Claire sits in the sink while Jocelyn likes to sit on the washer and put her feet in.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Child's play
While the adults are cleaning and repairing, the children are playing and getting dirty and sweaty. To remedy their condition, we have put the utility sink to good use.
Claire sits in the sink while Jocelyn likes to sit on the washer and put her feet in.
Claire sits in the sink while Jocelyn likes to sit on the washer and put her feet in.
Work continues...
Yesterday we were able to start laying the top layer of subfloor in the dining room. Cam and Anthony measured, cut and placed half the flooring in the room, while Gavin scrubbed Briannes room and vacuumed the carpet. I started vacuuming the master bedroom carpet ...... until the power head on my rainbow died.
I was vacuuming away in the master bedroom, picking up the larger pieces by hand, when I noticed something small and gold by the wall. I really thought is was a small piece of gold foil, so I tried to vacuum it up. It would not come up, only moving closer and closer to the wall until I knew there was no way the vacuum was going to pick it up without me moving away from the wall. Then, the power head started to make an unusual sound. I turned off the vacuum to take it apart and clean out the power head. After vacuuming out the inside of the power head, I put it all back together and turned it back on ..... the light on top of the power head came on, but the motor was not turning the brush. Biscuits!! On my way to ask Cam to take a look at the vacuum for me, the gold object caught my eye again, so I picked it up. It was not foil after all. It was a small pin with a small cross and the words 'Let Go Let God'. I smiled to myself as I walked out to the dining room to tell Cam about the vacuum and show him my new treasure.
The pin is now attached to my purse....
I was vacuuming away in the master bedroom, picking up the larger pieces by hand, when I noticed something small and gold by the wall. I really thought is was a small piece of gold foil, so I tried to vacuum it up. It would not come up, only moving closer and closer to the wall until I knew there was no way the vacuum was going to pick it up without me moving away from the wall. Then, the power head started to make an unusual sound. I turned off the vacuum to take it apart and clean out the power head. After vacuuming out the inside of the power head, I put it all back together and turned it back on ..... the light on top of the power head came on, but the motor was not turning the brush. Biscuits!! On my way to ask Cam to take a look at the vacuum for me, the gold object caught my eye again, so I picked it up. It was not foil after all. It was a small pin with a small cross and the words 'Let Go Let God'. I smiled to myself as I walked out to the dining room to tell Cam about the vacuum and show him my new treasure.
The pin is now attached to my purse....
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Cleaning and destruction.....
We have signed the loan application and are waiting for signed paperwork from the selling bank. While we wait, we have been cleaning and .......... cutting holes in the floor.
For some reason known only to God and the previous residents, the top layer of sub floor was removed and vinyl squares were put down on the remaining 1/2" plywood. Well, if you have ever tried to walk on 1/2" plywood resting on joists, for any length of time, you know that eventually the plywood is going to wear down and break. SO, there were numerous holes all the way through the sub floor, meaning if you had a flashlight, you could look past the insulation under the house, and all the way to the dirt!
Cam and Gavin have been crawling around on the remaining plywood, cutting out the weak and broken areas, and have successfully replaced and braced all necessary areas. Next they will be putting down the 3/4" flooring to bring the house back up to code.
While they are crawling around in the kitchen, dining room and entry way, my Mom and I have been vacuuming and shampooing the carpets. So far the play room, family room, downstairs spare room and living room are done. (Actually the living room will need another going over as the water is still coming up looking like creamed coffee.) When the living room is done, we will move on to the other downstairs bedrooms, then the stairs and the upstairs rooms. Gavin has already scrubbed the hall bathroom downstairs, so we still have the other 2 bathrooms to clean also.
I will put up more pictures as soon as I can get to a computer where I can download them!
For some reason known only to God and the previous residents, the top layer of sub floor was removed and vinyl squares were put down on the remaining 1/2" plywood. Well, if you have ever tried to walk on 1/2" plywood resting on joists, for any length of time, you know that eventually the plywood is going to wear down and break. SO, there were numerous holes all the way through the sub floor, meaning if you had a flashlight, you could look past the insulation under the house, and all the way to the dirt!
Cam and Gavin have been crawling around on the remaining plywood, cutting out the weak and broken areas, and have successfully replaced and braced all necessary areas. Next they will be putting down the 3/4" flooring to bring the house back up to code.
While they are crawling around in the kitchen, dining room and entry way, my Mom and I have been vacuuming and shampooing the carpets. So far the play room, family room, downstairs spare room and living room are done. (Actually the living room will need another going over as the water is still coming up looking like creamed coffee.) When the living room is done, we will move on to the other downstairs bedrooms, then the stairs and the upstairs rooms. Gavin has already scrubbed the hall bathroom downstairs, so we still have the other 2 bathrooms to clean also.
