Snow White and the Pink Jaguar

We also had a pirate (Abby), a princess (Ally) and a little professor (Luke); but by the time I remembered to take their picture, those costumes had been relegated to the floor and the wearers were digging into their loot. The girls attended a birthday party for a friend and went trick-or-treating as a group, while I took Luke to a few houses on our street before assigning him the job of handing out candy at home.

Limbo

If you've kept up with my posts recently, you'll know that we were expecting an offer for our house and Matt had two job interviews in-process. You may also remember that I've been specifically asking the Lord to make clear His will for us -- no confusion, no counterfeits, just "yes" or "no" regarding every area of this journey.
Well, here's what's developed this week: the couple who told us they were going to make an offer on our house never followed through. We don't know if it was an issue with their finances or what, but we're back to square one. We must sell it now. In these 11 months since Matt was laid-off, we have paid every bill on time by God's grace and providence. However, now the well has run dry. We could very well lose the house to the bank if we don't sell it immediately.
Matt's interviews: the first one went well although it was obvious to the interviewer that Matt is over-qualified for the position. He was not offered the job, as of yet. The second interview hasn't happened yet, although the interviewer indicated in a personal email that Matt is one of the candidates for the position. That email was sent Tuesday and here on Friday morning he still has not heard back to set up a meeting. Not really sure what's going on there.
Oh - there's good news, too! Matt was approved to keep receiving unemployment benefits through the winter. It's not much to live on, but it pays for groceries and some bills while "The Great Job Hunt" continues.
All that given, I believe God is answering our prayer for clear understanding in this way: why was Matt not offered the job? Because it's not the will of the Lord. Why didn't we receive an offer for our home? Because it's not the will of the Lord. So -- what IS God's will? We don't know, but we'll just keep on keeping on and doing what we know to do. That said, have a great weekend, my friends!

Update

Matt's interview in Norman went well, although there has not been an offer made yet. He's also interviewing for a job in NW OKC this week. We're praying for wisdom and clarity so there won't be any question in our minds about what we are to do and where we are suppose to live. Should he take a job that pays considerably less than what we can live on? Should we continue looking out-of-state? We still haven't received an offer on our house....what do we do about that?
Dear Lord, there are so many loose ends that need closure. I know He holds us in His hand, and I trust Him that everything will fall into place at the right time.
I've been meditating on Psalm 19 all day. It was just one of those instances where a passage really jumped out at me. I'm so thankful for the Rhema Word of God that ministers to my soul at exactly the right time. It has brought me so much peace today.
Blessings to you all. Goodnight!

Breaking News!!!

Matt has an interview Tuesday morning with a company in Norman. They are looking to hire a warehouse and inventory manager...that's all we know right now. Please be praying for clarity, peace and wisdom for both Matt and for those with whom he'll be interviewing.
I'll post an update -- whether good or bad -- as soon as we know something solid.
Thank you!

A Good Day

It's 4:59 Sunday afternoon and we're finishing another openhouse. Once again, no one came through. Zero, zilch, nada. But that's okay. The house is clean from top to bottom and I look forward to a relaxing evening with the family. (If you haven't ever seen the CBS show "Undercover Boss", I highly recommend it. It's one of the few truly enjoyable shows on tv. Looking forward to watching it tonight.)
Here's why I'm posting, however -- it's not to announce that we put forth another fruitless effort. It's to tell you what the Lord did in my heart this morning. Let me back up to when I was taking down our signs after the visitor-less openhouse last Sunday. Last Sunday I was asking the Lord for direction and He put Jeremiah 29:13 on my heart. It says, "You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart I will be found by you..."
I know He didn't "accidently" deposit that verse into my mind. It was a gentle prompting. Since then I've been praying that He will teach me what it means to truly seek Him.
Back to today: I heard about something nice that happened to someone I know. Instead of being happy for them, I used it to start whining to myself about the tough times my family is in. I snapped at Matt and allowed myself to become miserable. I started having a good, old-fashioned pity party. Almost immediately, the Holy Spirit convicted me. He brought to mind the exhortation to "carry eachother's burden and share eachother's joys". I'm pretty good at bearing other peoples' burdens but I definitely lack in the area of sharing others' joy. That was one of the reasons I quit Facebook a few months ago -- because I was tired of hearing how great everyone else's life was. Real mature on my part, huh? I realized that I often allow covetousness or envy to give me a bad attitude rather than thanking the Lord for others' good fortune. I was very embarassed and ashamed when that realization hit me.
I'm grateful for the conviction from my loving, Heavenly Father. I'm thankful that He's teaching me how to truly seek Him, and that He's changing my heart. My prayer is that He will continue to work in me, and teach me how to share in others' joy.

