Counting Blessings: Our “Current” Homestead

We’ve come a long way and have much to be Thankful for!

The greatest homestead blessing.

In the spirit of lists like the Twelve Days of Christmas and as a tribute to Almost There from The Princess & the Frog, I’ve put together this list of blessings we currently have.  We may not have land or a home yet, but these items will be coming with us to the new homestead, so in a way we DO have a homestead here.  It’s slowly forming around ourselves and our lifestyle changes.

Even Cinderella started with a pumpkin and mice to be transformed by a fairy godmother into horses & a carriage (though in our case we’re going for the pumpkin and mice!).  And I agree with Princess Tiana that the old wishing star is gonna need a little help from our hard work…and “I’m almost there!”

Our list of Homestead Blessings:

1. 2 young hippies in love with each other and nature
2. 2 cuddly cats named Solo (alone) and Boca (mouth)
3. 2 bicycles named Bamboo and Midnight
4. 1 solar panel (almost)
5. a set of wooden storage steps handmade by mom & dad
6. a captain’s bed and mattress from the year we got married
7. an old, stained, fluffy mini-couch with more memories than a scrapbook
8. a set of well-loved DVDs, mostly about animals
9. a small 4-drawer dresser to hide socks and surprises inside
10. clothes for summer & winter, several warm sweaters and a new coat!
11. fair trade scarf & winter hats with personality that keep the wind out
12. a strawberry hanging basket, vines for banisters, and a lavender bush
13. a digital camera for those precious moments
14. a laptop & a netbook so we can write to you in the woods (with internet)
15. one beautiful floor rug made in the Himalayan mountains
16. a hope chest for storage and making a window seat with a view
17. a small bookshelf for our favorite reads (non-fiction and fiction)
18. many poofy pillows and stuffed animals to cuddle
19. a sturdy umbrella, boots and rain slicker
20. a tiny mandala-painted metal stand
21. cassette tapes for getting through chore days and enjoying free time
22. cookware, including pots, skillets and utensils
23. containers for bulk food from the co-op
24. 1 round mirror that reminds me of tigers
25. a shower curtain with a map of the world on it
26. nice multi-purpose backpacks
27. a tiny bamboo nightstand
28. 3 coasters for tea mugs
29. art supplies for sketching, painting, and stamping
30. blankets and shawls that each tell a story
31. holiday decorations (becoming more homemade each year)
32. tennis shoes, flip-flops, and hiking shoes
33. souvenirs and gifts from friends all over the world

It feels so good to look at how far we’ve come and count our blessings before thinking about how far we still need to go.  Our homestead is already here with us, in our hearts and each other.