Hahahaha!

A little funny for your Saturday morning.

Oh the stress of it all!

Buying and selling a house is a wee bit stressful. So stressful that I have had a flair up of shingles. Seriously? I thought I was handling it all fine, but apparently my body thought otherwise.

Our house sale is moving right along. That's nice. A lovely young couple is buying it. I actually knew him growing up, though not well. His parents are quite a bit older than Dave and I, and their kids (this young man and his older siblings) are younger than us, but not so young as to be the same ages as our children. Even though we all grew up in the same church, we've never run in the same circles.

He is military, and she seems like a sweet young lady. They have one toddler and another on the way (I think. No way am I asking though!)

All things related to the sale are progressing. The house we want to buy? Notsomuch. We got the inspection report yesterday. Seems the septic system is a mess. It's leaking, it's against code, and it even has unresolved violations on file with the city! EEEK! The chimney is also falling in internally, and will need extensive work to make it usable.

So we're re negotiation the contract. We're asking them to significantly lower the price of the house to cover the cost of repairing the fireplace and replacing the septic. There are other small issues; minor drainage issues, windows that have a leaking seal, etc. But we're not really worried about that. It's not a new house, we expected some minor repairs. But replacing a septic? That's major.

The price to fix/replace those two things is huge. If they don't agree to lower the price to cover it, we'll have to walk away. This makes me sad, but I don't want to buy a house and then have to drop huge money to fix it. NOt at the price they're asking.

So...our house could sell by the middle of Nov and we may have no place to live. We may end up staying in our RV until we find something. OH SWEET MERCY I hope that does not happen. But if it does, it does. What can you do?

Buying and selling a house is not for pansies, that's for sure.

Family Photos!

Last weekend my family and I had our photos taken. It was REALLY time for a family photo.

Misty Colvard Photography did our little photo session. This is a little sneek peek of her work. It was so much fun to have them done. She got some slightly grumpy, I-have-better-things-to-do-than-have-my-photo-taken teenagers to smile and look happy!

This was our last family photo. Holy cow, why do children grow so fast!?



This is one of the photos Misty took. She even got the dog to look alert and interested!



Um, yeah. I think it was time for a new family photo.


I can't wait to see the rest!


If you're anywhere near the Dallas area, give Misty a call! She did a great job! (and I've only seen a sneak peek of our photo session!)

The Number 3 and the Letter H

Today’s post is brought to you by the number 3 and the letter H.

The number 3 is for how many contracts we’ve had on our house. The first 2 have fallen through due to the inability for the potential buyer to get financing.

We expect to be receiving the 3rd contract Monday or Tuesday.

The letter H is for the Hope we feel that this is the one. That the 3rd time’s the charm. Please, please let the 3rd time be the charm!

The reason we are Holding out such Hope is the other reason this post is being brought to you by the letter H.

House.

This House.



The House with this living room.



The House with this kitchen.



But mostly the House with this backyard.



With this pool in it.



I want this House.



Holding out High Hopes this 3rd contract will be the one so we can get this House.

This post was brought to you by the number 3 and the letter H.

New Shows. What's Worth Your Time?

Last night Sir D and I watch Last Man Standing on ABC.

Frankly, my expectations were very low. I set the DVR to record most of the new shows that came out this fall. I didn’t even know what most of them were about, but I figured we’d watch the first episode and decide. Well, most of the shows didn’t make the cut. In fact, most of the shows didn’t make it past the first 15 minutes! Sheesh there is a lot of trash out there!

In the first few minutes of Last Man Standing, I was not sure if it was going to make the cut. There was an annoying laugh track in the back ground. I hate that. It’s distracting. But here’s the thing, after the first few minutes, either the laugh track went away or I was laughing so hard I didn’t notice it anymore. Seriously, this show was hilarious! And also it was a little refreshing. The man in this show is not stupid. The show is not all about making the man look stupid! I mean, yeah, there are stereotypes, and they exploit them to get a laugh, but they do it for all the characters, not just the man.

The whole premise is that there is a Mom and Dad and three daughters. One daughter is working as a waitress and has a toddler (a boy) and no husband. The other daughters are in high school, one is sporty and one is very girly. The Dad is a very manly dad who works in a sporting goods store. His daughters are dating girly men who get pedicures, can’t change a tire, etc. The Dad is wondering where all the real men have gone. He starts a Vlog for the sporting goods store (at his boss’s request) but instead of being about the things they sell, it usually ends up being about the girly men.

I hope this show lasts. It’s funny. The family really loves each other. The parents love each other. Yes, they poke fun at stereotypes, but somehow it’s different. I am so tired of watching shows that make strong men look stupid.

This show was just want Sir D and I needed last night. A good, hard laugh!

Christ, the Ferocious Lion

My son Gunnar has a friend named Bethany who is an incredibly talented artist. She has, at 16, already sold several of her pieces at galleries. She's amazing.

She drew this photo for my son. It's a huge photo. probably 15" by 15".



Gunnar wrote this about the Lion.

