Cleaning Day 25

The Last "Cleaning Day"

     Unfortunately we was not able to get all of our things from Muncie on "cleaning day 24". We hoped to, but the day was too short. We had to spend another day on moving, though we had already been living at our new place for 2 nights.

     Nathaniel started early to make a trip to Muncie, while Bobby and I remained behind to organize and enjoy babysitting a couple of sweet kids. Nathaniel came back at about 1 pm and we unloaded the van. He returned to Muncie, taking Bobby with him this time. They loaded up the van a second time, and returned at around 4pm. We unloaded, and we all headed back to Muncie, dropping off the kids I babysat on the way.

     We finished taking down the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, curtains and rods, and the blinds. We swept out the house, and took everything to the back yard so that the new tenet could begin moving in. (he was already there.) We are so thankful that some dear friends came over with a truck and trailer so help us finish up. We was able to pack all that was left in our van, their truck and trailer. It is great to have everything moved! the moving process is so grueling! We all came to the new property so tired. We unloaded the truck and trailer outside quickly, and left everything else in the van to be unloaded the next day. We are so thankful to be completely moved. It was quite overwhelming to be traveling back and forth.

 All of our stuff is moved!!! We are done!

Cleaning Day 24

     This is the Day!! Our Goal to be moved to our new place! It was an exciting time and we had a big day ahead!
     Nathaniel made an early trip with some things and to add the fourth coat of poly to the bathroom floor. I packed more things while waiting for him to get back. We loaded up the van and we all went to the property and unloaded it.
    We was very excited to have our first dinner guests. Nathaniel's cousin and his wife was coming to help out, and share our evening meal. So we scarfed our lunch, and Nathaniel went out to meet them in Muncie, while I remained to organize some things.
    Nathaniel and his cousin loaded the heavy furniture and our beds on a truck and trailer, and brought it all out to the property. We had a wonderful time of fellowship, and enjoyed a wonderful meal of hamburgers, and fried potatoes cooked over an open fire, and baked beans!
    After our company had to leave, our day was not yet done. We sit up our beds, and located blankets, sheets and clothing. Nathaniel worked for some time on setting the toilet since the floor had finished drying during the day. It was midnight to 1am before we fell to an exhausted sleep. It was exciting, and very hard work, but we are here, and looking forward to being able to spend more time fixing things up and less time traveling!

Cleaning Day 23

     What a day!!! It is really getting crazy around here! It really struck me today that, " We are really doing this!" It's my first move with my family, and I was really feeling it!
     We lived in Muncie for 3 years, and longed to move out of the city almost as soon as moving there. With both of us being country folk, life in the city had little to offer us.
     On this day of reminisce and excitement for the future, I packed boxes all day! Nathaniel made a trip to the property every couple of hours or so to add a coat of polyurethane  and bring a load of boxes and things. It was a full day, and I was thoroughly exhausted by evening, to be sure!

Cleaning Day 22

     A Disappointing Discovery

 

 

     Bright and early, Nathaniel brought a load to the property intending to put the first layer of polyurethane on the bathroom floor. He discovered that although the glue stuck the paper pieces to each other really well, it did not adhere to the floor well at all. He pulled it all up and came back. We had to get another kind of glue. It was disappointing, but we was glad to find out now that the glue did not stick well rather than later. We put down another layer of paper flooring, and went back to Muncie to pack the van for an early start the next day.

     We are trying very hard to get the bathroom done before completely moving. Multiple trips to town for a bathroom only work so long. We need showers, too! :)  

Cleaning Day 21

     We have had quite the adventure so far in this endever we have jumped into! We have had so much fun, that sometime don't know quite how to express ourselves, so we go walking arround in the yard, quite in awe! It is a beautiful place.

     We started out the day packing a load into the van and taking to the property to unload. We set up more shelving in the North Trailer to keep things organized while we continued to focus on setting up the South Trailer so that we could move in as soon as possible.

     There is much work to be done, so we got busy putting up Kilz. We got one coat of Kilz up in Bobby's room and most of the halway. We put paper flooring down in the bathroom and was excited for how it was turning out! Nathaniel worked on some plumbing in the North Trailer, and then set up the cook stove in the same trailer. I am very excited to be able to cook meals on a regular stove rather than relying on clear weather to be able to cook over a fire.

     We are happy to be getting so much done, but the next several days will have to be focused on packing and getting all the rest of our stuff moved! A lot of excitedment and hard work ahead for us! Will we meet our goal and be completely moved on the day we have planned?

