Okay, so ya know how The Prince and I visited Texas this summer? Well, this is the second time we've visited there in recent years, and we always leave very sad. Not only because we love our TX friends, but because we really love TX.
Property values here in So Cal are dropping, and may drop a lot more in the next year. Combine that with the fact that our lifestyle here is rapidly going down the tubes, and you have a family ripe for change.
We are seriously looking into moving to TX, and putting our house on the market very soon. GH actually spoke with a realtor this morning! House sales are way down in our area (though we live in a very desirable city) , so if this is meant to be, God will be providing the right buyer. We have not listed the house yet, nor are we decided. We are however, talking about it constantly.
The biggest drawback is leaving my parents. There is a possibility that my in-laws would follow us...but not my folks. My mom is kinda freaking out about us leaving, and it's freaking me out. I have told GH that if we move to TX, we will be keeping a fund just for traveling, and get a frequent flyer credit card. He agrees with me, so I anticipate that we would become big travelers.
That's the latest. Hopefully I'll update sooner rather than later.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
My first tag...a little late, I'm afraid
Elisa at My Journey Begins Now tagged me! This is my first tag, so I'll try not to mess it up.
How to Plans Meals and Cook for a *very picky* Family of Four, and Love It - I just don't have the cooking gene, though I have to say, in recent months with working less, it's a lot easier to cook. Now, it's become a necessity to prepare all meals at home, so I really must get this all figured out.
What to Say - This course equips the student to give the proper (and witty) response to any comment or in any situation. You will no longer say to yourself (after the fact) "I should have said..." or "I should not have said..." You will always be able to say "Awww, I'm so glad I said that."
I'm afraid I don't know how to tag others, so I'll just say, that's it. Thank for reading! :-)
Devise a list of 5-10 courses you would take to fix your life. It’s more fun to be in classes with friends, so include one class from the person who tagged you that you’d also like to take. Tag five.
This is the class we'll take together from your list, since this is how we met...when I asked for advice on internet marketing!
Internet Marketing for Dummies - after completing this class I won't have to muddle through all the annoying forums and sales pages; I'll be techno savvy and in tune with the IM world and raking in enough money to allow dear husband to decide what he wants to do with his life.
Dave Ramsey's Class - This is a real class, but it's one we really, really need, and should have taken a long time ago. 'Nuff said.
Lose 40 Pounds OVERNIGHT!!! - Weight loss is such a long, difficult journey. In this course, we'll learn how to lose it and keep it off...in one day (without surgery to remove a limb)! (Hey, this is my world, and in my world you'd be able to lose 40 lbs overnight, so there.)How to Plans Meals and Cook for a *very picky* Family of Four, and Love It - I just don't have the cooking gene, though I have to say, in recent months with working less, it's a lot easier to cook. Now, it's become a necessity to prepare all meals at home, so I really must get this all figured out.
What to Say - This course equips the student to give the proper (and witty) response to any comment or in any situation. You will no longer say to yourself (after the fact) "I should have said..." or "I should not have said..." You will always be able to say "Awww, I'm so glad I said that."
I'm afraid I don't know how to tag others, so I'll just say, that's it. Thank for reading! :-)
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Updates and stuff
Again, nearly a month gone by without a post. *sigh* Updates, updates....
The Princess was allowed to audition for the musical "A Christmas Carol," and made it! GH figured the commitment time was shorter than with her other theater group, so he allowed it! We're pretty excited. Rehearsals are Sundays from 1-5, so it doesn't interfere with any other activities...until Production Week. Then, we're traveling 40 or so miles, in traffic to rehearsal at 4, then picking her up at 10 p.m., Sunday through Tuesday! Then, on Wed., Thurs., and Friday mornings, we have to be at the theater at about 8:15 a.m.
Can I just be honest? I love it! I think I'm a stage mother, without the whiny, "my-child-has-to-have-a-lead-role" attitude. The Princess gets to do the stuff that I really wanted to do at her age (but was not motivated enough). God has essentially given me a second chance, and I'm so glad.
