The Story of Our New House

So...we have rented my parents' house for the last eight years while they have lived out of the country.  It was our way to help support them but also keep the house in the family.  It is, after all, where we got married.

So, my parents have been overseas for eight years and a lot of things have changed.  Patti went into the army, got out of the army, got married, moved to Boston and moved to NJ in that time.  Roo moved back to the states when he turned 18, entered the USMC, got married to Annie and bought a house in AR.  Miki moved back here at 18 and has been living with us while working.  And Chris and I?  Chris was a police officer, then a sheriffs deputy and now is rocking an awesome job at FedEx. (Well and in there a funeral director and carpet cleaner).   He just finished his B.S. in Christian Studies!  I have been a kindergarten teacher, a seventh grade teacher, and a sixth grade teacher.  I have finished my M.S. in Science Education K-8, my Ed.S. in Educational Leadership and my Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.  And our biggest "accomplishment"?  We have had two babies!  Lorelei, 4, and Boaz, 13 months.  So, anyway, a lot has happened for our family in the last eight years.  And this is just the kid side of things, I'm not even going to get into all that Mom and Dad have done in the last eight years! 

So, when Chris and I knew that Mom and Dad were getting released by the Lord to be able to return home (by faith---they don't have a job lined up yet) we decided to casually start looking at houses.  We found a foreclosed property that we thought we might be interested and contacted our bank.  If you work through realtors certified by USAA you get a gift card after you buy or sell based on how much the house was sold for.  So, we got connected with a realtor who talked us out of the original property and said he would take us on Saturday to look at four houses.  He sent the emails with the pictures you could click through.  We didn't hate any of them.  (Isn't that nice of me?)  So, on Saturday we meet at the first house.  Big thumbs down for me.  The realtor said that the owners of one of the houses we were supposed to look at said it wasn't a good day to look so we headed to the next of two more houses. 

We pull into a cove and we were like, "Yes!  We always look in the windows of that house and now we get to see inside!"  And then the realtor pulled into the driveway across the street from the house we were talking about.  And I said, "I've never even seen that house before."  We go inside and realize this is not a house that he had sent us on the email.  He looks it up and we were supposed to be going in the house across the street that Chris and I had looked in the windows.  His GPS had taken us to the wrong house!  GPS?  Divine intervention.  We said, we like this house...how much?  Yeah people, foreclosure, move in condition.  Bank just painted the whole house and re-carpeted.

So, that was a Saturday.  We got in touch with my parents the next day to make sure everyone was on board...we couldn't afford to buy and continue paying rent and wanted to make sure we were not leaving them in a bind.    So, Sunday we got the go ahead from my parents and got pre-qualified.  Monday we made our official offer.  $5,000 under foreclosed asking price.  When we made the offer no one else had made one.  That night was date night for Chris and I.  We found out that night that someone else had made an offer.  We had until 5 pm the next day to submit our very best offer.  We then found out that the house had shown 10 times on Saturday!  I had a lot of ideas and things I wanted to say about how much I thought we should offer but I kept feeling God say for me to be submissive to Chris and let him make the decision.  (I have to be careful because I know I can persuade Chris to do things my way)  The next morning he said we would offer $5,000 over the asking price.  We lost the house.  The other buyers backed out at midnight and our realtor got the bank to consider our first offer rather than our best offer and they countered so we bought the house for $2500 less than the original foreclosed asking price.

That was a super hard paragraph to write, giving God glory in how He worked out the details and not using poor taste in talking about money everywhere!  Y'all know I usually err on the rude side and do discuss money.  It's a reality we all have to deal with.  God is good, He promises to take care of all of our needs and He keeps His promises.

So, we closed on February 13th.  When we finished signing all of the papers I pushed Chris (not hard!) and told him to run.  I felt like they might take the house away, that they made a mistake.  Isn't that dorky?  I was just so excited!  

So...then we could start moving in but not really.  What that means is we couldn't move in until my parents were back or very close to it.  This sounds wonderful because there was not a weekend where everything must be over there at one time...however after three months there comes a point where you just want everything in the same place.  We painted Lorelei's room, Boaz's room and our room.  We might paint more later.  We are not in a rush.  Everything is freshly painted.

And while there was not much work to be done on the inside, the outside...well much work is needed for the yard and landscaping.  It will come with time.

And truly God is so good to us! 

Video tour later?

