Wednesday Hodgepodge - September 28, 2011

1. It is officially fall here in North America...I realize not everyone who participates in the Hodgepodge lives in North America but if you do, what's your favorite memory of Summer 2011? If you're not in North America, what's your favorite memory of the season just ending on your side of the world?

The fact that it's over? I really don't like summer...it makes me cranky when it's hot.

2. Your favorite nut? You know I mean the edible kind, right?

I like cashews and pecans. Almonds are ok too, but I probably like pecans most.

3. What activity puts your sense of balance to the test?

Yoga. It's a waste of time for me. I spend more time getting back up after I fall over than I do staying in those crazy poses.

4. How would you describe your sense of humor?

warped?

5. September 28th is National Ask a Stupid Question Day...what's your stupid question?

Why did Donald Duck always wear a towel when he got out of the shower even though he never wore pants?

6. Roller skates~hula hoop~jump rope...which activity would you most enjoy? Yes, you have to choose.

All are bad ideas for me. I'm a CLUTZ! I think I would most enjoy roller skating if I could do it without breaking something.

7. What's your most sentimental possession?

A music box and a hall tree from my late grandmother.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

12 days until the move. 17 days until the wedding. Moving 5 days before the wedding...CRAZY! In my defense, we weren't given a choice. It wasn't like I said, "Hey, I don't have enough to do. Let's move this stuff from Illinois to Ohio just a few days before the wedding. That should liven things up a bit!" I think God just enjoys seeing me squirm.

Beginnings

So, Precious started his new job today. This company has been spectacular, ya'll. They offered him $2000 more a year than he asked for. They flew him to Ohio for an interview. They flew both of us to Ohio to find housing (and paid for meals and lodging). And today they told Precious he needed new boots with steel toes (kinda expensive, right?). They gave him a coupon for $100. He found $140 pair on sale. Using the coupon, he paid $22!

God. Is. Good.

These blessings are so undeserved. I feel like we're so unworthy, yet God just keeps pouring it out. Standing in the middle of His will is a little scary and extremely humbling.

Prayer Monday - September 26, 2011

Well, Precious left this morning. He starts his new job this week. Please pray. We know this is God-initiated...God-ordained...however you want to say it, God is all up in this! ;-) However, Precious has to be away for 2 weeks. By himself. Staying in a hotel room (because the apartment isn't ready). He's a big boy and he'll be fine, but I would rather him be here or me be there. So, I guess I could use a little prayer too.

Please pray for my friends and family that I am leaving behind as we make this move. On Saturday some of my most favorite girls were able to be in the same room at the same time. It was so great to see everyone, but it makes me sad to leave. I have really awesome friends (God's doing - Lord knows, if it were up to me and my interactions, I'd never have any friends - I'm not a people person, ya'll). Please pray that God provides a least one good, reliable friend in Ohio. Girls need other girls.

We also need a church home - as do several other people in my life. Change. Change. Change. Please pray for all of those friends and family members that are seeking a new place to serve and worship as you're praying for Precious and I to find our church home in Ohio. Pray that everyone will end up exactly where God needs them and that He uses them in mighty ways.

Please remember my mom this week. She starts a new chemo regimen. We aren't really sure what to expect, but please pray that she responds to treatment better than they doctors could even imagine. We are praying for healing, people...God is a great big God. Right?

Wednesday Hodgepodge - September 21

It's been a while since I've linked up to Hodgepodge. Something about getting married and moving 600 miles away makes for a pretty busy schedule. Blogging unfortunately is not always at the top of the priority list.

1. Do you like chili? Red or white? Beans or no beans? Spice or no spice? Toppings?

I LOVE chili! I like all kinds of chili. I think white chicken chili is my new favorite. I like for chili to be a little spicy and if I am eating tomato based chili, I like to top it with sour cream and shredded cheese.

2. Red~Orange~Gold...your favorite fall color?

I LOVE fall and all of the colors. I am getting married October 15th and we are decorating with fall colors at the reception. The table centerpieces are full of beautiful jewel tones. I think my favorites are the deep reds and deep purples.

3. Who did you idolize when you were growing up?

Debbie Gibson. Don't hate. Don't judge. I LOVED me some Debbie Gibson. I totally wanted to be her.

4. When was the last time you did something 'arts and craftsy'? Share please.

Oh please...I'm all about some arts and craftsy stuff. I like to scrapbook, but lately my projects have been a little more tailored to home stuff. Do these count as arts and craftsy: 

~Sideboard Project

~Jewelry Storage

~Keychains, Camera Case, and Nook Cover

5. What's a place that makes you really nervous?

The OB-GYN office makes me uneasy. Something about knowing you're going to be violated just makes me a little nervy.

The county fair - there are a LOT of people there and I really don't like people that much.

The mall parking lot anytime the month before Christmas.

6. Horse back riding...yay or nay (neigh?)

It's ok. I haven't been in a long time. When I was younger, we owned horses. My cousin Gail and I used to ride quite a bit.

