What a privilege it was for our small company to be featured in a national design magazine. Our company and I were highlighted in a new story on Kitchen and Bath Design News. I was called up by a journalist and asked if they could interview me about our work!
Kim Berndtson is one of the contributing editors at Kitchen and Bath Design News. She interviewed me and we had a great chat about the work that Rhett and I do with our company. What intrigued Kim and sparked her calling was a particular piece that she found on Houzz that featured a powder room that I posted recently. Houzz has been one of our main social media accounts for the past few years. It has brought us a surprisingly good amount of business and now it has brought us a small touch of internet fame, too! Houzz is a great tool for a person interested in design ideas for a remodel project or new construction.
Kitchen and Bath Design News has been a coffee table staple in our office for years now. When I received the phone call from Kim, I was surprised and excited about just getting a call!
Guests can’t help but smile when they use this powder bath designed by April Collins and the team at The Cabinet Gallery, in large part because of the whimsical wallpaper that covers the walls and serves as the foundation for the entire space. The custom vanity also makes a statement, without taking away from the wallpaper. Its Shaker doors feature horizontal shiplap panels that give the vanity a unique look, while the white color brightens the space and brings out the colors in the wallpaper.
“The bathroom was designed around the bold wallpaper,” she explains in reference to the charcoal/black paper accented with colorful blowfish that sheaths multiple walls. “We didn’t want a vanity to take away from the wallpaper, but my client also didn’t want the vanity to be too plain, so we created a Shaker door with horizontal shiplap panels. The design gave her the uniqueness she was looking for, without ‘fighting’ with other elements in the room.”
“That’s another thing about powder baths…there are so many amazing light fixtures,” she continues, adding that lighting, whether it’s pendants, undercabinet lights, etc., adds dimension to a small room. “You certainly don’t have to stick with a standard vanity wall light since there are so many fun choices. And, you only need one!” Photo: Ann Parris/Full Frame Home Tours
We talked about a couple of specific projects that were highlighted in her article and our business, the Cabinet Gallery. The article online that Kim was writing is all about Powder Rooms, along with how and why you should make them the cleanest and most inviting room in your home. And, as Kim states Jennifer Stewart’s quote, it’s the guaranteed room of the house that guests will see!
For Collins, custom vanities designed to resemble unique pieces of furniture often serve as focal points in her designs.
“Furniture pieces work well because these rooms are small,” she notes. “They can make a statement, but they are also functional and provide plenty of storage, which can be a challenge in powder baths. Whatever we do, the space needs to be functional. Sometimes, because it’s a small space, people tend to ignore a powder bath. They may be tempted to just include a pedestal [sink] because there isn’t enough room. But you can’t store toilet paper and toiletries in a pedestal [sink].”
In one recent project, Collins included a custom cherry vanity that features a rounded front with two drawers and an open shelf that echoes the arc of the drawers. A 4″ recessed toe kick simplifies cleaning and preserves the vanity’s furniture-style appearance. Adding a vessel sink maintains the functionality of the top drawer.
“The drain goes through the drawers, so we built the top drawer in a u-shape,” she says. “The full-bottom drawer provides added storage, which can be a challenge in powder baths. Toiletries are hidden but are readily available in the drawer rather than being stored out in the open.”
Photo: Ann Parris/Full Frame Home Tours
The powder room is always one of the rooms that will allow for the artistic or minimalist side of the homeowner to come out. The Powder Room is a small space that lets someone use daring and unique touches that may be overlooked elsewhere in the house. After all, what does a guest do in that room except notice the small touches a host has placed there for them to look at? You can go here and check out Powder Room Pizzaz for yourself!!
This is my favorite time of the year! I love the holidays, despite having to drive in the snow and occasionally sliding on black ice. The first, and main, reason is because I am, finally, able to spend a lot of time with my family. I don’t see my brothers and sisters nearly as much as I would like, so the holidays are especially fun with them. Our Christmas is a festive weeklong event full of gastronomic gluttony and activities that would make the Brady Bunch jealous.
And the second, is service: The best way to keep Christ in Christmas is to serve.
There are so many people who are suffering in one way or another. We all know someone who is in need, someone who’s spirit needs to be lifted, or someone who’s burdens need to be lightened.
I have been on the giving and receiving ends of such wonderful people and their gifts. I have received numerous blessings from both. One such experience happened several years ago. My father had been battling leukemia for nearly two years.
On one particular evening, the hospice nurse pulled my brothers and sisters aside to tell us that Dad would not make it through the night. The next morning, however, my father surpassed all medical odds and surprised us all by waking up. He had a lot of pain in his mouth caused by a sharp tooth. My mom called a friend and former bishop of ours who happened to be a dentist. She wanted to ask if it would be alright if she used a file on his tooth. Of course, his reply was, “No! I have tools for that”.
My mom explained that my dad wouldn’t be able to make the drive, especially the long commute to his office. Dr. Wells’ immediate response was, “Well I can!” Later that day, he arrived with his tools and took great care of my Dad and provided much needed relief to his aching mouth. Dr. Wells refused any form of payment saying that it was his honor to serve my dad. One month later my dad passed away.
There was a lot I took away from this experience. I decided that I should act on an opportunity or prompting to serve whenever it presented itself. One can’t wait until it’s too late or until the opportunity may be gone. I also learned that when we serve someone in need, we are literally an answer to a prayer.
