It’s been a busy week, friends. One that keeps us going all day and causes us to sleep soundly at night. It takes time to make a house a home and I am working hard to lean into the process. There are always so many things to do in a new home, but when that house is old…there can be a long to do list just to get it functioning. I wanted to take a moment to share an update, some photos, and a little bit of my heart during this moving process.
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We were blessed with nice weather on Saturday. It rained and snowed on Friday, which made for a muddy move out of the farmhouse and into the new house. But, we were so honored by generous friends who gave of their time and energy to help our family move. ♥ A complete stranger even helped us get our U-Haul out of a mud pit on Friday evening at 11pm. We really felt God throughout the entire weekend.
I have been asked often how we could move from our farmhouse after doing so much work on it. To me, it’s simple: God has called us to something different. And when He speaks, it’s okay to leave. {Click HERE for that story.}
Honestly, the hardest part of leaving. It’s the nighttime sky. You see, we lived in the suburbs for 14 years before moving to our farmhouse. And in that move, I kept saying, “I just want to look up and see the stars.” Do you know what? I could see the stars on a clear night from our farmhouse property. It never got old and it always brought me to my knees {figuratively and literally at times}. My kids may have rolled their eyes when I would say, “Look up at the stars,” but there was a reason for it. In the suburbs, there is always a glow in the sky from the nearby city. But when you drive far enough away from that glow, the sky is black and the stars dance in the sky. And I am humbled by that view.
But now we find ourselves back in the suburbs. On the smallest piece of property we’ve owned in the past 11 years. And I am overwhelmed. By all the things that need to be done. And so is the hubby. Honestly, at this point, just finding clean underwear is a blessing. I know that God is in it all though. We arrived at our home one afternoon last week {before moving in} and found the most beautiful blanket of fall leaves covering our yard. My Creator knows that I crave His creation…
So how are we doing now? Five days in. We are good. Even though half of what we owned found new homes before we moved, there is still a lot to find a place for. And old homes always need some basic upgrading.
Like garage doors that open. {See above.}
And a refrigerator that actually works.
But we’ve made some tremendous progress on our soon to be half bath and laundry room. {Click HERE to see those plans.} We don’t usually hire out for home projects, but hooking into the sewer and water lines was a bit beyond us right now.
This washer and dryer came with us and even though they aren’t high-tech, they work. And I am currently on my eighth load of laundry…
Remember the coat closet that James removed? Well, it’s still down to the studs and we have a makeshift mud room going on here right now…along with a constant load of garbage to be taken out.
We are getting there though…here is the dining room yesterday…
and then, today.
We also needed to get back into homeschool full-time. We had been so far ahead in many subjects, that these past few weeks could be a little lax. Math, English, and reading every day has been the priority. But this week, we are back into the swing of things.
One adjustment has been that we no longer have a homeschool room {click HERE to see our farmhouse homeschool room}. For now, a nook/hallway off our kitchen has been transformed into a homeschool corner. I am hoping it works out for the near future.
And lest you think it’s all organized, here is the reality:
I was able to carve out a seating area in our living room for my morning devotions and for anyone who needs a break or wants a quiet space to read..
I don’t think that I’ve shown a view of our fireplace yet, but here it is. The day before we moved, James installed a chimney cap {I couldn’t watch him climb 3 stories up}. The chimney needs some work and a fire is not in the near future as there is some probably some structural issues to address first. But, I have a spot to hang our Christmas stockings. And you know that I am contemplating what to do with the fireplace. Remember my whitewashed {click HERE} and painted {click HERE} fireplaces? For now, I am going to live with it as is and decide what it needs after filling our living room with furniture.
Speaking of furniture. Our budget was so tight in our farmhouse, that we lived without a full-sized sofa for 3 1/2 years. We used a variety of chairs and a not-so-comfy and very cheap loveseat for family movie nights. But, we decided to create some margin to help us build the home we want in our community and I am so excited to say: I ordered a sofa! Yipee! It will either be a “belated Christmas gift” or “early birthday gift” but either way…I cannot wait. I promise to share all the details of what we settled on and why when it arrives. {Instagram is the best way to stay up to date on silly things like this.}
God has placed some dreams in our hearts and we desire is to glorify Him in those. And to bring our children into a deeper understanding of who they are in His eyes and how they can impact the world for our Heavenly Father. And while we may get lost in the daily tasks of just trying to unpack, keep the dog from running away, and change out the millions of old light switches and outlets, we know that He is preparing us for this new life.
♥ Leigh
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