Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
More pics of the house
Street view w/ the yard and fence. The property is 5 acres
Entry way/dining room. We plan to use dining room as an office.
Living room w/ log fireplace.
From living room into kitchen.
Utility room w/ half bath. The washer & dryer are part of the deal ... actually we get all appliances.
The kind of barn that B has dreamed of!
Entry way/dining room. We plan to use dining room as an office.
Living room w/ log fireplace.
From living room into kitchen.
Utility room w/ half bath. The washer & dryer are part of the deal ... actually we get all appliances.
Back yard and deck. Jacuzzi!
The kind of barn that B has dreamed of!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
God's faithfulness
It's important for me to write this before I know how things are going to turn out ...
Today we are placing an offer on a home. And if the offer is accepted, this will at the same time mark the end of the most painful chapter of our lives, and -- I believe -- the beginning of a new, exciting chapter full of hope and excitement.
But even if the deal falls through, I want to acknowledge how faithful God has been to bring us to this place in our lives. I want the world to know how grateful I am for the hope I have for our future, regardless of how this turns out.
On March 18, 2008 when the flood forced us out of our home, it seemed we had lost everything. The home, certainly. The home we loved for nine years. Our car. Many possessions, etc. But mostly we lost our security that day. We no longer had a place to belong. Our financial future was in serious jeopardy. We had no place to live. No car to drive. No idea how we'd ever have those things again. And for the next 13 months we lived without that security. During that time we nearly lost everything financially. Very few people know just how close it came -- or how hard it really was.
See, prior to the flood we had been a sort of financial nightmare waiting to happen. We had the worst-case scenario: high debt, no savings, and then a disaster. When the flood came, we were in the worst possible situation to deal with it. While up until that point we had been juggling everything OK, that tipped everything over the edge.
With everything that ensued, we learned some really tough lessons. I think God had to teach us some lessons the hard way. But He also rewarded our faithfulness through the trial, and He used what was the most painful situation of our lives to bless us immeasurably.
When the deal was finally done and the county bought out that flood property, we walked away with a MIRACLE. No, it did not come easily ... the 13 months waiting for resolution nearly did us in. However, we walked away with enough money to PAY OFF OUR DEBT and have a down payment on a home much nicer than what we had.
God has taken care of our every need. We have made it to this point and I think we can both say we are stronger now for the lessons we've learned. We are also in the best financial position of our lives. Good enough to be making this offer today -- and for that I give all the glory to God. I just wanted to say that publicly now because it doesn't matter how this deal turns out .... don't get me wrong: I desperately want this to work out. But I believe that God has us in His hands and that we can trust His will to be done in our lives. So we are making this offer with much thankfulness that we are able to make it -- and also must peace that things will work out just as they should.
Thank you to everyone who has been there for us, cared for us, prayed for us, etc. God has used you all more incredibly than you could ever know.
Today we are placing an offer on a home. And if the offer is accepted, this will at the same time mark the end of the most painful chapter of our lives, and -- I believe -- the beginning of a new, exciting chapter full of hope and excitement.
But even if the deal falls through, I want to acknowledge how faithful God has been to bring us to this place in our lives. I want the world to know how grateful I am for the hope I have for our future, regardless of how this turns out.
On March 18, 2008 when the flood forced us out of our home, it seemed we had lost everything. The home, certainly. The home we loved for nine years. Our car. Many possessions, etc. But mostly we lost our security that day. We no longer had a place to belong. Our financial future was in serious jeopardy. We had no place to live. No car to drive. No idea how we'd ever have those things again. And for the next 13 months we lived without that security. During that time we nearly lost everything financially. Very few people know just how close it came -- or how hard it really was.
See, prior to the flood we had been a sort of financial nightmare waiting to happen. We had the worst-case scenario: high debt, no savings, and then a disaster. When the flood came, we were in the worst possible situation to deal with it. While up until that point we had been juggling everything OK, that tipped everything over the edge.
With everything that ensued, we learned some really tough lessons. I think God had to teach us some lessons the hard way. But He also rewarded our faithfulness through the trial, and He used what was the most painful situation of our lives to bless us immeasurably.
When the deal was finally done and the county bought out that flood property, we walked away with a MIRACLE. No, it did not come easily ... the 13 months waiting for resolution nearly did us in. However, we walked away with enough money to PAY OFF OUR DEBT and have a down payment on a home much nicer than what we had.
God has taken care of our every need. We have made it to this point and I think we can both say we are stronger now for the lessons we've learned. We are also in the best financial position of our lives. Good enough to be making this offer today -- and for that I give all the glory to God. I just wanted to say that publicly now because it doesn't matter how this deal turns out .... don't get me wrong: I desperately want this to work out. But I believe that God has us in His hands and that we can trust His will to be done in our lives. So we are making this offer with much thankfulness that we are able to make it -- and also must peace that things will work out just as they should.
