OUR OWN PIECE OF HEAVEN
UPDATE: We made a sad move in November 2023 leaving this ‘heaven’ behind, all to create and do it all again, the same thing. However, this time it would be a physical transformation of a house into a home as we stripped it down to it’s bones and have been room by room personalizing and creating a place for our family to continue to grow at.
Growing up in Lewiston, Idaho, I became quite familiar with “The Palouse” known for its miles of rolling hills, fields, and old farmhouses. Ever since I could remember, there was one particular home that reached my heart. It was an old, white boxed farmhouse that sat far back from the main highway, adorned with a barn or two, and a curvy dirt road leading into the gravel driveway. As I would pass by this home on my way to nearby cities, it would remind me of my great-grandmother’s home. As a child, I only remember visiting the Canfield farmhouse once. But, even so, I had become very familiar with the family home because of the large painting that hung on my grandmother’s wall in her own home painted by my grandfather, and by the stories shared by great-aunts and great-uncles about their childhood and the simpler times spent growing up on this farm. From these stories, I became passionate about owning my own farmhouse.
BEAUTIFY YOUR GARDENS
In 2018 we made a move to Manti, Utah, a town consisting of 3000 people. Seeing the home for the first time, I knew instantly that it was the place. When buying this house there was not a farm dream at play. Just a family on a mission. We bought the home—as it resembled the painting on the wall I cherished with a larger than a normal lot.
Shortly after the last box was unpacked my attention turned to the outside. As I walked the dry barren, drought-looking grounds in despair—I wondered what I was going to make of the neglected yard.
Manti is an old pioneer town that was settled under the direction of Brigham Young. Often when Brigham would speak he would tell the early saints to:
Beautify your gardens, your houses, your farms; beautify the city.
Build cities, adorn your habitations, make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations.
Angels visit? Now, this got me thinking . . .
IT WOULD BE AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE FAMILY
During our first week in the new town, we took a trip to the Recorder’s office to learn the history of our home. We were informed it was once a one-story home and had been an operating farm that consisted once of the surrounding neighbors’ land. A farm? My thoughts were instantly taken back to my grandmother’s house and an idea came to me!
CREATING THE AESTHETICS NEEDED FOR A FARM
We would not only plant beautiful gardens but we would turn this yard into a ‘farm’ — like the painting of the farmhouse that hung up in my grandparent’s home that I had longed to someday own. We would turn this 100-year-old home back into a farm as an experience for our family for when they came to visit—with an orchard, tire swing for the grandchildren to play on, farm animals to feed, windchimes, squeaky rocking chairs, windmill, garden paths, and lots and lots of flowers and herbs. We would hold family dinners around the table with home-cooked meals made from scratch straight from our garden. Even though we have neighbors we would design it to where it felt like you were on a farm on a very small scale.
The owners prior to moving had added a gravel driveway and chopped down the pine tree in the front of the home offering us now a clean pallet to do what we wanted to this home. Our vision for our backyard homestead would not only be for our family but for others who wanted to learn from us. The almost .5 acres would become a retreat for our family to uncouple from everyday life. We would plant tons of edible trees, flowers, and herbs and have a few paths for people to walk through in these gardens.
So began the work. We brought in load after a load of soil, wood chips, and leaves to begin naturally amending the soil. We did not use any fertilizers or artificial weed killers. We were going to beautify the land naturally using God’s laws to restore our new home. Almost now, 4 years later, we have painted the home, planted almost 80 trees for dietary, medicinal, and privacy, and have planted hundreds of plants , and added chickens and rabbits and everything we could to create the aesthetics needed for the ‘farm experience.’
Following the simple teachings of Brigham Young in creating order and a heavenly place has really blessed our family tremendously. It brought my entire family together with a vision. And even though hauling in over 500 rocks we may have complained just a little, or a whine may have been heard from the back-breaking work in bringing in layer upon layer of organic matter from a nearby waste area ourselves to lay in the gardens! However our character was shaped, and the health benefits have already been life-saving for a few of us from the plants. Though we didn’t know why, we felt we were supposed to be here in this home, instead of waiting to find out, we set to work endeavoring to fix up the home the best we could with what we had—making it a refuge for our family.
It has been such a reward to turn something plain into something delightful for our entire posterity to enjoy and to teach others. Our home has now become that desired gathering place for my family to come to visit that I use to dream about owning. Focusing on what really mattered and what God wanted even down to the details of our yard—created a new home for us that I hope my grandchildren will always remember as I did my great grandmother’s home.
Now, after all of that labor, I am just waiting as Brigham said; for ‘the angels too, will be delighted to stop by for a visit!” Maybe if I am blessed enough they will join me on my front porch to rock in the rocking chairs!
CREATING YOUR OWN HOME
You too can create a Christ-centered home with this book as a guide. Our family has been inspired by the authors of this book who built their home upon the teachings of the prophets. This is their own journey in doing so.
This book is a heartfelt story documenting the joy—even in the midst of suffering and pain—that is possible when a family raises the bar in their standards, lives the principles of Jesus Christ, consecrates their time and talents, and follows in the footsteps of the Master, Jesus Christ. A message of hope that the Gospel can transform and heal every family in every situation. This book is an inspiring guide for families to discover their own mission and inspire their youth to change the world—a testimony that the God of Israel will prevail!
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