A List

I am a list person. I really, really love to have a list. I don't always follow my list... but I am working on it! 

Anyways, here is a list for you of the projects/ideas that I have for the house remodel. None of this is set in stone, but just a good idea of where we're headed. 

Cannot wait to get started... and I really cannot wait until we are finished!

-Mal

Once upon a time... Or: What do you call your first post on a new blog?

I have been interested in blogging since...well, since I learned the word 'blog' probably. I have always enjoyed writing in a journal, but why would I want to share that with the world? I honestly don't know. But I want to. My thinking is that as we embark on the journey of buying land and a house and completely changing our lifestyle it will probably be fun to document our successes {and our failures}. All I know is this: I am excited about life. I am truly Blessed to get to go on this journey and I want to remember this feeling, because if my suspicions are correct {and let's be honest, they normally are}, this experience will be a lot of hard work, but one that we will look back on and appreciate. 

So... We are in the process right now of buying 35 acres and a house in a rural community in Oklahoma. We should be closing within the next 2 weeks! {I really hope this pans out, because I really would like to sign those papers before we go on vacation so we can get to work as soon as we get home!}

The house is a double wide trailer. I am going to be honest with you here: I had reservations about living in a trailer. But, I have embraced the fact that we will be able to pay it off quickly and I will keep drawing up plans for my dream home in my head... and on my Pinterest board. Plus, it really is nice as far as trailers go. Well, that's a lie. What I mean is, it is going to be nice. But it has real 2 x 6 walls and it is nice and open and has lots of room, so it doesn't feel really "trailery," if you know what I mean. And, honestly, I have seen people who lived in thatch huts in the jungle who were happy and thankful to have a dry place to lay their heads at night, and I am going to be thankful too. 

We have a ton of work to do on the house, but I am really excited about getting to make it ours and doing all of these projects together. Neither of us have a ton of experience in this area, but I am thinking it will be really good for us... and I am sure it will make a lot of funny stories to tell if nothing else. I will do another post soon with some of the projects/ideas we have planned. 

As far as the land goes, we have lots of plans and ideas for that too. We both love the idea of organic gardens and being as self sufficient as possible. {Dave tippy-toes the line of being a "prepper". I just hate going to the store.} We also want to have chickens and maybe a few cows. And goats. Dave loves goats; don't ask me why. And today he says he wants pigs... I think pigs stink, so that is a discussion for a later date. But all of this to say, we have really no clue what we are doing. I mean, we have read books, listened to podcasts and done a little online research, but the sum of our first-hand experience is that my family had a few chickens and raised 3 steers while I was growing up. We have both gardened a bit, but nothing like what we want/plan on doing. In other words, we're green. But we're energetic, and we're hoping that counts for something.
-Mal

P.S. Here is the opposite of energetic.

This is Gus. If you know me, you know I love my dog. He's my baby and he'll make his fair share {or more} of appearances in my blog I'm sure.