Excess

As you know if you've read my blog at all, God has been using Jen Hatmaker and all things 7 to change my life.  (Side note: The Hatmaker clan will be getting their own HGTV show soon!  You must read her blog by clicking here or keep up with her on facebook for details!)  Since reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess with one group of friends and doing the subsequent Bible study The 7 Experiment: Staging Your Own Mutiny Against Excess with another group of friends, I have started to view things differently. 

I do not shop as much as I used to, because while it can be fun to look, it is not fun anymore to buy things that I don't need.  I still enjoy looking at Carter's for clothes for Lincoln, but I rarely buy because he doesn't need any more clothes.  Let's just say it's easier for me to stop this compulsion than it is for my sweet mom, and I've had to reign her in, too.  While we're on this subject, let me give you another example.  We are fortunate to be due with another baby boy this coming January, the same month that Lincoln turns two.  See this email exchange between Mom and me that occurred shortly after we found out that our second child is a boy.

Anna,
We are so excited about Baby Boy Rubin!  We went to Peebles to buy him an outfit but did not see anything we liked.  We will get some stuff (won't go overboard, you can give us some suggestions this weekend) when we go to Blowing Rock at the end of the month.  Love you, Mom

Mom,

I am actually having a boy in January which is actually what I already had....therefore any more clothes would probably be considered overboard :)  I feel like we went overboard with Lincoln's clothes the first year, so we really don't need anything.  The only thing would be a little brother or big brother outfit.  Love you, Anna 

 

Anna,

Great idea.  I will try to find Link a big brother outfit and I will buy Baby Boy Rubin #2 just one.  He can't wear all hand me downs :) Love you, Mom 

The next time I talked to Mom, I lovingly told her that Baby Rubin #2 could indeed wear hand-me-downs the first year of his life.  In fact, I'm pretty sure he's not going to care or even know the difference!  I know as our boys grow, they will develop different interests and probably not always be the same size during the same season.  But for the first year of his life, Baby Rubin #2 will be just as content in big brother's clothes as in new ones.  I adore my parents, and I know they only want to buy my children clothes because of their overwhelming love for them.  So it's hard to say no.  But sometimes enough is simply enough. 

 

Another example- Until a week ago, we had 3 crib sheets, which was plenty seeing as how I do laundry a couple of times a week and we only have one child.  But in thinking about the new baby, I have decided it's reasonable to have 4 crib sheets so we have a back-up for each child.  This Saturday I found an organic crib sheet with trucks, buses, bikes, and cars on it, and I was excited to buy it for Lincoln because he LOVES those things right now.  I actually just put it on his mattress today and he grinned and pointed and laughed.  It was awesome!  I felt OK buying that crib sheet because I knew he would love it AND I felt we would need another sheet.  The key point being the latter half of that sentence- we would need another sheet.  Quite frankly, I used to buy things because they were cute even if I didn't really need them, but now I am really trying to make sure both of those qualities are true so that I don't regret my purchases. 

 

Another super fun thing for me in planning for Baby #2 is buying a hand-me-down crib from a sweet friend in our Garage Sale for Orphans.  I got a nicer-than-I-would've-paid-for crib at half the price that I paid for Lincoln's IKEA crib, and it's special for 2 reasons.  Number one- It's from a sweet friend.  Number two- My purchase contributed to the unbelievable amount of money we made from people's unwanted items.  Read this update below from my friend Jennifer, who worked tirelessly getting this sale organized!

I want to thank everyone who donated or contributed time to the Garage Sale for Orphans.  I sent a check today for just over $1600.  It's going to a place called Ferrier Village in Haiti, which is a community of housing for orphaned teens providing them with not only a home, but an adult mentor.  Also, the money uses local materials and labor as an additional benefit to the local economy.  Thanks again!

Jennifer

Guess where the idea of Garage Sale for Orphans came from?  You guessed it!  Jen Hatmaker introduced us to an organization called Help One Now, who came up with this concept, in her 7 Bible study that we did this summer.  And Jennifer Craven took it and ran with it.  She solicited items from our group and other Bible study classes, put up signs, collected items, bought us Chic-fil-a breakfast, the list goes on...But we raised $1,600 from UNWANTED things that went to people who wanted them!  You can learn more about the whole concept of Garage Sale for Orphans by clicking here.  

