Creating our forever home in the country

Playroom makeover plans

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Imagine you are a creative young child. Your mind is brimming with ideas for drawings, stories and crafts. You’re inspired by everything you encounter and want to try so many things.

Now imagine the perfect space to fulfill all of that imagination and creation.

That is my goal in making an amazing play space for Ellie.

This project has been on my wishlist for awhile, and we’re finally making it happen.

The space we’re using is Ellie’s old nursery. This room has gone through a few different phases.

When we first moved in, it held boxes that we hadn’t unpacked… for about five years. Then it became my office. Then Ellie’s nursery. Then a shared office-sewing-creating-playing space for both her and me… but with no real functional or decorative changes.

Now it’s time to make it Ellie’s own room again.

The first step was a bit of construction. Some readers may recall that there was a pocket door between this room and my bedroom. It was helpful when this room was Ellie’s nursery, but not necessary any longer. So I wanted to fill in the doorway. Normally this would be straight forward, but I decided to make it more complicated. Beside the pocket door and behind the door to my bedroom, the wall bumped out by about one foot. If I was going to wall-in the doorway, I might as well straighten the rest of the wall at the same time. (The floorplan below might help to clarify my description.)

I removed the little bump out. This involved stripping the drywall, taking out the old studs, relocating some electrical, framing the new wall and hanging new drywall.

I finally finished the drywall on the weekend, so we are now ready to officially begin the playroom makeover.

First up is paint, and Ellie has picked such a fun design–pink, purple and blue water colour tie dye. We have plans for a little loft in one corner, which will serve as a cozy reading nook on top and a secret fort below. My DIY knock-off Eames hang-it-alls will return for a dress-up zone. Matt’s desk will remain to give her a good crafting and creating spot. And we’ll be adding lots of storage for all of her toys and supplies.

We’re both really excited by this project and are enjoying working on it together. I’m sure we’ll be even more excited with the result.

You can check out some of my playroom ideas on Pinterest. Or follow along with renovation updates on Instagram.

Farm-iversary 14

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Fourteen years ago the farm became ours.

That night I wrote my very first post on this blog. It was brief. There was no picture.

The beginning

We bought a farm. After two months of waiting, a year and a half of looking and at least half my life dreaming, it’s ours.

This is the start of something.

“Something.” Do you feel the possibility in that word? I had no idea what might happen.

Now, “something” feels small to describe the past 14 years. My memories are full of people, projects, places, moments.

I’ve been thinking recently about time. When I tucked Ellie into bed on her birthday, I thought, “She will never again be seven.”

Never.

Time goes only one direction. When a moment is gone, we will never have it again.

I can’t go back to 14 years ago. I can’t bring back my Dad and all of our Saturdays working on the house. I can’t bring back Matt and our evenings together. I can’t bring back the parties, the walks with Baxter, the scratches with Ralph, the harvests, the sunrises, the snowfalls, the millions of moments that make up our life. I can’t go back for myself to the younger version of who I was. For me too, life goes in one direction.

But I can look ahead and do everything I can for this property and for Ellie and for the future.

Each day is a start of something. This property and the people who are part of it are so full of possibilities.

Odds & sods

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

February is the month of love, and that is amplified in our family. We celebrated Valentine’s Day, Family Day, Cigo’s gotcha day and several birthdays. The biggest celebration of all is Ellie’s birthday.

Ellie is helpful, loving, thoughtful, enthusiastic, kind, careful, sensitive and happy. Most of all, she is fun. I never expected to have as much fun with her as I do.

To celebrate Ellie, here are a list of fun things we’ve been up to recently.

We love to play games in our house. Two recent hits are Hurry Up Chicken Butt and Happy Salmon.

The Ultimate Kids Baking Book is excellent. Ginormous Elegant Elephant Ears are a highly recommend.

There are those that hunt monsters to harm them and there are those that hunt monsters to help them. Which one are you? We are definitely on team help after reading The Trouble with the Two Headed Hydra. We’re looking forward to the other books in this series.

We loved watching the Olympics together. The “Out of Shape Olympics” series was a fun addition to the competitions.

These paint-like markers are a big hit with our artistic girl (and me).

We’re wrapping up birthday celebrations this week with a surprise adventure day and more fun.

What made February fun for you?

New eavestrough for the barn

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

This week marks the one year anniversary of our new eavestrough on the barn. A momentous occasion, I know. So momentous I didn’t share it a year ago when it happened.

But it is an important project.

