Tuesday

Ahhhhh. A break to sit down at the computer :D

This past month has been a sort of  blur almost. To say it was an eventful month would be the understatement of the year. It has been dramatic, sad, bumpy, scary, confusing, and tiring. I look forward to each new month with a sort of excitement, but I am REALLY looking forward to December and all the good and wonderful things I'm sure it has in store for us.

Tonight, I am going to update on my children. They are both so much fun and both are in silly phases. I am going to narrow down what they are going through/ acting like/ putting me through by giving them each a TOP 10 to describe them right now.

DANE:
1.) Remember when I said he would give us "Soap Sally" face???!!!! Well.... He STILL does. Did you miss what it looked like? Here it is.

 

He gives us this look when he is mad or angry or hurt. It comes from the legend of Soap Sally. Brent's grandfather (Pappy) told him about Soap Sally growing up. There is a long story that goes along with her, but pretty much she is a lady who lives in the woods and she comes out when little boys are being ugly and she bites or cuts their ears off and makes soap out of it. My mother-in-law and husband told Dane about it one night and then imitated her face by doing a "scary" face. Dane has had this particular look many times before the story, so after he heard the story, I started calling this the Soap Sally face. Want to read more about Soap Sally and scare your kids too? Click here. If you want to become Soap Sally's friend on Facebook, click here.

2.) Dane loves Super Hero's. If you ask him what he is going to be when he grows up, he will say, "A super hero."

3.) Dane listens to everything and repeats everything. While listening to the radio in the car, he will often repeat back pieces of the news he hears or tell me we are listening to songs about Jesus.

4.) Dane loves to help Daddy do anything that Daddy is doing. Brent spends a lot of time in the basement working on things or working out. Dane thinks he has to be down there with him at all times. He even told me, "Boys go in the basement. Durls go upstairs."

5.) Dane sleeps by himself and goes to sleep on his own. Many people warned me that if I let him sleep with me, I would never get him out of my bed. Thankfully, that never happened. When we lived with my parents, Dane slept in the same room with us and we were afraid when we moved out, he would pitch a fit at bedtime to sleep with us or in our room. NOPE. He kisses me goodnight every night with no problem and goes to sleep on his own :D I'm so proud of what a big boy he is.

6.) Dane wants to wear a coat or jacket if it is cold or raining. He makes me put it on, zip it up, and put the hood on him. The INSTANT we get in the car, he wants it off. Then, when we get to our destination, he makes me put it on him, zip it up, and put the hood on him. The minute we walk into where we are, he wants it off that instant. And we go through the same thing when we go to leave.

7.) Dane only drinks water during the day. Milk is a treat and something he gets if he was good and/or at bedtime. Every night, I take his sippy of milk and put it in the fridge. When he gets it, he gets all excited and jittery and says, "I'm just gonna get 1 sip, momma." Then he sips it and starts dying laughing. He thinks it is the grandest thing.

8.) Dane can dress himself. He can put on his underwear, socks, pants, shirt, and shoes. He needs no help from me.

9.) Dane believes in all things magical.... Santa, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, even Soap Sally. LOL. I love that he is magical himself and has such wonderful imagination. It makes being a mommy so much more fun!!!

10.) Dane is a talker. If we are out in public and someone talks to Webb or looks at Dane, chances are, they are about to get an ear full. They will hear both  boy's names, their ages, Dane's dream about Goliath, Dane's new address, Papa Fred's wreck, Dane's 3rd birthday party, the new house, our barn, our new van, Dane's cousins, and Daddy's new workout room in the gym.


WEBB:
1.) Webb is my booger. "No" does not phase him. Slapping his hand does not phase him. Moving him away from something he should not be doing or touching does not phase him. Remember how I thought Dane was my strong-willed child??? Well... I've got news for you. HE'S NOT!!!! Webb is so unbelievably strong-willed that at times, he makes Dane look mild mannered. Now, to shape that will into something that will bring honor and glory to the Lord and not the other way around.

