YES..... this is it. I have decided, after much time, to give up my blog. Many reasons, none of which really matter, or need to be stated here. However, quite simply, the fact is, a lot has changed over the last several months for me, and for my family. And though some of these changes are quite painful to me, I know that a new life is now ahead of us all. I am in great need of positive change in my life right now. It is time to focus on this new life with my family, and to focus on getting myself healthy once again (physically, mentally and spiritually).
And so, I am choosing to close this chapter along with the chapter of Little Bearfoot Farm, and the dreams there that I have now left behind. If I am closing the door to the past, then this blog is part of it, and I am going to close it as well.
I know that this year has the potential to be absolutely amazing and awesome for me, and for my family. I am ready to get busy with life now, ready to start over, ready to move ahead. And so, the reason for my blog title on this final entry.....
New Year....... New Life...... No More Blog!!!!
Thanks for taking part in it while I had it. It will still be quite easy to keep up with me and my new life..... just follow me on Facebook, or my Google Calendar. I post to these frequently, and it works better than my blog ever did.
See ya!!!!
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Holiday Season 2013.... in our new home!!!
It's true..... we are no longer Little Bearfoot Farm! We have officially moved off of the farm, and into the city (City of Sumas, WA). We are completely done with our Trapline Rd property as of November 26th.
Life is so very good so far in our new home. We still have so very much to do here, as far as unpacking and trying to find a place for everything. Lots of things to put up, put away, and probably even get rid of still. But, our new home is so very comfortable for us. It is a great fit, and we have made it ours, with taking the time to add color through painting before we moved in. We celebrated Thanksgiving here this year, and it was wonderful.... in fact, it was our very first home cooked meal since moving in! :-)
With November coming to a close, and Thanksgiving now behind us, we will start getting busy again around here. Time to get Christmas lights and put them up, to find our Christmas decorations and get them up, and to continue unpacking the multitude of boxes that are all over the inside of our home.
We have managed to get the computer hooked up, and the satellite and TV working...... which were big accomplishments!!! Now, to keep the progress going!!!
No time for blogging right now.... busy, busy, busy!!! :-)
Life is so very good so far in our new home. We still have so very much to do here, as far as unpacking and trying to find a place for everything. Lots of things to put up, put away, and probably even get rid of still. But, our new home is so very comfortable for us. It is a great fit, and we have made it ours, with taking the time to add color through painting before we moved in. We celebrated Thanksgiving here this year, and it was wonderful.... in fact, it was our very first home cooked meal since moving in! :-)
With November coming to a close, and Thanksgiving now behind us, we will start getting busy again around here. Time to get Christmas lights and put them up, to find our Christmas decorations and get them up, and to continue unpacking the multitude of boxes that are all over the inside of our home.
We have managed to get the computer hooked up, and the satellite and TV working...... which were big accomplishments!!! Now, to keep the progress going!!!
No time for blogging right now.... busy, busy, busy!!! :-)
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
A New Chapter, A New Home.....
So, first off, I kinda sorta completely missed the month of October. Actually, I missed September as well. My last blog post was back on September 1st. A lot has gone on and happened in our lives since that time, and for some reason, I just failed to sit down and ever update my blog about it all.
Quite simply, we have been in back to school mode with our kids, and back into football season with Evan. We held our annual LBF chili cook-off for the last time here on the farm, but most certainly not our last chili cook-off. In addition, we have continued the process of preparing for a major down sizing and transition in our lives, all the while not knowing exactly when the time was going to come.
Well, now we are here in the first week of November, and the time has finally come for the winds of change in our lives. It is a bitter sweet time for us. We took possession of our "new" home in Sumas as of yesterday. It is now ours, and ready for us to move into at our leisure. We made all of the calls yesterday to get the utilities turned on and into our name. However, the gas company wasn't able to come until today...... somewhere between the hours of 8am and 5pm!!! Go figure!!! So, the house was a balmy 54 degrees yesterday..... which left us not wanting to do much over there without having heat to turn on.
And so, today I will be at the Sumas house all day long, waiting on Cascade Natural Gas to arrive and give us heat. I am planning to take the utility trailer with me, loaded with tools and supplies, etc, that will allow me to keep busy over there all day. I have some projects to work on, and a need to get the back yard prepped and ready for the new storage shed, which arrives tomorrow.
Our plan for this week is to do cleaning and painting, along with taking smaller things over that we don't still need at the Trapline house. Our hope is to be ready to start moving in this weekend, the 9th and 10th.
Yes, I am going to miss our farm. And yes, I am very excited to get moved into our new, much smaller, city and neighborhood home. I am looking forward to a fresh new start for our family, and the prospect of finally becoming debt free. This is going to be a huge change for us...... we haven't lived in a neighborhood setting in 8 years now. And we haven't lived in a city of any size at all in over 20 years.
OK..... time to start thinking about paint, and painting!!!
Quite simply, we have been in back to school mode with our kids, and back into football season with Evan. We held our annual LBF chili cook-off for the last time here on the farm, but most certainly not our last chili cook-off. In addition, we have continued the process of preparing for a major down sizing and transition in our lives, all the while not knowing exactly when the time was going to come.
Well, now we are here in the first week of November, and the time has finally come for the winds of change in our lives. It is a bitter sweet time for us. We took possession of our "new" home in Sumas as of yesterday. It is now ours, and ready for us to move into at our leisure. We made all of the calls yesterday to get the utilities turned on and into our name. However, the gas company wasn't able to come until today...... somewhere between the hours of 8am and 5pm!!! Go figure!!! So, the house was a balmy 54 degrees yesterday..... which left us not wanting to do much over there without having heat to turn on.
And so, today I will be at the Sumas house all day long, waiting on Cascade Natural Gas to arrive and give us heat. I am planning to take the utility trailer with me, loaded with tools and supplies, etc, that will allow me to keep busy over there all day. I have some projects to work on, and a need to get the back yard prepped and ready for the new storage shed, which arrives tomorrow.
Our plan for this week is to do cleaning and painting, along with taking smaller things over that we don't still need at the Trapline house. Our hope is to be ready to start moving in this weekend, the 9th and 10th.
Yes, I am going to miss our farm. And yes, I am very excited to get moved into our new, much smaller, city and neighborhood home. I am looking forward to a fresh new start for our family, and the prospect of finally becoming debt free. This is going to be a huge change for us...... we haven't lived in a neighborhood setting in 8 years now. And we haven't lived in a city of any size at all in over 20 years.
OK..... time to start thinking about paint, and painting!!!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
From Summer To Fall.... Change
Here we are. September 1st. Summer has gone by too fast yet again, and the kids are now back in school. Evan, a seventh grader! Sierra, in fourth grade! Evan just celebrated his 12th birthday in fine fashion, on a trip to Portland, where we played and had fun all weekend long. He took along his best buddy, Jacob Roosma, and the two of them together shared a long weekend of zip lining, obstacle courses, swimming, indoor trampolining, miniature golf, good food, and more!!! Sierra will be celebrating her 10th birthday here at the end of this month! :-)
As anyone who knows me already knows, Fall is my most favorite time of the year here where we live. Why? Quite simply, because we have some of the most beautiful weather of the year in the Fall here...... bright and sunny days, but not too hot. Beautiful colors abound as the change occurs in the foliage. The smells of people burning leaves and yard debris bring back find memories each and every year. The bike rides are magnificent and glorious this time of year. And the mornings are crisp and fresh and cool.... perfect for sitting on the porch with my morning coffee!!! :-)
And so, it is a welcoming time of year for me, when September rolls around. However, this year brings about a whole new set of changes for us here in our family. This year will be our last year at Little Bearfoot Farm. The hobby farm business is closing down, and after 8 years, we are moving on. Of course, I am filled with a huge mixture of emotions over this. But the simple fact is, time and money!!! Money and time!!! It takes a lot of both of these to make the farm work, and we have not been able to live up to my expectations for maintaining and caring for our farm. As well, our family dynamics have and are changing. We are getting busier with our lives, and especially with our kids. School, sports, extra curriculars, and family time..... we need and want more of these things. As this happens, we have less time to devote of ourselves and our money to the farm life, and it shows. We have chosen family, and our kids to be the priority, so it is time to move on.
With that... change! Yes, we are moving back to city life!!! Well, OK, maybe not what you all think.... but for us, it's a huge change!!! We will be leaving the farm life and our 12 acres, and we will be moving into a much smaller house, in a neighborhood, in the tiny town of Sumas, WA. I am extremely grateful to be able to make this transition back to city life on a small scale. :-)
It appears as of now that we will be moving into our "new" home around the end of October or first week in November. So, we have time. And, we need the time. Still so much to do, so much to get rid of, so much to pack, so much to plan for. I am praying for a very smooth transition as we make this big change in our lives. And more so, I am praying that this change will be a wonderful and life giving change to our family unit. More time together, in a closer and tighter situation. More money in the bank, allowing less stress and more freedom to do things we need and want to do. Less worry about the place we live in, and all that needs to be done, and more time to be active in both kids' lives on a regular and day to day basis. :-)
In addition, I am prayerful that our kids will adapt to this new way of living quickly and well. Having friends near by, and the ability to play with others without having to arrange play dates will be quite nice. A safe and friendly neighborhood with street lights, and pavement all around will be fun for the kids. A fenced yard for the dogs will be a blessing to us. Scaling down our lives will be a blessing that I know we will appreciate after we finally get settled in.
