ThankFULL

People sure were interested in our new farm purchase...I'm a little offended that I don't get 300 views when I post my latest craft. So I've seriously been contemplating scrapping titles that are related to what I'm writing and using titles like, 'We're Moving to Austrailia,' or 'We've Having Triplets,' instead.

It's been a stressful couple of weeks.

Between organizing family gatherings, visiting grandparents, preparing to move Jamie, planning showers, pendings, closings, buying a house, supper with friends, managing finances, headaches, running a business, roommates, and volunteering all swirling around in my Google calendar, I feel like I'm losing my miiiiind.

But then I look at this picture of our corn crib and remember how blessed Josh and I are. 

Just shut up Mollie, you're life is awesome. 

I have a lot to pack in to one blog. I'll try to keep it from growing into a short story. I'm also resisting the urge to start composing our Christmas letter, so this blog will just need to fulfill my writing urges for now.

Thankful for great friendships: I just had coffee with my friend and connection group leader, Carley. I realized it's been a WHILE since I've talked to anyone besides my family, my boss, or Josh. It was a good way to process everything crazy that's been happening. It's also just been way too long since we'd hung out, and a Venti Iced Vanilla Latte (that was purchased with change I've gathered from the laundry!) was just what I needed this week.

Thankful for Mint.com: Starting August 1st, Josh and I have been on a new, stricter budget...buying a 2nd house tends to put things in perspective...and point out how much pizza we order. Ugh. I'm having a grrrrreat time tracking things with the Mint app. Seeing that the pieces in our August 2013 pie chart have only been spent on gas, groceries, our mortgage, utilities, and very few 'extras' has been really motivating and fun. :)

Thankful for sisters: Summer is coming to an end, and I'm realizing that it went waaaaay too quickly. Our dreams of going on walks every night, grilling, laying out at the pool, crafting, and working on projects will become much harder once Jamie moves into her new apartment on Saturday. I'm excited for my parents to come down and excited to help her decorate and 'settle' into her new place (the same apartments I lived in during my third year of school). But I'm also a little bummed she won't be around to help me get groceries; clean the house like a madwomen; and watch movies in bed with me when there are boys and brothers invading the living room watching scary man-movies with Josh. 

Thankful for ShopVacs: Two weeks ago, our basement flooded due to a semi-funny sleepwalking incident. While it was very stressful at the time (picture 20-ish gallons flooding the basement from my bathroom sink upstairs), it really isn't a big deal looking back on it. I had originally planned to compose a lengthy, dramatic blog post about the events of August 3rd, but now it seems really unnecessary. Everything is drying out well and it was a good excuse to get down there and do some deep cleaning. As of now, it seems that our prayers for the drywall, ducts, and walls to dry out on their own have been answered. We also made $56 from taking back our renter's cans...and that turned out to be excellent State Fair spending money.

Thankful for Tami Hicks: My job is just awesome. I've always known that it is...do you have a boss that says, 'Thanks, you rock,' every time you hang up the phone for doing things like running a simple errand or printing a packet? Because I do. ;) I feel valued and appreciated for crafting adorable pop-by gifts and keeping organized files and calendars. B-T-dub, Tami sold two of her listings this week in less than three days. Yes, she's that good. You should make her your realtor. ;)

Thankful for ScotchGuard: On Monday night in the midst of sewing curtains for Jamie's apartment and friends watching a movie in our living room...beer was spilled on our 6-month-old furniture. While I understand a couch is just a meaningless 'thing' that I can't take with me to heaven...I also think it's important to be a good steward of the 'things' God has blessed us with. Couches included. Thankfully, HomeMaker's wasn't joking around when they charged us $40 per piece of furniture to ScotchGuard (with a warranty!). It was worth every penny. I used the furniture cleaner that came with the set, followed the directions, and boom...looks good as new. Note to all future furniture buyers...ALWAYS PAY EXTRA FOR THE SCOTCHGUARD!

I know this furniture spill is God's way of preparing me for children who will undoubtedly ruin my furniture. I'm confident that if I can handle Nikki, Kate, Jamie, Dan, Ben, Tom, Caleb, AND Josh all making the house a mess...I'll be able to handle almost anything. ;)

Aaaaand just because I like to look at it...here's a picture of the ceiling in our barn.

I plan to entice you all with pictures so you're itching to help us with the mess we've gotten ourselves into. ;)

MmB