Last Night Here

It's good to have the internet back again. We've had mega thunderstorms these past few days and lost power each time... and also web connection, which has not always been restored when the power returned. At least there wasn't the temptation to hang out on the web when I needed to be doing other things. And there are about ten thousand other things needing done.

That was written yesterday and now most of the house is packed. We close on our new home tomorrow afternoon. YAY! I'm so thrilled. Plus we got the final tally on closing costs today and they came in lower than expected.

God has amazingly opened every door to this home. We had prayed He would close any door that wasn't His best for us and open the doors leading to blessing. we had made an offer on another home and were sure it was a great deal, but things dragged on and on and we have yet to get a response on our second offer from the bank owner of that house. Meanwhile, God led us to this house quite unexpectedly and everything fell in place beautifully. we are quite confident this is right where the Lord would have us at this particular time in our lives.

It will be good to get settled, but first, we need to prepare our present home for sale. We are praying for a quick sale at a price that is a blessing to us as well as the buyer, and that even now, God is preparing their hearts and finances to buy this house.

So, this is our last night here (I think) and I will probably be unable to post for several days as we wait for the cable guys to come install at the new house. Although all this is terribly fun and exciting, I will be glad when we are all settled and other things fill my thoughts and blogs... you poor readers are no doubt tired of the same old theme I've written about for months.

Boxing Day

I have my own version of Boxing Day. Traditionally, in countries of the Brittish Commonwealth, December 26 is Boxing Day, also St. Stephen's Day. Stephen achieved eternal fame by being the first Christian to be martyred for his faith.

My Boxing Days began today, but there will be many... or at least several. I got boxes from a Freecycle participant and began filling them today. So far, I've packed the china, most of my NutriSystem food and some other stuff. There's still a LOT to go!

We will only be in this house four more days! We close on Tuesday and will plan to be moved into our new kitchen that day and at least set up a mattress in the bedroom. We won't move any other furniture in until we have the carpets cleaned, etc. We also want to paint most of the rooms and add molding to some, so we have much to do on that house before actually setting up the rooms. But, we need to be out of here as soon as possible so we can get this one on the market before we leave for Tami's wedding. That means we'll have just over two weeks to do everything here, and we're going to camp out at the new place while we do it. This isn't HGTV, and Clive isn't here, so we can't do it all in two days... so we'll need every day we have.

That should be fun!

I'm actually looking forward to all of it. Quite an adventure. I feel like a newlywed in my first home. What I really need is a solid design plan instead of all the vague stuff running through my head, or just hoping the perfect inspiration pieces cross my path. Yes, I'm using first person singular. Richard cares not a speck about color or design. He does like comfort, though... and pool. we should be able to work something out with that.


I am so incredibly thankful. So many homeless in this world and we have the luxury of buying a new home before selling our existing home. Wow! God has been so merciful!

A Great Day the Lord Has Made

We went to the eastern shore today... and found a wonderful roll-top desk at the Habitats for Humanity Thrift Store in one of the small towns on the coast. We also spent several hours walking along the beach. Richard stayed dry, but I waded in, clothes and all. It was grand!

We had to rearrange the storage unit to fit the desk in, then I had to climb over a mountain of furniture to get out. It was worth the effort. We'll be able to empty the unit a week from today since we close on the house next Tuesday. The lender called this morning to reassure me all was complete except the survey which has been ordered. I am so thankful, blessed and excited!

Now we are home from our ten-hour excursion and we're both exhausted. I re-pulled a muscle in my back. No, not lifting the desk or moving the furniture; I pulled it getting into the truck and twisting to hold a towel over the seat since my clothes were still wet.

So, thankful and happy, but in considerable pain, I am taking some meds and going to bed. Tomorrow is another day that the Lord has made, and I am going to rest and be glad in it.

Super Sunday

I picked up my meds and more furniture yesterday (I can't remember what) and when I was on my way home from the storage unit, I decided to go to Disney's MGM Studios to get some walking exercize in. I was there for seven hours and had a marvelous time. I love all things Disney!

Church this morning was the high point of my week, as usual. The only down side is that it is uncomfortably cold in the school cafeteria where we meet. It will be so good to get into our new church building... and that wil be very soon! I'm thankful that our pastor has not let the new building and operational focus overshadow or detract from the real purpose of our being there. He always preaches a solid, Christ centered message based on scripture and made relevant to our personal lives. We are so blessed!

