Ok…not really but it’s started!  YAY!

It’s been a little over a month since we last posted about progress on the house. It’s time to catch up!

A lot has been happening as of late, though we’re still slightly behind schedule. What can ya do?! The logs have been set and we’ve got roofing started. We about a week or so behind on having the roof done, but our new goal is to be dried in within the next week and a half. FINGERS CROSSED! Our lease is up in February, so we’ve been sort of riding our builder to get moving.

 

Last weekend, we brought home two Great Pyrenees dogs. Bandit and Frosty. Bandit is 17 months old and Frosty is 10 months old. Both are AKC registered and are falling in love with their new home.

They have given us a run for our money though. In what we thought was a securely fenced in property, they’ve exposed a few spots that they were able to get under the fencing. Thankfully, we have GPS trackers on their collars that allow us to know when they leave the designated area of our property. They’re a lot of fun and have proved to be great protectors of our homestead.

The windows are coming Monday which means we need to buckle down on finishings, etc for the rest of the interior. One thing we have learned is that with a log home, you need to have ALL electrical in the outer walls set before even stacking logs AND lighting for the great room is difficult.

With all that being said, we’re going for a more rustic look with light fixtures, bathroom fixtures, etc. We have a lot of old kitchen things from our old house that we plan to incorporate into the decor still.

One thing we didn’t understand at the beginning was that you can’t add a light here or a light there once the logs are set! Also, with the way we are doing the ceiling, recessed lighting…which was what we were dead set on is also NOT an option. Haha. The things you CAN’T do with a long home when there is no drywall. Instead, we are looking at track lighting that will be a little less obvious to add some extra light to the great room. So far, it’s been rough as far as track lighting goes. The search continues.

More to come as we moved closer to dry in.  Still praying to be in by the end of February!

Kind of.

So our last blog entry was all about having logs up and build build build!  Well….if you’ve never gone through the steps of building a house…well let me explain it to you.  There are delays.  Delays after delays after delays.  It’s crazy!  It hasn’t rained in 2 months.  The day before we are ready to pour the basement slab….BOOM rainstorm.  Now we have to wait a day or so before pouring.  The day we are supposed to start log stacking….BOOM it rains for days and delays log stacking, septic, water line, etc. etc.!

I know I probably sound like I’m complaining here but…well I am.  I feel like we will NEVER have a house.  We were blessed to find a townhouse to rent short term until we were ready to move into the other house, but let me tell you….Going from 4 acres of a backyard to nothing and 3 floors with no bathroom on the main living floor is driving me crazy.  Do you know how often a pregnant lady has to go?!  I’m constantly going up and down and up and down.

Now that I have all that off my chest, we can move on! Ha.  Our septic system is coming along really well.  It’s a complicated system so it’s taking a bit longer to set, but that ok.  It’s actually the only thing that’s on schedule at the moment.  It’s called an unconventional septic.  In layman’s terms(Which is the only way I understand) it means there’s too much shale under the topsoil and it won’t allow a regular leach field to release the water like normal.  SO, we have trenches branching off in ever direction and what is called a “drain field”  Think of drip irrigation.  The septic tank has 2 tanks, one is a holding tank for the water that will be let out through the hoses in the drainfield.

Lots of progress, just not on the house itself.  Hopefully later THIS week, we will have some photos to show you.

 

In other news.  Farm life is crazy.  There are things you have to deal with and do that you just don’t want to do.  When we moved the chickens and peacocks over to the land about a month ago, we had 32 chickens and 2 peacocks.  Well thanks to this little Fulkerson….

We now only have 11 chickens and 2 peacocks.  That’s counting the meatbirds we had set aside.  I was on a mission to catch him.  Loaded with cat food and have a heart traps, we spent the next 3 days waiting.

Then one morning, I stop over to check on chickens.  As I’m driving up the driveway, I’m praying that I don’t find anymore bodies.  Instead, I found this!  We had finally caught him!

I was so glad it was over and we wouldn’t have to come over in the morning to feed them only to find dead chickens.  Of course, I spoke to soon.  The very next day, we had 3 more dead chickens.  Now, you’re probably wondering how it’s getting in.  Let me tell you about how sneaky raccoons are.  They’re determined little buggers and will dig and pull on anything they can to get in.  And that’s exactly what they did.  Traps are set once again and we’ll see what we catch.  I’m kind of praying it just gets smart and goes away.

We’re learning as we go and we’re coming up with some new things to add in the spring.  Stay tuned….

