Welcome to Our Home

I know I promised to show you the outside of our house weeks ago.  I may be slow, but I am at least going to fulfill that promise.  Our home is a Cape Cod house.  The front porch is in desperate need of some love and rocking chairs.  This isn't in the budget for this summer so camping chairs will have to do for now.  We are still enjoying the space and the evening and morning breeze that whispers in our ears.  We are also enjoying the neighbor's dog, cows, and horses.  This may become our new idea of farming.  We are also taking some time to think about landscaping.  What do we do with this area in front of the house?  Time will tell, but we are open for suggestions and ideas.

This is our side yard view.  See the neighbor's cows?  We feed them left over scraps.  They are realizing that this fence line is the place to be.  There have been many corn husks and watermelon rinds thrown over there recently. 

This is the view from our front porch.  See the mountains in the background?  They aren't quite as beautiful as the mountains in Greeneville, but they are still mountains none the less.  The Lord knew my heart.  The mountains have been something I have enjoyed greatly every since we moved to Tennessee from Florida.  I was so afraid that we wouldn't get to enjoy the views in our new home, but God had a different plan.  I am pleased.  We finally closed on our home last week.  We had a few minor glitches here and there, but in the end we signed the papers.  This is another miracle in our life.  (I don't use that word lightly).  If you had asked me 3 months ago if we could really buy a house, I would have had to say "No".  It didn't look like it from all of the indications.  We had decided to rent, but that didn't work out either.  To make a long story short, the Lord opened the doors and brought us exactly to the place we needed to be.  I am more than thankful...my heart is overjoyed with thanksgiving!

grace and peace,
julie

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This salad has become our new favorite salad.  It has a sweet, tangy flavor with lots of crunch.  My family went crazy over it.  The dressing makes enough for two salads.  I stored the leftover dressing in the refrigerator for several days and then used it again on another salad.  It was still yummy.  This salad would be a great spring salad because the spinach and strawberries would be fresh from the garden.  Since we don't have a garden this year, we are enjoying it all summer long.  Hope you enjoy!

1 bag fresh baby spinach
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup red onion
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries, bacon, onion and nuts.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients to make the dressing.  You can stir it, but I used my stick blender.  Pour about half of the dressing over the salad.  You may prefer to use even less than that.  Refrigerate leftover dressing for later uses. 

grace and peace,
julie

Missy and the Move

Several of you have asked about Missy and how she is adjusting to the new  place.  I was very concerned about her during the move.  She was so worked up all the time that I thought she might just have a heart attack.  She wouldn't let me out of her sight.  If I went to the bathroom, she went with me.  If I was in the kitchen, she was laying on my feet.  Have you ever tried to cook a meal with a 200 lb dog laying on your feet? 

Gradually she is returning to normal.  She is enjoying her new home.  She loves to lay on the front porch during the early morning or late evenings.  She entertains the neighbor's dog with a large bowl of cold water and a small amount of play.  She is even willing to share Seth with him which frees her up to come back inside and sit in the air condition with me.  She seems more content now.  I can even get a meal cooked without having to step over her. 

grace and peace,
julie

Icebox Lemonade Pie

I don't know about where you live, but it sure has been hot here in our little corner of the world.  We are also trying to adjust to the humidity here.  In the mountains of East Tennessee, we didn't suffer from as much humidity.  We had wind, but not humidity.  Just for the record, I'll take a little humidity over the wind any day!  I find that when it is hot outside my family enjoys lighter desserts.  This dessert is one our favorites.  It is a refreshing cold pie that is great served next to a glass of sweet iced tea.  It is also easy and can be made several days in advance.  What's not to love?  Hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does!