During service in my church calling as a Young Women’s leader, our Young Women’s program always had a main focus of teaching how we could help people in our neighborhood, or people we don’t even know. The girls in this program were extremely kind hearted and they were always so enthusiastic. Coming up with ideas on how we could serve was a weekly occurrence. At Christmas time we did everything from stocking the shelves at the Bishop’s storehouse (a place where people in need could go to get food and clothing at no cost), to Christmas caroling or delivering presents to Burmese Refugees who were starting their new lives in Utah. I remember feeling so touched by these service projects that I could barely fight the tears. What a gift it was to me to be able to forget my troubles while being a small part of bringing joy into the lives of so many families in need.
Jesus taught “Verily I say unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” It is no wonder that the Lord has given us this commandment again and again to love one another, to serve one another, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, and to visit the sick.
I had the opportunity to take my boys to General Conference. I will never forget how I felt when the congregation stood and the conference hall became quiet, as our prophet entered the room. There was a man who has taught us by his example the power of service and compassion. Elder Holland, who is another one of our church leaders, paid tribute to President Monson during conference. He said that one image he will cherish until he dies is that of President Monson flying home from the then economically devastated East Germany. He was shuffling through the airport in his house slippers because he had given away, not only his second suit and his extra shirts, but the very shoes from off his feet. He continued to say, “More than any man I know, President Monson has ‘done all he could’ for the widow and the fatherless, the poor and the oppressed.”
I have always admired my parents. They, too, are wonderful examples of serving others. During the winter months my dad would always get up very early in the morning. While people were sleeping, he would anonymously plow most of the driveways and sidewalks in our neighborhood. It was very common for us to get several feet of snow, so he was especially concerned for the single mothers and the elderly.
Just one of the many special things my mom did was to make beautiful dresses and tuxedos for baby blessings. I have seen these special outfits passed down from generation to generation. She put so much love into each outfit she made. Currently she is serving in the Manila Philippines temple for the next 18 months. She loves it so much and is happiest serving those in need.
In Mosiah 2:17, King Benjamin teaches the people about the importance of service, “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
Jesus Christ expects us to learn to serve one another. This means we not only need to serve and love others, but also allow ourselves to be served and loved. We become Christ-like when we are outside of ourselves in selfless giving.
My brother, Earl, and his wife, Tifiny, are extremely unselfish, just like our parents. They are a beautiful example of following the Lord’s commandment to serve one another, to feed the hungry, and clothe the naked. Their home has been a refuge for many abused and abandoned children. Currently, they have three biological children and have adopted close to 20. I can’t keep up so I will have to verify that number.
Karen at the age of 6 was beaten so badly by her biological mother that she went into cardiac arrest. As a result of the damage and swelling to her brain she had emergency surgery in which 3/4 of her brain had to be removed. Karen spent several months at Primary Children’s Hospital and was transferred to South Davis Medical Center where she spent the next two years of her life. Unfortunately, as a result of Karen’s injuries, she was left neglected and unwanted. She was now quadriplegic, unable to talk, and could no longer fend for herself.
When Earl and Tifiny were asked to meet Karen, they thought that they already had a full house. But the moment they met her they were in love. Karen looked at them and uttered, “home”. Those would be her first words since that tragic day in her life. They took her home and she is now surrounded by lots of loving brothers and sisters and a family who cares for her. Now she is making progress each and every day. She told me that I am her favorite aunt!!
Shawn’s mother was 14 when she delivered him, as a child herself it was impossible for her to take care of his needs. He was born blind with Cerebral Palsy and is paraplegic. Earl and Tifiny met him when he was only 6 years old. During their meeting, Tifiny picked Shawn up and held him in her arms. The caseworker and foster mother were in awe as no one up to this point had been able to calm this little child. He had spent the first 3 years of his life in misery and under less than loving circumstances. Within minutes he felt at peace with his new mother. They took Shawn home that very day and he has been happy ever since.
Aiden was born with Cerebral Palsy and is also paraplegic. Earl and Tifiny met him when he was 6 years old. He was very sickly, skinny, and hooked up to a breathing machine. Earl wasn’t sure if they would be able to take care of him, but Tifiny insisted that he needed them. Within the first month of moving into their home he stopped eating through a feeding tube and had gained 12 pounds. He participated in a Triathlon, recently, as 3 boys in his school pushed and pulled him through the course. That was a very emotional race to witness, I wish I could have been there in person!!
These are just a few of their children who were once abandoned, homeless, and literally starving for not only food but for a home and most importantly for love and affection. From once feeling afraid and neglected, these children are now “celebrities” in their schools and community.
Not only have these children been rescued, but the lives of Earl and Tifiny will be changed forever. These children now have the gospel in their lives and are finally part and earthly family but, also, an eternal family.
My Sister Diana and her husband Conway had the opportunity to help build a school in a poor and remote village in the jungles of Guatemala. Wearing layers of insect repellent, they worked 8 hours a day alongside the locals to build a school. They mixed cement by hand and carried piles and piles of rock to clear the area which they flattened. They had done this by lifting and dropping the trunk of a tree repeatedly on the ground until it was ready for the foundation. They formed assembly lines passing buckets of water and cement. It was labor and it was hard. My sister said that it was the hardest she had ever worked in her life but she loved it. With the little Spanish skills she retained from living in Barcelona, she came to know and love these people whom she met building the school. She taught them songs in English and they taught her songs in Spanish. At meal times, the local women brought them delicious home cooked meals. The children would help by fetching tools and equipment. And, the local musicians provided entertainment. Everyone helped and they all worked side by side. Each person involved did what they could. And they were blessed due to such amazing commitment.
