Face Dirt and Free Labor

Forgive me in advance if this post isn't flowery and wonderful.  I am tired.  Even my fingers are tired.  But, it's a really good "tired."  Tim and I talked last night about how good this "tired" feels.

We have had a productive week.  In 8 days, we've cleared the top side of the property, dug the trench to lay the underground power, dug the trench to tie the camper in to the water line, dug the trench to connect the camper to the septic tank, set up and leveled the camper, cleaned the camper, prepped the home site, cut down and burned at least 2,345,764 briars, played in poison ivy, met the neighbors, set up the cabin, installed the power pole, and transplanted  four of the cutest cedar trees you've ever seen.

Whew!  That's a lot!  And we did it ALL BY OURSELVES!  No big equipment, no ditch witches, no dollars wasted.  In the culture we live in, it's easy to forget that bodies were meant for work and better than that- they are quite efficient!  Our family of five (3 on some days because our 2 men work full time jobs) literally tamed our home site with our own hands.

It was hard.  And, yet, it was wonderful.

Because we've been working so hard, we have taken to drinking spring water right out of a gallon container.  Every twenty minutes or so, one of us will yell, "Where's the water jug?" and another someone will come running with it.  Last week, one of my kids turned up the gallon container only to stop short of swallowing when they thought they saw something in the water.  My other kid didn't miss a beat, "It's just face dirt," he said, convincing the other child that the "dirty" water was perfectly acceptable to drink.

And of all we've accomplished this week, my absolute favorite part is being able to witness my children SEEING what they can do.  They're amazed, actually, that THEY can make a difference, that THEIR labor changes things, that THEY are laying a foundation for their future homes.   They are far more powerful than video games, culture and television led them to believe.

So, we're tired.  We're achy.  We're even sporting a few minor injuries.  But we're content, at peace, and excited about the next leg of our journey.


 Getting our education while we get our education.  I love life!

          Sing it with me, "Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy...."



 Our 40 foot cabin that will serve as our cozy sanctuary while we build.  We'll live in the camper until the cabin is finished out.  We are planning on making some beautiful memories here!


Is it more?  Or is it less?  You decide.