0 Year End Recap

Holy smokes. 2012 has been one year overflowing with craziness. There are so many happening that I could recap before the clock strikes midnight and we kick off the new year. To save my wrists from a fate of carpal tunnel and my blog server from crashing with an overload of photos, let’s revisit just one highlight from each month of 2012.

January: Oh, January. You bone chilling month, you. Why not kick off a kitchen remodel during the coldest month of the year when all you crave is warm comfort food that can’t be cooked in a demo-ed kitchen. Why not?



February: The kitchen revamp continues, with refaced cabinets, new quartz counters, stainless appliances and a subway tile backsplash…and a ton of learning lessons along the way.


 
March: March brought with it much needed relief from the chilly temps with a trip down to Costa Farms in sunny Miami where this brown thumb spent several days strolling through fields of flowers and making new friends from around the blog-o-sphere.



April: Live The Home Life celebrated its 3rd Birthday with a Happy Birthday house tour. So much has changed around the old construction site since then, but it’s still fun to revisit the pictures of my house in its before state and see how far we’ve come. Click here for the tour.



May: So much fun stomping around P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain farm as a guest at the Bean2Blog event. I took too many pictures of this amazing wonderland of flowers and folly to post today, so click here to head over to May’s post dedicated solely to the fun had at the farm.

June & July: Wedding bells were ringing and this dedicated bridesmaid was shaking her tail feather at every reception. My all time record number of weddings for the year, the boyfriend and I can successful proclaim ourselves as Wedding Warriors.



August: Another year older and another year wiser. Happy Birthday to me.


September: Adios, amigos! The boyfriend and I were off on a Mexican scuba adventure with the fam.


 
October: By far the most action packed month of the year for yours truly, my real estate company, The Property Group opened its doors for business.

November: The boyfriend and I moved in together and the joining of our home tastes was remarkably easy. He’s the wonderful type of fella who lives by the “if you like it, I like it” way of life (for the most part). To show my appreciation, I decided to “man up” the den a bit.

 

And finally…December: This Christmas brought with it so much excitement. Not only was I lucky enough to spend a holiday season with wonderful family and friends, but my precious niece, Louisa, was born smack dab in the middle of the biggest snow storm we’ve ever seen. Who needs power when such a sweet little face can send so much light into the world.



Wishing you all a wonderful 2013 filled with joy, love and inspiration.

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13 Life Outside the Construction Site: Moss Mountain Farm

Holy blog post. This is going to be a long one. With so much fun crammed into a ten hour time span there is no way I could keep a recap post on my recent visit to P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm on the short side of life. Not possible, so let’s dive right in shall we?

 

A couple of months ago when I received an invite to the inaugural Bean2Blog event at P. Allen’s crib, I was pumped for three reasons:

1. Hello?! It’s P. Allen and a trip to his wonderland of flowers and folly could not be passed up.

2. An event sponsored by Arkansas soybean farmers, I was excited to learn more about the little beans that have become a super important staple for our state…turns out, soy is in everything!

3. A chance to meet other Arkansas bloggers in person that I’ve been stalking over the years would truly be a treat. Game on!

First and foremost, the main house is a serious stunner. We kicked off our day with a tour of P. Allen’s house and boy were our cameras just-a-clickin’. Here’s a little peek at our super snooping.



The most perfect pink chair on the front porch. It’s no coincidence the flowers are a spot-on match…



Serious table envy…



Gorgeous kitchen. The foodie bloggers went nuts!…

Downstairs screened porch. Love the black shutter wall and hints of pale blue and green…



Upstairs sleeping porch. You can’t help but crave a nap when you step into this space…



Alison Chino from Chino House chose to take her nap in the (gorgeous!) tub on the porch…


The road to preciousness…



Heading outside…



The summer kitchen. P. Allen has an identical house directly across from this one that is his painting studio. Lucky, lucky goose…



Fellow At Home in Arkansas blogger, Jerusalem Greer of Jolly Goode Gal, snaps a few pics of the grounds…



Many may not think this little building that special, but the DIYer in me went nuts. Come inside and take a gander…

P. Allen calls this little octagonal building his “martini house” since that is usually what they are dishing up in this space. Simple table topped off with a completely rustic wooden chandelier with holes cut out to hold mason jars filled with candles…


There are also dozens of mini shelves designed solely to hold handles. Can’t you just imagine how amazing it would be to have dinner in a candle filled nook on Moss Mountain Farm? Ugh. So jealous.



Only at a blogger event is it appropriate to blog/tweet/take pictures/facebook during lunch…



JoBeth McElhanon with Boots McBlog and Kricia Palmer with Palmer House striking a pose…

Lela Davidson of After the Bubbly, Lyndi Fultz with NWA Foodie, and Kelly Stamps of Kelly’s Korner relax before lunch…



Planting soybeans. A first for most of us!…



Lazy afternoon walk to the rose garden…



Bloggers posing in their new Ariat cowgirl boots. A big ol’ thanks to Country Outfitters for keeping our toes clean and comfy while stomping around the farm…



Soy candle making outside the barn…



LockStar’s most popular selling soy candle is called Butt Naked. Tara Johnson with Taste Arkansas takes a whiff..



Camera crews and photographers follow Mr. Smith everywhere he goes. With so many TV shows, books, and articles to produce, it’s no wonder!…



They even stopped us throughout the day for quick interviews. Ashley Ederington with The Ederington Family whipped up her answers like a pro!…



P. Allen with one of his chicky chickens…


If only my purse were big enough, June bug would be chasing a new friend around the construction site…



Latonya Richardson with 40 reasons to Live, Love & Laugh Out Loud hugging a new duck friend…



Just a little fowl flirting. Wassup girl?…



We wrapped up the day with a glass of wine underneath the old oak tree. The crew at Moss Mountain Farm knows the way to this bloggers heart. A glass of pinot with new friends and perfect weather. Done.

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