Tuesday, September 7
Shew-wee, it was a long day. Yesterday two out of the three realtors we had left messages with called us back yesterday. We made an appointment with the first one that called back to go look at a house north of us. It was not our first choice to look at but we figured we’d better check it out since the realtor had called back. A couple hours later another realtor called back. We (OK, maybe I was more interested than CountryBoy) were interested in looking at one of their listings. We were also informed of other listings that might be of interest. After making an appointment with the second realtor CountryBoy called and cancelled the first appointment.
The property we were interested in was three hours west of us and in a different time zone. We left the house at 8:00. Halfway there we had to make a half hour to 45 minutes detour because Main Street in Perryville was closed due to some major work going on. sigh. We finally got back on track and found the real estate office. Thankfully we weren’t too late.
We wanted to check out two properties while we were there. The first one was my favorite but CountryBoy wanted to check out the other as well while we were there. It never hurts because you just never know. Sometimes the pictures don’t do it justice. So, off we went to the first property. It had the boat dock/slip we wanted, was move-in ready with the furniture included (nice furniture, too), and had an amazing view! Access to the boat dock/slip was fairly easy as well. I was ready to make an offer right then and there but we still needed to check out the other property. We followed the realtor and got in the right area but the property was difficult to find. CountryBoy found a group of mailboxes (one having the street number we were looking for) and took the road by the boxes. The realtor was in front of us and when she looked in her rear view mirror we were gone, ha. We finally found the place and got out to have a look around. We didn’t need to go inside because the yard and property itself screamed constant maintenance and the lake was difficult to see through all the trees so there wasn’t much of a lake view. It was nice and private but we’re looking to get away from constant and difficult maintenance so that place was out. We found the realtor and told her we didn’t need to go inside. I did ask, though, if we could go back to the first house.
After being treated to lunch we went back to the first house and this time we looked more closely at the details and tried to picture ourselves living there. We all sat for a long while in the screen room, soaking in the view and the tranquility. Yep, we could definitely live here. It would be downsizing and would require some major culling of our stuff but we could do it.
I brought my camera along but didn’t get any pictures the first time we were at the house. The second time I fully intended to take lots of photos but after the first shot (and not even an interesting one) my battery died. sigh. CountryBoy took some with his iPad and I’ve been looking at the listing whenever I have a question or wondered if a piece of our furniture would work in the space. Note to self: check camera batteries before heading out the door with the camera!
We drove back to the realtors office and we started the paperwork. It was nine o’clock before we got back to the farm.
This whole process of selling a home; buying a home; what to do with this or that; now that we’ve put in an offer will our house sell before closing on the one we’re buying; will the offer on our house be even close to our asking price; and so on, and so on is nerve wracking. We have prayed for God’s guidance and direction; for His timing on both properties; for the right people to buy the farm at the right price and, at times, we are OK and at peace then other times we get nervous and start questioning the whole process and whether or not we’re doing the right thing and I know that’s when we’re trying to take back control. We don’t know the big picture (I don’t think we could the big picture). We don’t know who will buy the farm and when. We don’t know if our house will close before we close on the one we’re buying. We basically know nothing. We’re just taking it one step at a time and trusting God to orchestrate everything. Easier said than done, for sure.
Wednesday, September 8
After such a long, eventful day I slept sound. CountryBoy? Not so much. He fell asleep quickly but woke up at 1:30 with all sorts of questions about the property. I had to work this morning so I told him to make some phone calls in hopes to get some answers then take a nap. He had a long trip ahead of him as soon as I got home from work. He is heading to Arkansas to visit his Mom for a few days. This trip was planned long before the last couple weeks’ events.
It was a short day for me so I was home an hour before I planned on being home. CountryBoy had made the phone calls but had to leave messages and no one had gotten back to him. He didn’t get a nap either. Thankfully, he made it to Arkansas safe and sound and even made good time. Whew!
I spent the afternoon answering the returned calls and asking the questions he had. I also went through our dresser drawers and culled a LOT of stuff. There was a pile for the trash and a pile of stained t-shirts for someone who uses them for crafts. Very little went back in the drawers. Since we won’t be needing ‘farm’ clothes or work clothes we plan on minimizing our wardrobe extensively along with everything else. I told CountryBoy that if I could just get through the process of downsizing I know it will be worth it. Last week when we dropped off what we had gathered for the church’s yard sale it was a tad emotional pulling everything out of the truck but as I walked away I felt lighter and happy that someone may get some use out of it.
