Happy Sunday!

Hi everyone! Do you ever have times in your life when you just feel like...I don't know...being quiet? I've been in that mood for the past few days. I've felt like I just want to be quiet and observe and listen...and just enjoy. Probably a welcome treat for my friends and family...but not so good when you're trying to come up with something to write about!


It's a typical weekend around here. Yep, still in my jammies well into the afternoon. Hubby is designing, building, and installing some beautiful custom cabinetry in our living room (with lots of "help" from the kids, of course).


His project has really tested our "cash only" system. It seems that he keeps having to run to the Depot (we call it "Home Depper In Debt" instead of "Home Depot") for another piece of wood...a hinge...some stain...whatever. And we keep having the "what money are we going to use" conversation. On one level it's really irritating because life seemed so much easier when we just put everything on the card and dealt with it later. But it is SO liberating paying cash, and knowing that when we walk out of the store, it's PAID FOR. So yesterday we spent an hour with our change jar...sorting, counting, and rolling coins. We had hundreds of dollars in there! That should be enough to finish the project :)


I suppose if we were really disciplined, we'd put that change toward our goal of being debt free. But we're not, and I don't feel one ouce of guilt over it! Hey, you gotta live too.


So I should probably tell all you faithful readers out there (all 6 of you) what I've been up to in my little blogging world.


I've been working behind the scenes to change the location of my blog. I've been so irritated with Blogger lately...I can't get it to look the way I want it to, spell check doesn't work (and I NEED it!), the spacing on my posts is all messed up no matter what I try. So I'm jumping ship. I'm going to Typepad. I'll let you know when I have everything switched over. I'll wait at least until the giveaway is done, because some of my comments don't seem to be importing to my new location.


Well, I'm going to...gasp!...go take a shower and get dressed. But it's not even 3 pm yet, you say? I know! What an achiever I am!

Put in My Place

Well, there's nothing like a little time spent in the book of Job and a good night's sleep to put me in my place! Isn't it funny how God speaks to us sometimes?

Yesterday I came across a photo of dew on grass that I took a few summers ago, and I wanted to share it with you. I started searching for an appropriate verse to put with it because it's one of those shots that just screams "There is a God and He is Awesome!!" I eventually found one...in the book of Job. Have you read any of Job lately? Yikes. Now THAT guy went through some trials. He saw a bit more pain than I have over this recent house deal gone bad. And still, in the end Job was forced to acknowledge the supremacy of God. God's ways are not our ways, and sometimes He lets us suffer for a good (albeit unknown to us) reason.

So I have a happier and more humble outlook on the whole house thing today.

First of all, it's just money. Money is not the root of all evil, but the love of money is. Maybe I was putting my dream of big profits before God for a time. Sorry about that, Lord.

Second, I put it in His hands...only to snatch it back. You know how sometimes the most effective discipline is simply to be allowed to live out the consequences of our own choices? Well, I think that's what happened here. My own greed an pride got me here.

Third, it's not all bad. We did learn a lot from this experience. It was one of the most frustrating and painful and expensive lessons I've ever had...but a lesson none the less.

And hey...the old owner left a nice long ladder in the garage and said we could keep it. You ever seen a $20,000 ladder? Well, drop on by and I'll show it to you...

No Fair!!

I'm pissy today. And frankly, I'm mostly mad at God. Does that shock anyone? Well sorry, it's the truth. Good thing God is big enough to take it!

I'm upset because we finally sold the house we remodeled last summer. Sold, you say?! Yeah, sold...for a $20,000 loss...yes...twenty thousand dollars.

We've flipped a number of houses, all of them with some level of success. It's no way to get rich (at least in this market), but we enjoy remodeling houses so it seems like a good way for us to make a little money. With one income and 4 little ones...well, who couldn't use a little extra, eh?

This last one though, was our baby. I felt sure that God had blessings in store for us because it seemed that He absolutely dumped it on our lap. It was a good deal and we made an offer on it the very first time we looked at it. It was accepted, and we were off to the races.

We poured our heart and soul into that place. My amazing husband - he didn't get much sleep for those few months! He'd get up early to go work on the house before heading off to his "real" job, then he'd come home to spend time with his family (which included thoroughly spoiling his then pregnant wife!), and then he'd be off to the house again after the kids were tucked in bed.

And we did a good...no...GREAT job on that place. It has hardwood floors, granite, landscaping, paint, custom bathroom, new room...I could go on. It's a beautiful house.

I feel terribly guilty, to be honest. We had an offer that first open house we had, but it wasn't what we were hoping for so let it fall through. If we had taken it, we would have make a little bit instead of losing a lot. But we...I...was SO sure that we could get more. Pride and greed...not exactly healthy emotions to listen to! I know it was not all my decision, but still...

Hell, we didn't even celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary because we were busy with that darn house!

So here we sit. We finally got a really low offer on the house, and we negotiated with them until they just wouldn't anymore. It was a tough decision...do we take the low offer or take our chances with the future? We were paying the mortgage, utilities, taxes and insurance on the place...we needed to make more on it with every passing day. And the news talks of recession in 2008, and how the housing market is going to take years to recover, and foreclosures right and left.

We decided we'd better choose to lose a lot of money now instead of losing even more down the road.

We had such high hopes and big dreams for that place.

My husband tells me I have to let it go. He tells me I should make a list of all the lessons we learned with this project. Why does he have to be so stinkin' wise?!

So there it is - my gripe for the day. I thought it might make me feel better to talk about it. I wish.