The Reveal

We have been diligently waiting to know if moving was in God's plan for our lives. Amazingly, so many variables are involved in the process.  First and foremost was the sale of our home.  Check!  That is officially completed and we are moving on.  Second, we needed to find a property/home that could possibly include a second dwelling of some sort to accommodate my mom.  We found the property and seem confident that we could add some sort of addition to make everyone happy.  Unfortunately, the cost is far more than we had anticipated.  We are knee deep in the decision making process, and we are hopeful that His light will shine brightly, so that we will make the right decisions.  As always,  patience is key.  Remaining calm has never been my strong suit, but boy, is He ever growing me up in this area!

Many of you have been asking what the place looks like so I have taken a few pictures to give you a sneak peek.  Mind you...it is a FORECLOSURE...and it is a dump.  But the bones are good and for those that know us well...you know we love a good project!! Is this ever a project!!

So...without further adieu...

 The Reveal...

The Garage

The Front  Walkway--a little heavy laden with the trees.  Needs some serious curb appeal!

 

 

 

 

The Front Door.  Looking forward to taking out that screen door and freshening this area up quite a bit!

 

 

The Entry.  Ooh La La.  Lovely isn't it?!  I can see some bead board here! Can't you?!

Surprisingly, the kitchen really isn't that bad.  Getting ride of the crib rail will be high on the list! No babies living up there! And of course some new flooring, counters, appliance, and updating hardware.

The main living area.  Not sure how we will utilize and change this space, but looking forward to the potential!

The rest of the house is somewhat of a disaster zone.  Not even willing to show you the photos, until I have some afters to go along with them!  A bit embarrassing from my perspective!

But let me end with one of the best part...the peaceful views that brings such contentment to our hearts!




 


It is our hope that on September 26th, we will be out here making all of the great changes we have in mind!  Yet, we are mindful that our Father is in complete control and if this is not in His will He will provide for our every need!

Exhaustion is setting in....

The past couple of weeks have been quite crazy in the Mann household...
Of course the biggest being that we moved into Nana's for what we thought would be just over 6 weeks. 

Don't get me wrong...We are soooo grateful for a warm home, some great home cooking, and a bed to sleep in.  But it just isn't the same as being surrounded by your own things.  Your own furnishings, your own dishes, your own junk!

After, a meeting with the contractor, a meeting with the home inspector, a meeting with the well inspector, a failed attempt to get a septic inspection because we will have to replace the tank anyway since we are adding a bedroom or two; and, after digging for an hour and a half to find the lids we gave up and said we'd just let the excavation team do it,  and finally, a second meeting with the contractor last night--well--I am exhausted.

Simply EXHAUSTED!

Who knew that God trusted us this much to go thru such craziness!

It was my hope that I was seeing  light at the end of the tunnel, September 26th--closing day!  This would keep me afloat.  And it did.  Until yesterday.  That's when the contractor stopped by to show us the second set of drawings and informed us that he would need at least 3-4 weeks inside the main home to get it up to the living conditions we are somewhat accustomed to.  So with that being said, my tunnel became a little darker.  5 weeks became closer to 8 weeks.  Mid October at best. 

The only consolation is that eventually we will have a home.  One that we can put our own mark on and make it special!

So hoping that day comes quickly!

Did I mention that school started last week and that while I work part time I have to put in full time hours the first 5 teacher work days, plus the first 3 days with students. In addition,  I have to make up a day since our quarters don't equal out. So this week I am working 3  days versus my scheduled 2 days.

Did I mention that tomorrow is Parent Information Night and I am working from 7:00a.m. to 7:00 p.m.? 

Did I mention that the kids activities are starting to take over, and that our lives are getting consumed?

I am exhausted.

Simply EXHAUSTED!

Oh the joy of life.  Thank you Lord for giving me the stamina to keep up!  I truly am grateful for all that You have given me to press on and find the simple joys.

The smiles on my students faces when I make a silly face or use a silly voice.

The excitement my children get when we tell them they can have dessert!

The joy I get when my husband stands behind me while typing this entry and rubs my shoulders.

Thank you God for all that you provide.  Good and not-so-good.  All gifts come from above and You are such a great God!

And so the journey continues...

This weekend we spent many an hour moving.

It started after a crazy day at work on Friday.  Craig forgot to sign a document on the contract for our new place and had to zip up north before 4:30 to get it signed or else our contract would become null and void, and then we'd have to start from scratch.

All is well...he made it with 5 minutes to spare!

Then around 5:30 or so we made the first furniture load.  Our dear friends were gracious enough to let us store our stuff in their garage for the next month and half.  Thanks Brian and Susan!

After a downpour on our giant TV, and a quick bite of chicken, we pressed on and made three more trips.  Thanks to our great friends and neighbors...the Quaif's, we were able to get twice as much done as we had planned.

Day 2.  Saturday.  We finished moving all of the furniture by 1:00.  Had a great send off pizza party topped off with our favorite Sam's cake with buttercream frosting.  Yummy!  Thanks Chris and Jen for remembering our favorite!!

Five hours later, with a new dishwasher installed and the cleaning started, we made our way to Nana's where we will be staying while we wait for our new home to close.  Exhausted and dead tired, we hit the sack in preparation for completing the arduous task of cleaning our "home" one last time.

Day 3.  Sunday.  The move is officially complete.  The entire house spotless.  The house warming gift for the new owners in place.  A deep sigh of exhaustion.  Sad to be leaving.  Excited for the next part of the journey....

From the bottom of our hearts...we thank all of you for making this journey run a little smoother.

My How They've Grown

When we moved into our home over 9 years ago, we increased the size of our patio.  On that day in June 2002, we decided to commemorate the occasion with our hand prints.

My how they've grown!

A Month of Rainbows

We have had an amazing month of rainbows.  Of course pictures can't possibly show the details in the colors of the light reflecting around them, but one day last week I noticed my neighbors standing outside looking up at the sky.  I went out to see what was going on and this is what I saw. 

A full arc.  It wasn't long before the second arc appeared.

 

I think what was so amazing about this particular rainbow, was the brightness.  The colors were so vivid and spectacular.

God's Glory!

A Conversation with the Cat

For the past 6 weeks or so, our nineteen year old cat has been here.  Under our bay window rolled up so no one can see him.  Or at least that's what he thinks.  So when I was coming downstairs yesterday I couldn't resist having this conversation with him.

"Forrest!"  I yell.

No response. 

I think he's deaf, but it could just be selective hearing. 

I prefer to think that he's deaf!

I get a little closer.  

"Forrest."  A little louder.  

Still no response.

"Buddy!"

"What?" He replies a bit irritated.

"Just checking on you."  I say.  "Everything okay?"

"It was. Until you interrupted a perfectly good nap." He manages to say.

"Oh.  Well I just wanted to hang out and pet you for a while."

"If you must." Clearly allowing me to do this only because he knows I am the hand that feeds him!

After very little response.  He goes back to this.

And I go back to leaving him alone to sleep in peace.  Until the next time I arouse him of course!