 

And remember….

 

 

 

We’ve been bouncing between three different places for the last two weeks and it’s put such a strain on all of us. Between, work happening at the farm, packing up the old house and attempting to unpack our temporary “home”, I think Matt and I feel like we’ve been pulled in ALL directions.

Today, we closed on our home. Most people who be excited and happy. The buyers realtor posted a picture on FB of them all smiles in our home-well former home. It really hit us hard suddenly. We were flooded with the memories we made in that home. The ideas we had for it. The love we had poured into it in the 3 short years we were there.

Not only was the house wonderful, but we had the BEST neighbors as well. They all pitched in to help us with putting the girls swingset together with NO directions. One neighbor brought pizza over while we all worked on it.

Another neighbor would come over and take the girls to play so I could have some time to rest or get things done around the house. Sometimes she’d come get them in the evening and give them baths and read them stories.

We’ve had a lot of firsts in that house. Life does go in. Whether you choose to move on and take a chance on the unknown. Or stay behind, locked in the past thinking of what could’ve been. We’re building the rest of our lives right now. We will always carry those memories with us. And as hard as it is to say goodbye to that house and those memories, We remind ourselves that new ones are being made as we speak…like that time I balled my eyes out while writing about making new memories….Yeah.

On to happier news!!!

We have some super progress on the property! Thistle dew has a barn! We also have a septic system…or at least a partial one.

It’s been disappointment after disappointment when it comes to progress. The logs will be set Monday….oh no just kidding…NEXT Monday. Monday rolls around and there’s still no slab. Fingers crossed! The slab will be poured this Monday and logs started later this week!

We MIGHT be in our house by this tim next year. I’m teasing of course…well…sort of.

All the chickens have been moved to the new run. They’re all getting settled in nicely. The business has been moved over, logs are waiting to be stacked, there are piles and piles of dirt everywhere….it looks like a serious construction site!

AND WE LOVE IT!

Memories: A way of holding onto the things you LOVE, the things you ARE, the things you never want to LOSE.

How is it August already? Where has the summer gone?! Sorry we’ve been quiet lately, but it’s been a busy and VERY stressful few weeks!

The FARM!

We have progress! LOTS! Our foundation is in and our footers are in! SAY WHAT?! We are just a few days away from setting the foundation and only a few weeks from getting our first load of logs!

Electricity has been marked out and we decided to go with underground. It’s less of a hassle AND it’s a bit narrow on the right side of the driveway and too many trees. I tried to tell Matt we didn’t need electricity….he didn’t really go for that idea. 😉

(The white flags show where the power lines will go)

The new, old chicken coops have been moved to the land and we’re currently redesigning everything in order to make them as predator safe as possible.  It will be especially tricky since no one will be on the land regularly for several more months.  The rain barrels have been set up and are collecting rain so that’s a good sign!

 

Enter Stress!

Our current house is pending. That’s good news. We’re praying that all goes well with the home inspection, etc. Send some prayers up for us! If all DOES go well, there is a BIG chance we could end up having only 7 days. HOW do you move AND find a place to live in 7 days, you ask?! I don’t know…we’ll let you know when we figure it out.

Life has been hectic in our household lately. We’ve really tried to keep the stress locked up tight, but there are some days where we’re so short with eachother and with the girls. It’s totally not fair to them. They’re kids. They don’t get it.  And we are stressing over things we have ZERO control over…which makes it worse. Tonight, we took them to something they had never been to. A truck and Tractor Pull. And let me tell you…..they LOVED every minute of it! I think their favorite part was the exhaust coming from the vehicles. Kenna went on her very first ride and Alaina got to have a riding partner for the first time. Those smiles that they flashed us every time they came around full circle filled my heart. Life is really simple, but we insist on making it so complicated.

You know, all that really matters is that the people you love are happy and healthy. Everything else is just sprinkles on the sundae.-Paul Walker

Thistle Dew has been a bit quiet for the last month or so.   That’s partly because literally nothing has happened regarding the farm and partly because I have spent the majority of the month of June in New York.

My dad’s health started to deteriorate in the beginning of June and the last few weeks, it just happened faster and faster the last week or so.  He passed away on June 29th.  Exactly a week ago today.

I found myself distracted and able to cope in the days following his death.  It wasn’t until I got back down here to Virginia and realized that I will never see my dad again.  This is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do…bury my dad.  You never realize how hard death is until it’s someone so close to you.  My heart aches for him, but I know he’s in a better place.  Though there is a void in my heart now that can never be filled, I know he’s no longer suffering.

