Sunday Morning Rituals

I am such a creature of habit, and you can pretty much find me doing almost the same thing every week.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday are set aside for meeting with design clients and working on painted furniture either for the shop or commissioned pieces for clients.  Thursday, Friday and Saturday are my days in my shop, Shabby Cottage, and Sunday's are reserved for fun and relaxation with my husband.

Our Sunday's start out the same every week and I would not have it any other way.  We sleep in a little bit, then after doing our animal chores we head to the Shepherdstown Farmers Market. we love this particular market for its intimacy,  because it is only about 4 miles from home, and because we like to support local small businesses.    Shepherdstown is the oldest town in West Virginia, and is filled with charming old buildings and packed with an eclectic mix of restaurants , shops, and home to Shepherd University, so it's a cozy place to spend a Sunday morning.

Strolling along the narrow side street where the market is held is a great place to meet new friends, socialize your dog, and hear some great acoustic music, for free!  We all have to eat, and we all have to buy food, and the experience of the farmers market is surely more enjoyable than going to the grocery store.   In this intimate setting full of beautiful magazine worthy fruits and veggies, dogs and children, I feel happy.

The peaches won't be there this week, but there should be a great selection of onions, potatoes, lettuces and tomatoes to feast on. Apples have been added to the selection, so I see some apple pies in my future! As I write this, it is Saturday, which means I'm in the shop,  but we won't be going to market tomorrow due to my husbands work schedule.  This weekend marks the 15th anniversary of the day that changed the world and my husband along with many other first responders will be working to maintain our safety.  Since this is something we do together it feels weird to go without him, so I will stay home and start my fall decorating instead. I guess this means I am breaking the route in. Until next week, farmers...

The Circle Of Life

On July 27th, we welcomed this little bundle of joy in to our family almost 5 months to the day that my mom, his great grandmother passed unexpectedly.  One of the things I am so grateful for was that my mother was able to see my daughter finally get pregnant after years of trying, and was able to share in her excitement.  I will always be thankful that I got to see her smile when she was told of the impending arrival of her third great grand child.

 Jackson Ryan Simpson came in to the world 5 weeks early and sick with infection, bu much like his great grandmother,  he is a fighter. As much as he fought to get out, my mother fought just as hard to stay here.   My daughters pregnancy was not an easy one and we were anticipating possible complications, so when he arrived early and spent the first 18 days of his life in the NICU we were not surprised.  From the day she announced she was pregnant we all were on pins and needles, first getting through the first trimester, relaxing a bit in the second, then on high alert in the third.

My mother  an was ambitious , hardworking, family oriented women, who lived her life to the fullest.  She grew up in poverty, and decided as a young woman that she would never live as she put it "hand to mouth" like she grew up. She put herself through college and grad school, and went on to have two wonderful careers in her 82 years. She loved her family fiercely, and although we did not always see eye to eye, she was always there for me, right or wrong.

In February I was in the hospital with my mom watching her die, helping her pass by playing her favorite music, talking to her, and holding her hand.  Deciding to take someone off life support is a difficult decision to make, but in the end as hard as it is, we are honoring our loved ones wishes by doing so, although that does not make it any easier.  That week in February was awful. We went from having her here to having to plan a funeral. When she passed away I was heartbroken because she was the glue that held our family together. She was the one who had always planned the family get togethers. She was the one who answered the phone when I would call home. She was the one who kept me abreast of what extended family members were up to. I experienced an overwhelming feeling of loss and void in my life.

The early morning of July 27th, the void that I felt  was filled by a beautiful new baby who stole my heart. When I look at Jax's little hands I wonder what those hands will do in life.  They will be in dirt, up his nose, wiping away tears, holding his own children some day, and hopefully his grand children and beyond.  I look at those tiny soft feet and I wonder when they will first hit the floor, where the will walk in life, and how big the will grow.  Right now they are soft and small, one day they will be cracked, dry, and well worn.  I look at Jax, and I see how whole life before him.  I know that someday he will come to me and tell me he is expecting a baby, and the circle will continue to grow.

This year will always be, in my eyes, one of the most emotional ones I have had so far. With the bitter came the sweet. We said good bye to our matriarch, and welcomed a new baby.  They call my generation "The Sandwich Generation" for good reason.


Cheers,
Joanne

What's In A Name

Every farm needs a name.  Every farm has a name, and ours needed one now too.  The home was built in 1895, and was previously known as Engle Switch Manor we believe, but it was time for the home to have a rebirth of sorts, and reflect us and all of the transformation that she had seen in the past two years before we purchase her.  Having remained in the same family for several decades, the home went in to decline with the previous owners, and needed a complete overhaul.  That's where the wonderful contractor came in to the picture and restored her to the beauty she is today.  I can't take credit for the remodel but I can tell you I would have done it the exactly the same way.  The contractor kept as many original characteristics to the house as possible, while bringing her in to the current century, and did a beautiful job.

We used to call our small rancher the Funny Farm because no one had as many animals as we did in our suburban neighborhood, but that name did not seem to fit the new place, so we decided to come up with a name of our own.  We decided to name out farm Engle Switch Farm, and the blog to be entitled Bright Yellow Farmhouse after the color of the house.