Both kids got to perform at a Senior Center recently. The Prince, playing the keyboard, accompanied his sister as she sang "In Christ Alone." There were audible approving murmurs from the folks in the audience. It really warmed my heart. The Princess also performed the song from "White Christmas" called "Sisters" with an 8 year old friend. They had done the same song for our homeschool graduation in June. Seeing as the average age of their audience was, oh, about 75 years old, and they therefore were very familiar with Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby and the like, their performance was well-received! The kids really enjoyed performing for the folks, and I made sure that they socialized with the folks a little, too.
I was always afraid of old people when I was a kid; my only exposure was at a rest home, where most of the residents were in really bad shape. I had this perception that all old people smelled bad and drooled. Sad, but true. I'm so glad my kids have energetic grandparents who live nearby so that they can have regular interaction.
My work has finally dried up, almost completely. I'm alternating between panic and peace. Weird, I know.
Here's the deal: For YEARS, I have felt the Holy Spirit's urging to stop working. I've even prayed to be "able" to stop working, meaning that I wanted GH to make enough money to sustain us. Well, I ignored the Lord's leading, time and again, always wanting to "save" us financially. And here I am, with a teenager and a pre-teen who become more expensive by the day, and not enough to make ends meet. And God said, "Guess what? You're not working anymore!"
I have to trust that He'll work it out...He always has. Miracle upon miracle, GH is applying for several much more lucrative jobs...which he put off for years, partly due to the fact that his wife (that would be me) wasn't allowing him to provide for the family! I respect my husband more than I ever have, watching him rise to the occasion; he doesn't even want me to look for a job. God is revealing to me how important obedience is; I've always known it, but this situation really drives it home.
The Princess is off camping with friends this weekend. The Prince and I are off to babysit three little darling boys while their mom takes the older two kids to a symphony. We are absolutely in love with babies, so this should be fun!
May the Lord richly bless you today!
The Princess was allowed to audition for the musical "A Christmas Carol," and made it! GH figured the commitment time was shorter than with her other theater group, so he allowed it! We're pretty excited. Rehearsals are Sundays from 1-5, so it doesn't interfere with any other activities...until Production Week. Then, we're traveling 40 or so miles, in traffic to rehearsal at 4, then picking her up at 10 p.m., Sunday through Tuesday! Then, on Wed., Thurs., and Friday mornings, we have to be at the theater at about 8:15 a.m.
Can I just be honest? I love it! I think I'm a stage mother, without the whiny, "my-child-has-to-have-a-lead-role" attitude. The Princess gets to do the stuff that I really wanted to do at her age (but was not motivated enough). God has essentially given me a second chance, and I'm so glad.
Both kids got to perform at a Senior Center recently. The Prince, playing the keyboard, accompanied his sister as she sang "In Christ Alone." There were audible approving murmurs from the folks in the audience. It really warmed my heart. The Princess also performed the song from "White Christmas" called "Sisters" with an 8 year old friend. They had done the same song for our homeschool graduation in June. Seeing as the average age of their audience was, oh, about 75 years old, and they therefore were very familiar with Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby and the like, their performance was well-received! The kids really enjoyed performing for the folks, and I made sure that they socialized with the folks a little, too.
I was always afraid of old people when I was a kid; my only exposure was at a rest home, where most of the residents were in really bad shape. I had this perception that all old people smelled bad and drooled. Sad, but true. I'm so glad my kids have energetic grandparents who live nearby so that they can have regular interaction.
My work has finally dried up, almost completely. I'm alternating between panic and peace. Weird, I know.
Here's the deal: For YEARS, I have felt the Holy Spirit's urging to stop working. I've even prayed to be "able" to stop working, meaning that I wanted GH to make enough money to sustain us. Well, I ignored the Lord's leading, time and again, always wanting to "save" us financially. And here I am, with a teenager and a pre-teen who become more expensive by the day, and not enough to make ends meet. And God said, "Guess what? You're not working anymore!"
I have to trust that He'll work it out...He always has. Miracle upon miracle, GH is applying for several much more lucrative jobs...which he put off for years, partly due to the fact that his wife (that would be me) wasn't allowing him to provide for the family! I respect my husband more than I ever have, watching him rise to the occasion; he doesn't even want me to look for a job. God is revealing to me how important obedience is; I've always known it, but this situation really drives it home.
