Stuck

It's been quiet on this blog because I'm just tired of being optimistic on it. We're still stuck. We're still in Reasnor, still in our house, I'm still commuting an hour to work, we still just have a driveway and a power pole at our new place, and it feels like life is standing still. I can't tell you how many people over the years look at me and say, "Oh, you have a farm? I've always wanted a little farm, but land is just too expensive." What they apparently actually mean is that they want someone to will them a bunch of cropland for free because I have the cheapest land within an hour drive of Des Moines but still no one wants it, even though we are now down to $209,000 for the house and 40 acres (from our original $245,000). My house is small. People also talk about wanting a smaller house; but faced with the reality of a 900 square foot house (with a 400 sq ft sunroom) they suddenly don't want it. I admit I'm tired of cleaning my house up for people who have THREE small children and somehow think that magically a house that is 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and 900 square feet will be the one. 
  It's been a year since I left Vermeer and a job I loved to take this leap of faith that we were supposed to move to Ryan's family farm. Four seasons. One complete school year. It's very discouraging. Yes, our house is small. But it is not a bad house. When a storm blows 70 mph winds across our roof, I roll over and go back to sleep. If a 70 mph wind hasn't taken out our house in 146 years, it's not going to. And I still feel like our space is well appointed; there isn't anywhere that is a silly use of space. But apparently people who walk through it don't see its potential. I know, #FirstWorldProblems, but I guess if you are the praying type or the good universe energy type or (even better) if you know someone who wants to buy a farm a commutable distance to Grinnell, Pella, and Newton and an hour from Des Moines, let me know.

I don't have much quilting news because I've been working on bigger things. I'm working on quilting a t-shirt quilt for the Iowa State Fair, and I'm also steadily working on the first quilt that I am making to be a show quilt. Here's a glimpse as I was auditioning fabric options; I'm feeling good about it.

Ryan and I also got a rare date night early in June, even if it was for one of my MBA classes. We checked out the Concert on the Prairie at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. 

It was a good time, we danced barefoot on the grass.

And of course the kids are growing, because that's what they do.

H had a birthday, for which I made an Elsa dress (from Frozen for the uninitiated).

Then she had a dance recital (she is dressed as a monster)

Wow, dance recital. Not sure if we're doing that again. It was a lot for a four-year-old, and frankly very hard on Ryan to have to bring both kids into town (hour drive again) four days in a week for rehearsals and whatnot. 

She also finished up her school year, here she is at the picnic on the last day. Apparently she and this friend of hers are married. He told his mom so, but somehow H neglected to mention it to me...

Z still loves books of all kinds, and trucks. So a book with a truck in it? Pure gold. 

And that boy also loves the great outdoors. Even though he only says about three words at the age of 1.5 (Uh oh, Thank you, Hi... not even a Mommy yet), he knows to bring us his shoes, his socks, AND our shoes to go outside. 

Here he helps Daddy rake the lawn after a mowing of some very long grass.

Perhaps the next time I blog, we will have a closing date!