So clean you can eat off of it

This afternoon, as soon as we walked in the door from settlement on our new house, a problem popped up with Ye Olde House. Isn't that always the way it is? No worries, it was an annoying problem with the fridge that was totally fixable...it just took some time on Scott's part and a new water filter. So while he was attending to that, I stuffed the van with a load of stuff to take to the new house...mainly closet clothing and kitchen stuff...the things I don't want to "pack" for moving day.

I ran over to the new house, and it was sheer bliss! I was there all by myself and it was so clean, I was almost moved to tears. I have never seen such beautiful vacuum marks in all my life. The place was spotless, silent and for those glorious moments...all mine. I don't think I stopped praising the Lord the whole time I was there. After I unloaded everything, I sat in our closet and thanked the Lord for it. I sat on the new family room carpet and breathed some more thanks, and then I retrieved the rest of my sub from the van, and plunked right down on my new kitchen floor and ate it. In total and peaceful silence and gratefulness. And let me tell you that floor was so clean, it was a delight to eat off of it. And I can assure you that it will never be that clean again. I figured I might as well enjoy eating off of the floor while I can!

After another van load of kitchen stuff and some very hyper kids and family visiting the finished house for the first time, we called it a night and headed back to YOH. I am so tired, but now that the first settlement is out of the way, I think I may sense a wee bit of brain regeneration taking place. Maybe I'm on the path to recovery, just in time to regress when we actually move!

I promise I will post some real pictures of our new house soon. While it is technically "finished"...there is a long punchlist of things that still need to be addressed. Namely, the wrong shutters are still on the house and they don't match the front door. Oh yes, and there is also that little thing about the fact that our "lawn" is currently a Field O' Dirt. There will be much watering going on this summer, as the growing of the grass becomes like my fourth child. But I should have some pictures up soon. Plus, I...um...need to finish "packing" before we can technically "move" per se. :)

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow...every good and perfect gift comes from Him!

It's Official

We made settlement on the new house without a glitch, praise the Lord!

Let the moving begin...

"Where, oh where has my little brain gone?"

"Where, oh where can she be?"

Or how about...

"Gone, gone, gone, gone, yes my brain is gone..."

:)

Oh dear, this whole process is almost more draining than life with a newborn. Almost. Although maybe it's worse, but my brain is so fried, I can't remember back that far.

Today, I stood in front of someone and didn't understand a word they were saying, though they spoke in plain English.

About an hour earlier, I was filling out a moving permit, and totally didn't get what the application was asking when it said...

"You are moving from: (fill in the blank)

To: (fill in the blank)"

Duh Abbi...your address. They want you to fill in your old and new addresses. :)

Oh yeah, those.

If anyone sees my brain, tell her that I'm looking for her.

Great Faithfulness

But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you,

and keep you from evil.

~II Thessalonians 3:3

The faithfulness of God. A thought that I have been unable to stop thinking about over the last two days. I tried to formulate some words about this subject several times yesterday, but was left speechless.

The Lord is SO faithful. He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We simply trust Him...with faith...but He is the epitome of faith. The faith on our end is small...as the grain of mustard seed. But He reciprocates with great faithfulness. Does that make sense?

We stand in awe at the faithfulness of the Lord these last few weeks...it's been unbelievable. Lately, Scott has been tinkering around with the song, "Great is Thy Faithfulness" on the guitar in the evenings (I love his daily guitar music), so he decided to play it in church on Sunday evening for special music. Lo and behold, the church bulletin's "theme" for the day was none other than, "Great is Thy Faithfulness." Coincidence? I think not. Also, on Sunday morning during his devotions, Scott just so happened to be reading II Thessalonians 3:3 (above)...another nice, little "coincidence."

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Oh yes, and also... our house went under agreement this morning. In less than two weeks on the market. To the very, first people who looked at it.

Another example of the Lord's incredibly great faithfulness! :)

Some positives to the buying and selling process

This moving madness is crazy, I readily admit, but there have been some positives to the whole process.



For example, this morning we had a first-of-the-Saturday morning showing...ugh, right? But it turned out to be a lot of fun. We had devotions, got dressed and ready, and Scott even managed to mow the lawn first thing. I did my last-minute clean-up (I'm becoming a pro at that) and Scott made some bagels and got a few on-the-go breakfast items together. Then we headed out the door to a park and had a "breakfast picnic." The kids loved it! The weather was beautiful, the park was empty, and it felt good to be up and out at such an early hour with a clean house to come home to. :)



I'm serious when I say I do not want to take any of our possessions to our new house. We packed up so much clutter at our current house and it really does look staged and like no one lives here. This makes it so easy to clean and look presentable at the drop of a hat. I seriously don't want to have anything at our next house. :) But alas, I am sure it will looked "lived in" very quickly!



