Well, a full month after closing on the house, we woke up to freezing temps outside in the camper (with a decent space heater because we're now out of propane), so we decided it was time to move inside. There are no usable bedrooms right now, so we set up a bed in the living room. It's a step.
Due to all the construction going on, we're not even going to try to use the heat in the house yet. We do, however, have two of those fireplace looking heaters that keep the living room pretty toasty. They make waking up feel cozy, too. And I sure am happy to actually be able to get in and out of the bed so easily now, and waking up to a cat or two snuggled up to me. Gotta love those two little critters.
We've got a long way to go on the house, but we've already done a lot in just four weeks. Well, Mike and his brothers have, I should say. I've put primer on a few walls and windowsills. This really is not my thing. I'll admit, buying this house was a HARD decision for me, one that I cried over more than once. It's not the picture I envisioned when I moved here. I mean, normally you get excited to show people your new house. But this house was filthy and falling apart, and as beautiful as the land is, it definitely needed some TLC, too. I didn't want anyone to even see the house until Mike fulfilled his promise to fix it up and make it perfect for us. He (and his brother) saw something I couldn't see. They have skills to do things I had no idea they could do, and they had such confidence that together, they could do it.
So, here's the story on the house. We closed on our Texas home on July 19th around 8 in the morning. A few hours later, I saw a house go on the market only ten minutes from New Song with 10 acres of mostly wooded land for pretty much the same price we just sold our home for. It was built in 1938, had a fire in the 50's, and had some work done on it way back then. It's only been through three owners total in the last 84 years. Mike called to ask about seeing the house that night, and the realtor said the house was going to need pretty extensive work. Well, Mike and Matt didn't let that scare them, so we took the whole crew to go look at the house and inspect it the next morning.
While Mike, Matt, David, and Matt's father-in-law assessed what needed to be done, I walked around the jam-packed, overly cluttered, dirty house with the realtor (a really sweet Christian lady) and tried to see potential. Then we went outside and walked a single trail through the property. I walked away feeling disgusted, ready to keep looking at other homes. The four men with me couldn't stop talking about the potential of this place and all they could do with it. Mike wanted to make an offer right away so we didn't miss our chance.
From the top of the hill looking down. The house sits right in front of that opening.
I wasn't sold at all, so we all met together that evening to go over the cost of the materials and the time it would take to fix this place up. They assured me that within two months, it would look completely different and be a place I would really like. Not done, but definitely in a good, livable condition. I said, "okay, well then we need to subtract what it will cost us to fix it and offer them that much lower if we do decide to make an offer." They all agreed. If the offer wasn't accepted, then we'd know it's not the house for us.
I wrestled all night with the decision. I had visions of buying a new home and settling down quickly. I did NOT have visions of all the work ahead or of living scattered for any longer than necessary. This house held neither of the things we both had said we wanted and needed in a new home. But their confidence in being able to fix it really inspired me, for some reason. Almost like an, "Oh, yeah? Then show me" kind-of attitude.
So I woke up the next morning and felt like God impressed upon my heart to let Mike lead on this one. To trust him. So I said, "If you really want to make an offer on this house, then I trust you with that decision." I asked David what he thought, and he said, "You're going to regret not jumping on this location, that close to New Song." He had a good point, too. Any other homes we'd been looking at with the land we wanted and in the location we wanted were far out of our price range. And the cost to repair this home was significantly lower for us than for most people because of Mike and Matt (and their brother Mark when he can make it down from Warsaw) being able to do it all on their own. Their dad gave them some incredible skills, and they can do some pretty amazing things when they all come together.
Well, needless to say, he made the offer, and they accepted it. But they couldn't close for almost two months, so we stayed at New Song for that whole time, part of the time in the camper, part of the time on campus in the main house. I can't complain. It was like living in this tranquil paradise.
But we did finally close on the house, and now it's non-stop work. Clearing land. Burning trash, dead trees, and tons of overgrown brush. Painting, tearing up rooms, tearing out drywall, cutting holes in walls. Redoing a kitchen. Installing new doors and windows all over. Rebuilding a basement wall. Lots of digging. Lots of dirt everywhere. The dirt everywhere doesn't help much when I'm trying to clean an already dirty house. Oh, and it smelled. But little by little, the more we clean and paint, the more that smell has gone away.
