Hello 2018!

I have managed to go on an almost two-year hiatus with this blog and I apologize. I just read my last post and can remember those feelings well!  I would like to think I sit here typing a changed woman, a woman who has gotten it all together since then, but I haven't.  I am no longer on the brink of emotional breakdown, but I still have problems with managing everything.  However, I have learned to take it day by day, say no when necessary, and try to find the joy somewhere along the way. 

With that being said, it's a new year. I time for starting over.  I can honestly say I am EXCITED about 2018!  I'm not really sure why, but I just am.  I love the feeling of a fresh start, of renewed focus.  I used to make resolutions for each new year...and not ever follow through.  This year I have decided to adopt a theme for the year that encompasses many aspects of my life that need some tweaking. 

This year, my theme is Save & Savor.  I prayed and feel as if this is what the Lord has laid on my heart for 2018.  Here are my initial thoughts, however they may change/adapt as the year progresses:

I want to save time and plan ahead to eliminate stress.  This can be with cooking, cleaning, errand-running, meal-planning...really anything.

I want to save money.  I want to make a budget and STICK TO IT.  I have started being intentional with saving, but want to cut out some frivolous spending and save it.  If I make more money by working more hours during busy times at work, I want to save that extra.  I want to use the money to take meaningful vacations with my family, weekend trips, activities, etc.

I want to savor my time with the Lord.  I want to spend time with Him daily and savor it, not just check it off my to-do list.

I want to savor my time with family.  Sometimes I find myself saying that I'm spending time with my family, yet I never sit down.  I'm always doing something.  Sometimes I just need to stop and savor the moments.  This also means giving my kids and husband my undivided attention when they are talking to me.

I want to save time in my schedule for nurturing friendships.  I have found that I need friends in my life for encouragement and refreshment.

I also want to save time in my schedule for regular date nights with my husband. 

I want to savor my food and start eating healthier.  This means sitting down at the table to eat meals with my family.

I want to save my health and take better care of my body.  I have slacked off on exercise and it shows in the way my clothes fit AND in my energy levels.  If I don't get proactive, it will lead to future health problems.

So, can you tell I'm a list girl?  I could probably list more things, however I am going to save myself some undue stress by not getting overwhelmed by a list that is too long. 

Have you made a resolution for the new year?  Or a theme perhaps?  I would love to hear about it if you have!

Here's to an awesome 2018!!

Keepin' It Real

I going to just come out and say it:  I am struggling with my life right now.  In so many areas of my life, I am tired, discouraged and just plain stressed.  And, although I have noticed it for awhile, I feel like it's all sort of come to a head this week for some reason.  It was an extra busy week at work with having to fill in for a coworker who was on vacation, and an extra busy week with evening activities to go to.  We had a 4-H meeting, volleyball game, a band concert, sleepovers, a birthday dinner, volleyball practice, a birthday cookout for a friend, bringing home 4-H pigs, a small group meeting, youth group, and working on the barn that will house our pigs this summer (they are currently living in short-term housing across the street in our neighbor's barn). With that being said, I'm pooped and emotionally unstable.  The house is a mess.  The groceries need bought. The laundry needs done.  And I all I feel like doing is cry.  Out of exhaustion.  Frustration.  Depression. 

I wouldn't call myself a perfectionist by any means, but I do like to be productive.  And ever since we sold our house and moved (twice) last summer, I'm on an ever-present battle to get unpacked, settled in, and organized.  And weeks like this frustrate me because I can't even take baby steps towards that goal.  There's just no time.  And I feel like a failure.  I hate the constant rush my life is in right now.  Rushing to work after trying to rush to get everyone off to work and school. Rushing home from work to get something that resembles dinner on the table at the right time and get the dishes loaded into the dishwasher before rushing on to the next thing that evening.  Rushing to bed at night because my brain can no longer function and I just need quiet and no one to expect anything from me.  And while all this rushing is going on, my mental list of things that need accomplished continues to grow.  And the rushing continues so that I just might have a few minutes of margin in my life to be able to accomplish something on that ever-growing list. 

To top it off, I am at my heaviest weight since having kids.  I feel so uncomfortable in my own skin right now.  I'm frustrated because there is absolutely no time to workout.  And if I do have time, I'm too exhausted or depressed to actually make it happen.  It took me a couple of years and logging in lots of running miles to lose the weight I gained back and the task at hand seems insurmountable right now.  I hate the way my clothes fit.  I hate the way I look in them.  I shudder at the thought of putting on shorts or a bathing suit in just a few short weeks.  The stress over the past year has resulted in 25 lbs gained, a ton more gray hair, and wrinkles where there used to be none.  My confidence is gone.

In addition to everything else, I am raising a teen and 2 would-be teens, it seems.  One is experiencing their first heart-break and it's killing me.  I don't know how to help because they won't talk to me.  One is searching desperately for someone to love them; to find acceptance.  And the other is struggling with the need to fine-tune their God-given strengths and the process is grueling. I feel so helpless with each of them and, as the years pass by, I can only pray that I've taught them the skills, and built up the character they need to be successful adults.  Only time will tell, I guess.

All of this is affecting my marriage, my parenting, the relationships closest to me.  I have come to the realization:  I've lost my mojo...my joy.  Depression is setting in and I don't like it, yet I'm not sure how to counteract it.  Life is moving at a crazy-fast pace right now and I feel like I can't even catch my breath to savor the moments.  The sermon at church last week was about not complaining.  To counteract our desire to complain my pastor said we should focus on being thank for what we DO have instead of what we don't have.  We also need to process the information in order to find a solution to the problem at hand (as opposed to complaining about it and doing nothing). I have really been trying to remember this this week.  So this blog post is me processing and trying to find a solution. I need a do-over; a fresh start.  And Mondays are a good day for that, right?  So I guess I am thankful for Mondays. 

I Was Blind (Dating) But Now I See by Stephanie Rische

Although I am married and don't need any dating advice, I love reading about people changing their lives and losing weight, fixing their marriage, or, in this case, accepting being single and searching for a mate.  This book was more than that, though, and also includes much spiritual insight.  The author tells of her journey of being set up on 8 blind dates and even gives each one a nickname such as "Uber-Fundamentalist Boy" and "The Connecticut Yankee". Throughout the book she writes of her feeling of being single and her frustration with not being able to find a husband.  She also grows spiritually along the way.

