All the things are happening!

November 21, 2021November 21, 2021 / Kelly Bea / Leave a comment

It’s been a minute since I blogged an update on the house. So many things are happening and all at the same time. The tin roof is done, brick and board & batten siding are going on now. Inside the house they have electric, plumbing and gas. Kevin and I just did the insulation yesterday and sheetrock will be delivered tomorrow.

It’s crazy how quickly things are happening now! Yesterday while doing the insulation I found where friends, family and even some of the guys working on the house have added even more Bible verses to the house! Makes my heart happy.

In the past month not only has all the things been going on with the house, but our family has had a lot going on. The good was celebrating 50 years of marriage for my parents. The not so good was Covid hitting 4 members of our family. Thankfully everyone got through it fairly easy. Betty has completed 6 rounds of chemo as of Friday. My parents have had a lot going on with their health and Nadya’s senior year is going so fast! Each day it’s clear to us that God knew our family needed us here. We are so thankful we are here, too.

I think my favorite thing about the brick, siding and roof going on all at once is finally seeing my vision come together! AND still loving it! Haha! You make a decision based on a small sample and pray that it works when it actually starts going on the house.

I always said I wanted a white farmhouse with a tin roof. We also wanted a brick house and picking out brick was not easy! I picked out the Southern Pearl Queen, but kept going to look at others before going back and going with my first pick. I’m so glad I went for it! I love the brick and it looks great with the gray grout!

Bless This House

October 24, 2021 / Kelly Bea / 3 Comments

I think that I might of been just as excited about blessing our home as building our home. For starters seven months ago the thought of moving back to Kentucky and building a home on our farm never even came into my mind. Once I begin to see God at work in our lives and this was going to happen I planned for this!

From the day we started our build I have been praying over our home. I have been thanking God for our home. I have been asking Him to show us His will for us using this farm. So I couldn’t wait to cover the 2×4 walls in His Word soon as I saw them go up. I begin to ask my close friends for verses to put on the walls. I asked family to come and bless the house with us. I began to look up verses, write them down and read them. I would walk the rooms, think about what will happen within the walls of that room and pray over it.

We have a spare bedroom that I plan to build some bunk style loft beds and decorate like a hunting lodge. I imagine the boys coming home and bringing their friends to hunt. I imagine the stories they will tell at night while laying in those beds anticipating the hunt in the wee hours of the morning. I also imagine how much fun grandkids will have on those loft bunk beds one day! 😉

I imagine our friends coming to visit and us sitting around the island laughing and talking. Sitting by the fire during the cold winter months watching the wildlife in the backyard. Mornings on the screened in porch with a cup of coffee and Big Life Devotion. Kevin playing the piano with the windows open for all that lurks in the woods to hear. 🙂

In our bedroom on the wall where our bed will be I have written 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8! My prayer is that we always go to bed knowing how much we love each other and what we mean to each other.

There are verses about love, music, a good harvest, a house and so on. My sweet little four year old niece, Sadie wrote Jesus loves you on the wall in the family room. She was so excited. My nieces Emmy and Nadya wrote verses on walls and so did many other family members. It was a great feeling to see this happening. To feel God’s presence all around our home and in the hearts of those we love.

Thank you Lord for blessing this home! May we always put you first and seek your will. I pray Lord that as you reveal your plans for us and this farm we keep our faith strong and go for all you show us!

To the Window, To the Walls…

October 21, 2021October 21, 2021 / Kelly Bea / 1 Comment

To the window, to the walls, to the tears drip down my face! 😀 Are you picturing the Get Low scene from The Proposal? I know I am! 😀

Seriously yall I was not expecting the day the walls went up to be so emotional. We were on week four of the build and Kevin had started going to help everyday. He had called to say they were close to getting the first wall up so I decided to stop by and check it out.

I must say its really cool to watch these guys work. Phil and Les don’t even have to communicate and Phil just grabs a scrap piece of wood and starts working numbers. Next thing you know they have a wall laid out! When this first small section of the front wall went up I was giddy with excitement. It was happening! Walls are going up on our dream home!

