What happened last month....

Wow, it is already JUNE!~ And literally, I just typed "May" and had to delete it. I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by.

Last time I wrote, we were "moving"....now as I write we are "living" in the house we have grown to love. We have been there a month--can't believe it! I have refinished wooden furniture for the first time, cleaned clumps of disgusting cat hair out of nooks I didn't know could contain cat hair, made jewelry hangers, scrubbed soap scum to the high heavens, grilled out, gardened, fallen in love with inanimate objects (a food processor and espresso maker, to be exact), and had a blast nesting. Goodwill here is amazing....the finds I have found!! :)

It was also one of the hardest months of my life. It is inevitable that each year, I have at least one student who is "extra super needy"...child services get involved....things get ugly fast....and before you know it, I can't sleep because of the worrying.

It's not good. It's one of my many flaws. But at least I recognize it as so (now)...not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father knowing...and He knows my needs, my students' needs, their parents needs, everything.

But OH ME OF LITTLE FAITH....(note pun on "Ye of little faith")....

How quick I am to depart from what I know to "what I think I know better..."

I can't be everyone's mom; it isn't feasible. While we were ready to step up to foster these kids, legally, family "gets first dibs." So again, here I am in this rough position where I constantly find myself....being refined in the fire to TRUST in God's plan for this "terrible situation" I see before me.

I am right where I need to be.

Between THE ROCK and a "hard place."

So many jagged edges, I'll never get out....but while I'm here, I think I should start listening harder to the Maker who smooths out all my rough edges.

"Let me help"

"Let me hold"

"Let me carry"

"Let me work"

"STOP."

That last one is the hardest. I can't stop. It isn't a concept that I've learned to proclaim yet...."I need rest!" "It isn't my worry!" "I need a break!"

Instead, I cry, "I can't take a break! What might happen?"

But that is where I am wrong.

While no one can "replace" a person, there is Someone who is way better than a "replacement"...in fact, He is the perfect solution to every situation! He knows what is best! He knows what we need!

And you know what?

He gives it to us, even when we are too stubborn to take it easily.

So now I am letting go of this situation.

I can only do my best to love; I am not a part of this "solution."

When times get rough, I need to get to my knees....not to really get to work scrubbing, cleaning, and fixing.....but to pray.

Because work and "trying" isn't the answer.

1 Peter 5:6-11:
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Spring is in the air

Spring break is so close I can taste it. :) Or maybe I am just really excited for it! :)

Two weeks to go...and this week I even have early dismissal days, which is kind of like a little breather for me. Work has been pretty intense for the past month--so much going on, heavy-duty cooking projects, hard work at the VA, starting the work for Special Olympics soccer...whew!

On top of that, the hubby and I have been shopping hard to get good deals for the new house. Bargains are my favorite. I love getting a good deal, using coupons, and comparing prices. It is like a sport. Seriously. We got an amazing deal on a huge 10-12 seater table on Saturday, and today we got a half-off deal on a new comforter from Urban Outfitters. To top all that off, we got an entire table setting for 10 for just over 100 dollars. That included a dinner plate, a salad plate, and a bowl for ten people! World Market really pulled us in and the deal was too amazing to pass up. When we have folks over we tend to run out of plates quickly, especially if there is dessert involved, so finding that deal was a huge blessing.

God really blessed us with these deals and we are so grateful. Our current comforter on the bed is semi-melted in areas and the seams are all messed up. READ: DO NOT BUY BEDDING FROM IKEA! YOU WILL REGRET IT AFTER ONLY ONE WASH!! We are also saving to put a new roof in the house, so we are certainly still working with a budget. It is great to see that you don't have to EVER pay full price for things around here! I love living in a bigger city that appreciates the reduce-reuse-recycle deal for everything, not just trash.

Can I get an AMEN?? :)

We are already planning events at the house. We want to get some of those really cute lantern lights for the garden so we can grill it up in our new garden! :) What great fun that will be!

In other news, we have been given boxes to pack up all of our things again. I have moved at least 10+ times since going off to college...what a great relief it will be to move into this home and realize that I WON'T BE MOVING in one year, which has been my usual. Technically, it seems like we moved every 10 months....so I will tell you that a good bit of our stuff is still packed up in our guest bedroom's closet from the last move. That takes a load off!

My goal: to pack each day after work for a couple of hours until it is all done. Another goal: to not pack boxes so heavy that they cannot be lifted. :)

Welcome Home, Almost....

Well, the last time I wrote we had made a bid on a house...since then, we have been moving right along the path toward a new home...

After the inspection, it was discovered that we needed a new roof and some tuck pointing....and some other simple things inside the house.

We made a counter-offer, and guess what...they accepted it with no argument--so we are in! :)

While we were waiting to see if they'd accept our counter-offer, we prayed and prayed....we prayed specifically for no other offer to be returned...we were ready to get the thing moving.