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup lemonade concentrate
1 (8 oz) carton Cool Whip, thawed
1 graham cracker crust

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Gradually beat in milk until blended.  Beat in lemonade concentrate.  Fold in whipped topping.  Pour into crust.  Cover and refrigerate until set. 

grace and peace,
julie

Shh...I am Giving Out My Mom's Recipe

When I was growing up, my mom made an amazing meal called Shish Ka Bobs.  I loved this meal as a child, and I love it even more as an adult.  It is an easy way to take a few steaks and feed an entire family.  This is a splurge meal because the meat is expensive.  My mom used fillet Mignon steak, and that is the way I like it.  Why are my boys holding hands you ask?  Because we were ready to pray, but I was busy taking pictures.  What do you need to make this meal?  You really need skewers.  I got mine from mom, but in times past I have used the large wood skewers from Walmart.  Just remember to soak them in water before you use them to keep them from catching on fire.  You can thank me later for that little tip.  You will also need some sort of steak.  Fillet Mignon is the best because it is so tender, but you could use other cuts of your choosing.  You also need to have vegetables.  I use whole red potatoes, red, green, and yellow peppers, onions, and whole mushrooms.  You could add cherry tomatoes or corn on the cob pieces.  I don't, but do what you like.  After all, it is your creation to enjoy.

After you decide what veggies you like, you need to parboil some of them.  I parboil the potatoes.  In a separate pan, I parboil the green peppers and onions.  Parboiling is a simple step that ensures the veggies are done when you are grilling them.  It speeds up the grilling process.  Just cover the vegetables with water and boil just for a few minutes.  You don't want them done when you take them off the stove.  You just want to start the cooking process.  Drain the water off, and set the veggies aside until you are ready to grill.  I usually do this in the morning or early afternoon before I am going to grill them in the evening.  This allows the vegetables to cool before I have to handle them. 

When I am ready to grill, I cut the steaks up into bite size pieces.  I then thread the steaks and veggies on the skewers to prepare them to grill.

There is no magic way to thread the items on the skewers.  You can do it any way you want.  Just make sure you leave some space in between the meat pieces so they can cook well.  Here is the secret part.  Melt a stick of butter or half a stick if you aren't cooking for an army.  Add Worcestershire Sauce.  I add about a 1/4 of a cup, but if you are doing a half stick add less.  Add salt and pepper.  While the shish ka bobs are grilling, spread the butter mixture over the shish ka bobs.  I use a large brush.  Be careful because the butter mixture may cause your grill to flare.  Grill until the meat reaches the desired doneness that your family likes.  For my carnivores, it doesn't take very long for the meat cook.  They like their meat rare.  I like mine more done so I leave one on a little longer to cook.  You can serve them on the skewers or you can do what we do.  We take a large platter and slide all of the shish ka bobs off the skewers and let everyone choose what they want.  This would also be a great dinner party idea.  Ask your guests to bring enough steak for their family and a specific veggie.  Ask each guest to bring different vegetables so you have different things to cook on the shish ka bobs.  This would help alleviate the cost, and everybody could pitch in and thread the skewers.  Squash and zucchini would also be great on the shish ka bobs, but my mom never did that so I don't venture out and do it either.  There are some things that I am traditional about, and my shish ka bobs are one of them!  Do me a favor.  Don't tell my mom that I am giving out her secrets!

grace and peace,

julie

(P.S.  Blogger is having issues with the alignment.  I am sorry about that, and I hope to get it resolved before my next post)!

It Must Be Us

At our farm in Cedar Creek, we spent countless hours working on fences to keep the animals contained.  The horses were the easiest of the animals to keep them were they were suppose to be.  I always liked that about them.  Sully wouldn't cross as much as a string to get to the next field.  The other animals didn't have his same appreciation for our time as he did.  They were always testing the boundaries of the fences.

We no longer have any animals except for Missy.  We downsized during the time of the move.  We were sad to see the  animals leave, but at least we wouldn't be spending time chasing them.  When we moved to the new house, we were delighted that the neighbor's used our property to house their 5 horses.  This was the best of both worlds for us.  We got to enjoy the neighbor's horses, but we didn't have to do any of the work or spend any money on them!  The horses had lived over here for the entire summer.  All was well, but they did get out once or twice.  It was no big deal because they kept the big gate shut that blocks the driveway.  This kept them in the front yard.  Since we have moved into the home, we no longer keep the big gate shut.  We have been here for almost 3 weeks, and the horses have decided that it is fun to escape.  We have chased and put them back several times over these past few weeks.  Things weren't panning out quite like we thought.  On Friday afternoon, Michael came home to all 5 horses running in the road.  He quickly hopped on the 4 wheeler to round up the horses.  Our boys ran out the door without shoes on their feet.  Another neighbor came riding up on his horse to help get the horses put back home.  These horses broke right through our fence.  We have decided that it must be us!  Lesson learned from all of this...before any more animals can be purchased for this farm, we must do a lot of fence repair!

