Narrowed Choices

Now that the siding is almost up.  I am getting serious about our paint color for the exterior.  We have narrowed our choices down to two.  Which do you like best?  The samples on the house are just one quick coat, so you don't get the best visual but you get the idea.

 

On the left is Country Redwood.  A little orange and with a bit of a faded barn feel:

On the right is Cottage Red.  A bit deeper and less rusty looking:

What is your vote?

Farmhouse update

The farmhouse is coming along.  It is amazing how things are really starting to come together. 

The siding is going up and the outside is quickly being transformed.

The kitchen cabinets are installed.  Or at least installed as much as possible until we get the counter tops.  Kirk is installing the bathroom vanity today.

I have been busy painting and I am really pleased with the colors.  Light yellow for the living room and kitchen.  A darker yellow for the bathroom.  Blue for the master bedroom.  The second bedroom is yet to be decided - possibly a creamy white.

Living Room/Kitchen:

Bedroom:

Bathroom:



Second Bedroom:


Trim & Ceiling:

Thrift Store Finds

Now that the farmhouse is looking more like a house and less like a storage shed, I have been thinking about how I want to furnish it.  This is the fun part for me.  I don't have a huge budget but it needs to be something functional and fun.  So I have been keeping my eye out.  Here are a few pieces that I've found so far...

This chair came from a local used furniture guy named Basil (yes, we are on a first name basis now) who has a hodgepodge of furniture in a re-purposed house that I just happen to pass each time I go to Wal Mart, church, Home Depot or Kirk's office (and those places cover about 80% of my travel in Sandpoint).  He puts new stuff outside his store about once a week and usually something catches my eye.  I actually found this chair when I went in to pay for the desk below.  I loved the shape and the great carved feet.  I got a great deal for purchasing them together.

Maybe I'll have my talented friend Cassi make a slipcover for it.  She started a slipcover business - Piping and Pleats - and has lots of great ideas.  Maybe a fun slipcover like these chairs have.  Don't they just make you happy? I love the knife pleating at the bottom and the sunny print.

I also bought this desk from Basil.  It isn't for the farmhouse, but for Hannah and Paige's room.  They are getting old enough that they need a place to study away from the commotion of the kitchen.  It fits just right in the dormer of their room with a window above the desk looking out over the front yard. I wanted something with a little style.

Also, I loved the hardware.

I didn't care that the finish wasn't in great condition because I wanted something I wouldn't feel bad painting.  Because I want to do something like this...

Maybe green, maybe red, maybe orange.  Who knows what pre-teen girls will like?

Also from Basil came this fun bench.  I drove by and saw it out front and knew it was destined to sit on the porch of the farmhouse.  But I couldn't buy it right away.  So I watched it.  Every day.  For about two weeks.  When I finally was able to stop in, he had marked it down.  Perfect.

I'm going to paint it a fun new color.  Maybe yellow, maybe charcoal gray, how about green?  What color does it want to be as it sits on the porch of a little red farmhouse, do you think?

Next, I need to take some pictures of the great dresser I found in Spokane while thrift store shopping with Cassi.

Memorial Day Weekend

I am VERY slow, but here are some photos from our Memorial Day trip to Roosevelt for a little kite boarding.  Thanks to Verna who supplied most of these photos. 

We had some good wind days and lots of fun on the water.  Here's Keith...

And here's me - I'm the one with the brown and blue kite.

The kids even got into the water with the kites for the first time this year.  Drew showed his muscles before heading out in to the water for a little ride on Keith's back during a body drag.

Hannah suited up for her first body drag.  For those of you non-kite boarders - a body drag is where you let the kite drag you through the water to learn how to safely use the kites power.  She has been practicing flying kites on land and was ready for the next step.  She came back with a big smile on her face, so I'd say it was a success.

Aside from the great kite boarding, the best part of the trip was time with family.  We had plenty of quality time with cousins.  Maren and Drew were reading Junie B. Jones to each other on the bunk beds.

Neil and Izzy spent lots of time on the swings.  Give me an underdog anyone???

There were plenty of cousins to play with in the sand and the water.

Even Grandma Hyde joined us.  Thanks Sue & Bill, Rick & Judy for bringing her.  It was so fun to have you all there.  Next year we want to see you in the water!

Just about everyone tried out the small kites on land -

A hike out to the point and a little rock climbing -

Crafts in the trailer -

It was a wonderful weekend!  When can we go again?

Birthday Gift

I haven't had a chance to post about Birthday Month yet - and it's already June! Izzy, Hannah, Kirk and Paige all have April birthdays.  It was a fun month - full of parties, gifts and lots of dessert!

Kirk turned 40-something this year and informed me that he was purchasing his own birthday gift...

It's a little too small for Kirk (although we can both ride it), but it is just the right size for the girls!  And that's just what he intended. Hannah, Paige and Maren can all ride it and are loving buzzing around the field.  Izzy wants one her own size, but she'll have to wait. For now she can ride with Dad.

Choices, Choices, Choices

The farmhouse is being sided right now so I am busy choosing paint colors.  I think we are settled on painting it red.  The Little Red Farmhouse.  What do you think?

Here are the paint samples I am narrowing down. Do you have a favorite red? Which one would you choose?

Here are some fun red photos I have been collecting for inspiration:

Oat Farmers

When Vern and Rosemary were visiting us this spring, Vern was kind enough to plow up the horse pasture.  Following the advice of our local extension agent, we planted it with oats and... they actually came up!  We don't know what we'll do with oats, but at least they are growing.  Hopefully it will help keep out weeds and help to revitalize the area.

after plowing:

 new oats:

 revitalized field: