I hear it all the time--especially from my hubster. I can be a little hard to follow. My thoughts, my plans, my actions. All of it. ;) But seriously, if you were in my head you'd know I've got it all together. Let me share a little about what we are doing and where we are headed. And, maybe more on why you haven't heard from me in awhile. (By the way, we truly did have a fantastic summer! It was just a little...bumpy. ;)

AND HE HUFFED, AND HE PUFFED, AND HE...

We started our Summer in a whirl wind--literally. On May 16, 2017, we had a burst of straight winds run directly through our farm. The storm hit at night; as soon as daylight broke it was evident we had a significant amount of damage. I look out our bedroom window nearly every morning at White Barn. (Duh, I love the view.) With just a glance that day I said, "Umm, the barn is crooked!" After further inspection we discovered the wind had forced half of the barn up and off it's foundation & had shifted it about 18 inches. Not good. Inside, many 2x4s were simply snapped from the pressure caused from the wind. {insert sinking stomach feeling here.}

Well, it's taken most of the summer to determine the barn is not salvageable as a structurally sound building.  Here we sit in present day--somewhere between dreaming/drawing up the perfect rebuild and me still saying, "Are you sure we can't save it?"

As most know, we live on my great-grandparent's farm. So, this barn is not just a barn. It's thee barn. It's the one I vividly remember as a kid. I'm sure it was built by a big group of family & friends. The work and pride that went into the construction of the building, the old ropes and pulleys that are still in the building used with the horses. The distinguishing view of the barn from the highway always helping us find the way home. Ugh, I love ALL of it. And this big, beautiful barn is where I had planned to plant by business roots.

MISS B

So there's that...then a WHOLE other overwhelming situation was endured this summer. After some work with some nice speechies this spring, it was suggested Miss B see a doctor about her continued nasal emissions in her speech.. Without boring anyone with med talk, it was determined she would need surgery. (Her 4th in that many years--all unrelated.) Turns out her muscle in her soft palette was attached to bone. It is supposed to be free flowing to help make certain sounds. Poor punky underwent a pretty intense surgery and recovery involving a quick night in PICU and 8 WEEKS of soft foods. With a 4 year old. Who doesn't understand the word no. {can we just insert the sinking stomach feeling here too?}

BUT HERE WE ARE

So with all of this behind us, it's onward and upward from here. Miss B. is doing amazing and eating her beloved crackers and bologna again. She was able to start preschool and is loving being a "Big Girl" every day.

And am I still, "White Barning"? Heck yes! White Barn is still standing--although it's inevitable we will need to take it down. But no fear. All of the feel goods and pretty wood will be saved. Once we decide just exactly what we need we will build up something else. 

SO WHAT

What now? 

1) Stuff for sale. Yes, I need to empty my barn for construction. I might as well get a move on and sell some goodies instead of waiting for the perfect place to sell them. Be watching Facebook and Instagram for more.

2) Speaking of Instagram...More stories on insta. No, I did not just find the stories feature; after this summer I decided to stop waiting for the perfect picture and just share my view. Because, to be honest, somedays down right suck. It's all about how you look at things that make them a little less sucky. SO here's to sharing some more less than picture perfect moments.

3) Positive vibes. I love our life! Yet, I've had to taste some really sour lemons in the past 3 or so years. Might as well start learning to make lemonade. 

{Farmer Wave}

Rachel