The evening hours were spent prepping to bind the quilt I recently got back from the quilt shop – measuring, cutting, sewing strips together, pressing then finally attaching the binding to the front of the quilt. Tomorrow I’ll start hand sewing the binding to the back of the quilt. I like this way of attaching the binding because you don’t see any stitches.
Thursday, September 9
It was a nice, relaxing day spent doing farm chores; washing and scrubbing both dog beds for the cabin; making and freezing watermelon soup with a few of our farm-raised melons; watering plants; bathing LizzieBelle and washing her blankies; reading; and sewing. After looking at the binding I had attached last night I decided it was going to be too narrow. I like a wider binding on the front so I sewed another seam 1/8th inch to the left of the first one. Much better.
We received a counter-offer from the seller so we countered back. Still no word if it was accepted at the time of this entry.
Our house listed today. Praying for the right person to see the listing soon.
My plan for the evening is to try and find something decent streaming on TV and start on the hand sewing of the binding.
Friday, September 10
Believe it or not I did manage to find a cute movie on Redbox called ‘From Prada to Nada’. I enjoyed watching it while working on the binding. By the time the movie was finished I was almost halfway around the quilt. I worked on it a bit more until my eyes would no longer focus on the stitches which happened to be a little past the halfway point.
This morning I have to admit that I’m a little out of sorts. There is SO much I could be doing that would make the house show better and in preparation to move but I don’t even know where to start. I’m thinking that maybe once CountryBoy is back the two of us can keep each other motivated and on track. Instead, I finished the binding on the quilt.
It’s a bee themed quilt with flowers and the quilting was done with bees and flowers. I’m not sure if it shows up well in the photo below but the pattern is super cute!
I’m pleased with how it all turned out. I now have Winter (more like Christmas), Spring and Summer wall hangings. Looks like I need to make a Fall and a Winter specific one then I can change them out seasonally.
After that I put the final touches on the cabin for today’s guests and I’m now waiting on the battery for the drone to charge. The realtor’s drone photos did not turn out. He hasn’t made it back out to take more so I thought I would save him a trip.
This afternoon I wound up on the mower. I decided to try and mow some of the spent parts of the garden. The weeds had taken over and were pretty tall so I took it nice and slow. The garden looks a little better now and not quite such a weedy mess.
After mowing it dawned on me that neither of us has checked the okra lately. Sure enough, several had gotten away from us. I picked them anyway. CountryBoy will decide whether they’re too tough when he goes to cook them. Here’s a little harvest ‘art’ from today’s harvest…
… a few of the last remaining Concord grapes, jalapenos, okra, roma tomatoes, pink bumblebee tomatoes, an ear of corn, 18 eggs, and a few spent Florenza sunflowers (I’ll save the seeds to plant at the lake somewhere).
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Just had a call from the realtor. Our offer for the house and the furnishings was accepted. yay! Now to pray earnestly that the farm sells and sells quickly at or near the asking price. We’d appreciate any and all prayers and thank you!
Saturday, September 11
9-11. I remember the events like it was yesterday. May we never forget the tragedy of 20 years ago.
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After slacking pretty much the last two days I finally got my wits about me and got something done today. However, I definitely needed my two cups of coffee this morning to get going. Yesterday’s mowing of the garden and part of the yard had my allergies flaring up. I took an allergy pill before going to bed and those things knock me out. I feel as though I’m under a weighted blanket when I try to get up and my eyes are so heavy and just want to close again. It was almost 8 o’clock before I got up and that was only because Creamsicle was letting me know, in his best groveling meow, that it was WAY past time for their breakfast. sigh. So, I made myself get up, get the coffee going and get everyone fed and watered.
I’ve decided to tackle one room at a time in hopes that I wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed. I think if CountryBoy and I work on some of the rooms and areas together then we can keep each other in check and help each other decide what we think we’ll need at the house and what we should do with the remaining items.
Today I tackled the mudroom. I even defrosted the ol’ freezer which wasn’t on the original plan but I figured why not.
Once it was defrosted I reorganized it and put like things in baskets which should make it easier to see what we have.
