Pictures of Our "Tax Return Dreams" Turned Reality

Every year Steve and I dream and joke about all of the things we could purchase with our tax return. On this list of items there is always talk of a hot tub, a sauna, a fireplace, new floors, a bunkhouse, a trip to Kilimanjaro or Europe, etc. But, usually when we receive our tax return there are more important things to take care of ....like last year we were in desperate need of a new roof....how exciting.

So, this year we decided to finally make a few of our "tax return dreams" become reality by investing in new floors and a wood stove for our "cabin house." The girls and I spent the day watching two nice gentleman from Soo Fireplace and Stone intstall a wood stove into our living room that just had new wood floors installed in it this past week. It was fun to watch the process. It got a little boring in the middle, so we took a walk down to sunny Monocle Lake. Autumn found a few interesting aquatic bugs that we captured to study. When we returned we were greeted by a transformed living room. We haven't had our first fire yet because I want to make sure we have read through the manual and have all the proper tools and some really dry wood, but I can't wait! And the floors...Aaaahhhhh....I just can't express how wonderful and freeing it feels to be rid of that stained white carpeting! I am now actually looking forward to having company over.

I am using the little red trailer to the left of the truck below to meticulously sort through everything we moved out to the house, and I am loading it up with the items that aren't going to be needed at this house. Hopefully we can make one trip into town with these things and be free of a lot of the clutter that has been weighing our family down. It is really exciting, and the more I focus on this goal the easier the letting go becomes. My Mantra: "Less is more...Less is more....Less is more..."

Hopefully by the end of next week we will feel completely finished with the moving/renovating/cleaning/sorting process and we will be ready and free to enjoy summer to the fullest!

Here comes the stove...ME: "How heavy is that thing?" WORKERS: "lots and lots of grunts...HEAVY!"

Walking on the lake to get out of the workers hair. It was super windy today! Definitely needed those hats and gloves!

Here it is! Obviously we don't have our furniture back in....but the girls don't mind. They have set up camp with the couch cushions and lots of puzzles and board games. They don't want any furniture back in because they say this way is more fun. The only complaint I have is that blue tube coming off the back. It is the air inlet. I asked the workers why it couldn't be black? Anybody else have a wood stove with a blue air inlet? Maybe we will paint it?

Playing Stratego. I was trying to get a shot of the tiled entry. We still have to put trim up around the walls.

The house echoes right now since it is so empty. Last night I took an unpacking break to play guitar...It is fun to sing in an empty room. I thought to myself, "I sound better than when I sing in the bathroom!" Echoes make any voice sound better.

The ash pan came with a bunch of different tile options. We thought this one would be perfect for our place.

You can see our Forsynthia bush in full bloom (yellow) out the window. I was talking to my Dad on the phone and he said that their bush has already finished blooming. (They live five hours downstate.) It is so weird to think that those 5 hours make such a difference in weather!

I can't wait to have our first fire! Hopefully it stays a bit chilly outside for the next few weeks (at least in the evenings) so we can use it a lot. I have a feeling it will be extremely enjoyable this winter.

In the end, we are happy we were able to make a few of our "tax return dreams" come true. Its so weird that we get excited every year for this money....it's not like it is a gift from the government...I have to remind myself that they are the ones taking money from us. But, at least they didn't keep it all.

What do you usually do with your tax return? Do you have any "tax return dreams" of your own?  Already Steve and I both agree that next year's dreams will include installing wood floors in the bedrooms!

-Sarah

P.S. If you have a wood stove, any tales of wood stove incidents, suggestions, tips, memories etc. would be greatly appreciated!