As much as I am going to miss our farm, and this beautiful location that I have loved so dearly for the past 8 years now.... I am ready for our future. I am ready to move, to get started, to make the change.
Welcome, September... and welcome, Fall. :-)
As anyone who knows me already knows, Fall is my most favorite time of the year here where we live. Why? Quite simply, because we have some of the most beautiful weather of the year in the Fall here...... bright and sunny days, but not too hot. Beautiful colors abound as the change occurs in the foliage. The smells of people burning leaves and yard debris bring back find memories each and every year. The bike rides are magnificent and glorious this time of year. And the mornings are crisp and fresh and cool.... perfect for sitting on the porch with my morning coffee!!! :-)
And so, it is a welcoming time of year for me, when September rolls around. However, this year brings about a whole new set of changes for us here in our family. This year will be our last year at Little Bearfoot Farm. The hobby farm business is closing down, and after 8 years, we are moving on. Of course, I am filled with a huge mixture of emotions over this. But the simple fact is, time and money!!! Money and time!!! It takes a lot of both of these to make the farm work, and we have not been able to live up to my expectations for maintaining and caring for our farm. As well, our family dynamics have and are changing. We are getting busier with our lives, and especially with our kids. School, sports, extra curriculars, and family time..... we need and want more of these things. As this happens, we have less time to devote of ourselves and our money to the farm life, and it shows. We have chosen family, and our kids to be the priority, so it is time to move on.
With that... change! Yes, we are moving back to city life!!! Well, OK, maybe not what you all think.... but for us, it's a huge change!!! We will be leaving the farm life and our 12 acres, and we will be moving into a much smaller house, in a neighborhood, in the tiny town of Sumas, WA. I am extremely grateful to be able to make this transition back to city life on a small scale. :-)
It appears as of now that we will be moving into our "new" home around the end of October or first week in November. So, we have time. And, we need the time. Still so much to do, so much to get rid of, so much to pack, so much to plan for. I am praying for a very smooth transition as we make this big change in our lives. And more so, I am praying that this change will be a wonderful and life giving change to our family unit. More time together, in a closer and tighter situation. More money in the bank, allowing less stress and more freedom to do things we need and want to do. Less worry about the place we live in, and all that needs to be done, and more time to be active in both kids' lives on a regular and day to day basis. :-)
In addition, I am prayerful that our kids will adapt to this new way of living quickly and well. Having friends near by, and the ability to play with others without having to arrange play dates will be quite nice. A safe and friendly neighborhood with street lights, and pavement all around will be fun for the kids. A fenced yard for the dogs will be a blessing to us. Scaling down our lives will be a blessing that I know we will appreciate after we finally get settled in.
As much as I am going to miss our farm, and this beautiful location that I have loved so dearly for the past 8 years now.... I am ready for our future. I am ready to move, to get started, to make the change.
Welcome, September... and welcome, Fall. :-)
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Moving Sale Success!!!
WOW...... all of the hard work and many days of preparation leading up to yesterday, proved to be more than well worth it for us!!! We had an amazing first day at our moving sale. Far more people came than we could have expected or hoped for, in spite of a sudden turn in the weather, which gave us much needed rain that we just didn't want over this particular weekend!!!
Despite the rain, and even though it was Friday (still a weekday), the people poured in like crazy. In the first few hours it was non-stop. At one time, there were well over 20 vehicles here, with people everywhere!!! And, they weren't just looking.... they were buying!!!
We fought the rain, we worked in the rain, we sold in the rain..... and in the end, we were rewarded substantially for all of our hard work and preparation.........
At the end of day 1 of our moving sale, we brought in over $2100 in sales!!!!! :-)
Today we go at it again. Yes, we still have a lot of stuff to sell. We have even more stuff that we hadn't put out as of yesterday, due to lack of space and lack of time to get it all out and priced!!! We didn't bring furniture out from the house due to the weather, so we have plenty left to add to the sale even today, in addition to all that still remains from yesterday.
No, I don't expect another $2000 day today. However, I can see another $500 to $1000 coming in still over the next two days. And that, to me, is a very successful sale!!!
Time to get coffee on board, grab a shower, and start moving furniture out to the sale area.
Oh, and please..... if you are reading this, and know of anyone looking for lots of Christmas decorations or outdoor lighting, or anyone looking for used furniture, good clothing, and more... please send them our way today!!! :-)
Thanks for reading along!
