The August Mulligan

 
Is it really August already?  August 1st is officially the back-to-school season opener around here, which means that summer is on it's way out.  Well, in Texas we might feel summer for another 3 or 4 months, but in reality, August means that I can start pulling out my tall leather boots and fall "mom bag" and pretend that it is fall.  August is also time to stock up on our college game-day gear for the whole family, because college football is getting ready to take us by storm.  Pretty soon, Starbucks is also going to be getting in the spirit of things and will be bringing back pumpkin spice for my lattes.  And there's a good chance that Kohl's is getting their Christmas trees ready for display (they always seem to be on the extreme front end of the seasonal curve).  Thus, August 1st is the ultimate indicator that change is coming.

After being miserable and pregnant last year, I forgot how much I love fall and everything that comes with it!  Just thinking about mums on my front porch and fitting into my wool coat again is making me forget how quickly I started sweating on our walk today in our 100 degree heat (there's no "glistening" when it's triple digits outside.)  Something about the back-to-school season just gets me excited and jumpy. 

When I was in school (which was for most of my life up until 2 years ago), back-to-school time marked a fresh start.  It was better than New Year's, because it meant a new teacher, new clothes, new friends, new grades, and clean slate.  I've never been a fan of the New Year's resolution, but I've always enjoyed the "do-over" that I get every fall. 

I think us adults who don't ever really get a back-to-school, fresh start each fall need to give ourselves a mental break and a personal clean slate.  We need to give ourselves permission to take a mulligan and start over.  It might mean interrupting your work-out schedule that you haven't really been keeping and starting a new one.  Or it might mean starting a new Bible-reading plan because you never got yourself caught up after missing a few days on your previous plan.  Or it just mean sending some old clothes to Good Will and going shopping for yourself (doesn't every girl need back-to-school clothes every year!?).  I love starting over. 

So happy August!  I hope you find something fresh and new to celebrate over the next 31 days.  

Finally Home

 

We have finally moved into our new house.  By the grace of God, the paperwork somehow came through in time for us to close and get our keys last Monday.  How the funding was able to go through after the Fed closed and how the title lady had the willingness to stay late in order to get our documents put together on that rainy day I will never know.  Only God could work it out. Thank you God for answering our prayers.

We listed our home on May 16 and had the movers physically move us into our new home on July 16.  The entire process was a headache, nerve-racking, and an inconvenience to say the least.  Yet, it only lasted 2 months!  And now we are home!!!  (Can an Aggie somewhere give me a "whoop?"  I'm not an Aggie, but the whoop feels appropriate under the circumstances.)

During our first week in Derby House (doesn't every house need a name?) we've managed to unpack all but a couple of boxes, paint the laundry room, flood the laundry room twice, host a birthday party with the family, discover and fix a leak from our boys' bathroom, get the downstairs AC unit repaired, set up TV and internet, and actually eat home-cooked meals almost every night.  In addition, Dear Husband started his job with a new law firm and our oldest son turned 5.  Since we were kind of in the mood for change last week, we even upgraded our TVs and cell phones.  We kind of felt like we might as well rip the Band-aid off in one fell swoop and make as many changes as we could at the same time.

I cannot tell you how relieved I am that Dear Husband and I did not buy a house that needed "work."  I'm talking about the houses you see on HGTV where the new owners have to rip up floors, reconfigure kitchens, and update bathrooms.  People who buy project houses are amazing people.  I admire them and their accomplishments in transforming their homes.  But we are not these people.  We are both lawyers who know how to read and write and problem solve.  We are not handy.  We seriously considered buying a major project house, but common sense prevailed when we calculated the cost of contractors and subcontractors and inconvenience. 

So ultimately, we bought the barely lived in house--the couple who built it and owned it for the last 4 years didn't have kids! Thankfully, the only change that our house really needed was some color.  (Who really wants to live in a beige and brown house?)  The fact that our house only really needed paint is good, because the ONLY handy skills that Dear Husband and I possess involve a paint brush.  So, one of these days when we get our painting done, curtains hung, and furniture delivered, I'll share some pics.   Until then, there is more work to be done.  But at last, we're home!   