The Princess is off camping with friends this weekend. The Prince and I are off to babysit three little darling boys while their mom takes the older two kids to a symphony. We are absolutely in love with babies, so this should be fun!
May the Lord richly bless you today!
Monday, October 22, 2007
What's new and exciting?
Okay, it's been almost a month again since I posted. I'm resisting the urge to rush here whenever I feel down, so that I don't make this a kvetching blog.
We still aren't in our bedroom. GH will probably move in there tonight, but he took our king size bed apart and had to trash the box spring, since it was broken. He wants to build a base for the two air mattresses that make up our bed. So, the couch is still my bed.
The Princess had her play a few weekends ago. It went okay, but we were a little disappointed that the sound wasn't very good, and the play was THREE HOURS LONG! GH has decided that she should take a break from the theater group, much to her chagrin. He wants the kids to start contributing more to the household, and doing less away from home. He also feels that The Princess has a "princess" complex, and is bound and determined to rid her of it. Yikes, it's gonna get crazy here, I think. I, unfortunately, have the same "princess" complex, so he's working on curing us both.
Have I mentioned that The Prince is musically talented? We got a keyboard given to us by some friends, and he just picked it up and started playing, by ear. He now takes keyboard class, and loves it. I really want him to learn to read music, and as his musical Grandpa says, "If you can read music, you can play anything!" GH and I are not musical (except that we like music), so we're thinking it skipped a generation. :-)
We've been dealing with a multitude of internet problems, and have changed providers. Hopefully, this new one will be more reliable, although the past few days we've had it, we're having some issues, so we'll see.
I'm not feeling very chatty today, so I'll just try to get back here sooner to post.
We still aren't in our bedroom. GH will probably move in there tonight, but he took our king size bed apart and had to trash the box spring, since it was broken. He wants to build a base for the two air mattresses that make up our bed. So, the couch is still my bed.
The Princess had her play a few weekends ago. It went okay, but we were a little disappointed that the sound wasn't very good, and the play was THREE HOURS LONG! GH has decided that she should take a break from the theater group, much to her chagrin. He wants the kids to start contributing more to the household, and doing less away from home. He also feels that The Princess has a "princess" complex, and is bound and determined to rid her of it. Yikes, it's gonna get crazy here, I think. I, unfortunately, have the same "princess" complex, so he's working on curing us both.
Have I mentioned that The Prince is musically talented? We got a keyboard given to us by some friends, and he just picked it up and started playing, by ear. He now takes keyboard class, and loves it. I really want him to learn to read music, and as his musical Grandpa says, "If you can read music, you can play anything!" GH and I are not musical (except that we like music), so we're thinking it skipped a generation. :-)
We've been dealing with a multitude of internet problems, and have changed providers. Hopefully, this new one will be more reliable, although the past few days we've had it, we're having some issues, so we'll see.
I'm not feeling very chatty today, so I'll just try to get back here sooner to post.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
I hate titles
The bedroom still isn't done. GH is painting it at this very moment, so very soon!
In other news, The Princess and I both have stuffy noses, and she has a cough. The Prince and GH have yet to get the bug, so maybe we've dodged that bullet.
The Princess is involved in a theater group, but has never tried out for a part since the first play she performed in, which was "Annie." If I never hear "Hard Knock Life," or "Tomorrow" again, I'll be perfectly content, by the way. Anyway, she was OFFERED a part last week, and so we'll get to see more of her at the performance in October! We're so excited! With said part, another fee for a second costume was due, so my generous and wonderful parents paid for it. What would I do without my parents?
About those parents: We had quite the scare a week or so ago. My dad, being a Korean War Vet, has always wanted to return to Korea to see what our (meaning the U.S.) efforts did for South Korea. The opportunity arose, and they took it. The Korean government actually hosts American veterans in a show of appreciation for their service! How cool is that?! I wonder if Iraq will do that someday...
Anyway, Mom and Dad extended their trip for a full six days to go to China. I didn't like that idea, but I understood. Sort of. They were able to call one time, when they arrived in China. It was 12:30 a.m., and they woke me from a dead sleep, but I was so very happy to hear from them that I didn't care. They sounded good, and were looking forward to exploring China (as much as China will let you explore).