Despite the rain, and even though it was Friday (still a weekday), the people poured in like crazy. In the first few hours it was non-stop. At one time, there were well over 20 vehicles here, with people everywhere!!! And, they weren't just looking.... they were buying!!!
We fought the rain, we worked in the rain, we sold in the rain..... and in the end, we were rewarded substantially for all of our hard work and preparation.........
At the end of day 1 of our moving sale, we brought in over $2100 in sales!!!!! :-)
Today we go at it again. Yes, we still have a lot of stuff to sell. We have even more stuff that we hadn't put out as of yesterday, due to lack of space and lack of time to get it all out and priced!!! We didn't bring furniture out from the house due to the weather, so we have plenty left to add to the sale even today, in addition to all that still remains from yesterday.
No, I don't expect another $2000 day today. However, I can see another $500 to $1000 coming in still over the next two days. And that, to me, is a very successful sale!!!
Time to get coffee on board, grab a shower, and start moving furniture out to the sale area.
Oh, and please..... if you are reading this, and know of anyone looking for lots of Christmas decorations or outdoor lighting, or anyone looking for used furniture, good clothing, and more... please send them our way today!!! :-)
Thanks for reading along!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
All In Just One Week!!!
Already it seems like so long ago that we were over in Ellensburg for the boys 12U state baseball tournament. While we were gone, our little farm went on the market for sale. And before we came home on the 15th, there had been just one showing of our house. But then, we came home, and everything changed in a real hurry.................
Over the next few days, three more showings occurred. While this was going on, we were busy trying to get cleaned up from our trip... unpacked, laundry done, settling back in to the routine of trying to find our next home, etc. As well, we had started the process, while in Ellensburg, of looking for a newer Suburban to replace our 2005 model with. Although we really enjoyed our "Burb", the fact is that it was getting to the point of needing a lot of work done to it, that was going to add up fast financially. The list of problems and needed repairs was quickly growing, and we decided that a newer model would be the best solution. And so, we began the search online, and started the wheeling and dealing process with many dealers. So, the first couple of days back home, I spent a lot of time on the computer, trying to narrow down the search, and trying to make a deal on one of three Suburbans we had decided upon.
And that brings me to what has happened all in just one week!!! In just this on week that we have been home (actually, just five days!), we have had our home shown a total of five times. After just four showings, and after being on the market just one week, we have an offer on our place!!! In addition, in that same short week, I made a deal on a 2010 Suburban, fully loaded, with low miles and a beautiful blue granite metallic color. Tracie and road tripped it down to Portland on Thursday afternoon, traded in our rig for our new Suburban, and drove back through the night, getting home at 3:30am on Friday...... in time for me to get an hour and half of sleep before going to work!!! And to finish of the week, we headed down to Alger yesterday afternoon, to celebrate the retirement of one of my coworkers. It was a great party, lots of fun, and a great way to finish off a crazy and busy and productive week.
Today, we will head to church this morning, and then meet this afternoon with our agent to discuss the offer that has been made on our place.
So much has gone down in the short time we have been back from Ellensburg, that my head is spinning as I try to take it all in. And now, we have so much work ahead of us, as we work hard to find a place to move to, and try harder to start selling stuff off in an effort to majorly down size our lives after seven and a half years of farm living.
We have a week and a half to get ready for the biggest garage/shop/barn/yard/farm sales that we have ever held. First weekend of August is going to be the big sale here...... between that and placing tons of Craigslist ads, we have our work cut out for us.
OK, here we go........
Over the next few days, three more showings occurred. While this was going on, we were busy trying to get cleaned up from our trip... unpacked, laundry done, settling back in to the routine of trying to find our next home, etc. As well, we had started the process, while in Ellensburg, of looking for a newer Suburban to replace our 2005 model with. Although we really enjoyed our "Burb", the fact is that it was getting to the point of needing a lot of work done to it, that was going to add up fast financially. The list of problems and needed repairs was quickly growing, and we decided that a newer model would be the best solution. And so, we began the search online, and started the wheeling and dealing process with many dealers. So, the first couple of days back home, I spent a lot of time on the computer, trying to narrow down the search, and trying to make a deal on one of three Suburbans we had decided upon.
And that brings me to what has happened all in just one week!!! In just this on week that we have been home (actually, just five days!), we have had our home shown a total of five times. After just four showings, and after being on the market just one week, we have an offer on our place!!! In addition, in that same short week, I made a deal on a 2010 Suburban, fully loaded, with low miles and a beautiful blue granite metallic color. Tracie and road tripped it down to Portland on Thursday afternoon, traded in our rig for our new Suburban, and drove back through the night, getting home at 3:30am on Friday...... in time for me to get an hour and half of sleep before going to work!!! And to finish of the week, we headed down to Alger yesterday afternoon, to celebrate the retirement of one of my coworkers. It was a great party, lots of fun, and a great way to finish off a crazy and busy and productive week.
