Mr. Independence

One day when after I had taught Briton, he went off to play. Shortly after, I heard some rattling and it didn't seem to stop. Finally, I walked into the kitchen to check out what on earth was going on. This is what I saw...

 Briton told me he was cleaning out the drawer. Without even planning it he had created for himself a homeschool activity: sorting and classification!

 He then proceeded to clean out the drawer!

 I wish you could have heard the sounds I was hearing as I went and sat back at the kitchen table. Try taking all your tupperware out of your drawers or cupboards in the kitchen and rattle them around, as you throw them out onto the floor. Constantly. Well, that is the sound I was hearing. Once again, I peep into the kitchen to see what he is doing now... lol

Washing Out His Cloth

Next Chore

One last job. So funny. I had to have Austin sort the pantry after Briton had done his 'cleaning'. *grin* He had so much fun being Mr. Independent!

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Increasing House Size, Large Families - EDITED - AGAIN with Photos

I would like to address something Tammy said in one of my last posts.

"Wow, Justine...it is going to be amazing! I'm envious of ALL that space (my house is only 1315 sq ft.), although there is only the 3 of us, ha ha. Love the pics!"

Tammy, we are truly blessed. I agree, it is going to be amazing!! I am in disbelief that we have the honour of such a fine home!! But it didn't happen overnight, and as I look back now, I wonder if we are heading in a direction that God had planned for us along...

We began with a tiny 5th wheel travel trailer. We built a small addition of a livingroom and a bedroom for our firstborn.

We moved out of that when he was 9 months old into a two bedroom condo. We lived in that two bedroom place til our second son was 8 months old. He slept in a playpen in our walk-in closet til then. Small beginnings. Never be ashamed to start small! *smile*

We then moved into a 3 bedroom house, which was 1100 sq. ft. We renovated the carport and turned it into a preschool centre, which later became my homeschool/playroom for our boys. When we watched the Horse Whisperer, we saw the gorgeous countryside and we left the theatre thinking. Within 36 hours, we had made a firm decision to take our children to the land. We decided to rent a movie that weekend. We fell across Mountain Family Robinson at the movie store, watched it, giggled and laughed at watching a family do the very thing we were seriously considering: selling all, packing a truck, and heading out of the Big City into the Vast Unknown.  We were giddy! Seriously. 

Within a month of this decision to move, I discovered I was pregnant with number 4. We gave that baby the middle name of "Blue" because "we were heading for the blue skies". And that is where we ended up! 10 months later, we left that house with 8, 6, 2 year old boys, and a newborn baby. We packed a U-Haul trailer (just like in the movie) and headed North. We had spent the last nine months researching properties on the internet; I had done a couple long distance road trips complete with three small children, and wee one nestled inside, and scouted out possible land ideas. We had had a miracle when we approached a bank that was six hours away from where we lived and asked them if they would finance us building a home. They said yes, without even having met us. That was a miracle!

It was like God was preparing our hearts for a bigger home, and better environment for our children, before he blessed us with the next one. He kept preparing our nest before sending more children!

From that little 1100 sq ft home we moved to the country, because we could not afford to live in the city anymore. It was never an option for me to go to work; raising our children was a fulltime privilege that I was not willing to share with anyone else. We also wanted our children to grow up knowing what it felt like to run free and wild, which is why the land of Montana in the Horse Whisperer spoke to my soul. The cost of living was way less and our mortgage dropped by half, and there on a 10 acre parcel of land surrounded by thousands of acres of the Queen's crown land (free range forest) that we paid $33,000 for, we built our first home. It truly was our Little House in the Big Woods!

From the Big City to a Small Town

It was a tiny box of 28 ft x 28 ft. There was a main floor of 800 sq ft:

My Kitchen and Livingroom

The livingroom became a great room when we built on the addition, which became the new livingroom.

We also had a tiny 532 sq ft upstairs with 3 tiny bedrooms:

Master Bedroom

Landing to Three Tiny Rooms

 I used every available inch: the landing was built a little bigger to make it a Library. The landing had a 5' foot wide closet that I used as a sewing room. Not an inch was wasted.

And then we had a full unheated basement. This was hard to use in winter, but the kid dressed warmly and romped around this space anyway. We eventually added on 400 sq ft to the main floor. This was the life!

The View From Our Deck

Wood For the Winter

Country Boys Are Born

Freedom to Run

 Note the Outhouse, Minus a Door!

We even added on an addition going from our bedroom over the great room loft area. This was to be a small office, but little did we know that months later I would find out our unexpected 6th blessing was on the way. It was remarkable to us to see that we had built our baby a bedroom before we had even known we were expecting him!! This tiny room became his bedroom. It was wee tiny, but we decorated it up with childish prints and he was just off our bedroom, so it was nice. The other five children shared two other bedrooms of 9 x 9 each. Two in one, three in another.

Notice the 3rd Bed on the Floor on the Left

  As there was no room for playing we decided to built beds into the closets. These worked wonderfully.

I never thought we would move again.  I was determined that my grandchildren would grow up in the country. But God knew different. He planted a seed in my head when my husband was away in Toronto. Thirteen short months later, we had completed our second house build and moved in time for Christmas. This time it was 2800 sq ft. A virtual mansion! lol

Then we added two more unexpected children and our teens increased in number! More body, more testosterone = less room!

We still had no plans to move. But once again, God had other plans. We were inspired to move back to the country. Too many children for a town lot. They needed that freedom to be and explore again. The perfect property came up at a killer price, and it was next door to town. Everything fell into place.

And then God opened our hearts again...