Of course, as amazing as this experience was for her, we can’t all travel to an underdeveloped country to do service. However, we can help others everyday in any way that can help.
My brother Paul had suggested that everyone think of a personal talent and then look for an opportunity to share it with others. He said that if he sees a car on the side of the road with a flat tire then he will stop and fix it because it’s something he can do.
I love all of my brothers and sisters. Each of them do so much for me and so many. I really could go on and on and on about them and I am sure I will at some point.
I love this message given at a Christmas Devotional by President Monson,
“Bringing the Christmas spirit into our hearts and homes takes conscious effort and planning but can surely be accomplished.” He encouraged those listening to create a spirit of love that will “fill our homes and our lives, and linger there long after the tree is down and the lights are put away for another year.”
“Let it be a time that lights the eyes of children and puts laughter on their lips,” he said. “Let it be a time for lifting the lives of those who live in loneliness. Let it be a time for calling our families together, for feeling a closeness to those who are near to us and a closeness also to those who are absent.
Let it be a time of prayers for peace, for the preservation of free principles, and for the protection of those who are far from us. Let it be a time of forgetting self and finding time for others. Let it be a time for discarding the meaningless and for stressing the true values. Let it be a time of peace because we have found peace in His teachings.
Most of all, let it be a time to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds and the worship of the Wise Men.”
I have a testimony of service and some of my best memories of Christmas are the ones when I have taken the time to serve. It is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through service, our Heavenly Father can teach us. Service is the key to loving one another, and it’s the key to forgetting our own problems. It’s the key to becoming more Christlike. I also know that I need to be receptive to the prompting of the spirit so that I don’t miss the opportunity to be an instrument in his hands whether it be in my own home or to a random stranger thousands of miles away.
I encourage my children to ask themselves, what can I do? Especially at this time of year, as we reflect on our blessings and all the things we have in our lives. May we remember that we have been given so much and we too must give.
I’ve gone through a lightning flash version of our family history, but I have some other very important members to introduce. They will be showing up with funny stories often in the blog and I can’t forget to introduce them: OUR DOGS!!
Our first few furry friends are Maggie, Gunner and Fergie. They’ve been in our family since they were puppies and I can’t imagine my husband without them. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, he used to travel most weekends, with boys in tow, to traveling dog trial competitions. Now don’t get these confused with dog competitions like The Best in Show type… Nope! These are Bird Dog Trials! Our dogs are amazingly fast and efficient runners and finders, and Maggie has been awarded many times in their trials. I’ve even competed a couple of times! It was so fun and my husband enjoyed seeing me try something new!
We’ve had many dogs throughout our married life but these are our German Wirehaired Pointers, a breed that was traditionally and continues to be bread as a hunting companion. They are so smart, energetic, and always excited to be looking for birds. This is just another reason the farm is so amazing, as now, my husband can work with them while we are all there together on the farm, rather than needing to leave the city for the weekend alone or with the boys.
I’ll write all about our experiences and some funny moments we’ve had with them, but first, I have to talk about our newer addition to the family: GEORGIA! She’s our little French Bulldog! Rhett was actually looking at a horse and ended up buying a puppy. He was so in love with her and wanted to get her out of the terrible environment she was living in. Rhett wanted to surprise me for Mother’s Day and boy was I ever surprised! She is a funny little puppy and really the only tiny house dog we’ve ever had.
I read somewhere that French Bulldogs don’t originate from France – they are descendants of British bulldogs. British Bulldogs were originally bred for bull baiting until the sport was outlawed in 1835; dogs were trained to creep close to bulls then spring out to provoke them which explains so much about her. When we get to the farm on the weekends, she’s the first out of the car to go and check on the animals. I say check, but realistically, she just likes to run around and harras them all to get a rise out of them. She’s a kooky little gal and we laugh every time she goes out to meet up with Shaggy, our farm bull. He’s a cantankerous old bull and doesn’t know what to do around Georgia. She just runs around him and taunts him, he clearly does not like her teasing him.
Georgia may be adorable but she is a naughty puppy! One day my mom called me and told me that Georgia went potty on my new white couch. The boys were so worried that I would get mad and sell her so they had been trying frantically to get it clean. At first, I was upset but I remembered that the couch was supposedly stain resistant…
This sounds crazy but I was told all I needed was a little bleach and water pour in a squirt bottle, spray, and blot! I’ve never used bleach on my furniture and this was actually quite scary for me. However, I was assured that it wouldn’t hurt the fabric. The boys struggled trying to get the stain out scrubbing with soap and water – bless their hearts for trying so hard!! When I got home from work, I took over and I couldn’t believe my eyes!! The stain disappeared!!
The moral of this story is that if you are going to buy a white couch and you happen to have lots of kids and animals make sure it’s stain resistant!! I bought mine from a cute little furniture boutique in Gardner Village called Down To Earth. I am so glad my furniture designer Ashley suggested it. If you are ever there make sure to ask for her. Honestly, now, I know there is no need to stress out when the kids are eating Chick-Fil-A in the front room!
Georgia may be naughty, but she has brought so much happiness into our home. The boys are so good at taking care of her and making sure she is fed and comfortable. She is so smart and it’s amazing to see the boys teaching her all kinds of tricks. She can walk on her hind legs and when she runs down the hall, she gets going so fast that she can’t stop and slides on her tummy!!
