Getting "The Barn" ready for Wedding's...............

Its been quite a while since I have had time to write about the progress at "The Barn."  The past couple of months have truly been a whirlwind.  We are at the point where all of the final details are coming together, but with Chris & I working full-time in addition to our new little budding business at "The Farm" we have had to call in a team of experts to help us.   As I had been traveling quite a bit for work, my husband called his parents who live in Tennessee and asked them to come help us on "The Farm" through Thanksgiving.  They joyfully accepted and have been living with us for the past  4 weeks and I cannot tell you how they have blessed our family during this time.  I am forever grateful for all that they are doing for us and our girls.

My mother-in-law, Wendy, is absolutely amazing, she has been helping us with the kids and so many of the household duties to keep "The Farm Bakery & Events" going.  What I love the most is when I came back from traveling for work, our girls turned into budding pianist's because they were actually practicing.  The girls enjoy coming home after school every day for afternoon tea with "Gran."  Its amazing what we can all accomplish with an extra set of hands, its allowed both Chris & I to be able to breathe.  

What my father-in-law did not realize was that I was secretly saving all of our old barn wood for him to make tables for our newly renovated barn, as well as a rustic arbor for ceremonies on "The Farm."  He is a master wood-worker and has made some amazing things for us in the past and I knew this would be an awesome project for him and a great way to re-use all of the old wood.  What I love about this, is that he was not sure that the wood was going to be re-usable, as he had never quite done anything like this, especially with such old wood.  Some of the pieces he used for these tables are close to 200 years old.  Well from the pictures, I hope you can see that these tables are coming along amazing.  He is still putting the finishing details on them, but I cannot wait to see these in "The Barn" for either the Bride & Groom's special table or even a beautiful display for a rustic dessert bar done on site from The Farm Bakery!  

There is much more to be done, "The Barn" is in the process of being stained and the electrical upgrade is occurring.  I will be really excited to see all of the interior Edison Bulb lighting that will give "The Barn" a special glow for our nighttime weddings.  This is truly a team effort here at "The Farm" between my Dad & Kara, our amazing bakers, baking almost everyday through thanksgiving and the team of people working on all of the other projects its only by God that we are all joyfully taking each next step.  

Many more updates and exciting things to come, stay tuned for more on "The Farm."

Blessings,

Chris & Becca 

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10

Weddings at "The Farm"....

photograph by Stacy Salvatori

Our "Barn" has undergone a complete restoration this Summer.  Each piece of old wood has been taken down piece by piece and replaced with new wood to bring "The Barn" back to its glory days of the 1820's.  Our goal with this restoration was to preserve as much of the old as we could, but also when adding the new wood, mimic the way it was originally built back in the 1800's.  We still have to stain the exterior and the interior of "The Barn", as well as re-finish the floors!  We are really excited about the progress and cannot wait to see all of the finished details.  My Mother-in-Law sent me this beautiful poem below and I could not agree more with everything written here.  This was written by guests who stayed at their bed-n-breakfast in Tennessee in a book called "Priceless Company" by Kathryn Anne Sias.  What a beautiful picture of God's strength in our lives.  As we look to be a solid ground for many lives at "The Farm" we pray and ask that God continues to guide our plans, our decisions in all that we do with this barn to truly bless each and every couple that starts their journey here together.

"The Beauty of An Old Barn"

How does my friend see the beauty in an old barn?  Its foundation unstable, even sometimes crumbling all around.  It must be the beams so large and strong, maybe it's the old wood on the outside, weathered and worn.  Could it be the size or shape that catches her eye?  I wonder as I once seen a round barn with no corners to hide.  It can't be the color, as most are faded from age, it must be that she knows just why these old barns were made, to be a covering to protect someone's belongings, cattle or food.  The beauty of an old barn, what a splendor, aged and rugged and close to my friends heart, so tender.  The structure of the Lord, surrounding our soul, His Word, His Blessings and all that take control.  As viewed on the outside, should be solid and strong.  The beauty of the Lords's touch should want one to long.  As the strength of an old barn can weather any storm, so should we as He is our strength, for anything that comes along.

"Honor and majesty are before him:  strength and beauty are his sanctuary."

Psalm 96:6

We look forward to hosting our first Wedding at "The Farm."  The barn will ready for Weddings and Special Events in the Spring of 2017.  Please email us at meyersfarmybakery@yahoo.com or call 215-272-2301 for rental information, our preferred vendor list and any additional questions.

Sincerely, 

Chris & Becca Lynde

The Barn Doors & Floors....

These past couple of weeks have truly been flying by.  It's hard to believe its September already and the kids are finishing their second week back to school.  We are really excited and the work of the Amish Crew is almost coming to a close.  They are working to finish the floors and the barn doors, as well as all of the little details.  

We have replaced the front barn door that used to be a metal garage door with big wooden doors that our Amish builders built.  There will be sliding barn doors covering the entire front opening, as well as new sliding wooden barn doors out the back to really open up the space.  This will make sure we have great cross-wind in the barn during weddings and special events.  The front barn opening measures 14 feet high by 14 feet wide, its massive when these new doors are open!  Check out the pictures below for a sneak peak

In addition, they have been working to replace the floors in the barn.  The floors down the sides of the barn had to be completely replaced.  There was basically old plywood that had been put down as the floors.  In the middle, there were still beautiful big old planks.  Our Amish builders have put the new floors down on the sides, but are taking up the old flooring in the center, re-planing the planks to place back down in the center.  This area will most likely be the future dance floor for many wedding celebrations.