Thank you to everyone who has been there for us, cared for us, prayed for us, etc. God has used you all more incredibly than you could ever know.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Mother-daughter trip!
Big A and I take off tonight for a mother-daughter adventure. The destination is Rockford, Illinois. The reason is the National Junior Bible Quiz Tournament. But we are planning on some good mother-daughter bonding as well. Since B and Little A will not be able to come, we are riding with another family from the church. We plan to drive to St. Louis tonight and then stop tomorrow in Springfield, Illinois and spend a couple of hours and the Abraham Lincoln National Historic Home. She and I are both very excited about that.
Most of Thursday is a free day and (opening ceremonies for the tournament are Thursday evening). So, the team has plans to go the Discovery Center Museum in Rockford. However, if we can figure out how to Chicago to go the American Girl Store then we will do that!
We'll be home on Sunday.
Most of Thursday is a free day and (opening ceremonies for the tournament are Thursday evening). So, the team has plans to go the Discovery Center Museum in Rockford. However, if we can figure out how to Chicago to go the American Girl Store then we will do that!
We'll be home on Sunday.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Busy, busy, busy Memorial Day Weekend
I wonder what it would be like to have a three-day weekend and spend them all resting. I wonder what it would be like to be bored. Wouldn't it be awesome to reach the point of boredom just once again? Just to have nothing to do for long enough that I actually got sick of it? Yeah ... I don't really see that happening. But a girl can dream. Let me recap our Memorial Day weekend for you. I'm not gonna post a bunch of photos here, as I am putting them all on Facebook anyway (and they are SO MUCH easier to but on Facebook). So the blog is for word pictures mostly. Want photos? Get a Facebook and friend me. It's fun!
Friday evening
Haircuts for the girls. Shopping and preparing food for Saturday. Last-minute preparations for a crazy weekend, and emergency tick removal for Little A. I am very proud to say that I handled this all by myself while B was gone, and both Little A and I handled it without panicking. This is good, as I generally panic whenever I find a tick on one of the girls. I am certain that every one of them is infecting my child with Lyme disease and removing them is just a race against time. Seriously, I have a big-time tick phobia.
Saturday
Big A had a Junior Bible Quiz tournament (where, I should add, her team took first place for the first time all season). This tournament also marked my debut as a Quiz Master. This went mostly well until the very end of the day when one of the coaches who had apparently forgotten to check his ego at the door decided to engage me in a theological debate after his kid got a question wrong and two judges and I had the audacity to over-rule the coaches' appeal. It was one of those rare occasions when Junior Bible Quiz is a little bit like Little League and an overly aggressive parent has to be put in his place. His team won with 220 points, so this was not a matter of him losing, he just couldn't stand winning by 30 less points than he did. Whatever. It was only a small moment of the day, but one worth mentioning because it happened the first time I got up the courage to Quiz Master. Overall it was a very fun experience.
Also on Saturday, Little A was rehearsing for her Sunday evening dance at church -- so thanks to Grandma for handling that for us so we could be at the tournament.
Saturday Evening
LifeGroup cookout. Fun!
Sunday
Little A got the opportunity to dance in front of the entire congregation at church. The Kids' Chorale was singing, and they decided to have some dancers during the second song. She was asked to participate because she has been taking dance from the person doing the choreography. She did an amazing job, and she was just precious up there. I cannot believe she can even remember all the steps, let alone have the courage to march out there on stage like that. I was one proud mama!
Monday
Madly getting ready for Grandma and Papa who will be here tomorrow. You know -- shopping, laundry, cleaning, etc. I did manage to fit in some laying around and reading too!
Friday evening
Haircuts for the girls. Shopping and preparing food for Saturday. Last-minute preparations for a crazy weekend, and emergency tick removal for Little A. I am very proud to say that I handled this all by myself while B was gone, and both Little A and I handled it without panicking. This is good, as I generally panic whenever I find a tick on one of the girls. I am certain that every one of them is infecting my child with Lyme disease and removing them is just a race against time. Seriously, I have a big-time tick phobia.
Saturday
Big A had a Junior Bible Quiz tournament (where, I should add, her team took first place for the first time all season). This tournament also marked my debut as a Quiz Master. This went mostly well until the very end of the day when one of the coaches who had apparently forgotten to check his ego at the door decided to engage me in a theological debate after his kid got a question wrong and two judges and I had the audacity to over-rule the coaches' appeal. It was one of those rare occasions when Junior Bible Quiz is a little bit like Little League and an overly aggressive parent has to be put in his place. His team won with 220 points, so this was not a matter of him losing, he just couldn't stand winning by 30 less points than he did. Whatever. It was only a small moment of the day, but one worth mentioning because it happened the first time I got up the courage to Quiz Master. Overall it was a very fun experience.
Also on Saturday, Little A was rehearsing for her Sunday evening dance at church -- so thanks to Grandma for handling that for us so we could be at the tournament.
Saturday Evening
LifeGroup cookout. Fun!
