One Year in Our Farmhouse Rental

November 17 2017, Thats when we moved into this little house on an Avocado orchard farm. I remember David and I always dreaming about living on some kind of farm property and having mountains and trees to look at everyday. It might have taken years to find just the right place in the right location but we waited in God's timing and now we're here! We've moved 6 times in the 7 years we have been married. There's many reasons for why that's happened but I'm glad we have made it through the toughest of the moves. One involved living with our parents for a few months and one involved living to a brand new county and David commuting 2 and a half hours for work. And the last little stretch before we found this little house, I lived with our three boys at my Dad's house for 5 weeks while David stayed with his mom so he could go to work. That was probably the hardest move to endure of all. Although we rent ( no shame in it) it opens our eyes to what a blessing owning our own home will be and it also helps us see the things we would want in a home of our own.

We are definitely in no place to purchase at the moment but we are taking notes and focusing on our goals of becoming debt free and having a good credit standing before we take on something so big and life changing. We talk about it all the time and even though the popular thing is to go into full debt to purchase a home, I want something more secure than that. I want to know we can afford what we are getting ourselves into.  It's something we pray about daily and we will wait on God's timing for. 

With every place we move into, it's become like a sort of project to me. I love to decorate and make our place feel like home. And although our budget is super tight, I find ways of managing to pull of a look I want for each space of the house. About 95% of our place is Thrifted, Hand me down and even Free! Yes free! 

I'll have to make a separate post showing this current place we're in and how we've decorated but for today I wanted to take a trip down memory lane at our past homes/apartments.

Bakersfield, CA 1940's house (lived there 7 months)

 

our room

My favorite was the updated kitchen. We've never had such a beautiful kitchen to cook in and I certainly appreciated have a dishwasher in it! Life saver when you have kids! 

Another favorite was the nursery. This room in particular had so much character! A fireplace, a door leading into the boys' room and a beautiful built in bookshelf with glass doors.

That house was a dream. Just in the wrong location. =( 

Camarillo, CA 1970's 2 bedroom apartment  ($1,250 a month)

Looking back at this little apartment, I think we didn't appreciate it as much as we should have. We moved in with just Noah and it was perfect. The location was amazing! We were in the heart of Camarillo and we did and could walk to literally anywhere. It was fun. 

 I think the turning point for me came when we miscarried, just months after moving in. We were so happy and so excited to be here and when we miscarried, this apartment felt like a cluttered dark hole and I couldn't breathe comfortably in it. I don't know if I'm making any sense, but that's just how it felt after going through such a traumatic experience.

I did however find my passion for refinishing furniture here and turning them into something new. I would do all the work in the little dining area space and I'd make a good little profit for us. Couch was a free find as was the coffee table. (now currently in my mother's apartment.)

The kitchen... Oh the kitchen. So outdated but still functional. I just remember it feeling so cluttered all the time.  We also welcomed our little Levi while living in this apartment.


Fillmore CA, Restaurant Apartment ( 1 Bedroom $750)

$750 a month with utilities paid?! How did we leave this Luxury?! hahaha. Oh to be young and scared . This little place was the perfect opportunity for us to become financially independent and ahead and and and... If we could go back in time we would come here and just deal with life instead of running and thinking we could not afford it. From here we gave our notice and moved into my in laws because after I quit my job to stay home with Noah, reality hit and we could not afford to live here on one very low income at the time. We did however manage to pay off both of our cars while we both worked and lived here and we really should have just stuck it out and handled it. Oh well. 

David's dad and stepmom were gracious enough to let us live in their home for 7 months until we were able to get caught up and find a place of our own again.

Theres definitely nothing to brag about decor wise, but it was very organized and clean all the time... I mean.. pre babies, that's easy. We welcomed our first born son Noah into this apartment.

Fillmore, CA "The Yellow Cube" ( 1940's studio apartment $625 a month)

Our first place together! Oh my goodness. It was the tiniest studio I had ever seen! Maybe barely 400sq ft all together on the upstairs left side of that yellow house building. Originally, David had moved into this studio all on his own. He was making minimum wage at the time working part time. Things happened at home and I couldn't live there anymore and he offered for me to move in only one or two months of him living there. At the time I was doing great financially, making good money working a good job and going to school full time. 