One last baby note: I remember when my friend Settle was talking about getting her nursery ready.  She said something to the effect that all the decorating and pretty things we buy for the nursery are really for the parents, not the babies, because they won't even know the difference.  I had never thought about that, but it's true.  So much of what we think we are doing for others is actually for ourselves.

Ok, I'm beginning to see a pattern because most of my other examples also have to do with babies, but that's OK :) They're pretty much my life right now!  Here's another example.  When I was pregnant with Lincoln and during the first few months of his life, I seriously considered getting a mini-van.  Why, you might ask?  Let me tell you all my reasons.  

 

1) It would have more room, especially when we add another child to the mix. 

2) My driveway is narrow, and that sliding door would really come in handy.  I smile at this one because if I only knew then what I know now...(we have since sold our house to downsize and the narrow driveway is no longer an issue!)

3) My car might be kind of cramped with a big car seat. 

4) If I'm going to buy one eventually, why not buy one now and enjoy it?

5) My car is ten years old and has over 100,000 miles on it.  It's time, right? 

 

Can you see how good I am at rationalizing?  We even rented one for a weekend to go on a long trip once Lincoln was born to try it out.  But in the end, we decided against it.  For one, I was surprised to see how expensive minivans are, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't justify that kind of expense.  Even though I had labored over this decision, it was not extremely difficult in the end because I LOVE MY 2001 HONDA ACCORD with leather seats, tape player, and 6-disc CD changer, even if it does have 125,000 miles on it.  I think I even love it more than I'd love a minivan.  By some standards, it's an old car, but by my standards she's a jewel with a lot more life in her.

 

Another example: We are currently living in an 1,800 square foot, 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath house while our permanent house is being renovated.  My life is no harder or worse living here than it was in my 2,450 square foot, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath house.  No, Lincoln doesn't have a playroom here, but he plays in his room, and it's fine :)  No, we don't have a dedicated office, but I grade papers and type in the extra bedroom.  No, we don't have 3 places to eat meals, we have 2, but it's enough.  Even if we're still here when Baby #2 comes, it is enough. 

In April, I went to hear Beth Moore at a Living Proof Live event and Samaritan's Purse had a life-size "model home" that you may find in a country in Africa.  I don't remember exactly which country, but what I do remember was that everything was in the same room.  The kitchen, the sleeping area, the living area, all in a room the size of my living room.  The image of that sparsely furnished "model home" has stayed with me.  It has not stayed with me because it depressed me, because it didn't.  It opened my eyes.  I have more than I need.  Excess clutters and complicates.  Enough doesn't.  Lord, help me live and breathe enough.

 

I'm not saying that you need to do exactly what I do.  We are different people in different situations.  We have different strengths and different weaknesses.  My biggest weakness is eating out.  I have tried to cut back, but I don't want to give it up completely.  When my beloved car dies, I will probably buy a new one with leather seats instead of a used one because that's just how I roll.  I buy new, I buy nice, but I keep it for the long haul.  I can tell you that I am proud to say that I no longer buy Bumble and Bumble shampoo and conditioner at $25 a bottle because Suave and Loreal are enough.  And enough is what I want.
 

What I am saying is that maybe now is the time to examine your life and think about where you're spending your money.  What really matters to you and what doesn't?  What's going to matter in the end and what won't?  Try looking at things for what they really are: things.  Not people, not needs, just things we want and don't often need. 

Try thinking differently.  Try thinking about what you'd buy if you actually had to choose because you didn't have the luxury to buy most/all of the things you want.  There are lots of people in this world who don't have the choice.  If you do, whether you believe it or not, you are a "have" in a world filled with "have nots" whose children's lives can be permanently, positively changed with $30 a month or where a few hundred dollars for a well can provide access to clean water that could literally save hundreds of lives.  That matters.  A new minivan for me or new clothes for Baby #2 or new _________ for you doesn't. 

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.              -Matthew 6:19-21 

I think financing a well in another country is storing up treasure in heaven.  I think tutoring a student at Ashley Elementary once a week for an hour is storing up treasure in heaven.  I think packing a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child is storing up treasure in heaven.

We don't always get to see the results of our giving, especially when it's halfway around the world.  But one of the things I look forward to most about heaven is seeing how one person's generosity truly changed the lives of people in ways they never knew about on this earth. 

What kind of treasure are you storing up?

My friend Settle

Maybe you have met someone like her before.  Someone who makes you feel better just by being in the same room.  She smiles often, compliments generously, and exudes humbleness and warmth.  Her name is Settle. 