I believe that the exterior of the house was originally white, but was painted a bright, warm, yellow color during the restoration.  Honestly, because my husbands favorite color is yellow and this house and all of the out buildings are yellow helped seal this deal. I'm not really a yellow fan, but this color is so wonderfully happy that I love it.  There is nothing like pulling in to the driveway and seeing that inviting yellow drawing you back like a warm hug.

So that's the story behind the name of our new/old farmhouse.

Cheers!
Joanne

What's In A Name

Every farm needs a name, and ours had one once upon a time, but since it has not been used as a farm for many years our taking ownership and turning it back in to a farm seemed to perfect time to rename it.   Our property was once part of a large apple orchard and has a few remaining second generation apple trees that we are trying to bring back to life.  Our goal is to add to those trees, and plant some peach and cherry trees as well, along with a large garden next spring.  As far as animals are concerned, we brought our flock of hens with us from our previous home and added goats about a month or so ago.

 The home was built in 1895, and was previously known as Engle Switch Manor we believe, but with all she has gone through over the past few decades, years of neglect, and then a complete restoration, our home is in many ways, a home with a fresh start. Having remained in the same family for several decades, the home went in to decline not with the original family but with the one after that. Two years ago a contractor bought her and restored her to her glory, and gave her all of the bells and whistles of a modern home while maintaining her charm.  I can't take credit for the remodel but I can tell you I would have done it the exactly the same way.  The contractor kept as many original characteristics to the house as possible, while bringing her in to the current century, and did a beautiful job.

We used to call our small rancher the Funny Farm because no one had as many animals as we did in our suburban neighborhood, but that name did not seem to fit the new place, so we decided to come up with a name of our own.  We decided to name out farm Engle Switch Farm, keeping part of the old, but making it us by adding "farm." The blog became Bright Yellow Farmhouse because of the color of the house.

I believe that the exterior of the house was originally white, but was painted a bright, warm, yellow color during the restoration.  Honestly, because my husbands favorite color is yellow and this house and all of the out buildings are yellow helped seal this deal. I'm not really a yellow fan, but this color so wonderfully happy that I love it.  There is nothing like pulling in to the driveway and seeing that inviting yellow pulling you in for a warm hug.

So that's the story behind the name of our new/old farmhouse.

Cheers!
Joanne

Moving On

Greetings! So, I thought I would start my first official blog post with a little background on the name of this blog.  For ever, and mean FOREVER, it has been my dream to own a farm.  Ever since I was a little girl watching Little House On The Prarie, I wanted, no, NEEDED to be self sufficient, live off the land, and have lots of animals. Like most things in life, we don't always have or get what we want without a little effort and a lot of time, so it's no wonder that it took me 52 years to finally get my farm.

After successfully flipping several (I think 11) homes in my adult years, I was always looking for "the one" that would pull at my very heart strings and make me want to stay forever.  My loving, caring and supportive husband told me a couple of years ago that if I found it, he would consider it.  Well, I found it, and we just moved in to it a little over a month ago.  I really didn't think he would go for it because it added quite a distance to his commute, and requires significantly more upkeep than the small brick rancher we left behind, but after we toured the property he just looked at me and said "Well, you did it."  I still am not sure if he was happy or not about that, but here we are.

When I found the house on the internet, I seriously could not sleep the night before viewing it in person.  In my head, I had every piece of furniture in place and I was already living there. I just knew In my heart of hearts that THIS  was "the one" that would be the forever house. Believe me, I have never said  that about any house I have ever been in. After owning so many homes, I had really narrowed down my priorities when it came to a property, and knew that I could do anything with the actual house, but needed the land to be perfect.  I have owned big homes on small lots, and small homes on big lots, and knew

We pulled in to the long winding driveway and I was actually salivating I think.  The tall old trees, the inviting front porch, the land...the entire thing was just perfect to me.  I think I had memorized and zoomed in on every aspect of the house so didn't really feel like I needed the in depth tour of "my" house, I just needed to get in, get out, and go write the contract before someone else swooped in.  Within 24 hours our offer had been accepted, and we were getting our house listed for sale.  We saw the house on a Monday, and our house sold in record time by Friday.  Now we had 30 days to get financing secured, home inspections done, and moved in to our dream home.

Looking back, I'm not sure how we did it, but we did! After a 13 hour 20,000 pound move, because not only did we move our personal items but my business inventory as well, we were exhausted.  We moved 16 chickens, 5 dogs, 2 cats, 1 bearded dragon, and one cockatiel as well as three vehicles, one trailer and one tractor.  Let me tell you, this was no small feat! We hired movers for this move and had someone move the chicken coop for us from the old to new property, but the rest was on us.

Well, it's been a month in our new surroundings, and we are loving the entire situation.  We are adding to the menagerie this week with goats, and may even get some more chickens come next spring.  But for now, we are content with the peace and quiet that comes with country life, and just feeling blessed to be where we are and to be here together.  We have made a deal though. No more moves.  This is it. Life is complete now that we are in our Bright Yellow Farmhouse.

Cheers!
Joanne