I really enjoyed this book and helped me to view singleness in a different way.  I now have compassion for people who are single and searching for a mate.  I have been married since I was 20 and had dated my husband for 4 years prior to that, so I have never had to experience singleness in adulthood.  In one story, the author shares about hearing a sermon at church about marriage and the pastor concluding the message while having all the married couples pray together for a few minutes at the end of the service.  Since she was single, she felt awkward and somewhat depressed about her singleness.  This made me have empathy for singles, and to realize that there are people who are single, but don't want to be and are searching for their soul mate with all they have. 

This is a great book for any women whether they are single or married!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for this honest review.

Taking Off The Mask

I am guilty.  I like to play the part of the Mom-Who-Has-It-All-Together.      You know her well, I'm sure...the mom who is well-dressed, her kids say Please and Thank You, she goes to Bible Study, has a good job, a great marriage, great hair, no wrinkles, nice legs, no stretch marks, and the list goes on and on.  I don't show my faults to the rest of the world, or not purposely.  It's easier to put on a mask than to bare it all to the world.  And honestly, most people don't want to hear about our problems so it's easier to just smile and wave. 

Can I just be honest with you? I'm a Hot Mess right now.  Motherhood is lovely, but today is one of those days where I have contemplated running away.  I feel the need to tell you what my day has been like so that maybe you can realize that you are not alone in your struggles and we can all start to take the masks off and Just.  Be. Ourselves.  Doesn't that sound refreshing?

So, today I woke up after not nearly enough sleep.  I was up late having a heated conversation with the hubster till after 11 and had to be up at 6 am to start the morning routine.  I honestly don't know what I did between 6 & 6:30 but I got the two older kids up so they could start getting ready.  We were out of eggs, so bagels were for breakfast.  Realized there was only 1 bagel so I made some toast.  Sibling rivalry and snarky comments happened and I had to lecture about how to speak nicely to other people and to watch our tone.  Eyes rolled.  No cash for food at the ski lodge tonight for the kiddos so I quickly threw together some PB&Js and a granola bar for their dinners.  They are out the door.  Get 8 yr old up and she yells at me for not getting her up sooner (even though I had gotten her up 8 minutes sooner but she fell back asleep).  Throw together her lunch and send her out the door.  Make some dinner and dessert so this Mama can do her best to stay on her diet (and lose these stubborn 30 lbs).  Kitchen is a mess and I haven't had a shower.  Shower is taken and by this time I'm running late to meet my friend.  I text friend to let her know.  Head out the door and haven't defrosted my van so it's freezing on my 30 minute drive to my friend's.  Had a great and much needed visit with my friend and rushed home to get the 8 yr old off the bus.  Along the way I remember that I need to get more medicine for our cat, so I stop by the vet.  Get the meds and realize I have no more checks in my checkbook...and no cash with which to pay him.  Embarrassed, I agree to stop by in the morning with a check.  Arrived at home with a massive headache.  I tell 8 yr old that we are going to get groceries tonight.  She throws a fit because she doesn't want to go.  I realize that I am nowhere near ready to buy groceries and my menu hasn't been made yet...and my head is pounding so I decide not to go.  8 yr old throws the mother of all fits because she wants to go shopping.  She takes my keys and starts the van.  She goes to her room and slams the door.  She says she hates me.  She throws the cat.  She finally is told to stay in her room and take a nap.  Currently I think she actually has fallen asleep!  Either that, or she is secretly plotting my demise.  Either way, I am enjoying the peace and quiet.  I have a dirty cluttered house.  The dishes are not done.  The laundry is not done.  I'm exhausted.  And it's only 6pm! 

Luckily the earlier part of the day was awesome.  I spent the day at a dear friend's house playing with her kids and catching up with each other's lives.  We prayed together.  We cried together.  We understood each other.  We saw each other for who we are, not who we are trying to portray most days. And we love each other despite all our flaws and weaknesses.  I am so thankful for times when I can just be ME.  I encourage you to try it sometime and feel how wonderfully refreshing it can be! 



 

A New Year, A New Me...eventually.

First of all, Happy New Year!  I know I'm 10 days late, but as always, I have an excuse reason.  Thanks to my contagious daughter breathing a little too closely to my face on Christmas, I was lucky enough to come down with her cold the last couple of days in December.  That cold left me coughing my head off and sleeping on the couch so as to not wake the Hubster.  After 10 days of misery and exhaustion, I went to the doc and she diagnosed me with a sinus infection AND bronchitis.  She also said that, had I waited to be seen a couple more days, I would have ended up with an ear infection and pneumonia.  I'm glad I went when I did and have been increasingly feeling better with each new day. 

Being sick has been so frustrating!  This last year has been super stressful for me and with the stress, I have battled some health concerns as well as gaining back the 25 lbs I had lost over the past few years.  I feel like I want this year to be a year of new beginnings for me.  I want to finally reach my goal weight and be healthy and confident.  I feel like these extra pounds hold me back from doing so many things and truly enjoying life.  I had told myself to enjoy the holidays because come January 1st, I was hitting he weight-loss train.  Well...fast forward 10 days and I still don't feel entirely back to normal yet and I'm not really supposed to work out for another week if my lungs cooperate with the meds I'm on.  I have taken 1 walk and have done 1 upper body workout in these 10 days, but I've also done my share of eating snacks and cookies and such that I vowed to swear off.  I even made a plan with a dear friend of mine to get back on track together last Monday (a day before I went to the doc) because I thought I would be feeling better by then.  She did great and lost 5 lbs and I did poorly.  But that is where grace comes in.  I'm giving myself grace.  I will lose this weight this year but I need to make sure I give myself time to recover from this bronchitis too.  I'm just frustrated that it all has been postponed temporarily!

So here's my plan...

1.  Weigh in each Monday morning.  To be honest I have broken up with the scale, but it gives me a way to measure progress.  I actually didn't even pay attention to the number on the scale at the doctor's office...I have no clue what it read!  I knew the nurse too and had worked out with her a few years ago at the gym and normally would have been mortified by the whole situation.  But instead I just chatted with her and completely forgot to see what the scale said!  To me that is progress of its own!  I also am going to get nerdy and make a spreadsheet of my weightloss so I can track my progress along the way.  Oh yeah and one of those charts listing each pound I have to lose where you color in each square when you lose it.  I need some visuals! 

2.  Follow the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating the best I can.  I have fallen off the wagon time and time again with THM.  It's not THM's fault...it's entirely mine.  I fail to plan my meals or buy the proper ingredients or just get lazy and want to eat something that doesn't require a lot of dishes and/or preparation in the kitchen.  But the plan works and I feel great when I stay on-plan.  So I'm going to get back at it tomorrow! 

