Building the Art Barn and Studios

Laying the Flagstone Floor

2010-05-27T09:20:00.001-07:00

Noel and her fiance', Danny, created a beautiful memory by writing 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 in charcoal, on the bottom of the large flagstone that will become the center stone in the wedding gazebo floor. It creates a meaningful and everlasting foundation. A perfect beginning. They will be married standing on this very stone, June 5th, 2010.

Noel and Danny with their scripture stone.

Dan sets the scripture stone.

Noel's Mama helps Danny set and level stones. (That's me.)

The final design.

Beautiful laughter.

Laying Gravel and Sand

2010-05-26T23:47:00.000-07:00

We prepared the ground to receive one ton of TN Flagstone for the gazebo floor by digging a large circle about four to six inches deep. We filled this space with about three inches of crushed limestone / gravel. We then covered that with two inches of sand. The large flagstones will be set into the sand.

We smoothed out the gravel and stamped it down.

Then we brought in the two inches of sand. We spread it out and left it loose. No stamping.

Digging up the Ground for the Gazebo Floor

2010-04-12T11:24:00.001-07:00

We had to loosen and remove soil six inches deep. The tree roots were a nightmare.

The big shovel thought the tree roots were toothpicks. No problem.

After removing the soil six inches deep, we had to level and stamp the ground. We did this by hand. Oh my.

Staking the ground for the Wedding Gazebo

2010-04-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

Robbie, myself and Sophie position the stakes for our oldest daughter's wedding gazebo. Noel and her fiance, Danny, will be married here this summer.

Yep. that's me. I like getting my hands dirty... and my butt.

We had to level a string to help us level the ground.

Sophie became an expert at reading the string level. A perfect job for her.

If you look closely you can see a rough outline for the gazebo. It started out as an eight post gazebo design. We later changed it to a six post design.

There were too many tree roots to dig up the soil by hand, so we brought in the big shovel. Robbie loves to dig in the dirt with the big shovel.

Art Farm Portraits

2010-04-12T09:49:00.001-07:00

Clearing the area to build the Wedding Gazebo...

2010-04-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

A gathering of the big machines.

They move like a herd.

What I love about this process ~ manipulating the earth, building a design born in our hearts... I love my children building with us. All five of our children ages 6 to 24 (and Noel's fiance of course), have been working side by side with us, and we've all been hitting it really hard. Here are two of my babies making me proud...

Everybody learns to work the Big Blue Tractor!

2010-04-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

In preparation for building the wedding gazebo, there's been a lot of moving stuff around: moving rocks, mounds of dirt, heavy trees and their even heavier root systems. Using the Big Blue Tractor makes all this manipulating of the earth, easier.

Noel working the Big Blue Tractor.

Who is the project manager in this photo?

Big machines, heavy chains, manly men.

Look at that grin. He just earned a lolly pop!

Isaac digs out an old dead tree.

Isaac takes charge of Big Blue.

Wedding Gazebo ~ Getting Started

2010-04-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

Rob arrives with the backhoe ~ on loan from our friends Lonnie and Steve, who love to bless our socks off. We love you guys!

Cheering their Daddy on as he digs out a stump and root system.

Isaac with his Dad.

Robbie concentrating. Check out that tongue.

Big machines are so much fun!

Building the Wedding Gazebo

2010-04-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Noel and Danny will be married this June 5th, 2010, on our property, but first we need to move some more trees, remove a lot of stumps and brush, level some ground and build a gazebo. We really only got started a few weeks ago, with the weather getting warmer. Here are some photos to show our progress.

We've taken down several large, old, dead trees and a few trees that were in the way, but we've been very thoughtful about downing trees. We love our trees.

Watching a grown man down a tree with a chain saw is like watching a little boy with a new toy, only with a lot more testosterone. Taking down trees is manly. Argh!

This is Danny, Noel's fiance. He's so strong!

And the big old dead trees falls!

Good job Dan!

The photo above is our driveway...

2009-07-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

I like these...

2009-06-25T10:59:00.001-07:00

This is the style of raised bed vegetable, herb, flower garden I would like to plant in our open field at the farm when we live there.
Here's another view.
This is the perfect barn-like shed design.

Spraying mud...

