.jpeg)
.jpeg)
My home is my safe place. I have only one neighbor within a few miles, and the thought of living in a neighborhood sounds like absolute crazy talk to me.
Three years ago, our family was quickly outgrowing our house, but we were struggling to find one that checked all of our boxes. One evening while scrolling through Facebook, I stumbled across the most gorgeous old farmhouse in an obscure group- but it was 45 minutes away in a completely different county, and I dismissed it almost immediately. That should have been the end of it. Except I could NOT stop thinking about it.
I went back to find it and it was just… gone. What town was it in? Who had commented on it that made it pop up in my feed? How do I find this house?! After what felt like an eternity of searching, I finally tracked it down and did two things at once- reached out to my good friend who is a local realtor, and messaged the owner directly with a few questions. The last thing I needed was to fall head over heels for an old farmhouse that was secretly falling apart at the foundation. We set up a showing for the very next day, drove all the way out to the middle of nowhere, and absolutely fell in love. We put in an offer that night. They accepted the next morning.
Just like that, our family of seven- who had zero immediate plans to move- had to pivot, pack up our entire lives, and take a leap of faith on a hidden gem. We ordered a dumpster, scrubbed our old house within an inch of its life, listed it, and jumped in headfirst.
Our new home did not disappoint. Our inspector called it "a super solid old house," and he wasn't wrong- original hardwood floors throughout, two stunning sets of pocket doors, six bedrooms, a full basement and attic, a whole-home generator, and the most gorgeous front porch sitting on 2.5 acres just waiting to be made ours. Of course, it also came with a learning curve for a family who had never lived in the country. How do you work a boiler? How do you maintain a septic system? WHY are so many of these windows caulked shut? And how on earth did we burn through that much propane in a single winter month? All questions we got to figure out that first year- together.
Since then, we have poured ourselves into making this house our forever home. We added paint and wainscoting to walls that were completely bare white. We planted Autumn Blaze Maples, fruit trees, and more landscaping than I can count. We cultivated a garden with over 2,000 square feet dedicated to pumpkins alone- a space larger than our entire old house. We replaced light fixtures, replaced all of the appliances, and updated outlets so things would actually stay in the walls. We raised chickens and quickly learned they have absolutely no respect for freshly laid wood chips in a garden bed. We partnered with an Amish builder out of Eureka, IL and local tradesmen to custom build a tiny house for my mother, delivered right to our property- complete with a wood burning stove and the most perfect little front porch you have ever seen.
And most recently, we replaced every single window in the house. It sounds simple, but it was life changing. The first warm spell after installation, I walked through and opened every last one of them- strictly because I finally could. Up next: painting all of that old, weathered aluminum siding.
My favorite place in the entire world is right here, at home, with my family- listening to the Corinthian bells on the front porch and the sound of my children laughing. We have space for a full game of soccer. Room for three Christmas trees. A garden that feeds us all year long. We found the house my children will come back to someday with their own kids, where we will keep building memories and joy for generations to come.
I am so grateful for the life we have built together- and so lucky to have found my home, both in that old farmhouse, and within this organization. ❤️