Author Archives: Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Starting over – One Room Challenge Week #5

Posted on by

5

Last week I said that week 4 of the One Room Challenge is the hard one. For me, this time around it was week 5.

Here are the previous updates on this dining room makeover:
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

Nothing tragic happened. I started painting the cabinets as I’d planned. But the whole “started” thing felt hard.

Priming cabinet doors

I felt like I was restarting this makeover. I was removing hardware, shelves, drawers, doors. I was patching holes and sanding. I was priming.

Ugh. Prep is not the fun part of DIY for me. Although Ellie enjoyed having a new fort.

Ellie sitting in the china cabinet

Even once I started painting, I wasn’t having fun yet. It just reminded me that I don’t like painting cabinetry. All of the angles, molding and curves that need to be cut in, all of the different pieces that need to be primed and then painted–twice. Just not my favourite.

…

So that’s a lot of complaining.

Sorry to be a downer.

Snapping out of it now.

…

I started painting the china cabinet. Yay!

Painting the china cabinet

This was a maybe on my initial task list, so the fact that I got to this part of the makeover is a good accomplishment.

The dining room, which had brightened up a lot already thanks to the lighter paint on the walls, gets brighter every day as the wall of dark brown cabinetry slowly goes fresh creamy white.

I really feel like the white paint is going to transform these circa-1990s entertainment units into a super functional and beautiful china cabinet.

I have another coat to go, but I think it’s doable before the big reveal next week. Next week! We’re almost at the end of this One Room Challenge.

Before we get to the end, check out the other participants’ progress at One Room Challenge.

One Room Challenge Guest Participant logo

Does anyone else struggle with the prep part of DIY? Have you ever had a project where you feel like you’re starting over? Are you yay or nay on painting cabinetry?

 

Extra motivation for One Room Challenge Week #4

Posted on by

2

Week 4 is often the stage in the One Room Challenge where things become a little more… challenging.

The initial excitement has worn off. Perhaps you’ve encountered a few hiccups. Maybe your plans have changed or you’re not progressing as quickly as you thought.

For some extra motivation–or an extra challenge–for week 4, I decided to host a Good Friday dinner with my family.

In our dining room.

Which is in the middle of a makeover.

This means the room is filled with cans of paint and assorted tools. There is a skim of dust on pretty much every surface. All of the furniture is pulled away from the walls so that I can paint behind it. There’s not room to extend the table so that everyone has a place to sit.

Primed dining room

My Mom kept saying, “We’re your family. You don’t have to fuss for us.”

Make no mistake, Matt and I tend not to fuss for very much, and we’ve entertained a lot in the middle of numerous renovations. However, I draw a line at having a place to sit for the people that we’ve invited.

So I put on a bit of a push to get the painting done.

Painting the dining room with a roller

I found I could paint half the room–cut and roll–in 2 hours. Also measured as one baby nap. So I figured I’d be done in 4 days. Instead, I did 2 baby naps and 2 night shifts after she’d gone to bed.

And all the painting was done in 2 days, well before people arrived for dinner. In fact, I had time to vacuum and mop the floors, reinstall the cover plates, push the piano and china cabinet out of the way and add the leaves to the table. Woo-hoo.

On Friday night, everyone had a place to sit, and we had a great time with family.

Also nice, my sister arrived with her router, router table and a case of bits. I’m hoping this router is easier to use than my Dad’s and will help me make the doors for the china cabinet.

So the ORC continues. I’m feeling okay about week 4. Two weeks to go. I might be heading into the homestretch.

To see the other participants’ progress (some of whom are definitely not in the homestretch–I’m getting nervous for some people!), visit One Room Challenge. The designer participants share their updates on Wednesday and the guest participants post on Thursday.

One Room Challenge Guest Participant logo

How do you motivate yourself as projects progress? Do you have any stories of entertaining while renovating? How did you celebrate Easter?

 

Breaking out the paint brushes – One Room Challenge Week #3

Posted on by

4

Primed walls in the dining room

Painting has started in the dining room! Happy dance!

I will qualify this to say the walls are only primed and only the trim has actual paint, but there was a brush, a roller and a can. It is yet another step on my One Room Challenge journey.

If you want to catch up on the previous updates on the dining room makeover, here is week 1 and week 2.

Another important update: the floor licking continues. Why?

Ellie in the dining room

“I detect dust, dog hair and yesterday’s lunch.”

Do not be distracted by the weird–yet very cute–baby. We’re here to talk ORC. Back to the program.

The prime is thin and the drywall patches show through, but already the white(ish) walls make the room feel much brighter. They also highlight the dirtiness of the popcorn ceiling, which I’m trying to ignore.

Ellie in the primed dining room

“Is this wall wet? Am I getting paint on my jammies?”

