we sold our acreage

If you read the title I’m sure you can infer what this post will be about. This summer we decided to list and sell our acreage.

This was an incredibly hard decision to come to. We never thought that we would be moving after only 3.5 years of living here. We were so content in this specific home and in this specific part of the province. We truly loved what our acreage inevitably became, and saw the potential for future growth.

When we first moved in, everything was red, dark, marked up, and just forgotten about as a whole. We painted and puttied and renovated like mad. Slowly, room by room, this house opened up; becoming brighter, functional, and more beautiful with every remodel. It became a reflection of us and where we who we were as a family unit.

It all began with a video tour. From there, we added fenced gardens, refreshed our master bedroom, the kid’s closet, guest room, playhouse, culverts, jungle gym, Wilder’s bedroom, exterior doors, basement bathroom, basement family room, dog run, living room, Wilder + Beau’s bedroom, entry + laundry room, and finally two bathrooms. What you didn’t see was our kitchen (see above) and hallway renovations.

So why are we moving?

We spent 4 anniversaries within these walls and welcomed another baby. While we did have setbacks (because that is just life), it was mostly only happy memories. I will never forget our daily walks to the park down the dirt roads, or the beautiful star-filled clear nights, or the quietness, or how we spend all day everyday outside in the summer, or seeing our dogs run in our big yard, or our nice neighbours, or the wheat fields that surround our property, or the easy flow of our house, or the freeing nature that just comes with living away from everyone and being in your own paradise. Everyone who came out here would exit their vehicle, stand in the driveway, and say “you’ve got a little slice of heaven out here, don’t you?”

Yes, we did.

So goodbye, little acreage. We will always miss you.

Emory

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a quick guide to a successful house move with children

Moving home is something that is cited as one of the most stressful things that you can do in life. If you’re moving with children in tow, whether that is a toddler or a teenager, it can add a little more stress into the mix. If you are going to be moving to somewhere completely far away from where you are now, then it can be something that is troubling for children, especially if they feel like they are leaving friends behind. It can be real tough, that is for sure. That is why having a quick guide to help you to move home when you’ve got children to move with you too, can be a big help, no matter the age of the children.

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Considerations when moving house with children

For some children, they will have only ever lived in one house. They may be school age and go to school locally, as well as have ties to friends and connections in the area. As well as the stress of physically packing to move, there can be an added element of stress when these things are taken into consideration. Some of the stressors will depend on the age of the children. The demands of a baby are just going to be timing things right around feeds and naps, but with a teenager, you’ll be thinking about what they are going through and how stressed they must be themselves. 

What you can do is to offer a lot of reassurance, especially if your child is of an age where they will remember the old home. Keeping them comfortable and keeping them entertained is another aspect to think about. You should also look to get as much help as you can, to reduce the physical moving stress. From removalists like Two Men and a Truck you can get help with packing, storing, and moving your items to your new home. Hopefully, you will have some friends and family on-hand to help too.

Get the children involved

How involved children can be will depend on their age. However, boxes and going through all of their things could be something that is really enjoyable. Give yourself plenty of time to pack, as soon as you know that you are moving, so that things don’t feel too rushed. Children can pack some of their own belongings, as well as help with labeling items and getting organized. When they are involved they can feel like part of the process and that can put them at ease and reduce any anxieties.

Have a bag for move day with you

When it comes to the actual moving day, there can be a lot of things packed away that you will have no access to. That is why having a bag for moving day, filled with snacks, treats, small toys, and things that will be helpful for them (a phone charger for a teenager, for example). This will make the day smoother for you all, so make sure that you have something separate and ready to use on the day.

** This was a contributed post.

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we bought an acreage

Almost five years ago to the day (though it feels much longer), we began our search for an acreage home. Having grown up on a few acreages, and my husband on a farm, we have always felt drawn to a more rural lifestyle. We started out by going north of our current city. I published my first post about our hunt here.

Since then, we have pursued homes in every possible direction. We must have looked at between thirty to fifty properties- small acreages with nicer houses, big acreages with smaller houses, nice yards, hideous yards, newer homes, older homes, ones less than ten minutes from the city, ones more than an hour from city limits, and so on. Years went by and we could not find an acreage that ticked most of our boxes. We also went through quite a few realtors during that process. In the meantime, we sold our place in the city, purchased an empty lot at a lake where we built a home, temporarily moved onto my parent’s acreage, sold the house at the lake, and returned to the city. All within the last five years. Now, I can finally say that our quest is over. We bought an acreage!

As life and luck would have it, we ended up settling on a place a few minutes from where we began searching- north of the city. While it does not have as much land as we originally wanted, it is newer and in better condition than most of the properties that we have looked at over the years. It is also completely fenced with a large garage and a finished basement (the latter of which we have never had the pleasure of owning). There are so many other positives about this home, many of which I plan to discuss in the coming months. There are also a few negatives of course, as no home is perfect. However, for right now, it is the best and most wonderful fit for our family.

I am just so thankful and grateful to God for answering my prayers, and to my husband for working hard and being able to afford this place, and putting up with my restless nature. It has been an eventful and long five years, but now I can finally say that we are home.