For those of you who might need my new address, feel free to shoot me an email or text and I will be happy to share my new contact information with you!!!

Mommy Got a Surprise!

 

What a surprise to find my Baby G standing up in her pack-n-play yesterday!  She's only 7 months old.  I'm not ready for her to become independently mobile quite yet.  And now I'm starting to have 2nd thoughts about the huge curved staircase in the house that I'm buying on Monday morning.  What have we gotten ourselves into?!

God is Handling the Details

If you decide that you want to do something where you pretty much have no control over the process, then try to buy or sell a house.  It won't take long to realize that nobody seems to really care about set dates--even when they're negotiated and in the contract-- and nobody seems to get the concept of good communication. Let me just say, that if I practiced law the way these bank and title folks work, I'd be disbarred.  I mean, how hard is it to meet a deadline?!  Or to return a phone call?!

Dear Husband and I are slated to close on both of our houses on Monday morning.  Only by the grace of God will this happen.  (I know, theologically speaking, only by the grace of God does anything happen.  But trust me, dealing with all these people would be 100% impossible without God.)

I've always heard the phrase that "God is in the details."  I just didn't really understand that phrase until now.  I totally get that God is in control.  But this entire real estate experience has demonstrated to me that not only is God in control of the entire process, but His timing is perfect for every single element of the process--as in every single piece of paper required for this to all go down.   He doesn't always allow things to get done a few days in advance (like lawyers prefer), but God always makes things happen when they're supposed to.  What a relief that He's in control and I'm not!

All I can do at this point is wait and trust that God is going to work it out.  I've packed all my boxes.  I've set up utilities for Monday morning.  I've booked my movers.  And I'm just letting God work it all out.  What a relief to know that He can do the impossible!

Oh Happy Day...

 

Music is a huge part of my life.  I've always loved music.  And more specifically, I've always loved church music--gospel music, hymns, praise songs, etc.  So it shouldn't be a huge shock to those who know me that I'm trying to make music a part of my children's lives too.

When many of my friends have asked me how I trained my kids to sleep through the night, they're often surprised when I say that I music-trained them.  Each child has had his or her favorite CD's of church music that I turned on each night as I tucked them into their cribs.  Within a day or 2, they would fall asleep to their music.  Or in some cases, they would sing themselves to sleep while they listened to their music.  So precious!

As the boys have gotten older I haven't done a great job continuing the church music exposure at home.  At night, they talk to each other before they sleep instead of listening to music.  In the car, I have historically forced them to listen to talk radio (as I am a political junky).  And at home, I just haven't been playing much music in the house.  It recently occurred to me that I really need to crank up the hymns and praise songs more when we move into our new house.  I'm even converting the designated "media" room in the house to a home music studio/fine arts room.  Doesn't every family need a sound-proof room to make music?  And doesn't every happy house need to have praise music flowing through it's halls on a daily basis? 

Anyway, despite my failures to promote musical awareness with my oldest children, last weekend I was pleasantly surprised.  As Dear Husband pulled into the church parking lot on Sunday morning, he said that our oldest son started singing Here I am to Worship.  Dear Husband was quite impressed! 

Our younger son also got our attention on Sunday night.  We overheard the boys playing in the room when the younger one started singing, "Oh happy day, happy day..."  As we heard him singing on key, Dear Husband and I gave each other those smug, we-are-such-awesome-parents-looks.  But then my 3 year old continued, "...happy day, when I washed my hands and rubbed them together..."  Okay, so he doesn't exactly understand the song.  He was close; but he missed the theology in its entirety.

What a good reminder for Mommy of something to work on at home.  We shouldn't leave the singing and praising God for just at church.  Wouldn't it be awesome if our homes were characterized by praise and worship on a daily basis too?!  I can't think of a better environment for raising a child.  And I think it's a great way to teach our children how to praise and worship God.

They're Starting to Get It

There's nothing more exciting than those moments when you discover that your child "gets it."  You know, those days when you overhear your child talking about God or praying when you're not around.  Lately, Dear Husband and I have been in awe of what God is doing in the life of our 4 year old.  Hallelujah!  What a change we're seeing in our formerly strong-willed son!

