I’m Sasha and I have a habit of biting off more than I can chew.. literally and figuratively. My love of fresh seasonal ingredients extends to the recipes I create and share and my need to take on projects that far exceed my current skill set is how I became a first time home owner of a fixer upper farmhouse.
Fair Robin Revival is a space to share my favorite home-cooked meals using fresh, seasonal ingredients, renovations of our mid-century farmhouse, and learning how to start a small farm here in Iowa. My goal is to inspire others to find a love for home-cooking, getting their hands dirty, and going after their passions.
I fell in love with this little brick house and officially made my first home purchase in February of 2019. We’re coming up on our 1 year mark and it’s been a wild ride already! Country living isn’t always the quaint peaceful picture it’s painted to be. Sometimes it involves learning how to herd the neighbor’s cattle back over the fence, receiving “gifts” from the dog (half rotted skulls and deer legs usually), and home renovation surprises like an improperly capped water line suddenly bursting and spraying all over the basement, followed by an underground water main leak that cost $400. Let’s just say we’ve run into a lot of water and plumbing related issues so far!
And we love it all.. because in between these crazy moments we get to enjoy the beauty of this land, talk about our plans and our life here in the future, and appreciate just how grateful we are that life has it’s way of falling into place as it should. THAT’S what I want to share… the good, bad, ugly, and truly amazing.
The story of the farm..
The home was built in 1949, but the land has been in the same family since 1876. I’m still trying to figure out more of the story on our actual home and who lived here, but have learned a ton about the family that once owned this land thanks to the folks at the Winterset Historical Society. We even found the application submitted in 1976 to for Fair Robin Farm to become a Century Farm and the plaque is still on our garage to this day.
Too often I see these beautiful historic homes get completely gutted and renovated to match what’s trending currently. It must be the old soul in me, but I believe in breathing new life into the past versus extinguishing it. It’s important to me to keep the story and style of this home alive and that’s how I arrived on Fair Robin Revival. I want to REVIVE the land, this home, and make this a real farm again.
Follow along for farm fresh recipes, renovations, and life in the Wild Midwest!
