I can hardly believe it’s time to write this post.
Has it already been six months?
Has it ONLY been six months?
I feel like a lifetime has happened in these past six months.
I’m sorry I haven’t blogged very much of this journey. And I truly wish I would just park my behind in my seat to type more updates. But life moves pretty quickly out here.
And you truly never know what the day will bring.
The girls have settled into their new schools. I’m grateful for the new friendships they have developed. Life moves at a different pace out here, not slower, just different.
It’s a pace I’ve come to love and even long for.
But living in a fixer upper has its challenges.
I know the hit-show Fixer Upper with Joanna Gaines makes living in a fixer upper seem incredibly hip and magical but the reality is … unless you have thousands and thousands of dollars to instantly drop into a fixer upper, the process can be agonizing.
We’ve made HUGE progress over the past six months …
-Cleared out the land, the four-feet tall weeds [which covered the entire property]
-Tore down the storage/barn building on the property
-Had a new mini barn built
-Replaced the pool liner/pool filter
-Rebuilt the fence
-Repainted several of the rooms
-Filled in the fireplace wall
-Took out a Kitchen pass through-wall
-Put in light fixtures in every room, there were NONE!
-Replaced the front door, which I absolutely love
-Built our animal pin and added TWO piggies, one of which is pregnant! (That’s a love story for another day.)
-Planted fruit trees
-Repaired the septic system, the well and countless pipes
-Fixed the heat/air unit upstairs
-Pressure washed the house
-Replaced the back door
And other than a repair to the septic system and heating/ac unit, we have done everything ourselves. I don’t say this to brag; I say it to say … you can live in a fixer upper without a ton of money if you are willing to stretch yourself.
We are so thankful for YouTube “how-to” videos and the many, many articles we’ve read on repairs and rebuilding.
BUT … there’s still a long list of to-dos in the Kitchen, laundry room, master bathroom and back yard. And I would be lying through my teeth if I told you I never feel discontent living in this fixer upper.
It’s hard when you want to make so much more progress than you have both time and money for.
And I think in my head I really believed by now we would be finished with the majority of the inside projects. But I think when I made that expectation in my head I failed to remember my husband owns a business, I work, speak and write and oh ya… we have three girls with full schedules.
I’ve adjusted my head expectations.
The other side to this fixer upper story is this farm.
Gosh have we come to love these twelve acres of potential. We have a good plan to get this farm back up and running. But it’s going to take time, patience and a sincere belief in this process God has us on.
Sometimes when I tell people about this farm they look at me like I have lost my mind. And trust me, there are days when I’m outside in work boots and a pitch fork and I’m like, “WHO AM I?!”
I talk to the cows, the pigs and the dog way more than I should. [Look, there is not a SOUL out here some days.] Kris and I have made a lot of mistakes and had QUITE a few arguments.
And the days the pipes burst, the septic overflows and you crack your windshield, you wonder if there is an OUNCE of Jesus on this property.
But there’s something really special happening out here. And God continually reminds me by sending these breath-taking rainbows.
I’ve changed out here in the last six months. It’s like my heart has exploded into a thousand pieces and the things that used to matter so much, don’t. There’s a deeper awareness of my need for God’s guidance.
This may sound as crazy as my conversations with the pigs, but I really believe God has a plan for this farm. And so discovering that plan requires careful listening for His voice.
So, I don’t know if God is ever going to lead you to buy a fixer upper farm, if He does, call me.
But I do know God is going to lead you to places where you feel stretched out of your comfort zone. Maybe pigs won’t be in your stretched zone but there will be “something.”
As you continue to take each step, you too might wonder who you are becoming. But rest in this … God is very sure you are becoming exactly who He created you to be.
Thank you #FixerUpperFarm for an incredible six months. I can’t wait to see what the next six hold.
