information, keep in mind that peeks into our everyday life are like a little treasure for him.

1. A sly fox that has discovered our hens.  Last week, she waited until my husband pulled out of the driveway and attacked.  I just happened to be looking out the window and thought "Why is there a red cat chasing the chickens?" Then reality hit and I tore through the house yelling, "Get the gun! Call dad!"  Who am I?? Get the gun?  Our hens are secured at night, but they free range during the day.  So within 7 minutes of the hens being released, she helped herself.  She continues to outsmart us, but we've called in an expert.  Time to get serious because she's cutting in on our egg production.

2. I've had a few little "Me Dates" lately.  That's what I call an unexpected little date with myself while I wait on various kid activities.  It's been the busiest mom-taxi summer, so I finally got wise and started carrying a book with me.  A cup of coffee is much cheaper than shopping and tastes twice as yummy.

 On a side note, about the mom-taxi thing... I was having a lil attitude about all the driving and kid-shuffling.  Then I realized that my oldest will be driving next summer and I won't be needed.  Won't. Be. Needed.  That thought kinda stuck in my gut and my perspective immediately changed.  Now I savor these across-town car rides.  Well, most of the time.

3. We have been in our house less than two years.  Last March (17 months after installing brand new carpet) I started noticing the carpet in our bedroom.  Like noticing how unattractive it had become.  I contacted the place we purchased the carpet from and they then connected us with a service rep from Shaw Carpets.  I'm not a frequent flyer of the complaint department, so for me to work up the nerve to contact the company, you know it was bad.  The traffic pattern on our carpet looked worse than the carpet we left in our last house after 11 years.

Picture taken immediately after vacuuming.

The cutest little old man showed up to check out our carpet. Have I mentioned my affinity for old men?  He spent 35 minutes telling me his life story (in which I gathered he was 80+) and he fit the Jersey-boy-retires-to-Florida stereotype perfectly.  Concern floated through my head when I had to physically help him up off the floor after his inspection.  I was equally concerned when I had to walk behind him up the stairs, prepared to catch him.  He took evidence pictures with a 1999 digital camera and then left.  I was fully expecting the company to see the pictures and say, "We make better products than that!"  Instead I got a cold letter that stated there was "nothing visibly wrong with the product."  Um... see photo above.  So here's my thought: if you are thinking about installing carpet in your home, avoid Shaw Carpets.  Learn from my mistake.

4. I'm going to get bent out of shape if we talk about faulty carpet much longer, so instead, let me show you my favorite quiet spot.

 Our master bedroom is my true retreat.  It's not huge, but it is soft, clutter-free, and quiet.

5. A quick little trip to the beach with some friends was a real treat. The water was the most gorgeous I've ever seen it.  NC beach water can range from brown to green to dark blue.  That day we enjoyed Caribbean-like water.

6. The kitchen desk got a little makeover and decluttered.  Yes, this is noteworthy because this space used to be the hub of chaos.

7. We started a new school year, in a new space.  More on that soon...

8. I can't get enough of these:

Thank you, Harris Teeter, for putting them on sale so I stay out of the chocolate and into the fruit.

9. Our baby went to camp for the first time this summer and LOVED it. Volleyball season has begun for our middle child.  I love seeing those girls play together and hanging out with the other crazy vb moms.  We haven't seen much of our oldest child because she has been volunteering at a local camp all summer.  I miss her, but I am SO grateful for the life experience she is gaining.  Her growth in the Lord is totally worth missing a few family meals.

10. A couple of weeks ago the Farmer and I were walking the property discussing the needs of the farm.  Mulch and gravel were at the top of the list.  Two things that would cost a lot of money, but necessary.  The very next morning, three giant dump trucks arrived with mulch. Free mulch.

 God is so good.  

Then, last week, a guy called the Farmer out of the blue and said, "I'm tearing up a parking lot.  Could you use the gravel that is underneath?"  FIVE dump trucks of free gravel arrived.  Now our little lane won't wash away.

And we stand in awe.

