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?