grace and peace,
julie

A Letter to a Childhood Friend

We grew up across the street from one another.  She was older than me by 11 months and 1 week.  I loved the week when I too turned her same age.  I rubbed the fact in like salt in a wound.  Apparently neither one of us really understood the concept of age or time.  We spent many days playing Barbies or babies together under the shade of her large oak trees.  We drew hopscotch squares on the street and competed to see who could throw the rock the best and reach the number 10 first.  We played Chinese jump rope together.  I was standing in her living room the day I saw my dad carry out a bundle and place it in his trunk.  I knew that my beloved German Shepherd had died.  She comforted me as I cried.  She was a year ahead of me in school.  She made the band and became part of the color guard.  I wanted that position so bad, but I wasn't quite coordinated enough to master it.  She spent hours helping me learn the routine standing in the same road that we grew up playing in.  We moved on to college and became roommates in the dorm.  Shortly there after, I got married and moved away from our neighborhood and our college dorm.  I went on to birth three boys and she moved away to make her mark in the big city.  She too eventually got married and had a baby girl 11 months and 1 week before my baby girl was born.  Although we don't live next door to one another, our girls have found a friendship.  The girls would both be visiting their grandparents during the holidays and quickly found a friend in each other.  They too play under the shade of the oak trees that remain in her childhood yard.  They too play in the same road that was our domain so many years ago.

Last summer my daughter went to her house and spent a week.  This summer her daughter came to our home.  What a special treat to see our two girls being together.  What a treasure it was to be with a child that reminds me so much of a childhood friend, and to get to know her.  What a pleasure it was to have her daughter snuggle up with me on the couch and let me scratch her back and just love on her.  Thank you for the best gift of time with your children and time with you.  Thank you for loving me with all of my faults.  By the way, I am sorry that I stole your boyfriend so many years ago.  Neither one of us wanted him in the end so it worked out, but I am sorry that I hurt you then. It is one of many regrets of my teenage years. I forgive you for telling me that there was no Santa Clause, tooth fairy, or Easter Bunny.  I also forgive you for telling me there were alligators living under my bed.  By the way, I still sometimes check under my bed to make sure all is well when I am home alone.  I think of you each and every time. 

There is something very special about having a friend that has grown up with you, seen your good and bad, lived the same childhood history as yourself.  As she was standing in my kitchen this time, she asked me about the lunchbox that was on top of my cabinet.  Her dad also carried one like it to the mines.  She too has the same memories of a father coming home smelling of coal dust. Then ever so quietly she said, "I miss seeing him get out of his truck, carrying his lunchbox."  I too miss my dad, but no more words were needed between childhood friends.

grace and peace,
julie

Recipe Organization

Do you remember several months back that I asked for help with recipe organization?  Many of you stepped up to the plate and left some great ideas.  Tnfarmgirl called me after that post.  She commanded me to set a date that we could meet.  She came to the house armed with binders, plastic covers, and tabs.  She spent the whole day with me organizing my recipes.  I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed her handy work.  I am now an organized recipe collector and owner!!  Her system is simple and best of all it works.  She brought 2 heavy duty large 3 ring binders.  They have pockets in the front and back.  She brought tabs that also had pockets in the front and back.  She labeled the tabs and we started placing my recipes in the plastic sleeves and filling up the binder.  The pockets that are on the tab sheets are there to store recipes that I would like to try.  For instance, if I find a good looking chicken recipe I can just tuck it in the pocket labeled chicken.  It will be waiting for me when I am ready to try it. If I like it, then it will go into a plastic sleeve and be added to the binder.  If we don't enjoy the dish, the recipe will go into the trash. 