2009-04-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

April 4, 2009 Day at the Farm

2009-04-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Becky and the turkey egg bra.
Frying a fresh turkey egg from Becky's farm, over the fire. Yum.
Cracking the beautiful turkey egg, with brown speckles.
Anna's friend, Michaela, trying her very best to toss a rope over a tree branch for a rope swing.
Anna took a fabulous trail ride with our friends Becky and Michaela. This is Anna hanging out with Pete.
Michaela and Pete.
Isaac - could a boy ask for more?
Robbie and Isaac went mudding on some trails at the back of our neighborhood. This was not at the farm, but looks like they had fun.
Robbie, Shaughn, and friends, Phillip, Matt, Tyler, and Jordan hanging out at the farm.
Sweet Sophia on the tractor, which Robbie had just used to pull his pick-up truck out after getting stuck in the mud. All in a good days fun.

Looking back and looking forward...

2008-12-30T06:35:00.000-08:00

Our progress toward building our Art Barn house and studios is slow, but still beautiful, fun and fruitful. I am happy to enjoy our land as it is and build whenever we can. There is no hurry. Life is in the living - experiencing it slowly has it's benefits. Looking back, here are some of my favorite Art Farm photos. Looking forward, I know God will do many wonderful things and I am thankful for my little piece of earth.

This is before we started clearing the building spot - deeper into the woods.

Here's Big Red.
Here's Big Yellow - Lonnie's back hoe. Robbie, Noel and Isaac all learned to drive it.
Isaac resting.
Now this was real progress.
And this was real fun.
Lots of camp outs. When the house is built I know we will miss the camping, so we enjoy each season as it comes.
I love this picture!
Isaac having fun.

Isaac, Sophia, Anna and Noel.
Anna and an axe.
Noel and an axe.
Shaughn helping with one of our many huge bon fires.
Our camp site.
After we've cleared some of the land.
A spring view from Bobby's pond.
A beautiful spring pond.
A gorgeous autumn view from Bobby's house, down the driveway.
Camping in winter.
Camping in summer.
Good friends.
Fun on the paddle boat.
Fun with friends.
Sisters.
Sophia Hua Kai
My kids.
Sophia walking up the drive.
Sophia walking down the drive.
Best friends.
Robin
Robbie and Anna in the dune buggy.

Bobby's horses are home at the farm. Happy day!

2008-11-28T14:34:00.000-08:00

Bobby and his horses. (Check out the new barn doors on Bobby's building. I love barn doors.)

Giving Thanks in late Autumn...

2008-11-26T22:19:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for sunshine on a cold day, beautiful children running in an open field, horses prancing on a hilltop, my little cowgirl who dressed herself in mix-matched clothes and a red cowgirl hat, friendships that last a life-time, and our own little piece of God's amazing earth.

Isaac, Sophie, Michaela, Anna, Moriah, Joey and one of Becky's horses
Horses on Becky's farm
My cowgirl
Petting Prince - Sophie's favorite miniature horse
Mix-matched cowgirl
Cold cowgirl
Becky's farm... and the Art Farm are four miles apart...
Later the same day... the Art Farm driveway and Sophia!
Sittin' on Uncle Bobby's hay stack
Best friends
Views of our pond late Autumn

Joey, Anna, Isaac
Moriah holding Sophia
Anna on Uncle Bobby's hay stack
Charlie's Angels

Dune Buggy Baby!

2008-10-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

Seeking a little adventure on our land in Henry county we researched off-road vehicles, (looking for something safer than four-wheelers), and we chose a Talon dune buggy with four point harness straps and roll bars. We put the machine on lay-away last autumn hoping to get it out for the kids for Christmas 2007. It took us a bit longer to pay it off than anticipated, (like a year!), and we finally got it out this past Friday on Isaac's 14th birthday. It was a big surprise for him. (p.s. Thank God for roll bars! Isaac rolled the dune buggy on the first day. Suffice it to say that I wasn't too happy about it.)

Robbie and Anna - woo hoo!This is fun...Shaughn and his new wife, Renee...Lily Anna and her best friend Michaela - yes, they actually drove this bad buggy... check out the video below.Robbie and Isaac...
This is Isaac's injury after he rolled the dune buggy with his friend Jordan in the passenger's seat. With the dune buggy sitting on it's roll bars and the boys hanging upside down from the shoulder straps Isaac said the conversation went something like this, "Hey man, you o.k.? Yep. What about you? O.k? Yep. O.k."

