Very very busy weekend

I will post tomorrow. Sleep well. Peace be with you.

Aloha Friday

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The question of the day is.....

If you could sell your home and down size, shedding most of your mortgage debt would you?

Expect the unexpected

For ever and always I have known the common threads, the tactics of war. I see it every day in all of the lives around me. Yet it still startles us... The expected to some and yet I and others still are startled by the unexpected.
We set out hearts to goal and then the expected comes the doubt the annoyances of any and every tactic that the opposition can come up with.
If it gets to hard do you too get ready to let go? The expectable unexpected hindrances...doubts and fears. Added challenges and hindrances. Can't let them throw you!

I have the privilege of going on a field trip this morning Paul Revere with Little Dove.
Busy Morning.

Grab the day and...
Expect the unexpected.:)

Tagged I'm it *6 Qurkey things about me"

"Heart of the Prairie"
Has tagged me for 6 quirky things about me? Thank you for showing interest.

1. I like my bed sheets to be really clean and never polluted by kid dirt or pet hair. I have asthma so I will get all stuffed up and cough if the kids get the dog hair or dust on my pillow. I thrill with 300 thread count (or higher) cotton linens. The texture is so soft and wonderful. Like sleeping in a cloud.
2. I have had the same hair style for 28 years. With the exception of a wave or two, and bangs or not. My hair is baby fine and straight. It does not curl. I just started to use a hair coloring a shade lighter than my own less than a year ago other than that I never colored it. I have worn it long. It is my Beloveds' delight.
3. I am a collector of fabric, beads and anything like art supplies, books and kitchen tools. I love to be surrounded with good tools and supplies so when the mood strikes me I have what I need (usually I hit the clearance racks and just find those types of things cheep) After years of doing this however I have an excess!
4. In all my artistic vigor I would rather give my creations than to sell them. Selling is very odd for me. I have sold a lot of jewelry and crafts in shows, but I think I like just giving it to people so much better. Same with crafts and created things. It is just so full of fun and joy to give.
5. I can communicate with wild things. It used to be that on those long walks I would take that wild birds would land on me and butterfly's and such. I can tell a fly to go to the door and I'll let them out or they die, and they would go to the door. This has been witnessed by many people who know me. I really miss nature.
6. I absolutely soak up beauty like a sponge. I feel it absorb into me. I see it everywhere. The love of color and texture, the sounds of beautiful music envelop me. I can see it in things that are not so to some. I can see the beauty hidden in even the most unlovely things and people. Sorta like being ultra optimistic. I usually can see beauty evolve like a vision and then I try to gently coax or force it open like a rose bud teasing open the peddles.


I forgot the rules part so I am to do the following...

~Link to the person that tagged you
~Post the rules on your blog
~Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
~Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
~Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website

The people that I am specifically tagging for this meme are:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Thankful Thursdays *Making decissions*

Talked with a Realtor last night. Then a long distance phone call came in ... then Beloved had a Mens meeting to go to and had to leave shortly after that. We never really got a chance to talk. This morning we spoke very little before he had to be off for work. This evening we are going to get together to crunch numbers to gain data and then do our pro/con work sheet.
We have many variables.

This is how Mr Uncommon and I make difficult choices.

