//LET ME DREAM FOR YOU//

Dreams.
A word that has meant so very little to me, aside from the occasional story in my head while I sleep. Of course, I also had dreams about marriage and babies and what my life would look like; the usual dreams of a little girl I think. 


Adventure too; that's something that is foreign to me. Loosing a feeling of adventure can happen when you marry at 19, give birth at 21, and again twice more by age 25.             

Not that I no longer dream of nice things.
And making lunch while holding a newborn while corralling a small circus while managing a home certainly can feel like an adventure...
But dreams, of future and more and possibilities and excitement... I've rarely entertained them because, well, it seems that good and fun and exciting happens to those who either get lucky or take the risk.     (Please know that I am not taking my life for granted;  having a husband,  three children, and many more blessings is good, fun, and exciting... I'm referring to those dreams that are unique to us; desires God places in our individual hearts for a purpose).


Never, and I do mean never, would I have imagined that my husband and I would take such a risk as selling our home and business, him quitting two solid jobs that he had been committed to for years, leaving our entire immediate families and all that is familiar, comfortable, and known.... taking such a risk to pick up and move to a new state, home, community...                            

Sure, we had talked about "selling everything and moving" plenty of times,  but that was mostly in the context of "wouldn't that be fun" and in the chance that either of us would ever be brave enough to leave...


To think that we are now living in a completely different life, so to speak, is still shocking to me sometimes,  and yet...it's so so right. Not once since deciding to take this leap of faith,  have I ever felt unsettled about our decision.  To face a change so great and feel so safe in that, has been such a blessing.

I see now that it's not that we were not dreaming before this,  we were just under the impression that our dreams are just too big, unrealistic, or scary.                                  
Living on three acres, enough room for a few pets and a dozen chickens, seeing more creatures from our windows than squirrels and the neighbors cat, gazing across miles of beauty, unblocked by the surrounding dozen houses- simple and boring as it may seem to some, it is "the dream" for us.
It may have seemed unrealistic to us less than a year ago,  but after allowing our hearts to speak up, deciding to make it happen despite what people may think,  and despite the fact that yes, we probably are a little crazy, we are living a life that we love.
I am so grateful to a God that gives us desires, matches us in our dreams,  and blesses us beyond our own imagination.
We truly are so blessed to be where we are,  and look forward to what our future holds.
                                         
So as perfectly cliche as it is, dreams really can come true,  when you are least expecting or even hoping... sometimes when you're barely even dreaming them anymore. Sometimes a little risk and step of faith is all it takes.

Are we foolishly expecting life to be easier now?
Have we "arrived" and are now living the life?
No and no! Life is still life and there are still hungry bellies to feed and hearts to love and laundry and dishes and bills... we still live an average life and perhaps it is even harder now, without the close help and support of family, but we are loving our new normal and the change and risk has been worth following this path we believe God has us on.


//So come on, let Me dream, let Me dream for you
I am strong when you're weak and I'll carry you
So let go of your plan, be caught by My hand
I'll show you what I can do
When I dream for you
I have a dream for you. -Casting Crowns

What is a dream, big or small, that you have been putting off because it feels risky or maybe unrealistic?//

//A HOUSE BECOMING A HOME: THE GUEST ROOM//

The thing I love most about this new room is that it sits at ground level with double windows looking out towards the lake. We cannot see the lake from our house, but we can certainly tell where it is, especially in the mornings when we see the fog rising off the waters. This view produces the most beautiful sunrises, and the fiery pink reflections on the opposite side of the lake from the sunset are a beautiful sight as well.


This tiny room was not a bedroom when we moved in; we added a wall/door and it will now double as guest room/ baby room when the time comes for her to have her own space. For now I am enjoying the empty, clean feeling. When it is time to put a crib/ baby accessories in here I'm afraid it will feel cluttered, but we will make it work and are grateful for this extra space.

Here is a glimpse of the sad, dark space just a few short(long) weeks ago.



I didn't buy anything specific for this room, except a pendant light which is not hung yet; I would like to buy a neutral lamp for the bedside and maybe add a few things as I find them to make this space feel more personal. But like I said, it is small and the simplicity is so inviting to me.



