Babies, Brownies and Blessings

As we march on in our quest to sell our home and buy another we have come across the idea of building. It would seem in the market around here it's nearly the same price to buy new or used. We have been pondering what we would do, what our musts are and what are would-be-nice s. In the process we've looked at a few homes and a couple of lots around town. Last week we decided to check out our favorite lot and walk it to see what a home would look like on it. Naturally the kids came with us. While I'd prefer to think we're a fairly classy little family, the events of this outing made me, and our potential new neighbors , wonder... Pulling into the cul-de-sac of our dream home's lot I threw the blue mini into park. Turns out an actual caravan of sheiks and camels would've made less of an impression than our Grand Caravan of kids, or monkeys, or whatever it is they decided they were. Tape measure in hand, Bri and I walked the lot like it was a chessboard,...

Dust, mop, vacuum, windex, wipe dirty fingerprints off everything, repeat. I don't think my house has been this clean for this long ever . We are completely submersed in the process of home selling and it as gone better and worse than I expected. Keeping the house clean hasn't been a problem. Staying patient with the ridiculous messes my kids make often by accident have been. I've been using my outside voice inside a bit too often. My constant prayer is for peace and grace. I quit praying for patience a long time ago because it seems God always wanted to teach me that by requiring me to practice it a lot. :) The two weeks it's been on the market has felt like two months. How do people do this over and over again? When we buy our next house I hope it's the one I die in may years from now so I never have to repeat this process!! The good news is there have been some people interested and we've had several showings which is encouragement to stay the ...

Whew... The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions and activity. Starting with saying our earthly goodbye to Bri's grandpa and culminating in a For Sale sign in our yard! Technically the sign is not out there yet but we are up and running on the MLS and we've had a showing with 2 more in the next couple days. It's a lot of work getting a house ready to sell! Remember when I told you about my Totally Tidy Plan? I had just gotten started on my list of things to-do in the bathroom when we decided to sell and that sent me in a million different directions with a list that overwhelmed both my man and I. So if anyone has tried "my" plan, please let me know how that's working for you because I'm CERTAIN I'm going to need a plan when we get into a new-to-us house. As for where we are moving, the answer is "not far". After nearly 12 years in our wonderful home we are ready for a change of location and perhaps a 2 car garage? Maybe ...

Many years ago I said goodbye to my grandparents. All but one left this earth before I was a parent, the last just shortly after. How I wish my children could have known them. There is always a sadness when our loved ones are taken too soon...I, however, was blessed with a new wonderful grandpa, one my children got to know. I married into a family that boasted more longevity than my own. And I said hello to Grandpa Ralph. One of the great things about G'pa Ralph that eased that ache in my soul was that his manner was familiar. He reminded me of my grandpas. Few words but big, back-pounding hugs. His "oh yep, uh huh, sure" was a sufficient response to most questions. Quiet faith. He had a belly laugh that was music to the ears and a commanding presence. And in the end, his stoic demeanor spoke of the quiet inner strength in the midst of the unknown. I had the privilege of helping care for him in the last few weeks, stopping in here and there to change a d...

It's the middle of the night and my man's wacky schedule (and his need to share his sleeplessness with me) has me a wake, hopefully not for long. My brain is full with thought of all the changes this time of year brings. BigBoy #1 finished his last day of Kindergarten! It is truly surprising how quickly the year has gone and overall how well he did. The day was bittersweet for him and he said when he got home that he doesn't like weekends when there's no school after them. :) Nevermind that just yesterday he was fussing about wanting to stay home and play! But it's good for him to be left wanting more and looking forward to 1st grade. And a guinea pig. Yep, for real, he is pining after a guinea pig in the worst way. Being our single-track minded child he has a hard time thinking about anything else when he has something on his mind and right now that's a furry rat-pig. We're talking about it but teaching him to wait for things AND save his money so...

On the heels of my last post about feeling overwhelmed and behind I started thinking of ways to get un-behind ahead at home. About the same time came a good-natured prompting from my husband to do as I challenged all of us to do in Facebook Inferior  and give up FB for a week or two. I wonder if the combination of less time on FB and a more focused plan will result in a cleaner, happier, more-organized Dickman household??? I'm sure going to give it a shot. There are so many cleaning plans and experts out there and I'm NOT pretending to be one. A few years ago I read the FlyLady's book Sink Reflections and got some great tips on how to keep out clutter and cut cleaning into bite-sized chunks. I followed the plan religiously for a while and did enjoy the benefits. It encourages you to get rid of the things you don't need (either toss or donate) and to clean up "hotspots" for junk like the junk drawer (or room, if you're like some of us), coffee tabl...

This is how I'm feeling these days. Can you relate? If I were to take the time to look back over my blogs I would guess there are more than a couple on this same topic. It's a frequent plight of mine...of yours...right? Instead of papers piling up, or rather along with papers piling up, add mountains of laundry, dirty dishes, messy floors, toys askew, closets stuffed, store-rooms jammed, vehicles full of this and that. Not to mention that little one (or 3 or 4) pulling on you, interrupting you just when you got into the groove. Need I go on? You get my drift, you have a list of your own. The issue isn't always time. The fact remains that we all have the same amount of time. We get to make choices each day, each hour. My biggest struggles? Lack of motivation and difficulty with time management. Time to get back to writing a to-do list because there's nothing better than checking them off, one by one! I also need to get my butt in gear and start worki...