Here are three of my favorites during our breakfast picnic this morning...pardon Scott's unshaven-ness and bed-head. As you can see, he was so thrilled to have his photo taken. :)






And here is my Little Man...equally thrilled about his mother taking his picture. My, oh my, would you look at those long arms? If he isn't Scott's child...I don't know who is.







Happy 2nd Day of Summer everyone!

All my photos are inanimate, these days

...I just realized that I have ceased photographing my children, of late, and now the subjects of all of my pictures are things. Things that I'm selling on ebay or Craigslist, or photos of this house or the new house. I have no recent cute-kid pictures. Oddly, I am ungrieved by this fact.


Take the following photo for example...




It's of my walk-up attic in this house. In the middle of my packing/moving OCD one day this week, I realized that, "I have NEVER photographed my attic! And I am just about to move out of this house! And what if one day I can't recall what my attic looked like and don't have a picture of it to remind me??"

So right then and there, I stopped what I was doing and ran down two flights of stairs grabbed my camera, ran back up both flights and took pictures of my attic in all of it's messy and unorganized glory.

There.

Now the photograph gnomes in my brain can sleep well with "attic photos" checked of their list. :)


And really. Isn't that just a stunning example of photographic artwork. I mean, come 'on, when was the last time you saw children's clothing, blue totes, nursery furniture, Christmas decorations and unwrapped birthday presents featured in their own, poorly lit photograph? Huh?


I may just have to take photos at the yard store...er, I mean..yard sale tomorrow. Because, my friends, it's like a department store, I tell you. All manners of things are being sold. There is an entire picture frame department...it's like TJ Maxx birthed it's own picture frame row right in my sister's garage. So if you are in the greater vicinity do come over and peruse our junk. We're open to negotiations. :) Just as long as it all goes home with someone else at the end of the weekend.

Ye Olde Mailbox

So I've been mailbox shopping lately. I set out to look for something attractive that coordinates with our new house (I am a woman, after all) but relatively inexpensive (of course). And I had NO idea that some mailboxes were so high-priced.

Take this lovely set-up, for example...

Pretty, no?

$499.

As in, four hundred and ninety-nine dollars. That's right...one dollar shy of five hundred dollars.

And how about this simple yet elegant number?
It will set you back $230 bucks.

In my search, I have also learned that I am not fold of what I call the casket-mailbox, like so...

No offense intended if you retrive your mail from a similar box each day, it's just not my thing. (Plus, you'll have to cough up $249 for the casketbox)

So tell me, which one do you think I should go for?

Door #1?

Door #2?

Or Door #3?And I'll tell you how expensive your taste is. :)

It's a sad, sad day

I remember the first time I filled up my minivan's big, honkin' gas tank. I almost choked at the price on the bottom of the receipt.

Then I remember the first time gas soared "high"...I think it was after Hurricane Katrina. The gas pump automatically shut off at $50. Granted, our tank was almost entirely full...but still...fifty dollars!

Then not that long ago, as prices began climbing, the pump automatically shut off at $75. Yikes.

Then last week, the $75 didn't even fill it.

And tonight, friends, the pump reached a new high. It automatically shut off at $100. It's a sad, sad day.

My Little Graduate

Last year when Lily "graduated" from kindergarten...we didn't do anything formal to celebrate beyond going to McDonald's or something (her choice) as a family. No one else was doing a "program" that we could get in on, and so I didn't feel the need to do anything major.

This year, however, my niece finished up with kindergarten, and my sister talked me into buying a little pink cap and gown for Lily too...since the girls wanted to be graduates so badly. (it's all about the fashion to them :)

And because we are homeschoolers and can wing it, if we want, we asked them what they wanted to do for "graduation" and they, of course, wanted to wear their pink caps and gowns to play at Chick-fil-a. Alrightythen. We can do that. Since we're homeschoolers, after all. :)

So that's what we did. You can read more about it here.

Congratulations Sophia and Lily!



And Katina and Abbi! :)

Packing, cleaning, painting, emailing...

...that's about all that is going on over here. :) I seriously don't know how I would do all of this without email and an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier. How did we survive before the age of technology?