Growing up I didn’t have a pet but look at me now, I live in a zoo with more animals then I can count on two hands! ❤️
The blog Introducing the Farm talks about how and why we bought a farm. We have a Demo Day blog, as well, to talk about the beginnings of our renovations with lots more of that to come. But, one of our most exciting and important days needs to be told! The surprises we have had have been, and continue to be, an ongoing adventure for our family with learning and exploring our new farm lifestyle.
Trying to keep this surprise from the boys was really hard! We had three birthdays coming up for the summer time and we thought it would be fun to wait until the day before Christian’s birthday to reveal the big secret. We have three summer boys so it only seemed right to make this their wonderful summer surprise after working so hard on the farm.
We blindfolded all four boys with red bandanas and lead them from the long driveway all the way around the garage to the back of the house. The anticipation was killing them.
They had no idea what to expect. At one point while blindfolded Jayden stuck his hand out, right into the nostril of one of the surprises. It startled him but he still didn’t know what it was.
Rhett and I counted to three and the boys took off their blindfolds to unveil you probably guessed it – HORSES!! As we got up close, the three horses were just as curious as the boys were as they slowly made their way towards us.
I can’t put into the words the excitement that the boys displayed. At first, their eyes were wide and their mouths dropped open, a bit like a cartoon really. And then, as they were able to comprehend that they had horses, they each started saying incomprehensible things like “waa fo reaaalll” and other exclamations! They were so happy and excited that they immediately started to pet these beautiful creatures. The previous owner was so kind and introduced the boys to the animals he had owned since they were young. He let them in the pen and one by one the boys got to get on the horses and take them for a short ride. The horses immediately warmed up to the boys, and it probably helped to have their favorite treat, a bucket of oats.
Introducing Sky, Aspen and Duke!!
Sky and Aspen are our two new American Quarter Horses, for our three older boys to learn to ride on, and Duke is our Welsh Pony for our youngest, Kaleb, the perfect size for a little beginner. It was quite a day and the boys had to keep pinching themselves because it was just too good to be true.
This was a really big surprise for me too, my husband said, “we can’t have a farm without horses!” Rhett and I had never talked about horses and I had no idea that he has always wanted them. Apparently, he had been looking for some time. And then, one day he stumbled on an ad in the classifieds. Immediately he called asking about the beautiful horse advertised. It just so happened that the gentleman selling the horse had three and preferred keeping them all together. He made Rhett an offer that he couldn’t refuse: this included a horse trailer, saddles, blankets, brushes and anything else we needed. This was so wonderful and yet another blessing for both families!
Along with the three horses that have been introduced here, Rhett had also purchased a horse we named Shannon. He was beautiful and large in stature but he was wild and had not been broken. His beauty and wild spirit is what attracted my husband, but after months of training in the end, the trainer recommended that we give him up because even the best of trainers couldn’t predict what this wild horse would do. We agreed that safety is the most important aspect of teaching our boys, and ourselves, about our new horsey family members.
We are so excited about this new adventure. Our horses are so beautiful, so sweet, and friendly. There are days that I could just sit and watch them run around the pasture, I am in awe every time I see them.
There are more surprises to come – wait until you see what comes next!!
This is Shannon, we only had him for a few months. I’ve got another wonderful story that I will share about him later.
Life is truly incredible, and as I have found out, my plan didn’t pan out the way I expected it to, it’s so much better!! My family and I are WOWED and so BLESSED to have an opportunity to own this little farm. It is our weekly reward and exciting getaway every weekend and then some! (for my husband it’s almost daily)
When I met my now husband, Rhett, in 1990, he was a young handsome stockbroker with many dreams. I, too, had dreams, but they started with serving a full-time mission in the Philippines. He was crushed when I left him for 18 months. But I knew that if he was the “one” then he would be waiting when I returned. (I’ll share our amazing, heart-wrenching love story later)
We were married in August of 1996 and ready to make our dreams come true. As for this chapter, Rhett’s dream became OUR dream.
When he decided to start our business it was at first a place where he could work with both his mind and his hands and he was really good at it. I didn’t know anything about this world of designing or building, but I learned and we learned to manage it together and have become an unstoppable force. With our business goals met and continuing to grow, other dreams had become prominent in our world. The dream of a wonderfully large family (also achieved!) and a home in the country. This is where our story for the blog really begins.
It’s hard to see the open gate at the bottom of the road, but this is the entrance to our farm. The pasture is on the left with a barn in the back. The driveway is lined with tall trees and curves around to the right with a small pond on the left and leads to the farmhouse hidden in the trees. Plowing this driveway in the wintertime is going to be a big chore! Good thing we have lots of boys and a tractor!
Our weekends have always been full since our first son, Rhett Taylor, was born, and this has yet to change. While the boys have been growing up, I would usually love to stay at home on our days away from work, to watch my boys be boys, involved in all kinds of sports and recreation. Rhett would take weekends to go out in the country with our dogs, Maggie, Fergie, and Gunner, to explore, hike, and prepare for their dog trials. This dream of being in the country was satisfied by a weekend away, here and there, as long as he could be away from the city.
I hadn’t thought of our, now, new country home as being MY dream, but what surprised both Rhett and I, is how much this has turned out to be the most amazing decision for me personally. It has literally saved my life and keeps me excited and striving for those weekend feelings! For me, life is like a parallel universe when I get out to the farm. Let me explain…
Our property is covered with hundreds of trees and acres of beautiful green grass. The nearest reservoir is only a quarter of a mile from our property. We look forward to many fun activities boating, fishing, and wakeboarding!