2.) Webb still passes out every. single. day. Today he did it twice and back to back. Brent is in EMT school and he was reading about seizures the other day. He had me read about them in his school book and Webb goes through every phase when he passes out, that he would if he were seizing. I know it's not a seizure, but it is weird. I figured he would outgrow it by now. This article sort of describes what Webb does when he passes out, under "Symptoms", but when I read the book, it was like reading about exactly what Webb does.... literally, step by step.

3.) Webb is an outside boy. He will sit at the door and scream to go out and when you give in, he will laugh and giggle with glee... yep. Somebody has figured out what to do to get his way. LOL.

4.) Webb is a momma's boy. If I'm not holding him (which is very rare because he gets so upset if I don't and will pass out), he will hold onto my legs, screaming crying, and make it impossible for me to walk without picking him up. He has to be in the same room as me and be able to see me. I cannot tell you how many times I have passed him to Brent so I could do something and with me standing right there, he passes out. Unbelievable. LOL.

5.) Webb loves baths (so does Dane). He takes a bath with whoever is in the bath at the present moment. Some days he ends up with 4 baths. He and Dane both take one with me every night. Even if one was screaming or in a bad mood, they instantly get happy with the water :D

6.) Webb loves meat. Forget the fruits and veggies and pass the turkey burgers, ground turkey meat, deer meat, tuna, chicken, etc. He is a true man!

7.) Webb LOVES Dane. That does not mean they don't fight. LOL. Because they do! But he idolizes that big brother. He also drives him crazy. He is so smart. He knows just what to do to drive Dane nuts. When Dane is sleeping, Webb will go up to him and hit him in the head. Or he will pull his hair.

8.) Webb loves to ride on the lawn mower. The minute he sees it he starts grunting, fussing, and pointing to get on. He will go crazy and the minute he gets on it, pure happiness.

9.) Webb has started singing. He will sing/hum and it sounds just like, "Up above the world so high" from Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It is a song he hears daily so I know that is what he is singing. Oh my gosh. It melts my heart!!!

10.) Webb loves to give kisses. It used to be an open mouth kiss, but now he squeezes his lips together and makes does the "kissing hum" to let you know he wants one or to give one. It is precious!

So, there is a glimpse of what life is like with my 2 monkeys. They are so much fun and make me laugh everyday. I am so thankful for the privilege of motherhood.

Hope everyone has a great night!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving. It is a time to reflect on all the wonderful people and "things" in your life. A time to thank God for blessing you more than He had to. A time to sit around with family and friends and laugh, share, and reminisce. A time when everyone is happy.... and THANKFUL. And generally, a day when no one gripes. Ahhhhh.... That's nice :D

I am soooo thankful for my husband. He is the greatest and I love him with all of my heart.

I am also beyond grateful for our boys!!!!

We have had lots of Thanksgiving festivities and tomorrow, we have another one.

Wednesday afternoon, we met at the hospital and celebrated with my in-laws. GA Power had Thanksgiving catered in to us on the 6th floor. It was delicious and such a wonderful time of fellowship. We were able to sit with Freddy, a true miracle, and thank God for another day with him. We all let a few tears slip out as we realized just how blessed we truly are. God was is good. It will be a Thanksgiving we never forget.

Here is Freddy, the man so many of you have been praying for, enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.

Here is Freddy with all of his grand-babies.... a truly special moment for him.

Here we all are.... the pictures did NOT turn out good :/

Last night, my brother and his wife (Jonathan and Kari) and children got into town from Texas! YAY!!!!!! They have 2 girls (Lili is 8 and Livia is 5) and a little boy (Tregan is 2). My boys ADORE them and I think they feel the same about my boys ;) Dane has been thrilled knowing they were coming and he woke up this morning and the first thing he said was, "Are Livi and Lili at Gammie's?" We went over there this morning and they played nonstop. They would be absolutely inseparable if we lived closer. I so wish we did :(

COUSINS!!! 

