Just what we were dreaming of....

Oh goodness, where to even begin?

So remember how we were having some issues with the house we wanted to purchase and I told you that we had to put our dream of being homeowners on the back burner for the time being?

From the beginning mine and my husband's dream was to own a country home, with at least an acre, and some sort of fireplace or stove.  When we first started looking for homes we quickly realized that there was nothing like that available, so we thought "well, at least let's find a home with a huge back yard".

Hence where that first home came into play.  It wasn't exactly what we wanted, but the back yard was huge and it had that amazing fireplace.

Then things went downhill, the VA threw wrench after wrench into our path culminating in actually denying a loan because my husband is retiring and obviously, does not have another job yet.  That's fine.

It felt like I was fighting God, begging him to please give us that home because it's what we wanted.

HA!

No it wasn't, and God knew that so he worked to give us what we DID want.

Are you ready for this????

When it became obvious that we couldn't buy for the moment, I started looking for places to rent, and again, nothing was coming up that caught our eye, I searched and searched and nothing....and then a few days ago, I clicked on a link I hadn't before, just as a last ditch effort to find a place.

And there it was, a quick phone call, application in, quick reply, papers signed and we have a home, and even better, it was EVERYTHING we were looking for to begin with.

Oh God is wonderful isn't He?

When are we going to learn that when He doesn't give us something, it's not because He doesn't love us, but because it's NOT what is meant for us and it's NOT what we wanted.  He knows our hearts, He knows what we desire.

So let me show you our new home, and best part, we get into town at the end of June and move in July 1st.  PERFECT TIMING.....because that's what God is all about :)

Country home, corner lot, horse property, 1 acre, only 1 neighbor and the rest is BLM land.

Foyer and below is the stairs leading to the top floor with the living room on the left.

Downstairs from the front entrance

Dining room

Kitchen with the white cabinets I have always wanted :)

Upstairs hallway

Living room

And another view of the living room

Master bedroom....oh my word :)

Back yard, storage shed and the Horse Pasture in the distance.

I think the Lord knows us pretty well, don't you???

Back in time!

So in between all the stress currently surrounding my life, we have made it a point to go out of our way to soak in the moments, to visit places we will miss when we leave.

You gotta take the bad with the good, there has to be balance right?

Yesterday we headed to one of my favorite places, it is like stepping back in time to the 1800's, to a time when things were simpler....well, simple in some ways, in others we know that they struggled more so than we do nowadays.

But anyway, I wanted to show you some photos, not all of course otherwise you would have to grab a cup of coffee and sit here scrolling through over 100 photos, no kidding, I'm that nuts with my camera. 

It is everything that I love about simple life.  The old buildings, the bare necessities, the few items strewn through the house and the whole family in one room kind of life.

Rolling pins, you know my fascination with these and just look at the one on the right, tell me that is not just beautiful?

Oh goodness gracious, the amount of old sewing machines I saw made me incredibly giddy.  I wanted to tuck them all under my arm and run home.

The Teacherage above, a one room tiny building but funny enough when hubby and I went to look inside he said right away "oh YOU would be happy here" LOL

Not my fault that it looks so homey in there. Loving the lace curtains and every single item on that dresser.

When I find myself in a place like this, I tend to walk around and imagine what it would have been like during those times, I wonder who lived in those buildings, what they did, who they were, how they died.

Just gorgeous, the machine, the quilt block, the table, everything.

I could have stayed in the dress shop all day long, matter of fact, I would have just plopped myself down on one of those chairs and sewed happily away.

Beautiful quilt, beautiful cradle, beautiful trundle bed....just beautiful everything.

And I could stay here all night long and show you picture after picture, but there are SO many, I'm afraid I would fall asleep.

But if you're interested, you can go and check out all the photos at my Flickr set "Pioneer Living History Museum".

Don't I look happy up there?  It truly felt like home to me :)

So many lessons I have learned

 
You know how I always say that things happen for a reason, and we need to let go and let God?

But it's easier said than done, and I usually believe this with all my heart, but every single time that something goes wrong or doesn't quite work out the way I want it, I tend to react in a negative way first.  It's like all common sense flies out the window and I forget what I believe in only to replace it with shameful whining and complaining.

These past few weeks in preparation for the retirement and the move, have been some of the hardest moments of my life.

Things have come and things have gone, opportunities have presented themselves and then been swiftly removed from under our feet, and I have found myself at a loss, stuck, wanting and wanting and not getting and not understanding why.

