Update on our house hunting... after a short rant :)

I feel like SCREAMING!!!!!

... and throwing this sewing machine out the window. I can't seem to get the tension right on the bobbin. My mom just informed me that her machine (the one I'm using) has been having tension "issues" for awhile and she always has to work with it a bit.

Oh, good. It's not just me. Ahhh... well, I had to sit down with a pb&j and some Fritos to blog out some of my frustration before going at it again. 3 Christmases ago, Nick bought me a *brand new* sewing machine.

And it works like a charm.

And it's in storage.

Ugh! I'm so sick of all my stuff being in storage!! But, GOOD NEWS!! We will soon have a home to call our own again and I can FINALLY un-pack all my stuff. (Honestly, don't even remember what I have.) On the bright side, it'll be kinda like my wedding shower all over again! :)

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Let me start from the beginning...

When we first got married, Nick and I owned a home for a year. We soon realized that if we continued to pay on that mortgage for the next 30 years, we would never get anywhere financially. The note was so high that we couldn't put extra toward the principle... and do you realize that when you buy a house for $110,000 and you pay the note+interest for 30 years, it's really more like $360,000 you're paying?! Yeah, that kinda freaked me out. That's just crazy. We sold the house.


So... we decided to live "below our means" from now on and eliminate all of our debt. (Dave Ramsey would be so proud... :P )


Move #1
We put everything but the necessities in storage, and moved into my Aunt and Uncle's guest house, which is basically a one-room studio type apartment. This became a problem when I started babysitting Levi. Nick works 2nd shift, so he would be sleeping when the baby got there at 6am... earplugs became Nick's best friend. During this time we house hunted and considered building... We put a contract on some property... but long story short, we backed out. It just wasn't God.

Move #2
After living in the guest house for a year and a half, we decided to move into the top story of my parents house. This was about 4 1/2 months ago. At least we would have 2 rooms to separate the kids from a very sleepy Nick. (And that has definitely worked out MUCH better!) But, it didn't take us being here long before we realized that we NEEDED to have our own place again! My parents have been SO great and it's not that they don't give us our privacy... but 2 families merging kitchens, laundry rooms, garages... etc. Well, it's just hard.

So, we went looking at houses again. We found one we loved!!!

It didn't work out.
Yes, it did!!
No, it didn't.
Yes, it did!!!
Nope, sorry... it actually didn't.

Crazy!! THAT is the 3 ring circus we've been experiencing the past few months. But, you know what? God is SO good! Because, every time something didn't work out like we hoped, I would look at Nick and say, "God must have something better for us!" It's hard to keep your hopes up after getting so much bad news... I really lowered my expectations for awhile. But, God DID have something better for us.

Not long after we gave up hope on the other place, my grandparents asked if we would buy their house. (They are getting on up in years and it's very difficult for them to take care of a big house and property.) It's exactly what we need. In fact, it's a better location than the other place. It needs some cosmetic work and landscaping... etc. We'll be busy for awhile... but, HALLELUJAH!! We are going to have a home again!! AND, it's big enough for our growing family! (No, I'm not pregnant! But hopefully I will be eventually!:) 
I don't think we'd ever have to move again if we didn't want to. -and believe me,
I DON'T WANT TO!

Soooo...things are looking up! I'm excited about the renovating/decorating of our new home. Lots more blog posts to come!!!