Homestead

So, a few months back, Chelsea and I were perusing a blogging conference and ran in to some of the great people from Kidde. I was excited to speak with them and was stoked when they reached back out to us last month and asked if we could talk about Kidde carbon monoxide alarms. Despite the fact that we’ve been a Kidde family for...well...as long as I can remember, they still sent over a plug-in CO alarm. I’ll talk about that later, though.

We still have that quirky outdoor laundry shed that I told you guys about a while ago, with no plans to bring the laundry machines back inside. We get emails asking us how we feel about this setup every few days, and the answer is that we love it! We’ve gone full steam ahead converting the old indoor laundry area into a master bathroom, and our whole family has easily adjusted to using the space opposite the washing machine as our new home stockpile. Since so many people have asked to see the other side of the room where the magical washing and drying stuff happens, we’re bringing you into the mix. It’s time to see how we store ALL the things. Come along and tour our laundry area!

I've heard people say, "Before I had kids, I was the BEST parent on the planet." It's funny how that works, isn't it? We all have the greatest intentions, and then life gets in the way. When I was pregnant with my first, I bought small-batch homemade lotion from a local boutique and stocked up on cloth diapers. Then kids came along, and we basically just tried to survive. Things got...cluttered. And confusing. I felt like I was drowning under the weight of it all and I just wanted to go back to a life that was simple.

I know what you're thinking right now. "Woah, Chelsea, that is like a metric ton of toilet paper." Indeed. People often ask how we juggle travel and home life with a big family. We've shared a ton of tips and tricks, but this is BY FAR the most important. The home stockpile.

We’re still renovating our farm and our house, and our current big project is putting a bathroom in the master bedroom. There’s a lot going on in there. Plumbing, tile, demo. The works! Nate and I can’t sleep in there while all that’s going down, so we had to find an alternative. We thought about sleeping in one of our offices (too close to the back door), the playroom (too messy) and the boys’ room (too stinky). The solution? Putting a bed in our living room.

Why yes, I AM just now getting all this Christmas junk put in storage. Leave me alone.

I've received a couple messages on Instagram lately asking what my DEAL is with farmers. "Are you a farm family?" one curious follower asked. "I've noticed you post pictures of goats and tractors, but you also travel a bunch soooo I'm wondering how that works." It's true that my love of homesteading and my love of travel are in direct competition with one another. Such is life when you're the daughter of a flight attendant and grew up in a farming neighborhood!

Awhile back, we told you all how we installed our own hot tub. As we explained then, it was kind a sudden swap-out. We were expecting some huge endeavor, so we kept putting it off. When the time came, though, we were surprised at how simple it was! It arrived, got plugged in, and was ready for action within hours. The only thing left to think about was how to make this oh-so-luxurious hot tub fit in with our farm house vibe.

The outdoor laundry room we've been working on for months is finally done! I'm utterly smitten with this new area of our home, and it's quickly become the command center for all of our family's activity. We pass by this room on our way in and out. It helps us keep all the dirt and grime where it belongs as opposed to getting tracked in the house on its way to the sanitation station!

Nate and I have an outdoorsy home with a bit of a wild side. In case the big dog, the axe on the front stoop, and the chainsaw carving of my face didn't make our lifestyle glaringly obvious...we also went ahead and adopted Moby.