After we have prayed about it we then to a pro con sheet with all the data collected and varied counsel. Counsel will always come with a bias. (ie the Realtor wants in your pocket too.) Everyone wants in your pocket bear that in mind. Although a workman is worthy of a wage just remember that some will be trickier and greedier than others.
The seller will always say "it is good" and the buyer will always say "it is worth less". There is even a proverb about this.
We have data to collect and will use a mortgage calculator to do so. We will determine some of the Pros and Cons that is costs and gains.
We will then list three options. A column for Pro and one for Cons (costs and gains). We will print out the data and collect a varied counsel. There is wisdom in a multitude of counsel. Varied by bias, knowing what the bias of your counsel is will help you to seek motive if any.
For every decision to make there will always be benefits and costs.
But are the benefits worth the costs, what are you willing to give to gain? That is the place where free will comes in. When choices are made in this fashion the Cons are the loss that one is willing to sacrifice and when it gets hard you know why you chose what you chose. Your YES can be YES and you NO can be NO. You remove the double mindedness.
We have found out some disturbing news and have to look at that. We will have to take out a small mortgage to afford a starter house and the amount has an enforced minimum higher than what we wanted to do. (mortgages must be no lower than 60k, and with that the interest rate is above prime. If you take out a Home Equity line of credit then you have a much higher interest rate. ) If you want prime interest rates you have to borrow 100k or more that make 30 years of high payments even if you pay it off sooner the payment remains high just for a shorter time frame.
Con for us is that with a higher payment even though we would pay it off much faster we would not have the $ to fix it up or to do the travel that we desired to do while the kids are young. Tricky stuff!
Then as the final determining factor we... "let the peace of Christ be the final determining factor in what so ever we say or do." That is an agreed upon peace where we each will go before God and do nothing unless we agree or at worst I will defer as spouse and trust in Gods covering. Not fewer than once in our 25+ year marriage I have witnessed Gods intervention even at this point. Visa versa as well if I have felt VERY strongly "The MR." has deferred, and if I was wrong God intervened too. Sometimes Gods intervention was in way of a hard lesson but one that needed to be learned.
You know,... I learned the Pro/Con process form Mr Uncommon a few years into our marriage because I would just lock up or like most people do "toss a coin" (so to speak) or look for signs and then think "I must not of heard from God" or if it went well think "I must of heard from God" (Pride or opposite,... still pride). Well I think when I was a babe there was a lot of grace but now as I am no longer a babe mature methods must be used. They are a lot less spooky too :)

Wordless Wedensday

Good Morning!

Wow what a strange night.
I slept very little .
I found myself up throughout the night with full on board celebratory exuberant excited full of anticipation joy!
The idea of being debt free! Or much closer to it.
The idea of still even in a total life change ,a socio economic free fall into a lesser home a more humble neighborhood there is a freedom. I am so relieved the thought of the loss of stress over every dime and making ends meet every month. What freedom awaits me. It is funny really we worked our whole lives gaining more raising up in home ownership, accomplishing such luxury only to see the very great cost it takes to do so. Oh how much I have waisted!

When we lost our high end job 5 yrs ago we went down in wage 2/3's yet we have managed to stay and now to choose to let it go to have that free choice!
We do not have to leave because we could stay and live here scraping by and all.
We have a choice, many do not.
I am so relieved to think of the freedom to do things with and for our children and for others.
To once again have extra to share... I am so excited.
I know that all will unfold in HIS perfect timing.

Well Dash is wanting me to build Lego's gotta run.
What freedom there is in JOY!

This is an excerpt from a devotional that Short Bear sent me this morning...
Because joy is a deeply-rooted confidence that God is in control, it only stands to reason that the highest joy will come through the greatest pain. But that only happens when we choose the right attitude toward pain. Here it is!

James 1:2-3 Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. (NLT)

When was the last time you threw a party to celebrate the trials and storms in your life? God’s ways are higher than our ways and most human reactions are in direct opposition to the paradoxical ways of God. Honestly, there are times when what He has asked me to do simply does not make sense – to me. And there we find the problem. Faith is a matter of blind obedience, not human logic. At the heart of every storm is victory – waiting to be claimed!

What storm is raging in your life today? What step do you need to take in order to experience His strength for that storm? Your Father stands ready to meet you in your darkest hour. He longs to wrap His arms around you until the winds die down and the waves are stilled. Right now – surrender. Celebrate the storm that dashed your battered life on the shores of His unyielding love.

That was pretty rich.

Dash made a Lego Captain Under pants...