3.  Have accountability/encouragement from a friend.  I have a friend who is also doing THM so we have agreed to hold each other accountable and encourage one another along the way.  This is crucial for me because I often feel so lonely when trying to lose weight!

4.  Work out!  My sister recently told me about Blogilates.com and it's great!  Cassey Ho, the founder of Blogilates, is super encouraging and not at all annoying like some fitness gurus.  Mainly she gives you access to a monthly workout calendar that lists each day's workouts that you should do.  The workouts are found on her YouTube channel.  There are ususally 3 or 4 shorter workouts that you do together for each day.  And the cool thing is that each day of the week (with the exception of Sunday) you focus on a different muscle group/body part.  I love that because it takes the guesswork out of it for me and I don't get tired of the same old workout DVD.  I am also planning to walk a couple of times a week with a neighbor and eventually get back into running once the weather is fit and my lungs are healed.

That's pretty much it.  I'm trying to keep things simple this time around.  Wish me luck! 

Book Review: God For The Rest Of Us by Vince Antonucci

I just finished reading a great book called God For The Rest Of Us by Vince Antonucci.  Vince pastors a church called Verve in Las Vegas; a place where sin runs rampant and people are thought of as unchangeable.  Vince has set out to prove that people in Las Vegas CAN be reached for Christ and their lives CAN be turned around. 

I will be honest and say that I was not super excited about reviewing this book.  I'm not really sure why, although I think it was due to it sounding so basic.  Like just another book on evangelism.  I was wrong.  Don't tell my husband.  This book is really good.  And when I say really, I mean REALLY.  As in I didn't want to put it down.  Throughout this book, Vince tells stories of people he has come in contact with in Las Vegas who live sinful lives.  And how Christ changes them forever.  In Las Vegas there are many different types of people: pimps, addicts, prostitutes, shame-filled, homeless, and many others.  Vince has met them all and has seen God's transforming power in their lives.  In his book each chapter is dedicated to those different types of people.  He tells about his experience with them, and then he uses stories of how Jesus interacted with those same type of people.  Some Christians would says that God doesn't love pimps, prostitutes, or addicts, but Jesus does.  And Vince has seen Jesus's love at work first-hand.  Vince's sense of humor is also evident throughout the book.  He uses various footnotes to make funny comments and give deeper insight to his stories.  I'm a quirky person and love quirky books, so I really enjoyed his footnotes!

This book really changed my thinking.  I knew God loves everyone, but I think I did look at some certain groups of people as unloved by God or unreachable.  God For The Rest Of Us showed me that EVERYONE needs a savior and deep-down desires one whether they realize it or not.  And just because someone lives a certain life does not mean that we should just give up on them and not tell them the life-changing message of Jesus. 

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for this review.

Did you miss me? And our Caribbean cruise recap!

I can't believe it's been 5 months since I last posted!  This year has been unbelievably stressful and time has flown by.  In my last post we had moved into a rental after selling our house.  Well we were there 2 weeks and our landlord told us that he had someone who wanted to buy that house.  Long story short, we didn't know when the purchase would take place so we started looking for a house to buy with intensity!  We found a place about 15 min from our old community and 4 minutes from our son and daughter's school, which was amazing considering the fact that football was starting and we had been driving to the school at least once a day.  We bought the house without a hitch.  We refinished the floors in the living room before moving in which consisted of a week of very late nights.  We moved in the following weekend.  Thinking back to it makes me feel so tired!  Through it all I have learned that we are adaptable as humans.  We have all adjusted well.  I also have recognized the effect that stress can have on our bodies.  My husband ended up getting sick after the moving was done.  In the past year I have gained 20 lbs and started experiencing dizziness and extreme fatigue.  My doctor ran tests that all came back normal and concluded that I may have Meniere's Disease.  And for the first time in my life (aside from being pregnant), my blood pressure was elevated.  So I'm currently taking a water pill to see if that will help my bp and the dizziness.  In the meantime I need to focus on keeping my stress levels down (as much as possible with 3 kids!) and taking better care of my body by eating better and exercising. 

Luckily we had booked a cruise with our friends literally a week before we signed the contract for our new house (we probably never would have booked it knowing we would be moving again so soon!) and we just got back a couple of days ago.  It was amazing and just what we needed...5 days of total relaxation.  We were so relaxed when we got home that we couldn't remember where everyday items were located in our house anymore!  And I'm still having problems getting back into cooking, cleaning, etc since it was all done for me for the past week!  Here are some pictures from our trip:

Here is a picture of our ship.  We cruised on the Carnival Paradise.  I have read it's one of their older ships, but we enjoyed it and didn't get a feel that it was old at all.

Here's our white skin, that hasn't seen strong sunshine in months, soaking up some rays...

On our cruise, there was one Cruise Elegant Dinner so we dressed up a bit.  It was nice to dress up and enjoy a fancy dinner!  The evening dinners were chef-prepared and AMAZING.  We all looked forward to the seeing what was on the menu each night.

Here are our friends that cruised with us, Heath and Jenny.

While at Grand Cayman, we did an excursion.  A boat took us to Stingray City and then on to Rum Point Beach.  Here, we are on our way to Stingray City.

This is Stingray City.  It's out in the ocean on a sandbar where the water is probably 3-4 feet deep.  There are huge stingrays swimming everywhere.  It was awesome and definitely money well spent!

 

Our tour guides, Sedrick and CJ were awesome.  Sedrick made sure that we all had plenty of opportunities for pictures with the rays.  Here he is holding one over his head in order for us to get this shot!

 

Our next step was Rum Point Beach.  The water was such a beautiful blue green! 

Rum Point Beach Club was a great place to hang out and grab some lunch.  We enjoyed Rum Runners, Mango Smoothies, and tried Conch Fritters for the first time.

 

The hammocks were our favorite place!  We have an amazing hammock that we bought from Key West but have never hung up.  After enjoying this one we will definitely be hanging ours up next spring!

I love these signs!!

While riding back to the ship, our tour guides played Soca music.  One song sounded like it said "I Farted"...and apparently most people noticed it but didn't say anything until the very end of the boat ride.  It became our signature song.  We now know it's called "Fallin" by KES.  But it will forever be the I Farted Song.

 

A little towel animal greeted us each night after dinner.  I loved them!

 

The next day we docked at Cozumel, Mexico at Puerto Maya.  We risked our lives trying to get this picture because taxis were constantly driving through here!