Our house looks better than ever now that most of the junk has been packed away, everything is (mainly) clean, and has a fresh coat of paint where needed. Plus, the outside work is done.

I have decided that I love having, like, nothing, in my house so much that once we move, I'm not unpacking anything. :) Well, that might be a slight exaggeration. But I know we can live without so much...it makes my brain so clear and happy without junk in my house. And my brain has been bogged down with enough paperwork this week, that I have relished the "clear & happy" that the dejunking/packing has done for me. I remember after we bought this house, seven years ago, thinking, "How are we ever going to sell AND buy next time? That is insane." But surprisingly, it hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. There's still time, however. Still time. :)

And, for the record, except for the sign in the front yard, and the massive amounts of paperwork that we have signed in the last week, this whole thing still seems totally unreal. Especially when I look at pictures of our new house. I still cannot believe that we're moving. We were SO not expecting to move anytime soon. Bwahaha...so much for our plans!

Fast and Furious

Well, people...much has been going on here at our casa. Namely...we signed an agreement on a new casa, and we are trying to sell the old casa. :) We're moving!

The Lord surprised us with the opportunity to move this summer. We totally were not planning to sell/buy this year, but the Lord had other plans for us...as always, His plan and timing are best! Our new house is closer to church, closer to Scott's office, and closer to just about everything else. :) It's really pretty and I can't believe that it's going to be ours!

In seventeen days.

Yes, 17...as in one more than sixteen, and one short of 18.

From today.

Sooooo, needless to say, things have been a bit crazy around here the last few days. Hopefully our current house will sell quickly. In addition to checking out the new house and jumping through all of the hoops that purchasing a home entails, we have been working like gangbusters to prepare to show this house...painting, cleaning, decluttering, packing, and the like!

I haven't been able to keep my brain asleep past 6:00am each morning, and I'm not going to bed until long after tomorrow each night. I'm tired. But I think the adrenaline of this whole crazy situation is keeping me going. Although tonight, I am hoping to get a few more hours of sleep. :) And accordingly, I am currently ignoring the sea of paperwork that is literally laying all around my desk, including behind me and underneath my chair. I won't be able to sleep if I look at one more financial document tonight. :)

My sister tells me it's torture to show a house that has lots of little toys in it...so I became a mean mommy, and packed up almost all of the kids' toys. Everytime they ask for a specific toy, I remind them that they'll see it again in 16 days. And I couldn't believe how many toys I packed up. I have had several major decluttering stints this year, but the amount of toys that I packed up is insane. I can promise you this...they are NOT all coming out at the new house. :)

As the Lord would have it, we already had a joint yardsale scheduled for the week before the settlement date. Perfect timing, once again, to get rid of junk at the yard sale as I pack, instead of moving it!

This whole experience has been exciting, but also surreal. The sign in our front yard is the most bizarre thing. Every time I catch a glimpse of it, even if I'm purposely looking for it, I am startled. Maybe because it's tangible proof (rather than just a signed agreement of sale) for all to see that we're outta here. That makes me happy, but nostalgic too. This house has been a good, little haven for us!

The fact that this thing is happening on such short notice has made things extra hectic, but at least it will be over quickly. Very similar to the birth of my son on a hot, July night almost 5 years ago. Labor was very painful, but short. And almost before I could blink, it was over. Those are my thoughts about this whirlwind too. My brain is in a fog, I make mental notes and lists in my sleep, and I am doing a million and one things all day long. But the Lord is is in it, and we have enough faith, in the right Person. He will take care of all of the details! :)

My Hero's Favorite Cake

It was yummy too! So much so that I had to banish from the house(ie. give away), the quarter of the cake that my hubs claimed he would not be able to get to. :)

The Faculty and Graduating Class of our Mini-University

The Principal declined to join in with the silliness taking place that evening. Though the undergraduates begged him to don his cap and gown, He claims he is saving those for commencement day. We shall see. :)

My Hero

On this day, he was My Icemaker Hero. And sometimes he's my Dishwashing Hero, or at other times, he is my Vacuuming Hero or Bathe the Kids Hero. But everyday, he is my Hard-Working, Quality-Time-Spending, Spiritually-Leading, Unconditionally-Loving Hero.

And today, he is having a birthday.

Happy Birthday to my Knight-in-Shining Armor! I love you!

Love,
Your Damsel in Distress :)

The King's Daughter - The Necklace of Obedience

Here is my second installment of "The King's Daughter" which appears in our church's ladies' paper. These articles are geared towards "little" ladies.