Now pretty much every Saturday means a house full of men and boys working at my house, with Chrissy bringing lunch or dinner and at least one of her parents, too. The sound of hammers, saws, and equipment is music to my ears, though the constant need to entertain guests when I am absolutely helpless and have nothing to offer is a bit draining on this introvert. Chrissy made the comment, "Just think of all the memories we're going to have!" And recently Matt said, "Yeah, the same memories I have of when my parents bought a house like this that we had to fix up on our own. And everything we learned, and the pride we felt when we finished." And that's when I think I finally got it, the why of their desire to get this house and fix it, to make it better than it's ever been.
The amazing team, with Matt as their fearless leader. They really do inspire me with how they work together so well. And how they look up to him for his expertise, even though they all have the same set of skills.
Our first guests
My beautiful niece, Reese, the only girl cousin in the mix. She's like me, not at all enthused about all the dirt. I promised her that next time she comes, we'll head to the coffee shop.
My courageous, fearless mother-in-law
who is so thankful to see her 3 boys all together more often now.
My little nephew, Jaxon, who I am just now getting to know.
Just one of the many dirt piles. That one's pretty small, actually.
I had no idea how much time and skill it took to install new doors and storm doors.
Mark's job was to tear that pink paneling down,
but he went a step farther and then tore out all the drywall, too.
With a big surprise ahead!
(The washer and dryer are only in there right now
because they're fixing the basement wall under the laundry room.)
Just a little trinket Mark found in the walls
when he tore out the drywall.
I guess that means that room must have been built on in the 60's,
not the 50's like we thought.
We're thinking they built it themselves possibly with timber from the land.
We were quite surprised when we found those
huge LOGS used to build the room.
This part used to be a closet that we tore out completely.
It smelled musty and mildewy, anyway.
Our beautiful new doors and storm doors.
When we moved in, the door there did not even lock.
I can't tell you how happy that door makes me!
The mess when Mark was done.
The new sink cabinet that Chrissy's dad built for us.
Our new stove that's not hooked up yet.
The new bathroom door that didn't even fit at first
because the opening wasn't big enough for any doors you can buy today.
The front door.
Trying so hard to get that wallpaper off!
Cleaning up that huge mess of drywall
all over the floor in what will one day (hopefully soon)
be my master bathroom and walk-in-closet.
My sister-in-law is much more useful and resourceful than I am here out in the country.
Mike did teach me how to drive that tractor the next day, though.
Looks a lot better!
Clearing out and leveling out what was their horse pasture beside the house.
The yard already looks so much better! Imagine when it has grass growing there.
We're keeping the little stable looking thing,
though, to keep our firewood stacked.
I'm learning a lot about myself in this process. How much I don't like to get or be dirty. How much I depend on my daily routines and how flustered I get when I don't have them. And how ungrateful I can be when all I see are baby steps. It's a daily, hourly struggle, but God is working on me. Restoration takes time. It doesn't happen overnight. And it's a beautiful thing when it's all said and done.
As stressful as the process is, though, the nature all around me is so peaceful and calming. I love seeing deer occasionally walk through my yard in the morning. I love how quiet it is. And I love watching the trees change to so many colors all around me. I've always been a flower person, but I'm really mesmerized by God's artistry in the trees right now. He's such a creative God.
I'm learning a lot about my husband in this process, too. Like how much he was meant to work with his hands. How much he was meant to be operating some kind of equipment. How much he needs space to live and breathe and move out in the country. To build and fabricate things without tripping over his own feet. To build campfires as big as he wants and whenever he wants. To know he can hunt again during hunting season, and right on his own land. To drive and operate his fun vehicles on his own property. How much more at peace he seems being able to use all of the skills his dad passed on to him. And how much he needed to be around his family after his dad passed away, and how much they needed him to be closer after nearly 20 years.
