No wonder this country is a mess...

...they'll let ANYONE vote...even bears wearing boxers!!



Seriously though, I hope you took the time to vote today! Every voice counts and goodness knows we need Christians out there to support and uphold what morals are left in this country! We need to be the salt and light. We need to support the sanctity of life, marriage as God intended it to be, and many other issues that are slowly being corrupted in this country.

Most importantly, pray!! Pray for the incoming president, for this country, and for all the US Citizens who live here. The presidents always say "May God bless America"...but I say "May God have mercy on America"...because I have a feeling that things are only going to get worse.

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!!

Photo Hunt #132 - Blue

Pretty blue flowers - taken this past May on Mother's Day. It almost looks like a painting, but I assure you, this is a real photo!! God's creation is simply that beautiful!!!

Guk!

When Sweet-Pea was younger, she used to say 'Guk' for 'yuk'...anything that grossed her out. Well, when we were carving pumpkins this week she was saying it again. Actually we all were saying it. The pumpkins we got this year were REALLY stringy, more so than usual, and they had a very thick wall which made carving them very difficult. Is there a way to tell what they're like inside from the outside?? We just looked for ones that had a nice shape.

Anyhow...despite the gross feeling of the pumpkin guts, we had a great time!

"Eew, guk!"


Sweet-Pea thought she was on a cooking show!


MAJOR guk! Notice the gloves...he couldn't take the slimy feeling any longer so he grabbed a pair of rubber gloves.


Painting her masterpiece


The inside of my pumpkin.


Sweet-Pea's pumpkin before & after:


She chose not to carve hers since the designs she wanted were WAY too difficult for even a professional to carve!! She's a trip!

Lionel's pumpkin before & after:




Mommy's pumpkin before & after:

Fierce competition!

We love to play games in our family...and we love competition (provided it's healthy and no one gets hurt! ha ha) Well, Sweet-Pea has gotten much better at playing games now. The old Candy Land, Hi-Ho Cheerio, Snakes & Ladders, and Princess checkers have been laid to rest.

...moment of silence please...

Sweet-Pea now enjoys playing Clue, Uno, Sequence and other more 'grown up' games. She also has gotten a bit more competitive. Almost too competitive!

The other night she and I were playing Uno, the spin version - very fun if you've never played it. Well, check her out...she thought she was just 'all that'!!! Well OK, she was...she beat me BIG TIME, but she didn't have to flaunt it...did she?

Looking at her cards....


Scheming her next move...with a Draw 4 card! Ugh!!


Feelin' satisfied!


Gettin' ready to lay to yell Uno after putting down a card...


I changed the color on her and wouldn't you know, SHE WON anyhow!?!


Can you see how happy she was? See that competitive side of her?? She's a trip! I suppose if I have to lose to someone, I'm glad it's her!!!

Last night we started playing the American Girl Treasures Game...we are half way done and she's already winning, figures! It's a fun game to play on a dreary day like we're having today though...rainy and cold. After the game is done maybe we'll light a fire in the fireplace and watch a good old fashioned movie!

Thou shalt NOT covet

OK, so that title is a bit harsh for this post...but then again...wait 'til you see these photos!

We went looking at houses the other day and we stumbled upon this new development we didn't know was in our area. They were having an open house so we said "why not" and went in. WOW...this house is totally me. Totally my style of decorating...if I had that kind of money of course. We were able to walk around the house as if it were our own. The agent was down in the office in the garage area. With every step you could hear both Edward and I going "ooh" and "aah".

These kind of homes in our area are totally not within reach on a one income homeschooling family's budget, but it sure was fun to take a look and salivate a while. After walking out the front door, reality slapped us in the face and we drove off...but I have to admit it was fun to dream!

Check out the photos...and please don't tell me if you own and live in a house as nice, or I may have to come move in with you!

The house is...almost 5000 sq. feet! I didn't get a good front view of the house we toured, but this one was right across the street and looked almost identical...well, maybe a bit smaller!


The entrance...


This room just screams 'music room' to me!


We used to have a grand piano...I can picture right in the center of this room. All that's missing is a fireplace!


The family room...such a cozy room, don't you think?


The sun room, just off the breakfast area.


The kitchen! The one thing I do have that this house has is granite, and it's the exact same as ours! It's gorgeous - it's called tan brown.




The dining room overlooking the HUGE deck and back yard.


The master bedroom is on the left...


I was so tempted to just dive onto that bed...it looked so cozy!


This master bath lacked only one thing...a jacuzzi tub. You'd think for all that money they could at least add bubbles to the tub!!


I know Lionel would claim this room, especially since there are chrome car photos on the wall!


Just add a touch of pink (and a chandelier) and Sweet-Pea would be thrilled to sleep in this room!


This side of the room was so sweet looking!


The guest room school room


The upstairs bathroom - very pretty!


So, there you have it...the house we will not be buying! Gorgeous isn't it? Feel free to stop by any time and visit...just be sure to tell the real owners that 'Elinor' says 'hi'! ha ha

Wordly Wise 9 list - lesson 4

adage: an old saying that has come to be accepted as true; a proverb

camaraderie: good will and warm feelings among friends

contend: v: to struggle with; to maintain or assert; n: a conflict or struggle; a point made in an argument

extraneous: not necessary; irrelevant

hubbub: noisy confusion; uproar

meander: to follow a winding course; to wander aimlessly

odoriferous: having or giving off a smell

paraphernalia: personal belongings; equipment associated with a particular activity

punctilious: careful of an attentive to details, especially ones relating to good manners and behavior

recuperate: to regain health or strength

regale: to entertain or delight

sedentary: doing or requiring a lot of sitting

Spartan: marked by simplicity and lack of luxury

temporal: relating to the everyday world as opposed to that which is spiritual or eternal

wry: turned or bent to one side in distaste or humor; amusing in a quiet but sharp way