Captain Underpants by Dove

Young at Heart and Blessing Awards

Care O' Lynn over at "Talk to Grams" gave a hug and a smile today with this set of awards.
Thank you so much for these awards!
Here are the rules:
The blessing is as follows:The idea…it’s a game of tag with a difference, rather than looking inwardly, we look outside ourselves and bless, praise and pray for 3 blog friends. By participating in this endeavor we not only make the recipient of the blessing feel valued and appreciated, but we are having some fun too. We’re going to see how far the bloggin’ blessings can travel around the world and how many people can be blessed! Recipients of a bloggin’ blessing may upload the above image to their sidebar if they choose to. If you receive a bloggin’ blessin’ please leave a comment on this thread here so that we can rejoice in just how many blessings have been sent around the world.

This is the Young at Heart award
I look forward to passing them on this evening after my days work.
Thank You Carolynn.

It is official!

We meet with the Realtor tomorrow!EEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have so much to do to ready this place. My laundry is so undone and the dog poop needs to be scooped and , and and ....
Oh I am so excited I love that I am excited for this new adventure. Making it official today is a real help. I have had good referrals and went with a lady who is with Realty Executives. We used that group last time with good results. My sister referred me to a real go getter who sold and help purchase for her more than once. I spoke with the woman and she is full of positive news. With the rates so low were in a good market for a high end home to sell. This is so powerfully charges with energy I am trusting all will wash out beautifully. One step in front of the other. I must walk courageous in this new adventure. I want to be debt free too. This has never really seamed like "home" to me it always felt temporary. We lived in the other home 14 years that was a "home". I know that there is a place that is my "home" to raise the children and rest in around the corner. I know that it is now a time of full on diligence and hard work. Oh Man I am excited and ...and ...everything two times!

Tackle It Tuesday

Good Morning!

This is my first tackle after getting the other one to school.
This little fellow can not go to school today. Pink eye treatment and 24 hours off contact with others.

This has been the most difficult challenge, putting eye drops into the eyes of a child who is afraid and non compliant!
Nothing to relieve the fears, however he let me do it last night when daddy man was holding him he was such a grown up trooper...Not this mornig!

So He is now medicated and the emotions of this Mom worn...
Man that is hard to do eye drops when a kid is bent on you not doing it. At least he did respect me enough not to run away and refuse like yesterday. He just is really afraid of it.
I think it was harder on me :)

So It is Star Wars and Lego's this morning for Dash Hawk and school at mid day is he is up to it.
I am not sure if I will take him or not. He is doing much better his ear is already feeling much better too.

Tax time again!
In the bag is all the medical from last year! Can you imagine....
I need to dead file the former years properly
And to refile the safe with the necessities.

I need to file all of this big mess!
The dead filing must get done so the other can fit into the file drawers. This is so undone and embarrassing! What a mess! When you have two special needs kids the paperwork alone is a nightmare! I must get a handle on it.
Taxes also need preparation work. At least the medical is accomplished.

Good Evening!
Sorry for the side ways shot it would not rotate right. So Now it looks like this.
The file drawer is now 2008.
2007 is boxed and ready for the tax info to be removed,and itemized.
It is a lot closer to finished.

However my table still looks like this...All the tax stuff is in one box however .
The stuff for the safe is together ready to be organized.
Beloved is working overtime tonight so I might get a bite taken out of this too.

I did get my corner swept and dusted.
I have so many tasks to do I must get the sewing center packed up so I'll need to complete half done tasks that matter.
I packed up a bin of fabric, leaving out the Easter prints.
Karen W.
The eye drop trick worked great!
Thank you!

Happy Day!

Dash to the Doctor first thing thinking he had a ruptured ear drum....Rejoice with me! It was ear wax not blood that was seaping out the ear. It is infected but it did not rupture. Got the medications for the ear and for the eye infections. We had a nice movie together "Teribithia". What a sweet son I have. If I could just get him to keep his hands off everything. He is contagious and I don't wany it to get passed around.

Passing on the awards

I have in my heart to offer all of you such a kindness as I have received recently. For those of you here listed have swam upon my heart in the tides of this day. Rain drizzling life into my world. You are all a gift too me. May I offer you these awards as a token of gratitude...

