OK, Matt just sent me this great article: Why You Need To Abandon Your Rescue Fantasy (Yes, You Do Have One) (Warning: a couple naughty words, but easily skipped over.)
So I read through it, and I think it kind of slapped me in the face. I know what my "rescue fantasy" is - moving to a new house! "If I just had a bigger house, I'd be satisfied. One with a big enough yard, enough bedrooms for all of us, more than 1 bathroom, a dishwasher, and room to homeschool. Then it would all be better, and I could live comfortably in it the rest of my life." Could I??? For a while, maybe. But I'm sure I'd find something to complain about shortly after moving in.
So as I'm reading this, I'm starting to think, he's right. I need to stop thinking the house is what will make me happy. I am the only one who can make me happy. "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" - Hebrews 13:5. This isn't the first time I have heard the "be content with what you have" line in the last few weeks. Hm, is God trying to tell me something?
OK, so how can I learn to be content where I am? First, I'm going to pray for contentment. Next, I'm going to start counting my blessings. Yup, that's right. I'm actually going to write them down and keep them where I can see them. Then when I start to complain, I can read through them and realize that I am truly blessed. "But godliness with contentment is great gain." - 1 Timothy 6:6
Then, after I've been doing that for a bit, I'm going to make a list of things I can do to make our dreams happen. Sure, God could just throw it in our lap and call it a day. But I think He makes us work for our dreams to teach us life lessons. And sometimes no matter what we do, we won't make it to a dream. God must have better plans for us. And someday we do end up seeing why we couldn't have what we wanted, or why He gave us something different, or whatever. "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." - Romans 8:28. So if we are meant to stay in this house, then OK. If we are meant to move, it will be in His time. We wanted to move before Baby came, but here we are, still here, and Baby Aaron is here, too. God has perfect timing. We don't always know what it is, but we have faith that He knows more than we do and that He will never harm us.
So there is my plan. Pray, count my blessings, and then make a game plan for achieving our dreams and goals. We do still wish God would give us a sign so we know which direction to move, but if He doesn't do that now, He will do it when the time is right. It's tough to wait it out, when all you want is the answer right now, but patience is a virtue, as I've often been told, and I guess learning a little more patience is a good thing.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Some thoughts on our house situation
Well, we've had our house on the market since last July. No takers, even after dropping the price several times. Lots of showings, especially lately, but no 2nd showings, and no offers. We are at $119,000 right now, which according to my research on Realtor.com and the Shorewest.com map puts us right at or below 2 bedroom homes (we have 3 bedrooms). Today, our realtors called Matt and asked us to drop it to $100,000!!! We're like, um, no. We still owe more than that, as we bought it for $115,000 5 years ago. There's no way we can go that low logically or financially. So now they are thinking about dropping us next Friday, May 15, and canceling our contract. There are some good things about that, but a couple bad, too. The bad: we had been planning on a July contract end, so we haven't talked about what our plans are for sure. So now we have to rush that ahead. The good news is, less stress for when Baby comes! He is due 2 weeks from today, and still lots to do to get ready for him. If this happens, we will be calling the We Buy Ugly Houses people to see what they will offer. If it's not good enough, then we have to decide if we want to try a different realtor or just hold off on selling for a while or for good.
So tonight we will be sorting through our options and pulling together a list of goals and how we want to accomplish them. We'll also be going through our budget and figuring out how we will do a remodel should we be forced to stay here. What a confusing time this is for us! We both wish God would just give us a clue as to what His plans are for us. We are lost, and we feel trapped between a rock and a hard place. To move, or not to move? That is the question. :(
I still feel like we SHOULD move, especially in light of all the craziness with our government (but that's for another post). And yet, it would help so much to stay here and be able to pay down our debts faster. Matt thinks we are being told to stay, and while I see his point, I still feel like we are supposed to go somewhere else. I think...
We also want to hold a yard sale, but I think I may put that off until after we find out if the realtors are going to drop us next week. I keep wanting to hold it on a Saturday, but it keeps raining every weekend, plus I haven't had time to pull the stuff together and price it. Not to mention the showings that keep happening within a day's notice. If we do get dropped, then Matt and I are going to go through box by box meticulously and decide if we really need to keep the stuff. Of course, we won't get rid of everything. :) But a lot of it, I'm sure. We've already lived without it for a year. Especially books, movies, and CDs, and the kids' toys. We have boxes and boxes and boxes of toys... It's really not fair to them to have all their toys boxed up and have hardly anything out for them to play with now.
