Home Again, Home Again!

After an exhausting but exhilarating weekend at Locust Grove in Louisville, KY, for the Jane Austen Festival, it's good to finally be home!  The husband and I drove out to LG for the 5th annual JA fest.  We met with many friends we haven't seen in nearly a year and met some new people as well, all making for a wonderful, fun-filled weekend!  The husband hadn't met many of these people in person yet, as this was his first year at this event.  Before the weekend was over, however, he was already making plans for next year!  We were able to chat with some friends who attend War of 1812 type events and they encouraged the Husband to come out and "play" soon!  He is really looking forward to perhaps getting more involved in that era!  I think it's mainly because he has been promised a little play with the big cannons!
I had been working on our clothing for the event for the previous few weeks, and, let me tell you, I am more than glad that's all over!  Well, kind of over.  We have a few events left this year that I still need to get things together for so I guess I'm not done yet!  And I've vowed not to wait til the month of an event to begin working on items for said event again!  It's just so hard for me to work on something so far in advance.  It feels like I have so much time ahead of me, that working on something now will just waste time I could be doing something else.  But, I will not procrastinate this time!  No, I will begin work on things now so that I may take more time and end with even better results!
Here is a picture of the Husband and I at the ball!

We also added two new kittens to our farm yesterday, thanks to my sister!  Her kitty had kittens several weeks ago, and she doesn't want to keep all of them.  So we brought home two sisters from the litter!  Now our farm has two farm kitties to, hopefully, keep them vermin down to a minimum!  Well, when they get a little older!

Here's Pip!  She's the incredibly inquisitive one!  She greets the dogs with a hearty hiss, leaps off of the patio with glee, purrs like a little broken motor, and is generally an all-around fun kitty!

And a picture of Cookie!!  She is much more reserved than her sister.  She's a bit fearful of things still and would rather run and hide than try to take on anything!  But she loves her belly rubbed and will sidle up to you with a tiny click-noise (rather than a meow) and roll over as soon as you begin petting her!  Very sweet little thing!

As for the rest of the farm, everything seems to be going smoothly!  We hatched out ten of twelve eggs that we received through the local extension office's hatching program.  They're now outside in their new pen, scratching away in the grass!  They are some kind of hybrid meat bird.  I cannot now recall what breed the extension office told me they were.  They are very cute, though, as all baby chicks are!  We still have plans to order some Araucanas and some Rhode Island Red roosters, as well!  

This fall, we will begin work on our garden plot for next year.  We'll start out smaller and hopefully build on it each year, as we become more and more used to this farm life we've chosen!  Much work is planned on the outbuildings as well.  The children are all eager to get the summer kitchen fixed up and turned into a schoolhouse!  There are great plans in the works for that building, for sure!  And the Husband is really hoping to get our smokehouse back in shape and usable!  I'm just hoping to get the cellar beneath ready before next tornado season arrives!!!

With big plans and too much heat and humidity, we're not sure which plans will be achieved this year and which will be put on hold.  Please, Lord, let us receive some cooler weather!  And rain!  And soon!  But careful what we ask for, no?  All in good time, I suppose.  All in good time....

Closed and Moving In

We closed on our farm nearly 3 1/2 weeks ago!  The day after closing, I was on a weeklong trip to Florida with my mum.  In which time, my dear husband had to do the majority of the moving!  I figured he'd be full done by the time I returned home but no.  The dear, sweet man left plenty for me to "help" with!  We managed to spend the next week moving the last of the boxes and random items left in The Cave.  Then it was on to cleaning The Cave for our final inspection so we could clear out.  We managed to complete both tasks on time and pass inspection!  We followed the inspector back to the base housing office to turn in keys and sign off.  Huzzah!!!  And let me tell you, freedom from that cave of a house feels so good!!!
As to the new farm, we're still "moving in" as there are still many boxes left to be unpacked.  Unfortunately, I have to clean as we go as I wasn't here to deep clean the place before our items were moved in.  It's mostly fuzzballs and dust, dirty windows-type cleaning.  And then there are the fleas that keep popping up.  I wouldn't say it's an "infestation" at this point.  But we are definitely going to have to bomb the house.  Again.  The husband bombed it before moving our stuff in but I think they were just waiting in the yard.  So, we'll bomb the house and spray the yard.  Ah well.
The house is beginning to look like Home already, though!  As I sit on our sofa in the living room and look around, it seems as though our belongings have always been here.  The sunlight shining in through the large bay windows is a welcome sight after living for over a year in The Cave!  So much sunlight!!!  And sitting on the swing in the yard last evening, nestled comfortably against my husband's side, listening to the cicadas roar their evening song....  Perfection, if there is such a thing.
Our dogs are both outside puppies now.  And I think they'll love it... Once the weather cools down!  It's been over 100` every day for the last week!  Both of our horses are home now and enjoying an entire pasture all to themselves!  We'll hopefully be adding some chicks to our numbers sometime in the next month.  We have an incubator through the local extension office and will be picking up some fertilized eggs this week.  Hopefully all 12 will hatch and grow to a good fryer size!  They are, after all, a hybrid meat breed.  Yum!  We'll still need to order some laying breed chicks, as well as a rooster or two.  Very exciting!
That's the abbreviated version of what's going on out at Moose Spitt right now!  There is so much we want to accomplish but we really have to pace ourselves!  It would be way too easy to get in over our heads the first year when excitement and dreams are running high!
What are you doing with your property this year, be it country or in-town?

One Week!!!

We're down to one week til closing!  And so, of course, our bank decides to let us know (on Monday) that the VA doesn't like the termite inspection, wants a board repaired and another inspection done, before we can close.  *big sigh*  So... We wait for all of that to come back.  And the bank's supposedly still waiting on the title company to get back to them with figures so they can give us a more accurate closing cost number.  Well, of course this is all happening now!  There's only one week til closing!
Thinking about "all I need to get done" the other day, I realized that next week is going to be uber busy!  My dear "sister" friend is coming in to visit from Ohio from Sunday through Wednesday.  There are two doctor appointments during those days as well.  One for the Daughter's lumpy wrist (it's just a cyst) and one for my old lady hip (more PT).  Then Thursday is closing.  (Huzzah!!!!)  And Friday I leave with my Mum for Florida to visit family and pick up some of her mother's things.  (Granny passed away a year and a half ago. *sad eyes*)  I'll be gone on that trip for just over a week.  So while my family should be moving into our new house in 1 1/2 weeks (sellers are retaining possession for a couple days to move their stuff), I won't get to move in for another 2 1/2 weeks.  *really sad face*  Ah well.  Such is life, no?
Packing up the Cave is coming along nicely!  But I realized yesterday, among my other farm related musings, that I must get everything packed this week!!!  Oh boy.  Good thing I've been working so hard on that for the past week or so!  Let's see...  The kids' rooms are packed except for their "essentials".  Dining room and study are packed.  Every other room in the house?  Half-packed.  I still have pictures on the walls!!!  Not all of them but quite a few.  Honestly, there's a method there.  I'd rather have to take those down on moving day when it's time to load up the pictures and wall hangings than have them laying around or leaning up against a wall and possibly getting damaged.  So there you go.
Well, better get off this thing and get my bum in gear!  Lots to do today!  Have a great day!

Getting Closer!!!

We're now down to just 2 1/2 weeks 'til closing!!!  We tried to move the date up but it was already too close, so the bank said.  Ah well.  I suppose I can wait two weeks.  Yay!
Our preparations for moving are going along smoothly.  We've been working on the garage this week.  It's probably going to be the biggest job as there are boxes that haven't been gone through since moving to The Cave!  But work is moving steadily, and we've made a dent already!  The kiddos have all been helping by getting their chores done on time (for the most part!) and have been organizing their rooms.  We'll be packing their rooms this week.  They were given one box for each room to put things into that they don't want to be without for the next two weeks.  They're doing really well, all things considered.  My daughter's room is probably the most difficult.  Poor thing, she must have inherited her mother's "pack rat" gene.
Our kitchen and living/dining rooms are about half-packed with all knick-knacks and such packed away.  My walls look strangely bare with no pictures hanging.  That's always been one of the first things for me to put away in a new home.  Wall hangings, family photos, things on the walls...  Those touches seem to give a place a lived-in look even if you've been there for only a day or two!  So guess what I'll be doing "first" in the new home!
My mum will be over tomorrow to help work on some stuff here.  That'll be nice!  It's always good to have help, and it's even better to have good help!  She's one of the best packers I know!  So we should be able to knock out a few rooms!
As for the new farm, we haven't been out in over a week or so.  But I'm sure, by now, I must have reached stalker status with the neighbors as I've driven by every possible chance!  It's still beautiful.  I still can hardly wait to get moved in.  And I'm still very much in love with it!  Huzzah!!!

