From The Ground Up



"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

 



My absence from the blog has been lengthy because we have been B.U.S.Y.!!!  Hopefully, I can portray just what we've been up to with some before and after photos, showing the progression of our farm build.  In four short years we have accomplished many things and tackled many hurdles. We still have a ways to go and I'm quite certain there will be many more hurdles, but with determination and faith we will persevere!

 

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you

the desires of your heart. ~ Psalm 37:4



I've written several posts here, here, and here, chronicling our progress from clearing trees, to building our home.  There are some posts that never happened like clearing pastures and putting in fences.  I'll introduce those phases to you through the photos in this post.  I'm so glad I took so many pictures of each stage. It's amazing to look back and see the huge changes we've made!

Through it all, we give all the glory to God above, and thank Him continually for our many blessings.

For I am the Lord, your God,

who takes hold of your right hand and says to you,

 Do not fear; I will help you. ~ Isaiah 41:13 





 



the back yard - BEFORE

the back yard - AFTER

 

the back yard - BEFORE 

the back yard - AFTER

the old pasture - BEFORE

 

the old pasture - AFTER

 



the entrance - BEFORE

the entrance - AFTER

 



the new pasture - BEFORE

 



the new pasture - AFTER

 



the new pasture - AFTER

 



the new pasture - BEFORE

 



the new pasture - AFTER

 



the old pasture - BEFORE

 



the old pasture - AFTER

from the front door of the house - BEFORE

 



from the front door of the house - AFTER

 

 



from the front door of the house - AFTER

 



from the front door looking toward the new pasture - BEFORE

 





from the front door looking toward the new pasture - AFTER

 

front of house - BEFORE

 



front of house - AFTER

 



laying sod - BEFORE

 



laying sod - AFTER

 



from the driveway toward the new pasture - BEFORE

 

from the driveway toward the new pasture - AFTER

 

 

We expect there will be many more changes going forward, and I will do my best to share our progress with you here.

 

I am also debating a name change for the blog to go along with our endeavor and our website.  Not to mention, it's likely that travel will be rare once we get our cattle.  So what do you think? Should I change the name of the blog to Rogers Creek Farm? Leave your comments below, please.





Is It Ever Going to End?

In the last year, I have tried my best to realize the good in each and every day.  To find something of beauty to marvel at, something that caused me to take notice, be grateful, be humbled.

I've had plenty to keep me busy around the house and farm, and, personally, I think I've done a pretty good job of holding it all together and pushing through both large and small jobs.

 

 

But the darkness of loneliness, depression, and despair were never far away.  Even though I never let myself fall into that pit, I admit there have been plenty of days of self pity.

My husband, my very best friend, left for a one year assignment in February 2014.  He should be back by now......  But he's not.  I know I've got to be strong, and I know I've got to be patient, and I know he's coming home, but by golly, I'm tired of waiting!!!

This is just a part of what it means to be married to the military.  The separations, the unknown, the indefinite answers, the Army being in control of our lives.

Winter has been extreme this year for much of the country.  And I've always found this part of winter to be the ugliest.  Everything is so dead and drab it makes you wonder how any of it could still have life in it!  This provides the perfect correlation to my situation:  will it ever end?

Thankfully, the promise of spring is always there, just like it's been in years and centuries past.  I see leaf and flower buds on trees and spring flowers pushing up from the dirt.  It provides comfort and an undeniable invigorating energy.  Even the increase in daylight hours has a positive impact!

 

 

So all that being said, what better time for my beloved to come home... during Spring!  A time for renewal, a time for new beginnings, a time for recommitment to each other and the vows we spoke so long ago, renewed enthusiasm and determination as we continue building our farm.

I still don't know the exact day he will return, but I just know it's going to be soon.  It just has to be! 

So I'll close with a picture that pretty much sums it all up: 

Watermelon Treats For Dogs On A Hot Summer Day

Who doesn't love a cool treat on a hot summer day?  I know I love ice cream as much as the next guy, and there's nothing better than a crisp, sweet, cold watermelon cut open outside to enjoy with all its drippy goodness!

Well, guess who else loves cool treats on a hot day?  Your dogs!

