This first picture is my beautiful mother outside of a home in an Akha village in Northern Thailand. These homes are built on stilts and usually have pigs, chickens, and dogs living beneath. They have bamboo walls and floors, with a grass thatched roof. There is no indoor plumbing, no carpet, no furniture. It is one large room, with a bed rolls that are stacked up during the day. In one of the villages we saw, the town dump was right behind one of the homes. The little children were playing underneath the home, feet from a pile of rotting garbage. The children hang rope or old sheets under the homes to make swings. I was touched by the living conditions of these people, and how happy and grateful they were with what little they had. I was determined to be more grateful for what I had, and not get caught up in the materialism that is so much a part of our culture. I was never going to complain about what I did or didn't have ever again...
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. So this second picture is of my home. It was taken on a snowy Cache Valley morning last week. We have lived in this home since May of 2003. We are coming up on 5 years!! That is the longest I've ever lived in one home. My parents moved so much when I was younger that I can not count the number of homes I lived in. I know it's over 20. My children have moved around a lot as well. We have lived in this area since May of 2000, and this is our third home here. In fact, when we moved to Millville in 2000, my Daniel was not quite 3, and it was his 5th residence. I feel ready for a move on one hand. I like the change. But on the other, I have always been envious of people with 'roots' and a home they can say is their family home. Since I left home for college, my parents have lived in 6 different homes, I believe. So when I go to see the folks, I'm not going 'Home.' Anywho, as much as I feel ready for a new move, that is not a possibility. We got a sweet deal on our interest rate, and we could not get the same amount of home for what our monthly payment is, let alone , a larger one. My home is a 4 bedroom, 3 bath split level. We have just under 2000 square feet. We also have five children! That's a lot of kids in not a ton of space. So, what is a girl to do? I'll tell you...on her $60 a month paper route check, do her best to redecorate and reorganize the Casperson Compound. I do get disgusted with myself for wanting more. I think of the Hill Tribes, or my Great Grandmother, or the Pioneers, etc. and I feel very selfish. But I am what I am, and if I'm honest, a new house would be fabulous. Short of that, redecorating my own will be great. If I could, the carpet would be replaced top to bottom today. I have very light carpet. Who does that? When we bought the house, I figured we would just never wear shoes inside, and never eat anywhere but the table. Silly Jo. That hasn't happened. My carpet is living proof that a family of 7 lives in this house. I would also put in A/C and a sprinkler system. The no A/C in the summer is a killer!!! It can get up to 100 degrees here in July and August. Our top floor faces South, and the sun just beats us up. Watering the lawn with two hoses and a couple of sprinkler heads is so not fun. So by the end of the summer, the grass is pretty yellow. But those are the only 'major' changes I would make. Don't get me wrong. I like my house. When it is spankin' clean, I love it. My little sister stopped by last night, and the first thing she said when she walked in was "I just love your house!" (Of course, she almost has the exact same floor plan!) So, I do like my house. But it's time to redecorate. And I need to make the best possible use of my space. I shouldn't whine about having 5 kids between 3 rooms. But I would like to give every room an extreme makeover. I posted pictures of Daniel and Spencer's room , and except for needing to finish my quilt, that room is pretty much done. Now I just need to work on the rest. I enjoy nesting and rearranging, and deep cleaning, and playing with my house. I go to bed at night imagining what I would do if I had a couple hundred dollars for each room. I'll just have to content myself with $60 dollars for each room, doing one room a month. And in the meantime, do my best to keep the home organized and clutter free. 