Our Ranch Home

My husband and I moved into our home in 2011 as newlyweds. We were both born in the late 1980’s, but let me tell you, I felt like I had just stepped back in to into the 1960’s the first I entered our home. My husband didn’t mind the green shag carpet in the living room, the green floral carpet in the dining and hallway, or the green linoleum flooring in the kitchen. After all, his music of choice is Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and CCR. But I knew eventually the green every direction would start to get old. We both came to the agreement that we weren’t going to dump a lot of money into this home because we had (and still do) dreams of something else. I had the yearning desire to make our home a reflection of our family. And so, I began a journey of thrifting and DIY projects.

When I penciled out how much it would cost to hire someone to do all of the projects that I wanted to do in our home, we would be well over $35,000. I am proud to say that gave our home makeover for under $6,000 that included new floors and complete kitchen transformation. The best part? I learned skills that will help us to save even more money when we get into our forever home. I also gained a lot of confidence in my “I can figure it out, how hard can it be” abilities. I will do a separate post that shares how I saved so much with our home makeover, but for now I would love to share with you some of my favorite details of our home.

The Kitchen

Our kitchen is the place where I feel at home the most. I love to serve my family by cooking delicious meals that will nurture both their bodies and souls. I want my children to have fond memories of comforting from-scratch meals when they are reminiscing about their childhood.

I love to display dried flowers. Where we live, it’s really not feasible to have live flowers, and that’s not very budget friendly now is it? I also love the moody feel that dried flowers have. I would say that my style is a little bit of grit and grace. I love beautiful delicate things, but I also love the look of antlers displayed around our home. In this picture, I actually have the seeds left over from my carrots this past garden season. After I took what I needed for seed saving, I used the rest of the stalks to display in this simple white pitcher.

The only decor you will find in my kitchen is antiques. I love to display the curated finds I have found over the years. Not only do they serve as a beautiful display, but I also use them in my kitchen on a regular basis. Wooden spoons are an absolute must in a kitchen.

I have been studying herbalism for many years. This is my favorite nook of my kitchen where I display all of my herbs. Most of them I grew in my garden or foraged for. This is the nook that I make my herbal tea at the end of the day to wind down. For that reason, this place is so comforting to me, and I love to see my hard work displayed so beautifully.

This is Betsy. She is my stove that was installed in this home in 1960. Betsy is immortal, and as far as I am concerned, if the old gal is still working like a charm, she deserves a front stage place in my kitchen. Who am I to replace her? Betsy has seen some killer loaves of sourdough bread as well as meals that have set the fire alarms off. I love Betsy.

Often time our kitchen is a gathering place during the daytime. It is open to our dining room, which is where we both east our meals and the children complete their homeschool work. You will find our oldest daughter reading a classic book aloud to everyone as they draw and I prepare lunch.

In our dining area, we have a homeschool station. Here I have a darling antique cupboard where the children have their stack of books and curriculum. I wanted something functional and cute to keep all of our supplies in. We needed something that would easily be moved from the station to the dining room table, to the living room floor. When I saw this antique Pepsi crate that had many compartments, I knew it would work perfect for this.

The Living Room

Our living room is a place of coziness and comfort. This is where we gather to read books on the couch. This is where massive farm sets get built on the floor and the children can play for hours. This is the place where my husband can come to rest after a long day of work. This is the place where nightly wrestling matches and fun take place. This is the place where I read my bible in the morning and have moments of quiet before my family wakes.

See those little glasses displayed on the books? Those were my great-great grandfather’s when he was a child. His name was Lewis William Morris, and he was born in 1867. I graciously inherited them along with his slate he used in school. They are truly one of my most treasured items, and I am so thankful to my great-aunt for entrusting them to me.

One of my favorite pieces of furniture is my antique bookcase. The woman I purchased it from said that it was made sometime in the 1800’s and came from Texas. She could tell the age by the type of glass on the door. It is absolutely beautiful and in pristine condition.

You’ve probably gathered that I am a collector of all things antique. I love how they tell a story, and to be honest, I just don’t think they make things like they used to. There is also nothing like the thrill of a good thrift find! My favorite of my collections is my antique book collection.

Ahhh our fireplace. Truly, I could never go back to any other form of heat. It warms you to the bone. Our wood stove was by far the best investment we have made. It has saved us about $1000 per year in electricity bills since we installed it.

Not only is it functionable, it gives our home a rustic touch, especially with the added texture of stacked wood and kindling. The kids love to come lay in front of it when they wake in the morning and watch the flames. We absolutely love this feature of our home.

The Mudroom

Let’s face it, with our lifestyle we bring in a LOT of dirt and cow manure. Our mudroom is absolutely essential to a ranch home. This is the room when we give Stetson hugs and kisses and send him off for his day, and the place that he is welcomed back by a stampeded of little feet that jump into his arms when he gets home. This is the place we have warmed up baby calves and hatched many baby chicks. This is the room our kids have had to strip down and get their clothes immediately thrown in the wash after a long day of playing in the dirt. There is a lot of life that happens in this room.

Its walls are graced with all the equipment a cowboy needs. Chaps, cowboy hats, warm coats to protect from our rugged winters, and of course every cowboy needs a fancy wild rag. Boots of every size line the perimeter of the floor. Both cowboy boots and muck boots are needed most seasons of the year.

While our home is not ever going to be featured on the covers of Better Homes and Gardens, I am so thankful to it for providing us a place to raise our babies. These walls have seen so much. There have been both tears and laughter. There have been late nights studying for college finals. There have been fire alarms go off as I learn to fine tune my cooking skills. The sounds of little feet running echoes through this home each day. Not only has our home watched our babies grow, but it has also watched Stetson and I have grown so much too, and we are so thankful for the memories in it.

-Lyndsi