Blessed - Consider the lilies of the field...

My husband and I were talking yesterday about life.  I just keep thinking that things are supposed to get easier at some point.  He thinks that maybe 'that's life'...just the ups and downs all the time, and trying to work through them.  Maybe he's right, and maybe he isn't.

These flowers are probably my all time favorite flower - Calla lilies...last night during scriptures, we read in the Book of Mormon, the section where Christ has just come to visit the Americas, and was preaching messages which were very similar to the messages he taught in Jerusalem.  Here's one of my favorite passages - we read it last night and it gave me peace.  It is found in 3 Nephi 13:26-34, and says...
 "Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they?  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?  And why take ye thought for raiment?  Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toll not, neither do they spin; And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if you are not of little faith.  Therefore take no though, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.  Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself"

I love these verses because they teach me that Heavenly Father knows what I need (right now - like a house), and things will work out - I just need to put my faith and trust in Him, and things really do work out.
Today I saw that happening.  I've been very blessed today.  Today my walking partner went to do some service in the temple - like she does every Friday.  I asked her to pray for us today - because things have been a little rough.  Suddenly - part way through the day, everything just started to shift.  In an amazing way.  Really.

First off, I started working on some primary stuff, and made a phone call to ask for some feedback, and ended up a short while later meeting with two amazing women, and I got a lot off of my plate and sorted through some major stuff this morning with these ladies.  Yes, we sorted through the primary program AND the ward Christmas party that we are in charge of.  More on my plate, but we made a huge dent in my mental list and worries.  (Which is good since I'm moving in a month)

My activities for 2013 and our primary budget started to round themselves out, and things I've been stressing about getting done are finally moving from that back burner to the mid to center of the stove finally (and hopefully off of the stove into my 'done' pile!)

This afternoon, I got a call from our renters in Colorado.  Back in the beginning of the month our renters told us that because of a lost job and that things were pretty iffy.  We said we'd work with them.  Then, last week, they told us they were moving out.  So - I've been frantically trying to get our Co. house posted all over the place and take care of adds, and set up showings, and put together contracts and figure everything out.
While we did find renters, they weren't able to move in until mid November - which was still difficult for us and I was starting to work on utilities and a vacant house for a month and a half...so not joyful during this uber stressful time.

Until this afternoon - when they called and said that things had worked out, and they decided that they really wanted to stay in our house, and that their employment situation had changed, and that they'll be staying there.  Wooowhoo!  What a load off of my mind!

And finally - with a cherry on top, we've been trying to get a specific loan program - oh yeah, for the house we are going to buy.  (Yes #5 - refer to previous post).

My dad (who is an amazing loan officer) told us about a fantastic loan product - and we fit the criteria.  After dealing with 4 different loan officers who just couldn't understand what we wanted and told us it didn't exist, he suggested that I call someone from his company in our area.  Lo and behold - we found someone.  We started everything up with her, and then the next day got an email telling us she'd switched to another company.  She said she could still do the program, so I've been bustling around, digging through boxes for old tax returns etc.

Then yesterday, she found out she couldn't do the program we wanted.  So, more phone calls for me - trying to figure out where to go, and how to get this product we want.  Finally, this afternoon, the skies started to clear.  Right as I was having the phone conversation with our renter, I got an email from our loan officer, and it looks like they can do the program we want and they've approved us for it already.

Rounding out my evening and gradually clearing skies - we got to go on a date - to the local football game.  My husband enjoyed the game.  I enjoyed the shake with him afterwards....and he even made it through a movie with me.
Sigh - things are looking up.  I'm blessed, and so grateful for today's blessings! 

More house shopping

Number 5.  Maybe it is our lucky number. 

Last week we saw another house (#4) and were ready to put in an offer.  We loved the house, and the setting, but not the schools or distance to our church.  When we contacted our realtor to put in the offer (after agonizing over it) he talked to the agent, and was told that the sellers pulled it off of the market due to health problems.  Grrrr...  so - we've been frantic.  Really trying to find anything in the area we want - we've been making concessions and justifying and rationalizing, but not finding what we want.
However, this beauty - might be the one.  We are keeping our fingers crossed.  It was put on the market last week and we saw it yesterday.  We are putting in an offer tomorrow and keeping our fingers crossed.  It has the right schools and is still fairly close to the church (which is important when early morning seminary kicks in)...

So - while I should be blogging about all of the fun stuff we are doing - really, I've been hanging out with our realtor - I think he's shown me 40 houses.  We get excited and put in an offer, and then for whatever weird reason - we don't get it.  Then, I get to go back to looking for houses and the desperation rises.

Which brings us to this point.  I'm hoping we'll know by Wed., and if that's the case, I can start packing boxes.  Hoping hoping this will be it.  :)

Slap of the wrists

It seems that I got too busy to blog this summer.  I can't believe it has been since July.  Naughty, naughty me.
Our youngest daughter found a ballet workshop during the last two weeks of July - it was pretty intense, but she loved it.  So, after searching for a gymnastics home, we settled with a cheer and tumbling program.  She didn't love it though, and so we looked around and found a classical ballet program.  She's attending twice a week and is enjoying it.  She's hoping to try out to be a mouse in the nutcracker this fall/winter season.  Hmmm
In the meantime...school started during that second week of August - so early!  We spent lots of time shopping and getting all of our school gear back together, and I've spent lots of time running around taking are of lots of things I've put off.  Mostly, I've been hanging out with our realtor.

Meanwhile on the home front - we don't have one.  What I meant to say is that after 11 months of wrangling, and trying to purchase the home that we've been renting, we were told to take a hike by the owner's bank.  As a short sale, we've been at their mercy - waiting and waiting.  Well, they decided to look at the file again just as we got the green light.  They suddenly raised the price $20K.  Our realtor (and theirs) squawked and said they were plain crazy, and asked them to look at it again.  They did.  And then they added another $20K onto the price - elevating it $40K.  Way over price for even a traditional sale - and even more than the owners even paid for it 8 years ago.  Then, they told us to pay it up, or take a hike - by 5 pm.

Hence, my daytime job looking at houses with the realtor.
 
We made an offer on one house last week, but it was rejected by the seller - she was not interested in negotiating anything - it was all or nothing and she was priced high.
So, we are in the midst of another offer and crossing our fingers that we will have a home to live in in the near future.  In the meantime, we have another realtor banging on our door trying to show this home to some new crazies who think they might want to buy this overpriced short sale of a home with no privacy or backyard and an itty bitty kitchen.

The good news is - after agonizing over the house we are currently hoping to get - we found out that the schools are all different schools.  BUT - because our oldest has been fervently praying that even if we move, she wants to continue to go to her school - our kids may still get to finish this year and next at their schools...if I'm willing to drive them to and from.  Guess we will cross that bridge when we get there.

It is almost 7:30 and my house is way too quiet!  Pictures on their way soon.