We spent the whole day with them and I look forward to them getting to play tomorrow too!

This afternoon, we went to my dad's parent's house. My Nana can cook!!! Oh my soul!!! It was soooo yummy and we had so much fun just sitting around and chatting (and EATING!!!). The kids played outside in the woods and built a tepee (seriously, it was awesome!) and played on Pop's wheelchair. It was a fun afternoon. We left stuffed and happy and headed to my parent's house to sit around and hang out some more. The cousins all bathed together and it was a late when we headed home. Praise the Lord my boys were sleeping when we got here ;)

Tomorrow, we go to my mom's parent's for lunch! It is sure to be yummy and lots of fun. I look forward to more family time.

I am really looking forward to getting up in the morning and having no obligations (that is one of the reasons I decided to blog tonight instead of in the am). I plan to sleep in until about 7am and then get a cup of coffee and sit on the couch to drink it. I may watch a little TV or read. I NEVER do that! LOL. I'm also looking forward to my new creamer I bought tonight (it now makes 8 flavors I have in the fridge!) I think it was Vanilla Spiced Rum-- a flavor I have never tried. Yippee. It's the little things, people :D

Life is so good. I stand in awe of all God has bestowed upon me. I truly am blessed beyond measure. Despite our current circumstances, I refuse to look at the "bad" because I have seen so much good. I believe, with all of my heart, God's plan in all this is good. I believe what Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I also believe what Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." I trust Him completely and I am actually excited to see him continue to provide and meet our needs. I know God is at work. He is busy molding us and making us exactly the way He wants us to look. This is all part of His perfect plan.

What a week.

Wow. This past week is sure going to be one I remember!

How bout a recap?

A week ago tonight, I was at the church decorating for my hubby’s surprise birthday party!!!  The next day, I went to the gym and did about a million and one things. That night, was his party and Dane got sick. Turned out, it was a stomach bug that was circulating around the church. No big deal. I don’t freak out over “sick”.

Saturday, Dane was still sick, just out a different end L and my father-in-law came up to celebrate his birthday. He and my husband share a birthday! We grilled out and enjoyed some family time.

Sunday morning, I woke sick as a dog. I was throwing up and had diarrhea (yeah! I know you were all dying for that info!). I ran a high fever all day and was feeling horrible. Brent took GREAT care of me, the boys, and the house. He knows I can’t stand a messy house and he kept up with the dishes, laundry, and meals all day. That afternoon, my parents came over to give Brent a hand so he could study. They ended up taking Dane home to spend the night so I could fully recuperate.

Monday morning, I woke up and felt GREAT!!!! I was still very weak (probably from NO food) and sort of light headed, but I felt like a new woman. Monday was my husband’s actual birthday. He took the day off of work and we hung out at the house. We left to go run some errands and pick up Dane in the late afternoon. While we were out, Brent got a phone call. I could tell it was very serious which always sends my heart in that “nervous” beat. I could feel myself get anxious as I patiently waited for him to tell me. I could read fear in his expression. He took a minute and said, “Freddy was in the bucket of the bucket truck and was hit by a train.” (Freddy is my father-in-law and works for GA Power) My heart stopped. Literally. Tears rushed to my eyes. I said, “Tell her we are headed there NOW!” We changed directions and the rest of the time they talked, I saw in my head what he said. HOW??? HOW on earth could Freddy still be alive? I called my mom to let her know they would be keeping Dane longer and then I called my Pastor’s wife to let her know we had an urgent prayer request. When he got off the phone, we talked…. we cried… we prayed….the whole way there. When we arrived at the hospital, we learned that GA Power refers to the bucket truck as the “bucket” and that Freddy had been driving the bucket truck when the train hit the bumper of it. It tail spun and then flipped over. PRAISE THE LORD he was not in the bucket!!!! I was so relieved. The train tracks where Freddy was hit, had no guard rails for oncoming trains and no flashing lights. It was also right in a curve. The engineer of the train told the police he was going 60+ MPH when he hit Freddy. We were at the hospital a long time (with a 1 year old who doesn’t want to sit in one place long). Freddy was put in ICU due to bleeding on his brain. He also had 3 broke ribs and was scratched up. We left after Brent saw him because Brent could tell he was coming down with the stomach bug. The whole way home, I thanked the Lord for His Hand in this situation. If Freddy had been going any slower….well, we all know…. This story would have a very different ending. We got home and got ready for bed. My mom and dad kept Dane another night. I didn’t sleep. I tossed and turned with thoughts of Freddy and Connie. I was wondering how this story would end and what we would be facing in the days and weeks to come. Brent was sick all night with the stomach bug. Lovely.