After that was done I mopped, dusted, and got rid of a few things I knew I wouldn’t need. There’s still a few items I need to sort through and decide whether to keep, toss or donate but other than that it looks much better. Good thing since that’s the first thing one sees when entering the house.
This afternoon our realtor called and asked if she could bring someone over to look at the farm tomorrow evening. Absolutely! We’re praying they’ll love it and make a reasonable offer but preferably the listing price. Shortly after that phone call the realtor for the lake house called. She’s waiting on CountryBoy’s signature before we’re officially under contract. He’ll sign it when he gets in tonight from Arkansas.
This evening I cleaned both bathrooms and tomorrow I will vacuum and probably think of another million things that I should probably do before the potential buyers come. Here’s hoping to a good nights’ sleep.
Sunday, September 12
CountryBoy is home, yay! He had a great time visiting with his Mom, two of his brothers, his daughter and grandson. I’m thankful he got to go and spend some quality time with them before the chaos of the upcoming move – Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise!
Before the end of day I was utterly exhausted. I tidied up a bit before heading to work. Worked five hours then hurried home to vacuum, clean the guest room windows and hide all the stuff I’ve been pulling out to donate. I finished just in time then spent two hours walking the farm with the potential buyers and realtor. CountryBoy had grilled some chicken and ribs but by the time they left the meat was very well done and just slightly warm. Come to find out they were just starting their property search and were still undecided on listing their house. oh well.
It was 8 o’clock by the time we finished eating and I was spent. I’ve not felt that tired in a long time.
Meanwhile, CountryBoy mowed the paddock, cleaned the cabin, and sanded the wood planks a neighbor cut for us on his sawmill. These are for the downstairs bathroom ceiling. He was exhausted as well.
Monday, September 13
This morning we started on the bathroom ceiling to cover up the hole which was made back when the upstairs toilet’s wax ring had melted from the gas heater (heat rises) and had to be replaced with a hard ring…
I cleared the room while CountryBoy used the router to make the boards tongue and groove. Some boards were a team effort while others were easy to maneuver and nail into place. During all that I did two loads of laundry and even managed to get the caulk and liquid nail off the bottom of the tub that had been on there since we moved in. (Probably from a piece of trim that was pulled off at some point.) That alone made the bathroom look better but the wood ceiling will be the icing on the cake. This bathroom still needs to be redone and upgraded but hopefully what we’re doing will make the bathroom not so glaringly ‘old’ and in need of TLC.
We managed to get halfway then stopped for the day. Again, both of us feeling tired. We both took naps. I napped for a little bit but my mind kept reminding me that I should be doing something because there is much to be done. sigh. We’re doing our best to do a little bit each day knowing that whatever we are able to get done will help us in the long run.
Culling most of what we own is exhausting as well. Why is it so hard to get rid of stuff? Some things are no-brainers but most of it are things that require some mental thought as to whether or not we may need it in the future or is it irreplaceable and the sentimental stuff? don’t have a clue right now. Downsizing will be good once it’s done but all the decisions are mentally exhausting.
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Before my nap this afternoon I sat down to relax and pulled out the cross-stitch piece I was working on quite a while ago. Tonight I discovered that all the stitches I did before my nap had to be pulled out. Yep, tired. sigh.
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We have another showing Wednesday at 4. They’re looking for a hobby farm. Well, we’re perfect for that! Here’s hoping and praying they’ll be the right buyers for our little farm.
Tuesday, September 14
The days are definitely getting shorter as we head towards Fall. The chickens are on their roosts by 7:30 these days and Mabel? well, she’s always napping so shorter days mean nothing to her, ha.
CountryBoy and I hit the ground running today immediately after swallowing our last sip of coffee. It’s now 8:00 o’clock at night – I’m blogging and CountryBoy is trying to get as much mowing in as possible before dark.
Today’s activities: CountryBoy finished the downstairs bathroom ceiling; I cleaned it and put everything back; while he worked on the bathroom I started cleaning and culling the greenhouse. It got pretty warm in there pretty fast so I didn’t get it all done. This afternoon I finished up the cabin for today’s guest then went to town for a few items. Once the stuff was put away I made some guacamole and cooked ground hamburger for taco Tuesday. CountryBoy chopped, shredded and diced all the fixins’ while I was at the store.