This afternoon, I made a new friend. I drove to East Orlando to pick up a beautiful antique chair redone in a rich African fabric. The woman (Nancy) who did the work showed me other pieces she has done and how she has decorated her home with an ethnic flair. It was gorgeous. She is a believer and we enjoyed a good long visit about the Lord, redoing furniture and things in general.

Mortgage news continues to be negative. Many who have been approved for their loans are not being funded as money sources dry up or the lenders max out their own credit lines. Hedge funds are joining the rush to dump mortgage backed investments. We're slated to close on our home the 28th of this month and are praying our loan doesn't go poof as others have recently done. On the other hand, we are quite calm about the whole affair knowing God is in control and trusting His best for us.

I had a great chat with my brother on the phone today and also a computer chat with his daughter, Donna. I have a wonderful family all round!

Richard bids his vacation tomorrow

Birthday Blessings

My 68th birthday... wow! That sounds really old! But I don't feel old, so I'm not all that concerned with the numbers. I've actually been celebrating all week with the help of family and friends and my wonderful Sweetie. Today, he outdid himself.

I rented a trailer this afternoon and went out to buy bedroom furniture from a resort that is changing its function and selling off the furnishings. I waited too long and there was almost nothing left. I got two beds, two silk trees and a chair. The trailer was needed after all, even though I couldn't get dressers, night stands, etc.

I unloaded what I had at the storage unit and made a deal over the telephone to buy a rather large sofa and love seat I found on Craigslist.com. Richard worked until 7:30 and when he got home hungry and tired, he went with me to pick up the oversized livingroom furniture he really didn't want to buy. Of course, all of it took longer than expected and it was 10:30 before we got home, yet my dear hubby was good natured through it all.

Richard believes as long as you have some form of comfy seating and a TV, the living area is complete. He cares not a whit for style, color or accessories, so he had no clue why we would want another sofa and why we needed to check the color. Even so, he drug his tired body out on my mission and was gracious the whole time.

Now, the storage unit is completely full. My life, too, is full. I had calls from several of my children and grandchildren, and even a great-grandchild! I am so very blessed.... also tired, so will quit for now. I will take some special time tomorrrow to spend with MySpace. All of you bless me SO much!

Wonderful Fun

I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. Seems like I am used up by evening and too busy to post in the daytime. Life is full and wonderful.

Tuesday, in celebration of my upcoming birthday, Athena and Brian treated us to a delightful time of exploration at the Science Museum and topped that fun off with a delicious meal at Chez Vincent. We always enjoy spending time with them and they always seem to think up great things to do.

I'm not sure if I wrote about our house buying success (at last). Our offer was countered, and we accepted and even then, the appraisal came in well above what we are paying, so we are quite blessed. The house is almost move in ready. We plan to have the carpets steam cleaned and do some painting to create our own look. Right now everything is beige or white, very vanilla and much too plain for my liking.

We are due to close on the house on the 28th, however today our loan processor said we may even be able to close earlier. That would be fine with us since we have almost filled our storage unit and have more to buy. There is so much to do both here and there, plus we will be traveling to two weddings and a family reunion in September. The sooner we can get moved into the new house and get this one on the market, the better.

It seems that there is only one concern we have and that is the news that many lenders, including Countrywide, are reaching their line of credit limits and running our of funds to lend on mortgages. We have no idea where our lender stands in all this, but they have said nothing to us except that we may be able to close early. We are trusting God and proceeding as if there were no mortgage crisis.

Thanks to http://craigslist.com, we have bought furnishings for several rooms including the guest room, Florida room, kitchen (a cool table, chairs and hutch with great character I got with birthday money from my brother and Richard), plus some living room furniture. I think we have found some great pieces. Looking and shopping this way is lots of fun but pretty time consuming.

So, with the house decided on and the mortgage approved (I don't need to find any more records, yay) all we're doing is getting furnishings and decor and cleaning, decorating and setting up our place to sell. All in all, it's been fun and we are both actually enjoying it.

Tomorrow, I'm renting a truck, buying beds, dressers, a recliner and more. Richard will help me load it when he gets home.

So come along and I'll commit to posting something every day, even if only one sentence.