The day bed was given to us by my aunt when she no longer had a need for it; it was Addisyn's bed until we decided to switch things around and put in her room a double bed and dresser passed down from Brian's dad. The antique washstand in this room is a matching piece for the set in Addi's room. The white quilt is a special piece made by Brian's grandmother for him. I love this especially, because even though it is pure white, it is actually a picture of a buck and doe which is just perfect for him. Bonus for me that it is beautiful and can be used to set the tone in this room. The rocker is a piece I got from an online yard sale sight. It's a little pink for my liking and I hope to get it reupholstered someday but for now I think it fits nicely in this room. The faux sheepskin rug is a $13(?) buy from Ikea. I am debating buying another because until this week I had it beside my bed and loved the soft landing when I roll out of bed in the morning. "Roll" in literal terms as its nearly impossible to coax my round, achy body to sit up in the morning. The pillows are place mats I bought at Home Goods, ripped a small opening in a corner seam, stuffed with stuffing and hand stitched back up. They are not the coziest place mats, if there is such a thing, but they add the cozy look this bed deserves. I'd like to also find a textured blanket to throw on the end of the bed and maybe a few more pillows. Lastly, the chalkboard is a piece I redid years ago and made its rounds in our first house. It now acts as a cover for the breaker box.

And lest you think we only hope to have single guests sleep here, we also have a queen sized air bed that will squeeze in here for the guests who actually want a full sized bed to sleep in. When we were discussing how to put this room together last weekend, Brian thought it such a good idea to have the daybed in here for the times that I sleep in the baby's room, so I don't have to sleep on the floor. I don't remember a whole lot of sleeping in the baby's room with our first two babies, so I don't know if he was trying to tell me something or just sell his vision, but either way, it looks a whole lot better than an air mattress. Who knows, with an actual bed in here maybe I WILL steal a few nights of sleep to myself :-)

We are planning on switching our bedroom to the basement this weekend, and unless baby makes her arrival in the next few days, I will try to have an update on our room next week. I now have just a week and a few days until my due date, so every day holds exciting possibility, but the goal of having the basement done before she comes is balancing it enough that I am not going crazy with anticipation/misery :-)



//What would you add to this space to make it more inviting for our guests? Does it need more to look at on the walls, or maybe some pillow mints? :-) //

//A HOUSE BECOMING A HOME: THE DINING ROOM//

Sitting at the dining room table, I can see out four windows and one door. I see an old wooden blue feeder that often entertains a few cardinals; through another window I see a rusty burn barrel and some pine trees; I can see up the hill to the neighboring fields, and to my right I see the neighbors silos through the trees between us. This room is open and bright, and quite often dirty and snow tracked. The majority of the time there are food and/or play-doh crumbs on the floor and table, craft supplies cluttering the little table in the corner, and it is temporarily housing two desks until the basement is ready.

Here's how it looked before...







((These three pictures go from left to right in the room. The far right wall(with no windows) is the wall that we took out))



((The main door and coat closet))



((What used to be a door that led to the laundry. We closed off this door and knocked down the entire wall that you faced when you first walked into the house))

Besides opening up the space a bit, Brian laid new flooring, family helped to paint, and we had the floor insulated. We added a chandelier that I refinished, a few things on the walls, and my favorite bookcase Brian got free from a job when we were engaged.

Here is it now...







((This is where the wall was, blocking the door and window))









((Addi and Chase making a playdoh mess creation))


Our dining room, like most of yours I imagine, gets a lot of use and abuse. We eat, we talk, we welcome daddy home, we do crafts, we pay bills, we fight, we love. I hope our dinner times together lasts a long, long time.

I love how the room feels now and hope that anyone who walks through the door feels welcome and at home here.



//“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.”


― A.A. Milne//

//A HOUSE BECOMING A HOME: THE BATHROOM//

I've mentioned a few times that there was a urinal in the bathroom when we bought it. Not only was there a filthy urinal, the bathroom also had no bathtub, only a stall shower, and was set up in a ridiculous way. Someday I will give a tour from the beginning of the house but for now I will tell you this: previously, when you walked into the main door, you immediately were facing a wall, only four feet in front of your nose. You then had to turn left down a tiny hallway, walk through the dark and smelly laundry room, turning right into the kitchen before you finally felt like you were in a house. When you first walked into the laundry room, you also had the choice of turning left into the unsightly bathroom. What a welcome! Yes, this laundry had THREE doors leading to it. Obviously we don't want to be reminded of our dirty clothes so many times in one walk, so we knew something had to change. We decided to knock down the wall between the dysfunctional bathroom and the oddly placed laundry room and join them to make this house work better for us. Today I will show you the changes we made to the now bathroom/laundry combo, which we LOVE and is so perfectly functional for us. Doing laundry has never been so easy to remember!