 

We got a cab to take us to Sky Reef where we would be spending the day.  This guy was not very friendly, drove VERY fast, and had 2 skeletons dangling from his mirror.  It was a bit scary!

At Sky Reef we paid $15 to get in which included 1 drink, a 5 minute massage, snorkeling gear, tequila tasting, and beach chair and umbrella!  It was a great deal!  Here, the guys were returning from a long snorkeling trip.

We enjoyed some yummy authentic Mexican nachos.

Our men are so sexy....lol

Jenny enjoying her massage.  I kept trying to talk to this lady, but she would only wink and smile....I finally realized she couldn't speak English!

 

Then we headed over for tequila tasting and an overview of tequila.  It was very informative and I learned that I actually like tequila (well not the straight stuff...the heavily flavored stuff!)

Here is Manuel (the guy in front).  He told us all about tequila.  He said it was his birthday...I think he tells everyone that.  lol

We got a cab ride back to Puerto Maya and saw a Mariachi band playing.  I loved it!

Heading back to our boat, this was our view...these boats are HUGE!

 

 Well, that pretty much concludes our trip!  We had a great time and just relaxed the week away.  It was just what the doctor ordered! 

The Moving is DONE! Woohoo!

We are DONE moving!  Can I get an Amen?!  What a looooooong, tiring process moving is!  I underestimated the amount of things we own and found myself wanting to throw everything in the trash just so we didn't have to move it!  lol  And don't even get me started on the things my hubby owns that he used for business.  Wowzers.  We are blessed.  And by blessed, I mean, hoarders.  So after lots of moving days and one big moving weekend, here we are.  And we are adjusting well which is always helpful.  I knew we were going to be ok when my kids started complaining when they realized I was pulling into our old driveway so I could clean before handing the keys over to the new owners.  I thought they were just being typical kids and complaining.  But when I asked them why, they said they didn't want to go there because it was no longer our home.  That did this mama's heart good to hear that! 

Moving conjures up all sorts of questions and fears and anxieties and frustrations.  I can't tell you how tired I am of looking for things in boxes!  And moving boxes around because they are in the way of the box you need to look through.  We have lived here one full week and last week was spent trying to get our old house cleaned up and the remaining things moved out.  To tell you we were exhausted was a complete understatement.  So we pretty much did nothing this past weekend but rest up.  We watched movies and spent time together as a family. But this is a new week and now it's time to tackle the boxes.  I really don't like unpacking.  This house doesn't have the space that we had, so each time I unpack a box I encounter frustration because I don't know where to put anything.  Yesterday I worked on unpacking some kitchen boxes and organized the back hallway/entryway.  And today I am working in the girls' room.  I have made a lot of headway, but still have so much more to do!  And to top it off, my oldest daughter's birthday party is this Saturday and we are having the party here.  So that's motivation to keep unpacking and organizing! 

I also made a garden!  Not nearly as big as the one at my old house, but it's a garden!  I just hated to let a summer go by without having one.  I saw somewhere on pinterest where you make a raised bed from concrete cinder blocks such as THIS ONE And I just happened to have 11 of them!  So I used the edge of our concrete patio as one of the sides and used the blocks as the remaining 3 sides.  It's not a large garden, but was able to plant several green bean plants, 3 lettuce plants, 3 tomatoes, 1 summer squash, 1 zucchini, 1 spaghetti squash and 6 pepper plants.  I know this is nerdy, but it makes me almost giddy looking out at my garden through our patio doors!  I will try to take some pics of the garden once the bean plants sprout up.  I was also able to take 2 blueberry plants, some red raspberry starts, and several strawberry plants with us.  Unfortuntely my peach tree had to stay.  SOMEDAY I WILL have an orchard!  But for now we will keep things simple.

As far as our forever home, we are still looking.  We looked at a house last week that was a strong contender and we have contemplated putting an offer on it.  But something keeps telling me that that house is not the one.  So we will wait.  I keep wondering if maybe we are too picky.  But is it bad to be picky when we will be draining our savings to buy it?  We want to make a wise decision but I will admit sometimes I just want to buy the next thing available  just to be home owners again and get out of this rental.  Then again, the thought of moving AGAIN makes me feel queasy!     

Moving Update

It's been a month since I last posted!  As the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun, right?  I'm totally being sarcastic when I say that.  I'm a mess right now.  My house is a mess, my emotions are a mess, my sleep habits are a mess, and my schedule has been a mess.  But life goes on whether you're tired or not, I'm finding.  I relate moving with having a baby.  It's a long process but, by the time the big day finally arrives, you are ready to get the hard work over with so you can enjoy the next season of your life.  That is me, right now.  And I really don't know whether to laugh or cry at the insanity of it all.  Things have been such a roller coaster of emotions and happenings.  We found a fixer-upper we were going to buy and even made an offer on it, but hit a road block before we could submit the offer.  The house was a foreclosure owned by Fannie Mae and since our house was technically sold yet, we needed a letter from our buyers' bank saying that they could afford the house and that they were planning to buy our house.  If we didn't have that letter, they would reject our offer.  So we waited on the letter....for 1 1/2 weeks.  By the time we received the letter, our realtor was on vacation in Florida and couldn't submit the offer until he got home.  And before he returned home, we decided to stop by and ask some questions of the owners of the neighboring property.  You see, the house we were looking to buy was located in a valley and we had heard that the basement flooded.  Since we were planning to make a bedroom for our son in the basement, we decided we should probably check into that a bit more.  I mean, he knows how to swim, but it just wouldn't be practical to have a basement flooding often.  The neighbors confirmed our worst nightmares...yes, the basement floods and oh, by the way, the house has black mold.  Oh yeah, and if you buy it we will want to buy 1/2 of the land from you and expect you to widen the creek in the backyard to help with the flooding.  This was among other horror stories they told us about the property's past issues.  So we promptly told the realtor to NOT submit our offer.  It was a frustrating time having to wait on the letter in order to submit the offer, but now I see it as an answer to prayer and God protecting us from making a bad decision. 

So that left us homeless again.  After making a phone call, we finally were able to find a house to rent that is in the township.  It's in the country and has no neighbors to speak of.  We are able to have our pigs and chickens there and there's a creek in the backyard which provides some relaxing background noise when the back door is open.  The owner wants us to live there through the winter so that the house will be heated during the cold temps, which is longer than our plan, however now we don't have to rush to find something to buy.  And we are even tossing around the idea of building a house.  The money my husband receives from the township will pay the rent and we will have the opportunity to save over a thousand dollars each month since we won't be paying our mortgage payment anymore! 