So, if we stay here, what if we want to do a remodel of some sort? What would that entail? What would we do? We have no idea. :P We do know that we need to make the house bigger somehow. That's a must. So we are thinking somehow put in a full 2nd story rather than the 1/2 story we have now. But to do that, I think we have to fix the footings. If we do the full 2nd story, I think maybe we could tear out the sunroom and redo that room (it leaks through the windows whenever it rains) and then build on top of it to make the 2nd story bigger. Matt wants to build a "deck" out front over the current ugly cement steps. That would be a cute idea. But the first thing we need to do is make the space larger. We also thought about turning the dining room (which isn't near the kitchen) into another bedroom. That would help with the boy/girl dilemma now. :) If we do the 2nd story thing, we want bigger rooms (the one for sure), plus I'd like a 1/2 bath up there, as well. I'd love to move the stairway to a better location, but that might entail a little bit too much work. As for the main level, we have to redo the kitchen (and include a dishwasher!) and possibly the bathroom, and I think we should redo the floor of the laundry room. We need a new water heater in the next couple weeks, as it looks horrible. :( If we stay here, we will have to start thinking about a new furnace either this year or next. It's pretty old and inefficient. There are so many things we could do, depending on cost and how to finance it. Oh, and then there's the garage... We want to tear it down and put up a new one, and if possible (although we doubt the city would let us), attach it to the house. Maybe that would give us slightly more backyard space.
So anyway, those are my thoughts on the house. Please pray that it gets sold in the next week here so we don't have to worry about any of this!!!
So tonight we will be sorting through our options and pulling together a list of goals and how we want to accomplish them. We'll also be going through our budget and figuring out how we will do a remodel should we be forced to stay here. What a confusing time this is for us! We both wish God would just give us a clue as to what His plans are for us. We are lost, and we feel trapped between a rock and a hard place. To move, or not to move? That is the question. :(
I still feel like we SHOULD move, especially in light of all the craziness with our government (but that's for another post). And yet, it would help so much to stay here and be able to pay down our debts faster. Matt thinks we are being told to stay, and while I see his point, I still feel like we are supposed to go somewhere else. I think...
We also want to hold a yard sale, but I think I may put that off until after we find out if the realtors are going to drop us next week. I keep wanting to hold it on a Saturday, but it keeps raining every weekend, plus I haven't had time to pull the stuff together and price it. Not to mention the showings that keep happening within a day's notice. If we do get dropped, then Matt and I are going to go through box by box meticulously and decide if we really need to keep the stuff. Of course, we won't get rid of everything. :) But a lot of it, I'm sure. We've already lived without it for a year. Especially books, movies, and CDs, and the kids' toys. We have boxes and boxes and boxes of toys... It's really not fair to them to have all their toys boxed up and have hardly anything out for them to play with now.
So, if we stay here, what if we want to do a remodel of some sort? What would that entail? What would we do? We have no idea. :P We do know that we need to make the house bigger somehow. That's a must. So we are thinking somehow put in a full 2nd story rather than the 1/2 story we have now. But to do that, I think we have to fix the footings. If we do the full 2nd story, I think maybe we could tear out the sunroom and redo that room (it leaks through the windows whenever it rains) and then build on top of it to make the 2nd story bigger. Matt wants to build a "deck" out front over the current ugly cement steps. That would be a cute idea. But the first thing we need to do is make the space larger. We also thought about turning the dining room (which isn't near the kitchen) into another bedroom. That would help with the boy/girl dilemma now. :) If we do the 2nd story thing, we want bigger rooms (the one for sure), plus I'd like a 1/2 bath up there, as well. I'd love to move the stairway to a better location, but that might entail a little bit too much work. As for the main level, we have to redo the kitchen (and include a dishwasher!) and possibly the bathroom, and I think we should redo the floor of the laundry room. We need a new water heater in the next couple weeks, as it looks horrible. :( If we stay here, we will have to start thinking about a new furnace either this year or next. It's pretty old and inefficient. There are so many things we could do, depending on cost and how to finance it. Oh, and then there's the garage... We want to tear it down and put up a new one, and if possible (although we doubt the city would let us), attach it to the house. Maybe that would give us slightly more backyard space.