Friends at the farm...
Silly girls...
Sophie driving... slowly!
Uncle Bobby and the kids...
Now this is my dainty little girl - ever so feminine - not!

Lily Anna and Michaela had to stay in the clearing driving a figure eight, but they had fun...

Brother Bob

2008-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Are we farmers now?

2008-07-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

We bought us a tractor. Does that make us farmers?

It's a beautifully restored 1958 International Harvester Farmall model 330 Utility Tractor, which Sophia appropriately named "Big Red". It came with a grader blade, middle buster plow and a bush hog.

Oh my gosh, we own a bush hog!

Unloading Big Red Isn't he beautiful? (Well, both of them.)What could be more fun?Antique ad: International Harvester. (Great heading: "He Drives a Weapon!")
Just an old photo I found online.Farmer Rob

A Million Shades of Green!

2008-05-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of May and everything has finally turned a million glorious shades of green. Today was warm and sunny with a light breeze. Anna and I, along with our friends Becky and her daughter Michaela, took a mini field trip to visit our land. My brother Richard recently gave us a peddle boat for the pond and we took it out for a test ride. It's really fun! The pond seems so much bigger when you are out in the middle of it. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed this beautiful day.

Shoving off.Michaela and Anna - fun in the peddle boat...

Lily Anna A rare photo of me. (Robin)A view from the peddle boat.A surreal image from the boat - a million shades of green.Spring flowers."Best Friends Butt Bump" (Notice all four feet are off the ground!)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Love,
Robin

Spittin' Handshake Video

2008-05-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen two beautiful little girls spittin' like cowboys? You've got to admit the butt slap and apparently accidental simultaneous spit is kinda funny and really gross!

Is it really Spring?

2008-03-30T14:14:00.001-07:00

We had our first big day at the land after a long, cold winter. We had expected it to be sunny and nearly 60 degrees. We got cold, gray, over-cast and windy. Yikes! We had fun anyway. We walked off the building site for a shed, barn-studio and a house (again). We changed things and we remarked them with orange tape. We used the four-wheeler to haul large dead trees from the winter forest and built two huge bonfires, which burned until 3 am under the watchful eye of Robert, our three oldest children and six of their friends - who played guitar and sang silly songs around the fire and then played "Capture the Flag" with glow sticks in the very dark woods. A very blessed time! Thank you Jesus.

Marshmallow or snowball? A very cold Spring day.
A new camp site and a warm barrel fire.
Isaac stuck in the mud - never failing to amuse us all.
Uncle Bobby pulling Isaac out of the mud - no kidding - he was really stuck!
Sophia digging a hole. What could be more fun?

Searching for Salvageable Barn Wood

2008-03-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Isn't she beautiful? "Emmett's Barn"
If you've been following our Art Barn blog, you will notice that we've changed our "Building the Art Barn" plans a bit. At this point we are no longer planning on using the barn-like house kit out of New Hampshire, rather, we will build a small barn (20' x 30') on our own. With some help from experienced friends, we're confident we can learn how to do this. The barn will not be attached to the main house, as we had originally designed, and later when we build the main house, the barn will become Robbie's wood shop. We are designing the barn with one large open/main room, one small bedroom (later an office), one bath and finally a loft on either end - temporarily bedroom lofts for our three youngest children. Later these will be storage lofts.

After looking for several old barns from which we can salvage reusable beams, siding, flooring and perhaps even metal roofing - we decided that trying to take down an old barn is too dangerous for us. We've been looking at some old barns that were recently blown down in a storm that have good barn wood already down. We'll have to purchase plenty of building materials, but we want to collect as much authentic old barn wood as we can.

(Note - after deciding we would not be taking down the barn mentioned below - because it simply seemed too dangerous for us to try - the owners offered to pull it over so that we could salvage the wood from the ground. A much better idea!)

We needed to find a relatively small barn. One that is not too tall and is reasonably accessible. We may still find that this job is too big for us, but in the mean time we think we may have found the right barn - just seven miles from our land in Henry County.