God was faithful--no argument, a garden blooming in the back yard...and an estimate for a new roof, which will be created in July (when it gets dry here). God is so good to us--we are so thankful that He is allowing us to buy this new home...a home where we can invite over lots of friends...a home we can decorate for Christmas....a home where I can make delicious preserves and roll-out cookies without hassle. :)

This week, we are waiting for an appraisal...then just waiting for the sellers to move out of the house! Our closing date when we GET THE KEYS will be on May 1--very exciting times!

Until then, I will be faithfully packing up all of our things a little at a time...glad that I have a month to do this so I can do it slowly!

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

This week at work was pretty stressful.

I hate seizures.

On Monday, we started out the week with one of my students with NO history of seizures collapsing in the lunchroom. For a minute and a half, I prayed over this kid, MY KID, asking God to make it go away. It was the longest grand mal/tonic-clonic seizure I'd experienced to date...not a fun time. Thank the Lord that my aide and I were there to get him to the ground and that I am certified in first aid. No blocked airways!

I am so thankful that the Lord was in this situation and that the kid was okay after all of that...they are following up to see if this is a new disorder or what the deal is...but I am praying against regular seizures in my classroom. Too scary.

In other news, I am soon going to be coaching Special Olympics soccer--and we will be trained by the Sounders coaches! I am so excited to see that Special Olympics are here in WA--I was really missing going to the games and seeing my kids have the opportunity to succeed and be overjoyed while playing sports.

Amidst all the drama and exhaustion I feel at work, I am thankful to be certain that God can use me here at this job.

Yes, it's stressful.

But would anyone else be here to advocate for these kids if I weren't?

Probably not.

Whether or not my worldly bosses are pleased with my constant complaints/requests on behalf of my kids, I gotta keep it up. I gotta keep going. I have to look past my own discomfort and focus what is ahead...kids who feel better about themselves. Kids who feel success. Kids who (hopefully) experience God's love because I am there.

God, please help me to be a good example. Please help me to be patient. Please help me to love.

Waiting...we meet again

So lots of crazy events over the past 24 hours. :)

Last night we signed our very first house bid. We went and checked out houses all morning and afternoon and when we were done, we knew that the time was right. So we met for a couple of hours w/ our awesome real estate agent last night and signed all the lovely paperwork to send off to the sellers.

Now we are just waiting. The bid expires tonight at 9pm. The sellers were supposed to meet at 4:30 pm with their real estate listing agent to decide on whether or not to accept our bid and reach mutual acceptance on the offer.

It's 50 minutes later, I've been making jewelry and doing laundry, and I am again waiting to see if the Lord has this in our plan or not. I also had a delectable bagel.

In general, I'm very excited to be at this point in my life, as well as this stage in the house search project. We love to have people over. We love to have room for us to invite people with kids and know we actually have the space to contain them and the outdoor area for them to play. We love to host and delight and fellowship with friends.

So now we wait and pray that we can make the next step in making this a reality. God has been so faithful in meeting our needs thus far, and I trust that He will continue to fill our cups with just the right "beverage." God knows just what we need to be able to make an impact whilst we are here. We hope and pray that this house is "The One" house just for us...but if not, we are speaking in faith when we say "We are okay." God makes me content. God is what I need.

Yes, I would love to make this house into a home.

But do I have to have it? No. God has my life under control just the way it is right now. If He so chooses to entrust us with more by giving us this home, then I pray that we will be diligent in serving and worshipping Him there. I pray that our home will be a safe place for people when they need it, and a wonderful place for our posterity to grow up.

So now I am off to put our loan info. in order...it'll be interesting to see what the final verdict is!

Saving saving saving...

So we are saving up to buy a house...pretty gritty stuff, I know. Just kidding.

But seriously. I am so a psycho budget lady...I have planned out every paycheck until when we are planning to make an offer. Mid-April is that time, and by then, the budget is set to go so we can make a down payment and be ready to move in by June, which is when our apartment lease is up.

This is a very exciting time....looking at houses with our realtor, keeping a VERY detailed notebook outlining details about each one.....getting excited and then being let down....it's all a very tiring, fun, CRAZY process. We are really enjoying ourselves.

We have conversations about doorknobs....and paint....and vintage items....and tile....and backyards...

But we are loving each minute..

Each time we are let down, we remind ourselves to trust in the Lord...He has the perfect house out there for us. The one with the perfect ratio of already done--fixer-upper. :)

Today we think we found "THE ONE"...but a will see what God has to say about it. We don't have the down payment now...and who knows if it'll still be on the market?!?! But we are trusting.

Time will tell.

There is a time for everything....a season for everything under the sun.

We look forward to being able to be in a house and having others over....having dinner parties.....filling the house with kids. But until then....we wait. Hoping to maintain patience....

;)