We Moved!

Well, we are moving things over to the new house everyday.  I've named our new house Big Yellow Cottage.  Slowly our new cottage is getting filled up with our things.  This Saturday we will be moving all the big pieces of furniture with help from our friends.  I have opened a new blog at Big Yellow Cottage.  Please follow me to my new home. 

We are Homeowners!

Friday morning my husband and I drove to our realtor's office.  In a conference room was our realtor, the realtor for the property we purchased and a woman from our title company.  We signed papers for an hour.  After all the signing was done the realtor for the property we purchased handed us the key.  Property purchases here in Colorado are much different from California.  In California we always have dealt with escrow companies.  We never once dealt with an escrow company here in Colorado.

We left the office, got in our car and drove to the house.  In the refrigerator the previous owners had left us a bottle of champagne to celebrate.  We are so blessed of the Lord.  Everything with the purchase went smoothly and our house payment is going to be less than what we have been paying in rent.  Praise God!!

In the afternoon my men began loading up all their manly tools and whatnot.  While they were doing that a girlfriend of mine called.  She said she was close by and wanted to visit.  She came with her pick-up truck, so we loaded up my patio table and chairs, my potted flowers and various garden items.  We joyfully took them over to the new house and set them in the backyard.  Then I gave her a tour of the house.  I am so blessed that the Lord let me share my joy with her.

Update

This week I took the boys to register for school.  Our summer vacation is nearly gone as the boys will begin school right after we move into the new house (August 22).  I got to thinking how fast summer has gone by.  We did not take a vacation this year.  With Eric working the whole summer, we just stayed home.  His internship in HVAC has been a valuable experience for him.  Also, Eric had to have oral surgery.  He had 5 impacted wisdom teeth.  Yes, five.  I like to say he got blessed with extra wisdom (hehe).  He chose to have all five removed at the same time.  After the surgery he was not sure he should have done it as his mouth swelled up pretty bad as seen in the picture below.  But amazingly after five days the swelling had decreased and he was feeling much better.

Eric all swollen from his oral surgery.

We did have a visitor from California during the summer.  I was so pleased to have the boys' friend, Austin, visit with us for a week.  We had fun showing him around.  He also got to see our new house as we had our home inspection the week that he was visiting.

Both these boys used to be shorter than me!

Summer time view from Lookout Mountain.

Mark and I also took many a summer walk in the evenings.  Lilac season came and went and then other summer flowers made their appearances.  Below are some wildflowers I picked while on a summer walk.

Moving On

This Friday, August 12th, we will be receiving the keys to our new home.  The days of living at House on the Hill are coming to a close.  We have grown fond of House on the Hill.  We have received many blessings through the many trials we have experienced in this part of our journey.  Surely the Lord has been with us in an amazing way.  He has provided for our needs in so many ways that are amazing to both Mark and myself.  We praise Him for all.

We will begin life at our new home on August 20th.  As a result of moving I will be opening a new blog.  I have yet to come up with a name for my new abode.  As I begin spending time there, I am sure it will come to me.  Until then, if you have any ideas, please, by all means, post and let me know.  

God is with me and you too!

I went to the doctor for my yearly physical.  They said I needed to update my vaccines.  They gave me a tetanus shot.  Well, I should have said NO.  After the shot I began to feel quite odd.  Then I began to experience weakness and tingling in my limbs.  At night I felt sick to my stomach.  I went to bed thinking I will feel better in the morning.  Not so.  I still had the weakness and some tingling.  I have been drinking lots of fluids.

I went to my doctor this morning.  His examination of me turned up nothing.  He said he has not had a patient have a bad reaction to the shot, so he seemed baffled as to what to say to me.  He told me if I do not feel better by Friday to come back.  Maybe I am being overly concerned about this, but given my track record with the world of medicine I am extra sensitive.  From this day forward I will refuse vaccines.

Our house deal is going through.  I packed one box on Monday before my physical.   The reality of moving again is bringing up feelings.  So much has happened these past years.  Even though the Lord as been with me every step of the way, I haven't processed it all.  So this move may help me process the past more fully and hopefully bring a greater peace.

Do you ever have those times when you know the Lord is speaking to you?  At those times I just want to grab on to His feet and stay.  On my way to the doctor today, He spoke and let me know that He is with me.  Later, in the afternoon,  He told me that just because there is chaos in my life, it does not mean that I am out of step with Him.  That is something I desperately needed to hear today.  Thank you Lord!

In the process...

