So, as I told you earlier this week, I'm so happy to be back blogging again. Lots of things are happening around here and I can't wait to share all of the excitement with you guys.
As I promised, today I will share what it’s been like to move from a 2200 square foot house into a 30x40 shop. When my husband suggested we move in here, I wasn’t too sure about it. I mean, it was a huge mess! I am posting a photo of what it looked like after a few weeks of cleaning out and we still had several weeks to go before it would be ready to move in. Thanks to some help from our family and friends and our local Serv Pro, it was finally sanitary and we could start making the big move. Even when we moved in, it wasn’t ready. My husband spent many long hours putting in plugs for our appliances, getting our oven hooked up, arguing with the internet provider (that’s a story for another day), and putting up walls to separate a bedroom and bath area. It is still a work in progress, but we are very comfortable here.
You would think transitioning into such a smaller place would be difficult and maybe even stressful, but there are many advantages to living in a place with less square footage.
So far, this is what I've realized about having a smaller place and how it's made my life much better. First, there is less area to keep clean which allows me a lot more free time to do things I enjoy like playing with and training our Blue Heeler, painting, and blogging again! Second, It forces our family to all be in the same proximity, so conversations, laughter and interactions with each other take place more often than they did before when everyone had a little too much space to ignore or avoid each other. Next, the stress of cleaning, decorating and trying to impress friends and family is just gone because it is what it is, and it's just, well, comfortable. Finally, having less has turned out to be so much more than I ever expected it would be. I'm truly becoming a minimalist and loving every minute.
Our new home will actually be smaller than where we are temporarily living now, so I'm choosing colors, furniture, and decor that will make it feel charming and cozy instead of crowded and small. I can't wait for it all to come together! I've been working with an interior designer at a local shop and she is amazing. I'll be sharing some of the colors and items we are putting together in later posts. So far, we have only planned out the Master and Guest baths, but I'm having so much fun with the process of making this house our own. I'm a very visual person, so this part of planning everything out is the most stressful part for me. Thankfully. I have someone amazing that understands that and is patiently walking me through each step and guiding me along the way.
As far as Toby and his adventures this week, he has been pretty calm. He is loving having my daughter's dogs living next door, especially her rescue dog, Taco. Taco will actually come to our door and bark to ask Toby to come out and play. It's the funniest thing ever! I am thankful they are best friends and get along so well. You will see lots of photos of Toby and his friends and hear all about their many adventures here on the farm. Owning an Australian Cattle Dog is fun, stressful, and challenging but oh so worth every single second. If you are considering this breed, be sure to do your research beforehand and be ready! They are a lot of work, need lots of exercise and obedience training, and will absolutely steal your heart! We have lots of fun together!
I'm going to end my post this week by thanking God for the many blessiings he has bestowed on us, for teaching me that happiness is not in material possessions, and for allowing me to have this extra time to spend with my family. I'm not going to pretend this moving and buiding process has been a walk in the park, but it has been a wonderful learning experience for us and I'm thankful for every second. I can't wait to see what's next!
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