In addition to being very vocal about his faith lately, my son has also been on a spiritual high ever since his week at Vacation Bible School.  Not only has he been vary conscientious of his need to obey, but he's also been very quick to repent for those moments where, as he describes, "I had a dirty heart." 

It's been so fun to hear our oldest tell his little brother about the lessons that he's been learning. One night we even caught him teaching his brother the slogan that they learned at Bible school.  We overheard the two boys saying "Facing fears, trusting God" over and over again until the little one figured out the hand motions.  Later, as the boys were playing with their medieval castle and their knights, one of the boys told their daddy that the knight had just saved his wife, the Queen, from the Philistines.  My son quickly explained that the knight wasn't afraid of the Philistines, because he trusted God!  I was truly amazed at this statement.  Not only are my boys memorizing biblical truths, but they're even understanding the application of those truths.

In the midst of all the craziness that comes with moving, changing jobs (Dear Husband starts working for a new law firm on the same day that we close on our house), parenting, homeschooling, and everything else we do, it's so great to see that God is not only working in our lives.  He's also at work in the lives of our kids.   How awesome!

The Healthcare Surprise

 

I got a letter in the mail last weekend.  It shouldn't have been a shock, but I wasn't expecting this to actually happen so soon. 

My health insurance company is kicking the kids and me off of our plan.  Yep, no more group coverage through Aetna as of January 1.  Thank you President Obama.  That insurance that you told me I could keep is dropping not only my family, but their entire plan!  Aetna suggested that I seek individual coverage for myself come January.  But come on, by then no insurance company will be offering individual coverage. 

Thankfully, God is good.  My family still has the option of employer-based health insurance coverage.  So at least our entire family will be covered.  But what about everybody else?  What about those people who rely on plans like the one I've been on?  What's going to happen to them? Let's just say that U.S. healthcare is going to be a mess.  It's going to get expensive.  It's going to get ugly. 

I actually watched a legal continuing education course by some experts who couldn't even predict what's going to happen when the so-call "Affordable Healthcare Act" takes effect because there are so many rules and unknowns.  This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who watched the ridiculously huge health care bill get passed without having even been read.  Obamacare is the ultimate example of our political process gone completely wrong. 

All of those people who were told they were going to get to keep their plans and their doctors have been deceived.  The only thing we get to keep is government officials who are pushing garbage down our throats, illegals who are still crowding emergency departments, and high premiums and deductibles. 

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 6 months.  Thankfully I was given a heads up about the change that's coming my way.  Please don't sit on your hands and wait around expecting to not feel anything come January 1st.  Change is coming whether you want it or not.

Mommy Overload

So much has been happening.  I've created a number blog posts in head lately, but my blogging can't seem to keep up with my brain.  At this point, I'm not even sure what to blog about.  I think I'm on Mommy overload.

Too much is going on and I'm having attention problems.  I've tried desperately to not sit and stare at the news for the last few days, but I can't help getting caught up in the Zimmerman trial.  (Despite terrible jokes, his lawyer is making an excellent case for self defense.)  I can't help tuning in to my radio to hear the latest and greatest about the feud between Governor Perry and Wendy Davis (Still can't figure out how she can argue that the Texas Bill is bad for women--it actually protects both women and babies!) I can't seem to stay off decorating websites and HGTV shows.  (Can you blame me?  I'm practically living out House Hunters in real life!)  And on top of all this, I'm packing up my house, planning my son's birthday party, working on some legal cases, keeping up with my 92 day New Testament read-thru, attempting to cook meals with half of my kitchen in boxes, planning out all the logistics of moving, and still trying to be kind to all those around me who seem to have an opinion about everything going on with my life despite it being none of their business. 

Okay, that may have sounded a little harsh.  The truth is that I'm not good at being micromanaged.  I like to figure things out on my own.  And when I want help, I ask for it.  Other than that, I like my space.  The problem with moving is that nobody gives you space and you are completely at the mercy of all other parties involved.  Plus, you get unsolicited advice and opinions from everyone and their brother about what you should or could do with regards to everything from setting up utilities to decorating the new house.

