Wow - February is Almost Gone

I can't believe February is almost over.  Two months of 2012 are soon to be gone.  January and February have been busy as usual.  Tax season is upon us at work...lots of extra hours being put in.  We will survive it just like we always have, even though it seems very overwhelming at times.

Another season of Upward is about to go in the record books.  This  is Stephen's last year to get to play.  He wishes he could keep playing.  He has really stepped up this year.  He is a lot more aggressive on the court.  He made more shots in his first game than he even attempted in the last two years of play.  Skylar is still cheering.  She loves it and I think she will continue to cheer in the upcoming years.

I got an e-reader for Christmas and I have been putting it to good use.  I have found that I can get books free from www.christianbook.com, and I have been hoarding up almost everything they offer.  I have always loved reading, but I honestly didn't know whether I would like reading on an e-reader or not, so when I requested one, I asked for a cheaper no-name brand.  So far I love it more than I thought I would.  It doesn't have all of the bells and whistles that some of them have, but for just reading books it is great.  So far I have read Child of the Mist, The Help, Explosive Eighteen, and Directed Verdict.  I also just finished reading The Devil in Pew Number Seven in paperback.  Sometimes you just can't beat the feel of a real book in your hands especially when you receive it for free just for reviewing it.  I plan to review more of the books I read - especially the ones I download for free, but you know how plans are sometimes...we will see how that works out.

A Month Later

I can't believe it was a month ago today that we finally closed on our new house. The last month has really flown by. I still don't feel completely settled in, but we are making progress. Hopefully before long we can have everything put away, tax season will be over with, and the church construction project will be finished and we can simply start enjoying ourselves again. Brian and I are both really ready for a break. He has been putting in a lot of hours at church, on top of work. I have been working way more overtime than I really anticipated. We both are overwhelmed and exhausted. But this too shall pass, and before long we will be able to just have some down time with nothing planned. I can't wait!!!

The Panaramic View

This is the view from our front deck...as you can tell, we can see for miles and miles.

A Room With a View

So I have promised pictures of the house, but I have yet to follow through. That is because I still haven't finished unpacking, so there are still boxes sitting everywhere, and who wants to see boxes, right? While it isn't a picture of the house, I will give you this.

It's not the greatest picture, but this is the night time view from our bedroom window. The picture really doesn't do it justice at all.

And since we have moved the weather has really run the gamut from one extreme to the next. The first weekend we were here it snowed...the next weekend it was 80 degrees...and now we are back to freezing temps. The kids enjoyed this snowball fight on the front deck just 2 weeks ago...

And I do promise to eventually get some pictures of the house posted...

It's Been a Week

It is hard to believe we have already been in our new house for a week. It is slowly starting to feel like home. The boxes are beginning to thin out some, as we tackle unpacking a few each day. The kids are settled into their rooms - and loving every square inch of them. The kitchen is pretty much put together, still some rearranging to do there but no hurry.

The really great news is we haven't found anything about the house that we just don't like. Sure there are lots of little things we want to fix, but nothing that we can't live with at least for a little while.

Home Sweet Home

Well, it is official. Brian moved the last of our belongings from Earl Street today. He was off to tackle the mini-storage last time I talked to him. When that is all moved, we will be done with that monterous job. Next comes the unpacking, but the way I see it, the necessities are already unpacked, and the rest can be tackled in the same manner we packed it - one box at a time. We aren't on any deadlines, and while it will be nice to have everything put away and settled, it doesn't have to all be done at once.

Tuesday night was the first night we got to spend in the new house. The kids love it. The neighborhood kids have descended upon us like locusts. One of Stephen's classmates lives right next door. They have played together every evening so far. I know they will have a lot of fun together. There is also a little girl Skylar's age just down the street, though we haven't got to meet her yet. I am sure that once we do, they will become fast friends as well.

We have been so blessed throughout all of this. Our families have stepped in and helped so much. They have cleaned and moved and for that we are extremely grateful. Our church family has been so helpful too. Tuesday night four of the guys showed up and with three trucks and trailers, they managed to move all of our big furniture, as well as a lot of other stuff in a matter of a couple of hours. I can honestly say that we could have never pulled this off without all of the help we have had. Even with the help, poor Brian is absolutely exhausted. He has worked so hard this week. I know he will be glad when it is all done, so he can relax a little.

Maybe in a few days I can take a couple of pictures and get them posted. The ones that were on the real estate website really didn't do the house justice at all.

A Few More Hours - AKA Big Day #2

It's just a few more hours until we get to sign the papers and receive the keys to our new house. Then the real work begins. I will probably spend most of today cleaning. While we had hoped to be able to get in the house and do our cleaning over the weekend, it didn't work out that way. Though the current owner did finally get all of his stuff out on Saturday evening, he decided not to be overly cooperative. He basically told our agent, if we cleaned before Monday, he wanted compensated for the utilities we would be using, since they would not be transferred to our name until today. So we chose to wait and do it on our dime, so as not to inconvenience him (ha ha).

