Phase 1 of landscaping...

Wilson's Nursery completed about 75% of phase 1 which includes the front of the house plus north and south ends.  In the spring some perennials will be added and we should also be ready for phase 2: the backyard/patio area.  Hopefully, we'll get the cedar farmed this winter which will allow the hardwoods to flourish and open up views towards the ridge.  Spring will be an exciting time around Anam Cara!

The landscape is being landscaped!

I just signed the paperwork (and the check!) to begin phase 1 of our landscape design!  Sometime in the next two weeks Wilson Nurseries will begin working on the front, south side of the house, and north side next to the garage/retaining wall.  Wilson's did a wonderful job envisioning what I had in mind for a retreat setting rather than what is typically put in around a neighborhood house.

Phase two will be the removal of several cedar trees followed by landscaping the backyard and the hillside leading to the lower drive.  The back will include pavers with a fire pit, herb garden, and a walkway to additional parking and the lower drive for retreat guests.  The hillside will have a stepping path made from the large stones discovered during excavation and will lead to the lower drive and the trail entrance.

Phase 3 will be peripheral trees, a mixture of evergreen and deciduous, along with a few fruit trees.  The south side will also include a labyrinth.  Each phase of Anam Cara's development is SO exciting!     We've also discovered a reasonable resource for the log cabins we have dreamed of putting on the ridge top and riverside along with an offer to help us develop a completely green water/septic/heating systems.  Stay tuned for pictures as each phase unfolds!

Marriage Retreat

Thin Place Ministries hosted a marriage retreat this past weekend at the Anam Cara Retreat house.  Along with the facilitators from the Versailles United Methodist Church and the pastor and his wife from the Owenton United Methodist Church there were four other couples who spent all day Saturday studying a biblical understanding of marriage. The planning team arrived Friday evening, and if the music I heard was any indication they had a wonderful time of worship!  It was a bit rainy on Friday, and since the backyard has yet to be landscaped we had to cancel a bonfire.  Saturday the other couples arrived for breakfast and Mark and I joined the group for most of the sessions.  The weather was absolutely glorious, so couples were able to sit outside during some of the break-away sessions.

We're working on hosting this same marriage retreat in February and possibly a women's retreat on Forgiveness at some point, so stay tuned for opportunities to get away and listen for the heartbeat of God!

Down to landscaping on our checklist!

It certainly has been a long, drawn out affair, but after almost 2 years from the day we first broke ground Anam Cara is finally ready to go.  We labored all Labor Day weekend ;-) putting up blinds in the guest rooms, dusting, sweeping, and hanging valances.  I made bedding purchases and felt like I spent a bundle just outfitting the two extra long twin beds and the king that will be formed when the twins are pushed together.  Aside from hauling a few more boxes of books and odds and ends for the storage area we are ready for guests!

There is a lot, and I mean A LOT, to do for landscaping.  Our first project will be to harvest most of the cedar trees in the back of the house so we can landscape that area with a fire pit and patio.  I'm going to try using some of the cedar trees to form the labyrinth that will go on the south side of the house...hopefully a fall project. The rest of the landscaping will happen as we have time and money.

We also will be working on our application for 501C3 status and an official business/ministry plan.  Depending on how the backyard cedar harvest and landscaping goes we may tackle an open house late fall, so stay tuned for more details!

The deck is finished!

A foggy April morning

The perfect view for a cup of morning tea...

Wildflowers...

The woodland flowers are blooming. My new mission is to find a book on Kentucky wild flowers, as well as edible and medicinal plants.  I've found onion down by the stream, and I'm sure there are many other edibles once I learn to identify them.

 The deck isn't built yet, but I love to sit in the kitchen with the windows open and have a cup of tea.  The birds remind me that even when the sky is gray there is a reason to sing!

There's a sound out here late at night that I haven't identified yet.  It's nothing I've ever heard before.  The "song" starts on a G, hums for about 3 seconds and then moves to an A, humming this pitch for 3 seconds, and then the song then repeats.  Angels maybe?