The kind owners of this old barn have said we can have whatever is salvageable for free and what remains will be burned on the spot. That means we will not have an over-whelming clean up job and will not have to haul off unusable materials. Although a lot of the wood will end up in the burn pile, we believe that much of it, including the majority of the frame, beams and a great deal of interior wood and a small amount exterior siding, will be usable.

We're calling the old barn "Emmett's Barn" due to some crazy old canceled checks that Isaac discovered deep inside an old trough, on the upper level of the barn. At this point we don't know how old this barn is or who built it, but we are going to do a little home-school, (history class), investigating to see what we can find out about the old checks and the old barn. Maybe the current land owners will have some information for us.

Checks (found in the barn) written in 1952 - a check written for $1.00
A check to Clover Farms Store - sounds charming, and Stewart Motors for $3.00 - a car payment in 1953?

Progress in the Autumn Woods

2007-11-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful son, Shaughn, has been mysteriously missing from this blog and the land... so lets play a fun game of "Where's Waldo"... I mean where's Shaughn?

Mysterious hooded man?
Hey, who taught my kids to use a chain saw?

Things are looking great.
Restful evening...

Portrait of our Children

2007-10-28T21:43:00.001-07:00

You can double click these photos to see them larger. Sophia Hua Kai 4, Shaughn 19, Lily Anna 10, Isaac 13, and Noel 21.

Autumn Family Photos at the Farm

2007-10-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

Camping with Friends

2007-10-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I haven't posted in a while. Mostly because we have been so very busy at home and with freelance work, that we haven't gone out to the land much. Also, the housing market is in such an ugly slump that the house we are hoping to sell, which will free up funds for building on the land, has not been showing. There are only so many trees we can cut down before we will need money to make serious progress toward building. I guess you could say we are on hold for now. But I am in no hurry. It's an adventure none the less. The land is beautiful. And we are still cutting down trees!

On Saturday, October 6th, we had an impromptu camping night at the land with our friends Becky, Moriah and Michaela. The kids and I stayed up until around 2 am. We took a couple of late night walks through the woods with flash lights and the kids scared each other (and me) a couple of times. A good scare can be fun. We saw at least 10 shooting stars and we just stared at the sky for a long time. It was lovely. We tried to make S'mores around our camp fire but our two, large Hershey chocolate bars mysteriously disappeared! We didn't even find them in the daylight of the next morning. Hmmmm? Some critter must have carried them off.

Love you Bales family!!!

Robin

Fun on the Farm

2007-09-09T07:32:00.001-07:00

Sophie's new (Art) barn work gloves!Our camp site.
Cowgirl with an ax.
Careful now... cowgirl.

Isaac chaining trees.
Isaac and our trees.
Sophia Hua Kai - happy girl.
A weird tree: locust, flies, butterflies, moths and bumble bees... having a party. (Very strange!)
The neighbor's donkey.

Cutting down Big Trees

2007-09-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

Steve the Tractor Man - Thanks Steve!
Robbie and his new chain saw... You go Babe!
Lonnie takes down a tree - Thanks Lonnie!
Men standing... trees falling

A Great Weekend...

2007-09-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

We're all exhausted, but we had a great weekend at the land...

Deer friends
S'mores... S'mores...
Oh, I love S'mores.
Isaac and Daddy.
Hope that holds!
Isaac carving a walking stick for Anna.
Taming the woods.
An early morning pee run to Bobby's building.
Fishing with Uncle Bobby.
Together, Anna and Sophie caught 14 fish.
Sophie loves camping.
Bobby's windows.
Time for work or play?
O.K. We'll buy work boots!
Envisioning our house in the woods.
18' x 33' perimeter looks so small in the BIG woods.
Lonnie's tractor. Yippee!
Making progress.Blue had fun.
Lots of fun!

Our Barn: A First Day Cottage

2007-08-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

This is an example of a First Day Cottage - actually two cottages connected by a breezeway - similar to our design.The large building on the right is a good example of the building we will build using a kit purchased from First Day Cottages, in New Hampshire. There will be barn doors on the bottom end which open directly into Robert's wood studio. Our original idea for our Art Barn, was something like a barn with an apartment over top. A post and beam structure with real wood and lots of character. Our barn-house will have only about 1200 sq. ft., but ultimately, this building as living quarters is temporary. We will eventually build a larger house and then this building will become virtually all studio space, (with some living space for our older kids or guests).

