We've spent a total of 14 days on this project. only 14! I'm so proud of our accomplishments 2 weeks in. My kids, my parents, and especially my husband, have worked so incredibly hard to truly move mountains at our farm. Mountains of what is the question here... scrap iron, old appliances, broken glass, branches, dead trees... but then I think....
Can you imagine being a pioneer? In 1913, when our farm was settled? Virgin land, no well, no septic, no shelter. When my ancestors came to our homestead in 1913 there was nothing. What would be harder? At least we had an air conditioned house to retreat to on those hot days in mid-August, a bathroom that was free of snakes, a car to bring us to and from the grocery. When I'm out on that land I can't help but think about that great generation that literally paved the way for all of us...
I found ration stamps from 1945 in my grandfathers name and my dad told me of the day that WWII ended. VJ day. How my grandmother called to him & his sisters outside that the war had ended. He tells me this story with tears in his eyes...
I have found a true appreciation and fondness for my grandparents, and in reality, that entire generation. I was only 4 when my grandfather (born 1897) passed away, and 15 when my grandmother (born 1899) did. If only I could sit and talk to them as an adult. It's been such a blessing to be able to spend so much time with my parents lately and to hear the stories. I cherish this time, we all do.
Project update: With the hot weather we experienced, a lot of time was spent inside the house. I focused on the kitchen mostly. No, we still don't have a bedroom to sleep in! The new belt sander we bought before the trip didn't work so it's since been returned. We are still hog piling in the living room, our army cots and air mattresses work just fine (for now). We did, at least, get to paint upstairs a bit.
The kitchen cabinets are now 'Thundercloud Blue' and gorgeous, thanks to my momma for help, (she wouldn't take no for an answer)! I forgot to snap an after pic, so I'll be sure to share that next time.... I used liquid sander on the existing 3-tone cabinets and it worked so well! I highly recommend it! I rubbed it on, let it dry, and then just painted right over them. Easy peasy! We also worked on repairing the really jacked up walls. May I add, if I don't ever have to tape/ mud/ sand drywall another day in my life I'd be completely okay with that. Unfortunately, more awaits our next visit.
Nakia installed our new stove and disposed of the old one! We cooked our first meal inside the house; fresh tomatoes for salsa, fresh corn on the cob, fresh peppers, I could seriously get used to this farm life.
It was a welcome break to have weekend visitors this trip, our sweet granddaughter and her momma. She told us she loves our farm, and wants us to have baby kitties there. Hopefully some day there will be more than just baby kitties! While her momma worked in the sweltering heat, we went for a little walk to pick "Farm flowers". I seriously can't get enough of these sweet girls, when we returned they both decided the appropriate person to give the flowers to was their grandma. I completely agreed with that decision, and she loved them.
ALL the kids went to stay at my parents house one night and we got more done in that one night than the entire trip combined! Without the "pick up that, pick up this, quit leaving your shoes in the middle of the floor, quit eating all the time and get out to help, you can paint this room, you can take the trash to the burn pile, go do the dishes, etc... " we were quite productive. ha! We have 6 kids, we are REALLY good at delegating... and nagging (well, me at least). While they were gone, we spent all day until the sun went down, cleaning up the yard. It was hot, it was dirty, it was so instantly gratifying! THEN, as the sun set, we went inside to take a shower and worked until midnight inside the house! As I continued working on repairing the kitchen walls, Nakia did everything else including but not limited to; replacing screens on the living room windows to keep out those pesky flies, hanging new blinds, replacing light fixtures, hanging the newly painted kitchen cabinet doors and hanging cabinets above our new stove. This man can seriously do anything! When my dad came out the next day, he was so happy to see a cleaned up yard, he hopped on his tractor loader and wanted to continue the clean up.
Nakia finished siding the front porch. Saryna found him in a moment of deep thought... sitting on top of the ladder, and snapped this picture. Maybe he just needed a rest? I love this picture the more I look at it. Outside of my father, I've never met someone that was such a hard worker and strong provider.
He most certainly makes me a better version of myself.
Something in us shifted this trip. It was hard to leave...as we drove off into the sunset, we stopped our truck and soaked it in. A glow of golden rays rained down over the land of my ancestors. This place has become so much more than a project to us, it's became a place of peace and sanctuary. #centennialmillennialfarms
Signing off, till next time!
