Weekend Rewind

Here's our weekend rewind!

We received about 4+ inches of snow by mid-morning.  Matt was supposed to fly out to Phoenix, but his flight was canceled.  He and his boss found a later flight that was still on track, booked it, and went on their way.  Thankfully, the roads between here and the airport city were clear enough to travel safely and off they flew!  After a long layover in Philly, they finally made their way to Phoenix.  Meanwhile, Mom, Asa, and I continued to work around the house.  I was supposed to have a check-up for Anna Reaghan, but it was still very snowy at that point, and I try to avoid going out in the snow if Matt's not in town to rescue me if needed!  I called and they rescheduled me for this week.  Instead Mom ran out to run a few last errands for us while Asa napped.  By this point, we were completely out of the townhouse as of Thursday (THANK YOU, MOM!!).  We had a relaxing evening at home, Asa enjoyed a bath in his BIG new bathtub (well, it's in the master bathroom, but trust me, Asa has claimed it), and Matt's trip was off to a good start.

By Saturday all boxes were unpacked!!!  We got to have more of a play day.  When Asa got up from his nap we went out for some lunch and to order a wedding gift.  We picked up some take out to reheat for dinner later and came back home to let Asa try for another nap.  It was a no-go, but that meant he was ready to go to bed at a daylight savings time adjusted bedtime. :)  Both nights, Mom and I watched an episode from Avonlea season 1 (girly sigh).  Matt always teases me about that show, but who wouldn't love more sweet story lines on Prince Edward Island after reading and loving Anne of Green Gables?!

Sunday:  Mom headed out for TN in the morning and Asa and I got ready for church.  Matt boarded a plane to come home to us--yea!!  I took pictures of the house to upload to Facebook--I'll try to post some here soon, and Asa was realllllly excited to have Daddy home again (it was very sweet).  Asa walked around showing Matt various cars he has stashed in different toy places (as if Matt hadn't seen them before!  Ha!). After Asa's rest time (he never slept--thank you, time change), we had dinner and then we went to play in the basement so Asa could show Matt the fun rice in his sand/water table downstairs.  After Asa was in bed, Matt caught up with his parents and we received a WONDERFUL call from his boss telling him to stay home and hang out with his family on Monday to catch up from the move/his weekend trip to Phoenix!  WOO HOOO!

It was wonderful to have Mom's company and help during the move and unpacking, and she even stayed a couple extra days when we found out Matt was booked last minute for the Phoenix trip.  But we are thankful she made it back home and that Matt is back home with us.  We get an extra day with Matt today to boot!  What a blessing all around! :)

Five on Friday

1.  Today I hung pictures around the house.  It's so nice to see our familiar things on the walls.  Asa's room is now done, the kitchen and living room are done, the upstairs hallways is almost done.  Yea!!

2.  Some neighbors came over this evening to introduce themselves and bring us warm, home baked brownies.  Yum!!

3.  The master bathroom in the house has a GIANT bathtub.  Asa has always been a fan of baths, but has kicked up to a whole new level of fun and anticipation now that he has a giant bathtub to play in.  He now cries, "Bath!  Baaaaath!  Baaaaaaaaaaaath!" when it's time to get out of the tub.  Bittersweet. :)

4.  We got a medium dumping of snow last night.  Probably 4+ inches total by mid-morning this morning.  It's so weird to me at this point in the year that the snow actually melts completely away and you see grass and trees and it feels like spring will come.  Then the next day everything is blanketed in white again and spring feels so very far away after all. ;)  It also makes me laugh that my hometown schools are on spring break this week.  Spring?  Where is Spring? WHEN IS SPRING?!?!

5.  I think there are only THREE boxes left to unpack in the house!  THREE!  Woo hooooo!!! :)

Moving Update

We are moved in!!!!  I really could NOT have done it without my mom's help.  I completely underestimated not only how busy Asa is now compared to 9 months ago when we moved from Florida, and I did not factor being pregnant into the equation at all.  Whereas 9 months ago Asa was not walking and played contentedly on a blanket while I packed box after box after box, now he is walking, running, and into EVERYTHING.  While I packed boxes, he unpacked boxes or made a huge mess somewhere else in the room.  Then every few boxes I'd have to stop and tidy his mess.  And then I'd have to sit down for 5-10 minutes because this baby girl is wearing me out!  I really didn't think being pregnant would affect my moving productivity or what I could physically accomplish at all.  It never entered my mind.  Boy was I wrong!  I think the fact that I'm not really showing (until maybe a week ago) aids in my forgetting that I really do have limitations because I really am pregnant!  Mom came and saved the day, playing with Asa while I packed or packing while I played with Asa, lugging things that not only should I not lift but that I physically cannot lift at this point, staying at the house while movers loaded so I could get Asa set up for a nap at the new house and Matt could unload his car of odds and ends we brought over.  She absolutely made the difference between a super stressful, frazzles, out of my mind crazy and overwhelmed move and the one we actually had that pulled together with more organization and smoothness than I could have pulled off by myself.

I also realized how INCREDIBLY gracious and merciful God was in our move from FL to OH.  AND how much I was supported by prayers of people who knew I was alone with a 10 month old and packing our house by myself.  Logistically, THAT should have felt like an impossible move, but I just kept at it day after day and it got done.  This move should have been the easier one, and it was much more difficult to pull it all together.

We had wonderful movers.  They worked really hard in the rain and went out of the way to do anything we needed.  In fact, one of them was the "extra" hand hired by another company and driver to unload our truck when it arrived in OH last June!!!  How crazy is that?!?  They were careful with everything, incredibly pleasant and respectful, and we would MORE than recommend them to anyone in this area needing movers.

We are now getting settled in.  Just about all the boxes are unpacked (again, thanks to Mom!), "homey" touches are falling into place, and we are thrilled with our new space.

I recognized through the process of this move how much owning a house when we lived in Florida gave me a false sense of security.  I felt like, "We own this place so we'll live here as long as we want to."  There was not a cognizant realization of how that could all change at any time... God can open and close doors of opportunity unexpectedly.  Renting, especially after being homeowners, has been a huge mental and emotional paradigm shift for me.  It's difficult at times that we can't make things exactly how we want them, that we are limited in our options for updates or some decorating.  Most particularly with moving back into a house but still renting, it's difficult that someone else tangibly controls whether or not we continue to live here.  The owner is open to renewing our lease at the end of our one year term, but he could change his mind between now and then and decide he wants to try and sell again.  I am confronted in a very in-my-face way with the fact that I do NOT control where I live.  NO house on this Earth is my home.  I need to live with my eyes and heart settled somewhere else.  At the same time, God has given me peace to enjoy where we are living now.  I am praying it works out for us and for our landlord for us to stay here as long as Matt is working here, but even if not I know God will provide.  And in the meantime I am determined to make this home for our family and friends.  I am not under a shadow of  feeling or fearing how temporary it could be.  I realize that, but I now also realize NO place we live is a guaranteed long term abode.  And that's okay.  I'm with my family and we're walking with God... owning a house, renting a house, or renting a 1970s townhouse. ;)  That's what really matters.