In the city, I’ve been relying on help and the digital age conveniences for years now. When I had four young boys, they had a full-time nanny (who I will talk about later), a tutor to help with homework assignments, and a weekly housekeeper to keep up with cleaning. (I admit I’m a freak when it comes to a clean house.) We were working out of state often and I had to hire a caterer to take care of our food needs, as Rhett and I were working late and were far too busy to cook every day. Instacart, Uber Eats, and Door Dash have been my saviors for food and snacks for four growing boys. And to mention my favorite, a Trunk Club/Stylist would come to my rescue when I was in need of something nice to wear. It may sound pathetic to some but as a business owner, I delegate to make my work more efficient and as a mommy, with four boys, it’s no different. I need all the help I can get!!
Now, however, all of that is gone on the weekends and I am a true farm gal at heart. My favorite store is Tractor Supply and I even buy clothes and galoshes there to wear at the farm! While we are at the farm, I’m a true Betty Crocker with baking cakes and cookies. I make a hot breakfast, lunch, and dinner while making sure we leave our weekend home absolutely spotless when we head back to the city. No Instacart for me in the country! I love the local market and all the wonderful produce and variety available. We eat seasonal foods and have lots of fruit trees and I hope to start a garden in the spring. It’s such a transformation and I will continue to share my triumphs, and, undoubtedly, failures along the way.
The ponds are what initially attracted my husband to this property. They are so majestic, full of fish and add so much tranquility to our farm. I spy a cute little farmhouse nestled in the trees!
When we first took our boys to see the farm, they were excited but didn’t quite understand the depth of how life would change for them. But who am I kidding, neither did I!! The boys immediately took to farm life and loved being involved. It must be in their genes to enjoy building things because they beg to get out there every weekend to keep working on the farmhouse, I think they like seeing the progress it’s making too.
Our before and after pictures already show a totally different home. As a family, we have stared for hours at walls, torn down those walls, fought over paint colors, and laughed about mistakes. It is no doubt that all four, oldest to youngest Collins boys, will be a master of remodeling within the next year along with learning some serious farm skills!!
We signed the pile of mortgage docs and now we own a farm!! Time to move in, right? Ummm, not exactly.
After buying the property, with a small farmhouse on it, the day finally came where we could take the boys to see our new place! I had been to the farmhouse and knew there was work to be done, however, this time, when we walked in, it was now MY farmhouse with a TON OF WORK TO BE DONE! As I walked around, I started making a mental checklist… I then went and grabbed some paper and made a real checklist! From day one, I couldn’t get my mind off of all the fun projects in store for us.
Rhett wanted to move right in, and I said, “NO WAY!” I wanted this to feel like home when we came here for relaxing weekends. This was our home now and it needed to feel as nice as our home in the city. So we agreed to work on it and make it a beautiful getaway before we moved in.
The first time we went, before buying the property, I took a ton of pictures. I took pictures of doors, floors, and even got on all fours! (My inner Dr. Suess just came out there…) I had wanted to remember what I was working with and everything that needed to be done. With pictures in hand and a checklist I had written, I got out the architectural plans and started red-lining right away. Here’s the start to my to-do list.
demo all bedroom closets and bookcases
tear out all doors, casing, and moldings
tear out carpet and padding
get a bid on moving the electrical panel
move doorway to the master bathroom
tear out closets in the mudroom
cover old doorway to the bathroom
remove large pantry in kitchen
make the entrance to kitchen larger
take out the wood burning stove
replace toilets
pick out paint colors
pick out flooring
order interior and exterior lighting
design new mudroom
prune tree overtaking front deck
order a new hot tub cover.
Here is the BEFORE picture of one of the bedrooms. As you can see this room was very cramped for the previous owners. My plan is to take out the bookcases so that I can make the room bigger.
Here is the BEFORE picture of what will be the boy’s bunk room. The room is very cramped and so I have decided to eliminate the built-in closet.
The bedrooms were very small and needed to be more space efficient. I couldn’t add on to the rooms so I decided to take out the built-in closets and bookcases so that I could create more space. I even considered building a loft due to the high ceilings and A-frame style. I let that idea go for the moment, as we just wanted it to be ready to move in sooner than later. Maybe in the future…
Bookcases are out!
The kitchen cabinets were only a couple of years old and so they would stay for now but it won’t take long for my husband to like what I have in mind!! Plus we have a cabinet manufacturing company so why not!!
The bathrooms were outdated and needed some TLC. The doors and moldings needed to be modernized and we figured to make it a lovely home, those would just have to be thrown out and replaced with brand new.
So here’s the crazy thing, for the first time since I can remember, I had something else to think about besides my work at The Cabinet Gallery. My work always took over my thoughts and it was so hard for me to escape it. My sister Karen would tease me by saying, “cabinets! cabinets! cabinets!” In otherwords, please talk about something other than work!!
Once we took possession of the property, working weekends at the office was a thing of the past. We had a great staff in the showroom, and for the first time, I felt like I could delegate and step away on the weekends (something my husband had been telling me to do for years, but I just couldn’t do it). We only had the weekends at the farm, and we had a lot to accomplish before we could move in.
We spent our first weekend at the farm putting a plan together, and by the next weekend, we had a dumpster delivered and got to work! Rhett, me, and our four boys were ripping out everything we could get our hands on. The boys were loving getting to use a sledgehammer and they were taking turns knocking down walls. When one was on the sledgehammer, the other three were working just as hard ripping up flooring and loading the dumpster.