                                             I leave you with a picture of our gorgeous view!

Housing Pre-Inspection Today

Well, this should be interesting. Any time now, the base housing inspector should be over to do their initial walk-through of The Cave and let us know what, if anything, we will have to repair or pay for. If they try to charge us any extra money, I just may have to refer them to some actual construction companies so they can see how a real house is built. Anyway. I'm just hoping it goes smoothly. And that we don't get someone like the *cough* man we had at Andrews AFB. That was fun. The pre-inspection, for those who aren't familiar with military housing proceedings, is to allow the housing office and the current occupants to see what, if anything, needs to be completed or repaired before the occupant can clear housing. That is, leave free and clear. We should be given a list showing any and all items that need to be finished before our final inspection later next month. Things such as cleaning the appliances, vacuuming (or in our case, having the carpets professionally cleaned as we have pets), and basically just leaving a clean house.
As I was typing the above, the inspector came by. She was very nice and helpful! Looks like it should be a fairly simple deal to get this place cleaned up ourselves. Well, except for the carpets. Bleh. Ah well. This place will definitely be in better shape than when we moved in! For one, the yard will be clean and free of animal poo. Gross. So there we go!
Hopefully all will go well in the next few weeks, and we will be in our new home soon! Very exciting!

And Now You Know!!!

Now that the cat is officially and completely out of the bag, welcome to our new blog!!!  We hope you enjoy our posts, rants, comments, and photos.  The plan is to eventually have a working family farm that will provide much of our food needs.  Not all but a lot!  We're planning to get chickens later this summer and maybe some cows next year.  Daughter wants a bunny and Youngest wants his pony.  The older boys are wanting things like a tree swing and a pool.  Plus plans for gardens and other animals.  Lots of trial and hopefully limited error!  And you can see how it's all going right here!
As to current goings-on, the inspection last week went very well!  There were a few things that must be done before closing and we are waiting on the sellers to see what they are willing to take on.  The rest of the comments on the inspection were suggestions such as water temperature and such.  Plus, the inspector was really great.  He was willing to check out anything we asked of him in addition to all the things he was required to do.  He explained some things, pointed out stuff of interest, and kept us well-informed throughout the entire three hour inspection!  Whew!  But everything in the house is solid and up to code (except for those few things mentioned).  And those aren't even anything super huge!  But we're going through the VA, and they're quite a bit pickier than most conventional lenders.  So now we're down to four weeks til closing!  We're actually hoping to move that date up a bit as my mother and I will be travelling to Florida.  The day after closing.  Gulp! But we're hopeful that will all work out.  So all in all, June will be a pretty exciting month!  Especially, since a dear, dear friend of mine (a sister of the heart!) will be coming to visit right before closing!  That's going to be a super busy week!!!
Again, thanks for stopping by!  And thank you to my FB friends for all of the congratulations and well wishes!  We look forward to sending out the invite to our first party in our new home!  Someday soon... Hopefully!  Have a great day!

The appraiser came out last Thursday.  What a great guy!  He was an older fellow with some fun stories about being an appraiser and a very definite opinion on unlicensed folk doing the same.  He toured the home, checking things out, and "unofficially" declared it good!  Huzzah!  So that's one hurdle overcome.  Whew!  This afternoon is the inspector's visit.  So I will have been inside my new home twice in the last week.  Can you guess how giddy and happy that makes me feel?  Ha!  The husband will come pick me up from the house after lunch.  We're going to ride out on his Harley.  Yay!  We really need to put some more miles on our bums for our trip next week!

Speaking of which, next Thursday will see the beginning of a 9+ hour motorcycle ride from here to Ohio for the Blessing of the Bikes in Dayton!  We haven't been in two years.  It will be good to see our friends from that state again.  It's been a long while!  We'll be gone for five days!  What's also fun is that Heritage Village's Civil War Weekend is that same weekend so we'll be able to stop by to see our reenacting friends, too!  And we can visit the house that is the namesake for our new farm, Elk Lick!  But that is a story for another day!

I'll pop back in here later to let you know how the inspection went!  And we're expecting to send this blog live either next week or the week after.  And then everyone should be caught up!