Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes...

Spring is here. We are so grateful. Change is among us in the weather and in our daily lives. Our home here in Fishers went on the market on April 8th. We had about 10 showings in about a 56 hour time period. On Friday morning we received an offer, and by Friday afternoon, we had accepted the offer. Since then, our home has been inspected and we are working on the short list of things that the buyer has asked to be done. Coincidentally, we just found out today that the buyer of our home went to the same college that Chad did, AND he was in the same fraternity, only he graduated a few years after Chad. It really is a very, very small world, but, I also believe that God has had a hand in the timing of all of this. The buyer is working with us on the closing date and the date he takes possession. The closing is May 29th and he will take possession on June 5th. We are very, very pleased and are starting to get excited, but also nervous at the way things are now moving so quickly. Ultimately, I know that God is in control of all of this and all we can do is get the house ready and be ready to close on time. And....our new home is still being renovated, but we have the promise of the builder that he will be done on time. And so here we go...the final push. I have felt very nostalgic lately. I've thought a lot about what it was like when we bought this house; where we were at in our lives. And my, how things have changed. I look around, and so much is different in my life: but in a very good way. I'm a happier person now than I was nearly 7 years ago. And, I attribute that to my relationship with God, His presence in my life, and my ability to let go of control. This week, we made the final decisions on our new home. All the light fixtures have been selected. Flooring choices have been made, and tonight, we will choose the color for the kitchen cabinets (think SAGE...oh yeah, that is the direction we are going..) I am really excited to see it all come in to place. To see the decisions that we have made and the plans that we began last summer all come to fruition. To watch as God's plan unfolds for us has been quite amazing. Another decision that we discerned for was what our schooling option for the boys would be for the coming school year. Right now, I homeschool our children. This year, while caring for my mother, I realized that I am NOT superwoman. I never really thought I was, but people have called me that. "You homeschool, you have three boys, and your care for your mother? Wow, you must be a SAINT!" I humbly tell people that I am not capable of such things on my own and all is done through the Grace of God. I'm not blowing smoke when I say that- I really do believe it. So, in February when things got really rough around here, and I began to question whether or not I should continue this homeschooling gig next year, I really worried about what people would think. The thought that the devil put in to my head was, "You are giving up on homeschooling? Well, you are definitely not a saint!" So, I tossed the idea of giving it up aside, because, I didn't want to let people down. But then, many frustrating days came after that. I would get frustrated with my boys because I had so much to do with my mom and with the house, and I thought that I was a complete fraud. I was putting up this front that I had it all together, when truthfully, I would cry most nights because I began to really, really dislike homeschooling. And I looked at my boys like schooling them was a really big chore, instead of finding joy in the time I was spending with them like I used to. It finally, finally occurred to me that this was no longer working. I had changed. They had changed. The situation had changed. And so, we started really exploring other options. Because of our location at the new house, and because of finances, Catholic school is not an option. And so, we visited the school that my husband went to when he was growing up, and I instantly felt a sense of calm and peace. THIS is where our kids should be. In fact...the same gym teacher that my husband had is still there. So, there is something calming about that. That my boys will learn inside the same walls that their father did, and that my boys will live and grow up in the same house that their grandfather and great uncle did; the house that their great grandfather had built. You know what they say: the more things change, the more they stay the same. For me, right now, truer words were never spoken.

4/3/14

I'm not being very creative with the titles for my blog posts. I guess it's because I look at this as more of a journal, in which case I would just write the date at the top of the page and begin my entry. So, here we are. It's April. I haven't written in about a month. After my last blog post, The Holy Spirit really helped Chad and I to try to push ourselves to the max to get our home ready for the housing market. When I tell people that we are "getting our home ready for the market" I don't think that everyone realizes what that means, nor do they have an idea of how much time is spent going in to that process. For us, it has meant that every second of "spare" time and every ounce of energy has gone in to making our house look like someone else's. That's right. You read that right. This house is now someone else's house. Whose house is it? That is yet to be determined. I believe God has a family in mind for this house, and they will come along, hopefully sooner rather than later. Our house will be listed on April 8th, which is next Tuesday. So, what have we been doing to get this house ready? Packing, packing and more packing. 7 years in this house means we have accumulated a lot of stuff. The process of packing has also meant purging, and it was been cathartic for me. We have sold some things as well. We have painted some rooms, taken down all "personal" effects, cleared off every countertop and de-cluttered every corner. Every cobweb is gone, and all of the little imperfections on our walls have been "magically erased." We have new countertops and a new faucet and sink in our kitchen. I wanted to do that 2 years ago, but alas, other home improvement projects became a priority...like brand new windows, which we hope will help sell this house. So you see, without that "lived in" feeling...those cobwebs, and scratches on the walls...without those and without the bits of clutter here and there, and without our photographs on the walls, this house is not ours. It's just a house. It's not our home. Not anymore. As I took down the family photos and packed them away for our new home, I cried. Suddenly the empty feeling of this house matched the empty feeling in my heart. I grew to love this house. I love the memories that have been made here. I brought home two babies to this house. We have celebrated in this house. We have fought in this house. We have laughed...a lot. And, we have cried. But most of all, we have loved. I fell in love with Fishers while living in this house. I grew to love Indiana here, finally no longer feeling like a girl from Michigan trying to fit in. It was in this house that I became a Hoosier. This is my home. Indiana is home now- not Michigan. I used to tell people that I grew up in Michigan. That's not really true anymore. I spent my childhood and young adult life in Michigan. I have grown up in Indiana. And so, where does that leave me now? I sort of feel lost. I know that God has called us to do something- to take over the farm. God has called me to do something that I never possibly imagined. I'm still comforted in knowing that God is taking care of us, and He always will. He is leading the way. But it doesn't lessen the sadness that I am feeling lately. When the sign goes up in our front yard on Tuesday, it will symbolize the finality of it all- the end of this chapter of our lives in Fishers, and the beginning of our new life on the farm.