I met her in grad school, and we journeyed together for the next 15 months and beyond.  She lived in Chapel Hill and I lived in Winston-Salem, but our friendship grew throughout school.  At graduation, she surprised us by announcing she was expecting twins!  When she was pregnant with those twins, we relaxed at the beach with her as those sweet boys grew in her belly.  We went to the twins' shower, and visited them when they were tiny.  We went to see them each summer, and she brought them to see my new house. 

Fast forward a couple of years and she is expecting again, another boy!  This time, though, she emails a request for prayers as she starts having complications around 20 weeks.  Then this stay-at-home mother of two is put on bed rest in the hospital.  Her family and friends rally around her, her husband, and her boys, filling in the gap until the new precious one arrives at around 30 weeks.  How many prayers were sent up for this family and this child!  But praise be to God, he made it and came home around his original due date!  In Settle's words,

Well Friends,

After:

-10 weeks of bed rest

-6 weeks of hospitalization prior to Duncan's birth

-a 20% chance of survival outside of the womb

-67 days in utero without amniotic fluid

-over 110 trips in a row to Duke made by Jeff

-66 days in the NICU at Duke....

He's HOME!!!!  Duncan Jeffrey Monroe met his big brothers, Jack and Webb, for the first time yesterday.  They already love their brother and have given him tons of kisses and "gentle" pats.  We are so thankful for all your support.  Praise be to God that this miracle baby is finally home, where he belongs. 

Love,

Settle

We rejoiced with them that Baby Duncan was home.  We visited and saw him with his big brothers.  We were thankful.

Fast forward again, nine months later.  You get an email from a friend of Settle's asking if you've heard about Webb.  You haven't, so you call the friend.  You can't believe what she says.  Webb has suddenly, unexpectedly passed away in his sleep.  How can this be?  How can this happen to this family?  They've been through so much, and they've trusted Him the whole time.  No one ever, ever deserves this, but she seems like the most unlikely candidate of all.  You pray, you read the obituary, you go to the memorial service, you wonder how anyone can plan such a hopeful obituary and service in this kind of pain, you hug the grieving mother, but you can hardly bear to see her and you cannot bear to think of the weight of this burden.

You send emails, prayers, and a CD over the next few weeks.  You think of her often.  How can you not?  How can you not think of this friend whose life has forever been altered?  You wonder how she keeps going.  The CD you sent was one of Sara Groves because it had these words.  You believe them, and you pray they bring her some comfort in the midst of her grief.  The song is called "Open My Hands," and you can listen to it by clicking on the title.

I believe in a blessing I don't understand
I've seen rain fall on the wicked and the just
Rain is no measure of his faithfulness
He withholds no good thing from us
No good thing from us, no good thing from us

I believe in a peace that flows deeper than pain
The broken find healing in love
Pain is no measure of his faithfulness
He withholds no good thing from us
No good thing from us, no good thing from us

I will open my hands, will open my heart
I will open my hands, will open my heart
I am nodding my head an emphatic yes
To all that You have for me

I believe in a fountain that will never dry
Though I've thirsted and didn't have enough
Thirst is no measure of his faithfulness
He withholds no good thing from us
No good thing from us, no good thing from us

Three months later, after emailing her to announce the birth of your son, you get an email from Settle that says this:

Oh my dear Anna.  Congratulations.  Praise be to God.  I LOVE his name and I can't WAIT to squeeze him in April.  I am proud of you mama.  That is one blessed little boy to have you.  Hold him tight.

xoxo

Your breath catches when you read those three words, "Hold him tight," and you can't stop thinking about them because those three short words hold so much meaning from this friend of yours. 

Then 5 days later, you get another email:

Hey Friends and Family,

We cannot thank you enough for the prayers, support and encouragement you have given our family these past few months.  God has met an overwhelming amount of pain with an overwhelming outpouring of love.  I would love to sit down with each one of you to talk about Webb, pain and God.  Because I cannot do that, I have started a blog.  There are other reasons I have decided to do this.  I've tried to outline those reasons in my first blog post.  Countless people have been praying for us whom we have never met.  Please feel free to forward the blog to those whom you've asked to pray that we do not know.  

settlemonroe.blogspot.com 

Love,

Settle

You read those first few posts, and you marvel.  You marvel at this woman of grace and light and truth.  You read through your tears because the overwhelming grief is still there, but there is always a glimmer of hope, too.   As time moves on, the hope starts to outweigh the grief, and you breathe a little lighter as you continue to read, captivated by every word. 