Next was to raise the rest of the front wall. I didn’t know how the 3 of them would do it. I walked out in front of the house so I could take it all in. When that wall started coming up I was overcome with emotions. I was in awe seeing Kevin being a part of building our home. I was so proud of my man. I was full of gratitude to God for making this possible. I felt a peace wrap around me as I thanked God and told him how much I loved it. I was just completely overcome by emotion and comforted by God all at the same time. The tears did not stopping falling down my face!

And there is the front wall of the house!

By the end of the week we not only had our 4 exterior walls up, but half of the interior walls! The following week they finished the interior walls and now it is looking like a house! Its awesome to walk around the rooms and start to get an idea for how things will be.

Front Wall is up!
View from the road.
Exterior Walls are done!
Excited about this wall of windows and door! Can’t wait to sit by the fire and watch the wildlife go by.
Kitchen, Utility room and pantry go there.
Looking like a house! Check out that big front porch!
Our home!

Next comes trusses!

We have been back in Kentucky for 7 weeks now and with each passing day I am more assured that this is exactly where God wants us. There are days when I feel like I am in limbo and don’t have a purpose but I have to come to realize those thoughts and feelings are all in my head. That is the devil trying to throw me off. God has us exactly where we need to be right now. Our family needs us right now more than ever. God has made it where we are available for them. I am trusting in Him and his path for us. I know in due time more of His plans for us will be revealed, but right now we just need to be here in these moments with our family and take in the joy of building our little farmhouse.

Next comes Floors!

October 12, 2021 / Kelly Bea / Leave a comment

It’s all happening so fast! Blocks are done, lots of digging for water and electric lines and we got a subfloor! Wow! I love driving over to the farm everyday to see what is happening and just breath in that fresh air and having that peaceful, easy feeling come over me.

Next the walls go up and we start to see what everything is going to look like. I am so excited! Behind the scenes I have been doing all the paperwork to get water and electric hooked up to the house. I have started looking at cabinets, lighting, faucets, doors, flooring and hardware. It seems there is always something to be done and I am forever grateful for this blessing so I go and do with a big smile on my face.

Betty (my mother-in-law) has had 2 chemo treatments so far and is handling them really well. The 2nd has been a bit tougher than the first, but the second she starts feeling better she is up and going. Working hours in her flower beds, cleaning, making a dessert or whatever. She is a tough cookie, a go getter, a woman who is living life to the fullest.

Took Betty and Faye out for Sunday Drive!

Footers, Blocks and Electricity Oh my!

September 28, 2021September 28, 2021 / Kelly Bea / 1 Comment

When my uncle said it would go fast he wasn’t kidding! Be the end of week one we had the footers poured and were waiting on the blocks to arrive!

Footers are being poured!
The garage!
Breezeway connecting the house and garage!
Beautiful sky! We got mamaw to drive out with us! I know she enjoyed getting out of the house for a little while!
Starting to see what it’s going to look like!

After the footers were poured it was the daily drive by to see if the blocks had arrived! One afternoon we showed up and got to see this beautiful rainbow! Thank you God for reminding us of your promise!

Not long after we left the blocks arrived. The next day we drove over to the farm to see the progress just as a downpour came so this was all we saw…

That was a big ole downpour, so it was a couple days before anything else happened.

It’s a little wet & muddy!
Blue skies and back to work!
Looking like something more and more!

Friday night our boys showed up around 10! It was so good to see them and talk to them in person! We couldn’t wait to get up the next morning and take them to the farm. They grew up going to the farm and love it as much as we do so this was a special moment for us!

We are all so excited!
Checking it out!

It was so cool to show them the house and walk them through where everything will be. My oldest was thrilled about how close we are to this finger of woods and the open field on the other side of it. He couldn’t stop talking about the deer that are around this spot. We told him about all the deer and turkeys we have been seeing the past few days with the cooler weather. I think he is in love with the idea of walking out the backdoor to hunt!