The combination of dealing with other people plus accomplishing everything that  I actually have to do are starting to get to me.  I have to keep envisioning myself in my happy place--standing on the street corner in Waikiki outside of the Coach and Tiffany's stores sipping a latte and listening to IZ's Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  And then I have to give myself the pep talk.  "Just 2 more weeks." 

In 2 weeks, the hard part will be over.  It will be like Finals Week in law school when you've taken your last final and can at least pretend to forget everything you've jammed inside your brain for the past semester.  That feeling of "I can finally relax because nothing is pressing or pending at this time."  Oh how Mommy can't wait to finally relax!  Just 2 more weeks.

Nothing Says "Hello Summer!" Like VBS

We're in the middle of VBS this week.  Thankfully, some super smart person decided that our week should start on Sunday night, so this evening is already Day 3.  And for the first time ever, I have a child old enough to participate in all of the fun.

Well, my child thinks that the entire event is super fun.  But I'm in a state of mental fatigue.  Being stuck in a tiny classroom with 30 screaming children is probably my worst nightmare.  As a member of the Missions team, I've been given a whole entire to-do list to accomplish with each group of kiddos that comes through my room.  The problem is that every group of kiddos has about 30 kids and I only have 7.5 minutes to do everything on my list!  I'm pretty sure it took that long last night just to do a head count of the preschool red group because the leader thought she had lost someone.  Ugghhh.... 

The good news is that we have 3x the number of children attending VBS than we had last year (I think we had 225 last night).  Us leaders may not have been prepared for the large numbers of kids that were coming our way, but God is good.  His Word is being shared with over 200 children each night!  What a relief to know that my inadequacy to deal with the time and scores of little creatures under the age of 12 that come to my room really doesn't matter.  Because God is still at work.

What a joy to see little ones excited to come to church to learn about God.  If only people our age got this excited about church, maybe our world would be a better place.

Almost There

Our house is officially under contract (Hooray!). When we first listed our home we were told that the average house in our neighborhood takes approximately 30 days to sell.  There are crazy real estate happenings in North Texas and some areas are seeing bidding wars, so we kind of hoped the process might happen faster.  It didn't take us long to realize, however, that these happenings are in very specific zip codes and at very specific price points.  Thus, our house sold in about the average time other homes in our neighborhood have been selling for.  (And yes, if you read my earlier post, our home sold before our neighbors did.)

I must confess that this entire real estate process was stressful and a little scary.  Despite having completely aced Property Law in school, I still feel like an outsider to the entire process.  Plus, if you add in the paranoia that comes from having taken Property Law and from having read horrible cases of real estate disasters, you can imagine how much more scary the process was for two lawyers.  Head knowledge doesn't always translate to practical experience.  Thus, Dear Husband and I felt as dumb as the sellers that one would see on HGTV's "My First Sale."  And we analyzed and spent loads of time discussing our contracts.  Thankfully, our realtor is wonderful and very patient.

The main thing that I've learned about real estate is that the seller has NO control over the process. That said, God had His hand in every part of our process.  He led us to list our home now, rather than wait 6 months.  He helped us find a new home that meets our needs and wants.  And then He made it crystal clear that we were supposed to buy this one particular house.  It may sound strange, but 2 weeks ago, I woke up with perfect peace knowing that this specific house was the one that we were supposed to buy.  I just felt that God was telling me to stop house hunting and to wait.  At this point, our house hadn't sold, but I was confident that I was supposed to buy this one house.

That's when I made an interesting discovery.  I was being my usual nosy self and decided to do a little research on the seller of the house that God told me to buy.  (Why not figure out what kind of person is living in the house that you're going to buy, right?)  Well, it turns out that my seller just graduated from seminary and is moving away to become a pastor of a small-town Baptist church.  As it turns out, this guy and his wife needed a buyer, and we needed a house closer to our church.  And God provided.

So that's where we are right now.  We're under contract to sell and buy.  Both houses have survived inspection.  And now we get to wait and purge all of the things that we don't need.  Only a few more weeks until moving day...

He's On My Side

I love it when I wake up with a song in my heart.  Today I've been singing Whom Shall I Fear (by Chris Tomlin) all day.  There's nothing like knowing that "The God of angel armies is always by my side."