Here is the part that has always given me fits in the past.  Her suggestion was to take apart all of my other homemade cookbooks and put them in the new binders.  We did just that.  We also started copying my favorite recipes out of my other cookbooks.  The addition of a printer with a copy machine has been greatly appreciated for this job! I added those recipes  to my new binders as well.  Now if I am making a meal all I have to grab are these two binders and not 6 different cookbooks!  I leave all of my other cookbooks on a bookshelf upstairs. 

I am still in the process of making copies of my favorite cookbook recipes.  Cheri suggested that as I use the recipe from a cookbook to take a few moments and make a copy.  Each time I cook I should get another recipe added to my binder.  I can't tell you how much frustration that I have eliminated out of my life due to this one organization project.  Thank you, Cheri!!!!!  Your the best!

grace and peace,
julie

Summer Time

This summer has been especially crazy for us with the move and new job.  However, other aspects of our summer have been all too quiet.  With no garden planted this year, my canner is still packed away in boxes.  This has freed a lot of time for me to unpack boxes.  Just for the record, I would rather be gardening and canning than moving! 

 What have we been doing to have a little fun during our summer?  We have enjoyed a wide range of friends and family visiting us at our home.  Summer is always a time for visits from out of town people and this summer has been no different.  In the above picture, Jacob was having a great time with our friends' girls from Texas.  This child followed him around the whole evening they were with us.  He loved it!

Before the move, the kids enjoyed lazy evenings playing on the trampoline.  We still haven't put it back together, but soon they can jump and scream until their little hearts desire once again.  We have also been enjoying the new lake in our area.  Swimming is great fun and it wards off the extreme heat that we have been enduring. 

The house is still coming together.  Michael has started unpacking boxes in his shop.  The shop will take several months to be put in order.  It is a jungle down there!  I am finding that I am enjoying the house more than I previously thought I would.  It is nice to have a house that is in need of no work.  I am enjoying keeping it clean.  I am back to making regular meals for our family to enjoy.  In between cooking, cleaning, and having fun, I am still unpacking boxes.  Perhaps by Thanksgiving there will be no more boxes to unpack!  Well, I am not holding my breath on that one!

grace and peace,
julie

Saying Goodbye

We lived in boxes and ate cereal out of plastic cups.

Missy slept on the big pile of moving blankets.

The rest of us slept on the floor.

We said goodbye to our oldest son.  This goodbye was the hardest part of the whole move for me.  We also said goodbye to our farm and all of our dreams for that piece of property.  We said goodbye to the home that we have poured our hearts, our labor, and our finances into for the last 6 1/2 years.  I'm not going to lie...it was hard.  But, we said Hello to the next part of our life... a new BEAUTIFUL home that doesn't need any updates or work or walls removed...8 acres that will be room enough to house the animals that we desire...a fantastic job for my husband...and weekends of fun when our oldest son will come and enjoy being part of our family once again. 

grace and peace,
julie

P.S.  I haven't taken any new pictures of our new home.  Stay tuned for those soon! 

Moving Quote of the Day

My daughter has now lived with all of our belongings in boxes for about the last 12 hours.  As she was eating captain crunch cereal out of a disposable cup she commented, "This is no lifestyle for a child." 

grace and peace,
julie

Moving

The packers will be here in the morning to begin the great packing project.  Two days of packing and one day of moving then the fun begins for me.  That would be the unpacking and putting away part.  I am ready to make the move.  I am ready for life to become normal once again.  I am not ready to leave our oldest son behind, but it is part of the process.  I guess they have to leave the nest sometime. 

I will do my best to get back to blogging as soon as possible. 

