No. 9: Notes from Home | An April Morning

April 24, 2024April 17, 2024Leave a comment

A beautiful, slightly warm morning greeted me today. I slipped outside to eat a bowl of cereal on the porch as birds sang around me. Friends, the songbirds are out full force right now. We’ve added a bird feeder to one of our windows with suction cups, and we have loved watching the female cardinal who likes to visit it often.

It has been a nice morning. I watered my tomato and pepper seedlings, contemplating when I should plant them outside. We are technically past our last frost date, but we have had a cold night through early May before. I’ve scrambled to find enough covers for tiny seedlings that I’ve already planted in the ground much too often, so I think I will wait until May to plant. At the same time, our ten day forecast looks good. So we shall see.

While outside, I admired the new gravel in my raised bed area. Just a tiny bit is done at the moment, but I am so happy to have less of a weed problem in this area soon. Last night my husband and older sons worked on fixing it up while my younger children drew with chalk on the driveway. It was a super nice evening, made complete with an impromptu bath for Moses! Our youngest child knows how to get dirty, ha!

This morning I watched a YouTube video about thrift store shopping while riding our exercise bike. I haven’t been thrift shopping in a long time, and honestly, I kind of miss it. We just don’t need much for our home right now, and our local thrift stores aren’t extremely cheap when it comes to clothing. In the video I watched, most items were $0.25 or $0.50. Wow!

Before long, I will be placing our grocery order for the week. I have been really mindful over the past couple of weeks when it comes to our grocery budget. No extras at the moment.

Our $2,000 home insurance bill is due in May, and while we have the funds to pay it on hand, I want to replenish our account quickly. So I’m trying to find ways reduce spending in other areas.

Sometime this afternoon, I hope to work on an Etsy order. This one includes three different spring and summer fabrics, which is always fun.

I hope you have a wonderful day, friends. Thank you so much for stopping by and reading about mine!

No. 8: Notes from Home | My Creek Dreams are Coming True

April 22, 2024April 16, 2024Leave a comment

What a morning it’s been. My children and I spent time outdoors and going through schoolwork. The kitchen got wiped down, and I’m preparing to boil a big batch of eggs. But through it all, I’ve been absolutely elated.

As some of you may know, we moved three times from 2017-2020. It was exhausting. We did this to get out of debt by downsizing, and then finally purchasing a slightly bigger property that needed a lot of renovations.

One of our homes during this time was a small cabin on a creek. Owning land that a creek flowed through was never on my radar. But friends, it was so nice and relaxing. When we sold that property, I consoled myself by thinking that hopefully, we could find a small unrestricted piece of land with a creek soon.

It has been three years now, and the property market has been on a wild ride. This spring however, we found a couple of contenders. About a month ago, we put in an offer on a property for $10,000 over the asking price, and were outbid.

Yesterday we visited another property that was for sale, knowing another offer was already on the table. It was 3.8 acres with 350 feet of creek frontage. And friends, I tried not to get my hopes up!

We got there, and it was quite a trek to make it to the creek. Mountain properties are often like this though, and it really is to be expected. When we reached the bottom of the hill, the creek took my breath away. My daughters were glad they wore their rain boots, because they quickly jumped in.

This is exactly what I hoped for. A creek that is fun to wade in, but not too deep. I could imagine hours of summer fun in our future.

As a bonus, trillium dotted the landscape. Since I had just planted trillium roots in the woods at our home, this made my heart so happy.

After discussing it, my husband and I put in an offer, and then I held my breath. I really didn’t want to get my hopes up.

This morning, our offer was accepted. After years of hoping for a place like this again, it might be becoming a reality.

We still need to have a survey and perk test done (though for now, we just want to use it for recreational purposes), and we are set to close in July if all goes well.

And guys, I am just so excited.

After years of downsizing, it is nice to feel like we are starting to build. Not that owning homes or land is the most important thing…it’s not. Loving our families and being thankful for whatever we have outweighs these things by a longshot.

But it can feel really hard when we downsize…I know I missed previous homes so much, although I knew it was right to give them up. Now, I am beginning to see the process playing out in a positive way.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope your day is full of good things!

Missing Pieces of My Past

April 9, 2024April 9, 2024Leave a comment

Hello, dear reader. I hope you are doing well and life has been lovely for you lately!

Yesterday was so much fun. Early in the morning, my husband and son picked up a load of rocks to edge the landscape in our side yard. When they arrived home, I helped place all of the rocks. Whew, it was quite a workout!

Later, it was time to watch the eclipse. Several of my daughters were away at dance class, but those of us who were home plopped down on our driveway with our glasses. We were at about 87% totality, and it was cool to experience.

During the eclipse in 2017, we were at a doctor’s appointment. We watched it in the parking lot, and it was pretty amazing.

Yesterday, I began to think about the time between these two eclipses. So much has changed. We moved three times in order to downsize and pay off our mortgage debt. It almost seems like another lifetime.

While these changes were so hard, at the time I felt like they were needed. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we would have just really buckled down and stayed where we were. There are moments when I definitely wish we would have done just that.

At the same time, I have to believe that things have happened in my life for a reason. I’ve grown so much over the past seven years. I’ve learned how to live with less, and to be more content with what I already own.

I sure do miss the piece of land we owned seven years ago. Perhaps I am thinking about it lately because I heard it is about to come up for sale. It is too far away from my husband’s job now, and too much for us to afford at the moment, so it is out of the question. But I still have wistfully been thinking about it.

Life is full of choices, isn’t it? We made our choice seven years ago, and now we must live with it. That probably is a harsh way to put it! Even though I might regret pieces of our past choices, I know why we made them.

We now own a sweet plot of five acres free and clear. I have been able to nurture it, and it looks totally different than it did four years ago when we bought it. Most of the gardens are flourishing, and many pollinators and birds live here. It is precious, lovely, and most importantly, home.

I’d like to imagine there are pieces of me left wherever we’ve lived, and it is somehow better for us having been there. It’s a nice thought, at least.

Plus, I must remember that our lives are a beautiful tapestry that includes all of our life experiences. They can remain in our heart.

Instead of dwelling on the past, I’ve decided to focus on the present. There is much to be done! I have a family, home, and gardens to love. It is important work.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, friends!