We bought the farm!

That's just so fun to say! 

 

 We've waited a long time to be in the position of buying a hobby farm with which to raise our family on.  We are still in that state of pleasant shock where it all seems too good to be true yet we've lived it unfolding and know it to be a reality.

 

This farm that we just bought is not the one we originally came to Missouri to buy.  When we tried to buy the one we've been renting we were met with obstacle after obstacle and the owners were not cooperative.  When we first arrived we were shocked to find that there were a number of details that we had been deceived on and that the pictures that were sent to us were several years old and did not accurately represent the property in it's current condition.  Despite all of that we fell in love with the area around us and the neighbors around us and decided to work on the land and home to make it what we saw that it had once been and that it could someday be restored to.  The more we worked the more we uncovered from extensive damage done from years of neglectful care of the home to a major roof leak, plumbing problems damaging floors, mold and not to mention all the rehabilitation the land would need.  It was almost a relief that the owners refused to lower their price down to the appraisal price, thereby giving a free and clear conscience to back out and buy something else.

 

What we found is what we've dreamed of!

 

There is a beautiful old farmhouse that sits on 30 acres. 

 

 

 These pictures are from back in April when we took the children out to see it.  The trees were all bare then.  We wonder how beautiful it must be now with everything so green.

 

 

There are two wooded areas, a creek that crosses the property twice, front and back, a small pond, a hay field and pastures for grazing our animals, a large machine shed and a barn, a real barn with a door, solid walls and a good roof.

 

 

We have the next several days to pack up all of our belongings, hopefully for the last time, and move everyone out to our new farm.  We are so eager to settle down and put in some roots and start bearing fruit in our lives and the children's lives.  It seems like we've been in limbo for so long.  Many areas of our life that we desire to be working on and fine tuning have been put on the back burner.  We see many areas that need painful cutting and pruning so that good fruit can blossom.  We cannot wait to finally be HOME!

 

 

We are excited to meet our new neighbors.  We have heard encouraging stories about the folks that will be our new community.  They sound like wonderful people.  There is a church that sounds promising for what we've been looking for and the fellowship we've been starving for.

 

 

  I am starting the hardening off process with my peppers and we are trying to arrange a new neighbor to till up a garden plot for us so that we can plant them.  All of the winter sowing experiments are hanging in there still, even the tomatoes!  We are a bit sad to leave behind all of the onions and leeks, but at least we are starting to get some peas now and can enjoy those until we go.  Our wonderful neighbors here at this place have generously offered to haul our cows up for us in their horse trailer.  We are so very blessed by their friendship and will miss them very much when we move!

 

 

The farm is very rural.  We have been having difficulty locating an internet provider.  This will be my last blog post until we get settled and have internet service again.  I will be taking tons of pictures in the meantime.  And packing.  I'll be doing a lot of packing.  And cleaning.  And more packing.  See you in a few weeks, Lord willing!