grace and peace,
julie

A Twist on Sausage Biscuits

My husband loves sausage and biscuits.  He would eat sausage biscuits 7 days a week.  If you really want to make him happy, make some gravy.  He will love you forever.  I and the kids are getting tired of the same old sausage biscuits.  I was on this lady's blog and she had a "lazy" moment that I thought was fantastic.  I didn't use her recipe, but I used her idea.  If you go to her blog, she does have a recipe for this.  I used my Fast Food Biscuit recipe.  You can find that here.   To start these biscuits, you first need to brown a pound of sausage and crumble it like you would if you were browning ground beef.  After it has cooked, let it cool.  (I was in a hurry so I stuck my hot sausage in a bowl in the freezer while I made my biscuit dough).  Next, you make dough for homemade biscuits.  I used the large recipe and it was the perfect amount.  Once you have the dough mixed, add your cooked sausage and a large handful of shredded cheddar cheese.  I added extra cheese because I like cheese.  You do want you feel is necessary.  Mix again to ensure that the sausage and cheese are evenly distributed throughout the dough.  Roll dough out and cut out biscuits.  I used a large drinking glass to cut my biscuits.  I had 12 large biscuits when I was finished.  Bake according to your biscuit recipe.  I did add a few extra minutes to the baking time.  These sausage biscuits were fantastic.  This would be great if you needed a quick breakfast to eat while you were heading out the door.  My kids gobbled it up faster than I would have imagined.  Just because it was Father's Day, I also made gravy to serve with these.  I did make sure my husband knew the gravy was only there because it was a holiday.  I don't want him to think that these biscuits will always be served with gravy in our house!

grace and peace,
julie

Lasagna Recipe

Several people have requested my lasagna recipe.  First, I must say that I make it different each and every time that I serve it. I don't use measurements as much as taste.  I just keep tasting the sauce and adding to it until it suits my desires.  This is only a problem when I share the recipe with others.  I am doing my best to be accurate, but you can change the amounts of the seasonings according to your taste buds.  This recipe makes 2 9x13 pans of lasagna.  I will often time bake one of the pans for dinner and freeze the other pan for later.  I have found that the lasagna tastes better if I freeze it BEFORE I bake it.  To use it, I let it thaw out in the refrigerator then I bake it until it is bubbly.  If I am serving a lot of people, I will use this recipe and put it in a large throw away roasting pan.  It bakes up nicely and is enough to feed a large crowd.  Hope you enjoy!

Sauce
Brown 2 - 3 pounds of ground beef.  Cut up large onion, a large green pepper, and 2 cloves of garlic, and brown cook these along with the ground beef.  When meat is no longer pink, drain away the fat.  Place cooked meat and onions in a large dutch oven or stock pot.  To the meat add, 1 large can of tomato paste, 3 large cans tomato sauce, and 1 large can of tomatoes.  Add about 1 Tablespoon oregano, a scant Tablespoon of basil, about a Tablespoon of Italian Seasoning, 2 bay leaves, a splash of apple cider vinegar, salt to taste, and about a Tablespoon of sugar.  I also add crushed red peppers to my sauce because I like it to have a bit of a kick.  Cook this sauce for several hours so that the flavors can meld together.  I usually add extra oregano and salt to my sauce after letting it cook for a while.  I simmer mine for at least two hours and I stir it as needed.  This is also my basic spaghetti sauce, but I add Italian Sausage cut up with my ground beef for spaghetti.  (If you don't want to fool with the effort of the homemade sauce, Prego makes a nice sauce that is much quicker than this)!

After the sauce is cooked, cook a 1 pound box of Lasagna noodles according to package directions.  Drain.

While noodles are cooking, combine a large can of Parmesan Cheese with a large container of Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese.  (Please don't use cottage cheese...it ain't the same as Whole Milk Ricotta)! 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter your pans.  Spoon in a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of the pans.  Cover with a layer of noodles.  Sprinkle large handfuls of mozzarella cheese over the noodles. (I usually use almost all of two  large bags of Mozzarella cheese when I make lasagna).  Add ricotta cheese that was mixed with Parmesan cheese on top of the mozzarella.  Add some more sauce.  Continue layers ending with a layer of noodles.  I think a 9x13 pan holds three layers.  On the last layer of noodles, spread more sauce and sprinkle Parmesan cheese.  If I have leftover Mozzarella cheese, I sprinkle that on too.  Cover with foil and bake about an hour to an hour and a half our until bubbly.  I remove my foil the last 20 minutes of cooking.