Over my years of DIYing, I’ve learned that I prefer to paint the trim before the walls. I find it easier to cut the walls up to the trim as opposed to the trim up to the walls, if that makes sense (I’m a freehander, not a taper). While it’s possible that the trim may get spattered or dripped on when I’m painting colour onto the walls, I’ve not had a lot of issues with this, and minimizing the tedium of cutting is worth it for me.

Baby inspecting the primed dining room

“Ummm… Mama, I think you missed some spots.”

The walls will happen this week. I’ve chosen Abalone by Benjamin Moore, mixed at 75%. This is the same colour we used in the adjacent living room, kitchen and hall.

The dining room is kind of its own room thanks to the archway, and I considered using a different colour in here. However, Stacy at Blake Hill House made the point that our house is open concept enough that the dining room and living room feel like they’re one room, so keeping the colour consistent makes sense. Thanks Stacy for the input.

At the start of the One Room Challenge, I said that if I can just paint the walls I’d be satisfied. I’m feeling like this will likely be achievable.

Here’s where I’m at on my original task list:

  • Sand the walls
  • Patch cracks and holes
  • Prime walls
  • Paint trim
  • Paint walls
  • Fix broken window
  • Hang art
  • Build doors for china cabinet
  • Paint china cabinet

Almost halfway there.

To see the other participants’ progress, visit One Room Challenge. The designer participants share their updates on Wednesday and the guest participants will be posting on Thursday.

One Room Challenge Guest Participant logo

Who else has a live-in inspector for their DIYing? What do you paint first, trim or walls? How do you choose paint colours in adjacent rooms?

 

Off to a quick start – One Room Challenge Week #2

Posted on by

11

Welcome to week 2 of the One Room Challenge.

If you’re new to my blog, welcome. My name is Julia, and I live on a 129-acre farm in Ontario with my husband, Matt, our one year old daughter, Ellie, our rescue dog, Baxter, and #theworldsbestbarncat, Ralph.

Ellie and Ralph in the dining room

We moved here 7 years ago, and since then we’ve been working on our fixer-upper 1970s era ranch style house with lots of DIY, thrifting and occasional professional help. Our style is a bit traditional and full of very personal elements, with country touches to make our house look like it belongs in its farm setting.

The dining room is the last makeover before we start more major renovations like a garage addition, new kitchen or bathroom.

In last week’s post, I shared my plans for this update.

Today I thought I’d give more of an overview of this space.

Pros:

The dining room is a large room. A vaulted ceiling and a big archway to the living room make it feel even larger.

It has a big window that offers an amazing eastern view across the farm. Watching the sunrise over the fields while we have our breakfast is a beautiful way to start the day. (The Frank Lloyd Wright Coonley Playhouse-style stained glass was made for us by Matt’s uncle.)

Coonley playhouse Frank Lloyd Wright inspired stained glass panel

Over the years, we’ve collected vintage and thrifted furniture that are perfect for our traditional style: Matt’s grandmother’s piano, an antique dining table, 8 chairs that turned out to be a pretty good match to the table, and after an incredibly lucky thrifting score 3 circa-1980s bookshelves/TV/entertainment units that stand in for our china cabinet.

Cons:

Like every room in our house, the dining room was rough–literally. The walls felt like sandpaper and the ceiling is popcorn. Add to that stains, scuffs, holes and cracks in the drywall and the trim, and the room was not pretty.

It was also dark. Even with the large window, the dark brown walls make the room feel dim. Another issue arose this winter when one of the panes in the window cracked. It’s on my list to be fixed during this ORC.

All of the furniture, except the piano, needs a makeover. The table and chairs need to be refinished. The chairs need new upholstery. And the china cabinet needs to leave the 80s behind for fresh white paint.

Vaulted ceiling in the dining room

Someday, I plan to cover the popcorn ceiling with planks. But for now, I’m going to be relying on the power of paint and focusing on the walls and hopefully the china cabinet.

And with the motivation of the ORC, I’ve gotten off to a quick start on this project.

The update

I sanded the walls smooth and made so, so much dirty dust. Vacuuming has been the central task of this makeover thanks to the baby crawling around–and occasionally licking the floor (why?).

Sanding rough dirty drywall

And then I got started patching all of those holes and scuffs and cracks. I knew the walls were rough, but I hadn’t noticed how many cracks there were.

Cracks and scratches in drywall

Patching cracks in drywall

Patching drywall

More sanding, more patching, more sanding–and lots of vacuuming to try and keep the baby out of the dust.

My other crew member, Baxter, was not helpful. He loves the morning sunbeam in the dining room and even the threat of 7 years bad luck from laying under the ladder wouldn’t keep him from his favourite napping spot.

