4H Projects and NOT being BORED!

Being a mama of 4 very active children, our calendar during the school year seems to fill up rather quickly! Summertime (after baseball season gets over), is our time to slow things down.....which translates into:

"MOM, I'M BORED"!

 Actually, there is always something that needs done, fixed, watered, cleaned, walked, fed, pulled (weeds), but the kids like something a little more "fun" for them to do. That is why I love 4H. Currently, our middle 2 children are in a local 4 H Club. And their County Fair is coming up next month. We are now working on their projects that they are taking to the fair for JUDGING. Being that this is Wyatt's first year in 4H, he has so many things he wants to make...just like his daddy....but we are trying to tone things down this first time so he knows what to expect.

Sierra putting first coat of paint on her first project. This turned out so cool! 

Wyatt making a burlap message board....we used this at 

Emma's party

My mother's day gift from Wyatt...this is a garden globe that he made using a bowling ball.

They have 3 done, along with the long essay-type goal sheets that they type up with each project. And still at  least 3-5 more to finish. I will show all the final results when they are complete.....

until then, Sierra has been hard at work with her 4H calves....

Working with Clover.....seeing this makes this mama giggle...so CUTE!

~Kim

TRAIL CLOSED

Although I am not what you would say a workout queen....to be honest, I can't stand to even utter the word.  I have tried the different workout tapes, bought into a lot of the "latest trends" in workout gear. But really, I am only happy OUTSIDE. We are a fairly active family. Either riding our bikes, going for walks, or dare I say it, jogs? We are lucky enough to live close to one of the most beautiful bike trail systems. This trail used to be a train track and after several years of not being used by trains, and a couple years before we built our home out here, they turned it into a bike trail. It runs through an ever-changing forest of trees, wildflowers, a creek, and rolling hills that look like foothills in the mountains!

Sadly, a couple summers ago, we had a flood that damaged this trail. The creek raised considerably within such a short time and loosened the ground all around parts of it and the damage was extensive.

This gaping hole is about 20 feet deep and about 20 feet wide, very dangerous to see what mother nature can do. My father-in-law was on this trail, trying to get to his brother's house that was in the flood area. He was on his little 4-wheeler (which IS frowned upon on a bike trail, but we'll forget I told you:) and saw this hole almost too late....he ran his machine into a tree to stop himself from going into the hole, and if you saw this in person you would agree that he is lucky to be alive. 

Thank goodness for cell-phones! He called for help....(BaileyHusband)....who quickly put up barriers to stop anyone else from getting hurt and notified the conservation office. (Bailey-Father-in-Law was not seriously hurt)

That summer was a big one for floods and tornadoes in the Midwest.  So the repair on this trail system was put on hold as it wasn't a priority. 

The workers have now arrived!!! And although no progress has been made directly by our house, they are working on it...one hole at a time.....and we have been told that there is an August deadline to complete this project. 

We cannot wait to get back out there with our bikes...... and occasionally our running shoes!

~Kim

Our NEW Entryway

So, here is the final result of our entry way make-over!!!

The railing turned out better than I could have imagined! Thanks to a very thoughtful and diligent artist who let me send him my inspiration photos and bug him every day wanting updates until they were installed...not really, but ALMOST everyday! :)

Our new hand railing going down the stairs...forgot to order that when we first started.... YEAH, our artist, Boonie from http://icanweldanythingbutabrokenheart.blogspot.com/ came through for us and had them installed the day before our big party!!

You can see all our changes here, the doorway trim and the posts were all done with the wood BaileyHusband "salvaged". Then we decided to have all the baseboards moldings be white. That way we were guaranteed we'd have enough wood to finish off the whole space (doorways, windows, etc). And I LOVE the result. The contrast of white on top of the dark floors is exactly the look I wanted. 

The tree mural stayed, as did BaileyHusband's trophy Mule Deer from Idaho....what can a girl do?

The Indian artwork is from a local artist, who just so happens to be a cousin on the Bailey side of our family. 

You would not believe that the Indian is not drawn or painted, but actually made with INK DOTS. 

PURE TALENT!!!!

I like to think I'm a creative person.....but would NEVER have the patience (or talent) to make such a masterpiece!!! You should see all of his other work!!! We actually purchased this at an auction fundraiser....it looks as if it were made for our home and it is my favorite!

This photo above is what the doorway looks like for now. I have gone with a more simplistic approach with all of our renovating. I have plans to make something to hang above the doorway and hope to get that done this summer.....I want it to have our farm name on it and have been scratching down designs on paper. 

Now that I have shown the "AFTER", take a look at the "BEFORE":

I used to hide furniture in front of the railing, trying to disguise it. Although it did seem pretty for years, it was definitely time to go!

And see how the flooring was just cut off? Narrow wood onto the berber carpet made the space seem like an afterthought and not part of our Great Room.

oh.....so pretty now....:) YEAH TO BAILEYHUSBAND (and Boonie) for completing this on time, in budget, and for making this Baileywife finally proud of her Entry into her Home!

~Kim

Future Fun Project

See this gorgeous new piece of furniture we have?

Well it didn't start out that way......

I was fortunate enough to acquire a whole garage full of discarded furniture from a remodeled hotel. Although I bet this chair WAS beautiful in it's day, it was in serious need of an update!

There are two matching ones. They actually were still in great shape, very sturdy. So I started out by taking the seats off.....

then I painted them one at a time.

And recovered them in some zebra fabric I had used as a photoshoot backdrop for my daughter once.

I think they turned out quite cool looking, a far cry from their 80's look they had going on!

And for the cost of paint....these 2 chairs cost me a total of $12.00.

I think that is money well spent!

FYI- these are going to be used in my daughter's future dorm room! Yes, I think the ONLY reason that I am excited about her moving away is to be involved in designing a GIRLS DORM ROOM!!!

