We took a break from farm life in Colorado and went to farm life in France, with an added bonus of a beach nearby! Family illness took us over the pond- since Je was going to have to go for at least a month, we all went and then were all able to visit with family/cousins.

The boys have traveled a lot since they were born. Either short trips back to Missouri or long trips to France. So they’re used to traveling I’d say, but I don’t think Je and I will ever get used to flying with them. To be quite honest, in comparison to how they could’ve been, they were perfect travelers. In comparison to traveling without kids, it was uh not relaxing. On the way to the airport, 10 minutes after leaving the yurt, Marceau whines “it’s takin so loooong”. We were like “ehh buddy, still a long ways to go!”.

For the first month, Hugo kept asking me “why do people keep speaking French here?”. Which is hilarious because when he was 2, he said more French words than English. And he hears French a lot from Je and his grandmere. So that was really funny to me. The boys’ French got pretty good by the end of the trip, so I hope we can keep that up when we’re back in the US. They’re so lucky to have a parent whose first language isn’t English, so we need to make sure they take advantage!

Enjoy our photo dump below! The boys loved going back to our old house…and so did we 🙂

We’re about halfway through our first winter living in the yurt, and we still love living in it, so that’s a win!

There have been some unexpected challenges and definitely one thing that I dislike, but overall, it’s been a great experience! This land we’re on has such a special meaning to our family, from the way we found it to all the short weekends we spent on it before moving here. It is something that I hope we’ll have forever, something to give to the boys when we’re too old to take care of it anymore.

Let’s talk about heat! Boy does our wood stove work well! We have it running every day pretty much. I like to be extra warm and sometimes I smoke Je out and he has to open the doors to cool it off. But at any rate, we’re not cold that’s for sure. Some mornings we’ll wake up and it’s in the 50s inside, but that’s just because we don’t stoke the fire during the night. The in floor heat is working wonderfully, but we are definitely crushing through propane because the slab isn’t insulated like a house, and the walls of the yurt are not as insulated as a house. But it’s only temporary living until we have our house built.

Let’s talk about the WIND. The gusts of wind around here can get crazy- we’ve probably had 50 mph gusts on some nights. And when it’s windy, you basically don’t sleep (well, the boys do but not Je or I). Since the yurt isn’t as insulated as a house, you hear the wind as if you’re outside. I’ve almost completely gotten over my fear of the yurt blowing over in the night so that’s good! And luckily it’s only windy like that a few times a month. But I’d say that’s the only downfall of living in the yurt- the rest is great!

Now for an animal update. Mice have found their way to my car! I’ve never in my life had a mouse problem in my car, but I guess it’s super common where we are, with or without a garage. So to scare off the mice, Santa brought the boys each a kitten for Christmas! They live in the shed where it’s heated just enough to keep it above freezing. And they have a cat door to go in and out. They haven’t caught a mouse yet that I’ve seen, but I think they’re doing a good job of keeping mice away just by their scent. I’m hoping we have at least one good hunter out of the two.

I think we say almost daily how lucky we are to be in such a magical place. We also have recently discovered an owl that lives in the trees nearby, so we hear him almost every night after dark- amazing! Living out in the middle of the woods has its challenges, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. That’s it for my winter update…Enjoy some pictures below 🙂

(We are officially moved into the yurt as of last week, but here is the update prior to that.)

We’re really trying to wrap up the finishing touches and slowly move in without having to pack everything in boxes and have one big “move in day”. We’ve had a very busy July and beginning of August! We’ve been working on the yurt a ton and sleeping there 2-4 nights a week. Marceau also turned TWO at the end of July, so we took some family time to celebrate.

Kitchen update: we have countertops and a backsplash! I thought I could live with a plywood countertop longer, but I kept getting splinters. And we used the kitchen all day long, so it is nice to now have a wipeable surface. We decided on a tile countertop, but considered butcher block and stone/quartz. Tile countertops are pretty common in France. Je had them in his house in Bonson and they were really nice I thought. Tile countertops are also very inexpensive! It cost about $350 to do the countertop and the backsplash. Je did an awesome job on the tile job. The only imperfection in the tile is the small part I helped with that’s not at all straight!

Loft update: Je finished the loft floor about a month ago. We found some leftover bamboo flooring that someone had from a project, so the floor cost us about $500, and we still have a lot leftover. I’ve never had a bamboo floor before and I have to say it’s really nice! The loft space is much smaller than we expected, but we had to compromise on either the loft or headroom in the boys room/bathroom. And we’d rather have the extra space downstairs. The loft fits our king bed and Hugo’s old dresser just fine.