Today, we will head to church this morning, and then meet this afternoon with our agent to discuss the offer that has been made on our place.
So much has gone down in the short time we have been back from Ellensburg, that my head is spinning as I try to take it all in. And now, we have so much work ahead of us, as we work hard to find a place to move to, and try harder to start selling stuff off in an effort to majorly down size our lives after seven and a half years of farm living.
We have a week and a half to get ready for the biggest garage/shop/barn/yard/farm sales that we have ever held. First weekend of August is going to be the big sale here...... between that and placing tons of Craigslist ads, we have our work cut out for us.
OK, here we go........
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
July....Summer Came Early!!!
Yes indeed, summer came early this year for us. Compared to years past, our month of June was very nice to us for the most part. We even managed to pull of a heat wave that felt and looked just like summer, before July 5th, our traditional start of summer around here!!!
June was fast...... I feel like I just finished typing my last blog piece, and yet now it is already July 3rd. We have been so busy, with so much going on in our lives right now, and with Grammy & Papa & Aunt Janice all here visiting...... the days just keep clicking away.
We managed to get a little camping trip in up at Silver Lake the last week of June, while the rain was still here! We still had fun, and it felt good to just get away from home for a short time.
Next up, tomorrow, Independence Day.... The Fourth of July!!! We plan to head out to Blaine to spend the day and evening. In years past, they have provided a great way to spend the day, and have put on a nice fireworks show at night. Hopefully tomorrow will be a fun day for us all.
This week, we have found that our house will go on the market next week, on Tuesday the 9th. So, we are busy this week getting ready for that to happen...... cleaning up, clearing out, packing stuff, organizing things, deciding on what to keep and what to let go. Yesterday was a busy and productive day of it, and the house already looks so much better. We are on our way to down sizing and simplifying our lives, with moving from the old farm and huge amounts of work involved with it, to a smaller and more manageable place that will allow us to live the more active lifestyle that seems to be coming our way as our kids are growing.
Next week, as our farm goes up for sale, we head out of town to Ellensburg, for the state 12U baseball tournament. More importantly, we will be on vacation, on the east side of the mountains, in the heat!!! A time to relax, a time to have fun, a time to watch baseball, a time to not worry about the things back home!!!
When we return, it will already be the middle of July!!! And then, we will be busy again, getting ready for trying to find our next place to live, trying to sell off as much stuff as we can around here that we will no longer need or want, getting ready for some family vacation time in August, and also with looking for a replacement vehicle for our aging Suburban.
I can see now that my next blog could easily be a month out..... so, thanks for reading, and stay tuned!!!
June was fast...... I feel like I just finished typing my last blog piece, and yet now it is already July 3rd. We have been so busy, with so much going on in our lives right now, and with Grammy & Papa & Aunt Janice all here visiting...... the days just keep clicking away.
We managed to get a little camping trip in up at Silver Lake the last week of June, while the rain was still here! We still had fun, and it felt good to just get away from home for a short time.
Next up, tomorrow, Independence Day.... The Fourth of July!!! We plan to head out to Blaine to spend the day and evening. In years past, they have provided a great way to spend the day, and have put on a nice fireworks show at night. Hopefully tomorrow will be a fun day for us all.
This week, we have found that our house will go on the market next week, on Tuesday the 9th. So, we are busy this week getting ready for that to happen...... cleaning up, clearing out, packing stuff, organizing things, deciding on what to keep and what to let go. Yesterday was a busy and productive day of it, and the house already looks so much better. We are on our way to down sizing and simplifying our lives, with moving from the old farm and huge amounts of work involved with it, to a smaller and more manageable place that will allow us to live the more active lifestyle that seems to be coming our way as our kids are growing.
Next week, as our farm goes up for sale, we head out of town to Ellensburg, for the state 12U baseball tournament. More importantly, we will be on vacation, on the east side of the mountains, in the heat!!! A time to relax, a time to have fun, a time to watch baseball, a time to not worry about the things back home!!!
When we return, it will already be the middle of July!!! And then, we will be busy again, getting ready for trying to find our next place to live, trying to sell off as much stuff as we can around here that we will no longer need or want, getting ready for some family vacation time in August, and also with looking for a replacement vehicle for our aging Suburban.
I can see now that my next blog could easily be a month out..... so, thanks for reading, and stay tuned!!!
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