Have I told you I’m excited to have a place to call home?  In case this is news to you, I have been living a nomadic life for two whole years.  You can read a little about my journey here, here and here.

It’s been fun uncovering long forgotten treasures as we go through box after box.  I know it’s sad and kinda sappy, but for some things its like getting reacquainted with old friends.  Like these mugs (I warned you that I’m a sentimental baby):

With other things, I just shake my head with wonder as I contemplate having carted them halfway across the country. By way of excuse, we did not realize we would be in limbo for such an extended period.  We had been traveling (my Love was speaking for a few weeks in the US) and returned just a couple of weeks before we had to pack up to leave the camp, so it all just got thrown in boxes willy-nilly.  Some things fared better than others, but all in all it hasn’t been too bad. Seriously, I have not missed most of it, but I am excited to be surrounded by photos of my family again (although a few of my favourite framed pictures have not made the passage yet, as we ran out of room in the trailer), and I’ve enjoyed pulling out sentimental objects.  For instance, there’s this photo of us in Florida and a bowl of shells that we collected while there.

And one of my dearest treasures…a photo of me with my great-grandmother and her ‘grandmother’s charm bracelet’ that I inherited when she passed.  Each silhouette  has the name and birthdate of my mom and her sisters and their children (though some are missing, as those babies were born after Nannie died).  Sorry for the poor lighting (as I often have)…my pictures are usually taken on the fly.

My dad was always a bit of a joker, he enjoyed life, and was fun-loving.  He collected silly hats as he traveled — and would actually wear them on occasion!  Each of my kids chose one of Grumpy’s hats as a keepsake when he died.  For my mom’s birthday, I framed a collage photo of them wearing his hats…of course I made one for myself, too!

Then I found this little piece that my Love’s sweet grandmother made for him many years ago:

It’s funny to think that we began packing our belongings a full year before, when we’d sold our home to move to the camp.  That’s three years altogether that some things were stowed away…my kids were completely different people!  The Barbies and Polly Pockets have been exchanged for a guitar and camera. Okay, so for my cl boy, LEGO still holds a very high standing, but many of the other items of past-importance have found their way into the ‘give-away’ box or a trash bin.

Most of the items that came with us were in boxes, and just a few select pieces of furniture, like beds and dressers.  We lived in a very large home before moving to the camp.  We had six bedrooms, three baths, a large kitchen, a dining room and three living areas (we still had five kids at home then).  That means a ton of furniture! There was lots of furniture and odds and ends that we gave to our children and to others, as the camp house was significantly smaller…Yet, even after a second purge when we combined two storage units, somehow we still have soooo much stuff.  It was not feasible to go through every box, so it was mainly big, awkward items that we gave away.  I’m hoping that by the end of our unpacking, we will be left with only things that are meaningful or useful, with the exception of a few pretty things that make a home a little more…well…homey.  Thankfully, the rental came with a sofa and chair and a kitchen table — which we needed!  The Lord is good to look after the details, is He not?

Once the basics were unpacked, I was anxious to add a little of that homey-ness, so as soon as I came across a few of the boxes with photos, books (aaaccckkk, there were many!) and decorative pieces, I proceeded to add them to any shelf or tabletop I could find. It’s beginning to feel like our nest.  Someday, I would like to get some shelves (my pantry is in my linen closet presently, which means my linen is in totes) and we have no end tables, nightstands or desks to speak of.

Little by little, I’m sure it will come together; but in the meantime, it’s good to have a place in town and be a part of the community to which we are ministering!

In the interest of keeping it real…this is our basement: