Simple Home and Happiness

There are moments within the process of building a house that leave me excited, terrified and spinning all at once. I bounce back and forth several times every day about whether or not we are doing the right thing. There are so many unknowns with going forth in the building process, and at times I find myself wanting to stay and hide in the familiar. Sometimes I panic that I will choose the wrong thing for our family and what if I stretch us too thin? Then, ten minutes later I am yelling at the girls to stay away from the road as trucks rumble by ten feet away from our current house, and I feel like we can't get out of here soon enough. It's a constant internal battle and it is all bubbling up as I sit here tonight soaking in all that the contractor had to say today. We have decided to continue forward in finalizing plans for the new house. The rough estimate is still nearly $30,000 over our budget but by tightening our needs over our wants, the Hubs, the contracto...

I am miles above the ground right now. Somewhere between Dallas, TX and Sioux Falls, SD to be exact. The Hubs and I went on a relaxing four day getaway to Alabama. We are sunburned but happy. So now I find myself up in the air, literally and figuratively. On the first stretch of our flight home the Hubs and I drew up a map of our land and numbered the different locations where we could build the new house. We technically have several choices, but only a few that we both agree on. We are meeting with contractor number one tomorrow to get down and dirty with the details to try to figure out if we're going to officially sign on the dotted line. For some silly reason, the Hubs thinks we should decide we're going to put the house before we start building. It's really a chicken and the egg argument for me! We hashed out details between Florida and Texas and now he is sleeping and I am pondering my options. In the end it will all come down to practicality and ex...

Whatever gene it is that makes a person get up and go out to work everyday, through the snow and the rain and the extreme heat and the ice and the wind and the sunshine, that love for the outdoors that makes one hold close to their heart and covet the sacred right to bury their hands in the dirt... That gene. I do not have that gene. Thankfully the Hubs does. I firmly believe it is only because of that gene that he has marched out to work the last two weeks. The man, whom hates the cold the way many hate spiders or snakes, that man has bravely pulled on his jeans and coveralls and sweatshirt and winter coat and gloves and balaclava (in April) and has dutifully gone out to live the life he has chosen. And I have not heard him complain. Not once. Not when the feed truck gets stuck in the muck and slop for the third time that day. Not when he has to scoop snow out of the feed bunks for the fifth time that week, not when he loses another calf due to the freezing temps. Not ...

The numbers match up. That's the good and the bad news, all wrapped up in one. Contractor number two emailed me today with the rough estimate on the two story house. By his estimate, the house would be anywhere between $280-340,000 depending on the types of finishes etc. Did your jaw just hit the floor? Mine didn't. Not this time anyways. I already had a pretty good idea what his numbers were going to look like due to contractor number ones estimate . The good news, is that both contractors numbers are pretty close. This means that they are likely giving me pretty solid, honest estimates. The bad news, of course, is that we cannot, will not, are not, ever going to be able to afford anything that expensive. So right now, we will continue looking for a floor plan that is much more within our reach. I am still thinking about a one story plan with a bonus room like this . Or....... There's also the old farm house I mentioned briefly here . I just always ...

We are in the middle of a real deal, true South Dakota Spring storm. The snow came in almost a week ago. It lasted for three full days, dumping nearly two feet of snow. Then last night, the rain came. Cold, miserable, drizzly rain. I realized this morning while scrubbing the bathtub with an old toothbrush, wearing yellow rubber gloves, that perhaps I was losing my sanity and going a bit stir crazy. Then I thought about Laura Ingalls-Wilder and the long winter. I was being pathetic. I shook off my blanket of self-pity. The true pioneer women had been through far worse, I told myself. They went months without seeing anyone besides their husbands and children. I had only gone four days. I could do this. I would survive. I had electricity, food, Internet, TV. This wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I began to feel confident in my abilities to handle atrocity. A couple of hours later... This is what happens when you lose your mind. I set the oven at ...

I woke up with the Spice Girls in my head, what can I say? Moving on. I am list making kind of girl. I like making lists and checking things off. I've even been known to create a list that includes things I've already done so I can cross something off and feel good about myself. You've done that too, right? As I washed dishes the other day, I was thinking about my must haves for the new house. It is list making time. Here's what on my major, must have list! 1. Storage. I like smaller homes, they're cozy, quaint, warm. The less house there is, the less square footage to clean, (bonus!) but an absolute must is TONS of storage. 2. Character. I must have character. I am drawn to older homes, so with this new build I really want to bring in details like chair railing, wainscoting, and vintage or repurposed decor. 3. Wood floors. I want real, solid, hardwood floors more than I can even explain. I know that this may be out of my price range though, so ...