To be honest, I’ve never seen my boys work so hard. They were laughing and having so much fun while working together! I stood back at one point, taking the camera away from my face, wiping the sweat off my forehead, and thought about how wonderful life has become.
Since the closet has been removed it will be the perfect spot for a full sized bunk bed. There will also be plenty of floor space to add a dresser and still have enough room for the boys to play.
It wasn’t just my boys. My 76-year-old mother was making sure she was getting in on the action. Within that first day, we had bookcases, bedroom carpets, doors, and moldings out of the house and in the dumpster, ready to be hauled away. It was quite a mission and I am still surprised at how much we got done.
The closet, doors, moldings, and carpet are out! Thanks to my 76-year-old mom for kicking butt!!
Here is the BEFORE picture of the master bedroom. There is a huge closet which is over two feet deep. Once the closet is removed I will have an ideal place to put a king-sized bed. Since we won’t have any room for nightstands I am going to add pendant lights on each side of the bed. As for the closet space, I’ve got plans which will be revealed soon. Stay tuned, this room is going to look amazing and feel so much bigger!!
With Demo Day 1 behind us, we have still got a long way to go. What I have learned is that demo is the easy part. Check in on our next posts to see what comes next!
Have you ever wondered if you were going to make it through another week?
That used to be a common thought for me.
I admit I am a “workaholic”. (Now currently with FOUR boys, that’s right – FOUR BOYS!)
I don’t stop working either at work or home until my head hits the pillow, and even then my dreams are littered with to-dos! I love my life, even though I could hardly make it through the days not that long ago. After years of constantly building on more and more work, I honestly didn’t know what my limits were. I let myself believe that I could continue on this track forever. It took me about 18 years of increasing stress to almost break.
It all started about 20 years ago when my husband Rhett had this “brilliant idea” to quit a good paying, comfortable job with benefits to start his own cabinet company. I wasn’t comfortable at first, but I didn’t want to stop him from pursuing his dreams.
Within a couple of years I was pregnant with our first baby, and I couldn’t believe that I was finally going to be a mommy. I worked full time until my doctor put me on mandatory bed rest due to complications with my pregnancy. Honestly it was the most relaxing time of my life and I felt so spoiled. My parents took care of my every need while Rhett was at work and my brother Paul drove me to my doctors appointments three days a week.
Then the day came that our beautiful Rhett Taylor was born. It was the best day of my life. Looking into the eyes of this tiny baby boy melted my heart and I felt a kind of love that I had never felt before. (More on that later)
It just so happened that I was on maternity leave when Rhett was opening his first store. I was able to help him during that time until my maternity leave was over. I must have spoiled him because every day after I went back to work he begged and begged me to quit my job, but I thought that was an even crazier idea! The two of us with no income and a new baby??! Needless to say, he finally talked me into it. And so, with tears in my eyes, I let my superiors know that I was submitting my notice of resignation.
A month later, there I was working in the showroom with my newborn baby, Rhett Taylor. I loved getting to spend time with my little family, but Rhett was starting to get really busy. Clients were calling all the time and he couldn’t keep up. I knew he needed my help, so I asked him to show me how to read architectural plans and how to work with the software.
I knew I needed to learn and needed to learn fast! I spent that weekend studying and taught myself the design program. I was able to design my first set of plans for a beautiful kitchen and we sold it the next week! I was so excited! I never in a million years thought I could design the cabinetry or that I would actually love it!! Rhett never designed a job after that! I took over sales and design and he was able to focus on deliveries, installation, and other important aspects of the business.
Even though I liked designing, this new business was tough! Tough on us mentally, physically, and financially. We worked so hard, night and day and every weekend! There were times when I felt this black cloud over my head following me everywhere I went. There were days and weeks that I cried myself to sleep because I was feeling so overwhelmed. But I knew I couldn’t give up and I needed to work even harder just to stay afloat.
Then one day, I was designing with my nine-month-old baby asleep on my lap and I felt so sick and nauseated. I thought to myself, “Oh no, I’m pregnant!” It took us almost five years to get pregnant with our first baby and my baby was still a baby!! How am I going to keep up this pace if I am pregnant?
Fast forward almost nine months later. There I am, at work, having contractions. I was on the phone with one of my advertisers. I had to put her on hold several times until the contractions subsided. After each contraction, I would continue our conversation. Once I hung up with her I called my doctor. I had been induced with Rhett Taylor, which made me unsure if I was in labor or if it was just a false alarm. My nurse suggested to go home and soak in the tub, and if the contractions got worse, she recommended getting checked out.
I went home and got in the tub, the pain was so intense that I immediately jumped out of the tub, got dressed, and drove back to the office to find my husband. When I got there I told him that it was time. He said time for what? It’s time to have a baby!!! We had a 45-minute drive to the hospital and the contractions were getting worse, only minutes apart now. We barely made it to the hospital and our second baby boy, Jayden, was born.
Within days I was back to work. No such thing as rest for entrepreneurs and self-employed! Thankfully my parents lived close by and they were able to give me A LOT OF HELP with the boys. (I couldn’t have done it without them – more of that to come) Within a month of having our second child, we opened our second location in Draper, Utah.
