2/3 of a china cabinet

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Somehow, I’ve ended up married to a person who cannot–cannot–pass by a Value Village without stopping in. Now I enjoy thrifting as well. However, more often than not, I end up walking around the VV parking lot with Baxter, as I prefer not to leave him in the car.

So a few weeks ago, Bax and I did our shopping in the parking lot.

I’ve been on the hunt for a china cabinet to use for storage in my office. There just happened to be a pair of bookcases sitting outside the VV that I thought might work. A quick conversation with the clerk confirmed that they weren’t sold, and he was more than happy to be spared carrying them into the store.

When we got them home, it turned out they were a bit too big for my office. However, I thought they might work for the dining room.

I’ve been on the hunt for a new china cabinet for the dining room for a little while. In fact, it was one of the items on my Home Goals 2015 list.

I had visions of using a big 1990s style entertainment unit for the dining room. I was blown away when I first saw Thalita’s entertainment unit makeover in her kitchen, and it sparked all kinds of ideas.

An entertainment unit–one that used to hold those huge boxy TVs–would give me a tonne of storage. And even though these are more bookcases than TV cabinets, they totally do.

90s bookcases as china cabinet

The cupboards below hold our wedding china, wine glasses and other serving pieces and keep them sheltered from dust–even with a lovely cutout in the back of the cabinet.

Wedgewood Oberon china

Wine glasses and plates

The shallow drawers are perfect for candles and cutlery.

Candle storage

The shelves above hold the prized Bleu de Roi china that I inherited from my grandmother and some bar supplies along with Matt’s collection of steins and shot glasses.

Bleu du roi china

Steins and shot glasses

I haven’t done much styling for these shelves. I’ve more just unloaded various cupboards.

And this set up is definitely not final.

My original vision was for three bookcases. I still have plans to build a middle section to tie the shelves all together. Plus remove the arch at the top of the cases, update the trim and the hardware, add glass doors to the upper section (I don’t believe in dusting, so open shelves and I do not get along) and then paint everything.

90s bookcases as china cabinet

Plus someday I’d like to paint the walls in the dining room, relocate the antlers, etc. etc. etc.

For now though, I figure I’m at least 2/3 of the way there.

Frosty morning

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

One sunny Saturday morning a few weeks ago, Matt and I woke up to a frosty wonderland.

frost36

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frost3

frost22

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Mucking out and working out

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

You’ve been hearing about me spreading manure on the garden pretty much all fall. However, this post has been an even longer time coming. In fact, it’s been sitting in my drafts folder since June 2012. Way back then, Matt and I mucked out our first stall.

I was responsible for raking up the old straw.

And Matt was responsible for getting the straw out of the stall and into the field behind the barn.

We just used rakes, rather than bothering to find the pitchforks, and then we piled the old straw behind the barn. This stall became Wiley’s garage.

The previous owners of our property had boarded horses. When they left, they didn’t bother to clean out the stalls.

And this fall, three years later, we still had 14 stalls full of straw and manure.

We also had a brand new vegetable garden that had been super productive. If I wanted to keep it productive, I needed to replenish the soil.

That meant it was finally time to tackle the barn.

It took me about 9 hours spread over three weekends. There were more than a dozen trailer loads of manure, and I don’t even know how many wheelbarrow loads. There were two assistants, Ms. Scratches and Mr. Sunbather, neither of whom gave very much assistance.

Ralph and Baxter in the barn

There was no way to get the tractor or the trailer into the barn, so I wheeled all of the straw through the barn, up a plank and into the trailer. When the trailer was full, I towed it out to the garden.

I got very proficient at backing up the trailer through this project. It just fit through the gate on the garden.

I usually laugh when people ask me what my workout routine is. I own a farm. That means I work. No need for a gym membership. Here’s my version of a workout video. Repeat that about a 100 more times.

So it only took me three years (or really three weekends once I got started), but finally the stalls are clean.

Now to find a new workout…

Have you ever had to muck out stalls? Any tips to make it easier? (Not that I’m planning on doing it again). What’s a project that you’ve had hanging around for awhile?

Three weeks left to get my act together

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Ladies and gentlemen, I have to inform you that this is the first post of December. We have just three weeks until winter.

And that means I have just three weeks left to finish up my fall to-do list.

I’m actually not doing too bad.