My brother and I had noted that their itinerary from the airline said they'd be returning on the 20th; however, Mom kept talking about returning on the 21st. Well, we figured she could have been mistaken, and that they were really returning on the 20th SINCE THAT'S WHAT THE ITINERARY SAID. So, The Princess and I headed the 40 miles or so to our major airport, and waited for them to arrive. And waited, and waited, and waited, and waited...for three hours. They did not arrive, and I had a meltdown, right there, in front of the international terminal. I called my brother, sobbing "Mom and Dad weren't on the plane! I don't know what to do!! Call me back, please!!!!!" The Princess, who is mature beyond her years, calmly called her father, GH, and told him I may not be able to drive home.
I calmed down, called the airline and asked if my parents were booked on the 9/20 flight from Seoul, South Korea. They said they couldn't tell me; that's confidential information. *sigh* So, while The Princess and I headed home in rush hour traffic from the airport, GH went to my folks' home, and started calling all the hotels listed on their paperwork. Hotels in South Korea and China. Major language barriers ensued, yet GH kept his cool, and finally got some information from a complete (American) stranger in the room they had just vacated in China! Then, we were able to contact the tour company, and were assured they were at that very moment boarding a plane to return home. God bless my GH. He spent over an hour on the phone talking to all kinds of non-English speaking people, just to find his crazy in-laws.
I headed out to the airport AGAIN the next day, and picked them up. I felt kinda bad that I wasn't happier to see them - I mean, I was happy to see them, but I was so frazzled from the day before that it took a little while for it to sink in that they were finally home. Then, when it did sink in, I cried.
Now, for confession time. God has been working on my heart in the area of anxiety and worry. Oh, yes, those two stumbling blocks of many Christian women. I had listened to a fantastic sermon online, and felt God breaking my heart. It felt horrible and blissful at the same time. I gave Him my worry about work, about my kids, my marriage.
And then, my parents didn't arrive when I thought they were going to - and I broke down in front of God and everyone at a major international hub. And you know what God did? Even in my disobedience, even when I was basically saying "I don't believe You are who you say You are," He provided someone to pray for me, right then, right there, in the airport.
I had gone to an information booth, where a lone woman was available to help find flights and other such stuff. I kept going back to her, and she was the only one who actually helped us find out what the problem was. Anyway, before we left the airport, I went back to her, told her we knew they weren't on that flight, and asked her if she prayed. She said, "YES" and grabbed both my hands in hers, and prayed out loud, in the middle of the airport.
Thank you, Lord, for loving me despite my lack of faith. Thank you for forgiving me of my sin, and even providing comfort in the midst of my disobedience. What an awesome God we serve!!!!
In other news, The Princess and I both have stuffy noses, and she has a cough. The Prince and GH have yet to get the bug, so maybe we've dodged that bullet.
The Princess is involved in a theater group, but has never tried out for a part since the first play she performed in, which was "Annie." If I never hear "Hard Knock Life," or "Tomorrow" again, I'll be perfectly content, by the way. Anyway, she was OFFERED a part last week, and so we'll get to see more of her at the performance in October! We're so excited! With said part, another fee for a second costume was due, so my generous and wonderful parents paid for it. What would I do without my parents?
About those parents: We had quite the scare a week or so ago. My dad, being a Korean War Vet, has always wanted to return to Korea to see what our (meaning the U.S.) efforts did for South Korea. The opportunity arose, and they took it. The Korean government actually hosts American veterans in a show of appreciation for their service! How cool is that?! I wonder if Iraq will do that someday...
Anyway, Mom and Dad extended their trip for a full six days to go to China. I didn't like that idea, but I understood. Sort of. They were able to call one time, when they arrived in China. It was 12:30 a.m., and they woke me from a dead sleep, but I was so very happy to hear from them that I didn't care. They sounded good, and were looking forward to exploring China (as much as China will let you explore).
