We moved!

It's been awhile since my last post, and for good reason. I mentioned in that particular post that we were in "a flurry of organizing and paring down," and that's true–in preparation for a move to a different house in our area, just across town.

We had been casually looking at properties in the area for awhile, not necessarily expecting to find something that checked off a lot of things on our list, until we did find such a property. It's a new home, less than two years old, and on an acre of land that is partially wooded. The property is very quiet and private and surrounded by lots of trees.

As for the house, so many of the finishes are very close to what we would choose, if we were to build a home. And it has a wood-burning stove! So cozy. We prayed about this home, and for God to open doors and make it evident if we should take the next steps, and with everything, even the sale of our other, former home, it has been a smooth process. What a gift!

We have been living in the new house for less than a week, so there is plenty left to unpack and settle in. But we are enjoying a more open layout and the additional natural light. And just today, we put up the Christmas tree and a few other Christmas decorations. Cooper kept saying, "We're having a fun, Christmas-y day! Getting lots of work done with all of us." The boys are doing well with the transition so far, and not surprisingly, Cooper has been a very eager helper to Nicholas. And both boys love running around the new house, chasing each other.

We have tried to sprinkle in a few cozy things throughout the moving process. I've already been utilizing my new kitchen for some baking, including my homemade granola, this pumpkin bread and these orange cardamom muffins, (I sub in avocado oil and organic sugar in both recipes). We have had tea, most evenings. Nearly all of our Christmas gifts have been purchased. A few friends have stopped by to visit and have tea (one friend brought homemade white cheddar and cranberry sourdough scones!), and I just unpacked my box of candles yesterday, so we have a little extra twinkle. The floors are porcelain tile or polished cement throughout, so we have been wearing handknit socks and slippers, too.

I'm sure I'll share more in the coming weeks, but I didn't want to wait any longer to share news of such a big life update!