Although the Amish builders are almost done with their part, there is still much to be done.  We will now start working on painting/staining the interior and exterior.  In addition, we need to re-point some of the old stone work as well as start the landscaping.  We will also add some really nice flowering trees, a rustic wooden arbor for wedding ceremonies, as well as a few stone patios for additional cocktail/hor d'oeuvres areas.  For some of the finishing details we are looking forward to stringing market lights in the back of the barn, lighting up several of the trees, as will as adding some great lighting inside the barn to truly make it a magical place to host weddings and special events.  Maybe Chris & I will have to renew our vows again, I would love to plan a wedding here!  We look forward to moving along in the project and if you know of a bride and groom in search of a great new wedding venue, please send them our way.  We are starting to book for the Spring of 2017 and beyond.

Warmly,

Chris & Becca Lynde

The Barn Sags......

The back of our barn pre-renovation. 

When discussing the scope of the renovation with our Amish builder he pointed out how the south-facing part of the barn had seen the most wear.  My family has lived at "The Farm" for over 44 years and even dating back to before the previous owner they repaired the roof by adding a slate roof on top of the cedar shake roof.  The weight of that roof for over potentially 100 years caused the barn to really sag.  As a solution he decided to replace the metal columns holding up the backside of the barn with huge wooden beams.  Its hard to even capture how big these beams are in the pictures.  He also added some wooden angle supports to finish the space and keep consistent with the rest of the barn.  What I love is how they used wooden pegs to put the beams together.  Their craftsmanship throughout this process and how quickly they work has been really unbelievable.  We are about 6 weeks into the renovation and the barn is really close to being completed, or should I say at least the Amish builders portion.  There is still a lot of work to be done to complete the project, but we are really excited with how all of the pieces are coming together.  So, now the back of the barn has now received a well needed "lift!" 

As we approach "Labor Day" weekend I hope you all take some time to rest, spend time with God, and enjoy your families! 

Happy Labor Day!

-Becca & Chris

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  

Matthew 11:28-30

Our "Goliath".....

Some of the beams in the barn are over 32 feet long, which is unbelievable.

This past week has surely been a whirlwind at "The Farm."  The floors are starting to be laid in the barn and the big front wooden doors have been installed.  (I have some updated pictures below.)  Anyone who has gone through a renovation can probably relate that at times there just seems like an endless list of things that need to get done.  This week we have been working on all of the little details that will make a big difference.  The final design of the glass doors, what will the stain color be on the exterior and interior.  We took some time this weekend to meet with an old friend who will be helping us with the landscape design.  We're also beginning to plan the electrical work, do we burry the lines do we upgrade the panel?   All of these things need to be decided, while at the same time trying to maintain on track with our budget.  In addition to the Barn details, we also are so excited about the bakery.  We have been getting more orders for fundraisers and the farmers markets are really starting to take off.  All of that being said, Chris and I are both balancing full-time jobs that we love and the bakery/barn renovation are what I would call more of our passion.  Sometimes we get into bed and wonder "Are we doing the right thing?"  

This morning we had to take a step back and re-set our priorities.  The girls came in our room this morning after they woke up and we really felt like we needed to spend some time with God as a family.   Of course the first thing they asked is "Can we watch TV?"  We told them before doing anything we need to spend some time with God, so go get your bibles and come back to our room.  Miss. Charlie our 4 year old, almost 5 year old had her little bible and we asked her what story she wanted to read, she turned to the story of "David and Goliath."  So we read the story in her kids bible, then read it in Gracie's bible which is a little older version and then Chris read it in his bible.  (1 Samuel 17)  I can't tell you how many times I've heard that story and read it, not only as a child, but also an adult.  But today, it was like I was hearing it for the first time.  As Chris was reading the words, I started thinking about how often we limit God's power, do we really believe we can beat a huge giant like "Goliath?"   This little shepherd David was the only one who was brave enough and trusted in God with every piece of his heart that he would beat Goliath.  I kept asking myself if I was witnessing this in real-time what would I be thinking?  Here you have this tiny shepherd who is going to take down a giant with a single stone and a sling shot.  I guess my whole point of this story is that we all face "Goliath's" in our lives, that distract us, defeat us and take our focus of our one and only priority  which should be "God."  If we keep him our main priority, whenever "Goliath" comes our way, we will no doubt be able to overcome it, not by our own strength, but by the living God who works through us.  

So this week as we start another crazy week of to-do's and endless tasks, I pray that we continue to keep God at the forefront.  Let him guide our actions, our decisions and plans to make sure we accomplish all what he wants us to do, and not sweat the small stuff.  So we are once again giving our "Goliath" over to God and trusting he will guide us every step of the way.  We are so excited to see the finished project and are even more excited to host our first Wedding!!!  

-Becca & Chris

"You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."  

1 Samuel 17:45-46