You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind me

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory

Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind me

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
I'm holding on to Your promises

You are faithful
You are faithful
You are faithful

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind me

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

 

 

Thank You God for Help With My Laundry

How in the world did people survive before the invention of the washing machine and dryer?  My dryer informed me the other night that it's functional life is over when it continuously cycled all night long on cold air.  At the same time, my washing machine has been "forgetting" to finish it's cycles.  I suppose that after almost 9 years I really shouldn't complain.  Dear Husband and I purchased this washer/dryer set for our first apartment.  And the truth of the matter is that it's really too small to support our growing family anyway.  So after doing some appliance shopping, I decided it was time to pursue an energy efficient unit with greater capacity to handle little boy messes.  And I made sure that comforters would fit inside this unit (it's disastrous when you mix potty training and a small capacity laundry unit.)

 

Normally, I wouldn't really care about not being able to do laundry for a week.  I would just let the mounds of laundry form around the house until my Monday delivery.  But with the house on the market and needing to be show-ready for any potential buyer that might want to see it, the situation has been a little tricky.  My laundry basket isn't very large, so I've actually had to do a few wash cycles and have had to hang dry my clothes overnight in the garage in front of my box fan when there is no risk of showing the house. 

 

It might seem fun and earth-friendly to do laundry in the more "natural" way, but I am not enjoying it.  Never before have I understood the advantage to having fabric softerner and heat to dry my clothes.  I have always taken this luxury for granted.  Until now. 

 

God has been very good to me to allow me to live during the era of washing machines and dryers; fabric softener and dryer sheets; multiple wash cycles and energy efficiency.  Sometimes I forget to thank God for life's little conveniences that have changed home life and mommyhood forever.  But not this week.  Thank you God for my appliances!  I can't wait to crawl into bed next week when I wash my sheets and dry them in heat again!

We are So Not Normal

When I recently predicted that things were going to start getting crazy around here, I had no idea what I was predicting.  Things have been more than a little nuts.  Last week we booked quite a few house showings during the most incovenient times.  Some unusual happenings have occurred at Dear Husband's job.  My dryer stopped drying clothes (can't wait for my Best Buy delivery next Monday!).  My remote control stopped functioning.  Baby G has started chasing our cats on her hands and knees while yelling "Da-da."  The temperature and humidity have spiked indicating that summer has arrived early.  I have been up to my elbows in medical records and legal work.  And summer is just getting started...

 

I'm starting to think that there's no such thing as "normal."  It seems that my little family is always in some sort of transition period.  When we first got married we had the graduate school phase where we anticipated starting our careers.  Then we went to law school and spent 5 years rethinking and planning our careers.  Sometime during that period I became a mother and completely gave up on everything I had planned during the previous 5 years.  After I graduated from law school, we had 6 months of "normal," which ended right in time for me to start studying for the Bar.  Following the Bar, I got pregnant and spent the majority of the next 9 months in bed dealing with sickness and preterm contractions.  Then began life with a baby.  We were kind of hoping that 2013 might be the beginning of "normal" for us.  But between listing our house for sale and dealing with some job issues, we are not even approaching the intersection of "normal" and "almost-normal."  Nope.  We're in that transition phase of keeping the house staged and show-ready while wondering what is going to happen each day at work. 

 

Some people might dread our constant state of going-and-changing, but I'm coming to the realization that change is NORMAL for our family.  Not having some sort of project or life-change to anticipate would probably drive us crazy.  In some strange way we sound unstable.  But I think that regular change is our form of adventure.  It's rather exciting to look at the future with optimism and excitement about the unknown.  When will we move?  What type of homeschool teacher will I be?  Where will our children do their extracurricular activities?  What activities will those be? and What will our legal careers look like in 10 years? 

 

It's safe to say that I don't have an answer to any of these questions.  Only God knows.  For now, I just have to take life one day at a time.  I have to give each day to God and follow where He leads.  Not being normal isn't so bad as long as I'm right where God wants me to be.