They got started on getting electric out to the house, too. Next is digging the line the to road for it and for water. By the end of this week they should start on the floor joist, too! We picked our brick and siding for the house, too!

As much as it is exciting, it is also a little scary picking out things and hoping they will look as good in real life once its all done, as it does in your head when you pick it! Just like the floor plan–I couldn’t find anything that was exactly what I wanted. So I took from different plans and made my own. I found a great home plan designer on Etsy and sent her what I drew up and she worked with me to draw up exactly what I wanted and the square footage I wanted. So, if you don’t find what you are looking for find someone who can help you get it just how you do want it. Vision boards have also been a huge help. I did a basic set for my uncle and have a very detailed set for me. I am constantly adding and taking away as everything comes together. Now that I have a color scheme for the exterior and interior things are falling into place.

Are you ready?

September 24, 2021September 24, 2021 / Kelly Bea / 1 Comment

We were sitting around my uncle’s table looking over the vision boards I made for our home when he said “Are you ready”. We had only been back in Kentucky 8 days, but heck yeah we are ready!

He smiled looked at both of us and said “alright we need to met at the farm and mark where you want the driveway and how far off the road you want the house, when can you do it?” Two days later we were at the farm showing Rodney the spot we decided on.

We were thinking we were just marking the spots, but next thing you know we were hauling the tractor over to the farm and bush hogging down a driveway and spot big enough for them to get started on the house.

Marking where our home will be!
And here we go!
We have a “driveway”!
And there we have it!
Using our imagination to “see” our farmhouse!

Monday, September 13th we were having breakfast when Rodney calls and says “met us at the build site to make sure we put the house exactly where you want it”. And we were off to the farm.

Pinch me! This is really happening. As we drive up to the build site we see all kinds of things happening! A dump truck is coming down the road, my cousin is in a little loader working on the driveway, lots of trucks are there and people are walking around everywhere. Again, pinch me!

We get to met everyone and go over some details. They ask me where I want everything to be and make sure we are good with the distance from the road. Next thing you know everyone is moving around doing something. Kevin and I head to Marion to get our electric set up. When we come back the build site is cleared, our farmhouse outline is spray painted on the ground and they were digging the footers. EPPP!!! To be real honest I was like darn it looks small! 😀 I mean we are downsizing since its just the two of us, but maybe I downsized too much! 🙂 I was told at this point it will look small, just wait for it to get some height.

Unemployed, Homeless & excited!

September 4, 2021September 4, 2021 / Kelly Bea / Leave a comment

I think I am still in disbelief of what is happening. I am mind-blown and thankful to God for all his has done between mid-May and today!

August 24th we both are officially unemployed!

Between August 13 and August 28 we boxed up our house, garage and storage building in two 20 foot U-Haul’s and invaded our parents! Just kidding–kinda! We filled a couple storage units, part of a garage, part of a basement and took over a small part of my mother-in-law’s house. We feel like we walked in and took over, but she promises she is happy to have us here, especially as she starts her battle to get rid of this stomach cancer.

The first U-Haul load we took up on a day the heat index hit 108! It was miserable, but we got it done. I was done before we even started unloading because I drove our old Kia up to give to my niece, Nadya. It had no AC. I tried to just look at it as a sauna drive and easy weight loss. 😉 Moving a 700+ pound piano is not an easy task either! Thank you to our son, Tyler, Warren, Tuc and Rodney for the help loading and/or unloading it!

September 3rd we walked through our amazing little house and yard one last time remembering all the good times we have had over the last 17 years. So much good happened in that house. I remember thinking when the boys were little if only we had a bigger house so we could have more space from one another, but looking back now I am so glad we were on top of each other. It made us the close family we are today.

I thought I would of been more sad than I was. I am happy to say as we closed the door on our home for the last time I shed a couple of tears as we drove to the close, but I was happy. Happy for the 17 years of memories that home gave me that I can take with me and I am so excited about the future. We are still not 100% sure what God has in store for us, but we are asking Him to show us in His time and for our eyes to be open to see. We know right now our focus is Betty and getting her through these next 2-3 months.

