Inside The Barn - A Sneak Peek

Hi Everyone,

Some of you have wondered what may be in my barn and I hesitate to show you.  It's a little scary right now but I've decided to let you have a little look.

At the time we were purchasing our farm, the previous owners were older and wanted to sell the property "as is"..."as is" meaning we take ownership of whatever is left behind.  We were fine with that as we got an earlier closing date due to this and there were some treasures left behind.  Unfortunately, due to all the other work on the property, the "as is" pile continues to remain.  Since we have the wedding coming up next year, it's time for the "as is" pile to disappear, poof, gone!  This is one of the reasons for the garage sale we had hoped to have the last two years, that and our own accumulated stuff.  Actually, my hubby tells me it's mostly my stuff lol!!

As you can see (and this is just half of one wall), there were many things left behind.  Some pieces are definitely keepers while others have to go.  I'm having lower back issues right now so the canes are actually looking kind of good lol!!  Actually, a walker was left behind in the lower part of the barn...hmmm.  Many of the items have already been taken down since this photo was taken but we still have lots to do.

Margie, this one is for you!

Margie, you had previously teased me about the possibility of there being a teacup in the barn lol.  You were right!  I found this in the kitchen cupboard in the barn.  It's the size of a teacup but it's probably classified as a mug.  I'll let you decide.

This sled is definitely a keeper.  I was thrilled when they decided to leave it behind.

The first time my sister had a tour of the barn, she said, "isn't that one of those things they use in horror movies to kill people?"  as she referred to the sithe.  Yes...and now I'm not so sure I want to go into the barn at night alone haha!!

You can see John Wayne "The Duke" standing beside the piano, he's a cardboard figure.  I wonder if he's worth anything.  The piano has to go, anybody looking for a free piano?

As you can see, the barn has potential for weddings.  The previous owners used it for senior jamborees twice a year and would host about 125-150 people.  The owners before that were actually the ones that cemented the floor.  I'm not sure if I'm happy about that or not.  I would prefer horse stalls in there but we may look at renting it for weddings or other events in the future instead.  Another horse isn't in the picture yet but I'm still hanging onto my bridles and blankets, etc. from the last one in hopes of it happening again one day.

  This is only a portion of the barn I'm showing you as there is stuff everywhere right now.  The barn includes 2 bathrooms and a small kitchen.  We definitely have our work cut out for us.

This is the kitchen.  My plan is to paint the cupboard doors and replace the hardware.  Unfortunately the kitchen is a little worse for wear right now as we have a rodent of some type using the barn, a squirrel or chipmunk perhaps.  He/she needs to find a new home asap.

This is the men's bathroom.  It will be getting a new coat of paint and some redecorating.  It's very uninviting right now, especially with the lady staring in through the fake window.  She was probably  a friend of the previous owners.

It will probably be early summer of 2017 before the big reveal since we have to have everything in order for the July wedding.  I'll show the full before and after photos at that time.

Thanks for visiting my barn and make sure you come back for the big reveal!

Enjoy your day.

 ~Kelly ~

In The Garden

Hi Friends,

I'm currently working on my vacation post but since I'm going to be a little while longer, I thought I would show you some of the flowers from around my property.  I've been having difficulties with the online photo editor recently and have struggled to crop and place my blog name on my photos.  I had to switch to another editor which is currently working, this allowed me finish this post.  The photos were only partially uploading, has anyone else had this problem?

Here are my flowers...

These False Sunflowers are growing beside the barn.  I love the bright yellow flowers against the old barn board

The False Sunflowers on the front porch in an Ironstone pitcher.  This pitcher really comes in handy.

Okay, so this little guy isn't a flower but he's cute!  Well actually, he isn't that small.  He keeps showing up at our house and hanging out by the entrance.

I have no idea if these crab apples can be made into jelly since I don't know what type of crab apple tree it is.  I'm curious though.

This photo of the Columbine was actually taken in the springtime against the side of the barn.

A Black Eyed Susan at the front of my porch.

I have a few of these Malvas in bloom right now and they're gorgeous.

When I moved to my first home I loved the gardens that were already there but unfortunately decided to tear them out since I thought they'd be too much work.  The following year I found a Sedum at the side of the house.  It had been torn out of the garden before the winter and in the spring it was just laying in the grass on it's side with some soil around it's roots.  It was thriving.  From that point on, when I decided to rebuild the garden, I definitely bought more Sedums.  You can't kill them and I like that!!  When I put my house up for sale, I wanted to bring some Sedums to wherever the new house was going to be.  My hubby doesn't like them and wanted them left behind.  Well....the house we ended up buying was full of them,   My estimation would be at least 150 plants.  Ha ha!!  My poor hubby.

This Black Eyed Susan is in bloom right now.  My other one died off a while back but this one was late starting.

This Gladiolus was growing on it's own.  There was only one flower on the plant so I stole it for a display.  That didn't work.  It was quite tall so I had to cut it down quite a bit.  I cut some of the seed heads off an ornamental grass trying to add some balance to the height of the Gladiolus.  A designer I AM NOT but I had fun.  I placed it in the wonderful Ironstone that my hubby bought for me last Christmas.

I think this is a wild Aster (also known as a weed?), Phlox and and Valerian.  There's that little Ironstone pitcher again.  See?  It does come in handy.

My Variegated Maple.  I love this tree.

One of our backyard fires, I hope we have at least one more before it's too cold.  I know, it isn't a flower either but it looks cozy for a cool evening that we're experiencing right now.

