My Head is Still Spinning

When we moved to our current house I told everyone that we wouldn't stay here beyond five years. Much to my surprise this is exactly the case because yesterday we bought a house! This all just came about so very quickly that Keith and I are still reeling over the whole matter.

I'll give you the long version so that you know how this all came about.

As you might know, Keith and I had been starting to house shop for the past 9 months or so. We knew we specifically wanted to stay in the area that we are in now as it's close to work, school, church and family. Keith and I would take our walks and go up and down our favorite streets looking for sale signs. We also got a realtor involved and he was also alerting us to anything that looked good before it hit MLS which was appreciated. I also put the word out to anyone who would listen as I knew that 'it's who you know' goes a long way in this town!

There were quite a few individual houses that were our favorite though and we would walk by them and eye them longingly. We found out that one of them in particular was owned by a TA who works at MEI. I hunted her down and asked her if they wanted to move and sell us their house....but they did not. I told her that we liked their street so to please let us know if anything came available. So that was in the fall. Fast forward to yesterday and there was a message on our answering machine from my co-worker that her neighbor just put a sign up and perhaps we should go take a look. As soon as I heard that message my heart started racing because I knew which house she was speaking of and it was one we really liked. We called our realtor pronto to find that he was sunning himself on the beach in Mexico BUT had thankfully left the phone number of his associate who could help us out in his absence. We were able to arrange a showing that afternoon but to be honest I think we were sold BEFORE we saw the place. The price was MUCH MUCH lower than we thought we'd have to pay and the house was much bigger than we thought we could afford. It seemed that everything was working out just right (of course things always do when God's got the reins!). We walked through the house...looked at each other and said, yep. We told the realtor right there (who ended up being one of my student's dad!) that we wanted to make an offer and we did. And they accepted and we'll be moving at the beginning of April!

We didn't sleep much last night...our minds were going non-stop. Our boys are excited even though they haven't seen it yet and well....we're hard pressed to believe it's really true.

The pressure is on now to sell our house and sell it FAST! Please pray for a quick sale and completion date. I trust God's got this all worked out already so I'm not going to worry too much about that.

Thanks for sharing in our excitement!

House details:

26 yrs old

3600 sq ft

3 levels

Big yard that's level (bonus!)

Five bedrooms upstairs

Renovated kitchen & bathrooms

Freshly painted

Turn key condition

It will need a new roof and windows in the next couple of years but that didn't deter us

I wish I had pix but it hadn't hit MLS yet so there are none to show you. You'll just have to wait for that :)

Scrumptious!

Would you like to make a soup that's so good that you can't wait to make it again? Try Black Bean Soup. It's 'out of this world' good! My entire family gave it two thumbs up.

Where Do I Store My Treasure?

For the past six weeks our pastor has been doing a sermon series entitled 'Bling'. Essentially it was all about material possession and money. I think he was very brave because our church and really community at large is a wealthy one. He preached it true from the Bible and it was hard to hear for most folks...including myself!

I have always had a generous spirit internally but always considered my family's needs first. I think that in hindsight this has not been showing faith that God will take care of us. Keith and I do tithe of course but we need to consider a little more carefully what we do with our extra money because we are indeed priveledged to even have extra money. I have asked God to put opportunities in my path to help me learn to not see the money we earn as MINE but as His that he has entrusted to me to use to further his kingdom. That is an honour! I think once we have the right attitude towards money that God instructs us to have the right actions will naturally follow.

So just this morning I got an email from the PAC at Chad's school that there is a family in dire need and they were collecting food, gift cards, gas cards etc. No further details about the situation. Now I have to admit a part of me wanted to know the circumstances to see if the cause was worthy enough for me to contribute but I decided that it was not necessary to know this. I just needed to heed the call for help. I had a gift card that I had been waiting to use that I decided would be given to someone who really needed it...I just wanted it. I think we all could use a little more practice in discerning our needs versus our wants. I don't think God was 'testing' me persay but I did ask Him to give me more chances to practice being generous so I could not have possibly said no! I wonder what else is in store for Keith and I?! Maybe there will be more stories to share with you soon.

Tucking it Away in our Memories

The very last set of holiday photos! I had a hard time narrowing it down to a reasonable number so it's a bit of a bombardment. Thank you Andrew for sharing all your fabulous pictures.

I believe we left off at the zoo. Andrew got a great shot of one of the examing rooms available for public observation. Looks like wee teddy is ready for his check up.

Now we are in Legoland. This was a ride that we waited over an hour to do. It was similar to the Toy Story ride in Disney where you get a laser gun and shoot targets along the way. Very fun even though I really am a horrible shot!

This was the ride we did at the end of the day. Looks like a tame little roller coaster from the ground but it actually was a bit thrill. I screamed plenty much to the amusement of Nathan who was my seatmate!

This spinning type of ride was similar to Tilt-A-Whirl or the Teacups at Disney. Keith promised not to spin our car but totally lied and has us whipping around in a frenzy. Not impressed!

