Dare to Imagine: 100 Features of my Dream Farm and Home

Last December, all of our dreams seemed to be on hold. I still had a semester to go of grad school, and I had struggled the previous semester. I was frustrated at work, and didn't see much on the horizon. Brad also was hating is job, in particular the hours he was working. We were just making ends meet, and needless to say, it was frustrating. Worst of all, I had just been diagnosed with a rare form of Chronic Pain Syndrome, and the medication had terrible side effects.

In January we started Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover to get our finances in order and work toward living a debt free life. After that, things started to fall into place for us. Eight months later we both have new jobs we are happy with. I finished graduate school in June and it felt amazing. Our finances are much more under control, and my doctor worked with me to find medication that actually works without crazy side effects. Best of all, we were able to renovate a trailer on the family farm and move out of our apartment into a home we love.

For the first time in a long time, I feel free to dream big, particularly with regard to our family's farm and what we want to do with it. Here is a list of things I want to make happen on our farm and home over the next several years.

1. A really awesome outdoor swing…or three.
2. A new house across from my parents.
3. Flower boxes on the porch. 
4. A large vegetable garden.
5. Several fruit trees that produce the kind of fruit you actually want to eat.
6. A nice grilling area in the back yard.
7. Egg laying chickens and a nice chicken coop for them to live in.
8. A really amazing craft room.
9. A workshop for Brad.
10. A workout space. 
11. A playroom for kids.
12. Sliding chalkboard doors for said playroom.
13. A really comfortable guest room with a day bed. 
14. A mud room.
15. Kids bedrooms that they actually want to spend time in. 
16. Wine bottle chandelier.
17. A covered arena with deep sand for riding. 
18. An 8 stall barn with a tack room, office, wash stall and feed room. 
19. Washer and dryer in the barn for horse laundry.
20. An outdoor dog kennel. 
21. Kid's playground.
22. Outdoor gardening table.
23. A home office that promotes overall wellness. There's a treadmill desk and fitness ball chair I'm drooling over. 
24. Excellent storage space.
25. A good homework station for kids. 
26. An overall theme of country/vintage/rustic.
27. A kitchen with in wall ovens.
28. A kitchen island. 
29. A large and functional pantry. 
30. A cozy reading nook.
31. An adorable kids bathroom. I'm feeling a rubber duck theme.
32. A very dog friendly home. 
33. Rescued barn cats. 
34. Tables made out of whiskey barrels cut in half.
35. A chalkboard menu board for the kitchen. 
36. A dog wash station in the mud room. 
37. A horseshoe inlaid to the wood floor right when you walk in the front door. 
38. A cork board calendar. 
39. An herb garden.
40. One of those awesome multi directional showers. 
41. A kid friendly guest house for people to stay in for fun or the night before a horse show. 
42. Weekly riding lessons taught on the farm. (Not by me.)
43. A place to screen outdoor movies. 
44. Fruit bushes and vines. 
45. A treehouse on the property.
46. Tractor and haybaler.
47. Fully equipped for dressage, jumping and trail.
48. A calm, kind horse to ride.
49. Automatic waterers.
50. Effective insurance policy. 
51. High premium placed on safety. 
52. A scholarship program available for young riders. 
53. A judging team. 
54. Young rider involvement in the AMHA horsemastership program. 
55. Young rider involvement in 4-H
56. Large library of references for all of farm happenings.
57. Wide variety of activities for horse lover.
58. Communal tack and riding clothing to save people money. 
59. Barn members that play an active roll in fundraising. 
60. All animals receiving the highest standard of care. 
61. Van available for carpooling to events.
62. A reward system to motivate young riders to do well in school.
63. A heavy wood dining room table that can hold those I love comfortably. 
64. A decent amount of artwork on display.
65. Comfortable rocking chairs.
66. A large front porch. 
67. A beautiful staircase. 
68. A tire swing (and yes, I know I already mentioned a swing, but I really love swings!)
69. Canned food to help to contribute to sustainable living.
70. Rustic signage.
71. Decor created with love. 
72. Rental cottage.
73. A pool.
74. High ceilings in the house.
75. A space to hula hoop in. 
76. Color throughout the house. 
77. A library.
78. A really cool looking bookshelf. 
79. A safe area for horses who need to rest.
80. An enclosed round pen.
81. Hot walkers.
82. Dutch doors in the barn.
83. A cupola in the barn.
84. A functional hayloft. 
85. A tack room with excellent organization.
86. A locker room for riders.
87. A display area to celebrate the accomplishments of barn members.
88. Community involvement of barn members.
89. A nice truck and trailer to travel in. 
90. A sliding barn door somewhere in the house.
91. Recycled pieces incorporated into the garden.
92. Wooden feed bins. 
93. Alternative exercise classes for riders.
94. The possibility of hosting a wedding or other big event. 
95. Horseshoes worked into the decor.
96.  A potting table.
97. High ceilings in the barn.
98. Comfortable observation area of the riding areas. 
99. Trails to ride on.
100. Horseshoe wall of fame from horses of my past. 

What are your dreams for your future home or current home?