Sneak Peak

You know that moment in the evenings when all is still? The babies are nestled in their beds. Everything on your to do list has been checked off. You wonder what more you need to get done, but you're too tired to do it. Just before you nod off to sleep you remember to peak in one last time on your babies sleeping peacefully. You caress their faces lovingly with the back of your hand. You listen to their soft breathing. They are precious. They are safe. And in that moment...everything is right in the world. In that moment you understand the meaning of life - the Gospel of Christ, the concept of eternity, the depth and genuineness of love. 

I have had many moments like that over these last few months. I've had many moments of feeling like it was all too hard and I was going to fail. But the moments I remember most are those moments of peace. Those moments of loving and knowing I am loved. 

And sure enough, it was in one of those moments that God revealed to us our next step in life. Right when I told God that it all made sense, that I was content to wait, that I wanted to wait, that where we were at right now felt so right. 

Remember when I posted about how we sold our house? We've been renting since then, waiting for just that right deal. We didn't really know exactly what we were looking for. Just something that we would have equity in right away. Something that we could fix up and get our money back on. We looked at several foreclosures or houses we thought might be a good deal. Nothing jumped out. Nothing was right. 

And then we found something that piqued our interest more so than what we had found before it. The details of it all prove to us that God had it waiting there just for us. We don't know what bumps we will encounter as we embark on this adventure, and truly there have already been quite a few--but on the whole, things have really fallen in to place. 

Our foreclosed farmhouse with its five acres, several outbuildings, and a little pond is not without its scars. It will take more than a lot of work to redeem it. But if you look very closely, underneath the overgrowth, the chipping paint, the cracked walls, the dirty carpets, the cobwebs, the moldy smell, there is a view out its windows that promises the hope of beauty. The overwhelming sounds of silence while standing on the front porch surrounds you in comfort and peace and you know that its worth it all. 

We've gone to the farmhouse several times even though we have yet to close. We go to the house with contractors to get estimates for the renovations, to measure rooms for our new designs, and to listen to the silence after the contractors leave. Our extensive measuring of the rooms enabled me to sketch out the first floor of the floor plan as it is right now so I could rework it.

Using the dimensions of the original floor plan, I was able to redesign the entire first floor to create our ideal floor plan for the first floor of the house (not pictured is the mudroom and two car attached garage):

And then I drew up 3-D versions of our kitchen designs because Chris offered to build all of our kitchen cabinets from scratch!

The kids are excited, but not quite sure what to think. They can't visualize many of the changes we plan to make, so right now all they see is an old rundown, outdated, smelly farmhouse that has been abandoned for a year and a half. Our last trip to the farm for measurements, the kids played in the trunk of our van. They aren't really sure what we're getting in to, but mommy and daddy's excitement is catching. 

Chris has access to a friend's wood shop where he has been diligently working on building the cabinets every night after work.

Not only does Chris plan to build the cabinets, he also plans to make cement countertops for them. I am so excited for all of this, of course!

Closing is scheduled soon and I will post more photos and stories of the farmhouse then when it is all official. And in the meantime, I will cherish these last moments of living in town with my kids. Take extra walks to the park and say goodbye to my last days of small town city life with a bittersweet farewell.

And then I'll go kiss those babies sleeping peacefully in their beds and relish the fact that house or no house, those kisses are what makes my world go round.
SaveSave