of grateful praise

We are officially in our new home. Living amongst open ceilings, floors and walls. With three young children, all of us sharing one room. It is quite crazy. And we are thankful. And happy. It has been two years in the works, and we are finally here. And because we are building this home ourselves, as time and money allow, it will be a LONG time before any of it is complete. But we have made a commitment to live within our means. We will not go into debt to have instant gratification. We will live in a construction zone peacefully and confidently, knowing what we are working hard at creating is OURS. It is not always easy to remain positive and thankful in our society that encourages self gratification and instant satisfaction. But we are attempting to stay focused. With that in mind, I'm sharing what I am loving about our new space.



Our living room has an 8 foot wide sliding glass door that overlooks the backyard. I get to see this ramshackle barn every time I look out. Some may think it is the nastiest, trashiest thing ever that a homeowners association would forbid, but I LOVE it. It makes me feel like I am living in a rural area, or even... the Anthropologie catalog!



We have a multitude of birds visiting our backyard everyday. I've seen birds and heard calls & songs like never before. Being the homeschooling bird nerd that I am, this makes me happy. I look out those sliding glass doors and observe those little creatures at work and play and it brings joy to my day. See HERE and HERE, posts by my homeschooling friends and fellow bird nerds, for more on being a bird nerd! :)



This is our bathtub. Our refuge. Yup. Even in the midst of open walls. We have a brand new cast iron bathtub. New copper plumbing. And new, beautifully modern hardware. This bathtub is deep. And oh, so divine.



This is the front of our construction zone home. But do you see that BIG wood box? That holds our brand new whole house water filtration system. That, paired with brand new plumbing throughout, makes for righteous water everywhere in our home. Also in that box is some amazing device that makes hot- and I mean HOT- water available in seconds. I have lived places where it takes 5 minutes just to get warm water. So yeah, I am loving our hot water machine. Also, that big slab of open cement... that is our garage. Or lack thereof, but it is NEW concrete, along with new foundation work for our home. And that, as Martha would say, is a good thing!





Scattered throughout the home, and I do mean scattered; or buried even, treasures abound. This was Scot's grandparent's home. And there are some sweet vintage pieces waiting to be brought back to life. Long ago, they owned a shop, so there are all types of amazing goodies. Old crocks. Wooden crates. Galvanized buckets big and small. A huge old food scale. Wooden ladders. Etc. Etc. Etc.





And last, but not least... Poppies scattered around the property. And Lemons!

For this... I am grateful.