But the whole thing is exhausting.  I now have 2 houses to clean.  I now have boxes stacked up the walls in our current house and the walls feel like they are closing in on me.  And our house feel so unwelcoming because all of the décor items have been boxed up.  We have slowly started moving some boxes and small furniture pieces into the new place and have been contemplating doing the big move next weekend.  But we haven't heard when our buyers' closing date is, so we may wait in order to make sure their financing goes through before moving everything out of our current house.  But if we don't move this coming week, then we will have to wait 2 weeks before we can because I will be super busy at work with Mother's Day.  And honestly I would rather just get the move over with instead of having it hanging over my head.  Tomorrow we are moving a ton of hubby's stuff out of the garage and into storage since there is no garage at the rental house.  That should make us feel like we are making a lot of progress. 

Through this whole process I have struggled emotionally.  I am leaving the house that we have made memories in as a family.  This house isn't my dream home, but in the past year or so I finally embraced my surroundings have tried to make our home more welcoming and to appreciate it more.  And now we are leaving it.  I have realized that my home is not my security.  My family can make any place our home simply because we live in it.  Renting seems like we are taking a step down on the ladder of success because the house needs a lot of work and is smaller and less appealing looking than our current home.  But I have to remind myself that we will be debt-free by selling our house and we will have more freedom financially because of it.  If feels like we're starting over.  Our kids have struggled with their upcoming new schedules, bus drivers, and have even cried themselves to sleep at night because this is the only house they've known and the future is scary.  I've struggled with what people will think of our rental house or even what they will think of the fact that we'll be renting.  We've struggled with fear and feeling like we're making a mistake by selling at times.  Sometimes I even secretly wish things wouldn't work out with our buyers simply so our life would stay normal.  What I really want is for life to slow down a bit so I can catch my breath.  I want to know that our decision to sell will be worth it in the end and that we all will adjust to our new surroundings well, wherever that may be. 

It's Official...well, sort of.

We are moving.  As I type those words I feel a bit nauseous.  Since we put our house up for sale last September, I have experienced all kinds of emotions....good and bad.  It feels like our future has been so uncertain since then and quite frankly, it's driven me a bit cray cray.  After giving up on selling our house by December and deciding that we were supposed to not move, we were contacted by someone who was interested in looking at our house.  They came to look at it and seemed totally unimpressed and didn't ask any of the normal questions, so we assumed they weren't interested.  A few days later I received a text saying that they wanted to put in an offer on our house!  The kicker was that, also in December, my hubby had accepted a position as a Township Trustee after one of the current Trustees had resigned.  This was an unexpected surprise because it is a paid position.  Which is why we decided we weren't going to sell.  Then we had a buyer.  Which meant we needed to find a house within the township...which has proven to be no easy task.  There are exactly 2 houses for sale in the township right now.  The top it off, our buyers are expecting their first child May 16th.  We were honest with them and said that if we could not find something in the township we would probably not sell.  And they have been patient with us.  And I will be honest, I have been afraid of selling our house, uprooting our family, and the unknowns that lie ahead.  It seemed as if every option we would look into was terrible or the seller changed their mind.  Back in September when we put the for sale sign in the yard, we also prayed that if it was God's will, he would send us a buyer.  And he did.  I came to the realization a couple of weeks ago that faith means we can't always see past the next step.  We can't always see the details or the end result.  If we truly believe that God has our best interest in mind and has a plan for us, then we have to trust Him to take care of those things we cannot see. God sent us a buyer and it's time for us to move and I can't worry about the rest.  Although I still do from time to time because I'm human.  So we visited a house that was outside of the township that is a total fixer-upper.  And we are in the process of putting an offer in on it.  We actually signed the contract last Friday but it couldn't be submitted until this Monday...and then we found out that we needed a letter from our buyer's bank saying they could get the funds needed to buy our house.  And we are still waiting on that letter.  But God has a plan.  I cannot tell you how badly I want to try to speed things up in my own power!  And to top it off, our realtor is going to Florida for a week tomorrow.  Which means we will have another full week of no progress on our house offer.  It's frustrating, but just a couple of days ago I was worried that we would close on our house before our buyers closed on our old house and we wouldn't have the money needed to pay for our house at closing.  But this week of waiting my change that scenario and may just make our buyers loan close before ours now.  As it looks now we are tentatively hoping to be closed on our house (or at least have found a place to rent) by the end of April.  So I've been packing up our belongings and the memories that we've made in the house we've been in for 13 years...and dreaming about our next home and the renovations that we can do to it and the memories we can make in it to make it Home. 

Menu-Planning Made Easy!

I'm sitting here in my cold, quiet house and thought I'd use the time to write a blog post!  The kids are on a two-hour delay with school due to the frigid temperatures and I was *hoping* to sleep in a bit.  However my body usually had other plans...it likes to wake up at the same time every morning with our without an alarm. So as I laid in bed telling myself to go back to sleep, Self smelled the fuel-oil furnace running which means only one thing...the fire in the outdoor wood burner is either out or almost out.  Since hubby often works very late in the winters and is not necessarily the morning person that I am, I have taken it upon myself to make sure the fire is taken care of each morning...it also gets me some brownie points with the hubs! 

Ok, back to my meal-planning!  First of all, let me just say that I love LOVE meal planning.  I know what you're thinking, and yes I AM weird (just ask my friends), but it seems to be one area in my life in which I am organized.  And that makes me feel good.  I also think it helps to save money at the grocery store.  That makes me feel good too.  Up until the past couple of months I mainly just looked through my pantry and freezer to get meal ideas to add to the menu before adding any new meals and jotted them down on a notepad.  But I got tired of looking for the recipes I had planned and it seemed like I would always forget ingredients or lose the list.  So I decided to devise a new process for meal-planning and thought I would share it with you!

TANGENT ALERT:  I love listening to podcasts.  I listen to them during the day when the kids are at school and I'm cleaning or cooking or doing laundry.  I love to listen to them when I take walks outside (which seems like I haven't walked outside for exercise in like YEARS since last fall...I miss you sunshine and temps above freezing...) and I love to listen to them on my iPod while driving to work.  I came across the Inspired To Action Podcast last fall and it is my ultimate favorite!  (Side Note: I just came across God Centered Mom Podcast this week and I equally love it too!).  They are both free through iTunes or you can listen to them online via the links above....I give you permission to stop reading this and go subscribe right now. 