Dear Little Princess,

While reading my Bible one morning, I came across these verses and I thought of you…

Proverbs 1:8,9 says, “…hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother. For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.”

Did you read that last line…”chains about thy neck”…those are necklaces! I don’t know about you, but I love pretty necklaces! When I think of a little princess living in a castle, I imagine her wearing a beautiful necklace. Maybe it is made of gold, or pearls, or perhaps it has beautiful gem stones set into it. How beautiful a little princess would feel while wearing such a special piece of jewelry!

When we think about the true princess that I know each of you want to become, we find in Scripture, that she, too wears a gorgeous necklace around her neck. And that is the ornament of an obedient spirit. In this passage in Proverbs, we are admonished, specifically, to hear our parents instructions and not forget to do the orders that they give us. When we willingly obey them, our inner beauty shines through and it is like we are wearing the beautiful necklace of obedience! Others notice the difference between a girl who disobeys her parents or maybe does what they say, but with an unhappy attitude, and a girl who obeys swiftly and cheerfully. And this type of beauty is far lovelier than a nice dress or fancy hairdo.

Proverbs 4:13 tells us to, “Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.”

We are to be so careful to obey our parents and those in authority over us, that we “take fast hold” of what they say. That means…we cling to their words so strongly, that it’s like giving them a big, bear hug! Have you ever been so happy to see someone…maybe your daddy when he comes home from work, that you give him a big squeeze of a hug, and then just hang on and don’t let go?! That is just the way that you should obey him, too! When he tells you to do something, you should be so careful to do what he says quickly, that you can’t think of anything else. Obeying his words, should be the most important thing that you cling on to. And that is true for “grown-up” Princesses too. Doing what God wants us to do is the only way to have contentment and peace in life.

Why don’t you study these verses with your mother, and see what they have to say about how you can grow obedience in your life. Pay special attention to the action words, and look up any words that you don’t understand in a dictionary.

Colossians 3:20
Proverbs 7:2
Proverbs 23:22


A sweet, obedient spirit brings you more beauty than anything that you wear on your outside. Next time you put on a pretty necklace, let it be a reminder to be obedient as well. Then you will be a shining princess – a daughter of the King, all glorious within!

Love, Mrs. P

A Great Book

One of my favorite vendors at the homeschool convention that we attended last month, was The Institute for Creation Research. As you can only imagine, this was one of Scott's faves, too. We had (and loved) several of their children's books already (mainly Answers in Genesis stuff), but we picked up a few more while we were there.

This book was one of them, and I can't recommend it enough! (It's a better price here, if you are an HSLDA member). My animal-loving son adores it. Each pages has a verse from the KJV about an animal along with a beautiful color-illustration and a few paragraphs written about the animal. All from a Biblical worldview context, of course. Joey and the rest of us are fascinated as we read about each creature.

Thought I would pass along a book recommendation/gift idea. :)

The Original 5 + my Grandmother

My grandmother (my mom's mom) turned 80 recently, so last weekend, everyone gathered for a family reunion/birthday party for her. It was great to see our extended family again, and especially my brother, John, who drove in for it. There were children everywhere, and my kids came home covered in dirt and scraped up knees, but they had a blast with second cousins that they had never met before (some of them) and slept very well that night.

I think it's amazing, that my Lily is going to keep in contact with her second cousin, T, via email. :) They latched onto each other and had such a good time...riding bikes, playing by the creek, and riding a neat tree swing.

Seven

At home...after our town's Memorial Day parade...just our little family...celebrating Lily...and seven years...on her birthday.

On Memorial Day, we had a little combination birthday party and Memorial Day picnic at my parent's house.

As you can see, the theme was somewhere between flowers, patriotic, and Little House on the Prairie. :)

My mom made her this darling, little outfit for her and her dollie. Right now, Lily is a big Little House fan.

This past week has been crazy. Scott has a deadline tomorrow, but all-in-all, it hasn't been too bad this time around. I set my sights very low for the week...I think I only truly "cooked" one night last week. :) Not to mention the fact that we have had all kinds of other appointments and errands.

Further, I am happy to report that in contrast to the unbelievable busyness of May (I think there were blocks and lines on every, single day of May on my PDA), there is nothing scheduled for this week. Not yet, anyway. :)

Even though we have been technically finished with school for a few weeks, now that May is over, I feel like our summer has truly begun.

Happy Summer everyone! (a few weeks early)