Our sweet furry family members patiently wait for pieces of ice whenever we fill our glasses with ice.  They immediately crunch their pieces and often come back for seconds!

Patiently waiting for a piece of ice

It seems this one prefers ice over drinking water!

Recently, while enjoying a delicious watermelon with the kids, the dogs really wanted a taste too.  So I gave them each a small piece of rind.  They gobbled it up in no time, and came for more before I could finish my second piece!

Their enthusiasm for an iconic summertime treat like watermelon had my brain whirling, thinking of a fun way to keep them cool while outside on a hot day, but also make them feel they were getting a special treat, all while keeping them busy and entertained.

So I saved all our rinds, cut them into bite size chunks (according to the size of your dog), stuffed them in 2 large soup mugs, filled each mug with water and put them in the freezer overnight.

Cut melon into large chunks

 

Fill a bowl or soup mug with melon chunks

Cover chunks with water

Place mugs in freezer overnight

The next day, I removed the mugs from the freezer, put them in a sink of tap water for a minute or just until the ice melted away from the sides of the mugs.  Then I gave each dog their treat, and didn't hear from either of them for at least an hour!

They LOVED it!!!

Belle looks like she's saying "Thanks,.mom!" 

 

 

But here she looks like she's saying, "Wait, that one's bigger than mine!" 

And Dixie just says "nom, nom, nom"

So do your fur-babies a favor and fix them a special treat of something cool, fun and entertaining!  I'm pretty sure they'll love you for it. 

After all, we are in the dog days of summer.

The Dining Room Furniture, Before and After

As a follow up to my previous post, Moving Day, here are before and after photos of our antique Louis XIV china cabinet and dessert buffet that was damaged in the move.

It still amazes me, that after 22 years of military service and moving all over the world, we've never had damage to our household goods like we incurred this time.  "This time" being a move within the same state, less than 100 miles from the point of origin!  I guess there's no such thing as a perfect track record!  And on the bright side, it could have been much worse, as some of our military friends have experienced complete nightmares with their moves.

And to chalk it up to the moving company, Coastal Moving and Storage, they took full responsibility of the damage of our furniture and various items, taking care of all cleaning, repairs, and compensation.  In a timely manner, to boot!  While I probably wouldn't recommend them for handling a job that includes high risk, irreplaceable items, their response and rapid settlement of our claim was impressive.

 

The moving company took care of transporting these pieces to Colonial Woodworks in Columbia, SC.  They were the moving company's choice and we knew nothing about them.  While the job took a good amount of time, we couldn't be more pleased with the work they did and the care they displayed in bringing these special pieces back to life.  I have to admit, after the first month came and went and we still didn't have our furniture, I became extremely skeptical.  Of course my mind was going through all the "what-ifs" and I wasn't thinking very positively.

 

Finally the day for delivery came, and I honestly think I gasped when the pieces were placed in our dining room.  Having not seen the before photos, I wasn't positive of where the work was done, and to my unknowing eyes it was difficult to guess.  Once I was able to store away all our linens, china, crystal and serving pieces, I had the moving company send the "before" photos to me.   

 

As you can see in the photos below the work is impeccable!  Sincere gratitude go out to Steve and Laurie at Colonial Woodworks.  We HIGHLY recommend them for all your furniture refinishing needs!

We love our dining room and look forward to many many years of enjoyment, sharing meals and good times with dear family and precious friends.  Come visit us!!!

The Dessert Buffet

Before and After



 

 

 

The China Cabinet

Before and After

 



 











The Summer Cover

Among the many decisions Travelin' BRITS and I had to make during the build of our home was what type of tile or design we would incorporate as the back splash in the kitchen, mainly the area over the cooktop, as it would be the focal point in the center of our kitchen.

We knew we wanted a stucco-style vent surround, but the verdict was out on what the feature would be on the wall below.

 

At one of our favorite stores in Columbia, SC, Southeastern Salvage,  we found beautiful tumbled, raw travertine tiles.  And because of the type of store, we bought all they had not knowing, or caring, if it would be enough to cover the back splash areas in our kitchen.  Based out of Chattanooga, TN, Southeastern Salvage is a store that sells overstocks of all sorts of builders' materials, as well as imported furniture items, at prices that are truly unbeatable! 

