home again home again

It feels a bit unreal to be back in our home. Jeremy drove us back Friday night and we came home to a foot of snow! Unfortunately he heading back to Seattle on Sunday, but I am thankful that there is now an end in sight! We finally found a house and will be making the two and a half hour trek over the mountains at the end of the month. Although, I predict it may take more like 4+ hours because of the snowy conditions…lets hope the pass doesn’t close on moving day!

Can I just say that I have been enjoying every minute of cleaning these past three days?! And that is not a sarcastic thought…I think it describes how happy I am to be in our home, with our things, our messes, and our separate bedrooms! The first two nights Ruby went to sleep so easily in her own bed. She just slipped right back into her routine, making me a very happy mama! I do have to thank all our family and friends though for putting up with us these past four to five weeks. We were not expecting to be gone that long…just goes to show life is very unpredictable and how blessed we are to have such great people in our lives!

House remodel

        One trip over the mountains, equaling up to three house moves in 6 months, and the adjustment to living not by the city, has brought us to this house in Yakima. Back in July we were in crunch time, attempting to get our rental house to a livable state by August 1st. What started as a house full of unkempt men, homeless and not, now has turned upside down only because of the heart and drive my husband has for his family and for following the Lord. This house has been a portfolio in and of itself. To start with a house full of junk, bugs, cigarette butts everywhere, and a stench that was indescribable, is a feat not everyone is capable of undertaking, but he took it head on and put all of his sweat, blood, and tears into it. (no real tears were shed in the making of this houseJ)

            Unfortunately, we were caught up in all the work and did not take pictures of the house untouched, but we did manage to get some pictures of the middle stages of the house remodel…Here are the before and after photos!

Jeremy put in all the wainscoting, sanded and refinished the floors, and we painted EVERYTHING!







Jeremy added the two cabinets you see on the right of the photo, relocated the fridge to make more counter space in the kitchen, put down OSB flooring, made new countertops, widened the doorway from kitchen to bedroom, and the list continues!



This house by far has been the best fit for our family. It displays everything we are passionate about in design and includes everything we need to function as a family…except for the fact that my hands serve as our dishwasher. Wah wah wah. It seems a bit strange to now be leaving this house that we worked so hard on, but we enjoyed every second of it and spent very little money in the process. It’s what we love to do together as a couple…design, build, and well, in our case move away. (not too fond of the moving part!)

            Materials bought:         OSB plywood for flooring $50

                                                Cleaning supplies…lots of it! $45

                                                Bathroom sink $30

                                                Paint $75

                                                Polyurethane $25

                                                Misc. materials $125

                                                Bathroom floor $35

Total cost of remodel…$385!

Day 3: Advent calendar

Our Day told through pictures

new blog name...

The most amazing news traveled through my phone this morning from my hardworking husband...He now has a permanent position at mallet inc. that can comfortably provide for our family! Our time in Yakima has been the most eye opening experience we've had as a family and has definitely reminded us how to completely lean on God and trust Him through the struggles we've gone through. I am so grateful and thankful for my husband. He has made continuous sacrifices to provide for our family. And now we can finally see a bit of light at the end of this tunnel. No more driving two and a half hours to see each other for the weekend...hence the possibility of needing to change my blog name. What do you think? The name does still have meaning because it was the reason why I started this blog. Now as our lives evolve and change, the blog will too, but we will still have the memory of this season in our lives that led me to start blogging. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!