Where the Green Grass Grows

The number one requirement we had when we were looking for a house was land. I grew up on an acre and a half (not much, but it was out in the country) and I loved it! Mike grew up in town but he also wanted to get out of the noisy areas that we had been living in. A week before I saw this house we had decided to put the house hunting on the back burner for a while and focus on finishing up our rental unit remodel. One weekend Mike went out of town with his dad for a golf trip. My SIL was dating a guy (that she is now married to!) that had a house on a road I hadn't been on much so I wanted to drive by to see it. On this road was a very small wooden for sale sign in front of this cute farmhouse with a HUGE barn and lots of land! I jotted down the number and called it from a Wendy's parking lot. The owner told me the specifics and price and I immediately texted Mike. I told him that I found our dreamhouse and that it seemed too good to be true. That was a Friday. We went to see it on Sunday and put in an offer on Tuesday that was accepted!! It worked out so beautifully because the owners were WONDERFUL and our timing matched up perfectly. We were able to finish up our rental unit and they were able to have time to move into their other house. We still have a great relationship with them, in fact, the wife (Marci) is a retired elementary teacher and offered to come and read to the kids a few weeks ago! So here we  are a year later, the owners of 3 acres, a barn, a corn crib and a Christmas tree farm! We love this life! Here are some pictures of our land and barn...







This was last year when the whole family came out and cut down their Christmas trees! 

We (meaning Mike) spends a lot of time cutting firewood that we store in the corn crib to dry. We have a woodburning furnace that worked so well last winter that we didn't use our propane furnace even once!!
I have many, many more pictures to share tomorrow so stay tuned! I'll show you what we have been busy doing (and taking care of) around here!!

In the Beginning...

15 months after moving here, I would still consider it our Dream House!! We did end up closing on the 16th of July '10 and started moving in that night! The big moving day started very early the next day! We ended up having 25+ people come and help from our church and we were completely moved in FOUR HOURS! We only moved about 5 miles from our previous home but we still had a TON of stuff! My wonderful MIL had offered to make lunch for all of the helpers and she ended up being rushed due to us getting done early! It was a hot day so after everything was moved in, people hung around under the shade trees until lunch was served. It honestly felt more like a time of fellowship than a moving day! What a blessing!! Here are some pictures of the inside after we moved in..

Obviously it is a disaster!!!

 This is the kitchen! The built-in was the first thing I fell in love with!

 Here's the dining room! It actually still looks the same! We have not done ANY interior work in the last year because we have been focused on other projects. The dining room is going to be the FIRST indoor project. Hopefully this winter!

 This is the office.

 Leah's room! My parents took our kids for the weekend and some of Leah's little friends were here to help with the move. They took it upon themselves to unpack and put together her room for her! They also left little notes hidden all around the room. So adorable!

 Derek's room! I CANNOT WAIT TO TAKE UP THE CARPET! It's clean, but never looks like it!!

Our room. Some of the ladies that helped out made sure all of our boxes were tucked away nicely in our GIGANTIC closets so that we had a peaceful place to sleep that night! They also made up the bed. SO THOUGHTFUL! We have some amazing friends!

This is our back entrance/ mudroom. I'm also very ready to spruce this up!

This is a picture of the bathroom before we moved in but it looks the same! As wonderful as the clawfoot tub goes with the "farmhouse" look, it is not convenient for my 6'8" husband! He hates it!

Well, there's the first glimpse! I cannot believe I didn't post any pictures of the barns or anything last year! I'll do a whole post on the outside adventures tomorrow! After all, that IS why we really moved here:) See you soon!

I'm Back!

If I am even still on your "following" list, let me introduce myself again! I'm Becky, and I have completely stopped blogging for over a year!

I have desperately wanted to start again, I even "started" a different blog to put my projects on, and I think I made it one whole post! SO much has changed in our lives over this year that I am goint to try to start from when we moved into our house and work my way to the present! Hopefully I don't miss anything too exciting, but then again, there may not be anyone out there to read it!

We are now a homeschool family so I hope to share my joys and struggles with that as well! life is good... so let's begin...

Finally moving!

I'm not even sure who is still following me but we are moving this weekend!! I know I haven't written since we found the house but things have been crazy!! We are closing tomorrow morning and moving in on Saturday!! I am definately going to start blogging again now that we are starting this new adventure!

So, if you are still out there, stay tuned... things are about to get fun!

Wordless Wednesday...almost :)

We finally got the house of our dreams... more details to come!!!!

...you make me smile...

I don't know how I lived without you...

Cuz everytime I get around you...

I see the best of me inside your eyes.


You make me smile.

You make me dance like a fool...

Forget how to breathe...

Shine like gold, buzz like a bee...

Just the thought of you can drive me wild.

You make me smile like the sun...

Fall out of bed, sing like a bird...

Dizzy in my head, spin like a record...

Crazy on Sunday night.

You make me dance like a fool...

Forget how to breathe...

Sine like gold, buzz like a bee...

Just the thought of you can drive me wild...

Oh, you make me smile!

**Smile by Uncle Kracker**

Spring has Sprung!

The air feels different, my daffodils are blooming, the kids are going crazy and I have callouses on my hands from the rake. SPRING. IS. HERE.
With Spring comes change and I love it! I love putting all of the winter clothes away and pulling out the short sleeves and light jackets! I love rearranging the house while wiping down walls and baseboards! I love the grass getting greener everyday and hearing the birds sing early in the morning!

There's always a flip-side to a good thing though. None of the kids clothes fit from last summer (and I'm hoping all of mine are too big :). We were all sick last week so the only cleaning I have been doing involves sickness and although I love the grass getting green, my yard is a mess from the porch project!

I guess I already know what Spring has in store for me! I'll be shopping hunting down every bargain I can find (thank you Dave Ramsey). I will be cleaning every cobweb and corner, and I will be praying my hubby can get the porch done asap so I can plant some flowers!
Happy spring everyone!!