Some of you may already know this, but, I grew up on a farm. Not a working farm, per say, but rather a lovely tree farm. You may be asking, what's a tree farm? Well, that's even kind of hard to explain. We didn't grow trees for sale, like Christmas trees. We didn't harvest lumber or really have any cash crops. I grew up on a 135 acre piece of land with rolling hills, a small garden to feed our family, a huge red barn, a pond and a creek that ran on 2 sides of the property. If you would have asked me about 10 years ago what I thought about growing up on a farm I would have said (and I quote) "Psshhh. I would rather live in New York City. It takes so long to get anywhere from the farm and it's SO quiet!". Now that I am creeping ever so close to the three-oh mark I may have changed my tune a little bit. It's the small things about farm life that I know I took for granted growing up in Walton, KY. I'm hoping that Kate will always enjoy visiting her grandparents on the farm.
(My lil farm girl driving granddaddy's tractor at my parent's farm)
Although our little piece of land that we are planning to build on can't be considered "farm land" by any stretch of the imagination (it's like a 1/4 of an acre) but the parcel is technically located on a farm and still considered rural according to our Farm Credit Services loan. But, just the thought of being away from the bustle and hustle, even if just a little bit, warms my heart. We will still benefit from the interstate being only about 2 miles away, but out there in Union things seem to move a tiny bit slower and the stars are a little bit brighter than they are the closer you get to the city. While this is sort of a random post, I am drawing inspiration from the new Country Living (which I am an AVID fan of and have been for years). I love the caption on the front cover "What's Country Now?".
It made me think about the country house that I grew up in and my parents love for antiques and "country" things. Back then it was the mauve and country blue, my mom's enormous collection of Longaberger, the roosters, the ducks, the strawberry motifs. Since having the chance to decorate my own house now, my interpretation of "What's Country Now" is quite different, but it all has the same message. COMFORT! I love the way an old quilt wraps you in warmth, I love the way an old piece of furniture looks so worn, but yet so comfortable, I love the way my grandmothers aprons tell a thousand tales of messy kitchens and hours of cooking. I also love incorporating country pieces with more modern textiles and colors. I absolutely can't wait to get into our new house and start working on the hundreds of projects I have in mind making it a modern country haven!
And don't you think I need an old farm truck to go tooling around to antique shows and farmer's markets? (Seriously, when the need for car seats is gone, I'm getting one!)
So, to me, being a farm girl wasn't always the most glamorous of titles to have, but I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to grow up in such a beautiful place. I am ready to don my country girl sash once again...bring it on Union, bring it on!
P.S. Update on our current "city" house. We have contacted a few realtors to schedule interviews. We are giving up on the FSBO and going to give the realtor route another go. This time around we are going with completely different real estate firms than before. Please say a little prayer that our house sell quickly!
