<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Making Space Retreats]]></title><description><![CDATA[Making Space Retreats]]></description><link>https://www.makingspaceretreats.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 01:44:34 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.makingspaceretreats.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[4-Plumbing and Electrical: by us!]]></title><description><![CDATA[The long, hot summer arrived, and with our last round of helpful friends heading off to begin their next chapter in life, we turned our attention to electrical and plumbing. We decided to divide and conquer—Mark took on the electrical, and I took on the plumbing. Mark had some experience from home renovations—replacing outlets and such—but had never designed and installed an entire electrical system for a new build. He said he often felt like a substitute teacher, trying to stay just one...]]></description><link>https://www.makingspaceretreats.com/post/4-plumbing-and-electrical-by-us</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d6eb19c55f668b53055e8d</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 1 - Building the Dream]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d55ad8_e2e7a8f6433b47b28b5a153fc360307d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Suzanne ostersmith</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[3-Building On: Grateful for the Process and the People Who Carried Us Forward]]></title><description><![CDATA[After the first week of the blitz build, things quieted down—but the work kept going. We were so grateful for the friends and family who helped us frame the main house, and every time we rounded the curve of the driveway and saw the structure standing there, our hearts filled with joy. Still, there was plenty left to do: more sheeting, framing the entry hall and garage, installing windows… whew. When we moved to Spokane to begin this chapter, Mark had a job—but just a couple months in, the...]]></description><link>https://www.makingspaceretreats.com/post/3-building-on-grateful-for-the-process-and-the-people-who-carried-us-forward</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d6e5280b7119100dff2a4b</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 1 - Building the Dream]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 23:41:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d55ad8_47df92d569fe429e884bd0f25e3d1af8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Suzanne ostersmith</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[2-Framing the home with the help of friends]]></title><description><![CDATA[When we were in South America that first year of marriage volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, we found the camaraderie on the worksite incredibly energizing. So it only seemed natural that we would try to recreate some of that spirit when we started building our own home. Friends and family were curious and wanted to be part of the process of building our new life. That first big week of framing—when we hired a friend to coach us and serve as foreman/teacher—we had different groups...]]></description><link>https://www.makingspaceretreats.com/post/framing-the-home-with-the-help-of-friends</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b4aa99d1b1d9cdf21461ea</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 1 - Building the Dream]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:29:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d55ad8_9d049574c1984d5a95cb379d5aa23f2f~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Suzanne ostersmith</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[1-Finding Land: from the city to a new life]]></title><description><![CDATA[The year after Mark and I got married we spent in central and south America doing volunteer work and learning a ton!  One of the organizations we worked with was Habitat for Humanity and we grew so much working beside community members putting it their 'sweat equity' building a home to call their own.  While we developed some skills in construction, we learned more from the relationships we built and experiences we had.  Certainly that experience inspired us to want to build our own home...]]></description><link>https://www.makingspaceretreats.com/post/moving-to-chattaroy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b221c7637225beee60050a</guid><category><![CDATA[Chapter 1 - Building the Dream]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 02:33:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d55ad8_1bd5da7d481241f289fc2590971fc6c4~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Suzanne ostersmith</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>