6 Months and Counting...

 

We had our first mother-daughter argument yesterday.  Sweet Baby G insisted on chewing on the cord to the lamp in my bedroom.  Mommy told her to stop playing with electrical cords.  Then she got mad.  And she ignored me.  Suddenly, my life skipped 16 years and I imagined having the same mother-daughter moment over something more "important."  (You know, like why I won't let her wear spaghetti strap shirts.)  Oh goodness.  What have I gotten myself into?  Aren't little girls fun?!

 

Baby G is already 6 months old.  She's crawling everywhere, drooling on everything, and loves to show you her 2 bottom teeth.  Although she's usually a happy child and super pleasant to be around, she has her mommy's temper, which means that when she decides she's mad, she gets herself really out of sorts.  The doctor said that she's still super tall and skinny, but her ridiculous growth speed is slowing down.  So hopefully the 12-18 month clothes that she's wearing will last us awhile (12 mo clothes in the toddler section are sooooo cute!).  At least her feet are still tiny, which is allowing us to get lots of use out of her designer shoes.

 

Hopefully my little girl doesn't grow up too fast. Despite our disagreements, we have plenty of fun together. Her adventurous spirit and sense of humor make her rather unpredictable. But maybe that's exactly what her Mommy needs--a little girlfriend to keep Mommy on her toes!

 

The Holding Pattern isn't so Bad

It's been 2 weeks, and our house is still for sale.  Thankfully, time is working to our advantage.  3 of the top 4 houses on our "potential future house list" have dropped their prices significantly over the past week.  Since waiting 2 weeks has saved us approximately $20,000 on some of these houses, I suppose waiting a few more weeks is only going to work to our advantage too--assuming that someone else doesn't buy some of these houses first.  Only time will tell...

 

The good news is that I'm still functioning--hey I'm actually blogging!--and my house is shockingly cleaner than it was when we had our open house. (Of course, as I type I'm hearing 2 little boys who are having a blast in their bath tub. So, who knows how the house will look in 30 minutes?)  But unlike some of my fellow home sellers, I haven't thrown in the towel yet. 

 

Some of my neighbors are trying to sell their large 2-story homes on my block.  Fortunately for us, ranch style homes are selling much faster than 2-stories around here.  Needless to say, some of the 2-story sellers are starting to grow tired of the process.  One neighbor informed me that she had given up on the cleaning part and would just do her best to pick up when a realtor called.  She also said that if the showing time was inconvenient, they would just head out to the backyard instead of leave.  I certainly hope that I had my best nurse/poker face on when she told me all of this, because I was horrified by her statement.  (No buyer EVER wants to see the seller or their messy house!!!!)  In my opinion, it's worth it to me to do everything to sell everytime someone comes to shop.  My housework is not going to deteriorate.  And I'm still packing up the cats, dogs, and children when a realtor comes by.  I guess we'll just wait and see who sells first.  Not that I'm competitive or anything!

 

I suppose you could say that at the moment, we're literally in a holding pattern.  We're waiting.  Between our real estate and work and homeschool plans, I think it's safe to say that at some point in the near future a whole lot is getting ready to happen all at once.  Sometimes it's okay to enjoy the calm before the storm.  Why do we never appreciate when God places us in these holding patterns?

Memorial Day

 

Happy Memorial Day!  Too often this day passes without a lot of notice.  In the past, Memorial Day has marked the end of the school year or the weekend of the Indy 500.  And in the present, I've come to realize that I don't personally have anyone in particular to memorialize on this day.  As far as I can recall, I don't personally know anyone who has died fighting for our country.  I've heard stories of great uncles who have lost their lives or limbs fighting in WWII, but these were men that I know very little about. Dear Husband and I were both blessed to have Grandfathers who fought in wars and came home.  Other than that, we are blessed to have been born in an era where the men in our lives weren't drafted and obligated to fight.  The men who we would memorialize are still alive today.  And we are both so thankful for this fact.

 

2 years ago, Dear Husband and I took our boys to San Antonio over the Memorial Day weekend.  Getting to spend my Memorial Day at the Alamo was really special.  Not only did I feel the weight of that battle on that day, but I stood outside the mission walls and watched as my Senator swore-in Navy Servicemen as United States citizens.  This was the first time that I ever really "experienced" Memorial Day. 

