The House that keeps on Giving.....

The house that keeps on giving....giving me nothing but projects......My summer is starting out crazy....The first week of summer was spent with my wonderful sister and her family coming to visit....Our house was surrounded by lots of family for a week.

 This week has been spent doing the one thing we SHOULD NOT be doing.....Looking at a house closer to the boys school.......We were just driving around the other day and saw this neighborhood and there it was....The house we always wanted....Two story (my youngest used to think stairs meant wealth, so he LOVES stairs), Victorian home with a POOL!!! And the best part, empty and desperate for a family to move in and love on it........

As of today, we have submitted an offer on this house.  It has to be presented to the bank by a realtor only.  They say it could take any where from 60-90 days.  Good news:  we need all that time to finish our current house.  Bad news:  we don't get to enjoy that pool this summer......

This will be a journal of our progress on our current house and move on to the next house......

Day One:  (today) June 11:  We ( ALL four of us) cleaned out the office, swept the floor, and had to clean it with a chemical wash while someone vacuumed up the water....Hard work.....Then we put a stain on it....We, at this point, ended up being Jim and me.....Somewhere we lost the boys.......

Another project I'm working on is packing cabinets for storage.  That way I can stage my cabinets (where people will be looking)......

Finally, I purchased a table at a garage sale awhile back and finished the table but never did the chairs.  So, I am currently sanding, cleaning, and painting two of the four chairs......

Tonight, Jim and I are going to end the weekend going on a date.....We have committed to spend more time as a couple.....I can't wait to go eat with him.  We are going to Julian's.....Yum Yum.......

Measure Up....

It's amazing how you think you are okay with the outcome of something, in fact, you don't even want it, only to find out it really hurts to hear the answer is NO.....

It all comes down to "measuring up".....that is my number one enemy....I battle with this more than with anything else in the world. 

I am hurt and sad today.  I feel like I am right back where I was a few months ago.  I thought the path I was on was the way I wanted to go.  But throughout my whole journey, I prayed that if this was NOT His will, shut the door.  Today, HE shut the door.  Now, I'm left wondering what door I'm supposed to open......

Tomorrow I am going to be okay, in fact, I'm going to be good.  I have a great family that support me, NO MATTER WHAT, and a husband I love and adore more than anything.....

As much as this stings me today, I KNOW I'm walking the way God wants me to.  I have to continue to rely on HIM to show me the next steps. 

We are Family...I Got All My Sister's With Me...

Every morning I like to have my first cup of coffee out on the patio...The earlier, the better.....It truly gets me as close to God as anything else. The birds are singing, the squirrels are getting ready to attack my flower beds..My sweet boys are sleeping and NOT up.....aww, it truly doesn't get any better than that....

Recently my sister and her family were here. I like to work my butt off to get the house ready (meaning I cram everything in closets, mop my floors, and clean my carpets in hopes that they don't think we are hoarding ten-thousand dogs with that smell)...So that when they get here, we can enjoy our time on the patio....

I'm sitting here on my patio today, in silence, looking at all the empty chairs that just a few days ago had lots of family in them. This place was filled with people, laughter, stories, and food, because in our family......Where there is family, there is food.....We planned things, reminisced about the past, talked about what the future holds, and just spent time together.

My dear, sweet Aunt recently past away, and I was reminded of how short our time on this earth really is. So, my sisters and I got together and planned a "sister trip"......We are going to the place where we went as children with my Dad and Mom....I can't wait to see the places we went with my Mom. I miss her terribly....Everyday I get together with my family I think how much she would LOVE to be here with us.

God had TRULY BLESSED me with a great family. A family where no matter the age, we ALL enjoy being around each other.

Now comes the daunting task of moving all the chairs back into their places. This house will soon be on the market and we pack up ALL the wonderful memories and pictures and move to our next chapter in life......One thing is for sure....there will be more family time like this one.......

 Life is short, and life is precious....Make the most of the time you have with family and friends.....I never want to look back and WISH I had spent time with either.....I want to look back and hurt (like I am today) because I miss them so much...............