Five on Friday

1.  Snow.  More snow.  After the big dump of snow we got on Monday, we had a couple cold days and then more snow today.  I think they said it would be 2-3" when it really got going today, but they were initially calling for 5 more inches!  I am thankful that didn't pan out!

2.  I'm also thankful Matt is home this weekend!  He had business travel scheduled, but it was canceled to due the weather.  I'm glad that didn't pan out either. ;)  We like having Daddy home!  AND his company's building is without power, so he's been home with us an extra day!  TWO three day weekends in a row with him... I could really get used to this. ;)  So could Asa--he was sooooo excited when DADA was the one to retrieve him from bed this morning.  We love Dada. :)

3.  Last night as a surprise, Matt stayed outside after walking Sammy and he built us a huge snowman!  He didn't tell me--I only found out when I went looking for him out the back door afraid he'd been snatched or something.  He wanted to surprise us with something extra fun and special to do while he was (supposed to be) away.  My brother and sister-in-law gave Asa a set of snowman accessories for Christmas--reusable eyes, wooden "carrot" nose, mouth, buttons, and a hat.  It was so fun to take Asa out this afternoon to get our snowman outfitted.  We even added a scarf at Asa's insistence--he thinks scarves are fun and likes to walk around the house wearing a little toddler scarf Poppy & Nana gave him for Christmas; it was only fitting then that our snowman have one too.  I took a bunch of pictures, but I need to retrieve my card reader to upload them.  They'll get a post all of their own very very soon.  It's really cute, and I think Asa really liked it. :)

4.  We are hoping to get keys to the house on Sunday!!!!!  We are just waiting to finalize plans with the owner.  So exciting!  I cannot believe we're moving our whole house twice in 9 months, but that's okay!  Packing boxes feels very much like deja vu, but I am looking forward to getting unpacked and settled.  I know it will be a lot of work again, but there are not all the emotions involved this time that there were in leaving Florida.  I did NOT want to unpack here because that was admitting we were really staying.  This time, I am happy to unpack and stay in that house as opposed to staying in this townhouse. :)

5.  I love that Asa loves his bed.  He's playing around with naps some.  I suspect we're on the cusp of transitioning to one nap, but I'm not "helping" that along until after the move. ;)  Anyway, on days he plays in his crib through his afternoon nap he is extra tired in the evening.  It is not uncommon on those nights for me to be rocking and singing to him (usually 2-3 songs before I put him in bed) only to have him turn around, point at his crib, and happily/excitedly say, "Bed!!"  I'll ask, "Do you want to go to bed?" and he responds, "Yeah!!!  Bed!!!"  I love that bed is a happy place for him.  I love that he knows when he's tired and looks forward to resting.  It is a sweet, sweet gift to us all. :)

Five on Friday

1.  We can see the grass!!!!  WOO HOO!!  Maybe winter really WILL draw to a close! :)  In fact, Asa and I even took a late afternoon stroll around the neighborhood on Wednesday.  The fresh air was wonderful. :)

2.  Asa likes stickers... a lot.

3.  Anna Reaghan often wakes up, stretches, and dances around about halfway through a meal or right after I eat. :)

4.  It occurred to me this week that Anna Reaghan (and Asa) will get to play with my old school Littlest Pet Shop and Sylvanian Families (aka Calico Critters) toys that my parents have saved for me.  That made me smile. :)

5.  We hope to move 2 weeks from tomorrow!!  Look out new house, here we come!

A Wish List of Sorts

When we moved to Ohio, we knew we were looking for more temporary than long-term housing.  Matt needed to find a place for us to live in a price range that would not quickly deplete our savings if the house in FL stayed on the market for awhile.  It was not the time to be particularly picky.  It meets our basic needs?  Great, lease it!  And that's what he did with God's provision.  We are currently in a 2 bedroom townhouse.  It meets ALL our needs.  We and Asa each even have oversized bedrooms--ours is big enough that 1/3 of it is crafting/sewing space for me!  There is a full basement, 1/2 is finished as our guest bedroom and 1/2 is the laundry room with TONS of extra space storing the boxes of things we didn't have room for now that we lost a bit of living space, a garage, an attic, etc.  We are SO thankful for the way God provided for our needs. 

We also developed a kind of "renter's wishlist" the longer we lived here.  As in, "When our lease is up and we're looking to rent elsewhere, what kinds of things do we miss from the FL house?  What features would we like to have/have again?"  I felt very convicted that instead of worrying about where we'd end up, we needed to make a "wishlist" and prayerfully submit it to God.  One weekend we sat down and wrote down our wishlist.

Beginning March 1, we are renting a different home!  It's actually the first rental we looked at, but it meets our needs and soooo many of our wishlist items.  We couldn't pass up trying to rent it, and God opened the door for us. We are excited to have a dedicated guest room and rooms for both Asa and Anna Reaghan.  We'll have a yard for Sammy (and Asa) to play in!  We'll have a garage again, which will certainly be nice next winter and on grocery shopping days.  Laundry is on the main floor of the house--no more lugging clothes from the top floor down 2 flights of stairs to the basement and back 2 up flights of stairs.  Woo hoo!