I will put up more pictures as soon as I can get to a computer where I can download them!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Because I promised Beth...
More pics of the house...
Greetings at the front door... (please excuse my reflection)
The front of the house from the north side...
The back of the house from the south side...
The back of the house from the north side...
Greetings at the front door... (please excuse my reflection)
The front of the house from the north side...
The back of the house from the south side...
The back of the house from the north side...
Katie...
I found a link on Brandi's blog, Living Freely, that led me to Katie. I can't wait to sit and read Katie's blog from the beginning! Thank you Brandi!
PS... Brandi, thank you for the links to the article about the Bergens, about Tom Davis and his article 'Why Christians S**k'.
“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).
PS... Brandi, thank you for the links to the article about the Bergens, about Tom Davis and his article 'Why Christians S**k'.
“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).
The Dream...
After publishing my last post and updating everyone on our current events, I thought I would be able to relax for the rest of the evening. Boy was I wrong. You see, I made statements in that post that bothered me for the rest of the evening. When we move into the new house, we will have two extra bedrooms and two bonus rooms. (One of the bonus rooms is big enough to be a bedroom but does not have a closet, the other bonus room is just big enough for a book case and two bean bags.) The statements that were bothering me were those I made regarding Cam's 'man room' and my craft room. There are already two sheds and a greenhouse on the property, and plenty of room to remodel/update the sheds. I would love to put the hobbies outside in these sheds, including the 'man room' if Cam is agreeable, and use the bedrooms for their intended purpose.
I have wanted to adopt since grade school; international, domestic, fost adopt or any combination there of. Working with Beth really brought this desire back to the forefront for me. So, all evening I was bothered by the fact that I did not express my desire to use the bedrooms to grow our family. It bothered me to the point of not being able to go to sleep last night. I had to write down my thoughts in order to allow my conscious mind to let the issue go and allow me to get some sleep.
During that sleep, I had the most vivid dream I have had in a very long time... I dreamed I was somewhere on the continent of Africa. I was either visiting or working at an orphanage. During the dream, I had the impression there was a civil war going on in the region, and I was assisting with gathering the children to either relocate, or shelter in place. The most vivid part of the dream was watching each child wander out of a small grove of trees, one at a time. A small, handsome boy, wearing only shorts...a beautiful girl, toddling toward me in a worn sun dress... As each child came to me, I wrapped my arms around them, whispering tender words to ease their individual fright, and carried them, one by one, into the building. The dream continued for some time, until I finally woke, with a deeper sense of purpose.
For the past couple of months, I have been praying for guidance. Along with that guidance, I have been praying for the patience and wisdom (that is not really the word I am looking for) to see the path God has chosen for my family and I, and the sense to follow that path without allowing my stubborn independence to distract me from His plan.
For right now I will leave you with this..."Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest, they don't have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds." (Luke 12:24). I love reading that line over and over, along with "Don't always think about what you will eat or what you will drink, and don't keep worrying. All the people in the world are trying to get these things, and your Father knows you need them. But seek God's kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well." (Luke 12:29-31).
I have wanted to adopt since grade school; international, domestic, fost adopt or any combination there of. Working with Beth really brought this desire back to the forefront for me. So, all evening I was bothered by the fact that I did not express my desire to use the bedrooms to grow our family. It bothered me to the point of not being able to go to sleep last night. I had to write down my thoughts in order to allow my conscious mind to let the issue go and allow me to get some sleep.
During that sleep, I had the most vivid dream I have had in a very long time... I dreamed I was somewhere on the continent of Africa. I was either visiting or working at an orphanage. During the dream, I had the impression there was a civil war going on in the region, and I was assisting with gathering the children to either relocate, or shelter in place. The most vivid part of the dream was watching each child wander out of a small grove of trees, one at a time. A small, handsome boy, wearing only shorts...a beautiful girl, toddling toward me in a worn sun dress... As each child came to me, I wrapped my arms around them, whispering tender words to ease their individual fright, and carried them, one by one, into the building. The dream continued for some time, until I finally woke, with a deeper sense of purpose.
For the past couple of months, I have been praying for guidance. Along with that guidance, I have been praying for the patience and wisdom (that is not really the word I am looking for) to see the path God has chosen for my family and I, and the sense to follow that path without allowing my stubborn independence to distract me from His plan.
