the junk house - outbuilding edition

It has been a week since the lovely and well loved Farm Chick, Serena, featured this little blog as her link of the week. How stinkin fun for me. I have so enjoyed meeting all of you and can't thank Serena enough! I'll try though....Serena, you are the best and the original. Thanks for introducing me to your wonderful Farm Chick following!

So, after that little bit of sweetness, are you ready for some ugly?

It's been a while since we visited the Junk House, so perhaps a recap is in order.

Ten years ago, back when I was regularly taking hallucinogenic drugs (there's no other logical explanation) we bought the Junk House. The house was in bad shape, but it really wasn't that hard to see it had potential.

The outbuildings had potential too.

Potential to induce nightmares.

Individually, and aside from the extreme neglect they had suffered, the buildings are not the worst thing we could have dealt with. While there wasn't a lot of charm there, they could have been spruced up and made to work. However, they were grouped too close together, and had structural damage issues from a former resident who really, really liked fire. They needed to go.

Front....


Side....


Other side....


And back....


360 degrees of architecture gone bad.

Our farm actually used to be a dairy back in the day. Not far enough back for the buildings to have been really cool and old. Just far enough back for them to be really ugly and old.

This is what was left of the milking parlor, and I suppose I should be quite happy that all we had to deal with was four hundred million yards of concrete. I think it's safe to assume the buildings that used to be there probably made your eyes bleed as well.


It's hard to see, but there is another pad of concrete beyond this one. Lots and lots of concrete.

Here is the far end of that second concrete pad.


I suppose now would be the appropriate time to tell you that our pond started out as a manure pit for the dairy. Yum.

After all the concrete was broken up and disposed of, we planted grass in it's place. Lots and lots of grass. And my last resident mower only has a couple years left at home.


Eventually, that group of buildings was demolished and a new barn was built.


Much better.

We still have two more buildings to deal with. One has major cute potential - it's a hexagon shape and when it's done it will be very cool.
The other one, while not as bad as those showcased above, still needs to pretty much go to the great metal siding scrapyard in the sky and be reborn of barn wood. As the new barn totally blocks it from daily sight, it's not a super high priority.

I have to say that while I certainly err on the drama/whining side of Junk House story telling, going back through the pictures from those early days reminds me of how glad I am we took our sad little farm and helped it become the happy place it is today. Hallucinogenic drugs or not, and while I might not choose to do it all again, I'm so glad we saw a glimpse of what this little patch of country land could be, and dove in.

texture anyone?

For photo Friday this week, I was going to don my Arctic tundra wardrobe and go for a winter walk by our creek (brook) to photograph the naked landscape. And I was going to be quick about it.

Then I went to the grocery store, and these beauties found their way into my cart - immediate change of plans. I figure the creek will still be frozen and the trees will still be bare next week, and maybe it won't be three below zero outside then.


I have been tinkering with some new textures I got about a month ago, and thought I'd give them a try today.

This one's my favorite.


Here they are again, plus a few more textures.
I'm just learning how to use them, but I think they're pretty fun.


Most of my family likes the untextured version. I, as usual, like both.

So, how about you?

Are you all about pure and clean?

Or do you like a little texture junk in your photography trunk?

On a side note, I wanted to say that most, and in fact, almost everything I do is at least partially inspired by something I have seen somewhere else. In fact, I think I've only ever had two or three totally original thoughts, and at this moment, I can only think of one of them. Anyway, I want to give credit where credit is due, so I will always share my sources and inspiration.

The textures are from the Flora Bella Collection. Her photo's are gorgeous.

to purge or not to purge

That is the question.

I have a lot on my plate this coming year. More than I've had in a long time. It is all good and exciting stuff, but real life (laundry, dinner, groceries, garden, clutter) tends to get away from me pretty quickly without a lot of discipline of my time.

Before things get into full swing, I really want to get my house under control. For me, that means closets organized, every room deep cleaned - ceiling fans, blinds, cobwebs, light fixtures, etc. I live on a dirt road, and things can get pretty dusty. Lots of deep cleaning to be done.

My hope is to take one or two rooms each week, including closets, and gut, spruce, sort, and replace what I want to keep.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

I never thought the bathroom would be my favorite thing to clean!

So, cleaning and organizing closets is not necessarily fun, but it's pretty standard fare.

The next part is where my dilemma lies.

I have boxes, drawers and cupboards full of stuff.

Good stuff.

Things that haven't really found a spot in my house, but I still love anyway.

Things that aren't doing anybody any good at all hidden in a closet.

I will never live in a house larger than this house. If there's no place for it here now, there probably never will be.

So, do I Ebay it all? Will I regret getting rid of it?

I'm kind of feeling that the time has come to purge.

Here is a sampling of what I've discovered hidden away.

I had great plans for the linens. Pillows, lampshades and such. It's not going to happen.


And don't get me started on vintage tablecloths. This post should have been titled binge and purge, as there was some serious over indulgence that took place here. Ridiculousness, wrapped in insanity. Granted this took years, and granted, I only buy them cheap, but still.

Keep in mind, I have many tablecloths that I use regularly, or display. These are some of the dark recess dwellers.

Have you ever visited the Etsy shop Vintage Home? I discovered her shop quite a while ago and loved the tablecloth pillows she made. So, I decided to collect tablecloths and make my own. Poor choice. I can sew, but not particularly well, and not without a certain amount of frustration. Her work is beautiful, and I would now have pillows for my front porch if I had just bought the ones I loved from her eons ago!


If you're impressed, I understand.

If you're appalled, I understand.

I am both at the same time.

Hankies....oh, the hankies.


Some framed and never put on the walls.


