September 30th, 2016 marked 10 years of acreage living for my husband and me. Both of us grew up living out in the country for a good majority of our lives, but the land we currently have was the first property we purchased together. If you also live on acreage, you’ll know that it has its ups and downs. For us, I feel like the pros outweigh the cons, but on this 10th anniversary of acreage living, I thought I’d take a stroll down memory lane and share a few best and worst personal memories of acreage life so far. Let’s get nostalgic and real for a few minutes and talk all about the nitty gritty of land and home ownership out in the country. Are you a homeowner too?

Make sure to pop down to the bottom of this post to win a $500 cash gift card to use for decorating a favourite space in your home from Esurance!

Colorful country boho farmhouse porch decor for Fall in pinks, reds, teals and grays

I like to start with the bad stuff and get it over with. Let’s begin with my 5 worst memories of 10 years of acreage living, shall we?

#1: The moment we took possession of our acreage.

Living Small in our Garage House by The DIY Mommy

Doesn’t that sound horrible? But it’s true. When we first bought our land and the “garage house” that was on it, I felt a little sick. The house was disgusting. It was dirty, tiny and ugly, and I was a little scared. However, I think we did a pretty good job cleaning it up and making it our own. You can read more about our garage house here.

#2: When we couldn’t get our two babies to share a room.

The garage house was fantastic for us and one baby, but when Little A came along the house suddenly felt really small. My dream was to have the two girls share a bedroom, but that didn’t work AT ALL. Little A had to sleep in our room in order for both girls to sleep, and then I didn’t sleep because she was constantly waking me. I do really badly on little sleep… just ask my hubby!

#3: When our neighbors’ backyard blew up.

One night at around 9pm, I was playing on the computer when our whole little home was rocked by a violent explosion. I ran outside to see a huge fire leaping into the air in our neighbor’s back yard. Thankfully, the fire didn’t spread to their home or ours, and the fire department helped them quickly put it out. I was so thankful that no one was hurt and our homes were spared. This was one of the times I was happy that we had home insurance but didn’t have to file a claim. Phew!

#4: When I found a dead animal on the lawn.

Scratch that. Make that several dead animals. One of the joys of living out in the country is that your dogs drag the most lovely things onto your lawn and porch. And I’m not just talking about mice. We’ve had bunnies, muskrats, and all sorts of sad creatures on our lawn.

Non-Maternity Fall Maternity Uniform - The DIY Mommy

#6: When I felt alone.

Amendment: this also wasn’t/isn’t a one-time thing. Country living is beautiful, serene, exciting and rewarding but it can also be very lonely. We don’t drive into town or the city every day, so I was an am often alone with my little ones. I’m an introvert, so that’s not always a bad thing, but sometimes I can feel a little lonely and removed from my friends out here. Sometimes I long for the connection one can find in city or town life.

Now, let’s talk about my 5 BEST memories from acreage life!

Foursquare home in Alberta, Canada in the Fall

#1: When we first drove up our range road to our home.

It was a gorgeous fall that year – 2006 – and I distinctly remember driving our car through the canopy of trees that leads to our subdivision and thinking: “This is the most beautiful spot in the world!”

#2: When we met our neighbors.

We have some of the BEST neighbors. They live a little further away than town neighbors, but they’re always willing to help us and visit with us. I also think fellow acreage-dwellers share a lot of common interests like gardening and DIYing, so that’s really fun!

#3: When we sent our first child to school.

I absolutely adore the little country school that’s near our home. So far, our daughters absolutely love it. Little A started kindergarten there this year, so now we have two kids going! I feel like our school is a little more personal and quieter than what a city school might be and we love that.

DIY Craftsman Foursquare Home with Grey Siding, Porch with DIY Columns and a Dark Teal Door

#4: When we moved into our new home.

We built our new home on our acreage in 2013. The first night we slept in it was amazing and surreal. We had a lot of really bad and really good experiences as we built Our DIY House, and it was such a relief to finally be able to move in! Come see our latest home tour right here.

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 #5: When we found out our 4 bedroom house was going to be full.

My hubby Sean was adamant that we build a 4 bedroom house even though we had 2 kids at the time. I thought the idea was fine, but little did I know that we were going to be filling that room ASAP! We learned that we were pregnant with Little B the month before we moved into our new home. She was a surprise, but what an amazing surprise she was! Now, I have three sweet girlies running all over the acreage in their princess dresses and rubber boots. I can’t wait to experience all of the new memories we’ll share together here in our home and on our property.

Both bad and good, the memories we’ve shared on our acreage have helped us learn and grow. I couldn’t be more thankful for our land and our home.

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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Esurance. As always, all of the opinions here are my own.