Over the next 20 months or so C and I kicked around the idea of moving. I think the only thing that kept us there was the fact that we LOVED our neighbors and we didn't think that anyone would love the little bungalow like we did when we found it.
One evening at one of our many spring/summer cookouts with our amazing neighbors they dropped the bombshell. They had been searching out houses in the area. They were going to move! A fire had been lit under our butts to get out of dodge. We met with our realtor and got the process rolling. Improvements were made and cleaning was underway to get things ship shape. We honestly didn't think it would sell. Although we tried to update things there was still so much to be done. We put the house up on July 31st. We had TWO offers 2 1/2 weeks later. We were floored! We got our list price and only had to make 3 small fixes from the inspection.
Then we remembered that we had no where to go! We hadn't even began to look for houses. We set up a day to go house hunting with our realtor. We went to a house 10 minutes south of us. It was on 10 acres and it was move in ready. C was in love! I was a little reluctant. We looked at a few more that night, but none were going to work for us. That next week we looked at 2 houses in a neighborhood. They were nice, but I highly doubt they would appreciate us hanging and butchering deer in our garage. They were out. We looked at a house right around the corner from my sister. It was on 12 acres, had a creek and an out building. It needed a few updates, actually it needed a lot of updates. C was not impressed. I was disappointed. Being right by family is so nice. We went back and looked at the house on 10 acres one more time. A peace came over me that I can't explain. I knew this is where we needed to be.
One month later we closed on our little bungalow and bought our new house in a matter of hours! It felt amazing. Friends and Family volunteered to help us move. They had our house packed in a uhaul in a matter of 2 hours and unpacked it with us the next day! We couldn't have done it without them. We felt so loved! We spent the next couple days getting settled in. The girls started at a new school. They were little troopers. The adapted well and made many new friends.
A few days later C and I put the kids to bed and started a bon fire in the backyard. We looked up and could see every star in the sky, something we couldn't do in suburbia. We heard the grain bins drying grain at a farm down the road. We couldn't believe it was ours and we still can't! Sometimes I have nightmares that we have to give the house back and move back to the bungalow on .3 of an acre. That little house gave us a great start, but after being out here you could never get me to move to a neighborhood. We were made for this!
So if you would have told my childless, city loving self 13 years ago that one day I would have 4 kids and love country living I would have said you were nuts. All the things I said I never wanted are now the same things I can't live without!
Since we have been on our little homestead my interest in self sufficiency/ natural living has peaked. That is the ultimate goal, although it will be a long road. This blog is all about the journey!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Roaring 20's part 5 (we're getting there, I promise)
That winter was filled with activities that normal 4 person families do. A few sicknesses, a trip to Florida and Disney World then we were headed into spring.
Around March my husband began his seasonal work doing the irrigation thing. One morning I woke up to pack his lunch, which is not something I did all the time. I was probably just feeling extra generous. I opened the lunch meat bag and I started gagging. "Oh no, this is NOT good", I thought. There was only one reason I would gag from the smell of perfectly good lunch meat. I took a test and it was positive. Baby number 3 would be here that December. I cried for 2 days, which seems silly now, but at the time I thought it was perfectly acceptable. I didn't think I was capable to taking care of 3 humans at once to be quite honest! That December our son, CJ, was born. I was in love my little man.
Fast forward about 13 months later. Similar situation, except this time I opened up a bag of frozen chicken. I took a test and the all to familiar double line appeared. Instead of crying this time I actually laughed. My God has a sense of humor. I'm probably the last person on Earth that should be taking care of 4 children, but alas, my son HK came into the world. Again, it was love at first sight. His birth was quite traumatic (maybe I'll blog about that someday) and I was told not to have anymore children. So there I was, 27 years old with 4 children under the age of six.
The next few months were a haze of exhaustion, but the fog eventually lifted. We rearranged the house to fit the six of us and prepared for another gardening season.
Around March my husband began his seasonal work doing the irrigation thing. One morning I woke up to pack his lunch, which is not something I did all the time. I was probably just feeling extra generous. I opened the lunch meat bag and I started gagging. "Oh no, this is NOT good", I thought. There was only one reason I would gag from the smell of perfectly good lunch meat. I took a test and it was positive. Baby number 3 would be here that December. I cried for 2 days, which seems silly now, but at the time I thought it was perfectly acceptable. I didn't think I was capable to taking care of 3 humans at once to be quite honest! That December our son, CJ, was born. I was in love my little man.