Settle is light and grace and truth.  I have been so moved by her eloquent writing and emotion as she walks through this valley.  She weaves words together like no one else.  If you want to read her blog, I recommend starting here in January of 2012 to read about her from the beginning.  Scroll down to read the earliest entry first.  I read and re-read her posts because there is so much in them to experience and savor.  She is a master storyteller.  But more than this, she is a beloved child of the one, true King.  And one day her family will be whole once again.

In the words of yet another Sara Groves' song entitled "What Do I Know?"(listen by clicking on the title) and 2 Corinthians 5:8:

Death can be so inconvenient.  You try to live and love.  It comes and interrupts.  And what do I know?  What do I know?  But I know to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord, and from what I know of him, that must be pretty good.  Oh, I know to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord, and from what I know of him, that must be very good.

Amen.

Mommy and Me

Previously, I have been wary of putting pictures of my son online.  But when I got these sweet images the other day, I decided it was time.  I am too in love with them not to share them, and the setting is just what I imagined.  I had been admiring some outdoor images that Brittany Sisk of Inspired Life Photography had done, so when I saw she was offering Mommy and Me mini-sessions on her Facebook page, I jumped at the chance, and I am so glad I did!  Here are the sweet results...

 Look at those curls...and those teeth!

Bless the Lord, oh my soul...

Psalm 103:1

 He withholds no good thing from us...

Psalm 84:11

 Where's Lincoln?

 There he is!!

My cup runneth over...

Psalm 23:5

Weightless

This is another reflection on inspiration.  I was recently introduced to Christa Wells and her music when I went to hear Jen Hatmaker speak.  I purchased Christa's CDs there, and her album entitled Frame the Clouds has become one of my favorites.  "Weightless" has become a very meaningful song to me, so I wanted to share a few of the lyrics and my thoughts about them.  (Bonus: Christa and Sara Groves have a duet on this album!)

 

Image and lyrics (emphasis added) from christawellsmusic.com

Weightless

Nothing scalds like the memory of wrongs I did when I was young

how could I

How could I

I’m sorry

I see the eyes of the ones that I so carelessly abused

how could I

how could I

I’m sorry

Well, I’ve carried this a long time

in a well hidden bundle on my back

but I’ve realized repentance is weightless

so I’ll leave my burden on the tracks...

Well, I’ve carried this a long time

in a well hidden bundle on my back

but I’ve realized forgiveness is weightless

so I’ll leave my burden on the tracks...

 

What powerful words those are.  I have struggled with guilt over wrongs committed since I was a child.  I have often wondered what true repentance looks like and what true forgiveness feels like.  So when Christa sang that "repentance is weightless" and "forgiveness is weightless," it really made me stop and think... and yearn to be weightless. 

I know that God has forgiven me and cast my sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).  I remind myself of that often.  But unfortunately, even though He's forgiven me and thrown my sins away, a few of them have consequences that linger.  I am one who really tries to make sense of everything, especially difficult things, and sometimes it's hard to find the meaning in unintended, hurtful consequences that affect other people and/or myself.  If I can find some purpose or meaning, it often lessens the guilty blow for me.  A few things God has been revealing to me to help me fly, to help me become weightless...

 

1) He is always working out our redemption and restoration when we allow Him to.  He really does make all things new. 

 

Do not call to mind the former things,

or ponder things of the past.

Behold, I will do something new,

now it will spring forth;

will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,

rivers in the desert.

-Isaiah 43:18-19

 

If He can make a river in the desert, He can do anything.

 

2) I have spent way too much time believing lies.  Lies that magnify wrongs committed and their consequences.  Lies that make me think less of myself.  This was a fairly new insight for me.  I didn't think I believed lies, but my mind had tended to go way too far when it came to the imagined consequences and devastation that I caused.  Kelly Minter's study, No Other Gods, helped me to see this.  Her friend, Carrie, wrote the following about an argument she had with her husband:

Somewhere in our discussion I realized that I had been imagining and acting out scenarios in my mind that hadn't actually happened, yet I proceeded as if they had.  

