Keeping Busy

What does one do when one cannot run power tools, varnish or paint? One sews. (And finds and prices everything remotely sellable in the house for the yard sale.)

I've been pretty productive and I've gotta say I'm proud of my handy work once again. I've been cleaning the house, de-cluttering in order to "stage" it for showing and I've organized every closet in the place. I'm also prepping for a yard sale which I decided to have this weekend.

Anyhoo, Jason has this little shelf thing where he shoves all of his books and papers and such for school and it looks really cluttery. So I decided to cover it up. Got some cheap fabric at good old Marden's and whipped up this little slip cover thing. I like it.
Also, remember that blue glider rocker Jason got me for mother's day to rock the baby in? Well I didn't want it blue and I had always kind of toyed with the idea of trying to re-cover it. Well, I stumbled across THE PERFECT fabric at Marden's (the place is wonderful people!) and tackled the job off the cuff. It's no professional job but I am quite pleased and now have my very own custom rocker! Wahoo!

BEFORE:AFTER:

We looked at houses today from 89k to 107k. Scary. Very, very scary. That is all I can really say. The land is looking better and better. We'll know tomorrow if we can get a loan for it. And our house goes on the market Monday. We have to get all the painting done by then. AHHHH!

Oh, I also had my appointment with my midwife today. All is looking good. My uterus is already at my belly button and I asked her if the things I have been feeling could be the baby moving. She said it very well could be. So that's exciting. They're also scheduling my 20 week sonogram which is super exciting. We'll get to find out what the baby's gender is and then the registering for things will begin. Yay1

Say Hello to Mr. York...and his CRAZY wife!

Well it's pretty darn official. Jason got a verbal offer for a job! (I'm still waiting 'till I see it in writing until I exhale.) But it looks like he will be a high school math teacher at Lawrence High School which is in Fairfield Maine. Fairfield Maine is about 1hr 20min drive south of where we live right now.

So you know what that means....it's movin' time. Remember that post I wrote a while back about that peace that I had found. Well here's a little evidence that I may not be as super spiritual as you may think. Because I can't seem to find that darned peace anywhere since about Thursday night when I came home from a 14 hour shift and Jason greeted me by saying, "Our realtor is coming tomorrow to take pictures of our house so he can put it on the market." Yeah, I think it flew out the window right about then.

You see, there were still some finishing touches we were planning to do before we ever sold our house like finish trim work, finish the kitchen island, paint the basement and put trim down there and oh yeah, paint the whole outside of the house. Now we're trying to accomplish that all by next weekend! And I can't do a whole lot 'cause a lot of it requires painting!

Then there is the whole moving in general...I really don't want to leave this home! It's a really bad time in the market to sell because we won't really get back what we've put into it. I really don't want to pack everything up! I really don't want to have to fix another house up! And the idea of clearing land from step one and putting in a trailer completely overwhelms me! And I really wanted to raise our baby here!

Then there's the what ifs. What if our house sells to fast and we're homeless? What if we can't get a loan for land and a trailer? What if the house doesn't sell at all and we're stuck here? What if we do get a loan and start on land and then the house doesn't sell and we're stuck with both payments? Can you see how I'm driving myself crazy?

So I spend my days freaking out. My mind is racing along with my heart and I can't sleep well. My usually loving husband has reached his patience threshold and most days wants to ship me to Abu Dabi until the entire move is over.

But none the less we are moving forward. We looked at land yesterday. And we are looking at houses today. Even thought it's the scenario that stresses me out the most, I think we are leaning toward the land trailer thing. There is cheap land 3 doors down from some great friends of ours, it would put us in the best financial situation and I would have the option to stay home with kiddos and we would get to fulfill our dream of building our own home over time. We are certainly praying for God to clearly show us what direction he would have us go in and are trying (that being the operative word there) to trust that He will work it all out.

