A new porch for MCF

In late June, an event forced us to make the decision to finally fix our rotting porch.  See this hole?  It was caused by a bench I was standing on that went through the floor.  Woopsie.  

We got to work pulling up boards...figuring, we needed only to replace the rotted boards with new boards.  It wasn't long before we realized that "rut row" we had major issues.  Rotten beams.



A quick trip to Lowes and several hundred dollars later, we were back in business.  We removed the rotted beam...



And replaced it with a new pressure treated beam.  Yes...the previous owners had used pine beams...ummmm...okay.  NOT!  (btw...thank goodness for the mini excavator....phew!)



Yup...ANOTHER rotten beam.  Ugh. Bye bye rotten beam!!


The new porch starts to take shape.

Mark even added special touches like the finished corner.

It's amazing!

We had installed these oak tree trunks as supports...they were neat looking but not pressure treated.  They were starting to rot.  They had to come out.



We purchased (yes another trip to Lowes) 6x6s to replace the trunks.  Not as neat, but much better for construction.  We even installed the post brackets.

The first new beam in place.

Big difference between the old porch (red/blue) and the new.  Lovely oak boards.

So cozy!!!



The best news of all, the porch is 100% kitty approved.  We will paint the posts (no more white) and install a railing.  The new porch is safe and sound...100% built by us.  Cool.

Kitchen Coolness

Recently my great friend Patti visited me from KY.  She always asks me to plan projects for when she visits us.  This time I had a rather large project (so I thought).  Patti was not daunted at all.  I wanted a new kitchen floor.  Three days later...I had one.

The start (scary right?)  Aside from being difficult to clean (hello...we live on a farm!), it was just plain ole ugly.

The finish.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!  I am so grateful to Patti for her expertise and knowledge...and to Mark for his patience during the renovation.  So happy!!  I plan to paint the cabinets (and possibly the white pieces, chair rail and window frames this fall)  Stay tuned!!

Kitchen Chairs Get a Facelift

With the recent installation of a new kitchen floor, I have been giving various places in the house facelifts.  It started with a new window treatment.  I had a lot of fabric left over and decided it looked pretty cute sitting on the kitchen chair.  Hmmmmm... I wonder if...

Shazam!  The new seat cushions look amazing.  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Before and after.

Just after.  LOVE!  (so does CB)

MomMom

When my GrandDad passed away we went to his house to gather as many memories as we could.  Things that meant something to each of us.  I grabbed weird stuff...a rosary, a few pair of his funky golf socks (Crazy Argyle), a few putters, an old miter box (that he made) and my MomMom's rolling pin.  For years that rolling pin bounced around my kitchen.  It had no real purpose...just a reminder that she used it to roll out TONS of raviolis for the family.

Recently my great friend Patti (HI Patti!!) visited from KY and we worked on a fun kitchen project.  A new floor from Ikea.  More on that in a future post, but what we also did was make a really cool curtain rod (for lack of a better word) out of MomMom's rolling pin.

Cute huh?  I love this kind of stuff...it makes me smile when I see it and it has a purpose again.  Smiles.

A new sign for Meadow Creek Farm - Part 1

Our old farm sign had seen better days…it was weathered and beaten.  We decided it was time to bring in a sign that more accurately represented what goes on at Meadow Creek Farm, LLC.



This meant we needed the heavy machinery.

 

Bye bye old sign.  I'll miss you.

 

The new sign holder is really cool.  Our friend made it for us from rebar and exhaust pipe.  It totally fits in with our style here on the farm.



It's going to look so cool once it starts to weather.

 

Mark dug the hole with our skid steer and auger.  That thing cranked out that hole like nobody's business.  Can you smell the testosterone?  No?  Okay...maybe it's diesel fumes.



Mark loves using ALL of our equipment.  Why you ask?  Well…because it's there!  Sheesh.

He was thinking we'd need the mini-ex to hold the sign holder in place while the concrete set.

He was so excited to hook straps to it.  Look at that smile.  His joy was palpable.

Fillin' the hole with concrete.  Exciting huh?

We only needed two bags.  (btw…loving my new camera…it takes such great photos)

Guess what?  Yup…you got it.  We didn't need that mini-ex after all.   Sign holder stood just fine.  But what having the mini out did do, was offer Mark a teaching opportunity.  Yup…he taught me how to operate it.  Don't worry.  We got photos…just for you.  (Aren't we nice?)

But in the meantime...behold...the new sign holder.  We'll be installing the new sign shortly...stay tuned!

 

New tent cover

In an attempt help you understand how difficult this project was...think of that pair of jeans you own.  You know the ones.  They're tight, but you keep them anyway.  You avoid the dryer like the plague.  But even after avoiding the dryer, they are like a second skin...and God forbid you have a dime in the front pocket.  A dime you must get.  

Getting that dime...that's what it was like to put this new cover on the tent...under the old cover.  Oie!  Suck it in.

New Dishwaser for MCF!

My parents recently purchased a new dishwasher.  Their 'old' dishwasher was only a few years old, so they asked if we'd like it.  Of course we said yes.  We LOVE hand-me-downs...especially from my parents.  They take very good care of their stuff, so it's almost like getting new.  For free.  Now, if they'd just buy a new fridge we'd be all set.  Enjoy the installation!

Hmmmm...not even gonna elaborate on what was under the old dishwasher.  Lord Jesus...

We broke out the heavy artillery.  Shop vac to the rescue.

Go Mark Go!  I would have helped, but then who would have taken pictures?

Unhooking all the wiring.  (Don't worry...at my advice, we shut off the breaker.)

Out with the old.

Damn he's cute.  Hubba hubba.

In with the new.

Perfect fit.  Phew!

Everything lined up nicely.

Hooking up the water line.

And then the electrical.

Voila!  Installed dishwasher.  Good news...it works great!  Thanks mom and dad!  (and of course Mark)