Adding eavestrough to the barn had been on my list for awhile. The eavestrough that was there was in pretty bad shape. Lots of pieces had fallen off. A few downspouts were still in place, but they were full of holes or not connected to anything.

And eavestrough matters. The barn is more than 100 years old. Moisture seeps into the old stone foundation and weakens it. Without eavestrough, the rain pours off the roof and drips right next to the building. If I want to preserve the barn–and I absolutely do–I had to get the water away.

But putting eavestrough on a barn is a bit different than putting it on a house. Our barn is big. It’s tall. Part of the roof is covered with solar panels. It took me a bit to find a company to do it. (I went with Siderman and highly recommend them.)

Then we had to work through the options of how to do it. The barn has a large roof that sheds a lot of water. We needed large trough to handle the volume. I ended up choosing a 6 inch trough (an inch bigger than standard residential eavestrough).

I also chose a dark grey colour for the aluminum to try to blend into the weathered barn wood a bit.

The biggest consideration was not the barn itself, but the pines right beside the barn. These trees are super tall and lose a ton of needles. The needles fall onto the roof and clog the eavestroughs. On the house, I clean the gutters several times a year. But the barn is super tall. There is no way I’m cleaning those gutters.

Most gutters these days have built in guards to protect against leaves. I needed something that would work for teeny tiny pine needles. My contractor felt that they had a solution, so I went with their recommendation.

The size of the barn presented another challenge in the form of the budget. I was looking for about 250 feet of eavestrough, which is not cheap. To save money, I eliminated one length of trough. On the back of the barn, we have an addition. So I decided not to put trough on the upper roof. Water can simply drip off onto the lower roof of the addition. The addition did get trough and downspouts, so the double volume of water will still be carried away from the barn.

My contractors tried to squeeze me in at the end of 2024, but the schedule ended up not working. By the time they could come, it was the start of February and snow had arrived. Not ideal weather for eavestrough, but they made it work.

They removed the old trough. Then they replaced the facia boards and wrapped them in aluminum for extra protection.

They put up the new trough and downspouts. On the front of the barn, the roof was so sloped the gutters flowed to the middle. So we have two huge downspouts spitting out onto the centre of the bank. On the back, the downspouts are at either end of the addition.

A year later, the barn roof is covered in snow and everything is frozen. But I know when it melts the water will be routed safely away, the foundation will be more protected and this beautiful structure will be a little more preserved.

Ten years ago

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

In January, Instagram was filled with people sharing photos from 2016–10 years ago. Though I didn’t do an Instagram post, I did take a look back through the blog. A whole year of posts and projects from a decade years ago.

It was interesting to remember where we were and some of what happened. Some things are the same. Some things are different (the number of projects being one).

It was really fun to look back, so I thought I’d share some highlights with you. I know some people have been here since 2016 while others are new. Whether these are familiar to you or not, I hope you enjoy some of these memories.

The basement was a big focus in 2016.

We did our major renovation in 2012 (continuing into 2013) when we first moved in. But four years later the closet under the stairs still needed shelving and we decided another closet in the laundry room instead of cabinets and counter would be more useful for us.

I also added some fun stuff to the basement, like a large chalkboard, oversize scrabble tiles, and the shower curtain I’d been hunting for in the bathroom, which allowed me to write the long overdue reveal post.

Amongst the small adjustments we had a bigger issue. The basement was leaking. So we had to undo some of our renovations and have it properly waterproofed.

Upstairs, I made over the guest room, which was a lovely space while it lasted. This room is now Ellie’s bedroom. I also posted floorplans for possible future renovations. It’s neat to see what’s come true (garage, mudroom and a new bathroom) and what’s still on my wishlist (porch, kitchen, principal bedroom).

It was a big year outside in the vegetable garden. The gardens are my major home goal for 2026, and it was neat to see that they were in 2016 as well.

To get the garden in shape, Sarah in Illinois (remember when Sarah used to write for the blog?) and I kicked off the season with a DIY duel. I built trellises for the raspberries, squash and tomatoes, and Matt and I trenched a waterline out to the garden. I’m hoping some of that 2016 energy carries forward to 2026.

Seeing how clean the garden was was a bit shocking. It is so overgrown now. We have a lot of work ahead of us. But seeing how productive it was gives me hope.

2016 was our first maple syrup season and first monarch hatch. Those are traditions that continue and are so much fun for us every year.

We have some things that are never ending, like thrifting furniture, property clean up and firewood.