For right now I will leave you with this..."Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest, they don't have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds." (Luke 12:24). I love reading that line over and over, along with "Don't always think about what you will eat or what you will drink, and don't keep worrying. All the people in the world are trying to get these things, and your Father knows you need them. But seek God's kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well." (Luke 12:29-31).
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Offer accepted!!!
I sit here in shock, trying hard to focus on something, anything. I can't believe we have made it to this point. Let me go back a ways...
Back in May, I found a foreclosure listing for houses in Paradise. On that list, I located a home that sounded absolutely perfect for my family; 6 bedrooms, 2 bonus rooms and .67 acres, plenty of room to live and grow. After contacting our real estate agent, Carol, we went to see the house.
Cam and I were both immediately drawn to this house. Although there is currently no garage on the property, there is definately room for one. We will have enough room for each of the girls to have their own rooms; Brianne wants black walls with white splatter and a black light, Jocelyn wants a 'Hannah Montana' room, and Claire will be happy to be able to play in her own space. Cam can have his 'man room'; somewhere between
and 
.
I will be able to have my 'craft' room, and someday I will have an outdoor kitchen for my canning
(the summers are WAY to hot for canning, but the product is much prettier if the fruit is not frozen.)
Anyway, I am rambling on.... When we decided to seriously look into buying this house, I prayed for guidance. I prayed the Lord would lead me in the direction that would be best for our family. (I also asked for assistance in keeping my eyes open to the path.)We made an offer on the house last Wednesday. On Sunday, while driving to Monterey for a week of vacation, I received a call from my sister Julie. Carol was looking for us with information about the house. I called Carol back just as we were entering Marysville. The Bank (seller) had come back with a counter offer, $10,000 less than their reduced asking price, but still $16,000 more than we had offered. After stopping in the parking lot of Carl's Jr. to talk it over with Cam and my Mom, I called Carol and told her we would take the house. (I was SOOOO nervous I thought I was going to by physically ill!) Being a Sunday, we were unable to reach our lender with the infomation, soooo, first thing Monday morning, I was on the phone againg with Carol, and Ari (our mortage broker). After much discussion, and the shock of the new monthly payment, we decided to make a counter offer on the Bank's counter offer. On Wednesday, we offered $5,000 more than our original offer, $11,000 less than the banks offer. Well, today we recieved a call from Carol...... The Bank accepted our offer!!!!!! It will be a mad dash weekend to get proof of funds statements for Carol so she can be ready to move on the offer first thing Monday morning!!!!! I still cannot believe we have finally made it to this point! Pray for us! More later!
Back in May, I found a foreclosure listing for houses in Paradise. On that list, I located a home that sounded absolutely perfect for my family; 6 bedrooms, 2 bonus rooms and .67 acres, plenty of room to live and grow. After contacting our real estate agent, Carol, we went to see the house.
Cam and I were both immediately drawn to this house. Although there is currently no garage on the property, there is definately room for one. We will have enough room for each of the girls to have their own rooms; Brianne wants black walls with white splatter and a black light, Jocelyn wants a 'Hannah Montana' room, and Claire will be happy to be able to play in her own space. Cam can have his 'man room'; somewhere between 
and 
.I will be able to have my 'craft' room, and someday I will have an outdoor kitchen for my canning
(the summers are WAY to hot for canning, but the product is much prettier if the fruit is not frozen.)Anyway, I am rambling on.... When we decided to seriously look into buying this house, I prayed for guidance. I prayed the Lord would lead me in the direction that would be best for our family. (I also asked for assistance in keeping my eyes open to the path.)We made an offer on the house last Wednesday. On Sunday, while driving to Monterey for a week of vacation, I received a call from my sister Julie. Carol was looking for us with information about the house. I called Carol back just as we were entering Marysville. The Bank (seller) had come back with a counter offer, $10,000 less than their reduced asking price, but still $16,000 more than we had offered. After stopping in the parking lot of Carl's Jr. to talk it over with Cam and my Mom, I called Carol and told her we would take the house. (I was SOOOO nervous I thought I was going to by physically ill!) Being a Sunday, we were unable to reach our lender with the infomation, soooo, first thing Monday morning, I was on the phone againg with Carol, and Ari (our mortage broker). After much discussion, and the shock of the new monthly payment, we decided to make a counter offer on the Bank's counter offer. On Wednesday, we offered $5,000 more than our original offer, $11,000 less than the banks offer. Well, today we recieved a call from Carol...... The Bank accepted our offer!!!!!! It will be a mad dash weekend to get proof of funds statements for Carol so she can be ready to move on the offer first thing Monday morning!!!!! I still cannot believe we have finally made it to this point! Pray for us! More later!
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