The trick with lasagna is to make sure you have time to let it set for awhile after it has been cooked.  I like to let mine set at least 30 minutes before cutting into it.  This keeps it from running all over the plate when serving.  If you don't have time to let it set, it still tastes the same but it isn't as pretty!  Enjoy!

grace and peace,
julie

Just So You Can Imagine With Me

Here are a few pictures that the realtor sent me of the new house.  I figured since I haven't seen it and you haven't seen it we could tour it together.  According to my husband, this is the great room that you enter when you walk through the front door.  (He promises that it is larger than the picture shows.  I'll let you know when I finally see it in person)!  If you go up the stairs, you would enter a balcony area that overlooks the great room.  There is a large loft area that will be used as an office, and there is also a master bedroom and bathroom up there on the other side.

Standing at the front door, looking through the great room you also see the kitchen.  (Please remember that I am just telling you what I have been told.  I really have no idea, but I will see it the day we move into it)!  The doorway that leads out of the kitchen takes you to the laundry room and walk in pantry on the left or if you go right you head out onto the screened in porch and deck area.  The wall that is just to the left of the doorway is going to be filled with a handmade hutch.  It hasn't been made as of yet, but I am busy making plans for my husband and his new shop.

This will be a much smaller kitchen for me to work in than what I have now.  I am a bit concerned about storing all of my stuff in here.  My husband has promised that we will have room for shelves to hold extra items in the laundry room.   The stove is set in the island, and there are more cabinets on both sides of the stove.  I love the tile.  I don't know that I would have ever had the guts to pick it out, but I think it is beautiful.  Guess what...I don't think much dirt will show on it!  Jumping for joy on that account!  The counter tops are solid surface, but we don't know what kind they are for sure.    The door way that is in the picture leads to the basement.  The basement is a LARGE shop area and it has a very nice full size bathroom down there.  If you look past the basement door, there is a short hallway.  There you will find 2 more large bedrooms and a nice size bathroom. 

This is the tub in the master bathroom.  Let me just say I am pleased about this little jewel. 

I can't wait to see our new home for myself.  As of now, I don't think I will get to see it until the day that we move into it.  Michael had to pick out carpet for the bedrooms.  Part of our offer for purchasing the house was that the sellers would replace the carpets, but we would get to pick it out.  They agreed and Michael went to the carpet store yesterday.  He called in a panic because he had no idea what he was doing.  I assured him if he could buy the house without my seeing it that he could buy carpet without me.  Apparently the sales lady felt bad for him or me, and sent him home with several samples! 

grace and peace,
julie

Move Update

Everything is moving along around here.  In less than two weeks, I should be moved into a new house!  We should close on our house here this week or early next week.  Then we have 30 days to turn over the house to the new owner.  The moving company will be here today to do a walk through and a survey of our things.  They will be moving us the week of June 21st. 

Michael put an offer on our new home and asked for us to rent it until we closed on it.  The sellers agreed so we take possession of that home on June 21st.  That means I won't have to live in a campground!  It was harder than I thought to have him look at the house without me.  He wanted me to go down and see it before we put an offer on it.  Our schedule here just didn't allow for that.  I encouraged him to put the offer in without me seeing it.  At first he was unwilling, and then the threat of camping brought him to his senses!  The funny part about the whole thing was this was the only house in the whole area that didn't have any inside pictures on the MLS listing!  I spent my weekend asking him questions about it.  Finally, after a few days the realtor did send us a lot of pictures.  It looks wonderful, and I am thankful. 

The very things that were tugging on my heart strings about leaving in our home are all present and most of them are better in the new home.  I was sad because I loved the new configuration of our living room, dining room, and kitchen.  It had a great room feel, and I have always wanted a great room.  Guess what the new house has?  A great room!!!  Just recently I decided I would love a screened in porch.  I don't even think I shared that with Michael, but it became an unspoken desire.  Guess what the new house has... a small screened in porch!  Our neighbor has demanded that our brand new stainless steel appliances stay with our house.  I was sick over this part of the deal.  I have cried buckets of tears.  Michael and I have fought more over the leaving of these appliances than anything about the whole move.  Let's just say you shouldn't mess with a woman and her new appliances.  In the end, I realized that it was the only way to seal the deal and I gave up my appliances.  Guess what the new house has?  Nicer appliances then the ones we have here!  (Yes, I had to beg forgiveness over that one)!  The list goes on and on. 

