Back Porch Dreaming with Arhaus

Living in the country, for me, means living outdoors. Our front porch was somewhere I always gravitated towards, swinging on the porch swing....

Now that we have a barnyard full of animals and a seriously beautiful barn to stare at, I am finding myself (and the rest of the family) spending more and more time on our back porch. 

Each spring, I try to move things around from how I had it arranged the previous year. All the pieces have stayed the same, but rearranging them, brings them new life. This spring was our first time in years buying something new and BIG to add to our family of outdoor furniture. And it was a game changer....

This dining set is not only gorgeous, but so comfortable....it may be coming inside for the winter! Ha, kidding....maybe! 

Our back porch/ deck area is broken into 2 distinct zones. Now that I have claimed this larger deck to be our outdoor dining space, our smaller upper porch area needs to change. This is what it looks like for now.....

Things I do like are the "shutters" and hanging ferns. This little table set is no longer really needed now that we have the larger one. 

And opposite this little dining set is this lounge.....

This is more of the feeling I want in this upper area. I actually do use this quite a bit to read. However, it is lacking in the comfort level. Adding in this old rug and a blanket and pillow has helped amp up the coziness that I crave, but I've been dreaming up some other options. 

Have you ever looked into buying outdoor furniture?? It's so exhausting! There is a furniture store that I have always admired and love looking at online. However, I didn't even realize until recently that they also carried outdoor furniture! And now I am a mama on a mission! 

Have you heard of Arhaus? They are a furniture company who is designing some amazing products, that are so beautiful. From sectional sofas to the most amazing rugs (and you know I'm a rug person!) to anything else you need to complete a room. The company's commitment to our planet , by developing unique and functional pieces out of recycled natural resources, and never using wood from endangered forests is what seals the deal for me! 

I have picked out 3 items that I can't stop dreaming about.  

Starting out with that amazing rug!! Hello!?! It has fringe! And is black/ white!

 Then, I would want 2 matching sofas...I've thought about a sectional, but having 2 sofas gives me more rearranging options, and I can just picture them facing each other...what a great place to take naps!! (And it's called the Wyatt, so we HAVE to have it!!) 

And lastly, that table! I love me a table that is a signature/ statement piece all on it's own. This one reminds me of our table in the coffee room that is my favorite item we own.

These three elements remind me so much of the inside of our home. And I really like when our outdoor spaces are just like that, a reflection of our style. I would be adding in some other items that are our style also...feathers, an outdoor dreamcatcher, pillows, lanterns...  

Arhaus is currently having their Anniversary Sale, I hope some of my dream items can become a reality. Do yourself a favor, and go to their website...you can click here....and do some dreaming of your own. 

These are the last few weeks of summer, and we plan on getting the most out of them as we can. But having a cozy porch this fall is also very exciting!

Follow along on Instagram and Facebook to see all of our daily life here on the farm! And stay tuned for a late summer tour of our home. 

A gift from my husband

Welcome to Irishman Acres....

Ever since we started traveling to the Rocky Mountains and seeing big beautiful ranches they have out west, with entrances announcing their farm or ranch name, I've wanted a similar sign hanging at the end of our driveway. This will help in giving directions to our home now...." turn into Irishman Acres!". 

My handsome husband finally listened and for Christmas this past year, I got it! He designed it and had local metal workers make this large heavy thing! It definitely didn't fit under our Christmas Tree! 

Most women wouldn't be as giddy as I was getting a huge metal sign. My husband knows me so well, and he was just as excited to give this gift as I was to receive it! 

We had to wait until spring to install it at the end of the driveway. The ground had to thaw....and then it was too muddy with the spring rains.....and finally, PROGRESS! 

I wasn't home at the time, and probably a good thing....anytime there is heavy machinery, ladders, and our boys involved, I should not be around!! HA! 

We are loving this new entrance to our farm. Baileyhusband says that he would like to add another pole across the top to steady it even more, I'll let him decide that, sounds like a lot of scary tedious work to me. I, however, do have plans of adding some landscaping around the base of each side. I'm picturing a lot of perennials that bloom in every season. Some iris for spring, lillies and daisies for summer, and mums for fall. I will update here when that is done, hopefully later in the summer/ early fall.

 In the meantime, you can follow us on our Facebook page. Or on Instagram.

Would love to connect with you there! 

Our Farmhouse Laundry Room

I'm so excited about doing laundry.....said no mom ever. But, I will tell you that this update to our messiest room in our home will make it easier to bear. 

I started thinking about ways that would make me enjoy seeing this room 546 times a day. It's our family's entrance/ walk-thru each time we come home. It's where all of life's stuff gets stored (and washed). And I hated it. It was too loud. 

The goal was to make this look like any other room we have in our home....so the door can stay open and guests are free to enter without me being too embarrassed. And maybe, just maybe, the mundane chore of laundry will be a little more enjoyable.

 Remember the dark red walls? The barn tin wall looks so much better now....

Better, right?? And that huge laundry cart has SAVED MY LIFE! 

Now for the mudroom side.....We finally have all the mess tucked away behind doors! This is probably a no-brainer for most people. But we lived with open style lockers for so long that this in itself is a game-changer! 

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Baileyhusband built those doors for us using plywood and trim. Simple, yet very effective! 

Those leather handles? Yep, we got our DIY on and used scraps we had. I love the added color and texture they give to our plain jane doors and cupboards.

The hat hooks on the outside of our lockers had to stay. With 3 boys (sorry, honey I'm including you) living in this house, I desperately need to keep a place for them all to land....instead of the kitchen chairs! 

So this is what it actually looks like with ALL THE HATS...

Still a little busy looking, but I have to choose my battles around here. 

I brought in things that aren't usual laundry decor. I wanted this to be another part of our home that showed our style, but just so happened to have a washer and dryer in it! :) Art, plants, rug, even a pillow...... TEXTURE! 

Using mostly what we already had on hand....leftover white paint from our basement, one of my favorite prints from Vol. 25, macrame plant hanger, pillow, old window, leather scraps, vintage laundry cart, farmhouse bench....and only actually purchasing a new rug from RugsUSA (that was super affordable and is almost always on sale). 

We now have doors on the lockers, YAY!! We kept the cupboards above the washer and dryer, but adding the same leather handles as the lockers helped incorporate them into the room. 

Don't be afraid of re-doing a room in your own home that just is not working for your family. I will be honest that Baileyhusband was not on board at first, I just started painting one day. Of course, I needed his help on many things, so after he saw a little of my vision, and wanting to get this done quickly because of a party this weekend, he joined in and got it done for us! He also just wanted to make sure it was done right.....HA! 

This room doesn't scream at you now, it quietly whispers Welcome Home.

What is missing from any of these photos are all the muddy poopy farm chore boots that we all own. They are usually thrown all over this room. And guys, this room STUNK.  But bringing in this rug has helped (for now) to remind them to TAKE THEM OFF IN THE GARAGE....(said in a nice, non-yelling voice) 

Thanks for stopping by our little blog today, you can follow more of our day to day activities and farm life on our Instagram or Facebook.