It is absolutely beautiful here at Anam Cara.  I'm learning to sit with the quiet of the place.  It's been more of a struggle than I thought it would be.  What was unsettling at first, the coyotes howling at night and the lack of "people" sounds, is slowly becoming a part of my regular rhythm.  It's a good lesson.

1st Official Retreat Guests!

Last night we hosted our 1st official retreat guests, a group of pastors in residency from the Kentucky Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and mentors, Rev. Jack Brewer and Rev. Randy Coy. We had a beautiful night for a bonfire and, of course, had to make s'mores!  After our morning breakfast, we took a hike down to Eagle Creek for devotions. It was indeed a "thin space" where we held our worship, a place where heaven and earth are so close they almost seem to touch. The Lord's Prayer felt ancient and holy as we stood together along the river beneath the canopy of trees .  Following a prayer of blessing for Anam Cara back at the house and Holy Communion, the remainder of our Eucharist meal was scattered around the perimeter of the retreat house.  It was an emotional moment for me watching a long held dream become a reality.  I've had a vision of this place for so long, never dreaming it would ever come true...and here it is...

Bunk beds are ready!

Mark and I spent this past Saturday assembling the bunk beds.  I'm in the process of getting boards cut for the mattress platforms so they'll be more comfy which means we're on target to receive our 1st guests April 19th. 

A church in Virginia is donating 30 stacking chairs thanks to our daughter-in-law's parents, Jerry and Valerie Muck.  We've also been given an old washer and dryer for retreat guests from a United Methodist Church in Cynthiana, KY.  Needless to say, we count ourselves exceedingly blessed! It's amazing how everything is coming together!

We've moved!

All our large furniture has been moved to Anam Cara.  Now comes the time of unpacking and sorting out which things we'll need at the parsonage and which things need to be at Fortner Ridge.  We definitely will need to buy a few pieces of furniture, but all in all we are grateful we've been such pack rats all these years!  All the duplicates are paying off!

Will it EVER be done?

I'm becoming horribly impatient with the final touches on Anam Cara.  It has been weeks with very little accomplished.  We have movers coming on March 17th, so regardless of the status of the house, we will be moved in!  The internet was hooked up today and I'm waiting on a cell phone booster from Verizon.  Hopefully, the booster will give us enough of a signal to get calls out.  Other than a light fixture in the powder room, a few touch-ups, and a good cleaning, everything seems to be pretty much done.  The deck, patio, and driveway pad will be tackled when the weather is a bit more consistent.  I never dreamed it would be a year and a half before this would be complete!

Light at the end of the tunnel?

The final finish on the hardwood floors was hopefully put on today.  That means the interior doors and appliances can be installed the middle of next week!  Time to start talking to movers about transferring some of the parsonage furniture out to Anam Cara!

Cabinets and Countertops!

This has been such an exciting week!  The cabinets are almost all in as well as the counter tops and they all look beautiful!  Aside from a couple of overhead cabinets and the entertainment center, this job is just about done!  
This picture is a view of our kitchen/breakfast bar.  I'm standing in the Great Room next to the patio doors.  Behind the bar is the dishwasher and sinks with plenty of outlets for crockpots.  To the right of the breakfast bar is enough room for a small table as well.



The picture to the right is going to be one of my favorite rooms in the house...next to the deck! We had one whole wall of book cases put in what will be our library/music room for both personal use and for the pleasure of our retreat guests.  The cabinets turned out beautifully with lots of storage space below.  My antique grand upright piano will keep all the books company along with a sleeper sofa in case we need extra sleeping space.




This is the basement/retreat kitchen.  We hadn't planned on installing these cupboards yet, but...oops...they showed up anyway.  Now that they're in, we're looking forward to having them available for retreat guests.  The appliances will have to wait, though, until sometime in the summer.  Rumor has it the house will be "move-in ready" in 2 weeks!  Yay!!!!!