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you enjoyed your visit.

~ Kelly ~

Garage Sale Finds - Part 2 of Annual Sale

Hi Friends,

So here is Part 2 (about 4 months late).  Thanks for being patient although I'm sure you forgot about Part 2 ALONG time ago lol!! 

At the time I started this post, I was unable to take all of my photos as large items had been placed in the barn and I didn't have access to them.  My hope was to obtain these photos for the post but they'll have to wait for another day.  I did manage to move a couple pieces of furniture since then which I'm including in this post.  My daughter and granddaughter were also unexpectedly moving in at that time so everything was put on hold.

I'm on week 2 of my vacation right now, week 1 being my getaway and week 2 involving work around the property, barn, etc.  I was working outside until the rain came.  I'm hoping to move onto Plan B.  But first...why not finish this post.

This dresser was purchased for $5.00 at the same garage sale as Part 1.  It was nearing the end of the sale and I picked up this cutie for $5.00.  Unfortunately, it's missing the handles on the middle drawers.  My hope is to use it in my craft room.  I had previously purchased the antique sewing machine for $10.00 at a flea market.  It's not in working order but it doesn't matter as I had purchased it for decorative purposes only.

I also purchased this chair at the beginning of the sale so I had to pay full price, it costs a whole $10.00.  I think my hubby said it was solid oak but I can't remember back that far haha!!  It's a very solid and heavy chair.  I may paint it but that won't be for a while.  I'm just itching to paint things.

I love the details on the base of the chair.

After buying the first box of goodies for $5.00 in Part 1, I went back in for a second box as you couldn't beat the price.  This wooden bowl is my favourite out of my second box.  From what I can tell, the bowl and paddle are antiques.  Someone had stained both of them an orange/brown shade with a very high gloss finish.    For that reason, it may not have appeared that they were old (I hope they are antiques).  If you look closely, you can see the aging.  I'm hoping to refinish both pieces.

You can really see the gloss on the paddle, it's not showing on the bowl but it's basically the same.

You can see the cracks/lines on the bottom of the bowl which makes me believe it is actually an antique butter bowl.  The cracks don't go right through, it appears to be in very good condition.

Near the end of the sale, we found out how they were going to dispose of the remaining items.  I had looked at these wooden boxes a few times but they had rusty nails in them.  I decided to dump out the nails as they would be recycled and buy the boxes.  I should have kept the nails but they were in terrible condition.  The photo doesn't quite show the paint colour on the boxes but they're a pretty blue.  I would like to leave them as is but they were written on as they were part of someone's workshop.  Another painting project perhaps?

I have no idea what this is lol!!  I was loading up my box and thought, you know...maybe I can use this as a perch on a birdhouse or something.

These are the items I purchased in box number 2 which also cost $5.00 for everything (not including the jar the flowers are in, that was already mine).  Four of the plates are Ironstone.

Thanks for dropping by to view Part 2.  

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN!!!!!

~ Kelly ~

Hooked on Nature

Hey there,

Last weekend my hubby and I entered the salmon fishing derby in our local area.  We were on the water by 6:15 a.m. and were able to enjoy some beautiful scenery, between the fog on the water and the sun beginning to rise.  It was worth getting up for...and I don't do mornings very well lol!!

The place where we launched our boat is fairly close to home.  This town is actually the final resting place of the famous artist Tom Thomson of the The Group of Seven.  I learned about The Group of Seven when I was approximately 8 years old when I visited a museum on a school trip.  Although I don't remember much of the history, I always remembered seeing the paintings as they were unique.

This was the view I saw as soon as we arrived at the water.  I love the gradual change in colours between the water and the sky.

This is the mouth of the river where we launched the boat, there is also a small beach in this location.  It was so peaceful, there was nobody else around.  They were smart...they were probably still sleeping lol!!

We're looking out from the river into Georgian Bay (which is part of The Great Lakes),

This is on the other side of the beach.  I believe this was part of an old dock.

The mouth of the river as we're heading into the lake.

The birds were sitting on some rocks that had originally been part of a dock.  My understanding is that the original harbour was going to be built at this location.  It ended up being built in Owen Sound which is very close by.

The Canadian Geese taking flight.

A purple fog came across the water and briefly surrounded us.

The fog has now lifted.

Some rocks just below the surface of the water as we headed back to shore.

A few hours later we headed back into the river.  The fishing was terrible, not one single bite.  The scenery and the boat ride were well worth it though, we're glad we went.  We need to go more often as it's so close to home.  My granddaughter Lily hasn't had a chance to go out for her first boat ride yet but she's really looking forward to it.  We hope to take her soon.  Her life jacket is ready and waiting.

It amazes me how trees can grow in crevices of rocks.  The water is in the foreground.

Some ducks just across the river, they were swimming in and out of the grasses.

Looking up the river after we took the boat out of the water.  This was taken from where we launched.

Day 2

The next morning we headed out again.  There was very little fog this time.  Although we arrived around the same time, the sunrise just wasn't the same.  You can see some mist by the shoreline.

Heading towards the Owen Sound harbour.

The grain elevators in the Owen Sound harbour.  We fished right at the base of it with no luck.

Last year we witnessed this little guy out in the water, they were performing some training exercises.

I am now on vacation starting today and my hubby and I are off for a mini adventure.  I'm hoping to take many photos so I can share our adventure with you.

Thanks for dropping by, so glad to see you!!

Kelly