All in One Piece,All in One Place

As of yesterday, the belongings in my life are all in one place,and, I am thankful to say, all in one piece after so many moves. Unfortunately the moves are not over. I don't know what it is about having all your furniture in one place, but even Dalayna said this big house finally feels like home now that the rest of us has arrived: just before we move again. We are once again very grateful to have people like Ron and Angela show up to help us, and to spend time with us. Also, our friend Frank, who gave up his whole day to drive with us to FW, help load the truck, then drive the moving truck back here so Terry could drive his own truck back. Yes, all of us in one piece and place. Yesterday I was filled with such gratitude that God is so faithful to us, even in the everyday things we take for granted. For instance, my van is 7 years old, still runs well, even with 97,000 miles on it. Terry's truck has 150, 000 miles or so on it, is 10 years old and still runs well, and has made it to both new towns of residence Best of all, they are paid for. That is something to be thankful for. I have struggled with an ungrateful heart for the past 6 months, but each time I tell someone our house sold after 4 months, and there were 5 churches praying for us, I realize how grateful I should be. Forget the job loss, we could still be jobless if not for God's graciousness. Forget the moves, we could have lost everything by now, but we haven't. I have read my Bible many times and thought how ungrateful the Israelites were when God did amazing things for them. Then I realized the finger was pointing right back at me. But each day, the gratefulness becomes overwhelming as I truly think about how much God has done for me. Without Him, how could we have even made it through these moves and job loss? And most importantly, look at all the wonderful people He has put into our lives in the past 2 years. All in one piece, all in one place, but most importantly, with a grateful heart.

House Hunters-Part 2

As of today, we are still hunting for a house. Last night did not bring us to any conclusions. I do have to say that the cute house from Sunday is still in the running. After looking last night, we decided the drive might not be so bad if you have a house that is in such great condition. Here is what we found last night: House #1-older, large yard including an apple and pear tree, raspberry bush and garden area, 3 bedrooms(one didn't even have a closet), 1.5 baths(one so small I don't see how you could fit in there), a basement(ceilings were so low I felt claustrophobic). For all the negatives we saw, somebody will find it just perfect. The kitchen is new and very nice. It just wasn't right for our family. House #2: This is one I just knew would be the perfect house from the pictures on the internet. The outside we in mint condition, with a porch(I miss mine in FW). The inside was cute, very open floor plan, nice fireplace, but the rest of the house needed serious work. There were many places, and I mean MANY where Terry said they had patched up holes in the wall. The 2nd bath had a very LARGE purple stain in the tub, and the fixtures in the master bath looked ready to fall off the wall. Even Colby spoke up about the condition, though it was because he envisioned himself alongside his dad fixing all these things. The basement was wonderful with a family room, a huge room where we could do school, 2 large bedrooms, and a large laundry room. But all the work was just a little too much. So, on to the next house, which will be tomorrow evening. Tomorrow's house is 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and three-fourths of an acre, though it is surrounded by houses. Positives for this house include it is 2 minutes from church, maybe 3, and 5 minutes for Terry to get to work. Part 3 coming tomorrow night or Friday. Let's hope there aren't too many parts to these house hunting blogs!! I have always liked looking at houses, even when I was younger I would go with my aunt Jan to look at display homes, but going through this 2X within 18 months makes me think those days of enjoying it are coming to an end!:)

House Hunters-Part 1

We looked at 2 houses on Sunday. We were actually supposed to look at 3, but when we arrived at the house, noone was home, but our realtor said there were 3 big dogs running around in the house. She could see them through the glass in the door. We were sitting in the car, windows UP, engine running and could hear them barking. Betty said they were big dogs, and by the sound of them I wouldn't doubt it. Needless to say, we didn't attempt to go in. I also had visions of dog slobber and dog hair, so I decided that house probably wasn't for me. Mind you, I have 2 dogs of my own, so I have nothing against dogs. My dogs, one of them being big, are not allowed to run through my house, even though I love them dearly!! But 3 large dogs, running wild everywhere, that is another story. The 2nd
house is absolutely wonderful. It needs a new front door and an updated garage door, but the inside is so nice. Immaculately clean is a good word, decorated like my aunt Jan's house, country baskets and things, some wallpaper, some borders, but absolutely cute. It has 3 bedrooms, with another possible in the basement, a finished basement with dry bar(we don't drink, but it would be good for sitting at to do school work), and an inground pool. It also comes with 1.5 acres of land. It has new windows, carpet, bath fixtures, water softener, newer furnace, etc. The only negative is that it would be about a 20 mile drive for Terry and no more coming home for lunch. Still, it remains on the final list for now. The first house(sorry I am going backwards) was cute, had an above ground pool, fenced yard, finished basement with fourth bedroom, rec room(including Colby's dream: a pool table), and a small family room. The kitchen was tiny and the bathrooms needed serious work. So, that one is off the list. We know we may purchase a home that needs some work, but that home had too many negatives. We are looking at another house tonight so stay tuned to House Hunters Part 2 tomorrow!!