Love Grows Well in a Little House

   Anyone who knows us, has probably heard me or my husband say at some point, "We need a bigger house". This response is usually a reply to an inquiring friend wanting to know when we plan on having more children. It is also the reason we say, "No, thanks!" to offers to join friends or family on vacations, dinners out, etc. We have been saving every spare cent towards having a sufficient down payment for a new home. 
   We have been blessed to spend 3.5 years in our sweet, little ranch house; which at the time of purchase, was perfect for our new little family (and my growing belly)! When we bought it, it needed a lot of updating, and we spent many hours making it in to a home for us. But, we knew it would be temporary. 
At the end of the day, we always had our eye on the market, hoping to find the home that we would spend the rest of our lives in... (until we turn into retirees and move somewhere warmer, that is). 
   Because there would be so many decades, (and children, and birthdays, and dinner parties, and holidays, and friends, and BBQs, and pets, and lazy afternoons, and dreams for our family) all wrapped up in one house! we knew it had to be the perfect place for us. And, let me tell you, the list of criteria for a "perfect" home, is a long one...
  • in the ******* City School District...
  • ...but not in the city
  • quiet, back road; safe for kids and pets
  • a few acres; to have room for a garden and, someday, horses
  • the size house we need to have room to grow, or the option to make it the size we need
  • a decent price (for all of the above)!!!
  • it goes on, and on...

   Because the location and setting were so important to us, the rest of the criteria made it that much harder to find, in a home we could afford. There were many times we would look at a home that was close, but ultimately not the right place for us, and I would want to settle for it. My exceedingly wise husband would remind me that we would be sacrificing so much to choose something NOW, and that if we were patient the right home would certainly, eventually come along. This is just one of the many, many reasons I am so thankful for the man I married. Not that I wanted to listen at the time, but I knew he was right.
   The day finally came. We looked at a house- one we had actually seen 8 months earlier- and this time they had reduced the price, greatly. We were also more ready to make a move. After a few days of crunching numbers and general planning, we made an offer and were in contract. It has been nearly 2 months since that day, and we are due to close next week!  
   Though the house itself is not exactly what we were looking for, the land it sits on makes it all worth it. Ticking off the list of demands - it is in the desired district; 5 minutes outside the "city"; privately located on a quiet, dirt road; has 9.03 acres; is bigger than the home we are in now, and has the potential to have an awesome addition in a few years; and was a great enough deal that we are able to buy it, and keep our current home to rent to a dear friend! As they say, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!!

   After we close, we will spend between 6-8 weeks cleaning and renovating the house, before we move in. I plan to post many, many "before" and "after" photos, to show just how great the process will be. 
   We are SO excited!!!