Cleaning Day 20

     We are really getting down to some nitty gritty here. We packed up a truck, and brought it out to our property. On the way a bag of stuff flew out onto the road, and we had to stop and chase it down. We managed to make out there without losing anything else, though. It was kinda funny!
     After straitening the North trailer (the office/craft room trailer), we set up four shelving units to put things on until we can fully move into the South trailer. We unloaded the truck and distributed the boxes and things to their respective areas (ie. chicken barn, North trailer, South trailer).
    Finally after waiting awhile, the appliances came. The delivery truck was late, but we got a lot done waiting. The refrigerator was set up temporarily in the North trailer so we could use it! Yay, COLD water while we work!!! We also put the microwave, dishwasher, and stove in the North trailer but not set up yet.
    Its coming together, and we are excited!!

Cleaning Day 19

     It didn't feel like we did much today, but looking back, it was a very full day. We started out appliance shopping. It didn't take as long as expected, and we got much better deals than expected! Nathaniel and Bobby went out to the property to put up a tarp, and set some mouse traps.
     We have found out our place comes complete with mice and a mangy cat. We would love to get rid of both, as we are having 2 kittens delivered by my parents, and I don't have to explain why we don't want the mice! :)
     We spent the remainder of the evening packing up more stuff. Its coming down to last minute stuff for us to be completely moved. The new place is not ready for a complete move in, but we have a tent and chicken barn where all our stuff can stay dry. The other trailer can house our appliances so that they can be used while we finish up with the main trailer. Its going to be a VERY busy week, so I will post updates as I can!

Cleaning Day 18

     We got up the next morning after camping in our own backyard a bit sore but glad we had the whole day to spend preparing our new home, instead of spending part of it getting ready to come, and then traveling there. We went to work, putting on another coat of Kilz, and found the stain came through that coat a bit as well. We decided that we would try the paint, and hoped the Kilz would at least stop the stain.
     While Nathaniel painted, I was working on putting Kilz in the bathroom. By the time the day was over, we had the master bedroom painted, and the bathroom Kilzed except the cabinet under the sink and the linen cupboard. We was happy to see that the stain did not seem to come through at all! I am excited to see how nice the house will look when the painting is done.

Cleaning Day 17

Work and Fun Go Hand in Hand

     We arrived at our new place excited and anticipating what might get done. Who wouldn't be excited to camp out in their new backyard? We set up our (used, but nice looking) tent that we had never set up before. After trial and error, it went up. We discovered a few repairs needed, but ... It will do for tonight.
     My husband tackled the kitchen sink problem, knowing we would need it for washing out paint brushes and dishes. It took awhile, but we now have a functioning kitchen sink! I spent quite some time scrubbing, bleaching, and cleaning out the sink before being comfortable using it.
    After carefully rechecking and giving the master bedroom a final cleaning, we began giving it a coat of Kilz 2. It took the rest of the evening, but we was able to complete one coat. We was sad to see that a nasty brown stain showed through the kilz. We came to the conclusion that the next day we would have to put on another coat of kilz before painting.

Cleaning Day 16

     It would be harder to start a day if you knew how it would end. It would also be easier to prepare for what may happen... but we don't know, so... we go on. This morning started very exciting for me. After dropping Bobby off at school, We was off to get the paint I have been picking out for weeks now! That was fun! We also picked out paint, and flooring supplies.
     With big plans, we picked up Bobby from school and headed out for an evening of hard work. It was hard work, but I don't think we did anything we planned. We found out why the people who lived there previously had the kitchen sink rigged so weird. They had a bucket under the sink with part of the plumbing pulled apart. We just thought there was a leak or something. Come to find out, there was several clogs and we are still not done fixing that problem. To make a long story short, it turned out to be a nasty business with a bit of a mess, but not as bad as it could have easily been.
     I did get something done though! I was able to wash the walls and ceiling in the hallway as well as one wall in the kitchen. It was so nasty that I had to change my soap water about two times, and my rinse water 4 times. Yes, My rinse water was even getting gross fast! It was like I scrubbed the wall with soap, and then wiped it off the dirt with rinse water. Eww, Yeah I wore rubber gloves. When I wash the walls, they literally change colors.  The smoke gook clings to the walls and ceiling in sticky nasty spots.  The crazy thing is that it does not reek of smoke. It reeks of dog gunk. I am thankful it is not nearly as bad as it was though. It is amazing what soap, water, and a rag will do.
     I can't wait to transform this place with paint and flooring! We plan to Kilz EVERYTHING (floors, ceilings and the inside and outside of cabinets), and then paint the walls and cabinets. The flooring will be fun and interesting (details on that later :) ) (I hope it works).