I thought I'd share our wishlist and how God met these desires.  When we made the list, we trusted and prayed that God would either blow us away by providing a home with these features OR showing us He knows even better than we do.  We were amazed when we went down our list and compared it to this home:

• single family house, Matt preferred a house built in 2000 or newer
• it was built in 2003!
• 3-4 bedrooms
• 4 bedrooms!
• basement (partially or all finished)
• the basement is the full size of the house and 1/2 finished!
• 2 car garage with room for tool chest and double wide driveway
• it's actually a 3 car garage--plenty of room for that tool chest ;)
• 2 full baths minimum
• 2.5 baths
• prefer not laundry in the basement unless home is 1 story
• 2 story home with laundry on main floor
• non-smoked in
• check!
• separate living room and family room
• this home has only a living room, but the 1/2 finished basement and loft upstairs will be great additional play spaces for our family and friends
• separate dining room
• check!  With a beautiful bay window!
• eat in kitchen we can really eat in/space for Sammy
• there is just enough room for a table in the kitchen, and the laundry/mud room has room for Sammy's crate
• decent appliances, kitchen storage space
• the appliances are new from when the house was built.  The kitchen space isn't huge, but it will do.
• fenced backyard--no neighboring dogs
• not fenced, but plenty big for Sammy to be out on a stake.  In fact, the landlord had the same set up for his dog
• kid friendly neighborhood
• we are close to the Y, a park, and we have seen signs of kids in other yards :)
• pets allowed
• check!
• we set a price limit
• it's a couple hundred below our budget AND they landlord knocks $50 off each month when you pay on time :)
• back patio or porch
• nice back patio with room for our table + chairs and the grill
• decent utilities
• landlord's bills seem in line with friends'
• prefer location close to what we know
• we're in about the same area, just the other side of the interstate.  I can shop the same places, use the same doctors easily, get to church easily, etc.
• doable commute for Matt
• it's 2 minutes longer than where we live now
• good landlords
• he seems very reasonable
• our furniture would fit
• looks good :)
• we had a sq. footage minimum hope
• it's just over what we were looking for
• pantry
• no pantry, but we'll put shelves in the mud room across from the kitchen to store canned and dry goods
• good closet space
• every bedroom has a large walk in closet!!!  Unfinished basement + extra garage + storage shed in backyard!
• decent yard with some trees
• check!
• good neighbors, neighborhood (quiet, safe)
• seems very quiet and safe
• craft space
• we plan to put my sewing machine in the guest room.  But if we had long term guests, I could always put it in the finished basement
• allowed to paint
• we'd like to have an accent wall in each of the kids' rooms.  We're going to ask about it after we've moved in and shown ourselves to be good tenants. :)
• our washer/dryer work with the space/hook ups
• check!
• SUPER DUPER WISHLIST ITEMS (super spoiled things we miss about FL)
• primo fridge (freezer bottom)
• nope, but it IS a side by side with ice/water through the door.  A HUGE improvement from the 30+ year old fridge that freezes things we currently have
• glass top stove
• nope, but it IS a gas stove!  Yea for cooking even if the electricity goes out!
• deep & double sink
• I think it's normal depth, not extra deep like in FL.  But it IS a double sink.
• kitchen sink sprayer
• I have missed this so much for spraying off dishes and for washing my hair for a quick rinse.  This kitchen sink has a sprayer!

How amazing is that?!!?

The BIG News!!

Sorry to keeping anyone in suspense who doesn't already know the big news, but we had our ultrasound on Thursday as scheduled!

Poor Matt got turned around (GPS leads to you an address, but not necessarily the right parking garage ;)), so he was running late.  Thankfully, I was the last ultrasound scheduled for the morning, so the tech went s-l-o-w-l-y waiting for Matt to arrive.  We saw all 4 chambers of the baby's heart, valves with blood pumping through them, kidneys, the baby's stomach, fingers, toes, spine, you name a body part--the baby has it.  Praise the Lord!  Every baby is a gift, but we ARE thankful to hear this new little one is growing right on track.  The baby measured at 19 weeks 2 days and technically I am 19 weeks 3 days, so everything really is as "on track" as it could be!

When Matt made it to the office, the tech told him, "We haven't done the big look yet.  You haven't missed the big news.  I don't even know..... well, I peeked of course and I have a guess, but I didn't look hard."  Her comment made me think she saw baby boy parts... I mean to just glance and have a guess I figured it must be pretty obvious like Asa was.  She found the right area of the baby, and I saw 3 little lines... the 3 little lines that usually mean G-I-R-L!  I thought surely I was mistaken, but then the tech said, "I'm thinking little girl!"  OH MY!!  She didn't tell the doctor, so he could make his own assessment and we'd see if they agreed.  He too said GIRL.  WHOA!!!

After 5 straight boys in my side of the family, the oldest cousin finally gets another girl added to the cousin mix.  She has waited oh so patiently for this. :)  We would have been thrilled either way, but we are amazed to get to experience a son AND a daughter!  Our daughter's name is Anna Reaghan.  Anna is after Anna in the Bible.  The story of her waiting so intently for the Messiah to come, even after being widowed so early in her marriage, really stuck out.  It would be so easy to question God or focus on finding another spouse, but she faithfully turned her eyes to the Ultimate Lover of the Soul.  How we pray that for our children.  Reaghan is a name I've always loved.  We might not live in the South right now, but it's stuck with both of us and we like the Southern sound of a double name so we will be calling her by both names, "Anna Reaghan."  If she should choose to go by one or the other when she's older, we love them both and think either makes a beautiful name for a little girl or grown woman.

I was perfectly content and excited by the idea of two little boys, so I did not allow myself to dwell too much on the "girl" gut feelings I was having.  I didn't want to become disappointed if I started entertaining thoughts of dresses and bows and such and we had another bouncing baby boy after all.  But now that I CAN look at baby girl things, oh my goodness!  They're all so sweet!  I can hardly believe we are really having a girl!!  We can't wait for you to really "meet" her! :)  And we VERY much appreciate your prayers for Anna Reaghan and me as she continues to grow, for Matt as he gets wrapped around her little finger for sure ;) and cares of all of us, and for Asa as I can't pick him up/carry him around as much and he eventually adjusts to have a little sister. 

Lastly, we're hoping to move in about 3 weeks to a house we are renting!  So if you want to pray for stamina and smooth details that would be WONDERFUL!!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Matt and I have been talking a lot about God's provision during/after our move lately.  Asa and I have officially been here 6 months (plus a few days... Dec. 1 marked six months), and I feel like I'm having another wave of processing.  I think part of it has to do with Advent and Christmas.  I'm honestly struggling a little bit being excited about Christmas because everything feels so different.  It doesn't feel like there are the same holiday rhythms we found and established the last 5 Christmases we had in Florida, 4 of which were in the house we owned.  I had figured out where I best liked our various decorations... the kitchen had a kind of snowman theme, I knew the perfect places for our fiber-optic snowman (that I can't find... it's buried in the basement somewhere) and Christmas duck, I had everything "just so," and I'm really missing that right now.  We have many fewer rooms and much less living space, so on top of not having the tradition of putting certain things certain places that I liked, I'm having to pick and choose which decorations to use.  I could never use everything we have in the house we're renting.  It makes me sad. :(  I've had moments I felt like, "If we didn't have Asa, I would consider just doing a tree," but even THAT has been difficult!  So far we've only found spray painted trees!  No thank you!