Carry On

This is one of those posts where I don't even know where to begin. We are having an open house later today, which makes the 12th since putting our house on the market in January. Throw in 46 private showings in that time and you can perhaps understand the discouragement I'm feeling.
We showed the house to a couple two weeks ago who seemed to really like it. The wife's mother is moving in with them and our extra-large second bedroom provides the ideal arrangement for their situation. Matt spoke with the husband this week who indicated that they want to make an offer. He said he'd speak with his wife and get back to us. That was Thursday. Today is Sunday. We're still waiting for that phone call.
Furthermore, Matt has applied for several jobs that seem to be a perfect fit for him. He's got the experience the employers are looking for, and since most of them are in OKC he wouldn't have to relocate. But still, the phone remains silent. He has not even been called for an interview.
His unemployment insurance runs out next month. We've exhausted his 401k to pay the mortgage each month and now we risk defaulting our loan. I just want to shout, "What the heck, Lord? We've done everything we can do. We've been faithful to pay all of our bills on time; Matt's applied for every job he's come across and we've made our home ready and available for every person who wants to tour it. Still, no movement on any of it. Nothing. WHAT THE HECK????"
Seriously though, Matt -- always the sensible and clear-thinker of the two of us -- reminded me a while back of the story of Namaan. He had leprosy and God (through the prophet Elisha) told Namaan to wash in the Jordan River 7 times and then he would be healed. Namaan resisted but finally obeyed. He was healed upon dipping in that filthy river the seventh time, not the first time. He had to be obedient and faithful to what God told him to do. So, perhaps God will bring a buyer after the 12th open house. Or perhaps after the 47th showing. Maybe the employer of the 500th position Matt applies for will be the one to say, "this is the right man for the job".
We've done all we've been told to do. I know God is faithful and He'll bring to pass those promises He's given us. The waiting is difficult, especially with 8 beautiful kids who are on this journey with us. But we'll continue on. We'll keep doing whatever is in front of us, and we'll make every effort to sell our house and find work.
Well, it's time to make breakfast for the hungry masses and get the house ready for the swarms of people who may come through it today. You never know -- today could be the day the buyer comes through. If not, we'll do it all again next week. Afterall, what else can we do?

A Most Wonderful Season

I love Fall.  (Ok, let me clarify that: I love Fall as long as the temperatures stay reasonably warm. I am not a fan of cold weather -- blame that on growing up near Lake Michigan, where we were the recipients of  "Lake Effect" snow and temps for several months every year. Blahhhh. But alas, I digress.)
Regardless, I really DO love Fall, with the lovely colors displayed softly throughout Creation as nature prepares for winter. The excitement of college football, the smell of coffee brewing on a crisp morning, and fresh air streaming through open windows just seems to have a comforting effect. It's also pumpkin season, which means we get to be very creative in the kitchen.  Yesterday morning Matt made pumpkin pancakes with walnuts, oat flour and flax seed and they were sensational!
I mentioned in a previous post that I'm deeply disappointed that I can't dress our home and porch for the season, since all of our Fall and harvest decorations are packed away in Indiana.  I admit I get a little teary-eyed when I see our neighbors' cute scarecrows and hay bales and giant yellow and orange mums; yet this season of life for us has been one for which I will be forever grateful. God has done much planting and pruning in our family over the past eleven months, and I humbly believe we are now able to bear the fruit that comes from brokeness. This year I've seen my children grow in character and wisdom beyond what I thought were their capabilities.  Likewise, issues that have beset me my entire life have been lovingly dealt with and forgiven by our Abba Father. Our sacrifices and hardships have not weakened us but rather strengthened us -- both relationally and spiritually.
 I find great hope in these words from James 1:2-4: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (NIV)
  Things may get even more difficult for us before they get better, but I have hope.  I have seen God's faithfulness over and over again. Though this trial has been longer than we'd ever imagined, it has produced a great deal of growth and fruit. For that reason, it is truly a season of thankfulness.

Walker

No, not this guy....

THIS guy!

What's Shakin'?

Well, that was fun! Smack-dab in the middle of our school day, we heard a rumble and felt the house shake.  I guess I can cross off "survive an earthquake" from my bucket list. Ha ha.
P.S. After the initial news report was published, the quake was upgraded from a 4.5 to a 5.1 magnitude.
Quake shakes central Oklahoma

I Am....

