Life in the Country

We are so excited to be out in the country. This house is old and it's big and it's outdated, but we love it. We're starting to feel a little bit more settled. I have shades or curtains on most of the windows.... On a side note, do you know how many windows this old house has? 15 downstairs and 15 upstairs. That is 30 windows for those of you who are not skilled in mental math.

I've been having too much fun slowly choosing items to put in our house. We wanted to get a night stand for our bedroom and I found one I liked on Craigslist. When I went to look at it the "table" was bigger than I thought it was going to be. But, it was perfect for a phone table which we were also looking for. The gentleman I bought it from is retired, probably in his 70's and enjoys making furniture from old things (tables, dressers, etc) so the legs and the drawer are old, but the top is new. It's beautiful right?


But now I was left without a night stand and all the way in Ephrata. The man told me that he sells some of his furniture to a little *5 & dime* called "Treasure Nook". He warned me that they really mark up the price. I figured I was already far from home and this little place was just a mile down the road. I stopped in. I noticed the furniture that was Richard's right away. (He does beautiful work!) But, this little piece caught my fancy and the price was right. I think it fits nicely in our old farmhouse.


We were also looking for a dining room table and chairs. We never intended to take our old one with us (it was Trent's when he was living with his guy friends while in college. Need I say more??) If I had my wish (and unlimited $$$) I'd have something like THIS from Old Barn Star (only longer). A farm table, chairs & bench made from an old barn?? That sounds perfect to this old soul. But, since I'm living in real life I had to settle for something else. I found something that I think will be good for our family for several years to come.


Another perk of living in the country is the smell of manure. Okay, just kidding. But since we have an Amish landlord at least the kids get to see him plowing the fields with a team of horses. Jake (our landlord) was at our house just this morning to fix a pipe in the basement. The girls were bugging me to ask Jake if they could pet his horses (he drove down a team of 2 Belgium horses named Mike and Mack--- yes, I also had to ask this question). When Jake was cleaning up and preparing to leave, I asked if the girls could pet his horses. He said, "Yeah, of course!" So, we walked down to where they were tied and he lifted Annie up to pet them. (Did you know Belgium horses are huge?) She was so brave and excited. He lifted Abbey up next and she also was very, VERY brave. Maggie just kept saying "hause, hause!"

Then Jake said, "Do you want to sit up on his back?" Annie's eyes were shining like she had won the lottery. Jake lifted her up onto his huge back and Anne was on cloud 9. I said, "Oh man, I wish I had my camera!" Jake said, "Do you wanna run in and get it?" I couldn't believe my ears. I mean, I thought Amish didn't approve of pictures? I'll have to ask him about that someday, but not this day. I ran into the house and back out with my camera on low-battery. Jake said, "What if we put them both up there together?" Oh my, how precious would that be? He put Abbey up first and she held on tight. While he was lifting Annie the horse took a couple steps forward and Annie bumped her head on a wire holding the telephone pole up. Of course, tears ensued. I snapped a picture quick of Abbey. Can you believe this girl? I mean, she weighs 24 pounds fully dressed with her boots on. I couldn't believe it!


Jake was continually apologizing to Annie for accidentally bumping her head and was asking her forgiveness. She did forgive him, and he said, "It would make me real happy to see you get back up on that horse again. Do you want to try? Mommy can lift you up and I'll hold the horse so he doesn't move." Ummm.. did I mention my children are braver than me??? I was a little nervous being that close to the horse, but I lifted her up as best as I could (did I tell you this horse is enormous?) and she wriggled herself on so she was steady. I stepped back and snapped the picture. Can you see Jake's hand holding the horse tight as promised?


Yes, I love life in the country.