The deal is down - we are now officially property owners!! There wasn't a sold sign in the yard, which was a real dissapointment, but we took our official picture anyway. Tomorrow the work begins and the reality of what we just signed away hits.
I decided to recover the awesome, yet olllld couch we have. First, saving money is always great, but the best part is I can pick exact fabric I want! Sander loves it too by the way...surprising but great! (Its from Ikea of course)
It is taking me WAY longer than I thought it would and the first cushion ended up smaller than the original. The feather form still fits, but it is more compressed and not as comfy. I'll tweak the others and maybe the small cushion will just blend in. Hopefully...
Old and NewI was going through some old Picasa photos and realized that were were on the Isle of Skye one year ago today. It is shocking to realize how beautiful the day was, as Skye is NOT known for its good weather. *sigh* It really does feel as if we never really went...
In memory of one of the most fabulous days in Scotland, I've posted a few of my favorite pictures:
View from the B&B
Group shot outside the B&B
On the road leaving the B&B
Highland Coo
Click here for the full post after the jump…
Last Friday the Fashion Design program at HCC had their big end of the year fashion show and awards ceremony. Sander and I went even though I was only showing a jacket in the show. I had thought they were only giving away a "best-in-show" award, but they added a lot more this year. As they began I was talking to my friend next to me and then we both heard our names. We went up but we had no idea why they had called us to the stage since we had been talking and not listening to the award ceremony. It turned out we each received a $500 Textiles scholarship from the Kingwood Quilt Guild! We were so surprised! Our Textile teacher nominated us for this award and it was a huge honor. It was a fabulous surprise and a way the Lord is obviously looking out us knowing what we need before we need it...as Sander and I were to find out this week.
As I mentioned below, we have an offer on a house. We found out this week what the seller was going to offer for repairs. They barely offered a 1/4 of what we requested. It was discouraging and something we had to think seriously about. But, we saw the scholarship and in several other random places ways the Lord had provided the money despite the reluctance of the sellers. It is easy to get greedy and want the extra money from BOTH places, especially as the list of repairs seems to grow each day. But we had to get to the point Thursday where we firmly knew the Lord had led us to this house and that if the seller wasn't going to provide, that was ok. All money belongs to the Lord anyway - and if we really need it, He will provide it. God has in the past and He will in the future.
In the past few days I've begun to read My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers each day. Tuesday's was so inspiring to me, I have been thinking about it ever since. I don't know if I will ever get to the place of being completely gracious about the uncertainty of life - but I pray that I will. It seems SO freeing...probably because it is just the way God designed it to be! I am so grateful though that God has blessed me with ears to hear and eyes to see...at least in part - I have so far to go, but I am grateful and appreciative for all the grace shown to me in all my failings so far!
Hope this encourages you too:April 29, 2008
Gracious Uncertainty
. . . it has not yet been revealed what
we shall be . . . —1 John 3:2
Our natural inclination is to be so precise— trying
always to forecast accurately what will happen next— that we look upon
uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal,
but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual
life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Consequently, we do not put down
roots. Our common sense says, "Well, what if I were in that circumstance?" We
cannot presume to see ourselves in any circumstance in which we have never
been.
Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life—
gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God
means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may
bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an
expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we
are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He
has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises. When we
become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within
us dies. That is not believing God — it is only believing our belief about Him.
Jesus said, ". . . unless you . . . become as little children . . ." (Matthew 18:3 ).
The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not
uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our
certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness,
become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are
complete and settled. But when we have the right relationship with God, life is
full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy. Jesus said, ". . .
believe also in Me" (John 14:1 ), not, "Believe certain
things about Me". Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and
graciously uncertain how He will come in— but you can be certain that He will
come. Remain faithful to Him.
Here is the table I was talking about from Craig's list. I am going to use the fabric in the 2nd picture to make seat covers for the chairs and curtains for the kitchen window.
Today Matt Lauer is in Istanbul with the Today Show- I want to go back! He is going to 5 countries in 5 days. He was in Argentina, Amsterdam, Laos, now Turkey and Istanbul. It has been fun to watch, but seeing a place I have been was the best. I would love to go back and highly recommend Turkey, Istanbul, and the Agean coast to anyone thinking of an overseas trip.
After watching I got a little sad, thinking Sander and I are done with our adventure days. But, when I think about it, life is an adventure right now. We are settling into Houston and have accepted it as our permanent home for the foreseeable future, which includes making major life decisions. We've even decided to buy a house!
We have a contract in on a house, which if all goes well, means it will be ours May 15th - Yikes! It really feels surreal, but it has been an incredible growing experience for Sander and I together.
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