Tuesday, Brent was feeling somewhat better, just still very weak. I left both boys with my mom and went by myself to the hospital. I got to see Freddy and was overcome with emotion after seeing him. God was so good to spare him. The doctor’s expected a full recovery and I was so thankful. I came back home around 5 and we decided to get the boys and go back down there and spend the night at my in-law’s house. This would allow Brent a chance to see Freddy for the day and be about 20 minutes from work. In Ringgold, his commute is over an hour. Plus, it would allow me to be close for the next day and Brent and I could meet at the hospital and take turns seeing Freddy. Then, the boys and I could stay with Connie all day. We stopped by the hospital for the last visitation which was 8:30pm (ICU has very strict visiting hours. They are sporadic and only last 30 min at a time. Not even Connie -his wife- could come any other time or stay any longer). We got to the house and got in the bed.

Wednesday morning was a crazy morning. I wanted to be at the hospital for the first visitation (9:30am). Brent was coming from work and we were going to take turns keeping the boys in the waiting room so we could each see Freddy (no one under the age of 12 is allowed back). I did get a call from Connie that Freddy was doing very well. Praise the Lord. When I got to the hospital, Brent was waiting for me in the parking lot. He came to me and said, “I have bad news.” Instantly, I thought Freddy had taken a turn for the worse. He said, “I just got a call. There is a meeting in Atlanta at 2pm and they are laying off a bunch of people.” I just looked at him. I didn’t know what to say and I wanted to be strong for him. He said he figured he would be getting laid off. Rumor was, they were only keeping 2. “Ok. We will deal with this. Whatever comes our way, the Lord will provide. Brent, it’s not our job to understand God, it’s our job to trust Him.” I knew it was true.  We went into the hospital and saw Freddy. He looked so good!!! I hung out with Connie all day. We ate lunch, lounged in the waiting room, and talked about Brent’s job (also his Uncle’s job—Connie’s brother—they work together for the same company). We agreed that if he got laid off, God would provide and we would continue to trust Him. Freddy and Connie even took the time to hold prayer for Brent and his uncle during the 1:30 visitation. We got told that bleeding in his brain had stopped and he would be moved out of ICU today. YAY!!!! Dane was REALLY wanting to see Papa Fred. We rejoiced with this new news. 3pm rolled around and with it came the phone call. Brent said, “I got laid off.” I was shocked. I guess (in my optimistic mind) I NEVER dreamed he would really get laid off. I sat there, willing the tears not to come. I looked up at Connie and nodded my head. She closed her eyes. I said, “It’s ok. We’re gonna be ok” as much for him as for me. We hung up after a few minutes of chit chat. I knew deep down we would be ok. I wasn’t lying when I said that, but the devil tried to bring fear into me. He reminded me that we had just moved…. Into an expensive house with…. Oh no… BILLS! How would we ever make it?????? I listened to the devil for a little while and then my Lord reminded me, “You are mine and I am taking care of you. I have been preparing you for this.” It was then that I realized, yes. The Lord had been preparing us for this. In the last month, without trying to one.single.time., I had gotten 3 new houses to clean. These houses came out of nowhere. I was shocked to get them and to get them so close together. At the time (when I started getting requests for estimates) I wondered, “Hmmmm. Can we not afford this house??? I mean, it seems obvious that we can on paper, but the Lord must think we can’t.” Little did I know, the Lord was preparing us for when Brent got laid off. It was his way of giving me peace and comfort when that time came. To remind me that He is watching out for us and He will provide for us. Yes, things will be changing for us. “Tight” will take on a new meaning. LOL.  But, I trust the Lord through this time. I truly do. I KNOW He will take care of us.