Cleaning Day 14 & 15

     On day 14 Nathaniel put in one window. I pulled some tacks out of the floor, but did not get far, because at the time I did not realize that the pliers I had been using was not sufficient for the job. It was a short day, but we did manage to bring up another van load.

    On day 15 we spent nearly the entire day there. We arrived just before noon, ate lunch, and jumped right in. While I fixed lunch, Nathaniel and Bobby unloaded another van load into the chicken barn and then joined me. It was a long day, but we got a lot done.
     Nathaniel put in 4 windows. It was a tough job, and took the whole time we was there, but he did a good job. After finding another pare of pliers, I was able to pull all the tacks from the floor in Bobby's room. I also removed the light fixture, swept and mopped. His room is totally ready to paint, and put the flooring in. I closed the door to prevent things from being put in there, and to keep dust from other parts of the house getting in. It was nice to mark one whole room as ready to paint.
     To finish up, I cleaned out the terrible nasty drawers in the kitchen. While Nathaniel caulked the last couple windows he put in, I cleaned up the work sight as much as I could, and we left sometime after 8 pm. It was a full days work, but we felt pretty good about how much we got done.
     We are still waiting for 4 replacement windows. That is holding us up on both ends of the house. We are wanting these in before starting the painting project. Since these windows are part of a group of windows, they have to go in all at the same time for trimming and things like that. We are hoping they come in within the next couple days.

Cleaning Day 13

 

     Another short day. We put in one window. It does take awhile to put in a window. Nathaniel takes out the old window, measures for trim, cuts trim, puts on outside trim, caulks, puts in glass, puts on more trim, and then caulks the outside. He caulks other things too, but I don't remember all the steps. That's just a basic idea. I would say it at least takes an hour. Its faster if he does a group of windows at once. I help where I can like holding the trim while he screws it in ... things like that. 

     All that needs done in Bobby's room is to have the fixtures removed, and then I can start painting!! Yay! We are going to kilz the whole trailer before actually painting. I don't have colors picked out for everything, but I do for most things. I'm glad kilz is white, so I don't have to be in a hurry for picking out colors yet. I bet you can't tell i'm excited or anything. 

Cleaning Day 12

     We couldn't be there long today, but we made it worth it. We loaded the van with the things we had been packing up the last few days, making the 3rd load brought to our new place. After unloading I planted a few things as fast as I could before the rain came. I got done planting 6 things just in time. While Nathaniel was fixing supper over his rocket stove, I was planting two weeping willow trees, two hydrangea bushes, and two rose bushes. I can't wait to see what they become.

Cleaning Day 11

Fun in the Yard

     Four more windows in!!! What fun! My husband worked for a long time on these, but it really looked amazing when he was done!! I am so excited for how nice I think our living room will look! In between helping Nathaniel out, I went outside to work on bushes again. It was SUCH a nice day out.
     I finished cutting down one bush blocking one of the living room windows. ( Now what do I do with the stump? Oh well, I'll figure that out another day.) I trimmed up some lower branches on a tree ( cut them off actually), and finished that bothersome tree in the butterfly  bush (Pictured above). I trimmed up a snowball bush and cut out a lot of old half dead wood from the butterfly bush. Looks much better!
     I am hoping to plant a couple weeping willow trees and a couple rose bushes tomorrow!! Maybe even a Hydrangea bush or two. (I was able to order them for my birthday!) They have been sitting in my dinning room in Muncie, begging me to plant them!! How can I refuse? It is all so very exciting!

Cleaning Day 10

     We started the day right out excited and ready to get a lot done. We took out 4 windows. We was just about to put in the new ones, when we discovered a problem with the pressure tank in the well. So our project was put on pause until we could figure out what to do with that. After traipsing all over town, we managed to find all the parts we needed. Now we get to fix a new problem before continuing with the old one. 

Cleaning Day 9

Lots of Travel, But Lots of Fun

     We was SO excited to hear that our windows were in! We decided to have some fun! We went to town and got all the supplies we would need like trim, caulk, glass suction cups, and all sorts of things like that. All that stuff filled up the truck so much that we dropped it all off at our place before heading back out to pick up the windows. 

     Two single wide trailers have alot more windows than you would think! If i remember right, there are 32 panes of glass in the truck. The picture only shows the glass for most of the windows. We are still waiting on 4 replacement windows. We had alot of fun putting the windows in the rooms they go in. 