Sunday
Little A got the opportunity to dance in front of the entire congregation at church. The Kids' Chorale was singing, and they decided to have some dancers during the second song. She was asked to participate because she has been taking dance from the person doing the choreography. She did an amazing job, and she was just precious up there. I cannot believe she can even remember all the steps, let alone have the courage to march out there on stage like that. I was one proud mama!
Monday
Madly getting ready for Grandma and Papa who will be here tomorrow. You know -- shopping, laundry, cleaning, etc. I did manage to fit in some laying around and reading too!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
How bikini girl stole my American Idol joy
Since season 2, I have been an American Idol fan. Heck, at the end of that season I drove with my SIL and MIL to St. Louis to see the American Idol tour. Those were the days of Clay and Ruben. Ah Clay. A voice of an angel he has. That was back when we were still in denial about the …ahem … lifestyle choices of Clay. I could listen to him sing all day.
American Idol has been for eight (or is it nine?) years just a modernized version of the good-old-fashioned variety show. I love it because it’s good clean fun that the family can watch together. It gets more fun as the competition heats up toward the end, and we enjoy it every year. It is, in fact, the last network TV show that we watch at my house.
We never exactly made the decision to quit watching TV. It just sort of happened.
One by one our favorite shows were canceled (RIP “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Homicide” and “Seinfield.” And the rest of them … well we let them go one by one as the girls got older and we became painfully aware of the crap that each show offered. Foul language, sexual innuendos, women who make the poorest role models for girls, and men who treat them like garbage. And “funny” turned into to “sex.”
Today’s television writers don’t know how to be funny unless it’s a sex joke. I’m not exposing my kids to it, and frankly B and I don’t enjoy that junk any way.
There may be a series or two out there that we would enjoy today, but as we got used to having the TV off, we just filled up our lives with other things. We just became a family who doesn’t really watch TV. We do a lot of DVD’s when we need the downtime. (We all love “Little House on the Prairie.” We’re on Season 8 right now!)
But Idol was the one show we still watched. I’ve always told people, “it’s just good clean family fun.”
Well, it was until last night.
The bikini girl stunt with her newly enhanced “features” barely covered by her bikini, strutting her obnoxious self all over the stage while Ryan salivated and make crude jokes. Then they let her sing, making a bigger mockery out of the entire thing. And then, as if that wasn’t bad enough – to have Kara, one of the judges, come out and rip her dress off and reveal her own barely-there bikini ….. UGH. It was just disgusting.
I was mortified to have my children in the room. I was appalled at how long it went on. I realized that American Idol does not care about being what it started out to be any more – they are going to fight their ratings slide by appealing to a new audience and sex it up like everything else on TV.
There was so much else about the show last night that was disgusting – who knows what happened during the time they bleeped out Fergie, or was it the Black Eyed Peas? It any case … American Idol has decided to become what the rest of television has: TRASH.
No thanks. Now, where are those “Little House” DVD’s?
American Idol has been for eight (or is it nine?) years just a modernized version of the good-old-fashioned variety show. I love it because it’s good clean fun that the family can watch together. It gets more fun as the competition heats up toward the end, and we enjoy it every year. It is, in fact, the last network TV show that we watch at my house.
We never exactly made the decision to quit watching TV. It just sort of happened.
One by one our favorite shows were canceled (RIP “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Homicide” and “Seinfield.” And the rest of them … well we let them go one by one as the girls got older and we became painfully aware of the crap that each show offered. Foul language, sexual innuendos, women who make the poorest role models for girls, and men who treat them like garbage. And “funny” turned into to “sex.”
Today’s television writers don’t know how to be funny unless it’s a sex joke. I’m not exposing my kids to it, and frankly B and I don’t enjoy that junk any way.
There may be a series or two out there that we would enjoy today, but as we got used to having the TV off, we just filled up our lives with other things. We just became a family who doesn’t really watch TV. We do a lot of DVD’s when we need the downtime. (We all love “Little House on the Prairie.” We’re on Season 8 right now!)
But Idol was the one show we still watched. I’ve always told people, “it’s just good clean family fun.”
Well, it was until last night.
The bikini girl stunt with her newly enhanced “features” barely covered by her bikini, strutting her obnoxious self all over the stage while Ryan salivated and make crude jokes. Then they let her sing, making a bigger mockery out of the entire thing. And then, as if that wasn’t bad enough – to have Kara, one of the judges, come out and rip her dress off and reveal her own barely-there bikini ….. UGH. It was just disgusting.
I was mortified to have my children in the room. I was appalled at how long it went on. I realized that American Idol does not care about being what it started out to be any more – they are going to fight their ratings slide by appealing to a new audience and sex it up like everything else on TV.
There was so much else about the show last night that was disgusting – who knows what happened during the time they bleeped out Fergie, or was it the Black Eyed Peas? It any case … American Idol has decided to become what the rest of television has: TRASH.
No thanks. Now, where are those “Little House” DVD’s?
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