What We Did with the Salvaged Barnwood

 When we laid out the plans for the property, we had a necessary structure list: a barn, henhouse, and our home.  Then we had a "maybe one day" list.  One of those things was a picnic pavilion.  We envisioned string lights, tables laden with food, some live bluegrass music... you get the picture.  Our "one day" became a reality a lot sooner than we expected.  (click here to read about how another "one day" became our life on the farm) 

Seriously, we can't make this stuff up:
Word got out about how we have been using our farm to bless large crowds and some people wanted to be a part of it...without us asking!  We got a call that a local lumber company wanted to donate the wood for a pavilion.  Then a local framer sent his crew to frame the structure (with our help, too).  Next, a painter offered to stain the raw wood.  A friend donated the shingles and a roofer donated his labor to put it on.  A local lighting store joined in the fun and donated two outdoor ceiling fans; and you guessed it, an electrician donated his time to wire it up.

We chose a location close to the barn so that power could be easily run to the pavilion.

 As with all projects on the farm, it was a family project.  We worked hard to lay the decking.

 Sometimes trying to beat the rain...

 A friend was remodeling her kitchen and this brass chandelier was in the trash pile.  I snatched it up, added a coat of black spray paint, and fell in love.

This 40" granite step came from the grandparent's farm.  Pretty sure it weighs more than my car. I love reusing things with sentimental value.

We purchased three things for this project.  1. Nails. 2. Lattice to keep out cats and other animals that might want to make their homes under the deck.
3. String lights.

We looked in the big box hardware stores and online, but our budget was super tight.  Then one day I happened to be at Big Lots and found these in the garden section.  We didn't want anything that would be too bright (no bugs invited).  These are actually small christmas tree lights with plastic clear ball coverings. They look like the glass ones but will be much more durable.  The price was perfect too!

Remember the barn from the previous post?  This is what we did with the salvaged barnwood:

We wanted our new pavilion to have rustic, old charm.

 The pavilion is 16x30' and I love every square inch.

Eventually we will stain the floor and support beams to match the rafters, but for now it is time to enjoy.

It is the perfect length for three long banquet tables for a serving buffet, or we can double that side by side for a sit down dinner.  If it rains, we can keep a lot of friends dry.

 Over the last month we've had two large birthday parties, a couple of family gatherings, the youth group, a father-son event, and our Life class family picnic.

 Yes, it has been well used already.

We still have some finishing touches, but that's for another day.  We hope to bless many people with this gift of space.  Who knows, one day, there might even be a wedding here.  One day...

I'm linking up with It's Overflowing today

Barnwood Salvage

The only original structure on our new property is a tobacco barn.  Old tobacco barns are a common site in rural NC.  They were vital for the air-curing process of the tobacco leaves. Typically the barns are approximately 16x16 feet and about a story and a half high.  The wood was commonly covered with green tar paper to preserve and insulate.  I have a thing for old barns, so this little gem captured my attention.   I often imagined the calloused hands that worked in this barn.

 Over the last year and a half, we have used it to store junk farm stuff.  While the wood is in great condition, the foundation is another story.  Each rain storm left the building a little less stable.  We made the decision to remove the wood while it was still in solid, usable pieces before the building fell down.
 This would be no small task, so we sent out a plea for some strong and able bodies.  Several dads, kids, and teens showed up to make it happen.

The kids.  I love how they all like each other.

The first task was to remove all of the green tar paper.  As the kids began, they were pulling off tiny pieces so I suggested we see who could pull the largest piece off.  Good, healthy competition.

Three of the four sides were covered in green tar paper. The "healthy" brown wood was covered.  The grey wood to the left was the only side exposed to the elements.

In addition to the tar paper, we had to remove fifty-eleven-million tacks.
And then 60 year old vines.

 I hated to see this little lean-to go, but it was barely hanging on by a few nails.

We were able to salvage the tin roof and the cedar poles of the lean-to.

After many hours of hard, hot labor we had salvaged a beautiful pile of barnwood.

Come back soon to find out how we repurposed this beautiful mess.