We’ve debated a lot about what kind of stairs/ladder to put for the loft. We considered a spiral staircase, but they take up a lot of room. We also had to consider where to put the stairs/ladder- the sides of the loft are so low that you had to climb up somewhere in the middle so you didn’t hit your head. I really didn’t want a ladder ladder, so Je built me what I’ll call a “stadder”- half stairs half ladder. It’s definitely closer to a ladder, but it was cheap and quick to build, so for now it’s good. Je built it so that it folds up from the bottom- that way we can keep the ladder folded up during the day so the boys can’t go up there. We’re obviously putting a railing- which is in progress now, but I still don’t want them up there. I’ve never seen two smaller humans be more destructive than Hugo and Marceau (like a human tornado), and I don’t need dirt in the bed and clothes pulled out of the drawers!

The last part of the loft update is the railing. We haven’t had one for a few weeks, and I was a bit nervous sleeping up there in a new space without something to stop me from rolling off. The first night up there, I was sleeping like 3 feet down in the bed so I didn’t accidentally fall off. I don’t usually move in my sleep but sometimes I’m a bit disoriented in a new space. A few days later, Je started working on the loft railing. Je and Hugo went into the meadow to cut down some aspen trees for it. Hugo was so pumped to be doing some big boy work. He even came up the big hill from the meadow carrying a small trunk. After his second trip he told me “mama, when I come back, I’m going to be hungry!” Ha it was so cute. So now every time we look at the railing, we’ll know Hugo helped.

We also celebrated our first birthday in the yurt- Marceau turning 2!

Nope! Not there yet. We kind of knew it wouldn’t happen, but it did light quite the fire. We could really move in the next few days, but I think Je is going to finish a few more things before we start moving furniture over.

Look how much we’ve gotten done the past few weeks! I’ve also included some fun pictures as well.

Our goal is to move into the yurt June 22nd, regardless of what’s outstanding (obviously we at least need to have the bathroom and kitchen water running). I originally wanted to wait to move in until it was 100% done and decorated, but there is so much to do and it’s really hard getting stuff done with the boys around. Like really hard. So we’re just moving in a few weeks and finishing up work while we’re living there. Ill give a quick update below.

Patio: We we’re going to do our patio/deck with Trex (the manufactured wood that almost has a lining over it that lasts forever). But because the world is going down the pooper and there are supply issues everywhere, we can’t get the Trex materials anytime soon. So wood it is! Wood is a third of the price, so I guess it’s not too bad. Je started the patio today. We’re doing a floating patio (recently discovered that’s an actual name), with no railing. So you’ll step down into the yard from the patio, and then we’ll put up a fence that closes in part of the yard and the patio. This way, the boys can play on the patio or yard and be contained in a fence.

Kitchen: the kitchen wall is fully closed now. So we just need to plaster and paint it. We’ve move our appliances in and they’re just waiting to the side. I was working on painting kitchen base cabinets, but I haven’t gotten far at all. So Je will likely be installing the cabinets sans paint and I’ll have to finish when we move in. We haven’t decided on a countertop either. But I figure we’ll do that later- so many things still to think about!

Bathroom: most of the wall is plastered, except the wall in the picture below. Once that’s done, we can paint. Je tested all the water lines yesterday and none leak (yay!). We can start using the water once the tub is connected. I had to order a new faucet for the clawfoot tub because we were missing a piece that I couldn’t order separately. That should be here next week. Eventually Je will install a wall in between the clawfoot tub and the hot water heater, but that’s not critical for now (it’s just a cosmetic thing).

Boys’ room: this is basically done! It’s all painted. I just need to do some baseboards. I think I’ll use 1x3s, sand the edges, and put a coat of this hemp oil on them and call it good. I also want to paint the doors (here and in the bathroom) but, again, that’s just cosmetic so I’ll do it later.

The only thing I didn’t show was the living room. We just need to paint the wall in there. Let’s see how far we get before move in day… ☺️

At the end of my last post, I said we bought some new baby chicks- 14 to be exact. I thought we bought 15 (which is what my receipt said), and I had a panic when we got home and only counted 14, but turns out we never had a 15th. Counting chickens is like counting shy guys in the Mario Party mini games (if you’re from the 90s/00s era of Nintendo 64). It’s hard because they never stay put, so you’re wondering if you’ve double counted or missed one. But we have 14.