This is the house that we are in the process of buying.  This Wednesday is the home inspection.  I feel peace about this house.  Remember Mesa View Manor and how that deal fell through?  I never felt peace about that house.  After we signed the contract I had a terrible feeling that I had done something wrong.  Horrible, but the Lord was there and helped us get back on track.

 This is the view from the backyard.

We have been trying and trying to purchase a house in Golden and the doors were not opening.  One morning in church we spoke to a couple who said that they had also been renting in Golden and wanted to buy.  They said they finally found a house they could afford.  The Lord planted in a home outside Golden.  The next day we had a conversation with our pastor's wife and she also told us that they could not afford Golden.  So Mark and I took these words as the Lord's way of guiding us.  That same week we viewed this house outside Golden.  We made an offer on it after one viewing.  I felt such peace in the house and did not want to leave it. We made our offer.  Another offer was made at the same time.  Amazingly, our offer was accepted.  So far everything is going very well.  The home inspection is this Wednesday, so please pray for us.

Otherwise we are trying to do our best with raising our two challenging boys.  Also, I am still having health issues with dizziness.  I was prescribed a steroid spray.  I was using it, but it was not helping so I have an appointment to see an ENT.  My tummy is still causing me discomfort.  After moving surgery will probably be the next thing we tackle as soon as we get my balance issue cleared up.  Having surgery will require a huge amount of faith.

Prayers for Pam & family

My blog friend Pam is on my heart tonight.  I ask that you please lift Pam and her family in your prayers.  You see, Pam's hubby has been out of a full-time job for quite some time now.  They have been making due as best they can, but now are planning to sell their house.  If you can, please stop by Pam's blog Chaos Cottage and offer some words of encouragement.. Thanks friends!

Blessings Abound

I will continue to blog as I can.  Eric has taken on a summer internship learning HVAC.  The company stations him at various sites around Denver.  It has been a blessing for me as it is causing me to get more familiar with the Denver area.  Since Eric has been earning his own money he has been spoiling me a bit.  He treated me to frozen yogurt one day.  And for the 4th of July he surprised me with flowers.  Oh what a sweetheart he is!  Below are some picture that I have recently taken.  Hope you enjoy them.

  Eric with his floating flag pole he built with his Dad for the 4th of July.

My 4th of July flowers from Eric.

Tomato plant and flower box.  Just had to have some color at the front door.

A reminder that when you can't change where you are at in life...BLOOM.

The cozy lodge look.

While we were on our back deck one evening a male and female deer appeared in the open space across the street to graze.  And also one morning we went out front to see 4 young bucks sprint up the street in front of House on the Hill.  It is so wonderful to be so close to nature.

Blogging Block

Okay, so I haven't felt like blogging.  Sickness has been making the rounds.  Its been one thing after the other.  I've been dealing with a slight sore throat for over a week now, on top of that congestion, headaches and dizziness.  Going to the doctor to see what is going on with my body.  Mark had stomach flu.  Eric has been sick off and on.  He caught strep at summer camp.  Brandon has been the healthiest of us, but he has had bad allergies.

My time alone was great.  I spent time with a few girlfriends.  What a blessing that was.  On Sunday I was grumpy.  I guess I just did not want my carefree days to end.  It was so nice to sleep in, do as a pleased, eat what I want and have control of the TV.  ;-)  Oh, and of course the house was nice and clean.  Now it is filled with dirty camp clothes, camp dishes and all manner of manly things.  Oh, how I miss my neat as a pin house!

This morning I drove all the way out to Denver to take Brandon to a doctor appointment.  But first I had an acute attack of dizziness that gave me dry heaves.  Ugh.  We missed Brandon's previous appointment due to him not feeling well and I just could not miss this one.  Praise the Lord I was able to get myself up and get going despite the set back.

Have not been able to set a date for surgery.  Right now I am doing fairly well.  While out with one of my girlfriends we went out to lunch and afterward my tummy acted up.  We did a wine tasting and in the middle of it I had to stop because the pain was so bad.  I know I need to plow ahead and get my tummy fixed.  We were shooting for August, but it just is not going to work.

Time Alone

Oh, how I have been looking forward to this time alone.  However, when faced with it, I feel a bit lonely at the start.  Really there is no need to feel that way; my best friend is always here with me.  Every year I get time alone with the Lord and I always remember the times as very special.  One year I spent working on a scrapbook for my niece.  I had plenty of time and space to be creative.  That was fun!  Last year I took a trip up to Boulder and had a really good time.  This year there is a downside which is that I am not feeling at my best right now.  I picked up a virus from working in the nursery at church last week.  Okay, the bright side is that I have plenty of time to relax and get well.