My brother and I had noted that their itinerary from the airline said they'd be returning on the 20th; however, Mom kept talking about returning on the 21st. Well, we figured she could have been mistaken, and that they were really returning on the 20th SINCE THAT'S WHAT THE ITINERARY SAID. So, The Princess and I headed the 40 miles or so to our major airport, and waited for them to arrive. And waited, and waited, and waited, and waited...for three hours. They did not arrive, and I had a meltdown, right there, in front of the international terminal. I called my brother, sobbing "Mom and Dad weren't on the plane! I don't know what to do!! Call me back, please!!!!!" The Princess, who is mature beyond her years, calmly called her father, GH, and told him I may not be able to drive home.
I calmed down, called the airline and asked if my parents were booked on the 9/20 flight from Seoul, South Korea. They said they couldn't tell me; that's confidential information. *sigh* So, while The Princess and I headed home in rush hour traffic from the airport, GH went to my folks' home, and started calling all the hotels listed on their paperwork. Hotels in South Korea and China. Major language barriers ensued, yet GH kept his cool, and finally got some information from a complete (American) stranger in the room they had just vacated in China! Then, we were able to contact the tour company, and were assured they were at that very moment boarding a plane to return home. God bless my GH. He spent over an hour on the phone talking to all kinds of non-English speaking people, just to find his crazy in-laws.
I headed out to the airport AGAIN the next day, and picked them up. I felt kinda bad that I wasn't happier to see them - I mean, I was happy to see them, but I was so frazzled from the day before that it took a little while for it to sink in that they were finally home. Then, when it did sink in, I cried.
Now, for confession time. God has been working on my heart in the area of anxiety and worry. Oh, yes, those two stumbling blocks of many Christian women. I had listened to a fantastic sermon online, and felt God breaking my heart. It felt horrible and blissful at the same time. I gave Him my worry about work, about my kids, my marriage.
And then, my parents didn't arrive when I thought they were going to - and I broke down in front of God and everyone at a major international hub. And you know what God did? Even in my disobedience, even when I was basically saying "I don't believe You are who you say You are," He provided someone to pray for me, right then, right there, in the airport.
I had gone to an information booth, where a lone woman was available to help find flights and other such stuff. I kept going back to her, and she was the only one who actually helped us find out what the problem was. Anyway, before we left the airport, I went back to her, told her we knew they weren't on that flight, and asked her if she prayed. She said, "YES" and grabbed both my hands in hers, and prayed out loud, in the middle of the airport.
Thank you, Lord, for loving me despite my lack of faith. Thank you for forgiving me of my sin, and even providing comfort in the midst of my disobedience. What an awesome God we serve!!!!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Construction and finance blues
I'm feeling pretty blue today. Work has slowed to crawl, which translates into one of two things. Either GH has to start getting a lot of side work, or I have to get a "real" job. Thing is, the money I make doing the work I do is really, really good...when I'm working. If I got a full time job, I probably couldn't make what I do working very part-time. I'm praying on all this. I sure don't want GH to be working all the time, but I've lived the full-time work fantasy with kids, and I just can't imagine God wants me to do that again. We shall see.
Construction update: The bedroom is getting wallboard placed as we speak, but GH just came in and told me he needs something from Home Depot, so he's off. It's 11 p.m., by the way. He took a good long nap this afternoon, so I 'spose he's pretty rested. I, on the other hand, am exhausted. I didn't get a nap. So, I decided to come put an addition on my blog that isn't after a full month of nothing.
In other news, the Princess has been taking about dyeing her hair for awhile now. She said she wanted it to be pinkish. I figured, she's a good kid, she can't get in trouble at school since she's homeschooled, and it sounds like fun to me! So, we went and looked at hair colors. I noticed she kept looking at the light blonde colors. And as time went on, the blonde got lighter, and lighter and lighter, until we're looking at platinum blonde bleach kits! We brought it home, and she couldn't wait to get it on her head. I had to do it, since it's not really something you want to do on yourself the first time.
Well, I hate it. She has beautiful hair, but now it's a really, really unnatural blonde. I don't think anyone likes it but her, which is fine. It's just hard to get used to. At least it'll grow out.
The Prince is building a clubhouse in our backyard. He really spent alot of time nailing 2X4s together, and he actually has kind of a neat looking shelter started. We'll see how that progresses. He always has big ideas that are kind of hard to carry out, but I'm proud of how he is persevering on this project.