So that being said, Matt and I have been talking about how much we cling to God's past faithfulness.  Almost in a way that speaks to us thinking we are responsible for keeping the blessing going.  Matt said one of the sermons I missed while I was in TN was about God's faithfulness to the Israelites when they were in the desert.  How God provided mana, and they thought they needed to collect and store it instead of trusting Him to provide exactly what they needed when they needed it.  We both commented that our hearts' first reaction is to do the same thing.  I GRIEVED leaving our pediatrician in Florida.  She truly was a God-send, and I cannot imagine her handling the issues for diagnosing and treating Asa's tongue tie more perfectly.  And yet, instead of trusting God to provide someone just as amazing and just as much of a perfect fit for our family's approach to medicine here in Ohio, I grieved leaving Dr. K and felt hopeless at times about ever finding a doctor I could like as much.  Why?  When God provides for us perfectly, why do we not SEE that faithfulness and trust and know He can only be true to Himself and will be faithful again?  His faithfulness does not always look the way I want it to, but He IS faithful.  I can rest in that.  I do not have to scramble and analyze and make a perfect pediatrician appear out of thin air.  I can pray and trust and follow.  And in fact, He did provide a pediatrician I really like so far. :)

Maybe I'm just rambling, but I wanted to share what God has shown us recently.  And in light of it, I have pulled some Christmas decorations out, put up a wreath and garland, and I'm not giving up on finding a tree. :)  God gave us sweet Christmas celebrations in Florida, and I know He can do the same in Ohio.  We're celebrating His greatest gift of all, so how can we not find some sweetness even in the middle of missing our FL traditions? :)  And we are both yearning for our hearts to enjoy blessing and rest in God's provision instead of scheming a way to maintain God's blessing on our own.  It's pretty ridiculous when you realize how you really process things on your own.  Praise God for His patience, grace, and mercy! :)

5 on Friday

1.  Asa had his check up on Wednesday.  We tried a new pediatrician here in town (we went to one when we *first* moved here and Asa had croup.  He was nice but just not the right fit for me).... and the verdict is GOOD!  I think she's as close as we'll find to Dr. Kelly up here in Ohio without actually visiting every pediatrician in town. :)  She had a great bedside manner with Asa, completing her exam with him in my lap the whole time (check!), she did not make me feel rushed at all or stupid (check!), she was receptive to how we've handled vaccines (check!), and she was super complimentary about Asa (check check! ;) ).

2.  Speaking of which, Asa is doing GREAT!  He is up to 22 lbs. 2 oz. (he has gained exactly 10 lbs. since we found out about his tongue tie the end of January/beginning February!  So 10 lbs. in 8 months vs. gaining 5 lbs. his first 7 months!  Improvement?  I think yes!  He's also gained just shy of 4 lbs. (3 lbs. 14 oz.) in the last 3 months!  I love the math!  Praise the Lord!).  His height has taken longer to get on the upswing with his increased intake, but it's finally catching up as well (just short of 30").  He is more the size of your average 12 month old, but ever since he fell off the curves his size has been about 3 months "behind" his age.  He is chipping away at that difference though and slowly closing the gap.  We are SOOOO thankful!  The doctor commented on how talkative he is and said his vocabulary is already what she'd see in an 18 month old, and she noted how developed his fine motor skills are.  That was fun because every doctor has commented on that from the very beginning. :)  They gave me an infant gown to put on him while we waited.  Asa looked at me like I was crazy when I was putting it on him, and he kept tripping on it as he tried to walk around the exam room.  I couldn't help but take a picture!

3.  We also had a big morning in Wednesday (the doctor appointment was in the afternoon).  We went to our first Bible study here in Ohio!  The women's study at the church we've been attending started last week when we were visiting family out of town, so this week was our first chance to go.  We are studying Cynthia Heald's Becoming a Woman of Simplicity.  Asa was in the nursery with 3 other "under 2s."  He did GREAT!  He cried when I left (to be expected), but he was already calming when I left the nursery corridor AND he played happily the whole 2 hours!!  During church he's only in the nursery for 1 hour max (we keep him in with us for worship until the sermon begins), so this Bible study nursery was a huge step (and praise!).  I love the head nursery lady at the church.  She already knows us by name and could not be sweeter to Asa.  She even told me on Sunday that she missed him not coming last Wednesday!  The first hour of Bible study is a whole group "teaching" time, and the second hour is broken down into small, consistent (yea for getting to know people!) discussion groups.  My group had 3 other ladies in addition to the leader.  I'm definitely the youngest person in the study, and most of the ladies are old enough to be grandmothers, but that's okay!  I'm just so thankful to be there and have the opportunity to learn and make friends!

3.  I have been on a roll with dinners this week.  On Monday I made the teriyaki burgers, Tuesday was the oriental chicken salad, Wednesday was a yummy pot roast with loads left over for another dinner in the freezer, Thursday was not mind-blowing but ham and veggies is turning into an extra freezer dinner of scalloped potatoes and ham from the leftovers--yum!, tonight was homemade pepperoni and artichoke heart pizza, tomorrow is peachy pork chops, and Sunday is chicken tortilla soup.  I am racking up lots of meals for the freezer which I love. I'm hoping to always have a week's worth of dinners in the freezer this winter in case a snow storm keeps me homebound when I'm low on groceries.

4.  Matt's new video game (Halo Reach) was released this week.  He's excited to say the least. ;)

5.  I broke out my serger today!  I wanted to make some little cloth bags for storing some of Asa's toys when he's not playing with them (namely some awesome alphabet blocks Holli & Todd gave us and Asa's toy cars), and I figured the serger would make strong reinforced seams that would withstand the tugging of an active toddler. :)  Thankfully, my grandmother left the serger completely threaded for me, so all I had to do was plug it in, turn it on, and refresh myself on a couple levers and buttons.  The I was off and running (thanks for the lesson, Grandma!).  I have a dedicated craft space in our room now (I used to sew in the dining room in FL which was easy enough to keep Asa out of when needed.  Now we have a medium-sized great room Asa is in all day long... not conducive to sewing with all the needles and scissors and such spread out, much less that my sewing mess isn't great for the dinner table ambiance ;)).  Our bedrooms is huge and I have taken over the far side with Matt's blessing and encouragement. I have a bookshelf of sewing books, 2 sets of cubbies--one for sewing materials and one for misc. craft items, a desk for sewing, and a table for cutting, the serger, whatever else have you.  I am LOVING it. :)