"Gabi's World"

"Fruit in Season"

"An Island Life"

"Little red hearts from God"

"Scamps Place"

"Shorty Bear"

"Miles to go before I sleep"

"In the Life of a child"

"Three peas in a Pod"

"Just a Mom and that's more than enough"

"Laughing through the tears"

"Living and loving every minute of it"

"Just a Mom"

"yesu garden"

"Unlicensed Mommy"

"Life in the midst of writing"

"Photo Daughter of the King"

"Pieces from Me"

Beautiful rainy day!

Wow it is splendid here! We all spent a good hour or two out in the yard on this wet day! It is so fantastic to all be together in our yard playing/working in the rain. The children donned their slickers and played in the puddles while Mr Uncommon fixed our gutters . They were clogged and coming off the side of the roof. I went over to the side of the property to feed the birds to find the gutters on the east side being pulled off by the weight of the rain. In the desert you don't think to clean out the rain gutters there is so little to clear (mostly just accumulated dust).
The neighbor lady gave my hubby a new drill for screwing her gutters back up. He was very awkward about receiving it, but I told him that perhaps that "is" Gods provision. He would rather the invisible reward. Here we needed it the drill today. I helped him clean the dirt and leaves out and he fixed both sides of the house. He had screwed the west side tight last year to find they had worked themselves loose. So now they are good and secure. I weeded the front gravel while enjoying the children in the rain.
Dash has Pink Eye bummer so he will need to get some help tomorrow. Last time they told us that it is best to run its course. so I'll have him home next week.

Sunday Smiles

Last night Mr Uncommon came up to me and just held me. Tenderly he shared that while he was in the shower he was praying. He then said..."You are so beautiful!" and held me melting in his arms. The children sitting on the sofa behind me were jabbering and Mr Uncommon smiled at them with such relief in his face. His burden lifted in the thought of a move out from under this mortgage.

Then this fine morning Mr Uncommon came into the kitchen and greeted me with such a peaceful glee and tender delight, a sweet smile of relief upon his face. Girls I think I am going to be moving.

My Sweet Dove gave Rena (the golden retriever) some chicken broth on her kibbles. She has such a caring heart.
Dash came in again this morning to make his own eggs. Yesterday he all but made mine for me.

He is so capable and so proud of himself.

My beloved has an upper respitory infection and Dash has Pink eye. Oh Life!
You know it is a strange thing but I have always felt that this is a temporary home for us. I have really enjoyed this building I always felt like I was living in a resort house. I sorta feel excited too. There is so much to do. The market and all of that feels of little consequence for if indeed this is the path we are set upon I just know it is all well with my soul. I have seen so many wonders in my few years upon this earth. I think that it is going to be a real good thing. I have grown so wherry of listening too the anguish in Mr Uncommon s voice and the depression on his face. I really just look forward to being free of all of that. I want my Beloved back. He is an uncommon man. I know he is a man that loves God. Thats what I prayed for some 25+ years ago. Well we will be having too down size too. When I think of the labor and the sell out of property that feels a little overwhelming. I think it will be good to rent a storage shed. Funny how the very first thing the economy...well that does not seem to concern me near as much as the just getting ready to sell. Think of if little to no debt. Wow. we are older now 46 and 51 with children the age of our pears grand kids. We will be in such a better place for his retirement. This place is such a palace with so many amenities. I have been spoiled with all of it so long. I hope my flesh does not give me too big a fits :)

Bren here is my Color palate You asked for...

I love the blues and purples together or the yellow and greens.
The Kitchen has the burgundy, browns, yellow and greens.
Really all the colors are represented around the house.
The walls of the Main living room/dining room are the pale greens.
My kitchen walls are the dusty pale beige browns.

I hope that answers your questions. I am so excited about the pay it forwards. I need to finish my last one and get them mailed. I'll be here today if you would like to call.