Over the weekend, we marked 7 years of farm ownership. Seven years of sunrises and sunsets, snow and grass, rain and sun, hikes, renovations, work and all kinds of joy.

Our project pace has slowed down over the years. But our love for this property has grown.

On Saturday morning I bundled Ellie into her snowsuit, plopped her in her sled, clipped Baxter onto his long leash and headed across the fields. Fat snowflakes were falling. Baxter ran everywhere sniffing. Ellie chattered about everything.

How amazing that these are our surroundings. How amazing that I can give these experiences to our daughter and our dog. How amazing that I have this for myself.

I listened to a podcast last week that talked about the fulfillment we get from our surroundings and the benefits of seeing beauty every day.

That is what we have found in the farm.

I feel so fortunate in the life that we’re making.

Our quest to add to the beauty of the farm is continuous. Looking back over the past 7 years, here are 7 favourite projects.

Laundry room

The laundry room was my first One Room Challenge. It was such a simple makeover. We kept the cabinets and the layout, and simply updated them with trim and paint. I decorated the walls with vintage enamel basins, DIYed a clothespin light fixture, pipe drying rack and an Ikea-hack rug. This project shows that you don’t need to do much to completely transform a room.

Basement TV area

On the other hand, the basement was a huge renovation. We went back to the concrete and rebuilt from there. The result of all of our work is a beautiful, functional space that works and looks exactly as we want. We use the basement every single day and the TV area is our favourite. With our comfy sectional, video game-TV stand, homemade Monopoly art, and lots of other fun little features, this space is casual, personal and comfortable.

Nursery

Ellie’s room was our most recent makeover, and it had to make my list of favourite projects. We coupled the deep turquoise walls with wood, white and neutral furnishings. Then we mixed in family and farm accents for a fun, personal space.

Basement bathroom

Part of our big basement makeover, the bathroom was the most dramatic transformation we’ve had here at the farm. We started with a shower that looked like it could have served as a set in Psycho, And we ended with clean white tile, marble, chrome, a giant mirror, storage, a dramatic black wall… and a bit of barnboard.

Living room fireplace

A farmhouse needs a fireplace. And making it out of stone that looks like it could have come from the fields outside makes it a perfect fit for our little country home. The fireplace is the feature in the living room, and nothing beats a cozy afternoon in front of the crackling flames.

Garden

Another necessary feature of a farm? A vegetable garden. I will say that our garden is definitely still a work in progress. We added to the fencing, built raised beds, hung a gate, made trellises, installed a waterline and planted grapes, raspberries and other perennials. We haven’t yet figured out how to stay on top of the weeds and we’re always adding more plants, but simply having this space feels like success.

Kitchen island

The kitchen has a long way to go and will see a major renovation… someday. In the meantime, the addition of our island made such a difference in this room. It’s given us both storage and counter space, and like everything we do around here, we did it simply and relatively inexpensively. We found the doors at the Habitat for Humanity Restore and we DIYed a wood countertop. The island has made it possible for me to tolerate the kitchen until we can redo it entirely.

Whether it’s the house or the 129 acres outside, we have more to go–and probably always will–but we’re also super proud and pleased with what we’ve done so far. And we make sure to enjoy and appreciate the life we have here. Thank you all for following along.