Then today, dad tells me he saw a lady we used to go to church with. She tells him she heard I clean houses and she has a friend who will probably be calling me. I could have cried. THANK YOU LORD!!!! I trust Him completely for this new chapter in life. I know His will is always best, even if it might be hard for a time. He uses trails and hardships to make us more like Him. I have to remind myself of that when the doubt and fear slip back in.

As for Freddy, he is progressing wonderfully. He has already moved to inpatient rehab (which originally he wasn’t expected to do this quickly). He will be here for quite a while. Freddy (and Connie!) still has a long road ahead of him. We are trusting God here too. We know He has a plan in all of this. We know He can and He will work this out for His good. We give Him all the praise and glory for the miracles that have taken place with Freddy this far. We are excited about what lays ahead for Freddy as we continue to see God work through this difficult time.

I want to end with a big THANK YOU!!!!! SOOOOOOO many of you have prayed, text, called, emailed, and checked on us during this time. You have no idea how much it means to me… to us. Your love and more importantly, your prayers, have given us strength and allowed us to move forward each day. We love you, dear friends.

Good night!

SURPRISE

Last night was Brent's surprise party!!!! I am proud to report.... it went off without a problem and he didn't even get mad at me :D

Back when I was training for the half marathon, I decided one day that my husband only turned 30 once and I wanted to celebrate it in style. Next year, he may be too senile to enjoy it ;)

I started planning and I never looked back, even when I was scared he would be mad at me. You see, Brent doesn't care much for parties and he hates, I mean, HE HATES surprises!!!!! I, on the other hand, LOVE surprises and parties :D Which means, I love planning surprise parties! This is the 4th one I've planned. I planned a friend's, my mom's, my mother-in-law's, and now my husband's!

I debated and debated where to have the party. Originally, I was going to have it at a restaurant and say we were going out to celebrate his mom's birthday and his together (her's is on the 4th of November). Then, after lots of thinking, I knew we would have a better turn out if I wasn't requiring people to pay to eat out. I know we would be less likely to attend a party where we also had to pay for our family to eat. Things are tight! We would probably decline the invite. I knew our church's Family Life Center would be the PERFECT location for the party.... BUT... how in the world could I get him there?? If his buddy's invited him to "hang out" and he pulled up and saw lots of cars, he would know and he would probably refuse to walk in the doors. It finally hit me! A friend of mine at church is a "planner" for us. LOL. She always plans girl's days and girl's night out, etc. and she tries to plan something once a month. How bout if she planned a "Couple's Game Night" for the month of November?????!!!! I decided that idea was a winner. I didn't think he would be suspicious of that at all. So, I casually mentioned to him, back at the beginning of October, that  I thought Nicole might be planning something for both the guys and the girls for November and that I thought it would be a "Game Night" sort of thing. He looked thrilled (NOT!) and said in a sarcastic voice, "Oh FUN!" (Remember... Brent doesn't care much for get-together's). I left it at that and decided not to bring it up again. Meanwhile, I put it as an event in my phone's calendar-- the "Couple's Game Night" that is. About 2 or 3 weeks ago, I was "looking through my calendar on my phone", when I noticed that Game Night was coming up. I "remembered" and told Brent. I also told him there would be childcare at the church for the kids and it would be the teens keeping them. He actually sounded excited about the plans :D I began saving my cleaning money to pay for everything and I kept it in my underwear drawer in an envelope.

