We did it! About a month ago, we closed on our first home. It is a stunning white and black colonial style home. I am ecstatic! We are around 45 minutes from my hometown, which I never expected, but turned out to be a big blessing. Most days you can find me sitting on the tree swing out front, working on a project while enjoying the shade, breeze, and the sounds of nature and happy kids… almost as much as you can find us at the hardware store or Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
What Are We Working On Inside?
There is a lot to do around here. With as far as we downsized, there are modifications we will need to make to get our family to fit. First up, we had no pantry! Well, we had a very small closet in the living room, which the sellers used as a pantry, but we quickly learned that would not work for us. Thank goodness for a very handy husband. We removed the closet, opened the space under the stairs, and borrowed some square footage from the office/guest room. The pantry is about 70% finished, and I cannot wait for this project to be completed. I suspect no one is more tired of tripping over dry and canned goods than Momma.
Next up, the kids will be getting built-in bunk beds. We are trying to maximize bedroom space, and this was the most efficient way to do it. Currently, their mattresses are on the floor, which is annoying, but soon they will have their dream bed setup!
Another project coming soon is a closet for our bedroom. We gave the girls the large master bedroom upstairs and took the only bedroom downstairs. The two of us just don’t need as much space as four girls. I forgot to notice that while the kids all have more than enough closet space, Mom and Dad have NONE. So, Chris will add a closet to our bedroom, adjoining the bathroom. The goal is for it to be cohesive and not feel out of place.
What About Outside?
Once we finish these priorities, we will shift to some outdoor work: Primarily, figuring out shelters to fill with livestock over the next year. We can’t let these 12.5 acres, including 2 beautiful fenced-in pastures, go to waste! We have one small low raised bed started, but I’m not sure it will be successful this first summer. Moving and transplanting during growing season, immediately followed by a heat wave, did not do us any favors.
We bought a grill, will be building a fire pit soon, and hope to build furniture for the back porch.
There are many more projects planned to complete over time to make it what we want in our forever home. I am so grateful that we have this opportunity after years of dreaming.
What Else is Going On?
- Baby girl should be arriving in September or early October
- Chris will be having a revision surgery for his hip in early August. The doctor thinks he will recover quicker than the first time, and should get more mobility out of one hip. We are praying this is the case, and while this won’t fix everything, it should improve his quality of life.
One More Thing/ Realtor Recommendation:
If you want to buy or rent a home in the Northern Virginia area, I highly recommend Brittney Hunt. She reached out to us when we were searching for a rental last year. Brittney helped us prioritize our needs and found a temporary place for our family. We knew that as soon as we were prepared to buy, she would be the person to trust, so we called her as soon as we were starting to prepare. Brittney stayed in contact with us, answered 10 million questions, and was always responsive. I honestly can’t imagine going through the ups and downs of the homebuying process with anyone else!