Grateful. Weary. Humbled. Anxious. And - in awe of our Lord's mercy and grace.
Ready to take on a new week.
Blessings to you, my beloved readers.  Have a lovely Monday!

"Healing is In Your Hands"

I heard this song for the first time last week, and it ministered to me in a way I haven't experienced in a long time.

Anticipa-ay-tion-- It's Making Me Wait

Pardon the odd title.  It's a flashback from one of those "K-Tel" music compiliation commercials that I'd see on tv when I was a kid. Come on now; don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!
Anyway, I'm up bright and early (5:45a.m.) on this Saturday thanks to a certain baby who decided it's time to play.   Regardless, this day shall prove to be an anxious one for me.  We showed our house last night to a family who found our ad on ebay and was eager to see it.  They were here for quite a long time (that's always a good sign) but there are other homes they want to see as well.  So now, we wait.
Today is also the game.  I do mean, THE GAME. My unbeaten U-M Wolverines play their instate unbeaten rival, the Michigan State Jailbirds Spartans. I really don't know if I will even watch it because I HATE suspense!  If we have a sizeable lead (not likely) I will stick around, but I'm sure it will be a nail-biter and I can't handle the stress of that. Aye!
Let's hope it doesn't go into overtime, because Zac is due on the other side of town around the projected ending time for the game. He is going to a surprise party for one of his best friends, and it will be awesome: Peter's mother booked his favorite Christian band to play a concert at a local park for his 16th birthday. She invited one hundred of his closest friends and I imagine it will be a birthday Peter will never forget. Pretty neat!
Now I shall go burn off my anxiety with a 3-mile run on this beautiful Fall morning. Before I depart, here are a few more random pictures from this week: the girls at the Museum of Natural History (not a great shot because I was holding a sleeping Nathan while using my cellphone camera) and also my goofy birthday boy (who, by the way, is fully potty-trained now. 7 down, 1 to go!)  Have a great Saturday, everyone!

This and That

Here are a few random pics from the past few days.  I haven't been able to work them into a blog story so I decided just to post them as they are.
It's sunny and cool here -- perfect weather for small persons needing to burn some energy. Tomorrow for school the girls and I are taking a field trip to the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History.  Should be fun!

Zac and his big red toe. Why the surgeon chose to wrap it in a red bandage, I don't know. I thought it was blood!

Up to no good...but we'll keep him anyway.

"Look, Mom!  No hands!"  Nate has taken to crawling with a bottle hanging from his mouth.  I think he resembles an under-sized baby elephant.

Our intuitive, creative 2nd grader.

"Ree!"

That is how old Luke is, as of today.  I'd been planning for a week to make him a Lego cake, but suddenly a few days ago he said he wanted a "doggy".  I don't know where that idea came from, but who am I to disappoint the birthday boy?
I baked it this morning and then decorated it in between teaching, laundry and everything else that beckons me around here.  I was the mean mommy who wouldn't let the girls help, but that's only because it's been so long since I've made a cake by myself. I'm usually happy to let little hands pour and mix, but my creative juices were flowing and I didn't want to be hindered. It was so much fun to make!

I used this for inspiration



I baked a 9x13 cake and drew a template on waxed paper,  then used the template to cut the cake into a dog shape.  I'm not crazy about the platter it's on, but it's all I have.  Wanna guess where all my cake platters are?  Anyone???



The crumb coat.  Not pretty, but definitely worth the trouble. I then froze it for an hour or so.

The top layer of icing covers the crumb coat.  Much nicer!

Ah, finished! A little rootbeer flavoring in the chocolate icing added some subtle pizzazz.

My sweet three-year-old saw his cake and said, "Thank you Mommy! Woof! Woof!"

And That's How it Goes...

Well, if that doesn't sting like the dickens, I don't know what does. I'm wearing my brave face for the sake of the kids so they don't see the stress Matt and I feel. Inside, however, I'm throwing a pity party. 
Why? It's because we have neighbors moving in right next door. I'm sure they're very nice people, and it so happens that they came through our home during our last openhouse with our realtor. They seemed to like our place and were even discussing where to place their furniture. That is, until they toured the new construction next to us.
  I can't really blame them, though.  They had the option of buying an existing home that a large family  has lived in for 3 years or buying a brand new house that probably still has sawdust in the corners. I'd likely choose the latter as well.
Oh well. It's out of our hands and solely in His.  I'm at peace with that. That in mind, tomorrow I'll take a batch of brownies over  and welcome them to the neighborhood.

Have a great weekend, y'all.  Go Blue!