My Desire for a Home

 I have been hesitant to share about our continued search for a house (home).  We did go look at the White Cottage again.  After our visit we found out that the owner of the property was waffling again.  We found another property we liked, so we made an offer, but the door closed.  We decided that both properties were just too much money for us.  There is another property that is affordable for us, but it needs work.  We are undecided if it is something we want to take on.  Right now we don't feel any peace about it.  So it is best not to move forward.  All we can do is continue to wait for the Lord.  Below is a little piece from an article I found on-line about waiting on the Lord.  I hope you enjoy it.

Taken from a message called Waiting on God to Act by David Wilkerson

"Every true follower of Christ has said in his or her heart, "I only want to do the Lord's perfect will." Yet here is exactly where so many of us miss it! We start to desire something that looks good, that sounds logical, that seems perfectly in line with what we think God has for us — but it isn't his will for us. This is one of the biggest traps Christians face: a good idea that is not from God's mind.

The most important question we can ask ourselves regarding such things is: "Can my desire survive the cross?" You may pray to see your desire come to pass and even enlist faithful others to intercede for it. Yet are you willing to lay down that desire or plan at the foot of the cross and walk away from it? Can you die to it? When God's plan is revealed, you will have peace. God's ways bring peace and rest.

Let me ask you: Are you willing to say to the Lord, "Maybe it isn't the devil who's stopping me in my pursuit of this. Maybe it's you, Lord. I know that if this is not your will it could hurt me. At the very least, it will derail me from your perfect will and plan for my steps. I desire only your will and your way for my life.""

Flowers from a friend

On Monday I was able to meet with my friend Cindy.  She has a beautiful garden.  We enjoyed a simple lunch of crackers, cheese and fruit outside under a big shade tree.  After lunch Cindy cut some of these roses for me to take home.  I love the color of them and they smell absolutely heavenly.  Thank you dearest Cindy!

Evening Walk in Golden

It has been quite sometime since I last posted.  Life has been very busy, but has slowed down a bit since the boys are on summer vacation.  It has taken me some time unwind and heal from all that I have been through with my youngest son.  He is doing better, but there are still things to wade through on a daily basis.  I am thankful that for now the Lord has blessed us with some calmness.

All the rain that we had brought spring.  It is green!  Mark and I like to take evening walks and I brought my camera one evening and took pictures.  I hope you enjoy the evening stroll through Golden.  Sorry that the pictures are dark, but it was evening.  ;-)

Some pretty purple flowers growing in a neighbor's flowerbed.

Spring lilacs blooming.  They smell so heavenly.

Big red poppies grow wild here in Golden.

I do not know what this flowering bush is called, but it is stunning.

Here is one of my favorite cottages in Golden.  I reminds me of the beach.

Here is a small yellow cottage.  Behind it is open space.  In fact all the cottage back to open space.

At this cottage the owner has beautiful flowers growing in the big glass window.

The owner of this little cottage just planted spring flowers in the newly finished planters.

And this cottage I love for the wonderful patio it has with a water fountain.

Happy Memorial Day!

Eric's Boy Scout skills in action.  His homemade flag pole for Memorial Day.
I love it!

So far our 2nd Memorial Day in Colorado is going much more smoothly than our first.  This morning we kept our tradition of getting donuts without event.

If you will remember last year we were quite homesick on Memorial Day.  We decided to keep our California tradition of getting donuts in the morning, so we loaded up in the car and took off on a long country drive.  While at the donut shop I realized I had left a pot of potatoes on the electric stove.  We rushed home, an agonizing drive along the country highway.  When we pulled up to the house, it looked fine however, when we opened the front door smoke came billowing out.  On the stove was my best pot with a glowing red bottom, water all gone and blackened potatoes.  Our landlord showed right after we arrived home to hook up the swamp cooler.  Needless to say I was thoroughly embarrassed, but thankfully he was very forgiving.

To our amazement the day's troubles did not end there.  Our kind neighbor across the street allowed the boys to have fun with his motorbikes.  The boys had a blast on those bikes, but Brandon crashed and broke his collar bone.  Him and his Dad spent a few hours in the ER that day.  Our Memorial Day 2010 was one of the most eventful days in our family's history, but the memories are proving to give us laughs today.

Interesting Development

Remember the White Cottage?  Well, today our realtor called us and told us that the owner is willing to accept our original offer on his property.  That was exciting, but my husband is not interested anymore.  The reason is because of all the trouble with our youngest son.  And because I decided to go ahead and have surgery.