Construction update: The bedroom is getting wallboard placed as we speak, but GH just came in and told me he needs something from Home Depot, so he's off. It's 11 p.m., by the way. He took a good long nap this afternoon, so I 'spose he's pretty rested. I, on the other hand, am exhausted. I didn't get a nap. So, I decided to come put an addition on my blog that isn't after a full month of nothing.
In other news, the Princess has been taking about dyeing her hair for awhile now. She said she wanted it to be pinkish. I figured, she's a good kid, she can't get in trouble at school since she's homeschooled, and it sounds like fun to me! So, we went and looked at hair colors. I noticed she kept looking at the light blonde colors. And as time went on, the blonde got lighter, and lighter and lighter, until we're looking at platinum blonde bleach kits! We brought it home, and she couldn't wait to get it on her head. I had to do it, since it's not really something you want to do on yourself the first time.
Well, I hate it. She has beautiful hair, but now it's a really, really unnatural blonde. I don't think anyone likes it but her, which is fine. It's just hard to get used to. At least it'll grow out.
The Prince is building a clubhouse in our backyard. He really spent alot of time nailing 2X4s together, and he actually has kind of a neat looking shelter started. We'll see how that progresses. He always has big ideas that are kind of hard to carry out, but I'm proud of how he is persevering on this project.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
This blog, and where it's going
Had our first park day with our homeschool co-op today. It was really nice. I had seen most everyone over the summer, but not all together! We have a number of new families, so the kids have more kids to commiserate with. They both seemed happy to be there.
I noticed something. I re-read my first post, and I said I'd probably be talking about weight loss and finance. As far as I can tell, I've posted little if anything about either of those! Oh, well, this is (so far) only for my reading pleasure, so I guess it doesn't matter.
The Princess is sitting just behind me, reading every word. She keeps laughing at what I write. Just wait 'til she leaves the room... (She's laughing again).
I have a friend who thinks I should send her the link to this blog. Her blog is so well-written, and she really inspires me with her lifestyle and faith. And here I blog about...my broken toe. *sigh* And then my injured knee *double sigh.* Oh, and let's not forget adventures in home improvement *groan.* I think I'll send her the link just so she can get it out of her system. :-)
What else is going on? Oh, the bedroom project is still in progress. All three windows are replaced, and the stucco is almost done (the color coat needs to go on). GH is putting in a radiant barrier to hopefully make the room cooler in summer, warmer in winter. It's all taking a long time, but I think it will be worth it.
Oh, I had my birthday in the past week! I got a wonderful digital camera! My daddy found it for me, and my in-laws, brother and GH pitched in. They also got me a charger for re-chargeable batteries. I am soooo excited! I love The Pioneer Woman and I really want to learn about taking pics with the digital on her site. Of course, I don't live in the same kind of setting that she does, but I can find beauty here, really, I can! I will learn how to post pics here. Just give me a little time.
I noticed something. I re-read my first post, and I said I'd probably be talking about weight loss and finance. As far as I can tell, I've posted little if anything about either of those! Oh, well, this is (so far) only for my reading pleasure, so I guess it doesn't matter.
The Princess is sitting just behind me, reading every word. She keeps laughing at what I write. Just wait 'til she leaves the room... (She's laughing again).
I have a friend who thinks I should send her the link to this blog. Her blog is so well-written, and she really inspires me with her lifestyle and faith. And here I blog about...my broken toe. *sigh* And then my injured knee *double sigh.* Oh, and let's not forget adventures in home improvement *groan.* I think I'll send her the link just so she can get it out of her system. :-)
What else is going on? Oh, the bedroom project is still in progress. All three windows are replaced, and the stucco is almost done (the color coat needs to go on). GH is putting in a radiant barrier to hopefully make the room cooler in summer, warmer in winter. It's all taking a long time, but I think it will be worth it.
Oh, I had my birthday in the past week! I got a wonderful digital camera! My daddy found it for me, and my in-laws, brother and GH pitched in. They also got me a charger for re-chargeable batteries. I am soooo excited! I love The Pioneer Woman and I really want to learn about taking pics with the digital on her site. Of course, I don't live in the same kind of setting that she does, but I can find beauty here, really, I can! I will learn how to post pics here. Just give me a little time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