     Nathaniel got right down to business cutting trim, and putting in 3 windows! I cleaned out the kitchen cabinets in between helping Nathaniel. It was fun and we could not believe how much the windows improved the lighting in the living room. They really opened up the place, and had an amazing view! I was really surprised on how much difference changing out only 3 of the 9 windows in the living room made! 

Cleaning Day 8

A Little More Done Plus Fun

     It was a bit of a fun day today. While Nathaniel tore out some of the porch, I cleaned the nasty bathroom and Bobby's room. The sink and tub in the bathroom is an interesting green color, but I plan to use it to my advantage and coordinate the decor to match somehow. Guess we will see!

     When I finished the bathroom, I decided to cut down some trees! There is a HUGE butterfly bush out back and this obnoxious group of trees growing out one side much taller than than the bush. I used my husbands battery operated retractable saw thing and cut two down!! I was rather excited at the results, and would have done more had the battery not died. 

     What fun! We have been enjoying this process, and I have loved this decorating stuff! We have not started buying paint and stuff, but deciding colors and themes has been SO much fun! 

Cleaning Day 7

Slowly But Surely

     

     It doesn't look nice yet, but it's progress!! We took out the closet and desk from the master bedroom. It may seem a bit strange now, but really there is not enough room to leave them in.  I can't wait to see it when in is done!!!  

     Nathaniel went on to tear up the rest of the bathroom floor while I finished washing the walls and ceiling in the master bedroom. We were pleased with a job well done!

Cleaning Day 6

     I wan't able to help out today, but as soon as Bobby got off from school, my husband took Bobby and went out there to caulk one of the roofs. I have no idea how much he got done, but that is what he did! :)
     I had a wonderful time at the Woman of Worth meeting in Anderson! It was nice to sit down and talk to a few ladies there. I also made a new friend, of whom I am very excited!

Cleaning Day 5

     We chugged into our new property bright and early this morning in a big truck pulling a dump trailer. We armed ourselves with gloves, shovels, and a wheelbarrow to really get some cleaning done. It was a mess! We cleaned the chicken barn of huge piles of dirt, grime and other such random filthiness. We found used diapers, old toilets, and piles of trash.
    We had an interesting trip to the dump. After cleaning out the major part of the chicken barn, and adding the ripped up flooring from the trailer, the dump trailer was packed full and mounded!!  We chatted with some people we knew, caught someones loose dog, and then headed out.
     We picked up some fire brick that some people gave us. It took awhile, and the brick was heavier than it looked. So after loading the trailer, we headed back to unload it. We was all pretty tired, and decided to call it a day after that.

Cleaning Day 4

Real Moving

     We are so excited to be putting our first load of stuff out in the Chicken Barn. This feels like moving to me! Our first load filled our van all the way up, but didn't look like much when we put it in the barn. I'm am thankful there is SO much room to put stuff.
     We didn't have much time today to do much, but we did pull out the rest of the inside windows so we could get all the measurements we needed to order our new windows. YAY

Cleaning Day 3

FEELING ENCOURAGED ABOUT THINGS

     When we arrived at our new place, we was pleasantly surprised by a beautiful tree in full bloom!! I could not believe the beautiful display tiny pink blossoms! We also discovered a  nearly full grown Morning Dove in a bush by the living room window just about to fly from it's nest for good! It was surely a beautiful morning.
     With much effort the flooring in the kitchen was ripped out and the rest of the living room carpet. We also pulled out the inside windows so that we could measure for new windows! I was so excited to start cleaning in the Master Bedroom! It was SO nice to start washing off that icky gunk that seemed to cling to everything!! We think the icky gunk was a result of smoking in the house. I managed to get half the bedroom including ceiling cleaned up!
     

Cleaning Day 2

REALLY GETTING A FEEL FOR THINGS

     We was up bright and early, ready to take on the day cleaning up, and seeing how much we could possibly get done in one day! All the way to our new property we could not stop talking about what we wanted to do, how we wanted to fix something, and planning our near future. We jumped right in tearing things out, and scooping up junk. What a job! All the flooring had to go, and we needed the chicken barn for storage.

     Nathaniel started the great task of ripping up carpet and linoleum, while Bobby and I started working on one corner of the chicken barn. By the time we decided to call it a day, we was filthy from head to toe, and had another list of things we needed to bring the next time we came out. 

North Trailer:

• Ripped up more floor
• Living room
• Master Bedroom
• Bathroom
• Master Bedroom
• Pulled built in dresser out

Chicken Barn

• One corner cleaned up

South Trailer

• Cut up part of living room floor.

     We left exhausted and feeling like it was a Saturday well spent!