So this is not the crafting center in our room, but it IS our new bed frame, as promised :)

5 on Friday

1. Mom is here!  Woo hoo!  She drove up on Wednesday, and we get to keep her until Monday.  Hip hip hooray!  She is getting to see Asa walk, feed himself with a fork, eat the new foods he likes, babble all day long, wave bye-bye, tell everything "Hi!", see his new haircut, and be his sweet, sweet self. :)
2. We explored in the big(ger) city today.  We went looking for a scrapbooking store, and it happened to be in the same shopping center as a brand new Hobby Lobby and across from Michael's!  It's a good 30+ minute haul, but it would be worth it to hit all three stores with Asa.... especially if I were armed with coupons! :)
3. We also visited a little fair trade market that sells handmade goods and gifts from around the world.  They said they have a huge stock of Christmas ornaments and nativity sets they start putting out in November.  You can guess what's marked on my calendar now. ;)
4. Matt is in California for the weekend for a cadaver lab where surgeons will be testing out a new instrument he designed.  He had a safe and uneventful trip to get there this morning.  Tomorrow is the lab, and he comes back to us on Sunday. :)  What a whirlwind!
5. I made an appointment for a belated 12 month check up for Asa.  I was trying to gather some more pediatrician recommendations (kind of hard when the mommy friend-making has been slow going), and came up with one that sounds very promising.  Asa goes the middle of September.  We really appreciate prayers that this will be a great fit and that we find doctors for all of us whom we are very comfortable with, especially after leaving some of the BEST behind in Florida. 

Happy weekend to you!

A Good Day

I'll be honest, a good day seems hard to come by right now with all the transitions, grieving, letting go, unfamiliar, out of routine, and loneliness that accompanies a cross-country move.  Don't get me wrong, we have a safe, quiet place to live, I love being with Asa, and my thoughtful husband comes home every night and listens and loves me--whether I have a joyful story to tell about the day or my pending tears have reached critical mass and overflow the minute he walks through the door.  It's not *that* bad in the grand scheme of things, but moving.is.hard.

Today was a good day though, so I thought I should document that.  My mom modeled and taught me from an early age about recording blessings and praises to go back to later on down the road.  Sometimes you go back to them just to praise God again for how good He is.  Sometimes you go back to them when it's hard again and you need to remind yourself how good He is.

Asa had a great night last night.  One of the 3-4 teeth he is currently working on finally made it through yesterday and seems to have brought some relief with it.  He went from 7:30-2 (I fed him then), woke at 5:10 but I decided to give him 10 minutes and see if he'd go back to sleep.  He didn't even make it to 5:15 before he was back out!  AMAZING!  He didn't wake again until just before 8:30.... so to summarize, he did 2 long stretches, was only fed once during the night, AND he slept in.  ANNNND no illness seems to be causing the extra sleep. That is a GREAT way to start a day around here.

Asa had some play time followed by a few Cheerios until about 10:30.  He seemed tired then but decided to talk for a looong time after I put him down.  He ended up waking at 12:45.  Crazy.  He nursed and then played a little before I tried to feed him some lunch.  He wasn't too keen on pears today, and he was even a little iffy about his beloved peachies, but I wondered if his gums might still be feeling sensitive.  No harm done, we set out on our errands knowing I could always give him a snack if he was hungry later.

We went to a children's consignment store that is only about 2 miles away!  My son is not lacking in the wardrobe department, but a store where a good deal can be found is a nice place to know and get out of the house sometimes.  They had a $1 rack in front of the store where I found him a cute pair of pants.  Inside I found prices to be comparable or even slightly better than the store I frequented in Gainesville.  I found him 2 brand new looking (all 3 items I bought seem unworn) outfits for $5 each.  One is a cute button down with khaki pants and the other is an adorable summery one piece in a style Matt and I both love on Asa.  While I was in the store I heard a radio ad for Once Upon a Child (another kids' consignment store).  I decided to punch it into the Garmin and see how far it was--less than 3 miles away!  We headed to OUaC to discover it has recently moved.  It's not far from the house, but it was close enough to nap time that I didn't want to head a completely different direction to get there.  The same shopping center where it used to be also houses a Tuesday Morning and then I passed a craft store I have never heard of before.  I decided we should go in an check it out.  It's an interesting mix of Hobby Lobby/Michael's with a little bit of the random/warehouseness of Caroline Pottery thrown in. :)  But it had great prices and craft supplies for basically ever media I could think of.  Cool!  Michael's is on the other side of the Big City, so I had only located JoAnn's nearby.  Now I have an alternative when needed! :)

After I got home, Asa got to play for about 15 minutes before I put him down for a nap.  He talked for awhile again, but eventually he fell asleep.  I had to go wake him up (!!) at 5:30!  In the meantime, I got some butternut squash peeled, sliced, and started in the steamer, dinner going on the stove, and started chopping carrots for the steamer as well.  Woo hoo!

Matt got home and we all sat at the dinner table together (Asa was about done when we started, but he sat happily and played).   Then I got to hear Matt and Asa having the BEST time playing while I rinsed the dishes and got the next round of veggies into the steamer.

Asa's birthday is Wednesday, so I'm hoping to do some prep tomorrow (make his smash cake, make sure I have everything else I want for birthday meals and decorations, wrap his gifts!!).  I can't believe he's having his first birthday party.  This year has passed ENTIRELY too quickly.  He's the perfect mix of baby and boyish for a first birthday. :)

Now we get to relax and enjoy an evening together.  The week is looking up.  And we have lots of time with family coming soon, too!  Matt's parents are coming, and they haven't seen Asa since Christmas.  I am so excited for them to see how he's grown--literally, the whole tongue tie thing went down after Christmas, so he is completely different now.  Not to mention all his latest accomplishments (eating table food... he was still exclusively nursing at Christmas, crawling, pulling up, cruising, playing peek-a-boo, reading books, babbling all day long, signing, dancing, humming, motoring about the house, getting into everything in general...)!  Then in a little bit we get to take Asa to meet his other great-grandmother, great aunt, and 2nd cousin who will be visiting my family.

Thank you, Lord, for these blessings and bright spots during a difficult time of adjustment!

Pictures!!

