One common thing we hear after someone sees our house pictures online is that they CANNOT believe that we were so lucky to get an amazing house on an amazing piece of land. Though I do agree that we were fortunate to buy a house on a beautiful piece of property, I’m going to give you a little dose of reality when it comes to our house. Showing you beautiful “snipits” of our house just felt kind of wrong, when there is still SO much to do, and so little time.
So here’s reality friends! Reality is this. We have work to do. Lots of it. Behind all of the pretty little Instagram squares and Facebook posts, we have this. A pretty brick house, set on a beautiful piece of property that has a to do list that could reach ceiling to floor. Here’s SOME of our list, in no particular order:
House and fence power washed..ONE acre worth 
House painted 
Back porch cement relayed because its caving in 
Concrete filled in under the windows 
Bedroom renovation 
Bathroom down to the studs 
Second bedroom renovation 
Living room *current workroom* 
Laundry room 1/2 finished 
Office shiplap 1/2 finished 
Door in need of paint 
Front porch needs relayed as it is caving in
Whole house roof replaced 
In need of two garage doors 
Landscape needs a bit of help 
Two trees have to be taken down in our front yard 
Kitchen appliances, kitchen countertops 
Outdoor garage bathroom renovated
Aside from all of these pictures, I landed on the bottom of our property tonight staring at this barn. This barn sits at the end of our hill, overlooking a pretty little lake. I often look out of our kitchen window and dream of what it may become. Will it be a place that my kids will use to play “pretend?” Will it be a barn for several little ducklings and chicks? Will we transform it into a pretty little she-shed?
Whatever it may be, tonight as I looked at the barn, I started thinking, “WHEN are we ever going to get to work on this barn when we have a living room, a bathroom, a roof, and two bedrooms (etc. above) to finish??? And then it hit me. I have 18 summers left with my sweet little girl before she grows up and moves out. Although dreaming of all of the possibilities seems fun and may overwhelm me, I’m choosing to not let it. I’m choosing to focus on the amazing things we have already accomplished. I’m choosing to find the greater joys in life than just checking off the points on my checklist.
So here’s to a summer of lovin on my babe, being a present wife, spending more time with family and friends, mindfully working on the house and in the midst of everything, CHOOSING joy.
“The only difference between a road block and an adventure, is MY perspective.” -The Far Green Country on Amazon Prime…watch it!!
Thanks for reading buds!
XO
Jenna
Dom