April 26, 2024

It's still kind of hard to believe... what was left of my childhood home after a tornado in 2024 destroyed the entire acerage where my mom was still living. After the dust settled ( or more accurately, the wind), I already knew the house needed to go back up, even though my mom might not be able to stay in it for long. In the end, this meant the acreage would likely go up for sale. Why would I want to take on the task of building this house? It would be so much easier and faster to encourage Mom to continue apartment living in town... and just sell the land. But I'm feeling a push to have the "final control" on what happened to my family's acerage - it's still a hard scene to drive by, the bareness of the land is, well, heartbreaking.

So begins the journey to rebuild the Nielsen acerage on the hill on the highway. That was frequently how people referred to the place... that big brown ranch on the hill on the highway, with the barns, and all the white fencing in front...

I want to document the journey... I'm trying to find some joy in getting to design and build a second house in my lifetime. I'm hoping to benefit from all of the mistakes my husband and I made on OUR home build 22 years ago! But, also, I want to document the story... as that acerage will never be the same... and it's belonged to my (late) Dad and Mom for 48 years.

Because I enjoy designing, decorating, and DIY, I'll be incorporating some of that into blogging. And I should reach out for advice and suggestions as the build progresses... I mean, I'm already contemplating white... or black windows!

So, if you've happened to find me...welcome to the journey to rebuild the acerage... after the wind settles...