33 Things

So...I turned 33 on February 19 and thought I would do 33 things (somewhat random) about myself or things I have learned.

1.  I like my 30's better than my 20's.  I am just so much more sure of who I am, what my purpose is etc. 

2.  I love my husband more than I did the day I married him.  It is going to be fun to grow old together.  This might seem like...duh.  But seriously, I am blessed.  And I'm not the mushy type here people. 

3.  Being a mom is way harder than I ever imagined it would be.

4.  I am thankful to be done with school. 

5.  I am thankful for the internet.  You can find anything on it.  An article about how to hang curtains in an arched window, how many patterns can you mix, how to make a meal with an odd assortment of ingredients, etc.

6.  I don't do spontaneous very well with two little ones. 

7.  I'm not going to graduation.  It makes my heart sad but I wasn't going to have anyone watch me get hooded so it just didn't seem to be worth it. 

8. I like to glop on lots of paint and moosh it around until it is the way I like it.

9. I live for color. I seriously wonder if my house is gonna start looking like Candyland soon.

10. I like straight lines. In other words: if a piece of furniture is caddy corner...I find that totally hard to deal with.

11. If I were to go on a vacation to a different country I would want to settle in. Still see the sights but not change hotels. I like to unpack my bags and use the dresser drawers.

12. I rarely make the same meal twice. I always ask Chris if I should make something again. This is really my gauge to see if he really liked something or not. I just feel like there is so much good food out there that I want to try it all.

13. I adore texting. I only enjoy talking on the phone when by myself. Or driving because I know my kids are strapped in and I won't find them doing something crazy scary.

14. I am a major perfectionist. As in I have been working on this post for absolute months until I can come up with 33 things! As in I will have no dresser rather than the "wrong" dresser.

15. Netflix and Amazon Prime are my BFFs. I love watching episodes in a row. It makes me feel more connected with the characters.

16. I love nursing my babies. I nursed Lorelei for 25 months and am 12 months in with Boaz.

17. I have a plain Jane washer and matching dryer. I had to be able to control water height because of cloth diapering.

18. I want more babies. Lots of them.

19. I like my clocks and especially alarm clocks set to real time. I don't like figuring out what time it really is.

20. I like to get up with the first alarm. No snooze for me.

21. I don't like making side dishes.

22. The beach soothes my soul. Mountains speak to me but not down deep like the beach.

23. At some point packing a house morphs into throwing junk in a box.

24. All I asked for for Mother's Day was a bath in the jacuzzi with no interruptions. Chris delivered. With chocolate and orchids.

25. My love language is Diet Coke (thanks Holly for stating that so succinctly) and chocolate. Sonic mixes them FYI.

26. I love hot weather.

27. Chris cuts our kids' nails. I'm skeered

28. When I'm old I want an RV. Ok I'd love one now but am assuming I will be old before I can afford it.

29. I love to decorate. I had no idea.

30. My dream car: a jeep grand wagoneer

31. Dessert is my favorite

32. I menu plan for twice a month.

33. I'm gonna start this for next year now so maybe I won't take three months to finish a blog post.

11 Months!

So, Boaz turned 11 months on February 27.  Life has been intense.  I haven't had an extra minute to sit and blog even a blurb.  I hope to have a minute to blog for real soon.  I can say this: God has been working on me.  It is well with my soul.

Alright...back to Boaz.  Oh my heart!  That kid!  He melts my heart in a different way than Lorelei.  She is whimsical and he is teddy-bear-ish.  Both wonderful, but oh so different.  I don't know his exact weight...but over 26 lbs.

I think I have forgotten to mention he walks. I say it that way because I will be at a friend's house and he walks over to them and they look at me and say, "When did this happen?!?"  Don't worry...I felt the same way too. 

Boaz loves stairs.  To go both up and down.  Repeatedly.  And he has fallen down a flight.  It didn't scare him.  I didn't let it scare me.  (Too much)

He is a climber.  Like turn the dining room chair over to climb the legs and get stuck until someone comes to rescue him.  

Boaz's new words: hot and zipper.  

My brother and sweet sis in law brought this for Boaz on their last visit. 

Nothing is more comfortable than snoozing on Daddy!

Read Receipts

Ok, this is gonna sound crazy but I felt like I should share my thoughts on this issue.  When the iPhones updated their OS everyone had the option of letting people know when they had read the message.  At first I declined because I thought, "Oh no...then people will know I have read their message and just haven't responded!"