Now it was time to decide on a menu and what to do at the party. His mom said that his favorite meal in the world is chili dogs. That is something I NEVER, EVER would cook at home, so I thought it would be perfect to serve at his party :D I arranged for his mom to make her recipe of chili, my mom to make her recipe of chili, me to make spicy chili, and then to also have a vegetarian chili (we have vegetarian friends). I asked my mother-in-law to make coleslaw (Brent loves her coleslaw) and my mom to make tea. I knew I would need, along with hot dogs and buns, ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, cheese, sour cream, chips, and dessert (I wanted to have the option for chili chips and cheese if someone didn't want hot dogs).

For the dessert, I wanted to WOW Brent and all the guests. I didn't want to spend too much, but I wanted to get something GOOD. If I had a cake made, I knew I would want my friend Ashley Ball doing the cake. She is extremely talented and can do anything! She is amazing. There is no other word for it. I thought and thought about what would be "Brent" and finally decided on his protein powder container and protein shaker. Anyone that knows Brent knows he loves to workout and stay healthy. He drinks at least 1 protein shake a day. I knew that would be "Brent" better than anything else. I called her and told her what I wanted and she said she could do it (of course she could!!!). I was excited to see the final product :D

I had no idea how to keep the kids entertained at the party. I knew they would outnumber the adults. We went to a birthday party at the church in October and they had rented a bouncy house. It fit perfectly inside our Family Life Center and the kids LOVED it. I knew that would be perfect to entertain the kiddos. I began saving money for that now as well. I rented a combo-- bouncy house plus slide and basketball goal--- and was excited to see Brent's reaction to that as well :D

Leading up to the party, I was anxious so much. I was so afraid someone would let it slip by accident. I was constantly deleting text messages because I was afraid he would see something. I would religiously log out of FB if I even walked away from the computer for a min. I usually NEVER log out and leave it up continuously. But, too many ppl were RSVPing on there or IM-ing me about the party. I couldn't risk him finding out. I was so nervous that he was somehow going to find out and would refuse to go.

I went up to the church Thursday night to "help Nicole decorate for game night" and mom and I sat up table and chairs and planned everything out. I also met the bouncy house men and got that all set up. EEEKKKK! I couldn't believe how close it was!

Thankfully, he never found out :D The big night rolled around. I cooked chili to take to Couple's Game Night. I causally got ready--- usually I'm extremely "time conscious" and HATE being late, but I wasn't worried about time in the least, well... at least not worried about "being on time". LOL. I tried on a million different things. We were ready ON TIME, which NEVER happens :D So, I told Brent I really needed to return something to Ace while he was with me to sit in the car with the boys. We were supposed to be at the church at 7:15pm and we got to Ace at 7pm. It took all of 1 min to return that, so I just stood in Ace for a good 6 minutes. When I got out to the van, Webb was crying and Brent said that is all he did while I was in there. Whoops! I said, "Sorry! They just couldn't get their act together." LOL.

On the way to the church, Dane said, "I need to puke". I whipped into the first street we were passing and when I did, the chili that was between Brent's feet spilled all over the van AND all over Brent's shoes. He was not happy :( He was saying, "Always gotta be on a dummy mission. We can't ever just stay home! Why do we always have to have plans. ETC." I was so tickled and trying not to bust out laughing!!! Dane did not throw up and we continued to the church.

We pull up to the church and I text my mom to let her know. I got the chili and Brent carried both boys. When we got to the doors, I opened them up and moved out of the way. The first person Brent saw was his cousin from Cartersville and a buddy from Cartersville. He looked at me and said, "What???!!" I said, "Go on in". When we walked in, all of our family and friends were surrounding us and screaming, "SURPRISE!!!!!!!" A ton of noise things were going off and it was a moment I will never forget :D Brent was surprised. YAY!!!! I was so pleased with the turn out, the party, and Brent's reaction. After hugging a few guests, I wanted to see the cake! I looked over and OH MY SOUL!!!!!!!!

The cake--- The protein powder we use and Brent's protein shaker.