The chicks lived in our house for 2 weeks right next to the couch. We let them outside most days and put them in a temporary chicken run that Mochi and Marceau could easily break into. But it was just to let them get some air, move around and scratch for bugs in the dirt.

We started the coop two weekends ago and it’s the same shed kit we used for the utility shed outside the yurt. Only difference is that the utility shed has a concrete floor with in floor heating, and the coop is just a wood base.

Two days after moving the chicks into the coop, there was a forest fire close to the yurt. The forest service decided to do a controlled burn two days before high winds were expected and while in a severe drought- guess what happened? The controlled fire was never put out and the wind restarted it so it was now uncontrolled. We were about 5.5 miles from the actual fire. Je and I didn’t find out about the fire until we headed to the yurt one Thursday night to go work and we saw a massive cloud of smoke from the county road. Instead of working, we grabbed the chicks and took them back to the condo.

The strong winds carried the fire away from us and Friday brought some rain/snow. So we were lucky the yurt and property were fine. But honestly it’s so dry in Colorado right now that I know it won’t be the last time we have a scare.

We’re so thankful that our family and farm is safe from the fire 🙏🏼, and we’re very excited that the chicks now have a new home. Enjoy the pictures below 🤗

We are getting so close to moving in! These last few months have been so busy. I work 3 days a week at home, and when I’m not working, Je is at the yurt working. We’ve been trying to take breaks occasionally to do fun things as a family (like our new favorite- bike rides along the river!). But it’s also hard to take a break when you know there are a thousand things you should be doing.

So, now for the update. Plumbing and electric are done- bravo Je!! I think it’s fairly obvious, but I didn’t help much with the plumbing or electric. So I couldn’t even explain to you what is going on in some of these pictures. I will say that I helped decide where to put the light switches and outlets, and that was a hard enough decision for me. Luckily, it’s a small space, so that made it easier.

We’ve also almost finished dry walling all the walls and ceiling. The circular shape is making it so hard to measure and cut pieces for the ceiling. I was trying to dig up highschool math (which I actually wasn’t bad at at the time) but honestly I need to go back to a textbook for this. Luckily, Je has more patience than me when it comes to figuring this stuff out, and he’s finished dry walling all the ceilings. All that’s left to do is the living room and kitchen/bathroom wall.

After we finish the boys room, I’ll be able to help Je a little more. Hugo has been fine when we’re at the yurt as long as he has a hammer or a drill, but Marceau at his age (almost 2) is so difficult when we’re there.

We bought 14 chicks last week 😬 No, our chicken coop isn’t built yet, but chicks are only available around here during the spring. And it’ll take awhile before they lay any eggs. So I guess you could say it’s a bit hectic around here 🤪. As I’m typing this, the chicks are all snuggled together in their brooder next to the couch. That’s all for now- this blog post is all over the place which is consistent with how I feel. But everyone is healthy, the boys are freaking adorable and we’re very lucky- so no complaints. 💛

We have been chipping away at the yurt checklist for a few months now. We’re thinking we’ll be moved in sometime in May. I can’t wait to get settled just in time for summer! Our progress has slowed a bit with sicknesses and me going back to work part time, but we’re getting there! I go help Je when I can, and I can’t do much when I am there because I’m on kid duty, so he’s pretty much doing everything on his own. For one person, he’s accomplished a LOT since September!

Electricity update: Our solar panels are up! We installed them right before Christmas. We also have the electric wiring pulled through to the shed where our batteries and panel are. The only thing left to do is pull the wire from the shed to the yurt now. Pulling the wires from the panels to the shed was a mission. Our neighbor accidentally cut the electric pipe awhile back, which cut the string that ran through the whole pipe. So we did this vacuum trick where you put the vacuum hose on the end of the pipe in the shed, and it pulled a plastic bag tied to the string so we could get the wire through.

Water update: Our water pump is installed in the cistern. Our water pressure tank needs to be hooked up sometime soon. It’s been sitting in the shipping container for awhile. And the plumber is coming to deliver our hot water heater this week. That will go in the yurt hidden in the bathroom behind a small wall. We also just purchased an awesome water filter system that arrived the other day. Our water is almost like a golden color out of the well. So we definitely needed a good filter. It also has a water conditioner which will help with the hard water we have here in CO.

Yurt inside update: Our wood stove is in and functioning! It heats up the yurt so well. Even on the coldest day, we can get the yurt up to 68 in no time. And that’s without our in floor heating turned on. So I think we’ll be plenty toasty!