Fast forward about 13 months later. Similar situation, except this time I opened up a bag of frozen chicken. I took a test and the all to familiar double line appeared. Instead of crying this time I actually laughed. My God has a sense of humor. I'm probably the last person on Earth that should be taking care of 4 children, but alas, my son HK came into the world. Again, it was love at first sight. His birth was quite traumatic (maybe I'll blog about that someday) and I was told not to have anymore children. So there I was, 27 years old with 4 children under the age of six.
The next few months were a haze of exhaustion, but the fog eventually lifted. We rearranged the house to fit the six of us and prepared for another gardening season.
Monday, August 5, 2013
The roaring 20's part 4
We still had a few boxes here and there to unpack when C and I had a conversation that we hadn't had up to this point. How about one more baby? One month later we were expecting our second child due that next February.
The next several months went faster than expected. We moved A into what was supposed to be C's office and prepared the nursery for the homecoming of our second daughter. February arrived and so did baby H! She looked so tiny, weighing in 1 1/2 pounds less than her older sister. She had a ton of hair with dark curls. So beautiful! We took her home and began the transition from one child to two, which was much easier than expected.
That spring was the beginning of anything remotely close to homesteading, our first garden. I remember looking out the window while C began to rototill the ground where we would plant. He started the machine and it jolted him forward several feet. He looked around to make sure the neighbors hadn't been watching. I literally laughed out loud and told him later that I had watched the whole thing (I love that man so much!!!). We (I use WE loosely. It was mostly my husbands deal) planted the usual first garden-y things, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, jalapenos, habaneros and a couple other easy plants. Note to gardeners..do NOT plant habanero peppers next to jalapenos unless you want your jalapeno poppers to rip your stomach apart. The garden did amazing! We were able to can tomatoes and jalapenos to have for chili, pasta dishes and anything else that required stewed tomatoes. It felt good to be even just slightly self sufficient.
Hunting is also a huge part of our lives. C is an avid hunter and so is my father, along with several other family members. I can't even begin to tell you the amount of money we have saved over the years simply by hunting and butchering our own meat. Again, I use the term WE loosely. My husband should be the one writing this blog!! We joke and say that I'm the brains behind the operation and he's the muscle! He processes all the meat he hunts. The only thing we do not do is grind our meat. We take that to a local butcher and we pay about 90 cents a pound, which is a fraction of what it cost to buy a pound of ground beef. Not to mention it's leaner and healthier than cow.
So at this point we have a few homesteader-y things under our belt. Once we canned that year and prepared for winter, we settled in. We were content with our 2 kiddos, our little home and our little garden in suburbia. Funny how things can change in a blink.........
The next several months went faster than expected. We moved A into what was supposed to be C's office and prepared the nursery for the homecoming of our second daughter. February arrived and so did baby H! She looked so tiny, weighing in 1 1/2 pounds less than her older sister. She had a ton of hair with dark curls. So beautiful! We took her home and began the transition from one child to two, which was much easier than expected.
That spring was the beginning of anything remotely close to homesteading, our first garden. I remember looking out the window while C began to rototill the ground where we would plant. He started the machine and it jolted him forward several feet. He looked around to make sure the neighbors hadn't been watching. I literally laughed out loud and told him later that I had watched the whole thing (I love that man so much!!!). We (I use WE loosely. It was mostly my husbands deal) planted the usual first garden-y things, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, jalapenos, habaneros and a couple other easy plants. Note to gardeners..do NOT plant habanero peppers next to jalapenos unless you want your jalapeno poppers to rip your stomach apart. The garden did amazing! We were able to can tomatoes and jalapenos to have for chili, pasta dishes and anything else that required stewed tomatoes. It felt good to be even just slightly self sufficient.
Hunting is also a huge part of our lives. C is an avid hunter and so is my father, along with several other family members. I can't even begin to tell you the amount of money we have saved over the years simply by hunting and butchering our own meat. Again, I use the term WE loosely. My husband should be the one writing this blog!! We joke and say that I'm the brains behind the operation and he's the muscle! He processes all the meat he hunts. The only thing we do not do is grind our meat. We take that to a local butcher and we pay about 90 cents a pound, which is a fraction of what it cost to buy a pound of ground beef. Not to mention it's leaner and healthier than cow.