A few months ago I was listening to one of the Inspired to Action Podcasts and Kat Lee was talking about how she uses Plan To Eat (by the way that is my Affiliate Link!) to plan her meals online.  It's a site that allows you to keep a recipe book online with all your favorite recipes (either entered by hand or added quickly from any website...even PINTEREST!).  You can easily drag those recipes to the days you want on the calendar and then it compiles a shopping list for you.  So once you are done planning your meals, your shopping list is ready for printing (with the exception of toilet paper, shampoo and things that are not edible...but you can even add those things to the list before printing!).  If you sign up you can get a 30-day free trial to try it out and see if it's something that works for your family.  After that, it's $39/year...BUT they often run 50% off sales several times a year (usually around holidays) so I was able to get my subscription for $19.50 a year as part of a Black Friday Sale.  SWEET!  And what's even cooler is that when I hear of another sale, I can buy it and the year will be tacked on to the end of my subscription so there's no overlapped missed months! There are so many more great things about Plan to Eat, but I will save them for a different post!

Ok, back to meal planning.  So here's what I do...

1.  I look through my pantry and freezer to look for meal ideas.  We usually have 1/2 a cow, one full pig, and some chicken in the freezer, so no need to buy meat if I don't have to!  I write down some meals that I can make, or mostly make, from what I already have.  I also check the previous meal plan to see if there are any meals that I ended up not making and therefore have the ingredients for and can carry over to this menu plan.  This happens a lot.  I apparently have a fear of running out of meals and plan too many...

2.  Once I have a partial menu made, I look through my favorite go-to recipes and pick out some to add to the menu.  I bought an ADORABLE chevron organizer (sort of like a coupon organizer) from the Dollar Tree for...get this....ONE DOLLAR.  Isn't it cute??

 

Inside, I used the Tabs to put following labels on:  Mexican/Pizza, Beef, Pork/Fish, Chicken, Soup/Pasta, Sides/Desserts.  Here's a picture of the inside:

 

 

 

I stuck all my favorite recipes in the appropriate section and this is where I keep them for quick reference each month. If I try new recipes, I just print them out or add the recipe card to the folder.  If we try it and don't like it, in the trash it goes!  I have TONS of recipes that I have printed and even handwritten that I have never tried so this is a great way to weed through them and possibly find new faves! 

 

3.  Once I have approximately 10-14 meals picked out, I go to Plan To Eat (affiliate link!) and put those meals onto my calendar.  I say 10-14 meals because I grocery shop and meal plan every two weeks.  I take a look at the calendar to see what we have planned for the next 2 weeks and plan enough meals accordingly. 

 

4.  Once my Meal Plan is done, I add my staples and toiletries, etc to the shopping list and print it out along with my Meal Plan Calendar and any new recipes that need printed.   Here is what my current menu looks like:

 

 

I handwrote two meals at the bottom that I had forgotten to add as extra meals if needed.  I usually only plan dinners since we keep breakfasts simple and have eggs, cereal or toast each morning.  The kids eat lunch at school and hubby and I usually have leftovers for lunch.  I hang this menu on the fridge so I can easily see what I had planned for today's meal.  When I make a meal, I highlight it on the menu so I know what meals are still available (I don't always make the meal on the specified day...that would be too structured and boring.  lol)

 

5.  I take all the recipes that are for the current menu and clip them together with these amazing clips I found at the Dollar Tree (I think you get 6 in a pack and they are found in the checkout line of the stores).  I LOVE these and have bought probably 4 packs of them!  We use them in place of chip clips to keep packages air-tight...and I seriously love their bright colors!  I clip all the recipes together and hang them on the side of my fridge on a Command hook.  This keeps the recipes all in one place and I can easily find it when I need it!  When the 2 weeks is up and it's time for a new menu, I put all the recipe cards back into the file folder and start over.

 

 

  I may or may not have an obsession with cute magnetic notepads from TJ Maxx....

 

I know this probably seems like a lengthy process, but it's actually been quite quick once I collected all of the recipes to put into the file folder and entered them into Plan To Eat.  And it's been fun being more intentional about trying recipes from cookbooks that are taking up space in my pantry and from online (can you say, Pioneer Woman?)  I was in a complete cooking rut before and now I am finding recipes that I used to make but had forgotten and new ones that are now our favorites! 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



My Head is Spinning!

Hey guys!  Two posts in one month...it's probably a new record for me!  I should tell you that I have the best of intentions for posting meaningful enlightening blog posts often.  I conjure them up as I'm driving in my van, waiting for my dentist appointment, and as I am grocery shopping (no lie!)...but they never happen.  Mainly because I get busy and eventually forget about them.  (Mental Note:  Do NOT procrastinate any more when I get a blogging idea!) 

 

With that being said, there have been lots of things going on around the Snyder House! 

 

Luckily we have managed to stay healthy (with the exception of a few minor colds) and have escaped the Influenza bug that has bitten so many of our friends and family.  Even though we haven't been stuck inside with illness, it feels like we have been stuck inside because it's WINTER.  Have I mentioned I really don't like winter?  Sure the freshly fallen snow is beautiful, but I would much rather stay INDOORS and enjoy it while looking outside through our windows!  My hubby's work schedule changes in the winter and I feel like we see him less than his normal schedule and when it snows, I'm lucky to see him in passing for days.  Have I mentioned that I need a date night BADLY?  Guess it will have to wait until spring because Mother Nature dropped about 7 inches of snow on us over the last 24 hrs.  The kids and I have been home the past two days just enjoying being snowed in. And I don't have cabin fever yet!  (Have I mentioned I am getting feeling old?)  Ahh, the joys of being middle-aged!

 

At the end of December, my hubby was approached about taking a township trustee position and he agreed to a 1 year term.  That meant that our income would be increasing, which is always a good thing.  Since trustees are required to live in the township coupled with the fact that there had been no interest in our house for a couple of months, we decided that maybe we were supposed to just stay where we were and not sell the house, at least until this year's term was over.  And then guess what happened?  Yep...someone called about our house.  And not only did they call about it and come to look at it, they also gave us an offer on it!  Two months ago we would have jumped at the possibility of moving!  Now we have mixed feelings.  We made it clear to the potential buyers that we needed to find a property to rent or buy in the township or we wouldn't sell.  That was a week ago and we still don't have any real leads.  I admit, I am getting nervous...and a little excited.  I'm nervous because we don't want to make the wrong move (literally!), but excited at the possibility of a fresh start....a new slate of a house to make into our home.  (I think I've been watching too many home-improvement shows...) About 75% of me hopes we won't find any place and therefore will have to stay here.  Because that's the comfortable thing to do.  There's no risk involved.  But the other 25% of me is excited to see what God may do in the midst of our situation.  Where it looks like there are no options, that's when God moves.  And so far we have no options.  I'm so conflicted because we prayed that God would send us a buyer if it was His will for us to sell.  We have a buyer.  Now we need to know the next step in this process. Everything about this says that I should be freaking out, but I'm not.  Well, sometimes  little bit.  But all in all, I'm at peace.  But I have yet to start packing.