Right now I am sick with a bacterial infection.  I was in church on Sunday when all the sudden I became very ill.  I had a bad pain in my chest, down my arm and I felt lightheaded and had nausea.  I whispered to Mark that I was going to the car because I felt sick.  We ended up going to the emergency room to get me checked out.  My heart is fine, thank God, but my white blood cell count is up.  So they prescribed antibiotic.  Not feeling as sick as yesterday, so that is good.  Still not feeling my best, so I have been home resting and drinking tea.

Our son, Brandon, continues to be difficult.  He agreed to take medication.  So far he has not experienced any side effects on half the dose, so we are going to start giving him the full dose as prescribed.  We are hoping it will help, but until then we are hanging in there as best we can.

Prayers Needed Again

We are once again having big issues in our family.  Your prayers for healing would be very much appreciated.  Thank you!

This & That

I do not know where to begin.  I have not been feeling in tip-top shape.  Caught a cold-thingy awhile back and I am still struggling to shake it off.  My tummy has been bothering me, so not doing much eating.  That in turn caused a few precious pounds to come off.  I get so hungry, but when I start eating a lot it only causes pain. I am looking forward to surgery in some ways in hopes that I will be able to digest my food without pain.

We continue to look for a house.  Lately, houses have been flying off the market here in the Denver area.  If the house is in good condition it gets snatched up before I can even get a look at it.  We were thinking of putting an offer on a house, but between our agent going on vacation and making up our minds we lost out.  I've been pretty low about that, but when I shared what happened at Bible study someone spoke up and said "God did not want you to have that house."  That helped me relinquish to the Lord.  His plan is best.  I am trying to be content; at times I am, but I do miss my Little Blue Cottage.

Things with my son are still a challenge, but we are marching on.  Yesterday we had some precious family time.  The wind kicked up and caused our power to go out.  Since we live on a hill we get big gusts. Anyway, we were all home so we sat down and played a family game of Zilch.  Then we ordered pizza for dinner.  After that my men went to their scout meeting while I stayed home and did laundry.  I always do my clothes last.  Below is a picture of my clean laundry in a basket I have had for 15 years.  It is a special basket because it came with Brandon when I received him into my home.  Back then it was filled with his clothes and toys.

Here below is a picture of Daisy.  She is 1 year old this month!  I know in the beginning I did not want to keep her.  Thanks to something Kerrie at Sea Cottage said to me in a post I kept Daisy.  I am so blessed that I did because she is a very loving little kitty and a loyal companion.

Happy Birthday Daisy!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

 
~FOR TODAY~

Outside My Window...
  a beautiful spring day, sunshine, light wind & blossoming trees

I am thinking...
  Summer vacation will soon be here.
And I am proud of my boys for taking part in
The Order of the Arrow.

I am thankful for...
  The blessings of my mother's day.

Brandon baked me a chocolate cherry cake

and Mark and Eric made dinner for me.

Also was taken out to lunch by a dear sweet friend.

From the kitchen...

BBQed corn on the cob, chicken & steak
  Chocolate Cherry Cake...Yum!!

I am wearing...
  My jammies with Hello Kitty robe and pink slippers.

I am creating...
a clean house

I am going...
 to wash my hair and try to get some shopping in today

I am reading...
The Explosive Child

On my mind...
family, houses, tummy pain, surgery and the Lord

Around the house...
dirty laundry, Easter decorations that need to be put away, playing cats and new pillow shams

One of my favorite things...
Chai tea  

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
view a couple of houses

Small window into my life...

 Parisian Paisley - what my new pillow shams look like

Happy Mother's Day!!

To all my blog friends,

Praying that each of you has a blessed day.

with love,

Becky 

Me & my mom in 1961 

Me and my boys in 2000.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

~FOR TODAY~

Outside My Window...
  the night sky with clouds & stars

I am thinking...
  That I have a busy day tomorrow.

I am thankful for...
  My hubby cleaning the garage and my car while I was at the retreat.

From the kitchen...
  Spaghetti with Alfredo sauce & lemon pepper tuna, salad and chocolate dipped strawberries.

I am wearing...
Levis jeans, Calvin Klein long sleeve t-shirt with beading, my diamond cross pendant

I am creating...
clean laundry

I am going...
to be going up to Boulder on the weekend with my hubby

I am reading...
The Explosive Child

On my mind...
family, houses, my upcoming surgery and the Lord

Around the house...
dirty laundry, sleeping boys, cats & hubby

One of my favorite things...
  chocolate dipped strawberries

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
view a couple of houses