The vegetable garden – Done for the season

As you saw last week, I’m declaring the vegetable garden done for the year. Never mind that I didn’t finish everything I wanted to. I have high hopes for productivity come spring.

Frost covered raspberry cane

The bird feeder – Done for awhile.

Our birdies are loving the feeder. So is Ralph. She camps out under Matt’s car and watches the feeder intently. So far, I don’t think she’s caught any birds. A trio of neighbourhood crows showed up on Sunday morning. If Ralph wants to deal with them, that would be fine with me.

Firewood – Done thanks to Matt and his Dad.

Here is my view as I type this post. I love our evenings in front of the fire.

Stone fireplace decorated for Christmas

Get Wiley ready for winter – Done thanks to my cousin.

Our little tractor will need his snowblower soon, but the rest of him is ready for winter.

The house – Almost done.

Matt cleaned out the gutters again a week ago, and I took off the screens last Saturday–Baxter thought we should go on a third walk instead.

Baxter waiting while I take off the screens

The outdoor water is off, and all that remains is the annual service and filter replacement on our indoor water system. That’s scheduled for next weekend.

So only one thing left to do before winter. That’s probably a good thing because I have a long list of things to do before Christmas. At least life is never boring.

How are you doing on getting ready for winter? What progress have you made in getting ready for Christmas?

Odds and sods

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Mantel decorated for Christmas

Whew. I am glad it’s Friday–even if it is Friday the 13th. I feel like I’ve been playing catch-up all week.

It won’t be a quiet weekend for us, but it will be a good one.

We’re hosting our annual Christmas party for the extended family on Matt’s Mom’s side. It’s a little earlier than usual, but no one seems to mind. I’m glad that we’re all able to get together. It means a lot to us that Matt and I are able to keep this tradition going.

Here’s what else is happening in our lives these days:

Thanks to our early Christmas party and my MIL’s help last weekend, our house is already partially decorated. (That’s our mantel up above.)
The fall One Room Challenge came to an end this week. I did and I didn’t miss participating this time around. I’ve loved following along with many of the makeovers. Part of my weekend plans is to take some time to click through all of the amazing rooms from both the guest participants and the “official” bloggers.
Ashley and Adam at Domestic Imperfection are building a new house. I feel like their plan is really unique–not cookie cutter at all–and they’re making really cool choices for their family.
We’re on the hunt for a new freezer. My only criteria is I want an upright and as big as (reasonably) possible–ideally 20 or more cubic feet. Do you have any wisdom to share?

And that’s all I’ve got, folks. I think it’s time to call it a week.

How did your week go? What are your plans for the weekend?

Chop chop

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

This spring, as I tidied up the woodpile after our first winter with a working fireplace, I did a very scientific calculation of how much wood we would need to stockpile for the next season.

We had most of two rows of firewood left after about three months of having fires every night. We planned to have fires every night again, but we’d be starting much earlier this year than last year (given that the fireplace wasn’t finished until Christmas last year).

I figured three complete rows of wood would do.

When a tree came down in the big field, that was our sign that it was firewood time.

Matt’s Dad arrived with his chainsaw, and he and Matt went to work. In an afternoon, they cut the fallen tree into lengths, and trailered it back to the house.

After their afternoon of work, it was clear that the downed tree was just one trunk out of four. All of the trunks were dead, so we decided it was best to take them all down.

The following weekend, Matt’s Dad was back. He brought three chainsaws and his splitter this time.

We went with our usual division of labour: Matt and his Dad headed out for the tree, and I started up the splitter.

After I had split the first two loads, Bax and I headed out to the field to check on the progress. The remaining three trunks were down, and one trailer was full.

We filled it again (and added a puppy) and filled Matt’s Dad’s trailer (he didn’t get a puppy, but his extra deep trailer took basically a double load of wood).

Back at the house, Matt and I finished splitting and stacking. I got my triple row of firewood.

And then some.

Good thing, because fireplace season has started earlier this year. We’ve already had a couple of fires, which are so, so nice… although I’ve not photographed them (#bloggerfail). I am so glad we finally have a fireplace to enjoy this fall.

Have you done any tree clean-up at your house? Who else is enjoying fall fires? Have you put up firewood this season?

Getting my act together

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

A month ago, I said it was time to get my act together, and I posted my fall to-do list.

I’m most productive when I post regular updates to hold myself accountable, so today is about sharing where I’m at in getting ready for winter.

And I am pleased to report that I’m getting my act together.