So anyway, those are my thoughts on the house. Please pray that it gets sold in the next week here so we don't have to worry about any of this!!!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Is it illegal to force us to pay income taxes?
Well, according to a few sites I've found today, YES! Check it out for yourself:
Here, a group that is fighting back with the truth about income taxes:
http://www.truthattack.org/jml/index.php
And here's a chart of how each state voted regarding ratifying the 16th Amendment, which states "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration." The 16th Amendment was never legally ratified, or approved, because it needed a 3/4 majority vote from the states (48 at the time). The Secretary of State at the time Philander Knox falsely declared it to be ratified.
http://political-resources.com/taxes/16thamendment/default.htm
Tom Cryer's defense on why he was not obligated to pay income taxes when brought to court by the IRS:
http://www.truthattack.org/jml/images/stories/PDF/cryer_MEMORANDUM.pdf
And the verdict:
http://thetruthnews.info/tomcryerwin.html
Hope this gives everyone some food for thought! Pass these links on, and share the knowledge of the truth so every American can enjoy true freedom, the way our Founding Fathers meant it to be enjoyed!
Here, a group that is fighting back with the truth about income taxes:
http://www.truthattack.org/jml/index.php
And here's a chart of how each state voted regarding ratifying the 16th Amendment, which states "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration." The 16th Amendment was never legally ratified, or approved, because it needed a 3/4 majority vote from the states (48 at the time). The Secretary of State at the time Philander Knox falsely declared it to be ratified.
http://political-resources.com/taxes/16thamendment/default.htm
Tom Cryer's defense on why he was not obligated to pay income taxes when brought to court by the IRS:
http://www.truthattack.org/jml/images/stories/PDF/cryer_MEMORANDUM.pdf
And the verdict:
http://thetruthnews.info/tomcryerwin.html
Hope this gives everyone some food for thought! Pass these links on, and share the knowledge of the truth so every American can enjoy true freedom, the way our Founding Fathers meant it to be enjoyed!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Couple things on my mind tonight
First, a quick update about the house. Didn't get that 2nd showing after all. Evidently, they opted for one with a basement and our rooms were "too small." Again, as usual. We do have 2 showings for tomorrow, so here's hoping yet again! Although we don't have much faith that they'll like it at all. :( And a quick update about baby: He still is very low, and I'm trying to take it easy, but some evenings (and days) I still get quite a few contractions. Luckily, not 6 in an hour, so I don't have to call the dr yet, but still, it worries me quite a bit. But he LOVES to squirm, and one day he even "hit" back when I tried to push his elbow back in! LOL At least I got the car seat and stroller now, and the seat is in the van now, ready for him. This weekend Matt and I need to start choosing sponsors. Hopefully it won't be as hard as it seems like it will be...
Second, has anyone heard of the CPSIA law? If not, please visit http://overlawyered.com/ for a most excellent blog about it and other laws/lawyers. On the right hand side you will see all the posts regarding CPSIA. In a nutshell, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (or CPSIA) sets extremely low lead and phthalate levels in all products intended for use by children ages 12 and under. Good idea, bad implementation. This law requires testing of every single component of a product that is or could be accessible by a child under 12. Testing is extremely expensive, and small businesses are dropping like flies because of the heavy burden they are under. Not only does this law affect new products, but it also affects anything and everything made BEFORE the law was enacted. In other words, those old vintage books you have laying around? If you try to sell or even give them away, you are at risk of a $100,000 fine PER BOOK that is over the lead limit and possible jail time. Old baby clothes you'd like to give to Goodwill or a friend of yours? Sorry, if it's found to contain too much lead or phthalates, $100,000 fine per item and possible jail time. Want to have a yard sale? Better rethink selling any children's items that don't come with a certificate verifying the lead and phthalate limits are at safe, legal levels. All those books at the library? Yep, those, too, are not allowed to be checked out by children (although the American Library Association is assuming the law does not apply to them until they hear otherwise). As a homeschooling mom of almost-4, I rely very heavily on books from the library and used clothing. If I can't find any because they are all "hazardous waste" (yes, if the lead or phthalate levels are over the legal limit, they are considered hazardous waste and may not just be thrown out with the regular trash), then how will I clothe and teach my children? This is a far-reaching law that basically renders useless just about anything made before February 10, 2009. People are working hard to get this law amended or repealed. Please contact your Senators and Representatives today to urge them to get this law fixed! You can look up your Senators and Representatives, as well as email them, at http://senate.gov/ and http://www.house.gov/. Thanks for your support!