I'm a firm believer of web surfing, magazine flipping, and HGTV viewing for inspiration and ideas for various projects, whether it be DIY or done by professionals.  It's just helpful to be able to bring the vision in your head to life through pictures.  That said, Travelin' BRITS and I have become avid browsers of the pages of Tuscan Style Magazine.  A bi-annual periodical that truly makes you say ooh and aah with each page turn.  It was in this magazine that I started paying special attention to the back splash in so many of the featured homes' kitchens, magnificent kitchens with unbelievable features and furnishings.  In one particular kitchen I noticed an interesting cook top back splash.  On closer inspection and reading the caption that accompanied the photo, I discovered the home owners had used a gorgeous repurposed summer fireplace cover.

Architectural salvage?  Repurposing something cool from an old house?  Now we're talking!  But what is a summer cover, you ask? 

"A Summer Cover was 1 of the 3 components commonly used on small coal fireplaces. The surround served as a frame for the fireplace opening. There were usually tabs on the lower portion of the surround onto which the coal grate hung inside of the fireplace. The cover door also mounted onto this surround frame, attaching from the outside.

The door was completely removable and was taken off when there was a fire burning. When the fireplace was not in use then the door, or cover, was mounted back onto the frame, keeping warm air from the house from rising up the chimney and in the summer keeping the cooler and often smelly air in the chimney from dropping down into the house.

The cover doors were made from a variety of materials. A fair number were heavy, cast iron doors but  frequently they are made of tin and also some in brass. They were always made of a fireproof metal, as it was common to put the cover on when the coals burnt down low so the family didn't wake up to a completely cold house in the morning, by which time the fire had burned out.

The design of the cover was most often a bit ornate, and matched the design elements found in the frame."

Many covers, as mentioned above are a bit ornate, but many are on the plain side. Many tell a story, while others are designed with something special for the owner.

Ok, enough with the history lesson.  Rewind to a  beautiful sunny October day.  I stopped in my favorite flea market/antique mall in Florence, SC, Thieves Market.  I LOVE that place!  I'm always able to find cool stuff in there, and often get side-tracked from what I'm looking for by all the amazing treasures they have in there.  Even the front porch is loaded with interesting treasures, weather-exposed and all!

After poking around on the front porch and not finding any fireplace covers I headed inside.  Mind you, Thieves Market covers a huge area, packed with both junk and treasure.  So as I passed the front counter the kind proprietor asked if she could help me.  So I asked if they had any summer covers.  "Why, yes, as a matter of fact, there's one booth that has several.  But did you see the one on the front porch?"  What?  No!  Where?  So she led me to it.  It was a rusty mess, but worth keeping in mind while I went to see the others all located further in the expanse of this treasure trove of goodies. 

None of them were what I was looking for, so back to the front porch I went.  Incredible, so fitting, and in a word perfect!  SOLD!  And I even got it for less than the ticketed price... even better!

It was a rusty, gross mess, but I was determined to make it work and to get Travelin' BRITS to love it too.  Which he did.  He even helped with the cleaning.
  

 

 

I had read somewhere that apple cider vinegar and steel wool do wonders together in removing rust.  So that's what I started out with.  While it did remove a large amount of oxidation, I needed to step up my efforts a couple notches, not to mention the old paint and soot that needed to be removed.  In came the heavy duty paint removal Jasco Premium Paint and Epoxy Remover.  That is some powerful stuff!  I poured it on the cover, worked it into all the nooks and crannies and left it for several hours.

When I returned, not much had changed until I started scrubbing with my steel bristle brush.  All that old paint and rust just started disappearing!  It was amazing!  All the details of the design started popping out before my eyes!  I was so excited I could barely contain myself!  I rinsed it off and left it to dry.

I came back to it after about 30 minutes and knew I was looking at our cooktop back splash!   Even though our kitchen fixtures are all bronze finish, I chose to paint the back splash with a Rustoleum copper spray paint.  It turned out beautifully, and blends perfectly with all the other special features of our kitchen. 

 

 

 

Cooking is a necessary hobby that is now a great pleasure realizing I repurposed a unique thing of the past into our 21st century home.