The vegetable garden

Hang the gate
Edge the garden
Put in raised beds
Spread manure

Okay. Perhaps this isn’t the best way to start. Beyond the harvest and clearing out the dead plants, I haven’t spent much time in the garden. My plan is to make the garden my focus for November.

The bird feeder

Reattach feeder bracket – My cousin who made the birdfeeder post for us originally very kindly bolted the top bracket back into place.
Install a sleeve for the post – I put a section of pipe in the ground so that the post can just slide into place, no hammering required.

I restocked our seed supply last week, and we have a steady stream of blue jays, chickadees, juncos and a whole bunch of other birds I can’t identify visiting the feeder every day.

Firewood

Tidy up the trees – Matt and his Dad went to town.
Put up another row of firewood – As Matt and his Dad cut, I split and stacked, and we are set.

More details about our latest lumberjacking episode will be coming in a future post, but for now gaze upon our woodpiles.

Get Wiley ready for winter

Change the oil – My handy cousin (he of the birdfeeder) changed the oil for us.
Check the battery contacts – My handy cousin also made us a little sleeve to tighten up the battery clasp, and Wiley’s starting so smoothly now.
Remove the mower deck – Done. There will be no more grass cutting this year.

The house

Take off the screens
Clean the heat pump filter — Done
Clean out the gutters — Matt’s done this twice in October, and he’ll probably have to do it at least once more.
Turn off the outdoor water
Annual service and filter replacement on indoor water system — A new to-do

The house is another area where we’ve not done a whole lot. What does that say about me that I’m putting less time into the roof over my head as opposed to the property around my house? Thankfully, Matt’s on it.

Anyways, three categories out of five are completely done. That’s pretty good. Now to keep the productivity coming before winter comes.

How are you doing on your pre-winter to-do list so far?

Enjoying fall

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

‘Tis the season. The season of fall that is. Sarah in Illinois is back today, sharing some of the ways she’s marking fall at her house.

When I was younger my parents told me that as you get older time seems to fly by faster and faster. I am sure at the time I thought, “Yeah, whatever, it is so long until my next birthday, or… until I get my license, or… until I graduate.”

Okay parents, here is what you have been waiting for: YOU WERE RIGHT. Every year time flies by faster and faster. The snow on the ground melts, a minute goes by and it is summer. In the next breath school starts, and then we prepare for the holidays and winter weather again.

I can’t believe that this weekend is Hallowe’en. Because it seems like time blurs between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving (for us in the States), then Christmas and New Year’s. In no time this year will be over!

Since the kids are only here every other weekend, this was our weekend to celebrate Hallowe’en/fall activities. I try to keep a balance between incorporating traditions and relaxing and actually enjoying what we are doing.

One thing we try to always do is carve/paint pumpkins. For the past few years I have wanted to grow my own pumpkins for carving and also ornamental small gourds. I even went as far as buying the seed, and then time gets away, and I realize I never put them in the ground. This year was no different, so we went to a local pumpkin patch and picked out some pumpkins and gourds. The owner said that the pumpkins had ripened early this year so there were not many left to choose from. That was probably true, but there were still enough for us.

I chose to paint one:

I found a script font on the internet and looked at it as I freehanded the “W” on the pumpkin with a pencil. Then I neatened up the pencil with a marker so that it was easier to see. It was at that point that I used acrylic craft paint to paint the letter and the vine on the sides. When I was happy with my design I sprayed a heavy coat of clear matte spraypaint over my design. This will keep the acrylic paint from washing off during fall rains.

Painting pumpkins is so much easier and less messy. And also the pumpkins last longer on display since they are not cut open. Of course, the kids wanted to carve theirs, so we all carved pumpkins too. We each carved a jack o’lantern face and Steve’s daughter is a WNBA LA Sparks fan so she carved an extra one to support her team!

Another decorating tradition of mine is Indian corn. A local farmer and his son have been growing the corn the past two years and set up a little stand to sell it. So I stopped by and bought a few ears last week and tied them together with some ribbon I had laying around and hung them on our doors.

I have been trying to really look at the trees this past week. We live in an area that the leaves on the trees are simply stunning this time of year. But if you don’t pay attention, they can be gone in just a few days.

I took a picture one morning before I left for work and the next morning at the same time I looked at the same tree and I was shocked at how many leaves had fallen in 24 hours. And since we are expecting rain in the next few days, our leaf display is almost over!