And that’s just the beginning…
Almost a year ago I felt like I was going to die. It was as if life had placed an anvil on top of me that was too heavy for me to lift. I forced myself to continue until my husband had to have an intervention. I was too proud to admit it, so he made me an appointment to see a doctor. The doctor was confused about why I had come, though, as I was well under the “mark”. My husband had told her I was having issues with MENOPAUSE! I couldn’t help but laugh until I cried hearing it, and it made me realize that something must change. That was the moment I finally admitted to myself that I was not limitless.
It all seemed to change, though, the moment my husband and I signed the loan documents for our new farm. My husband seemed to know that it would help me to be away from the city and escape from work. What we didn’t realize was just how much I would love this change! It was a new lease on life, in a way. We now had a life, away from the bustle, for just our family. It requires so much time and effort to take care of, but it’s fun and relaxing and our family is always working and playing together! That’s what matters most to us!! I love my husband and boys more than anything in this world and I love spending good quality time with them!!
This blog is about our journey as a family, from signing those papers to getting our farm life a working reality! There have been so many ups and downs and exciting, new experiences. It is a journey that I hope to share with others and for our family to be able to remember for years to come. My boys are growing up so fast, this is a journey about family, love, and learning. Learning to be ourselves, learning about new skills, and learning to live as a city family in the country without nannies, tutors, housekeepers, gardeners, caterers, Uber, Door Dash, or Instacart!
If you are new to this story, get ready to laugh, cringe, and ask yourself that same question I ask myself each day now, “What’s next?!?”
In our first and previous blog post, I told you about how we started out as a family business and started our family shortly after. It was a quick introduction but didn’t fully explain our background and breakdown of how our life has gone from a newly married couple to entrepreneurs with four boys! In this next segment, get ready to see how this became such a wild ride.
It was 2006 and I was pregnant with our third baby. I was exhausted. I was commuting over two hours each day. My parents were watching Rhett Taylor and Jayden while I was at work. My dad would drive to our home in Stansbury Park, Utah in the mornings to pick up the boys and take them to their home in Tooele which was 20 minutes each way.
I felt like I didn’t have a life. I was wasting so much time driving (as this was before I started waking up at 4 am!!) There were nights when my husband and I were so tired that we would stay in a hotel in Salt Lake because we didn’t think we could make the drive home. At eight months pregnant, I told my husband that I was DONE commuting. I missed my cute little boys!
That night, when we picked the boys up from my parent’s home, we broke the news that we needed to move to Salt Lake City. I could tell they were heartbroken as we told them. I could feel my own heart start to shutter thinking of hurting them. Rhett and I didn’t even have to discuss anything before we both blurted out, “Move in with us!!” It didn’t take a moment of my parents sharing the same ‘couple’s telekinesis’ before they simultaneously said “YES!” What a crazy, wonderful, surprising 10 minutes that was! It was shocking for me to believe they would so easily leave their home of 30 years to move in with our growing family. The boys had become their everyday life, so living without them and going back to a quiet life at home seemed far too foreign to them it turned out.
Rhett Taylor and Jayden with Grandma and Grandpa Rose.
The hunt was on to find a house that would accommodate two families. Thinking back now, it’s pretty incredible how fast it happened for us. Rhett was checking in on one of our job sites in a beautiful Sandy, Utah neighborhood and came across a “LEASE TO OWN ” sign. Not wanting to pass up an opportunity, he immediately went over to have a look.
I was at the office and received a phone call moments later with Rhett exclaiming he had found the perfect house. It was an older Tudor-style home, with over 8,000 square feet, two kitchens, 7 bathrooms, and a 3 car garage. And, to top it all off, it was only 5 minutes away from the office!! We never thought we would possibly find a home where two families could live as two homes in one and the price was right! Within a couple of weeks, we moved in. It was so nice having my parents with us for so many reasons. (lots more about my wonderful parents later) The most amazing part of all was not having the long commute for me or my parents, and being able to spend time with all of my incredible family without the panic of rushing around.
After settling into our new place, the time came very quickly for me to have my third baby boy. I had an induction scheduled for June 6th, being only a few days away. My nurse called me and asked if I wanted to reschedule since it was such a superstitious day! That date didn’t bother me and I didn’t want to wait any longer, so I told her that I would see her on 06-06-06. It’s actually the only birth date that I don’t have to try and remember!
The morning of June 5th I was working on a large pile of work in my home office and I started having light contractions. I was determined to get everything on my to-do list done before I had the baby! While it took me the entire day to finish my work, I then took a shower, packed my hospital bag, and went to bed knowing it would be my last good sleep for a while. A couple of hours later, my contractions started to get stronger and this time I knew it was time to go to the hospital.
As soon as we got there my doctor was paged. The waiting seemed to take more time than eternity had to give. Finally, my doctor arrived, and within moments, he examined me and then asked me to push. The disappointment seemed to pour out of him from my attempt at pushing and he countered by telling me we would be waiting around all day if I didn’t try harder.
Well, being the competitive person I am thought to myself, “I’ll show you!” We waited for the next contraction and then he asked me to push again, so with all of the strength I could muster, I pushed so hard that the baby came flying out of me like a rocket – placenta and all!! If we had a radar gun it would have read 100 mph! My doctor had to catch the baby with both hands! He couldn’t believe what I had done, he didn’t even have time to put on his goggles and he was hitting the call button with his elbow requesting towels – stat. Blood was all over everyone and we couldn’t help but laugh hysterically. Rhett was so embarrassed and kept asking us to quiet down, he didn’t want us to wake up the patients down the hall.