If a ride had a short line up we went on it whether the boys were keen or not. Chad was not looking forward to getting wet on this water ride at all!

The cars went round and round as there were underground water explosions blasting off intermittently. It was a bit hard to predict whether you come off the ride dry or wet!

Chad is simply enduring it while Keith is having a grand old time!

Worst parents ever...off with our heads!

I wish we would have known that you could make a purchase at the Lego store anytime during the day and they would hold your packages for you until you left. We didn't know this so we visited the store right at closing along with 1000 people with the same idea! It was nuts.

Fun times being silly with Uncle Andrew.

Faces!

Shiny happy people at the Cactus garden.

A beautiful night time shot from the back deck.

Indian Canyons. Can you see me all alone on the opposite side of the river? Shortly afterwards I decided to make my way across. I made it across successfully was very happy to keep my feet dry.

Let's just cut the road straight through the rock!

I love these cell phone towers. Might as well try to make something nice to look at out of an ugly necessity!

I love this picture...nice one Andrew!

Andrew drove back with my aunt, uncle and cousin. They stopped in their time shares along the way. Very nice place here in Oregon.

My next big project will be to chose which ones to print. What a task that will be!

Fond Memories

Only two short years ago!

Ramblings

-this is the first week since December 15th that we'll be back into a normal routine. Now that my parents are back from Palm Desert, my mom will be back to babysitting Liam on Mondays and Tuesdays and Lois will be back to Thursdays only. I really appreciated Keith's mom doing all that extra babysitting these past few weeks. This also means that our regular Monday night suppers at mom's are back on! We all missed that very much.

-Keith and I are hatching a plan for my upcoming birthday that will be a new adventure for us. Stay tuned for all the details in early February.

-I like rain....I really do. But this lack of sunshine is starting to grate on my nerves! Everything is so dank, damp and soggy. It's ugly and I'm ready for some drier weather really soon.

-Keith and I have started walking regularly again after a month plus hiatus. It's good to get back out there walking and talking. We enjoy that hour long time of chatting and catching up.

-Liam is either really wonderful or really cranky. Toddlerhood is full of extremes! One thing that doesn't change is that boy's appetite. I'm very impressed with his eating. Last night he ate half of a huge homemade hamburger, with some tater tots (okay not the healthiest meal but it's the weekend!) and a bowl of ice cream. And still...we have not found a food he won't eat.
We are slowly weaning him from the soother and most likely putting him into a bed within a few months. My baby isn't really a baby anymore!
Right now he's on a singing kick and all day long it's the ABC song with a few verses of Frosty the Snowman thrown in for good measure!
I bought the little guy a seat to put on our toilet and have been gradually introducing him to the idea of using it. What we do each night before his bath or shower is put him on it and see what happens. Most times he does a nice little pee for us and he thinks he's all that! We reward him with a smartie. I feel that soon we could probably go whole hog on the training but I am not quite ready for that yet! Very soon though.

-we are still diligently house hunting. We found the perfect house for us last week BUT it was not the perfect yard (too tiny) nor the perfect location. It was a shame to get so close but we are holding out for the house that has ALL things we want. One can always remodel or fix decor but one cannot expand the yard so some items are just non-negiotiable. We truly want to stay in our current area so are simply waiting for a 'For Sale' sign to pop up on a lawn around here. We have a realtor working for us and I am a total online MLS junkie AND we walk the streets regularly looking for signs. I think we have our bases covered!

Had Enough?

Yes you have? Too bad. Now that my parents have returned to town I have gotten my dad's pictures and wanted to post his highlights!

Oh boy did Liam ever enjoy the hot tub. It definitely wasn't relaxing having him in there with us but he had a great time.He especially liked to splash his hands in the hot tub during the day. It was the same temp as the pool unless it was turned on. All settings for the pool and hot tub were done with a remote control. So high tech!

I attempted to get my pasty white skin a sun tan but the rays were not strong enough. My mom and dad have very brown faces after 5 weeks of holidays though.

The kids swam every single day!

My parents took the boys on a hike one morning. Chad moaned and groaned about it the whole way up. He was delighted to say the least when they came to the 'trail closed' notice. Nathan was perturbed as he was all set to get to the viewpoint.

More of Joshua Tree Park.

I think I will post only one more set of holiday photos and then we'll call it a day.

Big Sigh

Food, Friends and Fellowship

There is nothing quite like an evening with excellent friends to get soul satisfaction! We spent a fabulous evening of chatting, eating and laughing at Fiona's new pad. It was a great night!

Enter the 'Professional' Photos - First Set

Andrew gave me about half of his photos from Palm Springs and I couldn't help but post just a few of my favorites. His photos are just so much better than mine and so is his camera.

The boys enjoying the 'war machines' at the Air Museum.
They volunteers there were pilots and/or war veterans at one time and really took the time to tell stories and show the kids all about the airplanes. Nathan enjoyed learning the flight simulator.

This is a great photo of the two best buddies (most of the time).

Our trip to see the birds at Salton sea.

No schedule, just stop and look at what amuses you.