When Chris updated his phone he accepted read receipts.  I came to enjoy knowing if/when he had read my messages. And then...you might find this funny but the Lord started dealing with my heart about the goofy read receipts.

I am not telling you all of this to try and convince you to enable read receipts on your phone...I'm just telling you why I did. 

The Lord has been working on my heart about being a good friend.  About taking friendships to the next level.  Not backing off when things get messy and to really dig deep.  I know my friends need to be able to count on me.  So...it shouldn't hurt me to show them that I have read their message.  It will hold me accountable to respond.  And guess what?  They know life is crazy and I might be able to read their message but not respond for a couple of minutes, or even hours.

Another benefit, at least with Chris is if I see that he has read but not responded it gives me an opportunity to reword to elicit a response.


So, I'm curious...why or why not regarding read receipts?  I only have three people in my life that have enabled read receipts so I know it is not the popular choice. 

10 months!

Ten months always feels pivotal to me as this is the point my sweet baby has now spent more time on the outside rather than snugly on the inside.

Boaz...hmm well in the last month he had an ear infection, had a visit from Aunt Patti and Uncle Mike and another visit from his Sassy, Poppy, Aunt Joy and Uncle Ben. He also had his first dentist visit.

Boaz has seven teeth and is 25 lbs 7 oz. He has added a few more words to his vocabulary: more (saw that one coming), bite, and eye.

And wow...the fits have begun.

Snug as a Bug Giveaway Hop #snugbug

Welcome to the Snug as a Bug Giveaway Hop, hosted by the Blogging Mamas Network. With the cooler weather coming strong, I’ve joined with over 40 other bloggers to bring you great products to keep your baby snug as a bug!
Each blogger participating has a great Baby/Toddler Prize Package for you to win, worth at least $25, so after you enter mine, be sure to hop around to all the others in the linky!  Don’t forget to enter to win one of the GREAT GRAND PRIZES for the Event as well, including a Beco Baby Carrier, Kowalli, and The First Years Feeding Prize Pack!

Today is the day! Enter to win a great prize pack from The Knotty Babe and Jemma Belle's Workshop Home of A.C.E. Fluff!

The Knotty Babe will be giving away the cutest organic sushi beanie that would be great whether your baby is a girl or a boy! 0-6 month size. Value:$12

Jemma Belle's Workshop Homs of A.C.E. Fluff will be giving away an in stock diaper of the winner's choice.  You can click here to see your choices!  The diaper value is $18.a Rafflecopter giveaway

 According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, and the Snug as a Bug participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

Sponsor Spotlight: Jemma Belle's Workshop Home of A.C.E. Fluff #snugbug

Jemma Belle's Workshop Home of A.C.E. Fluff is a sponsor in the Snug as a Bug Blog Hop.

I was able to review a beautiful orange argyle diaper! I loved the magnet that came packaged with the diaper that gave very specific prep as well as washing directions! Very helpful!

The diaper has a wonderful fit, even for my big guy!

Jemma Belle's Workshop Home of A.C.E. Fluff is able to do custom diapers as well has a large selection of diapers already made. Seriously, your biggest problem is going to be choosing your diaper!

Come back tomorrow for a chance to win your very own!

Disclosure: I was given a diaper to review but the opinions are all my own

Sponsor Spotlight: The Knotty Babe #snugbug

Tomorrow starts the Snug as a Bug Blog Hop.

 The Knotty Babe is one of the sponsors for this event.  I was happy to review an organic beanie and leg warmer set.  They fit my hefty 9 month old as well as my teeny three and three quarter year old. I especially loved the leg warmers as I didn't feel like the edges squeezed legs too tight if that makes sense.

You can find The Knotty Babe on both Facebook as well as Etsy  You will love the choices in organic material!  Also, if you have an idea of something that you don't see, custom orders are welcome!  

I was also sent a Fred plush toy and Boaz LOVES it!  I love that it matches Boaz's bedding!  It is super soft and snuggly and has a rattle inside!  Super cute and unique baby gift!  That is my favorite kind!  I will definitely be ordering from The Knotty Babe in the future for shower gifts!

Please check back tomorrow to see what you can win from The Knotty Babe! I promise you won't be disappointed! 

Disclaimer: I was given these items to review but the opinions are my own.