7. What is your favorite cliche?

Hope against Hope

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Tomorrow the movers are coming to 'evaluate the situation'. I fear they are going to be like, "oh. my. goodness. How do two people accumulate so much stuff?" We have things in 3 places: my house, his house, and my studio. Please pray that they will be willing to go to all 3 places to keep us from having to transport anything.

Also, the school that I taught at for the past 6 years is currently dealing with a terrible loss-a 13 year old boy committed suicide. One of my former students. Please pray for the kids as they deal with all of their unanswered questions, as well as his family. I can't imagine what they're feeling.

Prayer Monday - September 19, 2011

I'm back! Oh my goodness. The last few weeks have been insane! Thanks for your prayers (even though I wasn't posting requests I felt your prayers). Precious and I have found a place to live in Ohio. He leaves this coming Sunday and will be gone for 2 weeks before we can get our stuff into the apartment. He's staying in a long-stay hotel until the apartment is ready.

Please pray for us...especially him. He is starting a new job AND staying by himself in a little room. I think THAT alone is enough to drive a person mad. We are hoping they will call and say that we can move stuff into the apartment a little earlier (the current tenant would have to turn in the keys early), but God may have a reason for the move being the weekend of the 7th. It IS the weekend before the wedding, but it's also a holiday weekend for people like my Mom and SILTB. Please also pray that God will direct me in finding a job. I would really like to work at the university level and I have a few options with Kent State and The University of Akron being so close - I just don't know how difficult it is to get your foot in the door OR if that's where God wants me, so please pray for wisdom and direction for me.

Please continue to pray for my mom. She still has a few treatments left, but we are praising God for good news that she is responding to treatment AND that there will be 3 more treatments instead of 12.

My dad is still recovering from surgery. He went back to work this morning (with lots of restrictions, of course). Please pray that God continues to heal his body. He's still having pain in his left shoulder - pray that God just takes that away.

Things I Forgot...and the Rest of the Trip

Our apartment is like across the road and a couple of blocks down from Lebron James' house. WHAT? Not kidding. Here's his gate:

And check out that beautiful sky! This was Thursday. It was an exploration day for Precious and I. We ate lunch at Blake's (that wonderful place I told you about earlier), scouted some grocery stores, found 2 comic shops, a vintage toy shop, went to Archiver's, and scoped out the arts district (Highland Square).

We found the Firefly Music School. I talked to the owner. They basically offer tons of lessons to kids after school in one general place. It reminds me of something that should be in NYC. Loved it! They even have an instructor that teaches bagpipe! :-)

While in Highland Square we found a coffee shop (that does their own roasting) and I went to the bathroom. THIS is what I found on the wall:

Today, we left and headed to Cleveland. Precious wanted to check out a comic shop and Casey wanted us to try out a place call MELT. They have grilled cheese galore!

Their menus are on the back of old record sleeves.

Precious had the Gyro Melt.

I had the Cleveland Cheesesteak Melt.

Now we're waiting at the airport for our flight. Be back in Illinois soon! Thanks for all of the prayers. It's been a great trip. Keep 'em coming. Right now it looks like we'll have to move the weekend before the wedding. EEK!

House Hunting - Day 2

So, we started off our morning at Blake's Cafe & Cupcakery. It's a "mom and pop" joint in Green, OH. They have breakfast sandwiches and wraps, muffins, scones, and cupcakes...cupcakes for breakfast, people! I had a scone. Precious had a banana and an "Elvis Cupcake" (peanut butter, bananas and it had bacon crumb toppings). He loved it. Totally going back tomorrow.

One of the ladies there gave us some info on a house. We went and looked at it, then we checked with a local realtor. Not a lot of luck. We talked a little and decided to go back to #1 from yesterday's post. We applied and waited. We went to lunch and drove around to check out the area. We found Chick-fil-A - YUM! We found a store called Mustard Seed Market. It's a lot like the co-op in Carbondale, but cheaper and with a LOT more selection. So, leasing agent from Summit Rise Apartments calls us to tell us we were approved and our credit was so good that we didn't have to pay a security deposit (woot!). Next step? Get her a money order or cashier's check for the 1st month's rent - that's what it would take to hold the apartment.

HA!

Went to bank down the street - "We're sorry, you don't have an account here. Can't help you. Go to ACME (which is a grocery store - kinda like Schnuck's)"

Go to ACME - "We're sorry, we only accept cash (which Precious and I don't have - didn't really care to take that much cash with us...hello!"

Call Discover - Nice Discover man helps me find a place to get a cash advance.

Go to place to get a cash advance (nationally recognized financial establishment). They are running a special (one that only takes place 2 days a year) where if you open a checking account you get $100 deposited into your new account. (NOTE: Precious and I had already planned to open a joint checking account this week.) So, we opened our account AND got a money order. Took FOREVER.