Talk about AWESOME!!!!!!!!! I was so very pleased :D 

Brent was mingling with friends and they pointed and said, "See your cake." He laughed and said, "She got me protein powder instead of a cake?!" They said, "NO! That is your cake!" Brent was amazed and he LOVED it. After we went through the food line, Brent hugged me and said, "This is awesome. Thanks for doing it." That made all the hard work, $$$ spent, and anxiety over it totally worth it!!!

It seriously was a great night... one I will never forget. Brent either. We talked the whole way home about it and I shared stories from planning it, etc. He shared stories how in hindsight, he shoulda known I was up to something ;)

When we got home we watched the video from the night and laughed and laughed. Brent's friend, Daniel Ball, videoed before we got there and asked people to say something to Brent. That was great. He got the entrance and shots of everyone there. I am so glad we have that footage! We have been blessed with the most wonderful friends and the best family and couple could ask for!!! God is so very good!!!

Here are a few pics from the night. I didn't get many at all :( But the video rocks!

I think it's safe to say, the guests were "WOWED" by the cake!

The actual container and shaker next to the cake :D

Guests

It was an awesome night :D Thank you so much, to EVERYONE to helped me and came to celebrate my husband :D We love you guys!!!!!

Oh, side note... My table came in and Brent and Josh put it together for me yesterday. They only received 4 of the 8 chairs I ordered, so it's not complete yet. I'm not complaining though. It is so nice to not have to eat on the floor!! LOL

Whew

I have been dying to sit down and blog for over a week now. I seriously have not had a spare moment to do so. My days are crammed full from the moment I get up (5:00am) until the moment my head hits the pillow (10:00pm or 11:00 on rare evenings). I am blogging this morning in lieu of school. Yeah, I'm gonna pay for this one. This week is super busy and crazy! My head is swimming with everything I need to get done. Oh well. At least I'm updating my blog, right? :D

So.... the big news! We are in our house!!!! Do I like it, yes! Do I love it, you better believe it!!! I love it so much more than I thought possible. I am so content out here. Let me start at the beginning.

Brent knows the man and woman who lived here before us. He worked with them. That is the ONLY reason we even got this house. They were going through a divorce and a series of events led up to the lady (who technically owns the house) letting Brent know that she was wanting to rent out this house. It sounded perfect. Really, too good to be true. I hated to get my hopes up. We came out to look and I loved the land. The house was ok. It was junky and had older and outdated furniture. I made myself envision painted walls and my furniture and decorations inside. I wanted this land so badly for my boys that I agreed to rent it. We want to buy it, but at this moment, the owner is not selling it. She thinks she may be willing to sell it come January or July and we have first dibs. SWEET!

Back to my story. The couple split and the woman moved to Utah. She allowed the ex-husband to stay through the end of October. Then, he was moving to Florida. When we looked at the house (back in July), the outside was junky and cluttered, the house was junky and cluttered (along with being filthy) and the basement was full. She assured us that it would be clean and ready to move in my November 1st, if not before.

I talked to her the last week of October and she told me she would be getting in to town that Thursday and she wanted me to come by and get a key and see the place. She wanted to go over some things with me. She also told me that we would be able to come to the house and do whatever needed to be done starting that day. She said not to move any furniture in though until Monday. I didn't understand why we could come work on the house (painting and hanging things), but not move in our furniture. Ideally, we would get to "move" on the weekend when our family members were off of work. Oh well.

When we pulled up at the house, the yard was still very cluttered and junky. I looked at Brent and he looked at me. I know we were both wondering the same thing, "Is that stuff staying???? Is that our job to move it??? It is trash????"

This is the only picture I took of the outside this day.

We went inside and it looked the same way. Stuff and junk was EVERYWHERE! Still hanging on the walls, still in all the cabinets and corners, trash was everywhere. I just wanted to sit down and cry. Now I knew why we couldn't move in furniture. How were we suppose to even paint? I felt discouragement. I didn't think we would be able to move in on Monday. It was that bad.