Crane in flight

Millions upon millions of dead fish as far as the eye can see.

At the animal show during our visit to the Living Zoo. This creature had his eye on one particular toddler that was running around at the top of the amphitheatre. The host had asked us all to keep our small children very still but this Asian mom didn't understand English obviously!

A singing Austrailian wild dog.

Very artsy

Lunch is served. It's possible this turtle was on a weight loss plan! Salad and cat food anyone?

Spying on a cute jack rabbit into the shubbery.

More to come...stay tuned!

Plays Well With Others

A big thank you to Sonya AND Jillian AND Fiona who gave me the award of versatile blogger. To be honest this seems more like a 'meme' than an award but I am a good sport and I will play along! Okay...here we go.

Rules:
1) Thank & Link back to the person who gave you the award (Sonya, I won't link back to you since you're private)
2) Answer the following 10 questions
3) Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy
4) Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award.


1. Why did you create this blog?
I started with a 'My Space' page but found it not quite what I was looking for back in 2005. I wanted to document our lives with stories and photos via computer. A hand written journal just wasn't something I was inspired to keep up but I found a blog to be very manageable! My goal is to print my blog one year at a time as a record for our family.


2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
Friends or people I feel to be kindred spirits! Also lots of photos and recipes help too.

3. Favorite Make-Up Brand?
I'm quite low maintenance and am content with Maybelline or CoverGirl make up. I am not willing to pay large sums of money on cosmetics at this point. Maybe when I have more wrinkles!

4. Favorite Clothing Brand?
Not a brand snob at all. If the price is right, the fit is good and the quality decent I will buy it. That being said my current favorites are AE, Jean One Warehouse, GAP Outlet and very occasionally Winners.

5. Indispensable Make-Up Product?
Blush since I am a pale girl.

6. Favorite Color?
It depends on what the color is for. Decor? Neutrals Clothes? Black Cars? White

7. Favorite Perfume?
Marine Groove by Escada is what I have been wearing since Keith gave it to be a few years back. I also like the light fragrances from Body Shop. I only wear a bit so you have to get nice and close to me to smell it. For nostaglia's sake I like a whiff of 'White Shoulders' now and again but I'd never wear it. I don't really know why it's nostalgic for me but it reminds me of my childhood.

8. Favorite Film?
Could not chose one film! Sorry....there are too many great movies to just pick one!

9. What country would you like to visit and why?
Greece. I want to eat yummy greek food and see those gorgeous white washed buildings on the cliffs.

10. Would you rather forget to put on mascara on one eye or forget blush on one side of your face?
Blush...I could pinch my other cheek and make it look the same color :)

And then there was another award for a 'stylish' blog?! Hello! I'm the furthest thing from stylist but here we go anyhow!


Rules:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about this award.


1)I think that the technology these days is fantastic. I just love being instantly connected with old and new friends on blogs or social networks. It's been great to keep in touch with family that don't live in town or friends far away. Just sharing in the every day moments really keeps us connected. I love it. And I would give up my TV over my computer any day of the week!

2) I have hidden (not anymore!) dreams of being able to play the piano. One day I will get a piano, take lessons and play it for myself. I want to be able to play worship songs and hymns specifically.

3) I enjoy being home but rarely can stay home for an entire day without going nuts. I have to leave for a few moments even if for a short walk or a quick errand. Cabin fever sets in quickly but then I love coming back home again. I know in my heart I could not be a full time stay at home mom....I need to work part time for my sanity. I have all the admiration in the world to those who can do it and do it well!

4) I had a really good childhood and am super grateful for it. As one grows older they hear of all the sad childhoods people have had and it makes me very grateful for mine. It was really just amazing. Makes me realize just how much one's childhood affects the entire rest of their life.

5) I would really like to be an auntie. I've never been one and my children don't have any first cousins. I am hopeful this will happen one day.

6) Some people think I am cheap but I don't think that I am. Actually, to me a cheap person is stingy and mean with their money. Yes, I am careful with our money (which is a far cry from stingy and mean!) but that's only because I think it's something to be treated as a priveledge and I want to use it as wisely as possible. I generally don't care for frivolous spending.

7) Confrontation is something I avoid at all costs. I cannot handle disputes with people. If someone is upset with me or if I've disappointed someone I can barely function until it is settled. I really hate knowing that I am in someone's bad books...simply shrugging my shoulders and 'letting it go' does not come easy to me!

Now to award this to ten other bloggers, who are so very stylish each in their own unique way, and I love reading each one:

All done. No pressure on any of you play this game with me since these memes are time consuming and seem to hit the same person many times!
I'm fairly certain that since I've been blogging for so long that none of these 'things about me' are new news to you! I'm pretty open on my blog so it's probably all old news.
If you play along maybe I'll learn something new about YOU!

Like Father Like Daughter?

I'm not exactly sure why as a 10 year old, I dressed up in my dad's work clothes and posed as a painter but I found this photo in my old albums and thought it amusing enough for 'take me back Tuesday'.

Happy Faces

They love snow. End of story.