We had to cut a hole in the yurt to put the wood stove pipe in. That was nerve wrecking! But it turned out great. Je made us a nice, super strong support for the stove pipe outside. I may try to stain the wood supports this summer so they match the yurt trim, but that’s on my long list of not so important things to do.

We started on the interior walls in February and they’re all done. Je is currently working on the loft floor. The cost of wood right now is INSANE! Makes me thankful we’re not building an actual house just yet. We’ve found a few mom and pop shops that are selling lumber at the cost they bought it before prices soared, so definitely a bit cheaper, but still. I’m happy we bought most of our wood before the spike last week (wrote this in early March- now the prices are even worse).

We’ve talked a lot about the layout of the yurt, and I’m such a visual person that it was hard to make a decision. We knew where the kitchen/bathroom wall had to be, so Je put that up and just went from there. Honestly, I feel like we could have done the layout 20 different ways and all of them would’ve been great. We’re good at adapting to whatever space we have. There is a back door in the yurt, so we also made a small pantry/back entrance which I think will be nice to have.

What’s up next? Well, Je finished our loft sub floor and has done most of the electric work (i.e. installing all the outlets). We’re hoping to get the plumbing and electric done next so Je can close up the walls with drywall.

We also just bought a second hand clawfoot tub for the bathroom so we’re going to start refinishing the inside of that!

We have a new addition to the family, and it’s a girl! Her name is Mochi and she’s a Colorado Mountain Dog, a mix of livestock guardian dogs (she is specifically Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd).

A few weeks ago, I was on the hunt for barn cats on Craigslist. Not for now, but for around April when we move in the yurt. I stumbled upon these puppies Saturday night, we visited them Monday and brought Mochi home Tuesday! That’s how it was when we got Odin- super quick. Je and I both love puppies, so we couldn’t resist. What’s a little more chaos 😉

Although we found and bought her quickly, we’ve actually been talking about getting a livestock guardian dog for awhile now. No, we don’t have any livestock yet. But we wanted a big dog that would follow the boys around when they’re outside and be their protector. We never leave them unattended, but it’s a big piece of property and there are big predators. So I feel much better knowing the kids have a dog companion.

And for those of you who know our other dog Odin (6 year old Golden Retriever), he’s not much of a guardian. Yes he has a mean bark, but sometimes I watch the kids playing outside through the window and Odin will be at the door, back to the kids, waiting to come in. We’ll just say that Odin is Je’s guardian because that’s the person he follows.

Mochi was born outside and lived fully outdoors until she became part of our family. She lived on a small farm an hour north of us with chickens, sheep and goats. They also have big predators there, but their LGDs were always on patrol. And I don’t believe they had any livestock losses from big predators because of that.

I’m not well versed in training LGDs really. But I did read that the most important thing is that the puppy first bonds with his or her charges (whatever livestock she’s in charge of). For us, kids=charges, so Mochi goes everywhere the boys go. And she also naps with Hugo (at her own request) and sleeps with him at night.

We’ll see how the guardian training progresses, but we couldn’t be happier with our new addition!

Im another words, the interior walls of the yurt are up, so we’re moving along!

Before I get into the actual yurt pitch, I wanted to share the process of staining our concrete! We stayed at an Airbnb close by the property when we were land hunting in 2019, and they had concrete heated floors. And it really seemed like such a practical floor for us! Unless you have a really big mud room entrance, it’s inevitable that the floors are going to get pretty filthy being in Colorado in the middle of nature. I also wanted a lighter color floor to hide the dirt and footprints because I know I’m not going to mop every day.

I watched a few YouTube videos on concrete staining, and figured it looked easy enough. All together, it cost roughly $600 in supplies to do the floor, and only about 3 hours total between the staining and then sealing. We bought Brickform acid stain in the amber color and sealed it with a semi gloss finish. I thought glossy would show too many footprints and muck, and I’m all about trying to hide the dirt! We took a time lapse video of the process, and it was honestly really easy! The hardest part was keeping the boys off the slab while we did it.

And now for the yurt pitch videos. The pitch took about 1.5 days. We hired the pitch crew at Colorado Yurt Company because we didn’t think we’d be able to get enough people to help for a few consecutive days. Also, we still have yet to find a babysitter in this town, and no way could we get this done with the two dudes running around. So grateful we were able to hire a pitch crew because it gave us the chance to take a break and watch! Enjoy 😊

The only thing I wish we’d done differently is order more windows. We have 4, but I’d like one more on each side of the front half of the yurt so you get a good view of the mountains. I think we may add some after we get the inside finished, but for now, we’re going to focus on the interior walls and loft. P