First Fruits

The cherries have come and gone within 3 days of ripening -- between us and the birds there is not a single cherry left to behold on any of our five cherry trees.  There were three more boats (like the one on top) but already had them pitted before it dawned on me to snap a picture!

This is only the beginning of the fruit -- literally, and figuratively.  Along with the impending apples, pears, apricots (16 trees worth! Yikes!), peaches, and plums... I have a feeling (well, it's more than a feeling... it's more of a well known fact) that God is working out a bountiful harvest of good fruit in our lives through this whole ordeal.

Through missed deadlines, a caved in old well, months of staring at what lay before us in disbelief, and now, leaking water lines...  Somehow, miraculously, we've made it beyond "our current situation" every time. 

I can't wait for this season of work and toil (granted there will always be work to do...) to be over and revel in our task completed.
When we can sit on our front porch, (with it's screens replaced and the current caving in flooring redone) holding hands, and watch our children play; as now, we send them out to play so we can work.  Or, maybe even play with them! 
When we drive up to the house and expell a sigh of relief rather than a sigh of grief.

When I can answer the door to internet providers and book salesmen, etc... to see them smiling with enthusiasm at their prospective work rather than a grimace at what they may see when the door is opened to them.

One situation beyond the next, beyond the next, beyond... and we'll be there, Lord willing.

When all who enter our home find that is a home of peace and refuge and encouragement and

comfort.

My new blogger friend, Carrie,  just posted a beautiful letter that she wants to leave for the new owners of her home when they move... It is what I want to be able to say about this home -- with the obvious details appropriately changed to better reflect our home... Read her letter here.  (If you are so inclined, please be sure to "follow" her blog as she is quite honest and inspirational with an unabashed love for Jesus!  Something refreshing about that, isn't there?)

Yes, God is up to something here... and he only gives good gifts!

^"For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks,

 the door will be opened.

You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 

Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 

 So, if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."  Matthew 7:8-11 NLT

Well, I am currently sitting on the middle of my bed... that is in the middle of our room... because the walls need touching up... so we can put it back together... I should get on that. 

I also have to finish my cherries.

The work really never ends does it?

Oh, the joy of it all.

Along the Way

Time is just time right?  What is three weeks or three months?  We missed our mark by a long shot - but are not giving up.  We are still not there, but getting closer everyday.

Here's a picture journal of what's happened in the last two-and-a-half months:

Here are what a few holed under the kitchen cabinets were patches with --

 Love it!  March 31, 1915 -

 My sister and her husband have come twice to help for days at a time... leaps and bounds always happen with their help!  Thanks Charlie and Bek!

 Our cabinet transformation kit- 

 "Poor boys" for dinner -

 Our little out-doorsy girl...

 The beginning of the bathroom transformation -

 Halfway there -

 Where there once was a door -

 Drilling for gold... er... water... might as well be gold, as far as I am concerned!

 Jamie saved the day with his master-sheetrocker abilites -

No more chimney access -



 Texturing the portion of wall that needed replaced -

 Sonny boy helping to paint his room -

 Ceiling before... you'll like the after, but I'm not posting that quite yet -

 The ninja is the best part of this picture, obviously, but you may also want to take a gander at the raw floor here -

 This is where our Little spends much of her time -

 The pond around the corner.  Fishing for Jordan's birthday -

 and Jordan didn't even catch one!

 Our kids absolutely LOVE it here.  Exploration - investigation - something is always captivating them -

 This is just cute -

 Notice the floor - Yes.  It is done.

 We even have some basic furniture in to make our time here more pleasant -

 She's a bendy girl, but the real object of this photo is the old barnwood used to patch the floor where the wall once was -

We have water to the house... if you turn on the pump, run down watch the pressure gauge, run back up and turn it off, then run in the house and use whatever water is needed for the moment (aka flush the toilet, etc...) since we currently have leaks in the system.  Hoping for that to be done this week...

I smile at that thought.  How many hopes for weeks have come and gone?

Days, weeks, months, years... lifetimes. 

This is what we are doing with ours.

Serving Jesus

 Raisin' a bunch of kids

 Taking on projects that teach us, grow us, and benefit us

Loving what we've got

Enjoying all of this life together.

In a modern way, taking us back to 100 years ago.

If You Can't Say Something Nice...

don't say anything at all!

It's been two months since I said:

The floors are being hit hard this week, so they should be done by Sunday...

Is it possible we will finally be moving in by next week?

I am saving the rest of the new pictures for "The Big Reveal". Keep checking back in the next week or two!

There is a reason for that silence --

The floors are done.

The plumbing is not.

The closets are not.

The trim is not.

We are still not in our home.

No, really this time... the plumbing should be done this week.  (You'd better not hold me to that!)

So, here is what's HAS been going on these past few months:

We have chickens:

13 of them!

_____________

I was blessed to help this sweet mama

bring this sweet baby

landside. 

(Read the incredible birth story here.)

_______________

 I got my Doula website/blog up and running -

www.timelesswaydoula.blogspot.com

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Held a garage sale - total flop.

Holding another this weekend at my ma's house.

Sold some things on Ebay.

Oh, we got the floors done... except... no pictures yet. Sorry about that.

We went to move in our furniture and found that on top of it being rather large to fit appropriately in our tiny space, it was covered in "the leavings of a mouse" or rather, multiple mice.  Oh, and WOW. Apparently they don't live by the code, "no mouse left behind".  Because there was one lone maggot pillaged varmint that didn't make it off the couch before it croaked.  Perhaps it went there purposely to croak so it could die in comfort.  Hmmm. I'm typically a tough thing, but I wouldn't be able to get passed that mental picture no matter how well I sanitized those cushions.

We sold them to a friend that was fully informed but not swayed by the details and we went and reclaimed our minurature furniture that had been on loan for the last two years.  Win win.

I think I'll carry on now and write the daily goings on for this half farmlife - half townlife family until the day comes that we are a whole farmlife family... sound good?

Thanks for the encouragement for an update... even though the update isn't all I hoped/promised it would be.