First, a few before photos to help you appreciate the space we now have. Tiny rooms are so hard to get into a decent picture, so it may be hard to imagine how it was set up. Also, an amateur photographer disclaimer: I didn't notice until I got these new pictures into my computer how grainy they were, and at this point am too lazy to go retake them.

((The view from the living room))

((The view from the laundry room; the stall shower is there on the right))

((See? This bathroom was in need of a LOT of love and clean surfaces))

((The laundry))

We had a local contractor demolish the space, and put in the new bathroom, knocking a few walls out, and also adding a few as needed. Brian put in the new flooring, and after a few homey additions from me, we now have a space we love.

((The new view from the living room))

((Ikea spice racks we stained and hung on the wall for pretty organization))

((I also stained the front of the vanity and added knobs from Hobby Lobby))

((The laundry nook, if you couldn't tell)

((Wooden crates we again stained and hung on the wall for easy towel grabbing and something pretty to look at if you're spending time in the bathroom. At this point you may think I am currently obsessed with stain and you would be correct))

((Shower curtain from Target that we had in our bathroom in the old house))

((Laundry shelf pretties. The wooden toolbox, vintage lid, and washboard were all thrifted or found. The shelf and clock are new from Lowes and Weavers, a local store in Lancaster))

((In case you were wondering if we have one of these))

So now you know what our bathroom looks like, and hopefully soon I will have more completed rooms to show you. I was going to make a diy post out of the crates/shelves but they truly are so simple that it would take all of one sentence and two pictures to explain how to do it. If you have any questions, please ask! It was much quicker and simpler than painting, although messier, but I just love the rich dark tones against the light walls.

//Enjoy your Sunday!//

//SETTLING IN//

((this picture was taken in PA; there is no green grass to be seen here right now))

Hello again!

We are finally here, in New York, and settling in between the boxes and disorganization that is our new home. Brian is chipping away at the projects he can do himself, while he is off of work for the week. I am slowly unpacking, box by box, trying to get a feel for how this house works best. We are enjoying our home; especially our spacious bathroom which is about triple the size of our main bathroom in our old house! (The urinal is gone!) The kiddos are loving the play time in the snow with their daddy; I am afraid they will be disappointed next week when it is just me here with them. Somehow I don't see my 34-week pregnant self getting out there with them like he does. I am trying to take it somewhat easy but there is a lot to be done and I am hoping to have a week or two to relax before baby comes!

Besides playing in the snow, they usually have the living room looking like a wall-to-wall, helter-skelter-mess by 8:00 am. every day. They are enjoying having all their toys again, while I am dreaming of having a finished basement sometime soon where they can make their messes.

We had my parents and brother here over the weekend, helping us move and doing a lot of little projects around the house. My mom and I did a few DIY projects that were super easy and I plan on sharing those with you this week. They were both for the bathroom, which is the first room that is worthy of showing "after photos", as the other rooms will be getting shuffled around when we have the basement completed. I still want to stain the vanity before it is complete, and hopefully that will get done this week yet.

Favorite things this week:

//Finding a place to buy inexpensive farm fresh eggs, and it looks like they stay well stocked too!//
//Watching the horizon change its look all day long. First a beautiful sunrise, then clear skies, then fog/snow so intense that the view just disappears, then back to whatever it feels like doing next//
//Making hot cocoa in my quiet kitchen while watching my husband and kiddos play in drifts up to their chests//
//Peaceful nights in which both children have actually been sleeping soundly, without interruption//



//What are your favorite things this week?//

//A HOUSE NOT YET A HOME//

I have seen this run down house all of two times, and I am sincerely in love with it already.

It needs oh so much updating, but I can see past all that and this is what I see:

//Early morning breakfast with my husband in the kitchen, looking out over the miles to a beautiful sunrise// little feet padding out of their rooms in the morning to the kitchen for their warm milk// a sweet little bundle of baby girl sleeping in her rock and play in the living room// my husband and I working together to finish the basement and get our Family Room completed as a place to send those little rascals to play// room outside for the kiddos and I to roam// a little hill for them to sled down before having a hot chocolate break// so many precious memories of the best, craziest, hardest, longest, and shortest time of our lives//

I don't look through rose colored glasses; I know the reality of what we are taking on right now. And we are ready for the challenge and are excited to see what God has for our family in this new adventure.

//"Home is the nicest word there is." Laura Ingalls Wilder//