We are in the middle of a blizzard here. The moisture is much needed but the freezing rain and snow makes calving far more difficult. I'm crossing my fingers and praying those cow Mommas will cross their legs today and keep those babies in till the storm passes. Our little town has pretty much shut down, rumor has it even McDonalds isn't open today. So I thought I'd share some links from around the web to keep you for boredom and insanity on a snow day. Beautiful motherhood story Models transform with makeup Soulmates This is delicious Beautiful mother/daughter photos And a couple of my favorite blogs that I highly recommend checking out... Flower Patch Farmgirl Cup of Jo Keeping It Cozy Have a lovely day! P.S. I could totally handle being snowed in here .   P.P.S. Did you see it? Did you see it? I finally have a Pin It button for all of you! If you don't see it here, click on the individual article you want to Pin and it'll b...

You've probably noticed, but I'm making some changes to my layout. Bear with me while I get everything in place. Hopefully I'll soon have a Pinterest link up and a couple other changes to make my blog a little more user friendly! If you have any tips, advice or resources for layout I'd love to hear it! Enjoy your day!     Posted with Blogsy

I caved due to the peer pressure. I went for it. I am a goner. I am now on Pinterest. I am still figuring it all out, but so far I am enjoying it. In fact, since I started blogging, I have been daydreaming about an app that would allow me to collect ideas in one place like the manilla folder that holds all my torn out magazine pages. Um, yeah, that's what Pinterest is. Hmmm maybe I should have bought into this idea earlier. Oh well, live and learn. So the next step for me is getting up a Pintrest link on my blog. I've been doing a little research on that, but it isn't suited for my IPad so I'll have to get some time in the office on the desktop to do that. That's all part of learning the ins and outs of blogging I suppose! Who are some of your favorites to follow on Pinterest? As always I truly enjoy and appreciate every comment and love hearing from you! Have a lovely day! P.S. I am absolutely going to try making one of these !     ...

Do you remember when I said I was going to attend some meetings for the ranch? Well I went, and I killed two birds with one stone. First I attended two days of meetings and enjoyed my first overnight stay by myself in a hotel. Then I went to a store that contractor number one recommended and priced out flooring and cabinets! (More on that later.) See, if they let me loose, I cram as much into one trip to the big city (ha) as I can! Oh, yeah and there was also a Walmart trip thrown in there to gather all the last minute Easter things I had forgot needed! The meeting was in a town about an hour from our ranch. I got up early on Wednesday and prepared myself and the girls for Mama's two day disappearance. The Hub's had already promised to be supportive and awesome, and watch the girls so I could go to the meetings. When it came time to drop the girls off with him, I left him standing in the barn with plastic gloves on from pulling a new born calf, a one year old gi...

Have you ever been asked a question, and felt smug because the answer was, "Duh, everyone knows that." Then you realize about half way through explaining it, maybe you don't know as much as you think you do? Has anyone ever asked you how to hard boil an egg? It's one of those things that seems so simple, and many people would get all high and mighty like, "Wow, you don't know how to do that?!" I am not one of those people. In fact, I am going to tell you how I boil an egg, and to do that, I double checked the recipe I have written down just to make sure I tell you right. I fill a pot about half way up with cold water. Then I place as many eggs as I want to cook in the pot. Turn the stove on medium-high. Bring the water up to a good boil. Cover with a lid. Turn off stove top and remove from heat and allow to sit for ten minutes. Then immerse the eggs in ice water or I just turn on the cold tap and run it over the eggs till they have cooled a bi...

Time is short. The girls are napping and I have so much to tell you, but I know naps won't last much longer. So here's the quick recap. I have the blueprints for the one story house in my hands! (And should have the rough estimate within a week or so.) Easter was a success! We got two Easters, one with the Hubs' family, which was entertaining with 'hard boiled eggs' that turned out to not be boiled. Things got wonderfully messy with that one! Then, a second Easter with my family at my parents' house. The highlight there was the amazing cheese dip ! Seriously incredible! I'll tell you more later. Oh, and watching my sister chase a run away kite up hill! Definitely one of the best parts of the day! So I'll sit down later and write all of this down in a bit more detail, but for now I hope you're enjoying your Monday. What was the highlight to your holiday? Have a beautiful day! Here's a house inspiration photo for today...   Oh...