September 4th we are officially homeless and living with our parents! 😀

In the coming weeks we will be settling into our temporary home with Betty, doctors appointments and planning to build our little house on the farm. I have been writing down my dreams of the future, praying over them and asking God to show me which path we need to take. Kev and I would appreciate your prayers for my mother-in-law and seeing clearly the path God has for us.

Thank you all for reading my blog and joining us on this journey. We appreciate you all so very much. 🙂

Signs everywhere

August 6, 2021August 10, 2021 / Kelly Bea / 2 Comments

Be careful when you ask your mom and mother-in-law to pray for something to happen! Its seems that since we told our parents everything is happening in fast forward. When I pray I ask for God to show me the way, make it clear, help me to know Him from the devil. My husband said “I just told God I am a little on the stupid side when it comes to seeing things sometimes so knock me over the head Lord–make it clear”. It seems as though He listened because we are getting little God Winks here, there and everywhere. When I was telling my friends about the signs from God, she said they are God Winks and I really do love that!

My mother-in-law is not very good at keeping a secret so she kind of told everyone in Clay and surrounding areas about our plans to possibly move to the farm. This brought on an outpouring of love from family and friends that were so excited to hear the news. For us it was another God Wink. We knew moving home meant being able to be there for Kevin’s mom and my parents for this we were so grateful. What we hadn’t thought of was being there for our niece and her family. When Betty told us how excited Lori was to hear we were coming home it stopped us in our tracks. How she was excited to have family (besides Mamaw) close again brought tears to our eyes. We would be there to go to the girls stuff and the girls could stay with us and we could do family things together whenever we wanted. Something that 4 hours distance all this time has kept us from doing. Thank you God we love it!

We went home one weekend and took my mom, Betty, Faye and Linda out for lunch. We had the best time. I told Kevin this is something we can do once or twice a month when we are up there and not once a year. Then it dawned on me I could come pick them up whenever I wanted to and take them out to do fun stuff. Happy tears flowing–thank you God I love it!

My niece, Nadya lives with my parents. She is going to be a senior in high school this year. That’s a big deal. I am so grateful that I will get to be there for her this year. I can go to her soccer games, homecoming, help her get ready for prom, help her apply for college, graduation and all that great stuff. Thank you God, I love it!

Kevin is excited about farming his land. Getting his hands dirty on the land that his father worked so hard for. He is looking forward to walking the land with our friend Charlie Beavers who knows many a story about Frank and Darrell on the farm. He is grateful to know he will be there to mow his mom’s yard, fix things around her house and be just a phone call away. Thank you God, we love it!

Little Sadie and Emmy keep talking about spending the night with us on the farm. Going to creek to hunt for snakes and walking in the woods. It warms my heart to know they will be playing and having fun on the land their grandfather and great-grandfather loved so much. Thank you God, You are so good!

My uncle Rodney builds houses and called us offering to help us build a house on our farm. His son Tuc would be involved. I use to watch Tuc and Spence when I was teenager. I always said those two boys prepared me for raising my own boys. It was just another God Wink saying you are doing the right thing. Stop wasting time, stop half living and get on up to Kentucky. I could hear Him saying “follow your dreams, take that leap I’ve got you”.

We have lived here for 17 years and have never really sold a house so we decided to go ahead and reach out to a friend that is a realtor. We told her all about the house and all the work we have put into the last 2 years because we thought it would be our forever home. We knew the market in Huntsville area was hot right now and its a sellers market, but I was SHOCKED when she told me what they wanted to list our house for. Still in shock actually. Def a God Wink!

The few friends we have told are over the moon for us. They totally get it. A couple of our close friends even talk about the change in Kevin. How at ease he is and how the stress has left him. That God Wink is everything to me. Seeing my husband without anxiety because he knows what is coming. Thank you God, I love it.