Over The Shoulder Baby Holder

First a shout out to my friends Peter and Shannon who had their baby girl Charlotte last night! Congratulations! Since she posted that she was going into be checked at 4pm and that she was "a little achy" but nothing major, and Peter posted that Charlotte was born at 8:36pm I'm imagining it was a fairly short and hopefully not too horrendous labor! Yay! Now I will spend LOTS of time around Shannon and believe that the same fate will rub off on me through osmosis! :)

So I have to admit that I am pretty darn proud of myself. Have you seen these baby slings? Some name brands are ring sling or maya sling and so on. They are a essentially a really hippy, yet oh so comfortable and practical way to carry your baby. The baby feels safe and enveloped and you can be hands free! They also work for children to toddler age because toddlers can sit in them on your hip or front or back and you can be hands free once again. And the extra fabric that hangs down can be used as a nursing cover while your child nurses in the the sling, hands free. Can you tell I like the hands free bit!? Well let me tell ya, these bad boys retail for anywhere from $40 to $90 (if you opt for the all natural, all organic hemp). Being the bargain lover that I am and also enjoyed a good craft here and there I decided I could make one MYSELF!

I found AMAZING fabric at Marden's that I cannot get over how much I love. (seriously if you see me in person you might have to ask me to stop talking about it) It's woven so it does not have a "no show" side. It's soft and comfy with just the right amount of give and it's striped so it's great for boy or girl and will coordinate with many outfits. Then I got two rings at Home Depot and don't worry people...they're rated to hold 200 pounds! But it's really the stitching job that's key so lets hope mine holds!

And the grand total of how much I spent.....drum roll please.......$8.16!!!!! Anyhoo, here's the finished product. Make sure to scroll to the last ones to see my 14 pound, jet black baby model. He LOVED it!

Baby's Frist Hiking/Camping Trip

After quite a while of feeling awful and sitting around doing nothing I was dying to get out of the house and enjoy what I enjoy most! So we planned a camping/hiking trip to MDI. A bunch of our friends are down there for the summer running Acadia Leadership Adventure so we got to visit them as well! We went down on Saturday and hiked on the quiet side of the island around Somes Sound. Then we had dinner with friends, dessert with other friends, and relaxed around the campfire for the night with friends too. We camped at a beautiful spot and the next morning we met up with friends again, had coffee in town and then browsed the shops. We headed home in the afternoon and grabbed a late lunch at Friendly's in Ellsworth because I love that place and there aren't any left in the Bangor area. It was a great weekend! Here are some pictures!

A baby belly shot from the mountaintop. I did notice that I winded and tired a little more quickly but it was nothing that some more frequent rest breaks didn't take care of nicely. We hiked a twisty turny loop that topped three peaks. Here are some pretty pictures of Somes Sound. I just love it!Here's the view from the campsite, Jason breaking down the tent and fellow camping buddies, the newlyweds Sam and Tara eating breakfast.

Sarah's Cure for Stress

I loved Sarah and Amy's comments on my last post. Thanks gals! I got much encouragement from them! And I also found my own little cure to relieve some stress! I cleaned...and organized...and purged.

You see, there are not many things in this world that we have control over. I learn that lesson anew each day it seems. So when things seem to be spinning elsewhere, I focus on what I can do. And what I can do is eliminate the physical chaos around me. That seems to be quite soothing for this gal.

So I emptied every drawer, shelve and hanger of all my clothing and I sorted, washed, folded and organized. I ended up with a ginormous tote full of winter clothes and summer clothes that won't fit because of my growing belly and...eh hem... shall we say, newly well endowed chest. I also got an equally large tote full of clothes that I am getting rid of.

I think I'm going to do a yard sale and what doesn't go there will go to a clothing closet. There are a number of things I'm thinking we could sell. It would simplify life, give us a little cash and make for an easier move if/when we do.

So here my closet after this organizing rampage. It's a beautiful thing. Sometimes I just leave it open so I can look at it. :)

Change...BAD! Peace...GOOD!

I like to tell myself that I get extra stressed out these days because I'm super hormonally pregnant. While that may be true, I think I have to admit that being the super organized, like to plan everything kind of person that I am...it's really just me and not the hormones.