The bathroom ceiling took some effort but it was worth it in the long run…
Sure wish we’da done this sooner!
At the end of the day we’re tired but not quite as exhausted as the previous days. That’s good. I’ll be glad when this phase is over. I know that the Lord has the right buyer at the right time but the waiting and not knowing sure is hard.
Wednesday, September 15
Good grief, it’s already the middle of September! I’m not really sure where this year has gone yet when I look back at my photos, the blog/journal entries, and see what all’s in the pantry I can see where the year went. It’s been a busy one!
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A few weeks ago I received a letter from the IRS which is usually never a good thing. Apparently someone has submitted an income tax return with my name and social security number and they want to verify that it was me indeed that submitted the return. While I appreciate the effort to protect my identity I do not appreciate the manner in which I am supposed to prove that I am who I am. I am unable to verify my identity online (which is their preferred method) because I do not have the necessary credit cards or loans in my name nor do I have a mobile phone which leaves me to do it over the phone. I have no problem with that except for the fact that I can.not.get.through – “all representatives are busy. Try again another time.” click. No matter the time of day this is the message I get after listening to a three or four minute spiel every time. So this morning I was up early and on the phone at 7 o’clock on the dot – the time when the office opens. Guess what? I got the same message. It’s amazing how busy all the representatives can be at the beginning of their day. I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever get through or if I’ll ever see our tax refund for last year.
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I was at work by 8 o’clock. I updated some documents, did laundry and ironed. Six and a half hours later I was on my home to vacuum, wipe down the bathrooms, and tidy up a bit for today’s showing at 4. A lovely family of six arrived and they all loved the place. They did not make an offer. They did mention that they have to sell their house which are going like hotcakes right now so we’re still hoping and praying for a phone call from the realtor saying they made an offer. We feel they would be a perfect fit for our farm and farm animals.
CountryBoy cleaned the cabin in the pouring rain and wore himself out cleaning up after himself all day long trying to keep the house looking decent for the showing, heehee. We spent the evening relaxing. He was in bed by 7 o’clock and I was in bed by 8:50. What a lively bunch we are!
Thursday, September 16
LizzieBelle was up and at ’em at 4:45. I took her outside but she never settled down or went back to sleep so I gave up. It was another early morning.
CountryBoy had an appointment this morning at his primary doctor. The Doc had looked over the records from his hospital stay. He mentioned that it looked like CountryBoy was overdosed with blood thinner. Our thoughts exactly!!! He also said that he was surprised at the length of time CountryBoy had to stay in the hospital and that the procedure should have been done right away. Kinda what we were thinking. He did say that there’s still a possibility of having the procedure done at a later date and that it isn’t a definite no. I’m thinking that unless there’s another specialist that it may not happen cuz the one we spoke to backed out and sounded like he didn’t want to do it. We’d love to have it done so we’ll see. Just not right after a hospital stay, wink.
After the appointment we dropped three huge bags of clothes and some small goodies off at Goodwill then we went to Walmart for dog and cat food, bird seed, and some ginger paste for more watermelon soup. We treated ourselves to Red Lobster for lunch (& dinner) then headed home to finish up the cabin for today’s guests who are staying for five nights, woohoo.
This afternoon we had a little visitor in the house – a small black snake, yikes! I swear I’m a snake spotter no matter where I am. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not but CountryBoy got him and relocated it back outdoors where it belongs. It’s the second one we’ve had in the house in six and half years and both were small. Not bad, I reckon, considering where we live.
This afternoon I tried calling the local IRS office to make an appointment to straighten out this identity thing and was referred to another number without even speaking to someone. I called that number and waited 30 minutes for a representative. After verifying I was who I said I was she wasn’t allowed to make an appointment but she did transfer me internally to the identity verifying number. My wait time was 60 minutes. You better believe I waited now that I had the possibility of speaking with someone. Two plus hours (not to mention how many weeks) later my identity was finally verified and our tax return processed. I had to get this taken care of sooner rather than later so that there’s one less thing on my mind. I can’t express in words the relief I now feel.
I think the rest of the evening will be spent reading, knitting, cross-stitching, sitting on the porch – in other words RELAXING!!!
Dream Valley Farmstead 