It sounds unbelievable and like something out of a 1990’s comedy about pregnancy, but honestly, it’s the pure truth! Our third baby flew into this world like a comet from space! It helps explain how he is flying through life now. After he was born, we realized that we hadn’t decided on a name. Rhett and I were having so much fun trying to come up with a name. We thought of so many names to do with how fast he was born but then my sister Karen came up with the perfect name. Before we knew it several local news stations were calling, they wanted to interview me on TV and to introduce our newborn baby born on 6-6-6 with the name, any guesses?
Family picture in Albion Basin, Utah
Christian!!! The perfect name for a perfect baby born on “the devil’s day!”
I hesitate writing this part of the story but we got such a good laugh out of it that I can’t resist.
A couple of days after Christian was born, my sister Karen called me laughing her head off. She asked if I saw Grandma’s letter. My Grandma Rose would send weekly emails to family and friends all over the country updating us on the happenings of the family. She announced that I had given birth to a healthy baby boy and that I had gotten “skid marks!” It would be an understatement to say that I was mortified! I assumed everyone reading the letter would wonder why she would make such an announcement. To make it clear, I didn’t get “those” kind of skid marks!! “During childbirth, you might tear, bruise or get what is lovingly referred to as “skid marks” – a kind of graze on the inside of the birth canal which is extremely painful.” It has more to do with burning rubber when you take your vehicle from 0 to 100, and less to do with what you find in a little boys underwear!!
Grandma lovingly taking care of baby Christian
Another chapter of our story had commenced, and in more ways than one it felt perfect. My parents were living with us, we had three beautiful boys, and business was good! Little did we know that our story was about to change.
I must continue on our story, as I have yet to explain and expand briefly on some very important moments in our lives to get us to where we are today. We, of course, had our fourth boy, Kaleb, and many more deeply affecting life junctures around the same time.
We spent the next year in Sandy, and we put in an offer on the house. During this time we were able to sell our homes in Stansbury Park and Tooele. Our offer was not accepted though, and so, we were on the hunt for a new home. It wasn’t as easy as the first time and we looked at countless homes but nothing felt right.
Then one day, I got a call from a friend of ours who was also a general contractor. He needed me to meet him at the home of a well known celebrity who had just moved to Utah. The subdivison was newly developed, and while I had heard of it, I had never ventured there to see it myself. I remember commenting on the home that was for sale next door. Within two months we had moved in!!
We were finally home and everything felt right. The home was beautiful and perfect. There was a fully finished basement with a second kitchen and laundry room for my parents. Plus, business was going better than expected and we felt on top of the world. Suprisingly, I was once again pregnant with our fourth baby and gave birth to him exactly one year to the day after a very emotional miscarriage.
At that time came the financial crisis of 2008. This indeed affected the renovation and building industries, quite badly, in fact. As many as 200,000 small businesses closed during and after the financial recession. Rhett and I worried nightly as we talked to many of our clients and builders, whom we had worked with for years, who decided to close their doors and could not pay us for the work we had completed. As our competition started to close up shop we thought for sure we were next. But this was not an option for us and we were not going to give up. Our whole family, on both mine and Rhett’s side, and a couple of our good friends were so supportive during these times, that I can only be thankful to have such wonderful people surrounding me in this world and will forever be eternally grateful.
But even harder than the financial crisis we were facing came the news that my father had been diagnosed with Leukemia. Once again, I felt like I was living under a black cloud. I couldn’t sleep at night and I couldn’t take all the pressure and pain I was feeling. I needed my daddy and couldn’t imagine my life without him in it. He has always been a strong and independent man whom others had looked up to. I could tell he didn’t want anyone to worry, but as a family, we were totally distraught. He pushed forward with the grace and strenth that only a soldier could muster. Our family always remembers him saying, “Once a marine, always a marine!” He was a Vietnam veteran, and he also served in the Gulf War as a civilian contractor. He had so much love for our country and would have given his life for it.
We kept a blog of his struggle and the 18 months of fighting Leukemia that took over our lives. Trust me, I can’t write this without tearing up, and I don’t think many people can read our blog for him without doing so as well. You can see the blog here.
This was the most trying time of my life. I was working harder then ever to manage our business while also taking care of my dad and his needs. This is when I knew we were in the right place at the right time (more on what I am talking about later). It is still incredibly hard to write these words and realize that I won’t see my doting and strong father on this earth anymore.
Because he was a patriot, and I mean what the word used to mean there and not trying to be political, he always had an American flag flying at home. When he lived with us, I had been meaning to put up a large flag as he requested, but never got around to doing it. Now, however, our farm has a massive flag flying on a large flagpole. I think of him every time I look at it and remember him and who he was: my father, my mother’s prince charming, a loving, wonderful man, large in stature with the kindest heart, the patriot.
Thankfully my beautiful mother still lives with us and is a huge part of our lives. I am very blessed and can only be thankful for the precious time I had with my dad and the example he was to my wonderful husband and our band of boys. I love you daddy!!
The Collins Family
We've grown a family in the city, now we are growing animals on a farm. Follow our transition into country living!
Rhett and I didn’t even have to discuss anything before we both blurted out, “Move in with us!!” It didn’t take a moment of my parents sharing the same ‘couple’s telekinesis’ before they simultaneously said “YES!” What a crazy, wonderful, surprising 10 minutes that was! It was shocking for me to believe they would so easily leave their home of 30 years to move in with our growing family. The boys had become their everyday life, so living without them and going back to a quiet life at home seemed far too foreign to them it turned out.