This is the filth that was all through the house. Notice the baseboards!

Once again, I was trying to capture the filth!

I felt so hopeless and discouraged (and exhausted already). Wow! I took these pictures because I knew my mother and mother-in-law would NOT believe me and would think I was over exaggerating it. Talk about shock from them. Mom went straight to the store and bought a TON of cleaning supplies and lots of gloves. I didn't even know what to do. Obviously, I was going to have to have the carpets cleaned. There was NO WAY I was moving my stuff into that OR even thinking about letting my babies on the carpets. GAG!! They were full of dog hair and dust and nastiness. The dust is what amazed me the most. It was about an inch thick on the baseboards, CARPET, blinds, it was so bad on the fans that it was hanging, yes HANGING, off the blades. I called the carpet cleaners who told me they also cleaned ceramic tile. THANK YOU, LORD! I also arranged for them to clean the bathroom floors. I "ok-ed" it with the owner on what day would work. I knew her stuff occupied the space being cleaned, so I knew I needed to make sure it would work for her. I wanted it done BEFORE we moved our stuff in.

Friday when Mom, Brent, and I arrived, it looked just as bad. You could not tell that anything had been done. Honestly, I don't think anything had been done. We worked on painting the master bedroom and my mom (THANK YOU!!!!!!) cleaned the master bath. GAG. It. Was. Disgusting! She probably cleaned it for 2 hours and it is so small that 2 people cannot fit inside. LOL. We painted and then eventually left because there was nothing we could do. She assured us that the rooms would be empty by 11am the next day for the carpet cleaners.

We arrived the next morning and the house looks the exact same. The furniture and junk still covered all the floors being cleaned. The owner ended up leaving and her best friend took control. She knew we paid the carpet cleaner whether he could do the job or not. We moved EVERYTHING out of the rooms and into the living room floor.

What she had moved out.... you could no longer tell.

The carpet cleaners were able to do their job. That is what matters. To make a long story short, we had an army of people helping us. 12 to be exact. I mentioned in the blog before this what all we had to do to get this house "move in ready". It was not a cheap thing to do. We went to clean the fridge the day we were moving in and discovered we were going to have to buy one of those too. This is what the inside looked like once we cleaned all her stuff out.

Can you say, "NASTY"!!!

We were going to clean it, but seriously... I don't know that there was any hope! We bought a used/like new side-by-side black refrigerator and put hers in the storage building.

Her are some pictures of the progress

Boys room getting painted.

Dane helping paint the guest room.

My big helper!

Here are some after shots... everything is not completely done. I still need to hang lots of things and our table we ordered is not in stock yet.

Living room

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The sitting area of the Master--- I'm pretty sure I'm going to be painting that big wall the gold that the guest room is and the master bath.

Yes, my hubby bought my comforter!!! Merry Christmas to me!

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The screened in porch.



The master bath. I hate having to have those selves, but it is so small, I have no choice.


Boys room.

Boys bathroom.

I took one looking in, can't find it now. Will post it later.

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Guest room... still needs lots of work!

The kitchen

My marriage wall in the living room :D

I will take pictures of our workout room and post those later.

We moved in at Halloween time. Mom and Dad took the boys to a Fall festival while we worked so they could have some fun.

We moved our furniture in on Halloween. We were going to take Dane trick-or-treating (since I spent $30 on the costume!!!!), but with all the excitement, he refused to go. He wanted to stay with us. LOL. I was actually ok with that. NO CANDY :D

It has been great living here. I love it and the boys both love it. They run around and play outside all day!

Yes, we are on 5 acres and we plan to enjoy each piece of it!

I'll leave you with some pics we took outside. I will try to do better about blogging!!! :D Have a blessed day.

Our barn.

House from the woods.

View of house coming down the driveway.

View from carport.

View from carport (this was a "before she moved out". I just found it).

Our driveway.