I’ve been a little quiet around here lately. Things have been hectic- I had a big series that I flew to California to shoot with Megan from The Freckled Italian and La Crema Winery (look for installment two coming this week!!), then school started up for my kiddos- and because this isn’t already a crazy busy time for us or anything, we decided to pull the trigger on moving over to my in-laws property, even though renovations aren’t done.
In hindsight, we probably should have waited to move until the renovations were complete- but we wanted to be all moved in to our new home before the kids started school.
The kids are absolutely loving living with Great-Grandma and right next door to my in-laws, as well as exploring the 5 acres the house sits on. We’re surrounded by pastures, hobby farms, ranches, and country estates in the house my husband’s Grandpa built in the 1970’s by hand (and is my husband’s favorite place on earth)- it couldn’t be any more perfect for us. We’re loving the layout and the amazing upgrades my father in law is pouring himself into- and I think they are loving seeing the kids on the regular.
Even through the house is a little smaller, it feels so much bigger. We have more room for guests and it just feels like it was made for us! The kids rooms are huge and they are so excited to each have bunk beds big enough for guests (twin over queen bunks are the bet invention, ever), and more room to play. My husband and I even have our own separate offices, a luxury that thrills us probably more than it should.
It’s been amazing moving here- nights seem so much more peaceful. We’re only twenty minutes west from our other house, but I swear, the sunsets are more magical being closer to the base of the Northern Colorado foothills. I’ve found myself aimlessly wandering around the property at sunset, through the orchard or one of the pastures, gazing at the golden and cherry hues that are painted across the sky to the west each night, falling into Longs Peak and the Indian Peaks.
The move has also been hectic. We are using my in-laws kitchen in the cottage next door to the big 1970’s farmhouse we’re moving into- which has been a bit of a stress (especially as a food blogger who was woefully ill-prepared heading out of summer with delicious fall ideas.), and we are helping my father in law do some of the renovations/move out my husband’s grandparents old furniture so we can set up our own spaces. It’s been a bit of a unique struggle since we share some living space (and all have very different ideas on decor and layout), but we’re all learning some great compromising techniques so we can all move into this arrangement easily.
I’m also learning to adjust to living with my husband’s grandmother who has Alzheimers. So far, we’ve had some little bumps in the road, but living full-time with preschoolers is a fabulous preparation for living with someone who has advanced Alzheimers. I’m used to being asked the same question over and over, and the unpredictable mood swings of preschoolers and Alzheimer’s patients- as well as their irrationality- is something I’ve found good ways to deal with, so it hasn’t been much of an issue.
It has been great to help my mother in law care of Grandma and take a little off her plate, even though it’s not always the easiest. It is a great chance to grow and give back to my in-laws who have presented the amazing opportunity to live here at the farm to us, so we’re learning how we can best manage that dynamic, and now that we have less and less clutter and boxes from moving, it has become a lot easier.
We’re hoping our house will sell quickly- it is a gorgeous home that was really good to us. I moved around a lot as a kid and loved it- so I was pretty shocked with how much saying good-bye to a house has bothered me. I bought it before I was married or even engaged, and my husband moved in after the wedding. It was hard to give up the house I brought my babies home to, the home where our family started and grew- but we’re so excited to start some new investments when we get a buyer- and have so much more room to run and explore here.
Hopefully we will be really up and running (and rid of boxes, contractors, furniture deliveries) soon- because I can’t wait to share a home tour just in time for the holidays. We’re also excited to see how things go here ahead of spring- when we’re thinking about adding some bees and chickens, and then later maybe a few goats and cows to the farm. We’re also going to try to get a gorgeous vegetable patch up this year, and really nurture the grapevines and apple/pear/cherry trees around the property for a harvest next fall. It’s an amazing change…. and I can’t wait to share more of our journey with you!
If you want to catch up with some of the snippets as we move and set up the new house, be sure to follow me on Instagram- @sweetcsdesigns and look for my #1970sfarmhouse and #newoldfarmhome hashtags!
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