I do not look forward to spending the day shampooing carpets, cleaning toilets, and wiping down all of those kitchen cabinets, but it will be well worth it. It wouldn't be so bad, if the current owners had not had a cat, but with our allergies, we really can't take any chances. So, we will spend the day cleaning and moving what we can, and hopefully we can spend our first night in our new home tomorrow.

Big Day #1

Today is the first of two big days in our quest to buy our new home. In just a few short hours we will officially sell our home. While I am more than ready to move to our new house, I have so many fond memories of our first home. When Brian and I married, almost 15 years ago, we lived in a small duplex - ironically it is only a mile from our new house. We stayed there for almost a year before moving to my great-uncle's rent house north of Morrilton. We loved it there, but after I graduated from college and got a job we knew it was time to stop throwing our money out the window by renting.

We first looked at our current house on March 1, 1997. We closed on it a month later and became homeowners. We have had so many blessings during the last 12 years in this house. It is the only home either of our children have ever known. We have celebrated a lot of birthdays and Christmases there. We have entertained our friends and family there. And though there are things I will miss about it, it now it is time to move on to bigger and better things. Mostly bigger...I can't wait to have space to invite people over and not feel like we are all on top of each other. I get claustrophobic when we have company now. I look forward to Monday, when we get to start making new memories in our new home.

Quick Update

Well, if everything goes as planned we will be selling our house at 1:30 this Friday, and purchasing the new house at 10 on Monday. We have spent most of the last month packing and sorting. We have weeded out some stuff, but probably not nearly as much as we should have. Maybe we can part with more of it as we begin to unpack next week. We are all tired but super excited. The kids are anxious to get their rooms back in order, and to get their own rooms again. Almost two weeks ago, when we were running out of space to store the packed boxes, we decided to move Skylar's bed into Stephen's room and store the boxes in her room. That has worked pretty well, but you can sure tell they are not used to sharing their space. It will be a real treat to get to spread out again.

Christmas Toys

So when you get yourself a new toy for Christmas, do you put it under the tree and make yourself wait until Christmas to enjoy it? Usually I would answer that question, "Yes." But this year it seems the answer is no. After five years of arm twisting, Brian finally talked me into getting a laptop. It was delivered today, and yes we are now using it. I haven't formed an opinion on it yet, but I figure I will grow to love it.

On another note, the weather has turned frightful, and I don't like it. Yesterday it was near 70 degrees and today we had sleet and freezing rain. The roads were covered in slush as we headed home from work early. The kids are going to be thrilled to find out in the morning that they don't have to go to school though. As for work, Brian's employer has announced they will begin work at 10, so we will at least get a late start to the day if nothing else.

Cancelled

How Poor are You?

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 'How was the trip?'

'It was great, Dad.'

'Did you see how poor people live?' the father asked.

'Oh yeah,' said the son.
'So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?' asked the father.

The son answered:
'I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.'

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, 'Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.'

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

Best Thanksgiving Quote

"You looked better when you were fat." And no she wasn't commenting on the turkey.

No Favorites...

Come on. Don't any of my faithful readers have a Thanksgiving favorite you want to share. I know you have been here reading, so why is it no one wants to share. I never get any comments, even when I beg. There have been over 10 of you visit here since my last post...some several times and no one wants to share? Give me something to work with here...I am running out of steam on this blog and could use a little help. How about you there in Kilgore, Texas. Don't you have a favorite Thanksgiving treat? What about my visitor from Conway? It's time my readers come out of the woodwork and at least say hello... :-)

Public Service Announcement

I am a big supporter of the flu vaccine. Due to my lack of a spleen (that's another story in itself), my doctor says that it is very important that I have the vaccine every year. As flu season approaches, it's time to get vaccinated. For those of you in Arkansas, here is a link to the Arkansas Department of Health schedule for flu shot clinics. This is a great program that allows you to get your flu vaccination for FREE. Can't beat that price. So there is really no excuse not to get yours.

Seen on a Church Sign

Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

Thought provoking, isn't it? If you can't forgive me, you end up bitter, and I go on with my life...

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:25-26

Fireproof

It's not often that I want to go see a movie, but I really do want to see Fireproof. It opens today. If you haven't heard of it, I ask that you check out the trailer. It is from the same people that made Flywheel and Facing the Giants, and I expect it to be just as good.

Race for the Cure

It's about that time again. Just a few more weeks until I hit the streets of Little Rock for the Susan G Koman Race for the Cure. Once again Brian will be joining me as a participant of the Three Miles of Men. This is such a worthy cause, and I know that each of us has been touched by this dreadful disease in one way or another. So if you have been touched and would like to help work toward a cure, please consider making a donation here.

Wanna Buy a House?

It is official - our house is listed and ready to show. If you know anyone looking pass along this link.

Job's Miracle - Revisited

You may or may not remember that back in February I posted about a local boy named Job who has been through a very rough few years and the local community was trying to get him and his family a new home through the television show Extreme Makeover - Home Edition. Well it was officially announced today that he will indeed be getting a new home. Check it out... it is indeed a miracle for him and his family.