For the LORD your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory! -Deuteronomy 20:4

In my mind, this is what Christ looks like when he is fighting for us. Not some soft cuddly cat, but a ferocious lion defending His children.

Amazing. Both Gunnar's thoughts and Bethany's art.

I thought you all might like it too.

Some Easy Yummy

Today I did something I found out about on Pinterest. This is really something blogworthy. Normally, I look at all the crafty things on there and go, "Cool! I'll do that someday!" and of course, never do it.

Today I made these! Okay, I know, it's not that amazing. Baby steps.



I took some eggs, some pre cooked breakfast sausage, and added some onions and salt and pepper. If we didn't have a dairy allergy, I'd add shredded cheese.

You mix it all up and then put them into (WELL OILED) muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 min.

Then pop them out and freeze!



When you're ready for breakfast, pop them into the microwave to defrost and then put it in an English muffin or a bagel and smush them down a bit to break it up. Instant, easy, and cheap Egg and sausage muffins!

See? All that time spent perusing Pinterest was not wasted!

Spinning, Spinning, Spinning.

School has started here on the Hilltop. We are in full swing. EMT classes, Community College classes, Co op classes, homeschool classes, jobs, youth group and bears OH MY!

Every year, when we start our school it's as if someone picks up the top that is my school and sets it to spinning. We wobble around a bit here and there at first, but eventually we find our pace and things even out.

You'd think that as long as I have been doing this I'd be used to it, but every year is different and every year it seems the schedule gets more and more crazy.

I am no longer in control of the schedule. Bryce is a grown up now. He has his own life and works hard and is taking EMT classes. He comes and goes. Sometimes I remember where he is, sometimes I don't.

Gunnar is taking classes at co op, and the local community college, getting private tutoring and meeting weekly with his Anatomy lab partner. Oh, and he runs his own landscaping business and works afternoons for a local Auto Shop.

They drive themselves and run their own schedules. Sometimes, I have to really think to remember where they are. (Yes, please, I'd love the 'Mother of The Year' award)

It's been 3 weeks and the spinning is starting to level out. It's getting a little easier when I wake up in the morning for me to remember where my boys are.

We're falling into a rhythm. It's a crazy rhythm, but it's a rhythm none the less.

Never Forget, Again.

***This is a repost from last year. There really is nothing more to say. Every year that goes by more changes, and yet so much more stays the same.***

A few months ago Gunnar and I watched a Nova program about 9/11. This was the first time he’s ever really gotten to see the extent of what happened that horrid day so many years ago. He was just a little boy of 7 when it actually happened. He and the other kids were too young to understand so Dave and I tried to shield them from as much of the media coverage as we could.

But this day, a few months ago, he saw it all. He was very quiet as he watched. At one point during the program they show a single firefighter standing on a giant pile of rubble. The sky was grey from all the dust and this firefighter stood on what was once a building, but was now just a pile of cement and debris. It was as if he was standing on the moon. There was no background noise, which is strange for New York. No cabs driving, no people talking, no horns honking, there was only one sound. An erie, high pitched sound that I didn’t recognize.



Gunnar looked up at me and said “That sound is the alarms on the SCBA tanks the Fireman wear.” That firefighter was standing on who knows how many bodies of his fallen brothers. Their alarms still ringing, and there was nothing he could do but stand and listen.

It made me cry. It still makes me cry just to think of it. It was the most haunting thing I’ve seen in my lifetime.

President Obama, and all other presidents who follow, please, we can NEVER forget. We can never forget, in the name of tolerance, that there is an entire group of zealots out there that wish us all dead. They’d happily give up their own lives to see America destroyed.

Let’s not put politics over America’s safety. Over my children’s safety. I don’t ever want it to be my sons who are standing on a pile of rubble listening to the sounds of their fallen brothers.

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children. “
- President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

Year 15.

One week into the school year and I can see it’s going to be an interesting one. It’s been a little like Grand Central Station here at Hilltop Academy. Bryce the College Boy is taking EMT classes Monday and Wednesdays, and then he works all day for a Construction Company Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (and sometimes even Saturday).

Gunnar has classes at the local community college for duel credit on Tuesday and Thursday and he has afternoon co op classes on Thursday. He also works every afternoon (except Thursday when he’s at co op) for a local auto shop. He also runs his own landscaping business which he works on, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. (When does he do his homework, you might ask? Excellent question!)

Evelyn has classes on Tuesday and Thursday at our co op, and she does not drive, so I am up at the church where the co op meets twice a week this year.

So far nothing for Annika, but she’s really pushing for voice lessons which will be another thing to add to our calendar. Seriously, I need charts and graphs to keep up with everyone’s whereabouts!

I always feel like a terrible mother when someone asks me where Gunnar is and I have NO idea. He is still under 18. I really should have some idea of where he is. I usually have to think about what day it is and what his normal schedule is and guess. Good thing he’s a good, responsible kid!

I guess this is what homeschooling looks like it the upper grades. No more sitting on the couch together reading books. Or sitting around the table with our paper and pencils. Now our education takes place here, there and everywhere!

I think this new school year, our 15th, is going to be a crazy one. Good. But crazy!