Here is a random smattering of pictures as promised :)

weekly Snoodle picture from right after Hilton Head (April 20th)

"Pants on the ground, pants on the ground..."

being silly with the sliding doors in FL

Master bedroom in OH (still needs some tidying, etc. but it's coming along...)

the far wall is "sewing central": bookshelf with my sewing/crafting books, sewing cubbies cabinet, and desk I use to sew

Asa's room in OH

weekly pics from THIS week (2 months after the first picture in this post)

evidence of the beaver :)

Aha!!!  Dada's wallet!!!  Cha-ching!

I will buy many, many peaches...

Oh yes, I have plans...

I can't wait to go shopping!

Where should I go first?

crib with the beaver guard

entryway hallway (doorframe on the left is the coat closet, middle is a half bath, and the far right is another coat closet we use as extra pantry space and the doorway to the kitchen)

other side of entryway hallway

back left corner of great room

dining room part of great room

kitchen (looking toward front of the house/entryway)

great room (facing front of house/living room)

great room (facing back of house/dining room)

10 on Friday

This week included a LOT of unpacking, necessitating the late edition of our weekly update. :)

1. Mom came up on Monday and helped me unpack All.Week.Long. She is the BEST! We got Asa's room situated first, followed by the kitchen (those were the two rooms I had most unpacked before her arrival), then the guest room/basement, living room, and finally our bedroom. Almost EVERY box is unpacked!

2. I still feel like our stuff is just at some random vacation house, but at least I'm surrounded by things that are familiar!

3. As you saw on the video from Monday, Asa L.O.V.E.S. his walking toy! LOVES! The grin of satisfaction on his face when he is walking is *priceless.* Oh my goodness, I just want to eat him up!

4. I am starting to get a mental picture of the lay of the land here.. names of the streets I will use the most and starting to get a feel for how they intersect. Thankfully we really are close to basically everything I "need," and all the shopping is quite close together as well.

5. We succeeded this week in getting me a library card--yea! The library ladies were very kind, and I am hoping Asa & I can start going to "Babies & Books" on Monday mornings this month and meet some other moms and babies at storytime!

6. Matt's car is officially all registered for Ohio.

7. Our house CLOSED! PRAISE THE LORD! It is ONLY Him! I mean, seriously, 3 weeks from the MLS relisting to close?! No repair requests from the buyers?! I have a give HUGE props to our Realtor, Craig Wilburn (PLEASE call him if you are in Gainesville; he is WONDERFUL!!!) and we are just so thankful for the Lord leading us to him, his wisdom, his honesty about the market, and his sensitivity to our situation.

8. Speaking of which, thanks to the housing market we were upside down on our mortgage. Lovely, right? When we realized just *how* upside down, there was a lot of frustration. I admit it is/was frustrating that we pay our bills in full and on time, but other people's foolish borrowing and lending practices precipitated this housing crash. However, how about this for God's provision? We really wanted to try to have a baby a year before we did, but we felt God was telling us to wait. Among MAAAANY other things God has mercifully revealed as pieces of that puzzle about WHY He had us wait, me teaching an "extra" year allowed us to save my income that year, which cushioned our savings in a way that allowed us to afford selling our home in this market. Unexpected, but surely His provision. We Are Thankful!

9. Asa had his first "sick" doctor's appointment today. He'd had a shallow, wet cough for 2-3 days that quickly became a deep, dry, croupy cough last night. :-( I was worried how it might progress over the weekend, so we called a doctor and they kindly worked us in this afternoon. While Asa is not horrible (and thankfully the cough loosened up today, though I expect it to worsen at night again), the doctor said he is not 100% and prescribed some oral steroids to help clear up the croup. I am sorry to see my sweet boy not feeling well and hear the awful, barking cough I know so well myself from my asthma, but I cannot help but praise God we made it 11.5 months before Asa had a "sick" doctor visit! How amazing is that?! (and YEA mommy's milk!!)

10. We heard back from the metabolic geneticist, and one level of his latest round of tests (right before we moved) is still elevated. He said it suggests a B12 deficiency, so I will call him Monday to get the specifics, but in general we'll complete a month of double his B12 intake and then see where things are. He didn't sound alarmed, so I'm glad we know a hopeful "treatment." We'll be praying the increased vitamin load resolves the deficiency, but I'm thankful to have the expert involved and leading the way. :)

stay tuned for a bonus post this weekend! And I promise, I really will take pictures now that the house is coming together!

Happy weekending!

Another Big Wait

Today instead of waiting to move or for our furniture to arrive, we are waiting for G-Ma to come!  Woo hoo!  G-Ma is coming to explore Ohio with us and help me unpack!  It's a little bit of a slow process with Ba-Basa underfoot.  His room and the kitchen are really coming along, but the rest of the house leaves much to be desired!

We received our closing documents by FedEx this morning.  Tomorrow we will sign them and get them notarized and mail them back--with our keys!  This is unreal but such an answer to prayer!

Asa seems to have had another little mini growth spurt the last few days.  He seems to have one every few weeks--it's like his body really IS trying to catch up.  Amazing!  After several days of eating tons, he had a much lower volume day today (so far).  He did this right after the Hilton Head growth spurt, but that was also followed by a fever.  I'm hoping this is just a tapering of the growth spurt and not the onset of a bug!

Asa slept GREAT last night!  His room has shades but his window faces the sun in the morning, so he was waking with sunrise.  Matt installed a curtain rod last night and I put his curtains up.  It's great because the room feels more like "his" and because he did NOT wake with the sun!  He slept until just before 8 (8 was his normal waking time in FL) ANNNNND his first stretch last night was 6 hours!  He had a great morning nap earlier as well.  Praise the Lord for some rest for all!  Those teeth are still swollen along his top gums, so I am enjoy every good stretch of sleep while it lasts!

Last night we tried a local drive in restaurant called Swenson's.  We were actually looking for Sonic but switched gears.  It was good (but I like Sonic better--eek!), and we had fun watching the car hops RACE from the cars to the building (you can park anywhere in the parking lot, not just in stalls like at Sonic, and the carhops literally run FULL OUT... it's one of their "things").  Matt had a butterscotch milkshake and I had a hot fudge one.  They were yummy!

That about covers things for now.  Still unpacking and learning my way around.  Still can't believe Asa's birthday is this month!  And that reminds me you should STAY TUNED because I have an adorable video of Asa I will be posting momentarily!!