Baxter laying under the ladder

My luck seems to be good so far. One week in and the walls are smooth and ready for priming. The floor–and the baby–is relatively clean. Onward with the challenge.

You can check out all of the ORC participants later this week. The designer participants share their updates on Wednesday and the guest participants will be posting on Thursday.

One Room Challenge Guest Participant logo

Is anyone else dealing with rough walls or ceilings? How about battling dust? Who else has a helpful DIY crew?

 

Dining room makeover plans – One Room Challenge week #1

Posted on by

8

Alright. I’m doing it. I am stepping onto the train that is the One Room Challenge.

It’s been awhile since I’ve joined the ORC, so for those that don’t remember or if you’ve perhaps not heard of the One Room Challenge, this is a 6-week event where bloggers all over the world redo one room.

Here are my projects from the last times I participated:

The ORC has grown over the years, and it’s now a massive event with featured designers, sponsors and some serious, serious projects.

My project this time around is not that.

That’s one of the reasons I was hesitant about joining the challenge. (That, and making sure I can actually commit to finishing this room in 6 weeks.)

I want to redo the dining room.

Baxter sitting in the dining room before it's painted

Really, if I can just paint the walls, I’ll be happy. That doesn’t seem up to the level that is the One Room Challenge.

However, a main feature of the ORC is how inclusive it is. All people, all projects are welcome. This is a motivating, inspiring, encouraging undertaking.

So here I go.

The dining room. The (third) last untouched room in our house (the other two are the kitchen and bathroom which will be a completely different scale of renovation). So let’s call it the last untouched room, okay?

Vaulted ceiling in the dining room

I mentioned some of my goals and plans for this room already this year. But to kick off the challenge, here is the official plan:

  • Sand the walls
  • Patch cracks and holes
  • Prime walls
  • Paint trim
  • Paint walls
  • Fix broken window
  • Hang art
  • Build doors for china cabinet
  • Paint china cabinet

The china cabinet is the big question mark in this project. A couple of years ago, I’d absolutely be able to finish both the walls and the cabinet. However, since my new crew member arrived last year, project time has been pretty much reduced to nap times… although she does try to be helpful.

Ellie vacuuming in the dining room

Stick around and see how far I we make it.

And visit One Room Challenge to check out all of the other participants.

Odds & sods

Posted on by

4

Happy last Monday of March. This was a special month. We marked 7 years of living here at the farm. And we marked Matt’s 40th birthday. There was lots of time with family, more sunshine and warmer temperatures.

Matt holding Ellie while he blows out the candles on his birthday cake

It feels like we have finally turned the corner into spring. The skating rink that was our driveway has turned into a mud strip. We tapped some maple trees to make syrup. The skating rink that was the pond is melting.

Tapping maple trees

I was down at the pond one morning last week and discovered that there is some serious construction going on down there. We have beavers again and they are building lodges and taking down trees all around the pond. (When we first moved to the farm, I spotted a beaver one night… and I think I’m just as excited now as I was then.) I shared a video on my stories (it’s saved in my highlights).

To cap off the month, I’m sharing another round-up of some interesting things I’ve come across recently.

  • Baxter’s coyote encounter is very fresh for us. This video of a dog playing with a wild coyote, is a nice counterpoint to our violent incident. In other unlikely wildlife-dog news, this dog made friends with a wild deer.
  • “Marriage is a journey, it’s a changing of singleness to oneness. A removal of yourself and our natural desire to put ourselves first, and laying down our life for another.”
  • There’s still a place for blogs. This month’s Instagram and Facebook outage were “a reminder of the importance of cultivating and maintaining influence across a variety of digital channels.”
  • The One Room Challenge kicks off next week. I’m actually thinking about participating, albeit on a really small scale. I’ve been ever so slowly been cleaning out the dining room to prepare for painting. I’m thinking the ORC might be helpful to keep me on track and actually get this project done. (See my previous ORC projects: the laundry room, master bedroom and my office.) Are you participating?

My writing elsewhere:

We have a pretty quiet week ahead. I’ll be working on a few freelance writing projects, and Matt has one appointment. Hmm, maybe I can get a headstart on the dining room.

How are you finishing off March? Did you have any special celebrations this month? What’s been inspiring you? Any unlikely animal pairings to share?

Scooting around

Posted on by

7

I think we may have finally reached the thaw. However, as winter dragged on… and on… it was a rare day that I didn’t say the word “garage” to Matt.

Actually, the season really doesn’t matter. I say “garage” pretty much every day.

If you’ve been following along, you may recall that the plan is to transform the indoor pool into a mudroom and attached garage.

Matt in the indoor pool

Right now, the pool isn’t doing much, beyond a bit of storage.