In a moment it all clicked in my head that I CONSTANTLY believe LIES!!!  I know this may sound obvious, but for so long...I was thinking about the "big" lies that we believe: "You're not good enough," "So and so sings way better than you," "Nobody really likes you."  These, to me, are the clear and obvious lies from Satan- but sometimes it's harder to discern the other constant, little lies that connect to the "big lies"- the ones that help accomplish the goal of us believing those big ones.

To give you a better idea of what this looks like- sometimes I find myself playing out a situation that's happened in real life and then start adding to it in my mind.  Like what the person involved in the situation might have been thinking when they responded a certain way, or what their motives were behind their actions.  Really, when it gets down to it, I realize that most of the time they weren't thinking those things at all.  I allow my emotions and actions to be dictated as a result of believing that what I dream up in my had has actually happened.

I have always known that one of Satan's major tactics is to deceive and lie to us.  I guess I never realized that these "small" imaginations that capture my brain ARE the major LIES that I believe.  I then allow those lies to negatively taint my attitude.  My responses and treatment of others turn sour, emotional wellbeing is severely damaged, overall mental happiness is challenged, and on and on...you get the picture.

Can anyone else identify with this?  It spoke so truly to me because I do this ALL the time.  I imagine that people don't like me or don't want to talk to me because I surely have nothing of value to offer them.  Case in point: I was in a car wreck my senior year of high school, and I was in the hospital for a couple of days.  A beloved English teacher gave me a beautifully handmade book for my visitors to sign and write well wishes in when they came to the hospital.  Many people, including lots of my classmates, came.  A few years ago, as I perused that book, I was surprised by how many "popular" people had come to see me.  Back then I rationalized it away by saying they just came because we had a class together.  But years later, with the benefit of hindsight, the thought crossed (not settled, more like grazed) my mind that maybe they came because they considered me a friend or maybe they even liked me or at least saw some good quality in me.  It hit me like a ton of bricks and like a sigh of relief at the same time.  Maybe I had been wrong, and maybe I was a likable gal.  Could it be?

Ok, back to being weightless. 

 

Well, I’ve carried this a long time

in a well hidden bundle on my back

but I’ve realized repentance/forgiveness is weightless

so I’ll leave my burden on the tracks...

 

There are some regrets I've carried for a long time, years in fact, in well hidden bundles on my back, because of shame and because I didn't know how to leave them.  But if repentance and forgiveness really are weightless, then I shouldn't be feeling them or carrying them anymore.  And I should leave them on the track and walk on a little bit lighter, or maybe even a lot lighter. 

 

I can still remember sitting in Dr. Prater's literacy class one day, when an almost-audible thought crossed my mind.  If that's all you've done wrong, you've done pretty good.  Believe me, I am not one to minimize wrongs committed, and I don't even think I was reflecting on the subject when the thought came.  Was it from God?  I don't know for sure, but it's one of two times in my life that I think I might have heard Him in a semi-audible way. 

 

I don't think consequences are God's way of punishing me because I don't really think He punishes people.  Over the past few years, I have truly come to believe that He only, always, wants what's best for me.  Having a child has helped me understand that in a way that nothing else has before.  No matter what I do to or for my son, it is always for his good.  He may not like it at the time, but I am not capable of wishing harm on him.  I would gladly die a thousand painful deaths before I would intentionally hurt him because he is my son and he is joy to me. 

 

Ironically, God actually did send His Son to die for me so that I would not have to carry these well hidden bundles anymore.  He wants me to be weightless, and He wants me to leave my burdens on the tracks because He has greater things for me.  He does not want me to languish away in guilt or shame.  What is the point of that?  It only slows me down and makes me powerless.  It doesn't help me or anyone else.  There is so much redemptive and restorative work that He wants to do in me and through me that there is no time for that.  In the words of David Crowder, "I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way...He loves us, oh, how He loves us, oh, how He loves us, oh, how He loves."

 

Then the LORD said to Joshua,

"Today I have rolled away the shame of Egypt from you." 

 -Joshua 5:9

 

"Stop wearing the reproach of the past!  Two of us do not need to wear it!"

-Beth Moore added this to Joshua 5:9, implying that God has taken our shame from us.  Jesus bore it on the cross so that I don't have to anymore.

 

Wretched man that I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

-Romans 7:24-25

 



Inspiration: Part 1

I want to share with you some of the people who have inspired me.  They teach me, stretch me, awaken me, resonate with me, and impart joy to me.