So perhaps he has moved us because he has plans for 'our' children:

God gives security.

He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. Proverbs 14:26

You know, I was writing my post and this verse crossed my mind as being the perfect one to add to the blog. Why? Because about a month ago, when we had an unexpected adoption situation cross our path, this verse was given to me. So writing this blog post made me think of that verse. I walked across the livingroom to get my Bible. I picked it up, cracked it open, and it fell to the very verse I wanted. My husband saw this happen, which is so cool, because he always hears me tell that this happens to me when it is important. Well, for the first time he saw it happen!!

This verse speaks to me. I sometimes wonder if God has given us this wonderful large house because he has further plans to increase us?

Each time, before God sent more children, He prepared our home for the addition. And then he prepared our hearts for more children, because you see, we were not going to have eight children; we were going to have *four*. Once all was ready - *then* He sent the children, and we could look back and see His hand over it all.

So open your hearts to children if that's what you want, and also to what God might have in store for you, and God will help you prepare the nest. He will make it all work. Trust.

In another post I would like to talk about being able to accept the blessings of children when you think you can't afford it. Or perhaps I should say: When the world tells you that you can't afford it. If I forget to write this post, please someone, email me or comment to remind me. This is one I have a passion for, but I might forget in the busyness of life!

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Washing Machine Surprises

With boys you never know what you are going to find in the bottom of the washing machine. Normally I will find nails, candy bar wrappers, rocks, toy cars, sticks, and such.

This took the cake....

Yup! It's an Eyeball

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Radiant Heat, Basement Floors and Elves?

Ray decided that since we live where there is snow and cold he wanted to put in radiant heat. For those that don't know what this is, it is where there are pipes running through the house with hot water coursing through them. We will have a large wood burner outside and with this we will burn firewood, which will in turn heat the water that runs under the floor. This way the heat is more central.

Up until now we have always used a woodstove. I refuse to give up my stove, so Ray had to work both into the plans. Sorry, but once you have experienced the dry warmth of wood heat you will never go back. Not unless, of course, you are the husband that has to climb the chimney to clean said fireplace twice a year. I did remind Ray that once he gets too old to climb the roof and then up the 9 foot chimney we can always hire a chimney sweep, or employ our loyal sons when they come to visit!

My woodstove will be at the end of the kitchen. The kitchen is like an L shape. Sort of. The kitchen is at the top. The hearthroom is at the bottom. The eating nook is at the right side end of the foot of the L. So you can see how cozy it will be to snuggle up with a book and a cup of mocha in the kitchen!

This is a picture of the stove I had in my old house. I loved it so much that I am getting it again!

The boys and Ray had to lay down insulating styrofoam on the sand first. Then they put down plastic and then covered this with a mesh. Finally, they put down the plastic tie straps to tie down the pipes to the mesh.

 

Games Room Leading to Storage Room on Right

After the pipes were all secured, they had to pour the concrete for the basement floor. Now, can you imagine what fun my children will have?! When we had our tiny basement of 400 square feet when Colt and Dane were growing up they used the braces on the joists above their heads as monkey bars. They hung rope swings and rope ladders from them. They put old mattresses down there and had a ball. We even got rollerblades and they rollerbladed around that small playroom for hours in the long, cold winters.

So, you can imagine, in this basement of 2400 sq feet, minus the rooms that they can't get into, what fun they will have!! We love the plasma cars and those are *fun* on concrete. Plus, they have a few scooters. I can see how wonderful it is going to be next winter!! Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I think that that house that is going up is going to be *ours*!!! It is such a blessing. It would not be possible if my husband were not a housebuilder, and if we had to pay for all the trades!!!! So far we have saved on: foundation, framing, roofing, basement floor prep and pouring, radiant heat installation. There is still more to be saved on.

We have a family member that paid $800,000 to have their house built! Can you imagine!? I can tell you that is hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds more than it is costing us!

Pouring the Floor

Nicely Poured Floor

An Elf in My Basement?!

Boys Bringing in Propane Heater to Warm the Floor

Cassidy Setting Up Lights For Evening Work

Some Windows Are Installed in Breakfast Nook

Boys' room window is near chimney. Left large window is our bedroom in future; Presently being used as schoolroom. Bottom left is big boys' bedroom. Bottom middle is playroom. Upper middle is livingroom.

Breakfast Nook, Kitchen Window and Deck

You know, my boys don't want to be housebuilders, but only our oldest son realizes what a blessing he has been given by being raised up in the business. I was just telling my eleven year old son today that the money his dad has saved on the trades that we have not paid yet: foundation, framing, roofing, floor, heating - alone, are enough to pay a year or more salary for a decent job!

That is worth learning. Imagine if each of our children learned the trades involved in building a house, minus perhaps, electrical (which even I have done!) and plumbing and carpet laying - well, that is a huge chunk of money that is not being put in someone else's pocket. Now imagine taking that savings that you put out in *your labour* - which is *free* if you don't take time off work to do it - and then you realize that that is mortgage money *NOT PAID*!!

That is what our children will walk away with having been taught to build houses from when they are knee high to a grasshopper!

I know that one of my sons really does not like (mild form of the word) building houses, and he is determined to buy a ready-made house. We shall see. When he sits down with the numbers and pays attention to what he can get with the same amount of money as our young adults will get that also put in free labour - he will be shocked. He may think again about building his house!

The next pictures will be a while in coming, as we are waiting for Ray to frame in the basement walls. I have less ambition this time around to be at the jobsite, due to the cold, cold weather, so I have not been there for about three weeks!
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