My goal in the next month is to plan ahead and follow a schedule to prepare for the upcoming holidays. I don’t want to rush things, but I want to make sure I don’t leave everything until the last minute and then the season becomes stressed.

I want to enjoy it like I have been enjoying fall!

It looks like Sarah has had a lot going on this season. I love that she’s taking the time to savour it.

How are you celebrating Hallowe’en at your house? What does fall look like where you are? Have you ever tried painting pumpkins? Did you notice the one pumpkin was carved on his side? I never would have thought to do that, but I love his happy goofy face.

How to remove a belly mower from a Kioti CS2410

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Every year, twice a year, Matt and I get up close and personal with our little tractor, Wiley. Attaching the mower deck in the spring and detaching it in the fall are pretty intimate operations.

Just a refresher, Wiley is a Kioti CS2410. His mower deck is a Kioti SM2410. It’s a belly mower, meaning it rides under Wiley’s middle (as opposed to the mowers that are towed behind a tractor).

I thought this year that I’d finally properly document the process. I’ve tried to do this for the past few years, but attaching and detaching is always a bit stressful. See how concerned Baxter is when we did this two years ago?

I usually feel like it’s better for my marriage if I don’t try to prep a blog post at the same time as we’re installing or removing the deck.

That’s not to say this is an overly complicated undertaking. It’s just an undertaking that is a bit tricky in spots.

Here are the steps to remove the mower deck from the tractor:

1. This whole operation will be dramatically aided by level ground (which does not exist at the farm). So, step 1: park the tractor on level ground… or at least the levelest ground you can find.

2. Start with the mower raised but set at the shortest cutting setting.

3. Turn the wheels that support the deck so that they’re perpendicular (90 degrees) to the tractor’s wheels. Pop out the pins and rotate the wheels.

Repin them in the highest position–meaning the mower is as high off the ground as you can get it, i.e. the pins are in the bottom hole on the sleeve.

4. Disconnect the PTO. Push the shiny gold collar towards the mower deck (forwards), and pull it off the shaft. The person with the longest arms should do this (i.e. Matt), as the PTO is right in the middle under the tractor, and you have to reach over the deck and around the back wheel to reach it.

5. Lower the deck–use the three-point lever, not the cutting height lever. Give the deck a good shake to make sure it’s all the way down. You do not want this thing falling on you. It will crush you. (Not quite the same, but I have this line in my head now and I can’t resist. Plus, it’s one of Matt’s favourite movies.)

6. Pull the pins that attach the deck to the tractor. There are three on each side. The quick connect pins at the front and back are on springs. Just pull them out and turn them out of the way. The other pins at the very front have split rings that you have to remove first.

The pins are when things get stressful for us. The deck is super heavy. And if you’re not on level ground, there’s invariably some weight still resting on the pins. So sometimes they just don’t want to come out, no matter how hard we yank on them.

There are two techniques we’ve found to help: one, slide some blocks under the deck to help support the weight. Use trial and error to find out where you need them–front or back, starboard or port.

The second solution is tried and true: the hammer. Tap (as gently as you can given your current frustration levels and your limited maneuverability under the tractor).

It’s a wonderful feeling when the pins pop free. You will end up with two metal arms that hold the deck to the front of the tractor. Those arms should stay with the deck. Don’t lose them. You’ll need them if you ever want to cut grass again. (And just a note for when it comes time to reattach them, the springs point in).

7. Raise the mower using the three-point lever to fully detach the deck. At this point the deck should not be connected to the tractor, but still sitting under the tractor. Use the front end loader to lift the tractor up a little bit–just enough to give you clearance to slide out the deck. (Put the parking brake on–safety first!)

8. Push, push, push and pull, pull, pull the deck out from under the tractor, and you’re good!

Well, you’ll probably want to tip up the deck, scrape the dried up crusty grass from the underside, hit it with the hose, inspect the blades and grease all of the fittings.

Just to be safe, we also tuck the PTO into a plastic bag to keep dirt out of it.

But do all that, and you’re done. And you don’t have to cut grass for another few months. (Don’t mention attaching the snowblower).

Time for a victory dance! (Wow, Bax was skinny that first year).

What type of mower do you use at your house? Have you tucked your mower away for the season yet? Do you have any jobs that put your relationship to the test? Do you have a sidekick who helps (and celebrates) the tough jobs?