I have seen the worst in myself, been torn down and pushed to the limit, been tested and asked by God "are you really trusting of my timing?"...."are you sure that you have faith in me to do what I think is best for you, even if it's not what you had in mind?".

I'm going to be completely honest with you.  The answer to both of those has been no on quite a few occasions.  It's been embarrassing for myself to realize that I really am not quite the faithful, trusting child of God that I thought I was.  Again, it goes back to the whole *easier said than done* issue.

Our plans of buying a home have been officially put aside for the moment.  I would like to say that I accepted it graciously and that I didn't complain once, but I would be lying because I did throw quite the tantrum at first, and I fought God every step of the way in the first few weeks.

I'm slowly and I emphasize, very slowly coming around to being the Christian and the woman of God that I want to be.

It's been a painstakingly hard process, some very tough decisions had to be made, some equally tough lessons had to be learned, but I am extremely blessed to have a husband who loves God as much as I do and who has held my hand through all of this, allowed me to hold his and together we've grown in Christ.  And for that alone, and if for nothing else, I am so thankful for what we've been through.

The truth is that we tend to get stuck in a certain pattern and when we see something we want, and key word is "WANT" not "NEED", we think that we're entitled to it, and we think that because we're Christians all we have to do is pray to God and He will give it to us, just because we asked.

Now don't get me wrong, I know that He answers our prayers and He WILL give us the things we ask for, but it's not always when we want them and sometimes it's not even the exact thing we were asking for.  Knowing the difference and understanding it and accepting it, is by far one of the hardest hurdles any Christian can go through.

I can only speak from experience, of course, and from my own life, but I do so with the hopes that someone out there will read my words and have that light bulb moment of realizing that they are in a similar situation or have been in the same boat and know exactly what it feels like.  Maybe, just maybe they will read this post and realize that it's not a lost cause, and that sometimes we have to go through these moments of sheer panic and desperation to get back on track with God.

I have been brought to my knees, I'm clung to the Bible and to His word, I've devoured devotional after devotional, I've cried, I've begged, I've stripped off all the layers of negativity and stubbornness and I've come through on the other side.

Better, with a stronger marriage than ever before, with renewed passion for life and well on my way to being that all trusting, full of faith child of God that I have wanted to be for so long.

It's been so hard, and I've stepped aside from the internet a bit, just so I could work on me, because I deserve it and I can't be there for anyone else if I'm not happy with myself.

But oh the feeling, the amazing feeling of contentment and joy, of knowing that everything is going to be just fine because He loves me and never leaves me.....there is nothing like it.

So thank you for all the prayers and the thoughts and the advice, truly, I wouldn't be able to make it through any of this without the continued support of family and friends.

I know this post has gone on quite long and I've probably lost a few of you along the way, but I felt compelled to write this.  I almost didn't do it, started it, deleted, started again, wondered who would care about what I'm saying, but felt led to post it, so my hope is that it helped at least one person, maybe it was the message that you needed to hear today, who knows.

I do feel better for writing even though it's now 10pm and I really should be in bed resting, but that's ok, first things first right???

Have a blessed night my friends!

Happy Homemaker Monday - 06/10/2013

Good morning everyone, sure hope you had a lovely weekend and that your week ahead is a good one too :)

I'm still here, plugging along and taking life one day at a time. Can you believe that in just two weeks and a 4 days we will be on our way back to Idaho??? I am so excited :)

Anyway, on to today's Happy Homemaker Monday!


The weather.....One word....YUCK!   We've been in the triple digits and not just the triple digits, but the higher triple digits, 111's and so forth.  I am so ready to get out, especially when I start looking at the weather back in Idaho and they have 90 degrees, which by the way, they call a scorcher of a day LOL

Right now I am....Sitting at my dinner table, typing up this post, drinking my coffee and listening to whatever video Nicholas is watching on his laptop. 

  
Thinking....That the Lord has been using these past few weeks to teach me some very huge lessons and that I'm finally getting to where I'm supposed to be.  It's been so hard but I've held tight and have forced myself to move from my comfort zone to the scary zone of the unknown.  It's a work in progress. 

On my reading pile....I have no fiction books, my days have been filled with Devotionals.  The ones I'm currently reading are:

A Place of Security
Hope:  A Courageous Journey of Faith
Seek the Lord and Find Him
Face to Faith
Battlefield of the Mind Devotional


On my TV.....Hulu and some other online sites have become my favorite friends.  I've been able to catch up on some shows, watch the new ones as they are posted online, and even find some older ones that I never got to watch. 

