You may have noticed all the farm-themed pictures on my blog. There’s a reason for that.

My husband, Tom, and his twin brother, Jim, recently inherited a farm on approximately 175 acres in southeast Michigan that’s been in their family since 1836 – before Michigan was a state! It’s been passed down father to son (or sons) for the past six generations! 

Before Tom’s dad passed away in 2017, we knew the farm was destined to be passed on in this same way and left jointly to Tom and Jim, but we feared what that would mean for us.

Gorgeous Land, But in Need of Work

It’s a beautiful piece of land with rolling hills and pastures, acres of deep woods, and a couple of small ponds. But the houses and barns on the farm were neglected for some time due to illness. Routine maintenance and up keep was not done for years, leaving everything terribly worn down and in tough shape. We feared the inheritance would be more of a liability than an asset.

However, Tom and Jim have formed a partnership and are intentionally choosing to invest time, energy and money to make it better than new. They have wonderful childhood memories of living there and long to restore it to the beauty it once had — and then some. 

Jim lives on the property, does the chores and takes care of the cattle and sheep. Tom and I live in Illinois, but have been driving with our two daughters roughly every six to eight weeks since 2017. We both have family in Michigan, so we’d been visiting regularly anyway. However, the trips have increased in frequency since taking ownership of the farm.

In addition to visiting family, the trips are either so Tom can assist Jim with various projects, or so our girls can explore and enjoy the farm.

New Adventures

For instance, Christmas of 2017 brought tons of freshly fallen snow, so Tom bought a toboggan and all of us (including the neighbors at the farm) went sledding down one of the huge hills in the schoolhouse field. Tom’s sister came, too, and skied.

Then this past summer, Tom bought a jon boat, stocked one of the ponds full of fish, and all of us (including Tom’s sister, my mom, my sister, her husband and their three littles) spent a whole day boating, fishing and generally exploring the land. That day we had the sheep sheared, too, which all the kids were able to witness.

My kids love the farm and have just recently been able to enjoy it. Prior to 2017, we didn’t spend much time there. We didn’t explore the land or use it. We never ventured into the barns, tool shed, or woodshop. Now we can.

In fact, it’s a big part of how we spend our time (especially how Tom and Jim spend their time) as there’s much work to do to clean things out, fix things up, sell things, and restore the farm to its original beauty and usefulness.

We look forward to making more memories there. You’ll see me post pictures every time we visit (and can see many pics now on my Pinterest page).

Learning About Farm Life 

It’s a whole new world for me and my girls who are not farm kids. Thankfully, we have my husband, his brother, and his sister who show us the ropes and teach us what we need to know. What an adventure it has been, and will continue to be, for our family as we turn the inheritance into an asset and a blessing for generations to come.

Have any of you had a similar experience? Any liabilities you’re trying to turn into assets? I’d love to hear from you. 

Yours intentionally, Amanda