In looking over the stats for this page, I wasn’t surprised to find that I have zero readers right now. That’s okay. I’ve been rather busy the past several months and would’ve disappointed any readers anyway.
That said, we are almost ready to complete our relocation to Almost Heaven. The cute little Cape Cod we bought this past March is nearing move-in-ready status, with a few projects that will have to wait to be completed once we live there full time.
So far, we have:
-gutted the kitchen; currently it is drywalled, mudded, taped, and ready for beadboard, counters, shelves, and appliances.
-gutted the bathroom; my dad and I removed the old window, patched the wall, and installed a new window, and he undertook all the tile work and drywall. I converted a FB Marketplace dresser to a custom vanity, painted everything needing paint, began the door casing, and still have to put a few finishing touches in there…including finishing the door casing.
-treated for pests (this set us back about a month)
-removed wallpaper
-removed baseboards
-relocated some vents
-plastered part of the downstairs hallway
-removed the afterthought closet in the master bedroom
-updated the wiring
-repaired plumbing issues (some that we caused…and some that we did not cause)
-sanded all the wood floors (we’ll be finishing them this week–hopefully–with polyurethane)
Still to do:
-finish the kitchen (including refinishing the kitchen sink, building frames for the counters to sit on since we don’t have space for actual cabinets, and installing shelves due to lack of cabinets)
-finish the bathroom (seal/caulk inside the window; change out the shower light; finish the door casing; hang towel hooks; repair and repaint the door)
-install beadboard in the dining room
-install “farmhouse” paneling in the master bedroom
-repair walls in the kids’ rooms
-repair, insulate, close, and patch the walls under the windows in the dining room and parlor
-install new baseboards throughout the downstairs
-plaster the downstairs–except kitchen and bathroom
-paint
I know it doesn’t look like we’ve accomplished a ton when looking at it listed here, but when you see the before & after photos…it’ll blow your mind. Even crazier is the fact that we have been able to do all this on about a $12k budget.
We have big plans for our new place. The vegetable garden is a priority because that right there will save us money (4 kids/teens eat an ungodly amount of food!) as well as bring an income, both of which will help us to achieve farm status in WV. The ultimate goal is to be able to sustain ourselves as much as we can without depending on the system so that at least one of us can leave our full time job and focus on building M.J. Abell into something that will literally work for our family. We intend to start with bees as our first livestock; sell extra seedlings to the local community; and grow extra produce & cut flowers for sale. In the fall, we should have seeds, soaps, dried herbs, and some late-season produce…and hopefully some home-canned goods from the garden. I’ll still be baking and selling cookies, breads, pepperoni rolls, and cinnamon rolls, but likely only made-to-order. Baking takes a lot of time and, if we don’t sell out, can have a pretty high potential for waste. So, if you’re reading this, please pray for success (no matter how small), and spread the word so we can grow.
Here’s a photo of our first animal, as a thank-you for reading.
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