Lady from Summit Rise calls because she thinks we skipped town.

Go back to Summit Rise and paid for our first month. Tenant isn't supposed to move out until the end of September, but could possibly vacate early. Please pray she vacates early. There is a 5 day turn around after she leaves. Precious starts September 26th and we really don't want to have to pay for a hotel room for 2 weeks. Currently we can move in October 7th. EEK!

That's all for now. Maybe I'll think of more to tell you later. Right now? We're off to have dinner with Precious' new boss and his wife! Adios!

Housing Hunt - Day 1

So, Precious and I are in Ohio looking for housing. Day 1 was EXHAUSTING! We looked at 50 billion places. Things I am discovering: I like space - LOTS OF IT! Apartments don't really give you lots of space. However, we found a couple that might work. Here are our Top 2 from Day 1 of house hunting.

Summit Rise
This complex sits close to the freeway, but is on a hill and surrounded by trees. It's a lovely view from the patios AND it's within a couple of miles from all of the shopping I could ever want to do: Summit Mall, Archiver's, Bed-Bath and Beyond, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann's Crafts, Wal-Mart, SAMS, Target, 2  Grocery Stores, a "whole foods" sort of store, and TONS of restaurants. The area reminds me of Fairview Heights.

Hunt Club
Don't get excited hunting enthusiasts - it's not that kind of rodeo.

This one is a little older, but it has extra storage space which I'm digging. This complex sits right behind Summit. Here are some really bad pictures I pulled off of the internet. The lady there talked ALOT!

Epic Failure of the Day
Timber Top Apartments. Oh. My. Goodness. Please notice the window units in the walls of the apartments. SERIOUSLY???? On top of that, the roads in the complex were nothing but hills that used to be paved but are now more like chopped up pavement. I'm sure that would be great fun in the winter. There were ant traps coming in the door of one of the apartments we looked at. It appears to be a place for area college students, but it's pretty much a dump! The end.



Come back tomorrow for more adventures of house hunting in Ohio.

Bridal Shower

This is going to be short because I'm trying to pack for Ohio. Precious and I are going to look for housing. Pray, people. Pray. We leave tomorrow. We have Tuesday-Friday to find something.

So, today was our wedding shower. Oh. My. Goodness. I am a little overwhelmed. So many people that I rarely get to see. So many gifts. So much love. So grateful.

Pics later. No time right now. Must go fit all of my stuff for nearly a week in a little bitty suitcase (that we got at the shower today - WOOHOO!) so that I don't have to check a bag!

Here It Comes....

Momma Update
Praise, Praise, and more PRAISE...Hey, did I mention that I have a little praaaaaaiiiiiisssse? Because I do! My mom got some really great news today. And while I don't feel at liberty to share ALL of the details, just know that it's REALLY awesome, God-intervening in the midst of cancer news. Here's what I CAN tell you: after today's treatment, we HAD BEEN looking at 12 more treatments, 1 each week for 12 weeks beginning Sept. 29. NOW we are looking at 3 more treatments, 1 time every 3 weeks beginning Sept. 29 AND 2 of the 3 lymph nodes can't even be felt and the other has shrunk by at least 60% already. The lump has also decreased SIGNIFICANTLY! WOOHOO!!!!

Moving Update
The schedule:
Tomorrow - Sub at AJ
Saturday - help mom at the house (it's her sleepy day - 2nd day after chemo, she sleeps for like 24 hours), finish packing at house, finish packing at studio, finish mom's scrapbook project (hopefully)
Sunday - Sunday School (last one as teachers *insert pout*), church service, lunch and BRIDAL SHOWER!
Monday - Fly to Ohio - Pray to Jesus for a nice place to live
Tuesday-Friday - Repeat Monday and fly back home (only I hope that we have found a place because when we come back, we need to load up and haul everything to Akron)

I plan to take pics while we're searching...we may need a little help deciding. Stay tuned.

Sideboard Project

Ok, let me begin by saying that I'm not sure that I will EVER refinish another piece of furniture as long as I live. Perhaps its the fact that it was 1000 degrees every single day I worked on it and I sweated away about 50 lbs (I swear I did) yet the scale didn't budge.

I had intentions of taking step by step pics of the process, but she didn't happen. I was so aggravated by day 2 that pictures were the LAST thing I was thinking about!

Before:

There were DAYS of sanding, painting and staining (and by that I mean sweating profusely). The sander worked like a dream. The new Wagner paint sprayer - not so much. I have never used one so it could have been operator error, but it was a pain!!! I did learn alot while working on this project - don't wear flip-flops while spray painting unless you like the speckled look, how to fill holes because drawer handles don't come in standard sizes, how NOT to shop for hinges (just paint the ones that originally came on there-they aren't standard either), how polyurethane dries a yellowish-brown color on white. I ended up rattle canning some of it to cover the stupid yellow tint. Nevertheless, here it is! The picture isn't the greatest, but the top is stained a dark mahogany.