"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin."
ZECHARIAH 4:10
We moved into our house on July 1 and almost every day since has been packed to the brim from sun up to sun down. We painted, removed a propane gas fireplace from the 60's, added a pergola to the back patio, built raised beds in preparation for our garden next spring, replaced a microwave, washing machine and dishwasher (they were all on their last lest!), not to mention unpacking, organizing, living in the space and re-organizing, and it's been grand! We are absolutely IN LOVE with this space and are still a little in awe at the goodness of God and His provision. This house and land is so much more than we ever dreamed possible, and every time I walk through and realize this is OURS, I almost have to pinch myself to believe it!
I can not wait to share pictures of the updates we've done, but since I'm a little OCD you'll have to be patient. I don't want to post them here until everything is JUST right, and I still have some things I want to tweak. But, if you follow me on
Instagram you can get a little sneak peek here and there.
In the evenings, when my body couldn't take another step, and my mind couldn't handle the thought of making one more decision, I cross stitched, as you can see in the picture above. This week I'm going to start making curtains for our kitchen and dining area, and this weekend I'm going to put out all of our autumn decorations. I've got a few little seasonal projects in the works that I hope to get finished by then, but if not, it doesn't officially begin until the 22nd. Our first autumn in our new home and we are literally surrounded by trees, so it should be beautiful!
Today began my Sepember Reset, which is something I've done in years past, but this year has felt especially needed. I actually do this every quarter, but there is something about September that is a little different because in reviewing my yearly goals, this is the point where I have to seriously evaluate and determine what I think I can actually complete by the end of the year, especially in light of the busy holiday season quickly coming up. To be honest, since I literally would have never dreamed we would buy a house and acreage this year, most of my goals were small by comparison. But a lot of them also got put on the back burner because as you know, buying a house and moving is a major life event! It has taken every bit of my time and energy for several months now, and probably will for the remainder of the year. Not that I'm complaining. But I was ready to be at a place where things were settled enough that I could get back to my weekly routines and seasonal rituals and actually live in my house. So I made it my goal to start today and I'm happy to say, that while I didn't get to everything I did get about 75% of my to-do list checked off! I was little disappointed that I wasn’t able to accomplish more, but I was encouraged by the verse above that the Lord is pleased with my "small beginnings”!
One of the weekly rituals that we re-instated today was OLD MOVIE MONDAY, and we kicked it off with a selection that we hadn't watched together in years, Follow Me Boys with Fred MacMurray.
It's one of those wonderful feel good stories about a man who settles down in a small town, volunteers to become the local scout master (to impress the girl who becomes his wife), and ends up making a lasting impression on several generations of young boys. I love just about anything with Fred MacMurray in it! I grew up watching
My Three Sons and I was happy to discover that you can catch an episode of it here and there on MeTV, which we get through our
Frndly TV subscription, and that, my friends, is the best $8.99 I spend every month! If you're a classic TV and sitcom fan, like me, then I can't recommend Frdnly TV enough! No kickbacks for me here, just sharing something I love!
If you've never watched
Follow Me Boys, you can rent it for $3.99 through Amazon,
here, but you can actually buy it on DVD for just a dollar more,
here, and I personally believe its a good one to have in your family movie collection. (Links are non-affiliate!)
And now my friends, I'm going to do a little reading before I turn in for the night, and tomorrow is a full day of errands! But I'll be back soon with more updates, and I hope you'll join me right here!
❈
