Meeting The Nester at the Barn

Warning: Long post ahead with tons of pictures, so grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a while!

Do you ever have this far off dream that you replay in your head all the time? I did...and guess what? It actually came true a few weeks ago!

 Let me start off by saying that I have major anxiety issues, am kind of a home body, AND have never traveled very far by MYSELF before! But when the Nester (Myquillyn Smith) had the
 Cozy Minimalist Course and asked if we wanted a chance to hang out at her Barn?!? You kind of have to forget the fact that the plane might crash, you might get lost, and your family might need you....and you book that flight, stay in a hotel with a woman you just met, and hope that you don't make a complete fool out of yourself in front of 20 strangers!

I was lucky enough to have contact with another fellow traveler, Kirsten of Sweet Tea and Saving Grace. She picked me up at the airport and off to IKEA we went to shop and get to know each other!

Thanks Kirsten, for not being a 60-year old male pedophile named Hank who drives a white van! 

I did not take my big fancy camera on this trip (what was I thinking??). So all of my photos were taken with my trusty little iphone, I apologize!

Saturday morning came and we were up bright eyed and bushy tailed, and were greeted by a beautiful sunny sky....Prayers answered!

I took a video of us actually pulling into Myquillyn's property, but I might sound a little giddy and teenager-ish , so that video will stay private! Ha!

The first glimpse of her home, power-lines (which she hates, but you really don't even see until you take a picture and notice them for the first time) and all. I really love the tin roof and wrap-around porch! The Smiths bought this "fixer-upper" 12 acres a year and half ago, and are slowly Nester-izing it.

The gathering was in her Barn that she recently made over from an old green machine shed to this:

The Nester's motto is It Doesn't Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful. She lives by those standards and it is so inspiring! There is a porch to the left of her barn, and it is exactly the look and feel that I someday want to achieve on our back deck/porch. 

Inside the barn, the decor was understated elegance. There were these vignettes that were inspired by her signature look and perfect for a group of women who are learning how to make our homes cozy and minimalistic.

The barn has an attached office with a little bathroom. Super adorable, and convenient! It also has the world's most cutest little kitchen inside....

From MJ

 Myquillyn took this picture of Kirsten and I, with a real camera!

We toured the 12 acre property which used to be a Saw Mill. The structures are time-worn and picturesque. I see so much potential in this acreage, and somehow it looks beautiful untouched and left alone.

The day was full of laughs, conversations, tasty food, inspiration, a fun swap-meet....

A field trip on perspective....

This tree is across from a busy intersection and a Wal-Mart. You practically don't even see it, but when you look at it from a different angle on the other side of the road, all you see is this majestic tree and the beautiful art of God! 

We also had the chance to help an organization called Sole Hope. I am going to post about that life-saving group and the family that started it on another post....

I could have, and probably SHOULD have taken more pictures to remember this day. But when you are in the moment and having a ball, you tend to forget to take pictures...or maybe you just want to actually enjoy the moments and breathe them in.

If any of you who went to the Barn that day are reading this....I just want to say that I will never forget being in your presence. Being with like-minded women was thrilling, and I wish we could have made a whole week out of it...6 hours was not nearly long enough! 

And Myquillyn, meeting you was like meeting up with an old friend....you made me feel so comfortable, and at ease....I feel blessed to now call you my friend! Thanks for the extra push to follow my dream!

p.s. we did spend some time inside The Nester's home, I will be back soon to share some photos of that and why her home inspires mine so much! 

p.s.s. Make sure you sign up for Myquillyn's Cozy Minimalist Course. You will NOT regret it!!

Cozy Minimalist Course

Ya'll know that I am obsessed with everything HOME. One of my favorite past-times is making our house into a cozy home for all of us. Somewhere that my kids love to come to and snuggle in. For Mother's Day my kids made me a gift that stated all what they love about me as a Mom. One of those things was that I make our house a home. Yep, this sappy Mama loves that her kids understand the importance of that!

