20 Apr 2015 At Bee Branch: Mother-daughter enjoy life on the family farm

Posted at 9:21 PMh in Food & Home Entertaining, Home by

by RaeLynn Callaway
Mike Kemp photos

Linda Nabors always dreamed of building on her family’s farm off Rabbit Ridge Road in Bee Branch. She grew up in North Little Rock, but since she was 9, she remembers traveling to Bee Branch with her family every weekend to take care of her horses.

A screened porch sits outside of Linda’s room and off the kitchen. The swing bed, built with wood from a 75-year-old barn on the property, was a must for Linda.

“I settled in Conway and opened my business, Shipping and Postal Unlimited in the Village Center, but never lost my dream of living with the horses,” Linda said. “My mom and dad, Jim and Sue Nabors, retired from their careers in Little Rock and moved back to the 325 acres they purchased in the 50s.” The land had been in Sue’s family for more than 100 years.

“When my father passed away in 2012, mom and I talked about building a barn that would incorporate a bedroom and bath,” she said. “Up until this time, mom lived down the road from the property that kept the horses. I knew it would be hard for my mom to leave the home she and my dad built but also knew at some point it would be easier for us to live together. I had been dreaming of a plan for several years, but nothing ever came together. I even hired someone to draw the plans but still, even after several revisions, it wasn’t what I had dreamed of.”

And then one day, Linda ran into me and within a few weeks we had drawn up the plan that made her dreams a reality. In 2014 with the help of Jim Eaton, the 65-by-75-foot barn with 3,000 square feet of living space, stalls for the horses, tack room and garage was erected. The barn was designed for Sue and Linda but also with the idea that it would be available for weddings and events March through October.

“It was all in God’s timing,” Linda said. “I am so blessed to have a wonderful mother to help me live this crazy dream!”

Sue agreed with Linda about the timing. She said her son, Jim Jr, was always a city boy and traveler, but Linda always had a real special love for the farm. “The older we get, changes are harder,” Sue said. “I was fearful about the idea of moving but knew the benefits would outweigh the adjustment. I was able to bring a lot of my sentimental pictures, paintings. And with the help of Michelle Nabholz and Sharon Kincaide, it feels like home.”

The upstairs was designed for all the family and has quickly become a favorite place in the house. It can sleep 12 comfortably and the custom bunk beds built by Ronnie Mills are the first beds to go. “We’ve already had a couple of bunking parties out here,” Linda said.

Linda and Sue now have six horses — two quarter horses and four OTTB (off the track thoroughbreds). Linda still owns her home in Conway where she stays when her son Sam comes to town. “We still need our space (speaking of her and her mom),” Linda said. “I usually spend four to five nights a week at the barn. It gives me plenty of time to take care of the horses and help mom with the upkeep of the farm.”

 

A board certified interior designer, RaeLynn Callaway owns CYInteriors (raelynncallaway.com). She and her husband, Bart, have three children and live in Conway.

 

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