I could go on, but I will leave it there. You get the picture. We are seeing God everywhere saying “trust me and go”. So we are doing it! We actually are trusting him so big that our timeline has moved up drastically. Our house will go on the market as “Coming Soon” July 30th and August 1st will be our first Open House.

Dreaming…

August 4, 2021July 31, 2021 / Kelly Bea / Leave a comment

We went to bed dreaming that night and woke up day dreaming the next day. Both of us would come home from work and talk about the farm. We couldn’t get it out of our minds at all. I felt like we were little kids who’s parents just told them they where they going for vacation and all they could do is dream about the things they were going to do. That was us! Dreaming of being on the farm, being close to our family again, dreaming of what kind of living we could make on the farm.

Kevin’s dad bought that farm piece by piece in his younger years. He worked the land, hunted the land, got the land involved in government and TVA programs and loved the farm. He was so proud of that farm. Kevin’s brother loved that farm, too. Kevin lost his brother in 2011 and his dad in 2016. When Kevin is there he feels close to them and the memories of his childhood are more vivid.

I am country girl. I was raised in Farmersville, Kentucky. I love having the dirt between my toes, playing in the creek, finding a quiet spot and watching the animals go about their day. Give me a shade tree and good book and I am a happy girl.

If you would of asked as a year and half ago if we would ever move back to Kentucky we would of blurted out NO in a heartbeat. We just never felt the need to go back home. What changed? We aren’t really sure. Covid happened and that sure did change a lot of things. It definitely changed our perspective on few things. Both our boys moved out in 2020 making us empty nesters. My husband is very much ready for a career change. I am always up for an adventure. Our parents are older and being closer to them would be nice.

After of week of this dream not leaving our minds EVER, we decided to tell our moms and see what they thought. My mom said she always knew we’d be back someday and Kevin’s mom was shocked. She said she figured our son Baily would end up on the farm, but not us. We told them we don’t know when or if it will happen, but we think we really want it to happen so telling them makes it real and we know having them praying for it to happen can only help.

My husband had just turned 49 so we decided to make it a goal to be on our way to the farm by the time he was 50. That gives us a full year to really know if this is where God is leading us. A full year to figure out letting go of our home and jobs here and starting new in Kentucky. A year for our boys and friends here in Alabama to get use to the idea.

Sometimes God gives you what you think you wanted to show you want you really need

August 2, 2021July 29, 2021 / Kelly Bea / 1 Comment

Back in May a job opportunity presented itself to me out of the blue. I was beyond excited that this fell into my lap and was going to do my best to show that I really was the girl for the job. With each passing day my plate grew fuller and fuller. I began to question is this really what I want? I was quite happy where I am. Now it was as if I was going 90 to nothing–was this how it would always be in this new role? Is the title worth it? Is the money worth this? I began to question is this what I really want. I began to pray for guidance.

All the time this is going on with me, my husband is battling his own work demons. He had been doing the same job for nearly 15 years and in the same career for 24 years. He was so ready to just let it all go. He would tell me how he just wanted work outside, get his hands dirty, not be stuck at desk or have his eyes glued to a computer screen. I had been praying over him and his job for a long while. Little did I know God was about to answer in a huge and unexpected way.

The job opportunity ended up not working out and all I felt was relief. When I went home and told my husband he felt so bad for me until I told him how relieved I was that it worked out the way it did. I told him that I think God was showing me that this is not what I really wanted or needed. I told him I was going to continue to pray for Him to guide us both.

A few nights later my husband I are were talking about the farm and started having us a little “dream session”. I can not for the life of me remember how the subject even came up, but I know we were dreaming about the possibility of putting a cabin on the farm that way when we go to visit our family we have our own little place to stay. We really love the peacefulness we get when we are on the farm. Its in the middle of no where and all you hear are the sounds of nature, you see a million stars at night and its full of God’s creations. Kevin put a picture of the farm up on the TV and showed me where he always wanted to build and it was the exact same spot that I always loved. Its a beautiful spot with great views and backs up to the woods and a great little spot I use to go hunting with one of my boys.

That night we went to bed thinking about building a cabin on the farm for when we visit…