So here's the situation...Baby on the way and it is our goal that I will either stay at home with the kiddos or at least only work part time. However, there has to be enough money to allow for that.

Therefore Jason is trying to get a teaching job again this summer and will finish his degree as he teaches. If he gets a job far away we will have to move. (The extent to which I HATE moving could be the topic of a whole entire post.) The price range of the houses that we will be looking at will be far inferior to the house we have now and all that we've done to it. And the house could be far away from all my friends and supports, including our church.

If he gets a job near here, I will still have to work in order to stay in this home. And we're throwing around the idea of buying land, putting a trailer on it and building our dream house out back as we can afford it so that in the long run we can live mortgage free. While the dream house and mortgage free part sound great, the long haul to get there sounds taxing and evokes chaotic images in my mind. (Recap - Chaos is NOT Sarah's friend.)

And if Jason doesn't get a job, we will have to sell the house and do something because when I'm on unpaid maternity leave for three months and all he's getting is a grad student stipend, we literally won't stay afloat financially.

So those are all the scenarios and I've tried to hold this home with an open hand but it is becoming increasingly apparent that I have really become attached. We have worked so hard to get our house the way we want it. We have a great yard for kids to play in. We live on a dead end street. We have fantastic neighbors. We have good friends close by all around. And I LOVE my job! So you can see why I'm FREAKIN' out about the possible (and when I get real about it, the inevitable) changes.

However, the Lord spoke to me in a very timely manner today through our pastor's sermon and through His Word. He reminded me that God is the God of Peace. So much so that He died for us so that He could leave us His peace. And we can go through ANY trial in our life with peace from God and come out on the other end grateful and praising Him, or we can go through it without His peace and come out on the other end saying, "Why did I worry so much?"

If I continue in the path I have started down, you can surely lump me in the latter category. And that I do not want. Every other tough spot Jason or I or both of us has ever been in, the Lord has provided for us. Often times in truly miraculous ways. Why do I so easily forget that? He will surely do it again. And no matter what happens, no matter how nice or run down our house is, no matter how many things we have or don't have, no matter how tumultuous the change is, we will have a beautiful child and we will have each other. And that's all that matters.

He gave me verses to linger on like these:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." ~John 14:27

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ~John 16:33

Attack of the Yogurt Covered Raisins

I've been trying to eat healthily, as much as my queasy tummy and sensitive sniffer will allow. I've discovered that nuts and raisins and prunes are all agreeable. And I've been getting the organic variety.

I was grocery shopping the other day. As I rounded the corner to those "dispense it yourself" natural food doo-hickeys, I saw a young college aged man standing in front of them looking absolutely bewildered. "Oh poor guy." I thought to myself with an internal chuckle, "It's probably the first time he's ever shopped on his own. I'm a pro, if he needs help I can show him the ropes." I believe that slight smugness was my first mistake and God perhaps used the following events to remind me of my true imperfect nature.

I snuggly wrapped the bag around the "spout" and held it tightly as I pulled the lever to release my tasty little treats. And then the lever became stuck open and more and more (pricey organic) yogurt covered raisins poured into my bag. I began jamming the lever over and over trying to get it unstuck. I finally did, but with all that jamming and moving, my bag had slipped and now the raisins were cascading out of the spout onto the tray, down my jacket sleeve as I tried to hold them in, and all over the floor!

I finally got the bag back in place to catch the rest of the raisins. And then I began scooping up what had fallen out onto the tray. Next I did my best to empty my jacket sleeve of these little buggers. I tied it up, weighed out my (10 pounds and 100 dollars worth) of yogurt covered raisins, muddled something under my breath and rolled my cart away.

It wasn't until a few aisles down, when I reached up to grab my lemon lift tea, that the few raisins that were still stuck in my sleeve became dislodged. They slid down my outstretched arm toward my shoulder and then kept on going, right down my back and dropped out from underneath my jacket right around the bum area. The two moms and their four children shot me some weird looks and quickly walked the other way as the kids asked why that lady was pooping raisins and the moms began a quick lesson on why it's wrong to shop lift.