House Update

Just a little update to tell you the inspection period for the house in Florida has ended without ANY repair requests from the buyers.  PRAISE THE LORD!  They were rather stingy (in our eyes) with their offer, so it was hard not to wonder if they would be nit-picky about the house.  We had replaced every.single.appliance/system and had nothing major on our inspection when we bought it, but you just never know.  They moved the closing date up one more day another day earlier to Thursday, June 10.   I think to celebrate a bittersweet day and hopefully tip the scales to the sweet side, we will pick up some cupcakes from a local cupcake bakery.  It seems these places are all the rage in big cities with gourmet flavors and icing.  I think it will be a fun treat to celebrate good times and God's faithfulness.  Still hard to believe it will have been less than 3 weeks between MLS listing with our new agent and closing... in a month when home contracts in the US were down 40%!  WOW!

Unload Overload

So my first few days here were spent in a house completely devoid of any furniture except: 1 borrowed love seat, one coffee table (with tv on it), 2 air mattresses, and a pack & play.  Oh do we ever have the opposite "problem" now!

Our movers came yesterday, and now the house is filled with boxes and furniture. The amazing thing is that we still have room to spare.  We have just over 200 square feet more here, but we lost 2 "rooms" (3 bedrooms to 2 bedrooms, and separate living, dining, and family rooms to one great room) and no longer have a garage, attic, or shed for storage.  I wasn't sure how that would all even out.  Our plan was to use the GIANT laundry/utility room in the basement here for storage of things from the garage and attic.  I was slightly concerned we would run out of room.  I was SHOCKED when the movers left yesterday and I checked the laundry room.  Quite the contrary!  It's only 1/4-1/3 full of boxes and ladders and mowers (oh my!).  AMAZING and a huge praise.

Sammy wasn't particularly thrilled with yesterday's activities.  In Florida, we sent her for a "day stay" at our vet.  I knew she'd be a wreck and that the doors to the house would be wide open.  It was much better for her to be out of the house.  On this end, we ended up moving her crate to Asa's bathroom.  She cried and barked for about 30 minutes, which Matt felt supremely badly about because our neighbor on that side works 3rd shift and was probably trying to sleep.  Thankfully Sammy got the message we were NOT coming to free her and settled down about a half hour later.  I don't think I heard another peep from her until we let her out after the movers left.  Asa even took a nap in OUR bathroom in the pack and play!  That was especially appreciated as my attempt to get him to fall asleep in the car during his morning nap lasted all of 15-20 minutes (though that is the typical max nap for him on a car trip.  He dozes just long enough to take the edge off and limp along til the next nap attempt).

We have our back patio mostly set up.  Matt unpacked the tiles for the patio table and the cover for the grill.  There are a few odds and ends out there, but as least we can sit (and dodge golf balls) and enjoy the view.   The dining room table is also set up, so for the first time since Sunday, I got to eat at a table last night!!  Woo hoo!  The couch and love seat are *almost* where they will go, but definitely usable until our generous friend comes to pick up the table and love seat he loaned Matt when he arrived.  I unpacked our plates, saucers, and some bowls (I was really afraid the cabinets were not deep enough for our plates... we have about 1.5-2 cm to spare!), spices, cookbooks, baking stuff, cooking utensils, eating utensils, and left-over containers.  I assembled Asa's crib while Matt played with him, got his changing table/dresser back in order, and cleared a path to his chair.

Oh how I have missed that chair.  Our first few days here I was nursing him while sitting on the floor.  Let me tell you, it is not small feat to get yourself up off an air mattress (several times) in the middle of the night only to sit back down on the floor to feed a baby and then return to the air mattress.... only to do it all over again a few hours later.  Asa wasn't feeding as comfortably on the floor either, so I was pretty sore.  A folding chair procured at Walmart helped us make it til move-in day, and now I can sit and rock to our hearts' content in his chair.  Happy sigh. :)

We made our bed, but I have not found the box with our comforter yet.  I did locate shams and throw pillows.  I know it will all just be a process and to take it one day at a time.  And I can imagine how much space it will feel like we get back when the boxes are cleared out!  Right now you can't walk a foot without running into a box. :)

There's a little update on us!  I need to run to the bank and Walmart (Asa's old room faced south and his new room faces north... he is waking up with the sun--and needs curtains to help curtail this new wake up!).  Then who knows what I will unpack during the next nap time!  I'll try to take some pictures once Asa is asleep.  I'm sure you can't wait to see the boxes. :)

The Land of... (what is OH known for?)

... buckeyes, I guess.  But I honestly don't know what a buckeye is!  Guess I should Google that.  Or someone can enlighten me, if you're reading this!

Asa and I made it to Ohio yesterday.  It was his first flight, and only the 2nd time I've ever flown "alone" (you know, I had Asa in my lap, but no parents or husband with me).  It was really hard to leave Gainesville.  We'll just leave it at that since I'm alone with Asa right now and don't need to flood our new abode.  He might wash away!  He was soooo good on the airplane!  The flight from GNV to Charlotte was really light, so every passenger had her own row!  All the passengers around me SPLIT when they said we could spread out and they saw I was with a baby. ;)  It was so nice to spread out with Asa and no worry about elbowing someone when he nursed during take off and landing. Speaking of which, the flight attendant was trying to be really nice since I was alone and with a baby.  Our conversation was a bit amusing to me though:

F.A.:  Is this your baby's first time flying?
Me: Yes, it is.
F.A.:  If you have a sippy cup or a bottle, it can really help their ears during take off and landing.
Me:  Oh yes, I am going to nurse and have a cover (pointing behind me, as I had it behind my back.  Asa knows what the cover is for and gets a bit.... vocal.... when he sees it).
F.A.: (apparently all she heard was the "I have a cover part") [looking rather skeptical, but trying to be polite] Oh, you have a cover... Hmmmmm...
Me:  Right, so I can nurse during take off and landing.
F.A.:  Ohhhhh!  [silence]  That's so.... healthy for him. [walks away]

Maybe you had to be there, but it was kind of funny.  We landed maybe even a smidge early in Charlotte.  I found our next gate, called Matt and Mom, and then we took a bathroom break/diaper change and grabbed some breakfast.  The next thing I knew an hour had passed and it was 30 min. before our next flight's scheduled departure.  I packed up, walked back to the gate, and found everyone who had been waiting had already boarded.  I KNEW I wasn't late though, so I told myself not to panic.  The airline employee was helpful and when I got on the plane I saw this flight was definitely NOT light.  In fact, someone was in my seat!  The flight attendant moved him up to the front row with his wife (what he was doing in my seat, I have no idea), and I was next to some college aged guy.  Grrrreat.  Nursing discreetly in a coach airplane seat next to a frat boy.  This ought to be interesting!