 

I don't have any special plans today to haul my posse around to some patriotic sight or battlefield.  I don't have any war movies cued up to record on my DVR.  And I don't have any graves to visit.  Still, I'm thankful for all those who came before me who died (or lost a loved one) so that I might live free.  Happy Memorial Day America!

 

Mommy's New Routine

So we've survived another round of house showings this weekend.  I have the utmost sympathy for people who have to do this for months or years while trying to sell their homes.  10 days of getting my house ready to be shown has turned me into a semi obsessive-compulsive cleaner.  You might think that with my type-A personality that this is not unusual.  But trust me, I've never been accused of being a super neat freak.  I've always had the ability to be organized in a messy way (much to the chagrine of my mother).  My disorganization peeked during my last pregnancy to the point where I was encouraged to hire a maid--something that I think is an utter waste of money.  So anyway, this whole keeping-your-house-beautiful thing is rather stressful for me.  And it's a new experience.

Today, however, I was able to do a victory dance.  The realtor who showed our house yesterday informed our realtor that our house was "extremely clean and well staged" so much so that his clients are thinking about making an offer.  Ironically, the only staging that we did was to move a couch and a TV to the garage.  Other than that, the supposed staging is just how we live.  (I abhor clutter and knick knacks.)  The extremely clean part is just the result of my OCD tendecies that are starting to emerge. 

Every morning I go through the same routine.  I dust, vacuum, sweep, spray the bathrooms, wipe the counters, wash the windows, light candles, and do whatever else I feel compelled to do.  Interestingly, my routine has started to get so nuts that some days I even get out the touch-up paint for the walls, spray special cleaner for the floor grout, and scrub my outside gas grill with Clorox.  I know that I'm obsessing over details that nobody really sees. But the longer the house is for sale and the more I clean it, the dirtier it is appearing to me.  Hence the fact that I was bleaching my pantry yesterday.

Needless to say, when the man said that our house was extremely clean, I was shocked.  The first thing I thought of was "Did he see the crayon mark on my son's closet wall?" or "Did he notice the blue speck of paint on the floor in the laundry room?"  My craziness has gotten to the point that I've been having nightmares where people are seeing rooms that have huge spots where I missed paint.  I mean, I'm turning into a nut case!

I've always been somewhat of a germaphobe.  But now that my germaphobe fears are combined with my real estate OCD, a whole new sort of monster is emerging.  Let's hope this monster doesn't go into heart failure when she buys a new home and has to battle with someone else's former mess. Stay tuned...

Enjoying the Process

As of noon today, our house will have been on the market for 1 week.  We've had quite a bit of traffic, but our future buyer has yet to make an offer.  Trust me, I'm not complaining.  I was getting tired-head just thinking about having to accept an offer and make an offer within days of listing the house.  Having some time to process and pray through our decisions is actually much better for type A "thinkers" like Dear Husband and me.  We are not spontaneous, go-with-your-gut people, so time is on our side. 

 

I confess that I don't enjoy my morning ritual of cleaning EVERYTHING in my home, but I secretly love having a clutter-free, clean house.  I'm thinking that if our house is for sale for a month, maybe my housekeeping skills will become an unbreakable habit (doesn't it take 30 days or so to form a habit) and I will always have a clean house.  Is it really possible?  Well, a mom can always dream...

 

Anyhow, it's kind of fun to hear what people have to say about your house.  We've had a few people say that our house and/or yard were too big--seriously?  3 bed 2 bath 1962 sq foot house on 10,000 sq foot lot is too big?--and we've had others say the house was too small.  Thankfully, all the feedback we've gotten has been on things that we cannot change.  We've been told that the house itself shows nicely.  All I can say is that it better, because I've done more housework in the last week than I did during my entire pregnancy with Baby G!!! 

 

So that's where we stand at the moment.  We have some good contenders for our "future home" and we're praying about those possibilities.  Other than that, we're secretly enjoying the real estate process and are hoping that this is the first and last time we have to do this in our forseeable future.  So why not enjoy it while it lasts?