However, at Ellie’s birthday party last month, it became a scooter park.

Riding scooters in the indoor pool

Riding scooters in the indoor pool

I never expected–or wanted–to own an indoor pool. Scooter park wasn’t even near the list.

Do you have any unexpected features at your house?

Farm-iversary 7

Posted on by

8

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.

Ellie in her sleigh

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.

Snow on the farm

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

Vegetable 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.

Odds & sods

Posted on by

12

Our girl is officially one year old! I know everyone says time flies, and it definitely does. But when I look back over the past year and think of everything she’s learned and how much she’s grown, it feels like it has to have been a year.

It’s amazing to watch a human grow.

Collage of 12 months of baby photos

We celebrated with a big pizza party with Matt’s and my families. It was really special–and also completely overwhelming. So many people. So many presents. So much food. We ended up delaying Ellie’s final tractor picture to the day after her birthday because it felt like we were trying to do too much. But I managed to finish a tractor cake for the big day–after Matt did an emergency run back to the grocery store for more icing sugar.

Baby with tractor pedal car

Tractor birthday cake

Our other excitement this month came courtesy of Baxter. He met up with someone or something in the woods and came home with a few gashes. One on his neck ended up needing stitches. He was not happy with his vet visit–nor the haircuts that were needed for his IV and to assess his various wounds. But we are happy that his injuries were relatively minor, that we have an amazing, kind, caring, gentle, skilled, generous team at our vet, and most of all that he’s home safe. He’s now on leash any time he’s outside, especially since he is completely fixated on the woods, apparently looking for a rematch.

Baxter looking into the woods with stitches in his neck

And now on to some of the inspiration I’ve come across over the last month:

Rambling Renovators living room

  • Jen at Rambling Renovators has amazing style, and she is going behind the scenes, sharing her process of how to decorate a room. She shared how to start and how to layout the furniture. Bonus, she’s updating her daughter’s room, which is a super fun project… not that I’m planning Ellie’s tween bedroom yet… much.
  • A reminder to not get stuck in our to-do lists and make time for family and fun
  • I’ve never made macaroni from scratch. But I’m trying to find an alternative to Matt’s favourite Kraft Dinner. I had high hopes for this vegan version (Chloe’s recipes have great flavours), but it was not a hit. Deb’s endorsement of Martha’s (non-vegan) version is making me think it’s the way to go. Any suggestions of how to get the flavour of KD with more real ingredients?
  • “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Inspiration from Arthur Ashe via Thelma Golden in In The Company of Women by Grace Bonney.

My writing elsewhere:

Did you celebrate anything this month? Or have any excitement courtesy of your pet? Do you have a macaroni recipe to share? What’s inspiring you these days?

The baby’s first build

Posted on by

13

Growing up, my parents always included my siblings and me in whatever was happening at our house. Maintenance, building, painting, renovating, cleaning–we were all involved. Some of it was chores. Some of it was just how our family rolled.

Looking back, I can see how these experiences gave us confidence, responsibility, skills, teamwork, work ethic, understanding and much more. This foundation set us up for our own homes and our own lives.

I don’t think my parents necessarily thought too deeply about the long-term benefits their approach would have. They liked doing things with us and wanted us to be involved. Or they needed help, and they had 8 extra hands hanging around. … Or, more likely, they had 8 extra hands and needed to keep them busy.

Today, a year into parenting, my sense is that most people spend a lot of time thinking–and worrying–about how to raise our children. What type of person do I hope my child grows up to be? How do I help her become that? I don’t think our aspirations are too much different than those of our parents. But I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and spend a lot of time reading different theories, trying different techniques and thinking about how to set our children up for success.

Admittedly, I’ve only been doing this Mom thing for a year. I have a long way to go, and I expect that we will face many challenges. However, I’m hoping that I can channel my own parents and remember how much I benefited from simply being involved in whatever they were doing.

Ellie and I did our first real build recently. You’ve seen her previously helping to make our invisible bookends and supervising some sanding. But this time she actually got her hands on some of the tools and materials. Of course, she also got her mouth on them too.

Baby playing with screwdriver and drill

My Mom gave Ellie a set of table and chairs for Christmas. I decided that since they were hers she should be part of putting them together.

Baby leaning on a box

I of course spent a fair amount of time making sure she didn’t drop the drill on herself, stick the screwdriver too far down her throat, cut herself on the scissors, or eat too much of the packaging. But we also had fun talking things through, finding the right pieces and putting it all together.

Baby excited to be holding a piece of wood

Fun is the best word I have to describe how it felt to build this little table and chairs with her.

Mom and baby sitting a child size table

I hope we have a lot more fun in the future. And I hope that she grows up to be a confident, capable, helpful woman, in part because of the things we do together.