Sara Groves
She is quite simply my favorite singer ever.  I was introduced to her by my favorite youth minister ever, Donna Shook, when we were on a bus trip to somewhere.  I had the blessed privilege of being the CD changer, and Donna had brought one of Sara's CDs on the trip.  I'm pretty sure I was instantly hooked.  She plays the piano and is often accompanied by other instruments, but I just love hearing her play the piano.  More than the music, though, are the lyrics.  I feel like Sara and I have gone through similar stages in life, and her words are so very meaningful to me.  She is so transparent, and all of her songs are very personal.  I have been to every one of her NC concerts except to one in Raleigh when my baby was 3 weeks old, and I have somewhat regretted not going!  When I go to Sara's concerts, the best part is that she tells the story of the song before she sings it, so you know the experience that birthed it.  She has such a way with words, and her songs will be played/sung at my funeral, as they were at my wedding reception!  I have enjoyed all of her CDs, but if I had to recommend a few for newbies, these are the must-haves.





 

 This is her 2nd album and it's very raw and personal.

It's good for getting through a difficult time.

 

 This one has a lot of social justice themes, and many of the songs are inspired by her work with the International Justice Mission, "a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression."

ijm.org 

 

This is her newest album, and it is oh-so thought-provoking and mature.

 

 

This one is very sing-songy and pretty to me.  It's mostly piano music and her voice, and I love it.

 

If you have not heard Sara's music, I hope that you will give it a try.  You can purchase it from her at http://www.artistmediadirect.com/store/  (where you can get 3 CDs for $25 or 4 for $30!) or from Amazon.  I don't think you'll be disappointed!

 

* All of the images are courtesy of www.amazon.com.

New House

The purpose of this post is twofold.  1) I am still alive.  2) I have pictures of our new house!  But before we get to those, I want to share two things with you from our move in May.

We used Todd's Easy Moves when we moved from our condo in Clemmons three and a half years ago, and we used them again this time.  Last time we hired two movers and it took 5.75 hours, but they told us we really should have hired three movers because apparently, we have some heavy stuff.  So this time we hired three movers.  The lady on the phone and I estimated that it would only take about 5 hours this time since we had an extra person.  We had to either pay with cash or a certified check, so we had gotten some cash to pay them on the day of the move.  On the morning of the move, the three guys showed up, toured the house, had us sign some papers, and started moving things out.  A little while into it, the leader of the crew came up to me and said, "I was told you had a certified check for 5 hours, but it's going to take 8 or 9 hours.  You have a lot of stuff."  This was mildly embarrassing to me, as the whole point of our move is to downsize, and apparently we underestimated the amount of stuff we have and the time it would take to move it by approximately 50%.  Fortunately, my husband was prepared with extra cash, and the move only ended up taking 7 hours, so we were good to go. 

My mom and I had been a little concerned that my son would have a hard time adjusting to the new house (which is a temporary house that we're living in until we have some work done on our permanent house.)  We had taken him to it a few times, so he had seen it before.  If you know me, you know that my son is on a schedule, and just as the movers began unloading our stuff into the new house, it was time for his nap.  We asked them if they could unload his crib soon, which they did, so we got it set up for him.  We asked if they could get his other furniture so we could go ahead and put him to bed.  They didn't think they'd be able to get it, so I went ahead and put him down.  Then they pretty much immediately brought in his bedroom furniture, so I quietly opened the door and told them to take it in because I had just put him down.  The little guy was so tired, he didn't even lift his head off the mattress as they carried his bookcase in.  It was amazing, and he hasn't even looked back!  Apparently, little people handle change better than big people :)

Oh, and one last thing I learned.  It's not a good idea to pack away all of your fancy, dress shoes that you never wear even if you know you're not going to a wedding anytime soon.  You may need them, and you surely don't want to buy more shoes that you'll "never" wear.  My fifth graders, their parents, and I thank you, Kristen, for lending me some shoes to wear on stage as they graduate today!

OK, without further ado, here are the pictures!

Living Room

Note the beams on the ceiling that are throughout most of the house.

 

Dining Room

Complete with 2 matching western-style sconces and

an awesome built-in that my husband loves hates!

Duly note the swinging barn doors into the Family Room beyond!

 

View from Dining Room into Kitchen

 

Kitchen

Duly note the lack of cabinets on the right side.

This is probably due to the fact that this used to be the back of the house

and may have been an eat-in area.

 

Laundry Room!!

One of the truly awesome features located behind the kitchen.

This was a much appreciated addition that is very rare in Ardmore.