 

I don't think it's a coincidence that I just finished up reading a book on Biblical submission because I have a feeling that I am going to have to put what I've learned into practice real soon.  My husband is one of those people who could literally live anywhere and not care.  Me, well, I have a bit different set of standards when it comes to where I live.  He is looking at a couple of foreclosures and the thought freaks me out a bit.  What if the house is trashed and we end up buying it without having seen it?  What if my king bed won't fit in the master bedroom?  But in the midst of all of those questions, there is an option that is freeing....submission.  Submission to my husband and in turn submitting to God because I am submitting to my husband.  My husband wants the best for us even if may not always feel like it.  I need to submit to show my husband that I trust his judgment and know that he will take care of us.  It's not easy.  And I've already had to apologize (just this morning in fact!) for freaking out at one of his housing ideas before I really thought things through.  But I know that through this mutual submission, our marriage will be better and more unified!  I hope to do a future blog post on submission, so stay tuned!

 

Well, all three of the kiddos are occupied in one way or another (which means I am experiencing some peace and quiet!!) so I should take advantage of it and get back to working on our tax preparations.  I'm hoping to get the tax stuff handed over to our accountant within the next week so I don't have it hanging over my head while dealing with the possibility of moving.  I've made some good progress already so I need to keep plugging away! 

 

Maybe my next blog post will be about where we will be moving to...who knows! 

Hello 2015!

Happy New Year! 

 

I thought I would take a few minutes (or more) to do a recap on the 2014 and also look ahead to the things I would like to focus on in 2015.  I love the start to a new year and the feeling of starting over that it brings.  Not sure why I feel like I can only start over on January 1st, but I do! 

 

I originally was going to look back on my post stating last year's goals, but I think I will spare myself some feelings of disappointment of not achieving them all and focus on what I was able to accomplish instead.  So here goes....

 

Spiritually:  I feel like I have grown a lot spiritually in 2014.  I was a part of a 1 year mentoring small group with several other ladies.  In this group I formed some strong friendships, learned a lot about what true authenticity feels like, learned to allow others to pray for me when I was feeling so low and/or bared my struggles and faults, read some books that stretched me, and had the privilege of lifting others up in prayer.  I also have taken on some responsibilities at my church coordinating meals to be taken to those in need.  I have dealt with anger towards people who have wronged me and have practiced forgiveness, I have learned that my security does not come from people or things, and I am learning to have open communication with people about difficult things in order to develop real relationships. 

 

Physically:  I have mixed feelings about how I have done in this area.  I lost weight in 2014 and reached my lowest weight since having the kiddos.  But have also gained it back.  I haven't been consistent with my exercising and eating either.  But I also have tried to listen to my body more and get more sleep, try not to become anxious about things, and to take some time for myself each day to unwind.

 

Marriage:  My relationship has grown a ton this year!  Saying that does NOT mean that everything has been rainbows and unicorns.  In fact, we hit a very low spot this year...probably our lowest ever.  But we overcame it and now I feel like we are stronger than ever because of it. 

 

Financially:  I still definitely have room for improvement in this area, but I did make progress.  I have a system in place for paying bills, saving, and planning ahead for larger purchases and I can tell that it has helped us financially.

 

Friendships:  Through my small group that I was a part of I met an amazing gal and we sort of hit it off from the start.  Our time spent together has blossomed into a strong friendship.  I can be 100% real with her and she does not judge me.  She encourages me and holds me accountable.  Her friendship is irreplaceable.

 

Mothering:  Although I wouldn't say I am excelling in this area, I do think I have made some improvement.  I have realized the importance of having one-on-one time with each of the kids....even if it's just taking them grocery shopping with me.  I also am learning how to better communicate with my 14 yr old and diffuse conversations before they turn into heated arguments. 

 

Now, looking onto 2015....

 

Consistency is key!  I have great aspirations but I am not successful because I am not consistent! 

 

Spiritually:  I want to love to read the Bible.  I don't want to feel overwhelmed by it.  I want to have a daily consistent quiet time reading, learning, and praying.

 

Physically: I know I have said this a million zillion times, but I want to reach my goal weight THIS YEAR.  Enough already with the nonsense...it's time to git'r done!  So that means at least 25 lbs needs to come off this frame of mine.  I signed up to run a quarter marathon in May so I will have to exercise!  I also want to become consistent with my workouts.  Not saying I have to work out every day, but 3-4 times a week would be ideal.

 

Marriage:  I would like to plan a getaway with the hubby this year.  Originally we were hoping to go to the Dominican this spring with another couple, but all that changed when we put our house up for sale.  Even if it's not someplace tropical, I would like to plan a long weekend together.  I also want to practice submission and showing my hubby respect....even though I'm not completely sure what that looks like.

 

Financially:  Consistency once again.  With paying bills, saving, keeping up with the business books.  I would love to set up a budget but I haven't found a systems that doesn't overwhelm me yet.

 

Friendships:  I want to be more intentional about checking in with my friends to see how they are doing, their struggles, etc.  It's easy to let our friendships fall by the wayside when things get busy.

 

Mothering:  I want to have consistent solo time with the kids.  I also want to spend time just having fun with them, being silly, and laughing.  I also have a desire to teach my kids the skills they need in adulthood like cooking, cleaning, managing money.  I would like to take on a skill each month and focus on it, then add a new skill each month.  But I will be honest I am not really sure where to start and I don't want to go too big in the beginning and burn out.  I will be praying about this one, but as of now I am thinking I will start with teaching them how to make simple meals and eventually make them responsible for cooking dinner one night a week. 

 

Random: I want to focus on making our property a homestead where I learn how to better maintain a garden.  I would like to plant a couple more fruit trees.  I would like to make our landscaping a bit more appealing/easy to maintain also.  I also want to continue with organizing my house.  I made some progress last year but want to focus on those areas which always seem to get cluttered/messy and figure out a system to keep the mess at bay. 