This place was tiny but it holds a special place in our hearts. A lot happened here. We got married, got a dog and began our lives together in this teeny magical space. We planned our future here and it was so fun! It felt like a sleepover with my best friend every single night. 

I'm not even sure how we lived here for as long as we did ( I think it was about a year here) but we made it work with the space.

I didn't include the two times we lived with our parents since it was just one room but I hope you enjoy a trip down memory lane of where we've lived and grown. I can't believe how blessed we have been as a couple and as a family. Just when it feels like we can't or we won't make it, God provides. And although we are now living in a bigger place with bigger bills and it is terrifying at times, God has and will always be here to make sure we are okay. We are never left in need.

October Goodwill Finds (home edition)

  I know what you're thinking... "Susie, I thought you were going to not Goodwill anymore to save more money..." I did not keep my word with my strict budget BUTTTTTTT, to be fair, I made some good sales on my selling apps this month and was able to snag a few goodies at the Goodwill.

  I'm in full nesting mode here and I just want things to look like I envision and I want a space I can feel comfortable in. Excuses? Probably but here's a look at the stuff I found: ;)

The two faux cacti on the right were Target Clearance finds. I've put those in Noah and Levi's room.

The faux cacti on the left in the grey pots were Goodwill finds. $3.99 each

Childrens books are always my number one thing to look for when I set foot in a Goodwill. They are .79 cents each and even half off on 50%off day. I often look for books that we've recently seen at Barnes n Nobles and I do often find them!

 This Black and off white small rug for Noah and Levi's room $7.99

Target Clearance find. 

And my absolute favorite find is this little bench. Scored at $30! David actually found this dazzling piece to go perfectly in our room. Since we don't have Benjamin's crib taking up my side of the bed now, this little guy makes the perfect accent in our room. I found the pillow for $2 there as well and we love how it looks! The bench is made from Indian wood and I believe a burlap twine material on top. It's very sturdy. Retail price at Target is $99.

To me, making my home is my pride and joy. Finding the perfect pieces whether big or small make the biggest differences and bring it all together to make our place feel and look good.

Now I've got a few other Goodwill finds but baby stuff I've found that I will share next. 

We Moved!!!!

I'm am beyond excited to share that our little family has moved once again and for the better! Man it feels so so so good to be on our own two feet again and have a place we can call home. As most of you know, we had moved in with David's parents last June to save some money because David was going to join the Airforce. Well, that didn't happened, we stayed living with his parents probably longer than we should have and even though it really helped us out and gave us a head start, I'm so thankful that God provided us with a lovely 2 bedroom apartment in beautiful Camarillo, CA.

Valentine's Day  2014, was an adventure for the McDaniels'! Thursday the 13th, we prepared by calling in a Uhaul truck and packed all our belongings in it and stayed up past 2am just to be ready for the following day. Friday, Valentine's Day was moving day for us! David had to work a half day and me and Noah spent the day cleaning, emptying out our room and driving down to meet with David at the new place. I was actually hit with the second cold within the month while doing all of this. I probably got sick a lot because I was so stressed out and wanted to move so bad I just kept going and going. So even though we didn't get to do much of a romantic thing this year, I still loved that this Valentine's Day memory was of us moving in to our new home.
So here it is, our little apartment Before.

When you walkin this this what you see, the living room and to the left is the dining area and kitchen. 

The Kitchen. Noah helped me put food in the fridge.

Dining area. ( not our table)

bathroom

Bedroom

Noah's room

So there ya have it! It's small, but perfect for us. It's vintage and has character and I love it! It looks very different now that we've added our touch to it. We've had to get new and used furniture since we had only our bedroom to deal with. When we moved out of our last apartment we gave away a lot of furniture to friends and family that needed it. But it's been fun finding things on Craiglist and than making it our own. I will be posting before and after photos real soon!