We've decided to purchase a post and beam house kit from First Day Cottages. An 18 x 33' barn like building. The kit costs $30,000. When our current home sells (plus our savings), we'll have about $30,000 cash, but we'll spend part of that running utilities and water to the home site, which is a half mile from the road, and laying a foundation. So, while we work our jobs and spend the weekends clearing the land, we are saving money. We'll need to save an additional $15,000 just to buy the kit. And, of course, we'll need more money after that... for electrical, plumbing and stuff.

It's a journey. It includes sacrifice, risk and faith.

It's definitely a dream.

We will build our barn-house with our own hands. We'll have friends to help and we will contract out some of the labor, but for the most part - we're building it.

Above right are some links to blogs of families already building FD Cottages and the FDC web site. Click on the "FD Cottage - Photo Story" link to see the entire process of two people building a FD Cottage in pictures. Incredible!

Make a Living Making Art

2007-08-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

Technically my husband Robert and I do make our living making art. He is a full-time freelance Art Director and I am a freelance illustrator / painter. But we are not working or living in our dream situation or in a comfortable working environment. Robert's office is in the corner of our bedroom. It's easier to crawl over the bed to access my dresser than to squeeze between Robert's desk chair and the foot-board. My painting studio is in what used to be a dining room. My space is better than Robert's, but still not ideal.

And so, we continue to work toward making the Art Barn a reality.

Ouch! updated bruise photo

2007-08-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

Noel's bruise from her bike wreck in the woods.

An intimidating work crew... You go boys!

2007-08-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Isaac, Tim and Tyler

First Camp Out and Injuries on our Land.

2007-08-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

Noel and hatchet.Tim working hard.Isaac and flashlight.
Sophia and Uncle Bobby feeding fish.
Noel's bruise from bike crash in the woods.
Anna bleeding after thorn bush attack.

Expect something wonderful - then look for it.

2007-08-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

I've had this sweet children's online Bible bookmarked on my computer for awhile now. The very funny commentary and illustrations are by Paul Dallgas - Frey. He has such a lovely light-hearted view of God's world. I recently clicked a couple of extra links to find an online journal about his life. Again, very funny stuff with unique insight - not to mention stories about his FIVE adopted children from South America. So I was reading through some of his funny stories, allowing my spirit to be encouraged along the way and "bam", I was hit by one of those revelation moments. I read a truth so simple - yet so profound... "Expect something wonderful... then look for it."

I was immediately brought back to my previous blog post and my comments about being vulnerable and the fear of falling on my face... when in reality I know God is in control. He will not let me fall on my face, (well actually He might - but He will also pick me up real fast) and in the end God's plan will prevail and we will have victory. Some incredible journey. A testimony to God's faithfulness. Success according to God's will.

So let me go on the record as not being afraid to fall on my face, but rather, as expecting something wonderful. (Here's an excerpt from Paul Dallgas - Frey's "Wonderful Things" journal entry...

"Why do I always expect the worst?

It really belies my profession as a Christian. What do I think, that God takes great delight in messing things up for his creatures, as if we are so many ants in an ant farm, and God is this mean spirited kid poking sticks inside, constantly collapsing our tunnels?

Is that how God wants us to experience life? Just one catastrophe after another? Is that what he had in mind when he created the world?

I don't think so.

And I as I thought about it, I asked myself this.

Instead of expecting the worst...

Why not expect something wonderful instead?

Expect something wonderful - and then look for it.

Because, the truth is, God is in charge here. He loves us. And this is a wonderful world he has made."

Dream Documentary...

2007-08-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

I know my family does some crazy stuff, but I heard about this guy, Josh Golder, who made a documentery a few years ago called "True Guts" and he is now making a new film called "Dream". He lives in Boston, but he was in Louisville a few weeks ago to interview people with big dreams - to participate in his movie. I missed the local interview but I was curious so I went to his web site and found that you could submit your dream by email. I did it. I sent an email.

I told about our dream to build the "Art Barn" in the country, doing most of the work ourselves - with limited funds and no mortgage and... Oh my gosh! Josh Golder called me today. He wants to follow our dream for the documentary! (Along with 14 other people from the Louisville area.)

I don't know if I am excited about it or feeling really vulnerable and a little bit out of my mind. Every time we take a risk in life... there is that possibility for success and a possibility for failure. I guess I could end up falling on my face... on film!

