2016 Update...and the beginnings of a home renovation

Wow...it's been 2 years since my last blog post...and truly I thought I was done blogging.  Life has been a bit unexpected, fast paced, crazy...surreal. That's my word for the year.  It's just not leant itself to time for blogging, time for scrapbooking, time for quilting...time for much of any kind of side hobby :-)

Since I last posted, we have a new little one in our home, he is the half brother of our second son and he was a complete surprise to our year. 

We were called in late February of 2015 by our birth mom and he was born in early May 2015 so to say he was quick addition is an understatement.  In fact 95% of our friends and 90% of our family members didn't even know about it until I was in Nebraska as he was born.  He and I had to stay there almost a month before Nebraska would let us cross state lines, so I learned my way around Lincoln pretty well.  :-)

In reality, it was the longest 3.5 weeks of my life, I was alone in a hotel room with a newborn but it was wonderful bonding time. Which in this family I needed because once they meet T, I'm chopped liver around here.  (I get them back around age 5 though)

But oh my goodness, what an adorable addition he is :-)  He is now 16 months old, still stinkin' cute as can be and was finally official last month. This adoption was between states so the process was frustratingly long and ridiculous in some areas, but it's finally over and we are so grateful and extremely blessed as always.  We are so thankful she asked us again to care for one of her babies for life and gave us the chance to become a family of 5! He is the apple of both of his brothers' eyes, they adore him and he simply lights up anytime they are around. J2 (new blog name for second son) affectionately calls him Buddy so that will be his blog name :-)

 

Buddy is just one of the reasons I've put many hobbies on the backburner...I even neglected to get a Christmas card out last year but I hope to make up for that (sorry family!!) this year. I've had a few people think they were slighted but it was across the board, I assure you.  I didn't even get on photoshop to attempt a family photo!

Another reason things have been a bit out of whack in our lives...we decided to sell our log home of 12 years. 

We loved that house, but another one came up that stole my heart.  T is always willing to move on after a few years, I was the one keeping us in the log house.  I became tired of stairs (the same stairs I fell all the way down last spring and the teen later said "well I thought I heard something...but I went back to sleep" but that's a story for another time...twerp...never want them again)...and I found an incredible home about 20 minutes from T's job, built in 1869. 1869 people.  An old dogtrot...albeit a bit crooked inside...on 5 1/2 acres. And we had grand plans.

So we sold our home to a fun young family who were so excited to buy it...and then we lost the 1869 house.  Yep.  They received a cash offer the same day we put our bid in. I'm not as bitter as I was (for a few months), I can't blame them for taking the cash...it will be my "One that got away" for awhile, but I think God used it to get me out of my comfort zone and get me in the moving mindset. As happens often...His plans are not always our plans.

So we found ourselves without a new home and in need of a rent home in Nacogdoches, because for some strange reason the new buyers wanted in their new log house, lol!  Friends, rentals are EXPENSIVE in this area.  And if they aren't...well let's just leave it at that.  We kept in the back of our minds, the home of T's old professor friend who passed away several years ago. 

The home has been vacant for 2 years after his son also passed away.  So after a few emails with Doc's daughter-in-law, who lives out of state, we ended up being able to rent his home with the agreement that we would clean up the much in need yard (much to the excitement of the neighbors who aren't fans of the Asian Jasmine that has overtaken the place). This has been a bit surreal.  After being here over the years visiting Dr. S, and now living in his home...just not something we ever thought about.  And since most of his furniture and paintings were still here, we moved what we could to the enclosed garage but left the upper shelves full and the paintings up, so it's a bit crowded but it's serving us well.  As T said...what if this was one of the reasons God had Doc in our lives all these years? And so here we are.

A week after moving in, however, T found out his father wasn't doing well up in a hospital in Montana.  Morris had battled bladder cancer earlier in the year and we thought he was doing better, but he ended up with complications from surgery and was dying.  This came as a shock actually, he was always the man who escaped every accident or near fatal incident, we didn't think this is what would end his life.  Thankfully, it was a time when T and both of his brothers could all travel up with our oldest in tow and spend the week with Debbie and the family and spend some time visiting Morris, who did have a few cognizant moments. I was so very thankful J was able to go with T, and that he had a moment with his Grandpa where Morris said "hey bud" to him just like he always has when talking to J.  It was incredibly hard on T, though, to see his dad that way, but he was grateful for a few last moments with him.

 

These were taken Feb 2015 after Grandma (Great-Grandma to the boys) Terry's memorial

The evening they all made it back home, we found out Morris passed away.  It's still a bit surreal. So a week later, T headed back up with his brothers for the memorial service and to spend time helping Debbie clean a few things up.

 

Over the last year and a half, T's stepdad has also faced a lot of health problems, having to endure many doctor visits as well as surgery (and a few more to come). We are all thankful this part will be over soon, Pop especially, he's pretty tired of doctors ;-) 

 

So as you can see, it's been quite a year and a half.  The world just won't stop turning, so we have to learn to turn with it. There have been some wonderful things of course...J is President of his 4H club, J2 started Kindergarten and loves it, my team and I finished the Avon 36.3 mile walk in the fight against breast cancer, J & I went on a dream trip to Hawaii and we are about to close on a home with 13.5 acres which means T gets a tractor, a life dream of his...and chickens...J's nightmare.

The new home isn't 1869. But it's also not as crooked ;-)  It's late 1940's/early 1950's so I've had to switch my thinking.  But I am finally warmed up to the idea and loving the planning that is needed for renovating (ok it's actually overwhelming but also fun).  

  The home is also still in town, which as it turns out, I love. God knew what He was doing again...I probably wouldn't have enjoyed being 20 minutes from one town and 35 from the other, out in the middle of nowhere.  I LOVE being in a small college town, people are more active, everything is close by, and it helps that the school colors are purple and white (Go Frogs!) And T is so happy about the property, it really is beautiful.  There is a pond, a barn (which won't hold horses but a man-cave and who knows what else) and a squatty little brown farmhouse in desperate need of some fixer-upping and which has original hardwood floors in fantastic shape, just waiting to be refinished (and a built in nook for an old phone in the hallway...LOVE).
Who better to tackle it? (don't answer that)

 

So, I'm going to start blogging as we renovate.  I'll attempt to blog other life events for family and friends to keep up to date with, but I mainly want to get back on to log our adventure over the fall.  Why?  Because Pinterest and other bloggers have been my lifeline in planning for this home.  If not for other people blogging their fixer-uppers I would be lost.  I'm hopeful that in this process I can help others find things, inspire designs and encourage ideas.

And lets face it, it gives me a distraction during football season when I'm nervous watching my Frogs! ;-)  Like tonight...as we almost overcame the Hogs...heartbreaking!

So I hope you'll join us as we start a new family adventure (because we've just been so bored this year) and enjoy keeping up with us!