One of my favorite bloggers, The Nester, who wrote an amazing book following up her famous blog called The Nesting Place, came up with a concept called Cozy Minimalist. This concept is probably  not really all that new, but her down to earth personality and her easy way of explaining things is actually genius! When she announced this online course, I was truly in a place with our home that I needed a little push.....you know those rooms that just never seem to make you happy, no matter how many pillows you throw in there, or how many pictures you hang on the wall? So, along with my husband's acceptance, I signed on for the course. Cozy Minimalist

This was a four week live webinar with The Nester, and an online Facebook group that we could share our spaces with and ask questions to. It was so much fun and so much education all wrapped up into one. 

I decided to try to make some design sense with our basement. It has always been the dumping ground for all the leftover furniture from our main living areas. A hodge-podge that I could no longer live with. Here are some Before pictures:

I tried a gallery wall here for years, and although it did showcase alot of memories, it was always SO large and very awkward. 

And because we were too lazy to get rid of that very large TV that hadn't worked in years (no judging), we threw in a second TV that was as equally broken. (don't ask)

Every once in a while, usually before a major party, I would come downstairs to try my hand at decorating this awkward room. Trying (not successfully) to make it look like we actually had some style..... Looking back at these pictures, these actually don't look as awful as this room always felt to me, so just trust me! The walls were a salmon color too.....?????

Now while taking the Cozy Minimalist course over 4 weeks, this is what I turned it into:

I want this room to be a place where the kids come to hang out, play games, watch movies, all with less STUFF to always be cleaning and straightening up! 

My favorite part? I DIDN'T EVEN BUY A THING!! oh, except the TV, but that doesn't count! 

Making a room feel cozy with LESS stuff, is a new concept for me....and I am loving it. I will now be applying this to every room in my home. But there is more to it than just learning to love and live with less stuff....it's the order in which you take to design a room. Invaluable lessons 101 is the name this course should have! HA! 

The Nester is now offering this course at a lower price!! You don't get the LIVE webinar or the Facebook group, but it's the same course I took. And you get to do it at your own speed! 

Click on this link { Cozy Minimalist } to see what it is all about....and let me know if you sign up, I would love to follow you on your transformations!! 

This room is definitely more restful now, and I probably won't keep everything like this for long, I like to change things up and move things around....but for now, I am loving this! 

And guess what?? I had the opportunity, after taking this course, to go visit The Nester AT HER HOME! Next time, I will share my trip with you! 

Hello Again!

Well, hello friends! My name is Kimberly Bailey, and I used to blog about our home and farm and family and life here at Irishman Acres....but I've been M.I.A. for about ....hmmmm....lets just say "Too LONG"!!! But who is really counting?

I have a lot to say, and now with school out for the next 3 months, and tons of things to do around here, I am hoping to get back to documenting it all and sharing it with you! There are some great things happening in our lives, and I have some amazing projects to document, so hold on to your hats! 

If you don't already, make sure to follow on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. So, if you want a crash course on what's been going on, you can always stalk us there!

Please be patient while I get my feet wet into this taking pictures with my real camera again, I kinda miss it, but have gotten really lazy lately with just carrying around my iphone to rely on. I also have been trying to figure out some issues on the technology side of blogging, we have a website that I started for our farm which is just simply www.IrishmanAcres.com , but honestly, I hate technology for the most part....weird that I love writing a blog, huh? But I would love to integrate them so people can find us easier. There is a tab to click on that takes you here to this blog page, but I really want it simpler. 

So, if you like to come read about our farm....I will be sharing lots of fun stories.

If you like to come read about our home and all the never-ending projects that a HOME ADDICT has....I have so many that we have done in the past several months and more to come soon!

If you like to come read about our silly family and all the drama that ensues with a Kardashian flare, you've come to the right place...I hope to share some more of that also! If you can't laugh and make fun of yourself, then who can??

I will be here tomorrow with the beginning of our stories, and projects! I am so excited to be back! 

Thanks for everyone who encouraged me to do so.... I love you all!