Also a tradition, someone missed a stop sign, skipped the ditch, crashed through the gate and ended up in our east field (it still happens every so often).We had a grass fire in our ditch that fortunately did little damage (and has not happened again), though the little tree still has some bare spots ten years later.

I started my shift to freelancing and consulting in 2016 when I switched to working four days instead of five. I am so grateful that I made this move. I say often that time is the most valuable thing I have. Time gives me Ellie, Cigo, the animals, the farm, my projects, writing. Freelancing and teaching give me control over my time. My work has shifted several times since 2016, but the flexibility and prioritizing time has continued.

The blog is special. I had no idea when I started it how long it would continue and how incredible it is to have a chronicle of our life here at the farm. Ten years ago, it was Matt, Baxter, Ralph, me and the farm. Now, it is Ellie, Cigo, Cedar, the chickens, me and the farm. Reflecting on the journey from where I was 10 years ago to where I am today is meaningful.

Life builds and changes, sometimes in ways we can never predict. It was a good life 10 years ago. It’s a good life now.

Thank you to everyone who’s been along for the journey. Whether from 2016 or today, I appreciate you being here.

If you’d like to browse the whole 2016 archive yourself, you can access it here.

Odds & sods

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

I am writing this from the couch in the living room watching flames dance in the fireplace while snow swirls outside. Later, I will put on my snowshoes and head out with Cigo for a field walk. I will stop at the barn to check on the chickens and Cedar. Then I will return to our cozy comfortable house.

The farm is my favourite place to be, whatever the season.

What we present online is usually a highlight reel. The best of our lives. Not the hard or mundane. My first paragraph in this post is no different.

Shortly after I wrote it, the fire fizzled out. When I went for my hike with Cigo, I didn’t strap my snowshoe on properly and it was close to falling off.

I repositioned the logs and the fire rekindled. I stepped carefully, held up my toes and the snowshoe stayed on. Sometimes life requires adjustments. It can still be beautiful and fun, even when it takes extra work.

January has been a beautiful and fun month. We had my Mom’s birthday and celebrations lasted for four days. We skated on the pond and went skiing. We had a thaw and then a deep, deep freeze and lots of snow.

The chickens, who have gone into an untimely moult, have been staying inside. We’ve had some unfortunate feather situations and less eggs. Cigo bounds through the snow and comes home with snowballs frozen into his fur. Cedar, who has the thickest fur, rarely stays in the barn and is determined to break into the house. He comes running anytime the door opens and has perfected his timing for sneaking in while I’m wrangling buckets, baskets, leashes, dog, eggs and mitts. He’s also discovered there are sometimes treats–like our gingerbread house or my Mom’s birthday cake.

Life is beautiful and fun.

Here are some other things I’ve enjoyed this month.

I’ve used Passion Planner as my daybook for years. Their goal setting template is a useful tool, especially at this time of year when people are looking for a reset. I gave it to all of my final year students at the end of last term.

I read The 5 Types of Wealth between Christmas and New Years, and it’s stayed with me. It reinforced what I value and how I make decisions for my life. Though I have some quibbles about the author and class, I think it’s a good reminder of what’s most important in our lives.

“You should decorate and design your house… to make you happy.” I love this designer’s philosophy. I also love her happy house.

A perfect meal for a cold January. This Sweet Potato Chickpea Chili is simple, quick, full of vegetables, tasty with a bit of heat–even for this non-chili fan.

I’ve kicked off home goals 2026 with Ellie’s playroom. She would like multi-coloured tie-dyed walls, so we’ve been looking at wallpapers, but haven’t had any luck yet. I’m considering trying sponge painting. Anyone have any advice?

January wraps up for us with another big snowfall. We’ll be starting the week shoveling out–and a day off from school. I have some client work and marking for my course. I’m also planning on tackling a tricky task in Ellie’s playroom.

How has January been for you? Share something highlight reel worthy… or maybe not so much.

Home Goals 2026

Posted on January 19, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Last year was a big year for home projects. This year is a little smaller in some ways. The list is shorter, but what I’m hoping to accomplish still feels big. Read on for all the details of what’s on my list for home goals 2026.

Ellie’s playroom

Sources: Wallmur & Designer Affair

My first goal is Ellie’s playroom, a carry over from last year. Our girl is so creative and I really want to give her a special space for whatever she wants to do. This will be the first project of the year. (In fact, it might already be underway.)

Garden(s)

A beautiful country vegetable garden from Country Living

Source: This photos is several years old, but it’s still a beautiful inspiration shot for me. It was originally from Country Living, but the link is not active. It is of Pamela Page’s garden.