Some in a box never to see the light of day.


Wouldn't this one be so pretty for a bride to have as her "something blue". Perhaps one of my future daughters-in-law? See, I can rationalize saving almost anything.


This apron is a treasure from one of the few times I exercised restraint. My mother in law had access to boxes and boxes of linens from an estate. This was one of about twenty adorable aprons.


It's been in a box since last April when I got it.

By next week, I should have made it to the china buffet....lots of goodies there. And then the kitchen cupboards. Oh boy.

So, what's your hoard/purge philosophy?

And what if a potential purge item was a gift?

I think I'm finally convinced that my treasures will have a happier life at someone else's house. Someone who will let them see the light of day.

To be continued.....

color my world

Happy New Year!

I love the fresh start of a brand new year.

I am motivated for so many things this year. My head is filled with projects and ideas. Unfortunately, when my brain is going in so many directions, I usually end up spinning my wheels and not knowing where to start. So, I need a plan. A "to do" list. A project manager would be nice.

This blog has been a pretty good motivator for me to get things done, so in the very near future, I will be moving some of the crazy ideas from my head to this little internet journal in hopes that sharing will help to keep me focused.

Or, perhaps you will just keep me company while I flake out on everything...a much more likely scenario.

So, I will start with the biggest goal I have. And as I love to repeat myself into oblivion, I will tell you once again that...it hasn't changed....it's still photography.

My photoshop catalog for last January and February is empty. If it wasn't for a greenhouse we built last spring, March and April would be empty too. Montana in the winter can be very bleak. The grass goes dormant. It's brown. No green. The sky can be gray a lot of the time. I am a color loving person, and while brown and gray are legitimate colors, we all know they are not the popular kids in the crayon box. And as such, they do not inspire me to get my camera out.

Flowers inspire me to grab my camera.


Mix flowers and a baby, and I'm a photo taking fool.


Or even a baby with no flowers.


Boy, do I love babies. Anyone have one I can borrow for about three years? I promise to give it back when the fat rolls start to go away. Maybe.


I have a baby coming to visit in a few weeks, but for right now, this is what I've got to work with.


My initial impression is blah. But while this seems stark, lonely and desolate, forcing myself to take pictures of what's available to me has helped me to see things a little differently.

There is a kind of moody beauty here as well.

I'll still take green leaves, flowers or babies any day, but in the mean time, I'll have my eyes open to new things.

I have a couple of crazy photo ideas to fill the color deprived months. If they turn out even close to my vision, I will share them with you.

In the mean time, we all wait for Spring.

She takes her sweet time arriving here, but pretty soon, I will have this...


And shortly thereafter, this.....


Eventually, I will have a lot of this....


And hopefully, in the midst of summer busyness, I will take the time to sit here and enjoy this.....


Before I know it, I will have more color than I know what to do with.

I can't wait.

december snapshot

1. A fun reflection in the pond....it looks like the barn is buried in the snow.
2. My very favorite Christmas cookie, spice drop spritz. I guarantee I ate at least half of this platter. I wish I was kidding. 3. Cute little bowls that were a gift from my hubby. 4. I love vintage Christmas postcards. 5. Icy crystals make a weed look beautiful.

See you next year!

meadow-brook girls

A whole new facet of Meadowbrook life has been brought to my attention. Books. Early this month, a dear cottage friend sent me this little gem.


Have you ever? I squealed when I opened the package. Who would have thought!

I so very much wanted to read it before posting about it, but as I don't want the month to end without sharing, I have only had a chance to skim the story.

Written in 1913, and also known as "Fun and Frolic in the Summer Camp", the story follows the adventures of Grace, Harriet, Hazel and Margery, four friends from the New Hampshire town of Meadow-Brook.

With a little help from Google, I discovered that the Meadow-Brook girls also have adventures Afloat, Across Country, By the Sea and In the Hills. I also came across the Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook. A new collection has begun!

Thanks for thinking of me Jen! I could not possibly love the Girls more.

21 years ago today....

...this precious little after Christmas gift arrived.


Our second little boy, born on his grandma's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom!

He started off pretty scrawny, then rapidly turned into a butterball. I love squishy babies. His feet were square, and Nordstrom had the only shoes that fit. We only had one style option and the sales girls said they had never seen little feet that wide (fat) before.


For a while when our boys were little, we had no grass in the backyard. I would give them each a hose with a trickle of water, and they played for hours. Good, clean fun and at least two baths a day.


For the longest time, he spoke his own language.

Once he started speaking English, every single thing he said was funny. He was the most entertaining kid ever. He was so good natured and never met a stranger.


He loved to collect rocks, read books, and take apart pretty much everything that crossed his path.


He had a real life encounter with the tooth fairy one night, and protected the family from space aliens. He heard them coming through his baby brother's nursery monitor, and was extremely frustrated that we didn't take the threat seriously.


He and my husband hatched some rescued goose eggs in an incubator. They truly thought he was their mother and followed him everywhere.


Time flies. It goes too fast. Before we knew it, he was done with high school. Where did that little boy go?


Then, last spring he joined the National Guard and is working toward becoming a helicopter pilot. In August of this year, we watched him graduate from boot camp along with 1200 other young men and women.


The proud parents with our boy.


Today we went for a drive in his new wheels, a Subaru something, turbo something...I've never been able to retain car model and engine info. We braved frostbite for a few pictures, and saw a bit of the countryside on a pretty winter day. His birthday. His twenty first birthday.


Happy Birthday Buddy. We are so proud of you and love you to pieces. We can't wait to see where your life leads, and look forward to watching you grow into the man you're meant to be. Thanks for being our boy.