=)

21 Weeks!!!

I can't believe I'm already doing a 21 week update on my pregnancy! My goodness I know I say it a lot but I cannot believe how fast this is all happening!
This past Thursday I had my 2nd trimester ultrasound where they inspect every little bone, organ and brain development on my little boy. And Thank God, Noah is doing so well and he's very healthy! =)

21 week update/symptoms:

Mood: Happy! Excited! And still Emotional! ~ I cried watching Walk The Line the other night. David on the other hand likes to make fun of my sobbing moments but still hugs me everytime and says how cute it is. ugh whatev. lol

Symptoms: Can you say Gas?! Ewwww. sucks but oh well, I swear it was Noah. ;) Also, constipation has never had a part in my life... Now it does. No fun! Sleep, I sleep like a newborn and so does Cosby. I feel a ton more energized though! And I love that I can finally be out and about for the day! Leaky boobs while I sleep=gross and not so fun.

Stretch Marks: still just on the sides of my hips, just a few and on breasts.

Gender: It's A Boy! Duhhhhh! ;) Ha. Now for sure we know he is a he and not a she.

Cravings: Chinese food, Sushi rolls, Burgers, Bagels, Coffee, Ice Cold Water, Fruit!

Maternity Clothes? Been rocking it for a couple months now. Although I do for the most part still wear my regular clothes.

Belly Button: Innie/ Outie? It's still an Innie, but it has morphed into a big, wide, deep innie!

Linea Negra, only on the bottom of my tummy.

Movement: Movement?! Are you kidding?! Noah is a hyper, dancing, boxer! Little McD loves to move and be felt! Daddy can now feel him moving too and I love waking up in the mornings to his tumbling skills! =D

David Snuck in a video while we were getting the Ultrasound. =) Hope it's not blurry, It looked fine on my phone, But you can see Noah flickin his head, using his thinking finger, and he even blows a bubble! I love my little boy!

If you're like my mom and wondering why the heck I've had what seems like a million ultrasounds, let me explain.
First one was to see if I was pregnant. Second one was to measure the heart rate, which we actually weren't able to, so they scheduled another a week after. (I was about 6 weeks than.) We had been going to a clinic because I still didn't have a doctor, and at the clinic they Only did ultrasounds and gave us information on what to expect. At about 14 weeks I still didn't have a doctor so I asked to go in to the clinic to make sure everything was A-OK. At 16 weeks I finally got a doctor but wouldn't have an appointment until a month later. At 18/19 weeks, David and I worried after a week of not feeling the baby, so we asked the clinic if I could be seen since my Doctor still hadn't scheduled an Ultrasound. Everything was fine. Than Finally I saw my doctor at 20 weeks, and he scheduled for me to have an ultrasound a few days after for the 2nd trimester check up.
I've been blessed that I've had so many chances to see my baby boy especially with this being our first, it's nice to know what is going on in there!

* Something else I've been doing lately is Nesting. I had never heard of Nesting before until my aunt came over and told me I was obsessed with cleaning and organizing! She told me, it's normal and it happens because the mother is preparing for the arrival of her baby. She did have a point. For the past couple of weeks, I've been doing a ton of cleaning, organizing, washing and just getting ready! Today for instance, I steam Vacuumed the carpet in our apartment. And you know what? I loved it ! =) I love cleaning!
I also organized our bathroom .

Our little Bathroom Nook.

Have a box with the top full of medicine. The bottom, face wash, cleansers and body scrubs. Towels on the second shelf.

Hand Creams and Febreeze. Under this shelf is our ihome and ipod

Than below shelves I have a portable plastic drawer. On top of it I have this fishing box full of jewelry.

1st drawer: Most of my Makeup. 

2nd drawer: hair care

3rd drawer: My hair styling tools. 

Essentials By the Sink.

Our medicine cabinet is full of smelly stuff and face creams. I love perfumes and Sprays!

And our simple sink. 

At the moment I'm working on Noah's room. Organizing but we still need to get a couple things. Soon to come!

Yesterday we hung out at David's mom's house since his grandma and grandpa came down to visit from Missouri! It was fun! We hung out in the backyard and played like little kids. I always wondered what it would be like to hula hoop while pregnant and well, it's possible, but def don't have the momentum I used to! His grandma captured me in Action!

Anywho, that's it for my weekly update! =)