When Doug and I married almost five years ago, he was living in a new townhome duplex. He had purchased both sides and was living in one side, renting out the other. The townhome was at the end of a cove and adjacent to a heavily treed lawn and creek. Though the yard was small, it was actually quite lovely. We planted many perennials like butterfly bushes, hostas, shasta daisies and purple coneflowers. In the Springtime, it was beautiful. We finished the basement which had large windows and created a guest bedroom, bath, large office and family room.
One day while we were out, we came across an old Victorian farmhouse with a large porch right in the midst of the small town where we were living then. It sat on about five acres and was for sale. It was obvious it needed a great deal of work but we couldn’t wait to see inside. We made an appointment and toured the property. Victorian staircase, four bedrooms upstairs, one bathroom in much need of updating and dated Victorian wallpaper as far as the eye could see. Everything on the main floor was wallpapered as well. There were tall ceilings, a kitchen that needed a complete redo and a tiny half bath in the study. Doug was thrilled with the acreage and had big plans for it. We made an offer and they accepted it. The realtor listed our townhome and sold it to the first prospect who saw it and fell in love with it.
The owners of the Victorian farmhouse were trying to sell the land in two parcels and already had a buyer for the other half. However, none of the official paperwork was complete. The t’s weren’t crossed and the i’s weren’t dotted. Our home was now sold and the farmhouse had not been ready to sell officially! We were not happy campers. It was going to take months until it was ready, so we withdrew our offer. As we all know, God works in mysterious ways and promises that to those who love Him, all things work together for good. And they do. We were now pushed to find a home that we liked and Doug was hoping for a small piece of land. Guess where we found it! Right around the corner from my daughter’s home. They built a farmhouse on six acres with an apple orchard. We would never have thought of looking in this small town but we love it. The house was empty and almost ready to move into. Doug painted every room and we had new carpet installed upstairs. Remember the all things working out for our good and His glory? We saw our old neighborhood about a year and a half after we had moved. The association or builders – not sure who – had bulldozed all the trees and virtually filled in the wonderful creek. All the homes on the other side were now visible. There were cars everywhere. We would have hated it. Most likely, at that point it would have been difficult to sell.
Now we have a home on enough land (1.25 acres) for Doug to have fun but not so much that he’s overwhelmed. We can walk to Christy’s house. We back up to farmland and watch the seasons come and go from our large back deck. So that’s the story about how we are here. So, now for a tour of our new home when I finish cleaning and photographing