So at this point we have a few homesteader-y things under our belt. Once we canned that year and prepared for winter, we settled in. We were content with our 2 kiddos, our little home and our little garden in suburbia. Funny how things can change in a blink.........
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Roaring 20's part 3
We unloaded half our things into a storage unit and the other half into my parents basement. They were, yet again, so gracious to let us stay with them for a few months while we saved up some money. We put our bed downstairs and tucked A's crib in a large closet off of the main room. I know that sounds terrible, but the closet was the size of the master bedroom of our old apartment!! My husband began working with my father, learning the ropes of residential irrigation. He was a quick learner. He was able to install a system basically on his own within the first month and a half. His smarts mixed with his confidence makes things effortless for him. He truly amazes me.
We enjoyed the time with my parents but after several months it was time to venture out on our own. We began the search for our first home. I knew I wanted an older home and it HAD to have character. We went to look at the first house, which would end up being the one for us. I LOVED IT! A bungalow built in 1920 in a little town not far from where I grew up. It had the original woodwork and hardwood floors under the dingy carpet. We looked at a few others, but my heart was set on the little bungalow. We bought the home in February and began work to make it our own. My in laws (who are fantastic!!!) gave us some money to get everything the way we needed it to move in. That May we were finally ready to move into our little house.
We enjoyed the time with my parents but after several months it was time to venture out on our own. We began the search for our first home. I knew I wanted an older home and it HAD to have character. We went to look at the first house, which would end up being the one for us. I LOVED IT! A bungalow built in 1920 in a little town not far from where I grew up. It had the original woodwork and hardwood floors under the dingy carpet. We looked at a few others, but my heart was set on the little bungalow. We bought the home in February and began work to make it our own. My in laws (who are fantastic!!!) gave us some money to get everything the way we needed it to move in. That May we were finally ready to move into our little house.
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| C and A sanding down the hardwood floors! |
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Roaring 20's part 2
We settled into our 2 bedroom apartment on the south side town. There was not much moving and lifting for me being just 6 weeks shy of having a baby. I was excited about the weeks leading up to the birth. It would be the only time we would have just the two of us. We made the apartment as home-y and comfortable as possible. I washed baby clothes and cleaned things up while he attended his classes and worked on his off days. 6 weeks flew by and we found ourselves in the delivery room. 9 short hours later our daughter was born. She was beautiful! I just remember crying and not believing how big she was! My husband was over the moon for his little girl. I'm not sure that his smile ever left his face over the next few days.
Over the next several months we struggled like all new parents do. Lack of sleep, learning how to be parents and spouses, it was absolutely a roller coaster of ups and downs. Luckily we had some dear friends in town that had their baby boy just 5 weeks before us. Our time there would have been so much harder without them. I honestly think God placed our friends there and in the same situation so we would be able to have that support system. They are some of my favorite people on this planet to this very day! My husband finished up his senior year that next summer. Decisions now had to be made about where we were going. He had a few job offers, but nothing felt right. He and my father discussed the possibility of joining the family business in hopes of one day taking it over. Although the other jobs would offer more money, joining the family business was what felt right (another God thing). That August we left our little apartment and moved home.
Over the next several months we struggled like all new parents do. Lack of sleep, learning how to be parents and spouses, it was absolutely a roller coaster of ups and downs. Luckily we had some dear friends in town that had their baby boy just 5 weeks before us. Our time there would have been so much harder without them. I honestly think God placed our friends there and in the same situation so we would be able to have that support system. They are some of my favorite people on this planet to this very day! My husband finished up his senior year that next summer. Decisions now had to be made about where we were going. He had a few job offers, but nothing felt right. He and my father discussed the possibility of joining the family business in hopes of one day taking it over. Although the other jobs would offer more money, joining the family business was what felt right (another God thing). That August we left our little apartment and moved home.
Friday, August 2, 2013
The Roaring 20's...Part One
I was 20 years old. I had just finished my first semester of clinicals on the GI floor of a major downtown hospital. I decided to take a job as a tech on the same floor over my winter break and into the beginning of my next semester. Things were going just as planned with only a year and a half to go until I received my nursing degree.