I talked to my husband. We're going to participate. Yikes! Filming for the Louisville participants starts next Tuesday! I'm sure God will allow us to be a testimony for Him in this... even when the process is difficult. Maybe thats the whole point...

He shines... especially when the process is difficult.

In case you're curious, here's the web site for the documentary "Dream". http://www.letyourdreambegin.com/index.php

God is good.
Robin

Watch out for makeshift machete!

2007-08-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

This is our friend Tyler helping clear the land.
Thanks Tyler!

First work day photos

2007-08-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

Isaac, age 12
Sophia, age 3
Daddy, Noel and the Big Green Machine
Anna, age 10 and Sophia
A really embarrassing photo of me.

Work and Play

2007-08-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, August 19th, we went out to the land to work and play. We had grandparents, uncles, cousins and friends there to celebrate and work with us. We went fishing, rode the four-wheeler and started clearing the land. The only power tool we brought along for thinning the forest, was a yard weed-eater (not much help). Mostly we began carrying dead trees and brush from the house site. Talk about clearing the land by hand! Nothing but sweat and muscle, yet we made amazing progress.

Hiccup... then Happiness!

2007-08-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

The plan was to close on the land on Friday, August 10th, but somehow $2700 in mysterious fees showed up in the closing paper documents. Hmmm... no thanks! After emotional negotiations we got the unnecessary fees removed and a few days later, on August 15th, we closed on the land!

We now have our own little piece of the world.
Amazing and wonderful.

Thank you so much to my family who made this beginning possible. We are really in this adventure together!

Love and kisses.
Robin

Lovely...

2007-08-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

The driveway is a quarter mile to this point and continues on up the hill to the left for almost another quarter mile, to what will likely be our building site.

Insight and Wisdom

2007-08-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

We've been doing a lot of research into what and how we might build. My dream has always been a gambrel style barn-like post and beam house-studio. In addition to investigating costs and building possibilities we are also talking to our friends and family, hoping to glean from their experiences and knowledge. My Uncle Chuck and his wife, Marianne, came out first and walked the land with us. Chuck's a surveyor, but more importantly he built his own house. Years ago he and Marianne dissembled an old log cabin and reassembled it with their own hands, on their land. It was so good to have them walk the land with us. We looked closely at the possible building site for our house. We discussed what trees can stay and what trees will be cleared. We discussed the placement of the septic tank and other details. Their visit was very helpful and enjoyable.

This week we are meeting with our dear friends Lonnie and Connie. They have experience building houses and other buildings - even restaurants. Lonnie has offered to share with us all he knows about building a house. He has even offered to share some building equipment with us - a back hoe / front loader - and help us clear for the footer. More importantly, Lonnie has offered to be there beside us with his tool-belt on as often as he can. Just knowing we have Lonnie and Connie's support in this adventure gives us confidence.

After I get my basic drawings for the house plans finished, we will sit down with my brother Richard and his wife. They recently finished building a lake house and did much of the work themselves, but more importantly, Richard is an architect. I expect his knowledge and insight will be incredibly helpful. I am so looking forward to sharing our ideas with them.

And so the "barn raising" begins. Good family and good friends. We are very thankful.

Robin

Where the deer darted...

2007-08-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

Meeting the Land

2007-08-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

Our first visit to the land was uneventful. It was a lovely sunny day. Robert and I walked the land with my brother Bobby, as we discussed investing in land together. But the whole thing still seemed completely out of reach.

Our second visit to the land was different. It was July 4th and we were celebrating with my parents, brother Bobby and our children. The conversation was casual. We mentioned the land. The next thing I knew we were all in a small caravan driving out to the country. Oddly enough, it started pouring down rain as we drove. Not a light gentle rain - an absolute down pour! I knew in my heart there was purpose in the rain, although I wasn't sure what it was. I thought the rain might cause us to abort the visit and perhaps abort the possibility. Not so. We all climbed out of our cars and somehow had enough umbrella's - except for the children who couldn't stand still long enough to consider an umbrella. The rain continued to pour.

Four of our five children, Sophia, Lily Anna, Isaac and even our oldest, Noel (21) spread out their arms and twirled in the rain. All of them together. Soaking in the warm rain, the greenness of the forest and the hope and possibility that floated in the air.