 

Well, I think that's all!  It feels so good to get that all off my chest!  I should print this list off and post it where I can be reminded of my goals. 

 

Here's to a great New Year!

Life Update

I will warn you...I have no plan for this post other than to update you on what's been happening in our lives since I posted last. 

 

No plan = Ramblings. 

 

I apologize in advance. 

 

I feel like my life has once again been a blur.  I don't even know where to begin.  Since my last post we haven't had any interest in our house.  This is both calming and frustrating if that's possible.  I'm calm because I don't want to move during the winter months.  Heck, I don't even want to go outside during the winter months.  (I sooo could hibernate and just re-emerge in the spring...) let alone move all of my belongings to another dwelling in frigid temps.  This is also the hubby's busy time at work so it just would make things that much more complicated.  But it's also frustrating because we were hoping to be moved already.  And just this week there has been something that has come up (in a good way) and we are faced with the possibility of staying here and not moving at all.  It's craziness, I tell ya!  We've been fixing up our house and finishing all those little unfinished projects in order to make our house more appealing to potential buyers and now we may stay here.  Not that I'm complaining.  We now have the in-floor heat hooked up in the living room (that used to be cold in the winters) and now it's toasty warm and we LOVE it.  We also have installed a new kitchen door complete with pretty leaded glass.  And the list goes on and on with all the new perks our house has that makes it harder for me to want to leave it! 

 

The end of November, my oldest turned 14.  FOURTEEN.  And I'm starting to feel my age because of it.  I'm caught somewhere between being excited to see him grow and mature, but at the same time starting to realize that our time with him living in our home is drawing to a close because the next 4 or 5 years will fly by.  Have I taught him everything he needs to know to be a successful independent adult?  Have I taught him morals, money management, how to clean a house, how to rely on God to guide him?  The reality is this:  I have my work cut out for me.  I only get one chance at this thing called parenting.  And yet sometimes I feel just down right CLUELESS.

 

A couple of weeks ago, we lost my husband's Grandma Myrtle.  She was such a blessing to us all and was the definition of what a good grandma is.  She loved unconditionally and was always so welcoming.  She loved each of her grandchildren and never hesitated to ask us about what was happening in our lives.  Although we could see her health was declining, her death was sudden and was a shock to my family.  We were able to visit her a couple of weeks before her passing and I am so glad we did.  She told others how much she enjoyed our visit and I am forever grateful we were able to spend that hour with her.  Her life and passing has helped me to start thinking about the type of legacy I want to leave with my family.  Grandma Myrtle love and laughter will be greatly missed.

 

I have gained about 12 lbs.  Yep, all the weight I lost last year in back on my body...yuck!  I really slacked off on exercising and eating better and it shows.  I feel like I'm carrying around about 25 lbs instead of just 12.  And I have been battling being oh-so-tired, especially since the evenings are getting dark so much earlier.  So I decided it was time to get back to exercising.  And I do well for a week and then the next week I slack off.  And the next week I do well and the next week I slack off.  This is my slacking off week.  And just when I decide I need to work out, I get a cold and I can't breathe very well due to congestion.  And I'm not sleeping well due to not breathing well.  So I'm feeling even more worn out!  And since I felt all unenergized to do ANYTHING around here and have had  some busy days and evenings my house looks as if it has imploded.  Last night I felt like I was going to have an anxiety attack.  I have so much to do and no energy or time with which to get it done.  And it makes me grumpy.  I think I need a vacation.

 

And as if that isn't enough excitement, my sister-in-law in moving back to the States from Mozambique.  I will admit I am super excited about she and her hubby moving here because I want the kids to have a good relationship with their aunt and uncle and it's hard to when they live halfway across the globe.  So that's been a nice surprise for us!

 

With all that being said, I need to get the girls up and start the rest of the morning grind before heading to work.  There's so much more to say but it will have to wait until another time!  :)



Patience

It seems like I am always apologizing for going on a blogging hiatus....I guess this is just how I roll these days.  I thought I would pop in and let you all know what's been going on since I last posted.  Unfortunately we still have yet to sell our house.  We have shown the house to a few people and we've heard "We love it and will definitely be calling you back!" and then....wait for it....NOTHING happens.  I will admit it is very frustrated and I have spent a good morning of the past two months on an emotional roller coaster.  One minute I think we've got it sold and then next minute I am planning out our future here because it looks as if we won't be moving.  I am learning patience.  And I will be honest and say I'm not sure I like it.  I am also realizing that I am a bit of a control freak...and I am learning to let go and just LIVE.  In the midst of all of this, hubby has been a busy bee finishing all the unfinished projects in our house and I have been busy cleaning and organizing and staging.  It's exhausting both physically AND emotionally! 

And today is the day that our contract on our new home runs out.  I thought I would be really upset if we reached this day and our house had not sold.  But I'm ok with it.  I really like the new property, but hubby and I have been weighing whether going deeper into debt is worth it if we won't be able to afford the things we would like to do there (fencing, cattle, a garage for hubby to work out of) or if we should just downsize to a smaller property and have a very low house payment and maybe buy a recreational property somewhere instead.  I struggle with knowing God's will in all of this and find myself wondering if God really cares where we live?  I don't say that in a mean or disrespectful way...but I wonder if that is really what God deems as important even though we put so much emphasis on where we live?  Jesus didn't own a house, right?  Maybe freeing up some finances by downsizing will enable to us to be more generous and enjoy life more without having to work to survive.  These are some of the questions going through my head lately.  And I will be honest...when I think of downsizing to a smaller (and probably way less appealing house), I can hear friends and family questioning our judgment and making comments/suggestions on what they think we should do.  I am determined to do what God wants us to do and try (really hard) not to care what others think.  But it is a struggle. 

I am also learning not to judge a book by its cover....metaphorically speaking.  I am learning that no matter what the situation looks like right now, most often God is working behind the scenes.  It's so easy to look at the situation right now and think it's hopeless because we don't have a buyer and we might as well give up on the new house because someone else will snatch it up now that the contract has ended.  But that's putting limits on what God can do.  I'm not saying that He WILL do them, but he most definitely CAN.  He could be speaking to someone right now to call us because the have been contemplating looking at our house.  Or God could speak to the owner of the new house to extend our contingent contract.  The possibilities are endless!  Yet, it's so easy to get caught up in the negative thinking! 

So there you have it....a few of my thoughts about this whole house selling thing!  I will try to keep you updated as much as I can, but in the meantime, please keep us in your prayers!