Long Time No Write

I know, it's been forever since I sat down to blog.  I've actually had quite a few funny posts in my head, but I just haven't had the time to put the pen to paper.  Unfortunately, there's been lots to blog about!

 

I could tell you about the golf outing I had with the men in my life (Dear husband, Father, and little brother).  I probably have enough from that day to start a new blog about my family's golf adventures, but somehow I feel that I would be breaking some unspoken "guy code" if I told you about how terrible we were.  Let's just say that we were a team in a church scramble and they actually used my ball more than once.  Based on that information, you probably won't be surprised to hear that we tied for last place.  But hey, we were one of the best dressed teams out there!

 

I could also tell you about my little boy's birthday party.  He turned 3.  I was all excited to plan a Polar Express party, but instead he wanted a Ranger's baseball party.  So, we had a family outing with the grandparents to the Ballpark to watch 4 innings of our Texas Rangers (hey, we had a 5 mo old with us!)  Then we had a snow cone outing and some Texas Ranger cake.  He was thrilled.  We were happy.  3'rd birthday was a success!

 

So many other things have happened in the last few weeks, that I'm kind of sad I haven't taken the time to record all of our excitement.  Fortunately, my lack of blogging can be attributed to the fact that we've decided to make a big life change: We're Moving! 

 

Actually, we're listing our house on the market this week and will the start the house hunt accordingly.  We originally thought this could be a summer-long process until the house behind us sold on Day 0 on the market!  There's no way to predict what will happen, but it is more likely than not that we will be making a big move across town shortly. 

 

I guess you'll have to stay tuned for more...

Covered by Grace

"There but for the grace of God..." John Bradford

Over the past few weeks in our small group at church, we've been discussing "our stories" about how we were saved.  It was wonderful to hear the story of the man who had problems in his family life and with alcohol but completely changed when he found Jesus.  And I got chills when a girl told about how God got her attention when he gave her a word in a dream one night and it just so happened to be what the preacher was talking about the next morning at church (and Malachi is a random topic!)  I can definitely say that hearing personal testimonies of other believers is a way to unite a group and bring them together.  How can you not get excited with your small group when you get to hear how God is at work in all of your lives?!

 

Last week, I shared my story.  I've always kind of dreaded sharing my story in the small group setting, because it doesn't seem earth-shatteringly exciting.  I wasn't radically transformed from a person with a reputation of moral filth and addiction into a hungry Bible-consuming Christian in such a way that it shocked all who knew me.  As a result, I guess I've never felt that my story could really have the same kind of 1-2 punch on somebody's soul like the people who shared the week before me. 

 

But I've come to realize that my story is special and sweet.  Interestingly, it is very similar to my Dad's story...

 

I was saved at the age of 4.  My mom shared the story of the lost lamb with me and explained that I was a sinner who needed Jesus in the same way that the lost lamb needed Jesus.  I believed in Jesus and confessed my sins.  I gave my life to Jesus.  And ever since that time, God has been teaching me and molding me into the person I am today.  As far as I'm aware, I was never a "problem child" and never had the desire to get into any major trouble or illegal activity.  My friends probably considered me to be somewhat of a self-righteous prude, but the truth of the matter was that I honestly didn't have a desire to do what it took to be "cool" among so many of my peers.  I really wanted to obey Jesus.

 

So that's my story.  I'm not an amazing and wonderful person who was just molded out of moral cloth.  Instead, I am blessed to have been covered by grace at an early age.  Just like John Bradford said of a group of prisoners years ago, " But for the grace of God, there goes [me]."  I've certainly had struggles and have been taught numerous lessons by my Creator over the years. But by His grace, I've been able to avoid some utterly destructive paths.

 

I know that my story isn't over yet. Sanctification by Grace is ongoing. God is leading me and will use me as He sees fit.  He's taught me that other people's opinions of my decisions are irrelevant as long as I'm doing what He's called me to do.  And right now, he has me where he wants me for a reason.

 

My prayer is that He has me at home with my children so that they too can be saved at an early age.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could be covered by grace so early and protected from worldly filth?  God's grace truly is precious.  And I'm so thankful that it covers me.