The Gregorys are ready to entertain! If you’ve got the time and ability to drive up here, we’d love to have you on the farm. I can’t say we are 100% where I want our guest room to be, but I can confidently say a comfortable stay can be achieved. My Inlaws tested it out just last weekend!  Afterall, they are the generous donors of the gorgeous antique bedroom set. In time, we’re going to remove some pieces of furniture that are stored in there and an added-on closet that is unnecessary.  Once we make space, we will be adding an equally gorgeous sofa that I’m envisioning will dual purpose the room into a quiet sitting space as well.  This momma REALLY likes that idea!

In addition to getting the guest room organized, I’ve been spending almost every good weather day in the barn doing massive clean out. While a few of what I would call treasures have been found; (no gold or silver…yet)

most of it has been scrap metal (coffee cans full of nails/screws), disintegrated empty cardboard boxes, rat poop/nests and lots of layers of dirt and cobwebs.  While gross, it is coming along nicely! Fingers crossed that continued activity out there keeps the rats from moving back in!  Additional barn cats are on the list.

Annnnndddd speaking of cats…..Christmas came early for Ashlyn when we adopted a sweet little 3 month old male kitten from the Henderson County Humane Society last week.  She has actually been asking for 2 years for an indoor cat to make her own and the timing was finally right when she asked again a few weeks ago. And it made Christmas easy for me. As soon as we walked into the cat room, she had an instant connection with what is becoming a perfect fit for our family. She had already made up her mind beforehand that it’s name would be Fluffy, making a welcome sign and all. And, of course, the gender did not impact that decision. We have since given him nicknames like Mr. Fluff, Fluffernutter and Kitty. It’s only been 4 days, but aside from regularly removing him from the Christmas tree, neither party has had difficulty adjusting. He’s really laid back! He lets everyone pick him up and isn’t biased about which lap he will curl up in. Although, he does sleep with Ashlyn every night. Skye (our dog that was raised around cats) has been great. Fluffy is coming around little by little. He doesn’t “play” with her yet like she would like for him to, but he will be in a room with her now and not get all hissy. Baby steps!

Ashlyn is an amazing care giver! She caught on quickly to scooping the litter box that is in her room. Her cat, right? I’m actually quite impressed with the pinterest inspired system we put together to make the cohabitation bearable.  This way, minimal litter is tracked out, sight and smell is contained, access is limited and the feeding area is provided on the top! Pretty slick, eh? We also crafted a tower/window perch out of an extra barstool we had. I think we will be adding carpet to the top for additional scratching.  All in all the timing was just perfect for this addition and I’ve caught myself many times already in awe of not only my little girl’s maturity, but all 3 kids’ ability to be so mature and caring with this little guy.  Makes a momma proud.

-Lindsay