To celebrate our second year on Bryarton Farm we are going to share a tour of the evolution of the farm over the last year. The changes are not as dramatic as the ones from Our 1st Year on the Farm post. This year has been more about refining the work we have already done. You will notice that once again we aren’t sharing a finished kitchen. That is because we are still having trouble finding a contractor to address the structural issues in that part of the farmhouse. We would appreciate your prayers in this area, since living with a make-shift kitchen in our dining room is not ideal. However, I feel like this farmhouse restoration is an uphill journey towards more patience, endurance, and contentment for Michael and me.

Today, though, we are celebrating this year’s accomplishments! {Notice that the titles are links to Reveal posts of each space. So if you want to see a more in-depth look and more pics of a certain space, click its title}

Our Family 2015 Vs. Our Family Now  The girls have grown so much in a year. Things like Avonlee sleeping through the night and Camdyn being potty-trained have revolutionized our life! We are enjoying every stage of this thing called parenting. Raising our two little princesses on a hobby farm is a dream come true for us!

The Farmhouse Exterior 2015 Vs. Farmhouse 2016  Repairing the sagging porch, removing a dying pine tree, removing old storm windows, and painting the screen door are just a few of the changes we have done to the farmhouse’s front elevation this year.

The Playhouse Exterior 2015 Vs. Playhouse 2016  This mini fixer upper has come a long way in the past year. Our girls love having their own little white farmhouse! The list of things we have done to give it a fresh start is endless.

The Entry Way 2015 Vs. Entry 2016  I love changing things up in the foyer with the seasons to keep it fresh and inviting.

The Living Room 2015 Vs. Living Room 2016  The wall color has not changed in our living room this year, the color difference you are seeing in the two shots are because of the time of day they were taken. The thing that has changed is the space planning. My redesign of the living room focused on giving the room more defined zones for all of our needs. Instead of pushing everything to the walls and having a big open space in the middle, I wanted to create cozy nooks for reading, snuggling, talking, and working.

The Office 2015 Vs. Office 2016  Ground zero for blogging and creating artwork for our shop is nestled in a corner of our living room. This allows me to be a part of what the girls are doing while getting things accomplished throughout the day. Avonlee can play with toys on the rug and Cami Grace can color at the desk beside me, for example. I never want my office to be shut off from all the action. We might all be doing different things, but if we are in the room together we can interact and include each other in creative ways.

The Nursery 2015 Vs. The Nursery 2016  I restyled this sweet little room when Camdyn moved out and Avonlee moved in. Hand painting white flowers on the wall, hanging baby photos, and rearranging the furniture gave the space a new look for free. Now it reflects Avee Rose’s personality!

The Master Bedroom 2015 Vs. Master Bedroom 2016  Once Avonlee out-grew her bassinet and we had more room, we decided to reposition the bed, end table, and dresser. What a difference in the flow of the space!

Other than changing out the rugs The Farmhouse’s Bathroom hasn’t changed much in the past year. Once we finally finish the kitchen, we will tackle restoring the gutted downstairs bathroom. It will be glorious to have two bathrooms! Our slow and steady farmhouse restoration pace is dictated by money, time, and the ability to find help when it’s needed. All of these things have been frustratingly hard to attain, but this journey has taught us so much about ourselves and taught us to trust God more.

In October of 2015 we started an Etsy Shop to sell Michael’s calligraphy and my paintings. As a stay at home mom and a warehouse worker, finding creative ways to bring in a bit more income gives us hope that our plans for the kitchen might become a reality in 2017. A structural engineer came out to the farm last week to look at the damaged floor joists under the kitchen floor and talk about opening up the wall between the stairs and the kitchen as well. He is a very expensive, yet vital part of our plan.

I know these shots of The Future Kitchen look scary. Restoring a 123 year old farmhouse is not for sissies! It takes people who care passionately about historic preservation. We see the value in this beautiful part of America’s rich heritage and we are willing to fight for our little farmhouse. America is losing its historic farms at an alarming rate, so saving Bryarton Farm for generations to come is a legacy worth the trouble. The old growth lumber, wavy glass windows, and ornate millwork are just a few of the things that this home possesses which cannot be replicated.

To share our passion for art, design, and historic preservation in a whole new way we recently started a YouTube channel. We have found that somethings are just easier to explain and communicate via video. A weekly blog post is still our main way of sharing, but we are enjoying this new medium. We are looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us in the upcoming year. Maybe by our 3 year anniversary we will have a more complete farmhouse.

Thank you to all those sweet friends who follow this blog and encourage us through this journey. You are our cheerleaders and we are so grateful for the love you give us. On the days when we feel like giving up, God seems to always use a reader to let us know we are not alone in this fight.

With gratitude,

The Floyd Family