My plans/dreams took a dramatic turn when my boyfriend and I found out we were expecting our first child. I was dizzy and little numb when the test came back positive. After the shock wore off we began to play 20 questions (more like a million questions). How would we tell our parents? How would they react? What about college? Marriage? And so on. After much discussion we decided that we didn't want to raise this baby apart. We would get married and he would finish his degree.
We were married in May. The small county hospital down the way from my parents is where I worked through the summer. My now husband took a job with a large construction company in the city. My parents were gracious enough to let us stay with them until the next semester began. That august, a few days after my baby shower, we packed up the car and headed north. I watched the big city get smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. My emotions can only be described as a roller coaster. Excitement for what was coming. Sadness for what I was leaving behind.
My plans/dreams took a dramatic turn when my boyfriend and I found out we were expecting our first child. I was dizzy and little numb when the test came back positive. After the shock wore off we began to play 20 questions (more like a million questions). How would we tell our parents? How would they react? What about college? Marriage? And so on. After much discussion we decided that we didn't want to raise this baby apart. We would get married and he would finish his degree.
We were married in May. The small county hospital down the way from my parents is where I worked through the summer. My now husband took a job with a large construction company in the city. My parents were gracious enough to let us stay with them until the next semester began. That august, a few days after my baby shower, we packed up the car and headed north. I watched the big city get smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. My emotions can only be described as a roller coaster. Excitement for what was coming. Sadness for what I was leaving behind.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
kidless and high rises....the former me
Before I tell you about my present undertakings, I wanted to give you a glimpse into my former self. It may explain why I think my desire to homestead/homemake is quite comical (is homemake a word?) anyways.......
I will take you back about 13-ish years. I was almost 17 and my sister was expecting her second baby, who would actually end up being born ON my 17th birthday! My sister flew me down to her Florida home so I could baby sit her oldest child while she and her husband were in the hospital. My nephew was an angel! Smart, funny and obedient. There was only one problem. That kid got up at 5:30 Every. Single. Day. That is complete ridiculousness. I was used to sleeping in to at least midmorning/early afternoon. Is this what all kids did? I wasn't sure if I would make it. The only thing that got me through is Veggie Tales. If I popped in one of those tapes that would give me an extra 45 minutes or so. It was then that I decided that kids were not going to be in my future.
Fast forward a couple years....
I was a college student at a downtown school. I was accepted into the nursing program and played on the tennis team. I lived on the 10th floor of a high rise apartment building just north of the heart of downtown Indy. The building used to be a well-to-do hotel that they turned into apartments. It had so much history and character. I loved that. I also loved the hustle and bustle of downtown. The people, restaurants and shopping. Downtown seemed to ooze excitement. Just what I wanted! I formulated a plan. I would become a night nurse in the NICU at a downtown hospital and live in my high rise loft apartment. I would work three 12 hour shifts to pay the bills. That would leave me plenty of time for....me.
That, my friends, is what I like to call the "it's all about me" years.
Next blog....The Roaring 20's
I will take you back about 13-ish years. I was almost 17 and my sister was expecting her second baby, who would actually end up being born ON my 17th birthday! My sister flew me down to her Florida home so I could baby sit her oldest child while she and her husband were in the hospital. My nephew was an angel! Smart, funny and obedient. There was only one problem. That kid got up at 5:30 Every. Single. Day. That is complete ridiculousness. I was used to sleeping in to at least midmorning/early afternoon. Is this what all kids did? I wasn't sure if I would make it. The only thing that got me through is Veggie Tales. If I popped in one of those tapes that would give me an extra 45 minutes or so. It was then that I decided that kids were not going to be in my future.
Fast forward a couple years....
I was a college student at a downtown school. I was accepted into the nursing program and played on the tennis team. I lived on the 10th floor of a high rise apartment building just north of the heart of downtown Indy. The building used to be a well-to-do hotel that they turned into apartments. It had so much history and character. I loved that. I also loved the hustle and bustle of downtown. The people, restaurants and shopping. Downtown seemed to ooze excitement. Just what I wanted! I formulated a plan. I would become a night nurse in the NICU at a downtown hospital and live in my high rise loft apartment. I would work three 12 hour shifts to pay the bills. That would leave me plenty of time for....me.
That, my friends, is what I like to call the "it's all about me" years.
Next blog....The Roaring 20's
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