A big thank you to so many people who were there for us when we needed them most.  Between watching the girls and taking care of the animals back here on our “mini” farm, we are truly blessed by the people we are surrounded by.

 

On a positive note…..

We FINALLY have some progress on Thistle Dew!

After weeks and weeks and weeks of delays, we’ve finally got a driveway started.  It’s crazy!  I didn’t think we’d ever get one.

The good news is that so far there’s not shale or rock  to create any issues.  Pure soil!  And some good soil to boot!

Now that we have a driveway, it means we will actually get a house number soon!!!  Woohoo!  We won’t be 0 North River Rd.

For your viewing pleasure….

 

Life can be SO scary.  One minute, you’re hangin’ out on the couch chatting with family and the next you’re racing to the ER.

I created this blog mostly for the journey of building our farm, but I think it’s become more than that.  Probably because building hasn’t started yet and I’m getting antsy!

Rain, Rain….go AWAY!

Matts brother, his wife and their beautiful little girl Lyla came to visit us this past weekend.  It was the first time our two, Alaina and Kenna got to meet their cousin Lyla.  It was AWESOME!  We had so much fun planned for the weekend.

Saturday, our youngest, Kenna was running a low grade fever.  She was laying in my arms while we were watching some tv and all of a sudden, she was there, but she wasn’t.  She was looking at me, but THROUGH me.  Matt snatched her up and took her into the other room and tried to snap his fingers in her face to break out of this crazy….zoned out session.  When that didn’t work, we were racing to the car.  I was sure she was having some sort of seizure.

At the ER, I was signing in and the nurse at the desk was asking me questions.  I couldn’t even answer them without breaking down.  I blabbered her date of birth and after a couple minutes, we were ushered past the desk where they took her temp.

105.9!!!  In my entire 32 years of life, I’ve never heard of a temp so high!  My heart was racing, I was afraid she was going to have a seizure or something worse was happening!  How did her fever get so high?  Our thermometer wasn’t reading that high.  Right before we left, it was 102.8.

Worst mom in the world award goes to……..ME!

I couldn’t believe it.  How did I not know that she felt warmer than 102.8?  For the next several hours, my baby was poked and prodded by nurses and doctors and there was nothing I could do about it.  I now know that the wort feeling in the world is not being able to take the pain away from a hurting child.  She didn’t understand what was going on.  Why were they hurting her?  Why did she have to keep all her clothes off?  Ugh.  It was awful!

Hours passed.  Tests were done and coming back negative.  Then the dreaded words.  “Blood Infection.”  Was this Sepsis?  Oh god.  I don’t know much about Sepsis, but I know it’s NOT good.  Hours passed again and they confirmed it wasn’t Sepsis.

THANK GOD!  Our prayers were answered.

Our overnight stay in the hospital was rough.  But our sense of humor got us through it I think.  Hospital couches are NOT comfortable.  And the reclining chairs…..are NOT always as easy as sitting down and pushing back to get them to recline.  I really wish I had been able to snap a picture of that.  I was dying laughing.

I don’t know that I would have been able to make it through all this without Matt.  I mean….I would have put my big girl pants on and just do it, but I was glad to have Matt by my side.  I know we make a pretty good team in our everyday lives, but WOW!

HE IS MY ROCK!

When I couldn’t be strong enough to hold back my tears as they were putting an IV into Kenna’s arm, he was there.  When I broke down and cried every time I had to explain WHY we brought her in, I was in tears.  He was there to finish my sentences.  To comfort Kenna when I was TOO upset.

Parenting is HARD!  They don’t tell you about the parts where you’re rushing your child to the ER or worried about what’s making them sick.  No one tells you about the parts that aren’t sunshine and roses!  For Real!!!  I hate hospitals.  I hate them EVEN MORE when I’m there because of one of my babies.
Lastnight, after being discharged and getting home and getting settled, we had a chance to just sit there and go through the last 24 hours.  We realized that with each other and with God, we can get through anything.

Thank you to everyone who helped us throughout this weekend.  We are so appreciative of you all!  It’s good to know that we have great friends that we can truly call on in a time of need.

Thank you to GOD, for answered prayers.  Kenna is on the mend and hopefully she will be her bossy little self in no time!

 

“A strong marriage rarely has two strong people at the same time.  It is a husband and wife who take turns being strong for each other in the moments when the other feels weak.” -Ashley Willis

For real.  Budgets stink!

