To all you dedicated bloggers out there, I salute you.   No, seriously.  Blogging is hard.  It takes a lot of time, focus and dedication.  I have yet to find the balance between getting things done and sharing our journey with you. It seems that blogging consistently finds its way below the one hundred other things on my to-do list.  But, I’m working on it.  Thus, the blogging hiatus is over.  So to catch you up, here’s what’s been going on around the farm!

Babies, Babies and More Babies!

Calving season is to a cattle farmer what March Madness is the UK Basketball team.  Winter is deceivingly calm on the farm and then BOOM spring calving season is here and it’s game time.  From a cow struggling to give birth, to a sick calf, we have to be ready for anything.  We do all that we can to keep momma and baby happily together, but that doesn’t always work out.  This year we have 3 bottle babies: Dolly, Waylon and Whiskey River.  Helen Keller also gets special attention since she was born blind.  Here is a video of Dolly Taking Her Bottle; she’s really serious.

Whiskey River

Waylon Jennings

Helen Keller

I could go on and on about how we take care of our calves, why we end up with bottle babies, etc, but does anyone really want to know?  I kind of doubt it, but if you do, let me know and I’ll write a post about it.

Giving Our Old House Some Love

From surface level beautification projects to functional improvements, we have been giving Warrenwood Manor some major TLC.

• In the Groom’s Quarters we redid the plumbing to all the fixtures so it is fully functional, painted the entire area a beautiful Dutch Tile Blue, replaced the carpet and added some furniture and decor.  More to come on this project!
  

  Groom’s Lounge Area

  

  Groom’s Sitting Area

  

  Groom’s Bathroom

  

  Groom’s Dressing Room

• The Bridal Suite required some plaster repair, but other than that we really focused on giving it a soft romantic feel through updated décor.
  

  Bridal Suite Before

  

  Bridal Suite In Progress

• To the right of the house we added a 70-space gravel parking lot.
• The new HVAC system in the house is almost finished.  Though the ductwork fills the basement like hamster tunnels, the vents and returns on the main floors have been creatively disguised.  To my elation, the baseboard heaters throughout the house have been removed and the baseboards are waiting for a fresh coat of paint.

Next, we will turn our attention to repairing some water damage on the four main corners of the house.  The gutters have been repaired to prevent further issues, but work needs to be done to the brick mortar, and to the plaster and wallpaper on the inside of the house.  We also have chandeliers to hang in the main barn and cleaning to do in the running shed.  Now, all this work has to be woven around events at the house since wedding season is here.  Stay tuned for these transformations.

Our First Wedding Season!

It’s hard to believe that the dream of converting Warrenwood into an event venue is actually happening.  We’re shocked that we have so many events booked already!  We thought we’d be lucky to have 5 weddings this year, but we surpassed that estimate long ago.

Barn Wedding Ceremony Decor

Our April 11th Barn Wedding Ceremony

We are quickly coming to realize how much work it takes to keep up with a property like ours.  Between the renovations, landscaping, cleaning, and regular maintenance, we’ll be busy.  It’s a ton of work, but it’s all worth it to be able to share this amazing place with others.