Forget the year of the horse. 2026 is the year of the garden(s). The vegetable and flower gardens have received very little attention for the past several years. I’m hoping to change that this year. My main priority will be the vegetable garden, but if I have enough time and energy, I’d like to give the flower gardens some attention too.

Prepare for the worst

Preparing for the worst was on my list in 2022. I’ve taken some steps, but I’d like to do more. Some of the things on my mind are involved like working on a back-up power solution. Others are simple like running a fire drill. Some are tedious like making sure I have copies of important documents. This is an ongoing undertaking, and putting it on my list will hopefully motivate me to give it more attention.

That’s it. That’s the 2026 list. Three things.

Of course, other things will come up through the year. Ellie’s playroom will likely make some dominoes for the living room and my bedroom. We should have time to handle them.

Last year was productive and busy and fun. Taking things a little slower this year can also be productive and fun, but maybe a bit less busy.

What projects are on your list for 2026? Are you focusing inside or outside this year?

Looking back at Home Goals 2025

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

2025 was a big year for us.

The birds! The bathroom! The cats!

I tackled the biggest projects we’ve done in a while here at the farm–maybe ever when I think of the birds who are now a fixture of the farm.

When I laid out my home goals a year ago, I was very excited by what was ahead. As I look back, I’m very excited and proud of what I accomplished.

Here’s my look back at Home Goals 2025.

Coop

The coop was a big construction project and it turned out so well. The barn, pens, storage, and runs all work very well and have kept our birds comfortable and safe. Adding birds to our family has been a very special, fun experience–even the turkeys.

While it’s not directly for the coop, there was another big barn task I completed last year: eavestrough. I’ll be sharing more details about this project in an upcoming post.

My office

My office was the first project of the year. It is a comfortable, personal room. Having this space for working, writing, crafting, sewing, whatevering has been so nice.

It’s also helped me to be more focused with my worktime. I still bring my computer to the couch occasionally, but having the desk, a place for my laptop and a dedicated spot for work has helped me leave work on my desk a bit more.

Ellie’s playroom

Ellie’s playroom makeover did not happen. As fall arrived, I really wanted to tackle it, but the reality of everything I was already doing and the number of hours in a day meant that another project would have been too much. I’m glad I decided to postpone the makeover, and I’m eager to start this room this year.

Main bathroom

The novelty of our renovated bathroom has not worn off. Every day I am grateful for how beautiful it is, how well it works, that I did so much of the work myself and that after living here for 13 years it is finally done.

Checking off three out of four home goals feels pretty good, especially since these were big projects for us. And, I need to say it one more time, they all turned out so well. I love the changes we’ve made to the house and the farm, and I’m really proud of what we accomplished.

Did you have any big home accomplishments in 2025?

Word of the year: Try

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

With much respect to Yoda, my word of the year for 2026 is try.

In case it’s not clear, I’m a doer. I love doing. It’s a key part of my identity. However, I tend to avoid doing things unless I know I can do them fully. This doesn’t mean I always know exactly how to do everything. But I’m confident I can figure it out, and I tend not to take on tasks unless I can give them my full commitment. (In this way, I’m following Yoda’s teaching.)

But that means I have a long list of things that I’d like to do, but I haven’t gotten to because I don’t have the knowledge, the time, the energy, the force… the whatever.

This year, I’d like to give myself a little more wiggle room to try some things. Even if I do them imperfectly or incompletely, there is benefit in taking small steps.

This will mean continuing to try to be better at sleep and rest. I also have ideas of things I’d like to try for fitness, work, community service and stewardship for this land. Some of these ideas have been bouncing around in my mind for years.

I read The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom over the holidays. One of the concepts Bloom talks about is mental wealth, which he defines as growing, changing, adapting and achieving your potential. I have never been very focused on personal growth. I like what I have achieved and am very satisfied with my life. However, in some areas, I’m perhaps too comfortable. I’m ready this year to make some changes and try some new things.

A quote from the book that connected with me is, “Regret from inaction is always more painful than regret from action.” I won’t say I have many regrets, but I do have a list of things I wish I could make some progress on. Taking action–any action–feels like a first step.

An article dissecting Yoda’s oft-quoted admonishment said it “is about the mindset; it’s not about the outcome.” I’m often focused on the outcome, accomplishing my goals, checking another project off my list. But even if I don’t fully complete something, this year I’m trying to remember there’s value in trying.