You should see all the fun and bling that is happening in our "prepping and staging area" of my basement right now! My daughter and her best friend are having fun shopping and making things for their new space.....(and so is this really sappy, excited, nervous Mama)

~Kim

Morning Glory

IS THIS HEAVEN?

No....IT'S IOWA

Seriously, this is what I get to wake up to every morning! This picture does not do this view justice! 

Just as the sun is coming up, the fog is in layers over the hills, the pasture has morning dew, and the cows 

are grazing......oh, and the kiddos are still sleeping :) With my morning cup of coffee in hand, this is my 

HEAVEN on earth!

~Kim

Creating Curb Appeal

I admit it...I get a little opinionated when it comes to the subject of curb appeal. I understand that some don't have the passion for design, the money, the time, or some just don't even care.... My children are always hearing me say that it is like hurting the environment, making visual pollution, as well as showing a disservice to your home, to NOT give your home the love it needs and make it feel pretty from the outside. 

Our rusty old windmill that I just can't seem to replace! Even though my parents bought me a new one!

 One of my favorite magazine's website, Better Homes & Gardens, has articles devoted to this...and I love seeing all the amazing transformations that homes go through with just adding some CURB APPEAL!

Here are some of their helpful hints for doing just that:

Create symmetry

Replace old hardware

Dress up front door

Install outdoor lighting

Create Instant Garden with Containers: the best, fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to add curb appeal. And the look can change from year to year or season to season!

Re-new planter beds (or add new ones): de-weed, mulch, add rock or decorative edging

Install window boxes: Just be sure that they are water proof if you are to have them directly on your siding.

Add outdoor art: birdbath, fountain, wind chimes- anything that compliments your home and style

This is our water fountain, simple yet effective!

Add shutters or freshen up your trim

Build a walk-way or path: something to add interest or whimsy.

 Here are some of my ways that I boosted curb appeal this year at our home:

I built this plant hanger, yes, by myself!! Just by using a leftover post/beam. I stained it to match our front porch posts, purchased the metal plant hangers and black post topper at our local garden center. I made sure to secure the post deep in the ground (about 2 ft). 

I absolutely love the height it gives to this corner of our landscape....I will probably change the look with each season.

I re-painted some chairs that desperately needed a makeover.

And for the other half of our front yard, my little perennial garden, I rearranged some of our flowers, and added some whimsy with that old tin tub. This little garden changes with each season. This is my favorite with everything just beginning to bloom. I will show more pictures of this area on another post.

Whenever I am driving around neighborhoods and see a home that is need of some Curb Appeal TLC, I silently plan what I would do to it to make it feel pretty again.....

(is there a therapy group for people like me?)

I'll just stick to my own home for now.....or anyone who asks for my opinion or help.....:)

~Kim

Bird watching...

You know how some are people watchers? Some buy fish tanks, something about watching the fish just calms and relaxes you.....

Well, we like to watch our BIRDS! And it seems like we have all kinds of them....

Our guinea fowl

Guinea like to run around in a pack, making all kinds of noises. They are one of our hardest working birds here though, next to our chickens who give us eggs daily! They herd around our yard eating all kinds of bugs, including the dreaded tick. They also are supposed to be known for eating weed seeds, although they seem to not do a great job with that....I am ALWAYS pulling weeds!!! :)
We currently only see 10 together. We hatched a little over 2 dozen last year, but the winter predators proved a little too much for them, and now we have even less. These guys are now getting smarter and roost inside our barn at night. These are not the smartest of our bird friends....the females like to nest in tall grassy areas and after laying so many eggs, they sit on them for about a month, through the rain, storms, heat, etc. But sadly, they never seem to make it...they aren't known to be great mothers, they will leave the chicks behind or some creature will hunt them. So when we see a nest of eggs (which are extremely hard to find), we gather them up and put them in our incubator for "SAFE" hatching!

Here are some of our other birds that are fun for "Bird Watching"....

Our egg laying hens, which as of now consists of about 40

Our miniature roosters, we have 3. They don't really have a job, just like to strut around being the boss of the coupe!

 Now these are birds that I NEVER thought I would raise! Our beautiful PEACOCKS and PEAHENS. As  a child, I didn't even think you could! But they are so much fun and great for putting on a show! Especially when we have company over, it's like they perform on queue. We have one white peacock. Some call them albino, which they are not. These are an actual variant of the species. He is patiently waiting for us to find him a lady friend.....poor guy!

Felipe,  taking a much needed siesta in the shade

 Now Paco is our original male peacock. We inherited him along with 2 lady friends, which we have kept un-named. I know, that's rude, but we can't even tell them apart anyways..... :)

Paco being camera shy

Paco's young sons, getting so BIG

 Paco currently has 5 young sons that are beginning to look just as beautiful as he is! This week, they are starting to grow their long tail-feathers that these blue peacocks are so well-known for.

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT.....4 MALE ONE-YEAR OLD PEACOCKS FOR SALE!!!
Hopefully we can get them sold soon, the ladies have been busy laying eggs and will begin sitting on them soon. Anxious to see what the ratio will be this year....they hatched 5 males and only 1 female last year!

If you look close, you can see that they are getting their tail-feathers

After a long day of chores, cleaning, projects, or work...I am totally content just sitting on our back porch and BIRD WATCH....
Now if only I could get our wonderful kitty cats to stop eating all the other beautiful species of birds that visit us...we used to have bird feeders and would attract a few dozen Eastern Goldfinch at one time....but had to get rid of the feeders...because of this:

Jetta-Bella

She looks so mean in this picture, doesn't she? Poor Jet, she is getting a bad rap...she is actually extremely sweet and very lovey- dovey...if you are NOT a bird :)
~Kim