Second, has anyone heard of the CPSIA law? If not, please visit http://overlawyered.com/ for a most excellent blog about it and other laws/lawyers. On the right hand side you will see all the posts regarding CPSIA. In a nutshell, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (or CPSIA) sets extremely low lead and phthalate levels in all products intended for use by children ages 12 and under. Good idea, bad implementation. This law requires testing of every single component of a product that is or could be accessible by a child under 12. Testing is extremely expensive, and small businesses are dropping like flies because of the heavy burden they are under. Not only does this law affect new products, but it also affects anything and everything made BEFORE the law was enacted. In other words, those old vintage books you have laying around? If you try to sell or even give them away, you are at risk of a $100,000 fine PER BOOK that is over the lead limit and possible jail time. Old baby clothes you'd like to give to Goodwill or a friend of yours? Sorry, if it's found to contain too much lead or phthalates, $100,000 fine per item and possible jail time. Want to have a yard sale? Better rethink selling any children's items that don't come with a certificate verifying the lead and phthalate limits are at safe, legal levels. All those books at the library? Yep, those, too, are not allowed to be checked out by children (although the American Library Association is assuming the law does not apply to them until they hear otherwise). As a homeschooling mom of almost-4, I rely very heavily on books from the library and used clothing. If I can't find any because they are all "hazardous waste" (yes, if the lead or phthalate levels are over the legal limit, they are considered hazardous waste and may not just be thrown out with the regular trash), then how will I clothe and teach my children? This is a far-reaching law that basically renders useless just about anything made before February 10, 2009. People are working hard to get this law amended or repealed. Please contact your Senators and Representatives today to urge them to get this law fixed! You can look up your Senators and Representatives, as well as email them, at http://senate.gov/ and http://www.house.gov/. Thanks for your support!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Talked to the OB
We are hoping this baby is one of those rare ones who likes to drop early. But she said "take it easy" for the next couple weeks. If I can make it to week 35, then they will probably just let labor continue if he should happen to want to come early. Otherwise, if my contractions get 6+ in an hour, then I'm supposed to call right away. Have only had a handful of those today, so thank goodness! I needed a break after all the ones I had yesterday! So I'm just kind of hanging out here waiting for week 35, then I'll feel so much better about him coming early.
So speaking of "taking it easy," we *should* be having our 2nd showing tomorrow afternoon, but our realtor said it would be pretty last minute. She should call tomorrow sometime to let me know for sure. Let's just hope she calls and they still want to do the showing!!! We did have a showing tonight, but no feedback yet. Dad is here for the weekend, so it was nice having someone to help with the dishes and other general cleaning. Plus he did some more detailed stuff that I just plain never have time to do. It's shining a little more now, so that's nice! So "taking it easy" might be a little difficult between showings and possibly packing to move and looking for a new house. We shall see! For now, I will just concentrate on getting through the 2nd showing without missing something major. :D
Keep those prayers coming! I WANT TO MOVE!!!! LOL
So speaking of "taking it easy," we *should* be having our 2nd showing tomorrow afternoon, but our realtor said it would be pretty last minute. She should call tomorrow sometime to let me know for sure. Let's just hope she calls and they still want to do the showing!!! We did have a showing tonight, but no feedback yet. Dad is here for the weekend, so it was nice having someone to help with the dishes and other general cleaning. Plus he did some more detailed stuff that I just plain never have time to do. It's shining a little more now, so that's nice! So "taking it easy" might be a little difficult between showings and possibly packing to move and looking for a new house. We shall see! For now, I will just concentrate on getting through the 2nd showing without missing something major. :D
Keep those prayers coming! I WANT TO MOVE!!!! LOL
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Requesting lots more prayers!
I know, I know, it seems this is all I do anymore. :) But we got a last-minute showing today, and the realtor called back and said they want a 2nd showing! Please pray that this is The One!!!