My job…throughout this whole journey, is to find the best deals.  Matt and I are pretty savvy shoppers, but let me tell you what’s killin’ me-Hardwood Floors.  Seriously!  I know what I want but it’s too expensive.  So I take the advice from the person that works at the floor store and go with Oak.  Find an oak floor I like, get the price….BAM!  It was more than the initial flooring I LOVED.

I have tons of black walnuts in my backyard….why is it so darn expensive?!

I’ve chalked in up to the fact that I just…plain and simple….have expensive taste when it comes to home decor.

END RANT!

We got to hang out at the land this weekend for a few hours.  Met our future neighbors-Kay and John.  Sweet old-er couple.  John owns a garage and they both rescue and foster German Shepherds.  They informed us that the tiny town of Reliance is a great little place.  Everyone pretty much keeps to themselves, but wouldn’t ever hesitate to help you out when you need it.  Now, that’s my kind of tiny town!

Who wants to babysit?!  Kidding.

Matt and I have this little running joke going.  Anytime we do something that shocks us-like picking up 50 lb. sandbags 2 at a time, we’re all “YEAH FARM STRONG!”  And we show our muscles.

Saturday, when the rain stopped for all of like…6 hours, we went to work on clearing some brush along the road so that we had a better line of sight coming out of the driveway.  I was pretty impressed with myself.  Matt used the tractor to nudge the last post back and forth a few times and then I swooped in and pulled that sucker right out of the ground with my bare hands!!!  #Farmstrong baby!

Ok, so hash tags don’t work in wordpress.  It’s cool…but you get it.

That sucker was taller than me!

Needles to say, we had a great time and got a lot accomplished.  This weekend, assuming it dries up a little bit and stops raining, the survey will be done and then the driveway will be in!  It’s coming together-slowly.

Patience is a virtue……

There’s a fence behind all that junk! ^

First, Thank you for everyone that is following our journey.  For those of you that know us well, know Kristen will do all of the posting but I felt the need for everyone to know just how wonderful she is.

This is Kristen demanding to take over the tractor because as Kenna, our free spirit 2 year old likes to say “I Do!!”

Thanks again for everyone following out journey and all the kind words and prayers. 

Matt

Something really awesome happened today.  We closed on the property!  It finally happened!  Something we thought would never happen finally happened.

We’re still in shock!

All day long I was imagining what our farm would look like.  What’s the first thing we have to do?  What kind of landscaping do I want to do?  Where do we put a gate?  Do we plants trees along each side of the driveway so that I can have my long overdue tree lined driveway?!  Oh my goodness…what kind of trees do I plant?!

This is what happens when I’m left by myself for an hour.  Yes, a whole hour alone during nap time!  Of course, there were many MANY more questions that ran through my mind, but at the moment those are the only ones I can remember.

Matt and I didn’t actually realize how AMAZING this purchase was until we brought the girls there.  We brought Mexican food (don’t ask me why we chose messy Mexican and not pizza) out to have for dinner.  No table, no plates, no chairs, no napkins, and NO silverware!  I’m sure you can only imagine how fun it was to make my chicken fajitas without a fork.

What we realized though, when we were done eating dinner was that the girls were truly free.  They had 17.5 acres to EXPLORE!  Before buying the land, we lived on 3.69 acres.  3.69 acres that were long and narrow.  Our neighbors were on top of us and we sat between two busy roads.  Now, back to the neighbors…they’re wonderful people.  All of them.  BUT, we decided after moving here and living here for a few years, that this long narrow very close proximity property might not be for us.  Don’t get me wrong.  I LOVE our house and could see us raising our family here, but I always wondered how awesome it would be to live on more land…off the land.  Get my drift?

I’m talking raising food, growing food, having big bonfires…….and just LOVING LIFE!

Well, as soon as the girls were released from our very laid back dinner table, I saw a glimpse of that freedom.  Kenna, our youngest was a little nervous about the grass at first.  She had only ever seen short, mowed grass and some of this grass was taller than her!

Her hesitation was felt by Alaina, our oldest and she made her way back to her sister and took her by the hand and told her it was ok.  There are moments where these two are the best of friends and where these two are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum.  Tonight, they were sisters.  And I loved every single second of it.

Great things are already happening.  They were HELPING each other.  I can’t wait to make more memories on Thistle Dew Farm.

 

Children are a gift from God.