November 29, 2012
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Thursday Thankfuls
- I’m thankful for finally buying the Carpenter’s X-mess album. I love Karen Carpenter’s singing, and have thought about getting it for YEARS (decades, even), but never have, until now. There are a few I have to pass on it, but the rest are wonderful!! We really like the NSYNC ‘Home for X-mess’ album, too… but my forever ultimate favorite is Sarah MacClachlan’s ‘WinterSong’ Of course, all of the albums have songs we have to bypass (Jesus references), but I love mistletoe & holly songs… and a river to skate away on.
- Getting things done on our house. I touched up the bathroom walls, removed paint scuffs from trim, and did some clean-up. Brian helped pull down shredded wallpaper borders, and we both painted the boys’ walls. We’re in the process of replacing the destroyed borders. We’ve called a drywaller and talked to Excavator Brian about grading the drive. I’ve got paint to work on the kitchen, maybe this weekend. But the one good thing of the whole ‘house’ focus is that we’re really looking hard at our situation and rectifying long-ignored problems.
- Pictures! It’s that time of the year – when we get the kids’ photos done up. We got that done this week, and I’m SO glad – one less thing to worry about. Owen was absolutely hilarious… Aaron is still having screaming fits, but the older three were utterly painless. Our photographer was new and didn’t know enough poses to handle five children, but luckily we’ve been doing this for twelve years, so I could help out, a little. And I’m WAY more relaxed about the results than I used to be, too.
- Leftovers. We’ve been eating well this past week on leftovers. It’s nice to clear all the holiday fixings out of the fridge, too. My weight shows it. I don’t want to talk about it, thanks.
- Weight-loss Thursday is my weigh-in, and I’m not grateful for the numbers… I’m back up FIVE pounds to 190. Brian says it was water weight I lost when we had the flu, and it’s just natural it comes back. But I lost 4 pounds of water weight… what about that extra pound???? Nevermind, I don’t want to talk about it. But I *am* grateful that Brian’s agreed to shred with me. He’s just one day behind, but he’s feeling it like I am, and we’re both convinced this is a positive step in the right direction for both of us. Building endurance and strength while shedding the excess is HUGE, for the both of us.
- Getting a handle on things. It is SO MUCH NICER to be able to pull chaos back into routine. I’m very into routines – it keeps us on track, and that is very important. The flu put the hurt to our routines, but this week we’ve been able to get back on track, and I’m feeling much better about it.
- More Hanukkah decorating this year than before. Ever since we left christianity, we’ve been taking baby steps each year away from what I had been raised to do/celebrate. I love that we’re still on that journey, we’re still learning and growing and adapting to the things of Yehovah. That’s SO good!
- An unexpected check came in the mail this week. We’d thought the big check from the side work covered everything Brian had done, but it turns out there was another $300 that he’d earned that we hadn’t gotten. Surprise! That’s covering ALL of our X-mess presents, this year. (We do $60 per child… or thereabouts.)
- A warm, intimate, homey house that is energy efficient and meets our needs. If there’s one thing we’ve been made aware of the past week or two, it’s that our house is inviting, cozy, and (aside from a future space issue) is perfect for us at this time. In fact, I can’t help wondering if the whole point of the house-hunt adventure was to bring a realization that what we have set up here can’t be beat. Because the more we talk about it, look at it and compare… what we have is better.
- A meeting of minds. On the same topic, yesterday afternoon, I was looking out the window by my desk, and I thought, ‘That window could become a door, and we could add a room off the end of the house, right there, and not need to move at all!’ So when Brian came home, I said, ‘I have an idea, and just hear me out…’ and I told him what I was thinking. If we add another bedroom for the boys, we don’t have to move, and we’d have enough room, here. He grinned from ear to ear and said, ‘You aren’t going to believe this, but on the way home, I got the same idea. Only I was thinking we add 15 feet to the WHOLE end of the house, so that there’s a bedroom for the boys, and a schoolroom. We could even have a skylight in it, for you.’ ((He knows I have a thing about skylights.)) And it wouldn’t cost much, because it could just be on a slab, with no frills or fancies, just a simple and basic addition. So we’re SERIOUSLY considering that, instead.
- Guidance into our mindset. Our realtor friend came over to look at our place and give us his take on it’s worth, and… well, it was interesting. First, there’s the sobering reality that most people don’t live like we do. No TV, no fancy electronic gadgets (like Wii or iPods or whatever). Most people don’t grow the kind of garden we have – or homestead critters and fruit and stuff. Most people aren’t concerned about well depth/powerless accessibility, don’t care about whether a home has a woodstove. People don’t think like we do, don’t value what we do. But in times of difficulty, that $500,000 home isn’t going to be worth crap, but my little hidden homestead? It’s value would surpass any mega-home. Tom came thru and saw things I don’t let people see… and his jaw dropped. He had no clue about things we accept as a way of life, and probably thinks we’re crazy, but I’m okay with that (now that the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable has lessened). I just… I’m grateful the Lord led us to take a different path.
- So tomorrow is the THIRD payday in November. Do you know how NICE that is?? I‘m so blessed. Seriously. It means we’re going to end the year a little ahead. It never kicks in until the week after, of course – I don’t know why – but it’s always nice to not have to worry.
- THIRTY TWO days left to the end of the SMS period. I’m relieved. One of two things are going to happen: either we’ll be raptured and Rev 7b will be fulfilled, or we won’t, and the SMS will be done. Either way, it’ll be done, anyhow. I’m so glad. It’s been a long time, now. Nine years. I’m glad to be going into something different, regardless. It’s exciting!
Comments (2)
That is a great idea about just adding on to what you have!!! I was pretty upset when the real estate lady came through here and told us ‘get rid of the planters, get rid of the swing, get rid of the garden, and the compost pile, and the wood pile. Keep this one flower bed, and that little spot over there, and mow the rest of the yard down to make it look as big as possible!’
And she was such a freakin priss!!!!
Then when we talk to real estate agents in CO and tell them we want a half acre so we can garden, and a well if possible, and all the other things we’d like, and they’re like ‘what about this home with two full baths and a security system and walk in closets for all the bedrooms!!!’ Ummm, my entire family of six has been living out of two dressers and one non-walk in closet for the past 10 years! And one bathroom that you could swing your arms and hit all four walls! I’ll just never understand other peoples needs I reckon. I could probably make two awesome little school room/computer areas out of those big ol walk in closets though. LOL
Sorry I got lengthy… but I’m on meds and I tend to ramble. :bang: :nuts:
THAT sounds like a plan – and, honestly? Even though Steven and I both have the “move” itch, neither of us want more debt. We can buy the next door neighbor’s acreage for a LOT less than we’d need for a whole new place…..and we do need more acreage. But….so far, He hasn’t shown us how to pay for it. Ah, we’ll….we wait.
Don’t fret the weight set-back. It’ll come back off! I’m trying to break 190 myself…….