From Norland Park to Barton Cottage...

...or something like that!

What do I mean by that, you ask? Well, just like Elinor and her sisters in Sense & Sensibility had to move from their beautiful estate at Norland Park to the more humble abode of Barton Cottage...we too must move.

NORLAND PARK:


BARTON COTTAGE:


Get the picture?

You read it correctly...we are moving. After living here for almost 14 years, we are packing up and are moving. To us it's a sad day. We always said that when my Dad passed away, we would head out to where we truly want to live...Colorado. We are free to move out there now except for one major thing...Edward's job. He cannot get the job transfer he thought he'd easily get because at the moment they have put a stop to all transfers since the economy is so horrible. The unfortunate part is that we can no longer afford to stay in our home and wait for the economy to improve...we need to sell now.

Our home is nothing like Norland Park, but it's not as bad as Barton Cottage either. When my Dad decided to move in with us back in 2005, we put a large in-law addition on the house for him, and rearranged a few of our other rooms to accommodate his part of the house. It was a great decision since he needed to be taken care of, only the town we live in decided to re-evaluate all the homes just after we completed rennovations! Nice timing huh? Well, that wasn't all...on top of that, they also added a HUGE increase in taxes...they nearly doubled!!! We were able to keep our heads above water while my Dad was living here since he paid for his part of the addition expenses, but as soon as he moved to the nursing home the bill was completely ours. It wasn't a major problem at first, but the longer we sat here in this house with that extra space and expenses to maintain it, the more it hit us in the wallet! So...we are selling our beautiful Norland Park and will be purchasing another home locally...more like Barton Cottage.

So, if you can pray for us, we sure would appreciate it! We will find out this week what our home is worth and will then list it - probably within the next week or two...not the best time of year to be doing this, but we honestly don't have a choice. We are living on a one income homeschooling family budget which is NOT easy as I'm sure many of you know.

Please pray:

• That our home would be worth more than we anticipate.
• That our home would sell for a decent price.
• For God to provide the perfect home for our family.
• For the perfect timing in selling/buying at the same time.
• That the distance for our home is close enough to work & church.
• For the kids...that they are accepting of this move. We all have been through so much the past few years...we all just need a break!!! Moving for these reasons, and moving during the holidays is difficult for us all.
  

It is very difficult for us to move right now for a few reasons. This home holds many memories for us...raising our children here, caring for my Dad here, plus it was also my grandmother's house. It is a cape cod style home, but with the big addition, so we have 11 rooms! There's no way we'll find another home with as many rooms as this for a good price. We would love to have at least 8 rooms, so pray that God opens the door (literally) to a home that is not only suitable for us, but one that truly feels like home!!

Thank you all so much for praying!!