I can't wait to share our new home with y'all.  It doesn't need renovations because it is already finished and it is only 5 years old.  It does need decorating and landscaping.  That is the fun part so we are excited about that.  Michael is already making plans on the furniture that he wants to build to go into the new home.  There is still a lot to be accomplished here in the next few weeks.  I look forward to sharing it as we go!

grace and peace,
julie

Harder Than I thought

I wrote earlier in the day about how Michael was going to pick out  our house and I had told him to put an offer on one if he liked it.  You know, I trust him and all.  He is in the process of looking and he had the audacity of finding a house that doesn't have any pictures on the MLS.  I can't even kind of sort of imagine what it looks like because there isn't anything to help direct my imagination!!!   Well, there are his descriptions.  He gave me a lovely description of the shop area.  That was about the time I started feeling a panic attack.  "WHAT ABOUT THE KITCHEN," was all I could think about while he kept giving more description of the shop. 

I'll keep you updated in between panic attacks!

grace and peace,
julie

Simple, But Not Cheap

My house desires are not complicated.  I want a few acres to grow a garden and to raise some farm animals.  I also want some space so my rowdy kids can run and romp without bothering the next door neighbors.  I want a  functional house, but it doesn't have to be new with all the bells and whistles.  I love the look of the house in the picture.  It is located at Cades Cove, and every time I go into the house I dream about what it would have been like to live there. 

The desires that we have for a house with a little land may be simple, but they aren't cheap.  I am still breathing in a brown paper bag trying to recover an even breathing pattern every time I look at house prices!  Michael is looking at houses this morning in our new area.  I have given him the go ahead to put an offer on any house that he sees that would fit our criteria without me seeing it.  He knows me and he knows my likes and dislikes.  He knows what I value in a home.  We are getting down to the wire on time here, and I trust him to make the right decision.  With all that being said, I am still very anxious to see what he chooses.  I want a play by play report of his day!  I'll keep y'all up to date as well!  Who knows, we may not be living in a campground yet!

grace and peace,
julie

Moving Update

Things are going so fast around here that I am having trouble keeping up with it all.  Michael started work this week, and let me just say that my heart is so full of thanksgiving for this job.  With each new day brings a new benefit that we can celebrate.  We have excellent health insurance AND dental insurance.  Each of my kids have asked for a dental appointment.  TVA will be packing AND moving AND storing our belongings.   This will occur sometime during the third week of June.  We are working on selling our house to our neighbor.  I could and would love to write a book about this whole process, but that wouldn't be prudent at this time.  Let me just say it has been an adventure and I am ready to get off the roller coaster!

The big question that is left in my life for now is where are we going to live. In less than three weeks, we will leave this home and move somewhere.  We just don't know where as of today.  We looked at all of the rentals and we understood the reason that they didn't mind for Missy to be with our family.  It would have been hard for us to live in them, and I am not picky!  There isn't a lot of options to choose from in the new location.  Rentals are scarce as hen's teeth, and we have yet to see a good one.  We are now trying to find a house to buy.  That is a whole new adventure, and we are having a hard time finding one that suits our needs.  If we didn't want acreage, we could find a house with no problems.  We just don't think we would be happy living in a neighborhood and so we don't want to settle for that. 

Don't worry though I do have a plan for living arrangements...even if nobody in my family is thrilled with the idea.  If all else fails, I plan on camping until a house of some sort comes available.  That is the best plan I have come up with, and I am hoping and praying that my husband has an alternative plan brewing! 

grace and peace,
julie

A Six Year Old's Date Night

This morning the phone rang.  Matthew's girlfriend wanted to talk with the six year old.  I hear him listing off some of his favorite movie watching foods:  Popcorn, M&Ms, Reeses Cups, and Sprite.  I then hear him giggle and say, "It's a date then."  He was beaming.  He quickly informed me that he and Chelsea would be having a movie night in the basement with all of his favorite candy and popcorn.  She was bringing the food and drinks and he was going to provide the movie.  Apparently she saw that Toy Story was coming on t.v. tonight.  She had remembered that Seth had never seen Toy Story so she was making sure that he saw it tonight with her and plenty of treats!

Did I mention that I love this girl? 

grace and peace,
julie