Cleaning Day 1

GETTING STARTED

April 25, 2013

     It was an exciting day to actually begin the cleanup process! Who would not want to start making beautiful this amazing and somewhat astounding new life? We found ourselves greatly relieved. Our first impression of the place was rather shocking and overwhelming, though we knew we could make it work. This day was our second real good look at the place; taking our time looking around, we began to take it all in. We found that it was not nearly so overwhelming an undertaking as we first imagined. 

     We started right away by opening the doors to let things air out. The place was filled with, what my husband called, a real strong ammonia smell (basically dog pee). It got SO overwhelming that I had to walk outside often for fresh air. I sometimes wonder if ALL the smell would eventually go away. I will be armed with plenty of scentsy and enough cleaners to start a business! 

     Knowing we only had a couple hours at best, we decided to jump right in. We decided to take up our main residence in the South Trailer, and have a guest room, craft room, and the office/study/classroom in the North Trailer. So we began to work. 

In about 2 hours: 

South trailer:

• Took off cabinet doors
• ripped up some carpet. 
• Began a list of things needed

     It was a fulfilling day. We tried to get a good feel for things so we could gear up for a big day on Saturday. I think we all were pretty excited about what was to come. There was endless possibility for a place like this, and we could no wait to see what, with God's help, we could make out of it. 

A place to dream

 When God blesses, He pours out in abundance.

We have wanted to live out in the country for a long time, but we felt stuck in the city. I was scared to even go for a walk around the block. I didn't want Bobby to play outside unless I was right there. I felt like we was living in a little cardboard box with only one pin prick hole in it. That is until God showed us His will for our future.

                                                      

North ^ 

We are planning to move in before June 1!! We only have one month to get everything done, but I know God will help us. I feel like I can breath again! 

This little farm is almost 2 acres, and has 3 barns!! So much to work with!! We feel blessed to be able to let our son run outside to play without worrying about neighbors or having such a small yard. We can plant pretty much anything we want, in as large of a quantity as we want.

On April 25, 2013 we began "Project Clean Up"! We found ourselves surrounded in putrid smells and rain damage, but dove right in to set it to rights. By Clean up day 3 the South trailer is smelling much better, and I feel encouraged that I can actually make a pretty comfy home out of this mess! :) 

We are so excited about the possibilities that is seems like that is all we can talk about. If you was a fly you would hear things like, "Oh! We could plant...!", "I think we could build...!", "Don't you think ... would look nice?", and " We have SO much space!!!". 

I am hoping to document each day of cleaning until we move in! We don't get to be there every day, but every bit counts!!! 

You are welcome to join us in this exciting new stitch in our lives!

Top 10 Dreams in No Particular Order

1. Live on a farm.

• - Planning to move to one by June 1, 2013
• - Has 3 barns
• - Has nearly 2 acres

2. Have a fancy flower garden.

• Moving onto plenty of land
• Just ordered lots of plants, seeds, and trees for my birthday

3. Get Married

• July 24, 2010 :)

4. Have Children

• Adopted Bobby December 27, 2012

5. Have a Fruit and Veggie Garden

• Have had 2
• Plan to plant another

6. Have a craft room

• Have the shelving and supplies
• Get to have the small room in the North trailer!

7. Go to another country

• Went to Honduras on a mission trip
• Went to Alaska (if that counts)
• Want to see more

8. Be in full time ministry

• Husband pastors Winchester Pilgrim Nazarine Church

9. Have regular house guests

• still working on this one
• coming true soon

10. Make friends

• Have several
• want more

Dare to Dream

     Have you ever sat staring out the window seeing nothing but pondering the what ifs in life? Do you find yourself halfway through a book, but realizing the last several pages meant nothing because your mind wandered far into what you hope for your future? Do you have those special pintrest boards just for those things that you know might never happen, but deep inside you conceal a tiny bit of hope that maybe somehow it could? I sure do!! I have been guilty of window staring, turning pages without seeing them, and you only need to glace at my pintrest to see my dreams.

     Sometimes we go through times of darkness, whether in soul or in circumstances. We feel like our hopes and dreams are a waste of time even thinking about. We may even throw away those treasured notebooks or delete those dream pintrest board on which our dreams lay in order to find a relief from the darkness that surrounds us.

     I am so glad that darkness fades and before we know it, we are ready to dream again. We can pull out those drawings, floor-plans, or start up a new pintrest board, and dream it up. We can take comfort in knowing that the only dreams that can come true must be dreamed in the first place. So dream, and yours might be the next one to come true!