Blessings From Home

A Look Back and a Look Ahead

Don't you love it when you have a whole thing typed up and then poof it's gone. Oh well, moving on....We had a wondefully busy Christmas. Lots of family and friends and lots of going places. I have a list in mind of lots of dos and donts for next years holidays. But we enjoyed celebrating Jesus' Birthday and made sure that our children understood why we celebrate this holiday. Our goal of a simple Christmas was thrown out the door. We did really well not spending too much and making as many gifts as we could, but apparently nobody else cared to have a simpler Christmas because the children got entirely too many toys. I've taken at least half of them and packed them away for another time and some will have to be taken back. The kids got some nice clothes and I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of the girls clothes were modest and most were dresses. I was also pleasantly surprised that none of the kids toys were inappropriate.

We got so many nice things, which although not the purpose of the holiday, blessed us so much! We got lots of gift cards. One that helped us get gas so that we could visit my family in the next state over. Another gift card helped us to buy some boots hubby needs for work. And another helped us get a new camera, which is good because ours quit working halfway through Christmas. My most favorite gift was something my mother got me. It's called a sewing chatelaine. It's a pendant with all the sewing essentials. Here's a picture of what one looks like. Mine looks a little different. The one I have has a thimble holder, a needle case, a magnifying glass, a scissor holder, and a seam ripper. It's just beautiful! I'll take a photo of mine when I get a chance.

Now that we're through all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we have the new year headed our way. I always love the new year's celebration. I always feel like I have a fresh start. And of course those new year's goals start stirring around in my head. I have so many things I want to do and improve on. Looking back on the goals of last year, I have managed to accomplish at least some of my goals...such as going to church regularly, homeschooling my children (half of them anyways), saving money on groceries. I have faultered on even these though and am looking to make some improvements. I'll have to list all my goals on a seperate post later on as I want to think and pray about it a little more.

One thing I know that we would like to do is buy a house this year. This is something I've been praying heavily over. Our rent payment is dragging us down, but with a bankruptcy looming over our heads, it will be nearly impossible for us to get a loan with a decent interest rate. Then the other day, my husband's parents said something to my husband about how they felt bad that his brother and sister were getting to live rent free (long story) and that we were not, but they didn't know what they could do, because they couldn't afford to just buy us a house. So hubby and I got to talking and have decided to see if his parents wouldn't mind getting the loan for us with their good credit, and letting us make the payment. Then later when we have improved our credit, we can get a loan for the remaining balance. So since then, we have been keeping our eyes open for a house that we feel the Lord might be leading us to. It looks like we may have found the one. We'll know more tomorrow. It doesn't have as much land as we wanted, but there's a lot you can do with 1 acre. It is a trailer, but it's a nice one with lots of room for a growing family. It has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. It's also very near a lake, a plus for my hubby. The only downside we're seeing right now is that it's further from hubby's work. Our payment with an average of 6 percent interest with insurance and property taxes would be less than 400 dollars a month! What a blessing that will be. So we're going to look at it tomorrow, and if it looks like it's the house for us, we'll make an offer, and when hubby's parents are home in a couple of weeks, they'll finalize everything and Lord willing, we'll have ourselves our own little homestead.

Well, I've rambled on enough. It's past my bedtime. I'll update tomorrow after we get back from the house. Many blessings, Sara

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{ 06:59, Friday, December 28, 2007 } { Posted by melaniedawn }

Good luck on the house!!! I have relatives who live in beautiful trailers that look nicer than many regular houses I have been in. I lived in a really nice double-wide with my parents for a few years that was neat. I will be watching your blog to see how your goals are going and working on my own right along with you!
melanie