where did November go?

This month has been insane!  House purchasing is not for the weary.
Just saying.
We are still persevering...so thankful for faith that God will place us just where He wants us.  (Hopefully it will be the house we currently have a contract on!)
The little one is doing great - becoming crazier and crazier every single day.  I love it!
The hubs is headed to the Wild at Heart Advanced Boot Camp on Thursday.  I'm so excited for him.  If his recent "earthly" struggles are any indication, God has a lot in store for him this weekend! "Earthly" struggles such as computer failures 30 minutes before his paper is due, small accidents in the starbucks parking lot on a magnificent Monday morning, schedule issues at work, etc.
{For those of you who are worried: thankfully, an extension was given for the homework, no coffee was harmed when the car was hit, and the scheduling conflicts will work themselves out when he is in Colorado later this week.}
Please pray for him as he prepares for this amazing weekend.  That his mind will not worry about the craziness of home, that his heart will be open to what God has for him, for the friendships that he will build and for safety throughout his journey to Colorado and back!
We appreciate all of your prayers about the house.  I'm hoping that we have a more definite answer by the end of this week.  I'll keep you all posted!
I have lots of stories and pictures to share, but between work, school, family and home buying, there's not much room for blogging.
Hoping to get caught up fairly soon.

just trust.

We've been trying to get a house.
We found one, but it wouldn't pass FHA
We found another, but we couldn't agree on a price.
Then, we found the perfect one.
It's been a interesting process.
We were pre-approved.
We made offers back and forth and finally agreed on a price.
We were waiting for closing.
The hubs spent the entire day with the home inspector.
The home inspector was very impressed with the house.
Impressed with the stability of the home.  Of it's foundation.
That's what I wanted.  A stable, old home on a good foundation.
We thought we were on the downhill side.
Today, we received a message that the FHA guidelines changed and that our pre-approval was no longer valid.
I don't understand the home buying process.
Nor do I want to.
But, I understand that He loves me unfathomably.
He has a perfect plan for me.
For my family.  For where we will rest our head each night. For where we will find the extra funds.
I pray that His plan involves this house.
I pray that tomorrow we get much happier news.
But, no matter what - He loves me.
More that I can ever understand.
And He will provide.
I don't need to understand.
I just need to trust.

Thankful for:

• 435. shiny, mermaid colored toenail polish
• 436. fizzy Dr Pepper
• 437. Cool nights
• 438. Warm Blankets
• 439. Squishy pillows
• 440. family pictures
• 441. the knowledge that I am not the one in charge...He is.
• 442. not having to work on Thanksgiving...or the day after
• 443. cute, cold noses
• 444. a titanium band that reminds me of love despite craziness
• 445. an impish smile covered in melted ice cream
• 446. a floor covered in melted ice cream.  it screams of fun that was had by a little one
• 447. friends far away who send notes that brighten my day.

House Buying and Kids Smiling

We are trying to buy a house.
It's a very cool house with very wonderful wood floors and a fabulous back yard for the Puddleducks.
The kitchen is wonderfully retro and big enough to move around.
It doesn't have a lot of bedrooms, but it has tons of playrooms.
And, tons of storage for all my crafts and such.  Which makes my hubby very happy.
We are waiting to hear back on the final offer that was given.
A long time ago, I prayed for patience.
Evidently, I still don't have much of it.
I have decided that house purchasing is not on my top ten list of things I like.

But, seeing my little one smile is definitely on the top of that list.

I'm just saying.

Grateful? Today?

Sometimes, I wonder...how can I be grateful on a day like this?
Many times people ask me...why are you happy on a bad day?  Why be grateful when things aren't going well?
Sometimes, although I really do have a good answer, I can't seem to find it.
But, on other days I can and I do.  On other days, I remember that it's not all about me.  It's about so much more.
It's about more than the missed flights, icky hotel rooms, tummy aches, sore throats, test grades under 95, missed moments with my little one,  burned briskets, papers due in an hour, flat tires, rude drivers, stubbed toes, arguments, wondering where we will live in a week, bills, ill-mannered people and life in general.
It's about Him.
It's about remembering who created me and why He did it.
Remembering He created me for His glory.
His Glory.
With that in mind, I will strive to be grateful in all things.  When I am unhappy, I will find something good. Something to thank Him for...it is in finding those things that I direct my gaze back to him.  It is in finding those things that I work to stop being selfish, to stop sulking in my own mire, to stop making it all about me and will instead, turn to Him. He is the only one who can get me out of this mess called life, so it is to Him I will run.
I know that I can only feel one emotion at a time, so I will choose to feel grateful.

grateful for...
429.  phone calls with my mum, she loves me regardless...she reminds me that He knows where we will live next week and He will let us know when the time is right.
430.  silence from the realtor.  I'm praying "no news is good news"
431.  brothers who will drive their massive gas-guzzling truck to come move our belongings
432.  a sweet friend who slips an encouraging e-mail into my inbox
433.  acorns falling on my head, reminding me of many fun childhood memories
434.  the end of a school quarter and the beginning of the next...

fight feeling with feeling

I need to get this tattooed on my forehead.

I need to remember it faster.  Apply it to my life sooner.  Force myself to think differently than I want to right now.  The way I want to feel is not very nice.  I could sit and stew on why people act like idiots on a continued basis.  Why they think that they are so much better than everyone else.  But, instead I am going to force myself to quit thinking about them.

Instead, I will be thankful for:

419. my little one sleeping soundly right next to me...
420. conversations between my father and little sister.  Humor galore....
421. a jogging stroller waiting in my car for me to get home and put it to good use...
422. a wonderful Aunt who will take me and my craziness in...until we find a home...
423. my amazing parents who will jump in a car and cross state lines to bring me my little one at a moment's notice...
424. my fabulous family who loves my little one as much as I do...
425. dinner in an hour with my dad, sister and little one...
426. news for the realtor that she hasn't heard anything back about our offer...I'm praying that this is a good sign....
427. All my "friends" at The Relevant Conference.  I'm so excited to learn vicariously from them....
428. The music I recently purchased on iTunes...thanks to Ann Voskamp for introducing it to me....

Now, off to continue my gratefulness while going on a walk with my dad and little one...