 

Family Room behind the Dining Room

This was also an addition to the house.

We hope to make the entrance to our Master Bedroom to the left of the windows.

 

Another shot of the Family Room that leads to an awesome, ginormous screened-in porch that was, you guessed it, also an addition to the house.

 

Hopefully this will become the new Master Bath that will connect to the new Master Bedroom.

 

Another shot of the Bathroom- check out the rolled edge on the tub.

 

Back Bedroom

 

Front Bedroom

 

Hall Bathroom

This bathroom is actually located within the Front Bedroom.  Our realtor, Brandon Johnson, figured out that this was because it was an addition.  The bedroom was pretty big, so they just plopped a bathroom in the front of it.  You're about to see what's behind door number 1.

 

Harvest Gold lives on!

It will remain.  Unfortunately, the matching toilet has to go because it's cracked.

 

Closet Door

In case you haven't noticed, there's a lot of paneling in this house.  I've been told it was a sign of wealth back in the day, so we're going with that!  If you look closely, you can see the hinges on the top right.  ALL of the original closet doors in this house are "cleverly" hidden like this.  They're also cut out of the paneling ABOVE the baseboards, so you have to step up to get in!

 

 

I have more to say about the difference between anticipated renovations and budget realities, but I think this is enough for now.  Faithful reader, I hope to get back to you soon, and I hope you've enjoyed these pictures of our new house!

House Update

So, we put our house on the market in late February, and we went under contract on April 1st with an original closing date of May 31st.  Although we were cautiously optimistic, the May 31st closing seemed like a faraway event that may or may not actually happen. 

As soon as we went under contract, we began looking at houses with our realtor.  If you've read my previous posts, you know my husband was up on the market and all potential housing options!  So, we were ready; we knew exactly which houses we wanted to see.  Tuesday of that week (the day after we went under contract) we saw two houses.  Then the next day my husband saw a new listing that had just come on the market on one of our favorite streets.  We went and saw it during lunch on Thursday, and it seemed promising so we decided to go see it again the next day.  Then that night, another one came on the market on that same street.  Friday we went to see both houses on that street, and we ended up liking the newer one (I mean newer on the market, not newer in age) better.  We also tried to see another one on a different street, but it ended up not being ready to show.  So, we tried to see 5 houses, but we only went in 4 of them. 

The next day (Saturday morning) we met our realtor at our new favorite house and decided to make an offer!  We negotiated back and forth over the phone that day and soon went under contract.  We matched the due diligence and closing dates up so that we could back out of our new house if anything went wrong with the sale of our current house. 

Then came the hard part.  The bank's appraisal on our current house came in lower than the purchase price that we and the buyers had agreed to, which meant we had to lower our price in order for the deal to go through.  It was a hard few days, as we thought about our options and what we should do.  We ended up deciding to go through with it because selling at the lower price still accomplished our original goals of downsizing to a more reasonably sized and priced house and got us closer to the point where we could live mortgage-free, even if our feelings (i.e. egos) were hurt. 

We moved the closing date on our current house up to May 17th, and we hope to do the same with our new house if the bank can get everything prepared in time.  We are now past the due diligence dates on both houses, so it is almost for sure that this move is actually going to happen!  Which is good, because we started packing today!!  Since we close on May 17th (a Friday), we are moving the previous weekend, so we only have two weeks left.  How in the world that happened, I do not know!

My ever-frugal husband procured free moving boxes on Craigslist, so we taped them back together today and packed a grand total of 3 boxes!  We also made lists and planned and I went through my bathroom cabinet, so we did a little more than it sounds like.  Oh, and before we could do that, we decided to clean the house so we could take pictures of the rooms in all their glory.  When we started packing the second box, it became more real to me.  These are some of the thoughts that went through my head. 

We are actually moving.  I am not going to live here anymore.  Why is my dining room table shoved up against the wall?  Because my dining room is now full of empty boxes that will soon be full of our stuff.  Lastly, but perhaps most frantically, how are we going to pack all this stuff?!

As I'm writing this post, this came to mind as well...

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

-Matthew 6:19-21

In closing, I want to leave you with a few of the shots we took today.  These are the views I will miss the most.  

 

 

 

Although I'm feeling a little sentimental tonight, I know this place is not my home.  The funny thing is, the new one isn't really my home either. 

But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.

-Philippians 3:20-21

Jesus, I can hardly wait...