Thursday, November 20, 2014

Our Little Farmstead… One Year Later!


This week last year, we moved to our Little Farmstead

I was remembering that on this exact day last year, I was burning the midnight oil, packing. My husband had to be out of the country on business the two weeks leading up to our move. He literally flew in from Italy the night before the moving truck showed up! Thankfully, family helped us and we got everything done just in time!



A lot has changed in our day-to-day lives since moving here...


We have a lot more land now! We've really enjoyed the space for our boys to play and explore, the ability to keep more animals, room for a real garden, more outdoor entertaining space, and the general sense of privacy and freedom we have here. 

On the other hand, with the added land comes more up-keep. There is always something that needs to be done! We've found that with three growing boys, animals, property and full schedules… not everything will be pristine. That's okay (or so I often try to remind myself)! Chalk it up to "country living."

The picture below was taken just days after we moved in, on Thanksgiving morning!


When we moved here, we had one solitary cat. 

Now, we have two cats, a yellow lab, a rabbit and chickens… I had always dreamed of our boys growing up with animals. One of our favorite movies to watch as a family has been the remake of Charlotte's Web. That type of cozy, farm setting called to us. And though we by no means have a serious, working farm… it has been a dream come true to have a little taste of one.




Having animals is a lot of fun… and also a lot of work at times!



We've grown to love the little town, which is just a bike ride away from our house... 






Thinking back to moving day, I remember how surreal it felt. 


We have so many cherished memories at our previous house... 


Bringing two of our babies home from the hospital, running through sprinklers on the front lawn, riding bikes in the cul-de-sac, the backyard fort, going for walks (on sidewalks!), birthday parties and Christmas mornings… 

We had amazing neighbors and sometimes we miss the sense of community. In fact, we returned to our old neighborhood this past year to trick-or-treat! 


We don't miss the traffic or living on a through-street.



We are blessed with some good neighbors here too... Neighbors who have helped us put up a gate and made sure all was well after a bobcat attacked some of our chickens.




When we first moved in, I remember how dark it seemed at night without streetlights or close neighbors. 

We are used to it now and enjoy starry night skies.




Is it all that we hoped for? Yes, and then some. 

God's timing is perfect. I don't think we would have been ready for a place like this, even a few years ago, when our boys were smaller. 

There is always a special place in our hearts for home, isn't there? It doesn't matter if it's an apartment, suburban home, mini farm or city high-rise, home is truly where the heart is. It's much more about who you share it with than the size of the four walls or number of acres.

Whether you live by yourself and invite friends in, hear the almost constant running of little feet, or cherish alone time with someone you love, I hope you feel the comfort of home today…

Thank you so much for reading along.

xo


Sharing with:
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25 comments:

  1. A wonderful post - home really is where the heart is! It looks like you have settled in nicely to the 'country life' and your photos are so lovely. A beautiful place to raise your 3 boys. Yes, country life means a bit more work, but a labor of love that shows clearly in your beautiful home and property. I live about 50 miles south of you near Mt. Rainier and raised my 4 children in the country - the best decision we ever made. My children are grown now, but have those strong country values that have carried them on to successful lives. They still love to 'come home' and have wonderful memories which I know your sweet boys will also have. Lovely post. xo Karen

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  2. Oh my goodness… your comment melted my heart! Thank you so much. It's what we hope for - - good values and loving to come home - - isn't it?!

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  3. Your farm is so beautiful and dreamy! I think it would just be perfect to raise kids there.

    Do you get lonely for girlfriends out there? We have land out in the country and it would be my husband's dream to live there. I just would be so hesitant though...I like my friends close. :)

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  4. What a great place to raise your family. Looks like you made a wonderful decision to move to a farm...I'm sure your boys love getting up every day!
    Mary Alice

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  5. What a wonderful post! Raising your sweet family in a rural area is bound to be full of blessings. I always wished that I had grown up on a farm. My childhood home started out that way, but when my father unexpectedly passed away when I was only 9 months old things changed quickly. Mom had to go to work. She had 8 children, the oldest being 17. Still I had a wonderful childhood full of precious memories. Having animals is so fun and a learning experience for children. We had bunnies and dogs. I understand completely about sometimes difficult to leave your previous home. We lived in our for 22 years. Moving here was a bit difficult, even though it's only 5 minutes away. Our youngest son bought our previous home and it's fun to go there and see his young family enjoying the place where so many memories were made. Now that I've written an essay, lol! want to say, thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  6. I really enjoyed your moving story. I would love to live on more land like yours too. One day, hopefully we will. We are not in our forever home right now. Your animals are all so precious! I think it's great that you let your kids have so many now that you have the room. Since you have so many boys, you should have plenty of help with them and with the farm too!

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  7. Wow, this is such a special and beautiful place to call home! This is kinda my dream house. :) Found you through the Cedar Hill Farmhouse party. I'd love for you to come by the party I host on Saturday nights called Found & Foraged. It starts at 8 pm central tonight at www.averystreetdesign.com. Hope to see you!

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