3/6/14

3/6/14....March. The days are going by so quickly. Life is busy. Homeschooling, caring for my mother (who is on a new chemotherapy drug), trying to keep the house clean (and failing miserably!), social events, visits from family, working with a stager to get our home ready for the market, working on the new house, farm shows, business meetings, etc, etc. That has been our winter in a nutshell. I was so grateful that Lent started yesterday! It really has helped me to slow down a bit and put my focus back on the Lord. I got brave and took all three boys to Ash Wednesday Mass all by myself. That was a first for me. I hadn't taken the boys to Mass alone since Charlie was a baby, so it's been about 2 years. I am so happy that the boys were well behaved and took an interest in the Mass. Charlie had a big fascination with the ashes on our foreheads. It was very sweet. We went out to the new house today. I hadn't been there since Christmas time, and it looks so different. They are now hanging drywall and beginning mudding. They are also putting up the new wall in our basement (for my work-out space and Chad's office). More decisions came along with that- some spare of the moment, but, we worked them out. We have a great builder, and his Dad and brothers have been doing a lot of work on the home. Our new bathtub is installed, and everything is really beginning to come together. It seems like the time is winding down and it will be done now sooner, rather than later. People keep asking us if we have a move in date. My answer to that is, "In God's time". I'm comfortable with that answer and I'm at peace knowing that it's in God's hands. The reason for that is because of timing. You see...the builder can get all of the things done on his end. However, we have things we have to do (flooring, painting, lighting, and the actual moving in event). Getting those things done AND getting our home ready for sale is a little contingent on my mom, and how she is feeling. If she is doing well, we can get more done, because I won't need Chad at home as much when she is well. If she is not well, it's a different story. No, I'm not blaming her. I'm just speaking the truth, and she knows that. And you know what? It's ok. God is taking care of us. And when our home is ready to be put on the market, meaning we have had the time to get it ready, then it will be put on the market. Timing: not ours, but His. Here are some photos I took today. Our kitchen is completely gutted, and the drywall is being hung and should be done soon.

1/28/14

The work on our farm home has been MOVING along, and so has LIFE! The end of January? Say Whaaaa??? Chad has been out working on the house every day, and has been working on farm "stuff" as well. There is so much to know when one is a farmer. Chad tried to give me a lesson in drainage the other day, and I started to doze off! That's ok because when I start to talk to him about phonological awareness and phonemes and structural analysis and digraphs....all reading teacher "stuff", he kinda did the same thing. Not everyone can be interested in everything. So, I don't have many pics to post of the house. Everything is demoed, and the builder and his guys are working on the HVAC items this week. The electrical is done, for the most part, and the new plumbing is done. Chad is currently working on getting the basement dry. We want to put a room down there that will be partly his office, partly my work-out space. However, we need to make sure it will stay dry before going through with that plan. Our builder is going to be purchasing the toilets, faucets, sinks, vanities, etc. We're purchasing a farm sink from IKEA and we decided that the best way to get that was for us to make a trip to IKEA. I told Chad that I would be more than happy to go by myself and spend the day because there just might be a few more items that I need to get too! He wasn't buying that option. Our builder is going to start building our cabinets for the kitchen as well, so we are looking at paint for those, and we are appliance shopping too. Here are a few pictures taken over the past month. For me, the really "fun" pictures will be when we really start to see stuff happening in the rooms, like the drywall, and the cabinets in the kitchen and such. The first pic is our kitchen, all demoed. Next is part of our new hallway. Then, the kitchen again looking into the great room. Next, a shot of the kitchen from the greatroom. The last ones are of the new windows in the addition.

And We're Demoing!

