Moving: tips for how to do ...

As many of you "old-time readers" know, we move ALOT. Dh and I have been married 12.5 years and we've lived at twelve different addresses, in four different states, and even another country! Yep, we move ALOT! We're not military and we're not corporate -- we just go where we believe God calls us to go.

So you could say that we are experts on moving. Not that we're great at it ... just that we've done it so much that we are considered pros. So, since this last move is (God willing) our last, I want to share the "wisdom of the ages" as it were:

1. Be careful what you ask for: If the closing is scheduled for the feast of a martyr, expect to die little martyr deaths. We closed on the Feast of Nativity of John the Baptist, the one who had his head chopped off by Herod. We had NO electricity for our walk thru the day before closing (after driving 1.5 hours to get down to the property); we rescheduled a walk-thru for before closing -- we still didn't have power even tho the power company told us we would. Once we got power, and agreed to the walk-thru, we then waited to hear about closing -- at 7:30pm, we got the word that they'd be ready. At 9:02 pm, we were the proud owners of the house. Yes, we died many little deaths to get to that moment; but yes, we got thru it and now own a house!


2. Organize, but be flexible: No matter how organized you think your packing is, it'll get all mixed up and you'll just have to live with it. I spent the month of May packing ... sorting, sifting junk from "keepers", labeling, taping and queuing boxes/bins ready for moving day. We had a couple of stout young men help us ... and they loaded it all, willy-nilly, but it all got down here and it's Christmas everytime we open a new box or bin! It's all here, somewhere.


3. Schedule, but be flexible: Assume the house is going to be dirty and need a cleaning before putting anything down ... we didn't and we've been living out of boxes and sleeping on screened porches for a week as we moved the day after closing. We finally have the carpets (and the years of gunk) cleaned, cabinets wiped down and stocked and we've built the beds and are all sleeping in doors tonight -- albeit with the windows wide-open as it's a gorgeous 70 degrees right now with a cooling wind coming off the lake.


4. Schedule and don't shirk: Schedule cleaning of your own previous dwelling and do it as if you were moving in rather than moving out. We spent a solid 12-16 hours cleaning the rental house. We owed it to our wonderful landlord and it's easier to complain about someone else not cleaning if we've cleaned!


5. Keep it all in perspective.: Once moved, take time to unpack, clean, organize ... but also enjoy the new home and the blessings that got you this far. Everyday, we try and carve out some time to just have fun -- walking, swimming in the lake, eating out somewhere. The little things that make this all worthwhile.


6. Give thanks to God and His saints who interceded and got you through the showings, contracts, closing, moving, settling: It truly is worth it to call in every prayer warrior and novena possible. We did novenas to St. Joseph, Our Lady and Servant of God, JPtheGreat. And it made life so much easier, knowing we weren't in charge and that someone "bigger" was helping. If it weren't for our Year of Job and Lamentations, I don't think we would enjoy this house so much -- don't take anything for granted!

I'm sure as time goes on, and I can start joking at some of the near-deal-breakers which almost cost us this house, I'll post more on moving ... but please do keep these in mind as your own moving starts to unfold!

Don't forget to enjoy the journey! Remember why you're doing this and thank God that He has given you the grace to handle it all ...

P.S. And don't forget to buy a house with a large storage facility -- a two-car garage holds LOTS of household goods while carpets are being cleaned, walls are being washed and workers are off playing!

What's in a name?

So, why are we calling our new home "Hilltop Farm" when it's not really a farm? Well, there are a few reasons for that:

1. We told String Bean she could "name" our new home; we spend alot of time reading the Mitchell series (Five for Victory, Canadian Summer and Friendly Gables) by Hilda van Stockum (we've been through the series 2 or 3 times since we got them all Spring 2008) and the kids have been wanting to name a house.
2. String Bean LOVES Beatrix Potter and she called her first farm, Hilltop.
3. Our new home sits on top of the hill, overlooking the house across from us (with the lake behind .... what a view!).
4. We WANT to live the more self-sufficient lifestyle of a farming family.
5. Our county is considered a "rural county" and we even got our mortgage through a USDept of Agriculture rural development loan.
6. But most importantly, because we can!

We hope to develop this new home, over the years, into a true patch of self-sufficiency and self-sacrifice; a home where we nurture creativity while nurturing our spiritual and academic lives. We want to make Hilltop Farm into a family oasis -- a place the kids and grandkids will come home to in order to get away from the fast-paced, fast-talking, fast-living life of urban America.

Does that make sense?

Welcome to our new home

Our very first visitors: dh's sister, BIL and niece. How we enjoyed the visit ... and hope they did too!

We have started a new month ... and a new chapter to our lives. We are living in a wonderful spot in a rural county in Virginia and we are loving being away from the noise, the traffic and the lights of the big city!

We so want to live a simpler life ... a life of embracing nature ... going on walks ... getting back to the basics ... instilling in our children a sense of wonder at God's creation and the gift of hospitality to all who venture to visit.

Please join us here ... let us know how you live a simpler, more faith-filled life as we share our journey toward a more basic existence while we love and learn and live, seeking God's will in our daily choices and lives.