Then there's this other problem. Baby has dropped so much in the last week, and I feel him VERY low. I've been getting plenty of contractions, but don't think they're "real" (I hope!). I go to the OB in the morning, so hopefully everything is OK, but please pray that he's not attempting to get out early! I'm only at 33 weeks, and Baby needs to make it to at least week 38 before making his entrance into the world. I'm very worried about him, and I hope that the dr can put my mind at ease tomorrow. Matt put me on "modified bed rest" himself tonight. :P He's doing a lot of stuff for me, and I mostly just sit. :D I'm not complaining about that part....
So any prayers you can throw God's way would be most appreciated. I'll be giving another update when I know something more.
Then there's this other problem. Baby has dropped so much in the last week, and I feel him VERY low. I've been getting plenty of contractions, but don't think they're "real" (I hope!). I go to the OB in the morning, so hopefully everything is OK, but please pray that he's not attempting to get out early! I'm only at 33 weeks, and Baby needs to make it to at least week 38 before making his entrance into the world. I'm very worried about him, and I hope that the dr can put my mind at ease tomorrow. Matt put me on "modified bed rest" himself tonight. :P He's doing a lot of stuff for me, and I mostly just sit. :D I'm not complaining about that part....
So any prayers you can throw God's way would be most appreciated. I'll be giving another update when I know something more.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
I have a blog??? Oh, yeah!
OK, so I pretty much forgot about this thing. Obviously! LOL Since the last post I put up, I am now at week 32, and there are only 8 weeks until the due date! Yikes!
Which brings me to the reason I am blogging today. I need prayers. Lots of them. We have been trying to sell our house since July. No luck whatsoever. We have dropped the price, but so far not one person has even liked our house. We have had no 2nd showings, and no offers. Baby is due very soon, and I need access to the baby stuff! It's all in the storage unit sitting in our driveway, but unless we take just about everything out, we are never going to get at it. We need to move ASAP! I really do not relish the thought of having to re-buy everything. Bassinet, clothes, toys, crib, everything is packed in there and inaccessible. It's ridiculous. I don't have the money to go out and buy everything all over again. Besides that, in just a few short weeks, I will have a bazillion medical bills. :-/ So I need prayers that this will all be over very soon. I prefer to move before delivery.... :D Yeah, good luck on that, but hey, "nothing is impossible with God." I have faith that He has us still here for a reason. Maybe "our" new house isn't available yet. Maybe the time isn't ripe for the buyers for this house. Maybe He knows something about a job situation that we don't know about. I don't know. But really, we need to move as we are out of space for another kid. I realized today, I don't have anywhere to put Baby's clothes! We don't have any dresser or closet space left, and even if I buy a dresser, where would I put it? I have no idea!
So anyway, prayers would be greatly appreciated right now. And hey, if you have any creative ideas to help sell our house, please let me know! We are working with an agent, if that makes a difference. :) Thanks, everyone!
Which brings me to the reason I am blogging today. I need prayers. Lots of them. We have been trying to sell our house since July. No luck whatsoever. We have dropped the price, but so far not one person has even liked our house. We have had no 2nd showings, and no offers. Baby is due very soon, and I need access to the baby stuff! It's all in the storage unit sitting in our driveway, but unless we take just about everything out, we are never going to get at it. We need to move ASAP! I really do not relish the thought of having to re-buy everything. Bassinet, clothes, toys, crib, everything is packed in there and inaccessible. It's ridiculous. I don't have the money to go out and buy everything all over again. Besides that, in just a few short weeks, I will have a bazillion medical bills. :-/ So I need prayers that this will all be over very soon. I prefer to move before delivery.... :D Yeah, good luck on that, but hey, "nothing is impossible with God." I have faith that He has us still here for a reason. Maybe "our" new house isn't available yet. Maybe the time isn't ripe for the buyers for this house. Maybe He knows something about a job situation that we don't know about. I don't know. But really, we need to move as we are out of space for another kid. I realized today, I don't have anywhere to put Baby's clothes! We don't have any dresser or closet space left, and even if I buy a dresser, where would I put it? I have no idea!
So anyway, prayers would be greatly appreciated right now. And hey, if you have any creative ideas to help sell our house, please let me know! We are working with an agent, if that makes a difference. :) Thanks, everyone!
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