Demolition has begun. Oh, before, I start that, Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! I've been quiet here for a while because life. Just. Got. Really. Busy. Like, crazy busy. But, we were happy to host many of our family members and friends over this Christmas season. We reminded our family members who live in California that this would be the last time they would be in this house. And, as I packed up all of our Christmas items today, and took down our Christmas tree, I began to grow very sad. Because, this is OUR house, the place we call home. We have lived here for 6 years and brought Teddy and Charlie home from the hospital to this house. Memories, memories, memories. But, I can't get into that too much right now. Not yet. I'm not ready to "go there". I will. Just not yet. Chad has been working on tearing out the "pink" bathroom. He has done an amazing job. This, after he and his dad, and a lot of other helpers, put in an entirely new septic system. Here are some great photos that Chad took. My favorite? The ones taken from on top of one of the grain bins. God's presence is there in that photo, without a doubt. I love the way the roof line has come together. It looks, from that perspective, like the addition is not really an addition. Like it was there all along. We are going to attempt to use some of that lovely blue or pink tile left from that bathroom in our new half bath. And, we are going to reuse the pink sink! More to come soon, Nicole

The Work Continues...

It's official! We have two bedrooms and one bathroom framed. Woo hoo! There is a picture below of our "pink" bathroom. That will no longer be there soon, as that is right where our new hallway will be. I believe they are working on the roof next. Then the inside stuff will begin. Chad will have to start demolishing the kitchen soon. Anyone want to take out some aggression with a sledge hammer? Let me know and I can arrange that for you. After the kitchen is demoed, the remodel of the kitchen will start. So, things are moving along. We are doing our best to just ride this wave. We are taking steps to ready our house for the market. And, we are really enjoying this time of year. We're trying really hard to prepare ourselves for Jesus' birth. What a joyous time this is. We have lots of family coming to visit starting this Thursday and we plan to enjoy every minute with them. Last weekend, we brought home our Christmas tree, after Chad and the boys cut it down. This is a tradition we started last year and we absolutely love it! We are blessed beyond measure. Though things are hectic, I refuse to become stressed. Juggling all of this is tough- I will admit- very tough. But here we are, and we are doing it, man. People have asked about our expected move-to-Shirley date. No date set yet. The builder should be done in February sometime. We will be done....sometime. If I had to guess, I would say March for the move, but we will see. In the meantime, I am enjoying our church, friends, and activities as much as possible. If anyone is interested in moving to Fishers, or who knows anyone who is interested, let me know. We have a great house coming up for sale soon!

Overwhelmed? Nope.

It's time to post an update to our renovations. I was hoping to have some more pictures to share, however I haven't been out to the house in a couple of weeks. I do have some pictures to share of the digging! The builder and his crew started digging for the addition on November 9th.

Since then, the foundation has been poured, and the block has been put in place for the new crawl space. This week the framing will go up. Our builder has also told us to start picking out bathroom fixtures, vanities, and sinks. Did I mention that we are going to get a farm sink with an apron front? Oh yes. Oh yes we are. There are so many options out there, and I'm not particularly good at picking what goes with what. If you show me a picture of something already put together, I can say, "Oh, that vanity, with that vanity top and that sink, and faucet. Yep. That's what I want!" Having to pick out individual pieces is something I have never done before, and I'm trying to enjoy the excitement of it rather than get crazy about it. Because I do that sometimes, you know. I get crazy. My therapist says that I need to give my "crazy" a name. You know, like an alter ego. I've decided to name her Nina. So, when I start to get a little overwhelmed or agitated or...crazy...I can just say, "Nina. Settle down girl. I've got this." Even my therapist has an alter ego named Edna. Seems to work for her.

We met with our realtor yesterday. We are blessed because we have worked with her twice before. She gave us some projects to do to get our home, "show ready". We were ready for that. I think that it really stinks that we have put things off. You know...like updating the kitchen. Why the heck didn't we do that a year ago, when we could have a little time to enjoy it? Oh yeah....we had other things going on. That's how life is, isn't it? Things happen, you get sidetracked and/or priorities get shifted, and then those that are way down on the list suddenly become immensely important and you suddenly "find" the money to get them done, basically because you have to. I want to say that I'm not complaining, but....I kinda am. We have to get our home "show ready". Oh, and we have to get our new home ready to move in to. And then we have holidays, and family visiting. Gotta squeeze in the homeschooling too. As Shaggy once said to Scooby..."ZOINKS!!!" But...I'm not overwhelmed. Simmer down, Nina. Simmer down.

Permits Part 2

Good news! The county issued our permits! We got news from our builder that we have them. Our builder hopes to begin digging at the end of next week. We're excited, but I think that the real excitement will come when we see that backhoe start movin' some dirt! Chad's dad owns a backhoe. Cool huh?

Our fall has been busy, with Chad working at the farm and me just trying to keep up with the kiddos. But, we have taken some time to do some of our usual fall activities, like heading to Russell Farms Pumpkin Patch.

Trick-O-Treating was fun with our Ghost, Transformer, and Dragon!

Being that this blog is entitled, "Farmtastic" I find it necessary to include pictures of our recent adventure at the farm. During our visit, Chad and the farm crew were harvesting corn. The boys love the combine. Our Little Man would not ride in it because he said it was "scary" but he will get plenty of opportunity to take a ride next year!

Finally, a family picture from our trick-o-treating evening!