Emory

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in january

Processed with VSCOcam with a5 presetHellooooo February! It’s great to see your smiling face. I am so stoked that January has come to a conclusion, because it was such a long and stressful month on our end. If you guys liked it, I’m totally fine with that! I won’t hold it against you. :-)))

Screen Shot 2015-01-05 at 10.33.14 AMSo what happened in the coldest month of the year? Well to begin, we have been moving into The Little Barn over the last few weeks. It’s been slow, rough, and just not a fun experience in the least bit.

GlitterBanner5Geoffrey celebrated his birthday on the 19th. That was probably one of the only good things to come out of January.

HomeHarvest2Actually, that was a lie. I found out that I am now a regular contributor for another magazine. This one is called Home & Harvest and is published monthly in the States!

ButterTarts3I also managed to produce five wonderful DIYs! Two were for eating (one fruity and one chocolate treat), one other for sleeping, the other for making, and the last for displaying. The banner actually turned out better than I could have hoped for, and I am so excited to create more!

1.jpgJanuary started off extremely slow in regards to sales in the Potomac Trading Post, Ltd. store. However, I read that it’s actually the worst month for all retail stores, given that customers are still recovering from their Christmas expenditures. Towards the second half of the month, it began to pick up. Now I’m right back on track with sales goals! Whew!

WW6-1Speaking of clothes, I had two different OOTD posts. One was to ring in the New Year, and the other showcasing my favourite, and oldest, go-to dress. The latter spawned yet another life lesson from my mum, AKA Night Owl. I also hinted to what was in the store, here.

p03nS9t3pHiDUretGYdA3qKeixjWe went and saw The Imitation Game and Gone Girl in the theatres. I didn’t blog about that, but both are worth noting!

Crates6Last but not least, I introduced a new series based on the idea of the Home that will begin next month! If you’re interested in taking part, there are still a few spots remaining!

Processed with VSCOcam with a5 presetFebruary’s going to be a fun and short month. I can feel it!

<3

Emory

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in november

Screen Shot 2014-11-26 at 8.08.16 PMHappy Thanksgiving, American readers! I’m sure that most of you are too busy visiting with friends and family members, eating delicious food, and enjoying your well-deserved day off than to be reading this post today. However, if you have managed your find your way over here, I so appreciate it! I’m glad that you could make it, and I hope that you can stay awhile.

Screen Shot 2014-11-26 at 8.07.28 PMI’ve decided to summarize November’s posts a few days early this month. My blogging schedule is just so full for the next few weeks, that today seemed like the best day to have a lengthy recapping post. Call it my comeuppance for not having one yesterday. :-)))

Processed with VSCOcam with kk1 presetLet’s begin! This month was filled with festivities. It began with a Day of the Dead post and a quote from one of my favourite authors. Then we ended the month with a nearly week-long birthday celebration.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESI was also blessed this month with one of my most inspirational guest bloggers. Sara, from Me & Orla, made the most beautiful Walnut and Maple Biscotti. I mean, consider her photography alone. Does it not make you go weak in the knees? The recipe was guaranteed to be successful from the start.

IMG_0921It wouldn’t be a typical month without having a do-it-yourself tutorial! My Harvest Wreath was published in HaveHeart Magazine, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Processed with VSCOcam with a6 presetRegarding nature and plant life, my Aloe Vera post sparked a million great discussions in the comment section! Well, maybe not quite a million, but still, I love, loved hearing about your experiences with this particular plant!

Cemetery 03I had three Weekly Wears posts in November. This is where I show you items that are available in the store. They can be seen here, here, and here.

Mum Guin 9I wrote several posts about my mum and her animals, or rather I should say that I collaborated with her in two posts. My mum published two beautiful stories on how she came to rescue her animals. You can read the true story about her soul-mate Guiness right here. Tuscan’s tale can be found here, which was subsequently read and shared by many other horse lovers. 

The Hills 06In addition to my mum’s photo shoots, my sister and her family were also featured on HSB. 

000Speaking of the store, I also revealed to you the dozens of items that were purchased by some pretty awesome buyers last month. I think I have some of the best customers in the world.

hr_Nightcrawler_6In November, I reviewed two films that shouldn’t be missed! The first one was Nightcrawler, which was just so utterly creepy and fantastic. The second was the cute and quirky film The One I Love.

10-smarta-kvm_3My design posts were extremely varied this time around. I began by discussing a Swedish firm’s take on Tiny Homes. I showed you my master bedroom inspiration with this post. Lastly, I also gave the tiniest peak at The Little Barn, which set in motion a debate on sliding doors. 

Screen Shot 2014-11-26 at 8.07.55 PMWhat an insane month! With Christmas just around the corner, I might have to start cutting back on publishing so many posts during the week. Life is only about to get crazier, especially with our plans to move into our new home in a matter of weeks.

See you tomorrow!

<3

Emory

  • Hello! My name is Emory. I am a wife, mother of four (three on earth in heaven). This is our life on the Canadian prairies.
    email: helloscarlettblog@outlook.com

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