The children took off ahead of us toward the first hill that stretches down toward the pond and to everyones surprise and joy, they startled a family of deer. Two fawns darted from the woods just ahead of us and ran down the driveway and disappeared into the forest again. It was perfect.

Somehow the land was beautifully surreal - especially in the rain.

The Land

2007-08-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

We've talked about buying land, moving out to the country and renovating a barn for many years. Our friends and family have heard our plans. They know our hearts. But I was still surprised when a friend, Erin, remembered specifically my desire for "land with a barn". She sent me an email that contained an ad from the Oldham Marketplace that said, "19.542 acres and a pole barn". Those few words hit the nail on the head. (This "pole barn" is actually a 1200 sq. ft. metal building with electricity, city water and a full bath - which my brother Bobby will renovate into his house. Its not exactly the kind of pole barn that Robert and I were looking for, but its perfect for my brother. So, our plans have changed from renovating an old barn to building a new one!)

I still didn't feel ready. Financially we've never really had enough money to buy the land. We've invested in so many other things, like a large family and an international adoption. We've sacrificed financially so that I could stay home with our children, and home-school them. In an attempt to follow the Lord's heart in all things we have made other financial sacrifices as well. And then there are the financial mistakes. There have been some big ones. And it seems that this is the area where we are slowest to learn.

None the less, when God is ready to fund a dream - He does it.

With incredible help and support from my parents and by investing together with my older brother Bobby, we were able to make an offer for the beautiful 20 acres on Dawkins Lane. We are presently waiting to close. I want to believe with all my heart that its real, but I am keeping the entire dream a safe distance from my heart. When we actually close on the land I will wrap my heart and mind and imagination around it.

Robin

Possible Barn-House site

2007-08-02T23:47:00.001-07:00

An adventure begins...

2007-08-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

The house on Mile of Sunshine is on the market. We've shown it one time. Keeping a house clean and ready to show, when eight people live in it, can be a real challenge - a nightmare really. Especially when we rarely leave. The kids are here all day and even Robbie works from home. This is a house we actually LIVE in.

We had new flooring laid in the kitchen this week. We also cleaned the carpets and are making some minor repairs so that the house shows nicely. I'm glad that we did a lot of flower gardens and landscaping around the backyard pond this spring. It makes for lovely curb appeal.

Mostly, I hope the house sells quickly, but there is a part of me thats nervous about the sale. After all, when this place sells our adventure really begins! We are a family of seven with no where to live while we build. Well, its all part of the adventure.

I do have peace. God is good. We'll keep our eyes on Him and this story will unfold.

Its going to be a good one.

Love,
Robin

The Driveway

2007-07-31T10:18:00.001-07:00

Our Family / Our Dream

2007-07-31T07:48:00.000-07:00

My husband Robert and I, are both artists. Robert makes his living as a freelance Art Director, while his first love and passion is to create in wood. I'm a painter and a photographer, although through the years finding time to do either while raising and homeschooling five children - has been difficult. We've dreamed about renovating or building a barn / house / studio for many years with the intention of investing more of ourselves into our art. I do have a studio in my current home and I have been painting recently - which is refreshing! But I'm still raising three of those five kids and mothering all five... Noel, 21, Shaughn, 18, Isaac, 12, Lily Anna, 10, and Sophia Hua Kai, 3.

Time to paint will be even more illusive now that we are selling the house and moving to the twenty acre Dawkins Lane Farm. I say moving to the farm when in fact, there is no house! We have to build one. And we plan on doing this without a mortgage - cash as we go! (To be debt free is our goal.)

And we don't know where we might live while we build. We've considered a small apartment in nearby LaGrange or even the "are you out of your mind" idea of moving a family of seven into a tiny camper with a few tents on the side. Ugh. Perhaps we'll do all three.

I'll post more later about the history of our dream and the specific plans we have to build. For now just know that this is an incredible dream coming true right before our eyes. We will build our barn-house with our own hands. We'll have friends to help and we will contract out some of the labor, but for the most part - we're building it. Glorious fun. And hard work like I've never imagined.

We've witnessed God's gifts and miracles in many ways and this is another one! I plan to document this journey and the building process here. So follow along and enjoy.

Blessings,
Robin