Then the REALLY fun part came.  A storm rolled into the airfield, so all departures from CLT were down to ONE runway.  We sat at the gate for over an hour and a half.  At one point the passenger in front of me leaned his seat back. In my head I (judgmentally) thought, "Business men.  Grrrrrr."  I mean, I'm already squishing my 6 ft. frame and baby into the tiny airplane space.  THEN I realized he was NOT a businessman.  He was the husband of the lady traveling with 2 young children (including a baby younger than Asa) across the aisle from him.  Not.Impressed.  Asa kicked away at his seat.... and I didn't feel one bit badly about it! :)

We finally got cleared to take off around the time our flight had been scheduled to LAND in Ohio.  Just over an hour later, we touched down in OH.  Thankfully, the college guy next to me slept most of the flight, so feeding Asa wasn't as awkward as I anticipated.  And Asa napped about 30 min. while we were waiting at the gate, which certainly helped him hang in there after our pre-5:00 AM start to the day.  In the end, college guy asked how old Asa was and commented at how easy going he was and how well he did on the plane (that's my boy!) and was very welcoming and wanting to convince me how wonderful this area is when he found out we're moving here.

It was raining when we landed in OH, but we found Matt and he went to pull the car up as he hadn't seen the umbrellas stashed in my car. :)  Then it was to our new house for the first time to see it (and Sammy dog), feed Asa lunch, and try to get him a REAL nap.

I'll stop there for now.  We're still waiting on our movers.  They should be delivering tomorrow or Thursday.  I'm trying to plan out in my head where I want various furniture pieces to go.  Asa is starting on his next round of teeth.  They started swelling the DAY after our movers came.  I was hoping to unpack without a teething baby, but I am SO thankful for God's mercy that I was not alone, packing our entire house with a TEETHING baby.  God is good.

Stay tuned for more info, and hopefully some pictures soon!

Every Last Thing You Own

So, everything we own.... from the tiniest button or sewing needle to the largest piece of funiture... is now on a moving truck headed for Ohio (by way of Tennessee!  Ha!).  The movers showed up just before 9:00 this morning and finished close to 3:00, I think.  We had 3 men load everything up.  They started with most of the furniture, then added boxes, and finished with mattresses and a little more furniture.  The moving van was a biiiiiiiig looooooong one that had at least 2 other full loads and a partial load on it!  To fit all of our belongings, a few things had to be stowed under the truck!

I am thankful that, for all my sentimental attachment to our home--the first (and only!) home we have owned, the home we brought Asa home to, the home we have hosted friends and family in, the home I have tended to my family in literally all day and night for the last 11 months (since Asa arrived)--when all the things that make it a home, our home, are removed it really looks a lot more like a house.  This encourages me on the other end of this process as well.  Our new abode can take on the look of "Matt, Becca, and Asa's house (plus Sammy dog)" with our things in it.

Matt leaves tomorrow (Saturday) to begin his trek back north with Sammy.  Then he will pick up Asa and me from the airport in Ohio on Monday!  In the meantime, I have one last weekend with Asa and my mom :) in Florida.  Crazy.  Then our things should be delivered by the movers on Wednesday or Thursday of next week.  At first I was really hoping they would come on Tuesday. But judging by my aching feet and fuzzy, exhausted brain, having a day or two with no "to dos" and no boxes staring back at me when I first arrive in my new town might not be a terrible thing!

Please continue to pray for our transition, for Asa's sleeping while we're in unusual places (a hotel this weekend, then a new home without his crib when we arrive), for safety as we all travel back/to our homes, and for our house to sell.  The buyers had some inspections this week--please pray they are exceedingly reasonable in any requests and that the inspections were favorable to our house.  We would LOOOOVE to close June 11!

We love you, Gainesville!
Goodnight!

More Moving Details

I have now added the guest room, Asa's room, and family room to the list of rooms that are completely packed.  That leaves the master bedroom and lanai.  Unbelievable!  I was hoping and praying it would not come down to a mad rush on the last day, and God has been faithful to help me keep at it so it will not.  In fact, I even get to spend time with friends today and tomorrow in between odd jobs. :)  Today, Asa and I are going to my school to see friends and make sure I didn't leave anything there last year that I cannot part with. :)  Then tomorrow we get to hang out with Caleb and Melissa at Caleb's little baby pool! :)  We are also going to return a library book, mail some bills, and pick up a change of address form at the post office.... and I have 2 phone calls to make.

Today and tomorrow are also busy with appointments for our buyers.  Today they have elected to have termite and roof inspections (they're planning on replacing the roof even though the info we have indicates it's 8 years old.... whatever.  At least they are anticipating it, so if there IS a problem it shouldn't be a deal breaker), and tomorrow is the home inspection.  Please pray with us that nothing would come up that would be a deal breaker and that they are exceedingly reasonable in any requests they make.

Asa is "napping" right now, which currently translates to "talking to himself in bed."  He's too funny.  And he talks All.Day.Long. It's so fun!  It will be even more fun when there is a real word or two tossed in there. ;)

Matt flies in tomorrow!  We have not seen him in 6 weeks, and sometimes it seems like his arrival date would never get here.  It's hard to believe we will actually see him tomorrow night, and not just on a computer screen... in PERSON!  My mom is driving down tomorrow also to be here to help with whatever moving details and tasks arise.  Please pray for safe travel for both of them!

The final countdown really feels like it's on... there's a good chance all our belongings will be in the process of loading in just 48 hours..... and away we go!

Four Days and Counting...

Only four days remain until the movers come to load everything up.  I have been busy this morning and have another update!  There are some things that will remain out of boxes until Thursday night (Asa's toys, etc.), but except for those things and some wall art (just going to go around and do them all at once in some art boxes God provided through a couple at church!!), I am excited to say that that....

• kitchen is DONE (cooking area)
• eat in kitchen is DONE
• dining room is DONE
• living room is DONE
• laundry room is DONE
• linen closet is DONE
• guest room, Asa's room, master bedroom, family room, and lanai have less than 3 things each until they are DONE

This feels CRAZY.  We also have a contract on the house!  I wish I could say we're absolutely jumping up and down over it, but the buyers would not compromise at all between their offer and our asking price.  We are trying to focus on gratefulness that we HAVE A BUYER.  They are also paying cash, so the transaction cannot fall through due to financing.  Please pray there are NO problems with the inspection (we had one 4 years ago when we bought the house and there was nothing, so hopefully things are the same!) and that we do indeed close--I think we're set for JUNE 11!!!!  Praise the Lord!  It's a rough market and things aren't turning out like you'd anticipate or hope as the seller, but God is giving us a fresh start and He has provided.