 
What I found while surfing the net....Been planning our trip back home, so I'm using Roadtrippers.com.  If you've never used it, you may want to check it out, you can plan your road trip to include accommodations along the way, attractions, history, nature, shopping etc. 

 
On the menu for this week....Still very easy meals, I have to make the menu plan for the next two weeks and it's going to consist of pretty much eating everything that is left in the fridges/freezers before the move. 

Monday - Fish Sticks, Garlic Potatoes, Salad
Tuesday - Chicago Style Dogs, Chips
Wednesday - Smothered Pork Chops, Rice
Thursday - Cheesy Kielbasa Bake (makes two big pans, one will freeze for the week of the move)
Friday - Crazy Pizza Bread
Saturday - Portuguese Pork Chops,  and Potatoes
Sunday -Steaks, Fries, Salad

On my to do list....
Contact local post office in Idaho for General Delivery options for mail
Finish packing the boxes that we are moving ourselves
In the craft basket....I couldn't take it anymore, so yesterday afternoon we had to run by Walmart and I picked up a pound of white yarn so I could continue with two of my blankies.  I made one more granny square for my Green Granny Square Blanket and even though it was only one block, I can't tell you how much it relaxed me.  Love my crochet :)

Looking forward to this week....Watching God work in our lives and in this housing situation.  I am always amazed at the things He does and I have no doubt in my mind that He's doing great things with our move.

Looking around the house....Boxes, craziness, more boxes and a little more craziness.  It's this limbo that makes me stress.  I don't like living in a home that doesn't feel like home, if you know what I mean.

From the camera....

On my prayer list.....Myself and my husband, to continue to trust in the Lord and to continue to leave things in His capable hands.  Worry, stress, all they do is steal joy and instead of enjoying the last few weeks we have in this home and town, we have been too busy being unhappy.  So I'm praying constantly for the Lord to work in our hearts to change that.

Bible verse, Devotional....

Worry is the darkroom in which negatives are developed.

The keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas - TLC Book Tour

Berlin, 1939. Fourteen year old Simon Horowitz is awash in a world of music. His family owns a superb collection of instruments and at its heart is his father's 1742 Guarneri de Gesu violin. But all is lost when the Nazis march across Europe and Simon and his father and brother are sent to Dachau. Amid unimaginable cruelty and death, Simon finds kindness from an unexpected corner, and a chance to pick up a violin again a chance to live.

In the present day, orchestra conductor Rafael Gomez has seen much in his time on the world's stage, but he finds himself oddly inspired by the playing of an aspiring violin virtuoso, a fantastic talent who is only just fourteen. Then the boy, Daniel Horowitz, suddenly refuses to play another note, and Rafael knows he'll do anything he can to change that. When he learns the boy's family once owned a precious violin, believed to have been lost forever, Rafael thinks he might know exactly how to get Daniel playing again. In taking on the task he discovers a family story like no other that winds from World War II and Communist Russia all the way to Rafael's very own stage.

About Julie Thomas

Julie Thomas lives in Cambridge, New Zealand. She wrote The Keeper of Secrets over a seven-year period while writing and producing television and film full-time.
Connect with Julie on Facebook.

3 different stories, 3 different people, but connected nonetheless.

I'm always a little leary of books that are split into sections, because it sometimes can become quite frustrating to try and stay up with it, not to mention that the jumping from one to the other can often confuse us.

I do think that in this case it was beautifully written, if anything the only complaint I have is that I was left wanting to know more about each person.


I'm a huge history geek, especially when it comes to World War I and II, and that's usually one of the things that draws me to a book.  A good story filled with History and drama and sentiment, and this book delivers it.

But who are the main characters and why are they so important?  Well Simon Horowitz's family owned a priceless violin in Berlin in 1939 and when the war descended upon them, everything was destroyed and taken, including the violin.

The story shifts to Daniel Horowitz who is Simon's grandson.  A talented young man who can play the violin like no other.  There's just a slight problem, Daniel prefers sports to the violin and isn't exactly prepared to become a musical prodigy.  We then meet Rafael Gomez, the conductor who is desperate to help Daniel and to see that love for music shine through.

Hence begins a journey as the author takes us from past to present, across time, through some of history's darkest moments as we sit front and center with Simon in the concentration camps. 

It was a wonderful story and like I said, one that I didn't want to see end.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a review copy.