Before the sunset on our first day, Lorree and I were tearing out carpets and moving into the kitchen. We were motivated to make this a home and to get “that smell” out of the cabin. (Previous owner had pets – I don’t need to explain 🙁
Next day…”Can we bring our dirt bike?” YES! Ben and Jayden came up for the weekend to help work and relax. Carl joined in as well on Saturday. So thankful for the company and the fun times that have already started!
…and the work begins!
After a hearty breakfast, we replaced the locks, fixed the roll out window, cleaned the kitchen and the loft, took out the fence in the yard, painted Kilz on the floor, deep cleaned the propane heater (SO YUK! -thanks Ben and Carl!) and more!
…SELAH!
It was a full but fun work day, we were tired! Ben & Jayden spent the night in the Cabin on the floor – they were the first official family to spend the night on the floor in the cabin – bless their hearts! (You’ll have to ask Ben about the little field mouse that interrupted his sleep ). God blessed our tiredness with another beautiful sunset. He reminds us so often to “Selah” – ‘pause and consider’ – His involvement in our lives. Thank you Lord for the strength and wisdom You give us each day!
The Sun’s Up! Lets go to work!
OH BOY! Did we get to work! Lorree and I ordered floor boards and tongue & groove ceiling boards from a local lumber mill (we love that this wood is local white knotty pine!) We installed a new storm/screen door, Lorree made new curtains, Dennis textured the stairwell, we refurbished the street sign, and spent hours removing, sanding and refurbishing the exiting floor – whew!
Then….more help arrived the next weekend, Nick, Rachel, Isaac, and Kaylee. These kiddos, so full of life, energy, and joy! It was a special time to share Selah Acres with them – We’re sure more laughter, giggles, and adventures will be had by all of our family – Love It!
It was another full day of work for all of us! Nick took care of the techie stuff (Internet, wifi, old satellite dishes) as well as helping us get the beautiful (but not practical) wood kitchen stove out of the cabin. This gave us much more room in the kitchen area for our table and chairs.
Our neighbors have horses! We still haven’t met our neighbors, but the horses came to the fence as the kids were playing over there. It was a fun break from the work and they enjoyed feeding them carrots and getting to pet them. Unfortunately, Dusty (the kid’s dog), got head kicked by one of the horses when he tried to “play” with them – he had to have stiches, but is OK). We enjoyed a nice evening around a “campfire” and cooked and ate s’mores! YUM!
The next day we attacked the floors! We opened our pile of new lumber and started sanding, coating with finish, cutting, and laying the floor. Everyone helped! It was a fun day to see the cabin become “ours” with the new touches we were adding to it.
We really liked the look of our new white pine floors…but then we came to the corner of the room – and under the stove, those dirty bricks, ugh!
The bricks were so dirty-black-and-smelly that we made the decision to pull all of them and scrub them clean by hand – thank you Lorree! What a job!
Before….. and after!
It wasn’t ALL work and no play! Family, Guests, and Yes, more work!
Jesse and Barb came to visit, toured the cabin, and enjoyed some burgers on the grill!. Carl, Beth and Anya spent a day working and visiting with us. Duane and Ruth came up for a visit and shared some fresh fruit pie with us! Our new SOWER friends (Jerry and Carol Chesser, and Dale and Barbara Livinggood) came up from the Eagle Lake project at Glen Eyrie to help us move in and enjoy a Bar-B-Que lunch. t was so fun to share with others, our new cabin and to share the God story(s) of this adventure in our lives!
Rachel and Lorree making a path to the shed with rocks. Isaac and Kaylee helped (when they weren’t ridding the wagon down the hill)!
Lorree refinished the stairs to the basement while Dennis made and installed new bathroom doors. (Those little bar doors on the bathroom offered no privacy!)
In the evenings, we would pause, rest, and reflect on all the wonders of God’s blessings and beauty He has shared with us. – SELAH – (There were three buck that would come by every evening to check us out, they were only 100 yards from our porch)!
Moving Day – Finally!
Our goal was to use the three weeks we had since we bought the cabin to get it ready to move in and actually sleep in it before traveling on to Glorieta, NM for our next SOWER project. With so much help and God’s guidance and provision, we did it! Let’s move in!
We had stored a few pieces of furniture and tubs of belongings at Carl & Beth’s house since we downsized last year. We rented a U-haul trailer and moved, very tiring but so rewarding!
Everything fit – not too much stuff and not too little – just right!
We have a “home” to come home to! We love RV travel and our nomad lifestyle serving others wherever we go, but there’s still a desire to have a home, a safe place to be able to come out from the world…a place to Selah in our lives! Thank you Lord!
Its been quite a busy and eventful three weeks. So much has been accomplished! We are grateful to our friends and family that came along side of us to pitch in and help. We’re getting ready to leave for a three week project at Glorieta, NM, but we are already making plans to return to Selah Acres! Our next adventure…here we come!