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Homeschooling in Illinois
Sep. 6, 2008
History
We went to our neighbors house for a weeny roast. I had never been to one before, and now I want some sticks so we can have our own. And often. Weeny roasts are great! I love the country, outdoors, fire, and hotdogs. Put them all together and you have great memories.
Anyway, that's not the point of this post. As we sat and chatted we got to hear some history of our house. The neighbors have lived there for some 30 or 40 years, so they knew a lot. And then, Jim's family have always been in the area so he really knows a lot. One of Jim's boys, now a grown man, was telling us that he used to be best friends with one of the boys who lived in our house. He told us a story of a big lean-to that they built. And he also mentioned a platform they built in a tree.
Yup, that's the platform. It's 20-some years old. Not in the best shape. Pretty rotted. But still there. Pretty cool, huh?
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Sep. 1, 2008
Sunset
I don't have a west facing house like I would love to have. In fact, I only have one window that faces the west, and it is all the way upstairs. But, I still get a beautiful view out of my front window:
Who knew that corn could hold the beautiful colors of a sunset?
As I opened the door to take this picture, a hawk flew out of the tree across the street. He is our resident hawk. I walked all over in my bare feet trying to get a picture of him to no avail. But I did get this picture:
I live there!
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Aug. 29, 2008
The Bus Driver
One morning, a truck pulled into our driveway, and the guy who got out introduced himself as Don, our bus driver. He had heard that there were kids living in the house and he wondered why there were no new kids on his bus route. After we informed him we homeschooled, he let us know that was "fine". Umm... Thanks. 
We chatted with him for awhile. He asked hubby if he was still working up north and he said, "yes". And then hubby asked, "How did you know I was working up north?" To which he informed us that our neighbor, Don (is everyone named that around here?) let him know. That was quite interesting being that we've never even met him! Apparently, we are the talk of the town.
Oh, and another thing. The people who lived here before us weren't very well know. Even though they lived here for 12 years, when people find out where we live, they don't say, Don's place (yes another Don). They say the old Marty place.
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Jul. 28, 2008
Our Neighbor
Our neighbor has stopped by three times now. Just to chat. He and his wife are real nice. We have drive down to see them some time. Did you catch that? I said drive. We all have to pile in the car and drive to our neighbors! How great is that? His name is Jim and I keep wanting to call him Jim Nabors.
His wife said she knows of a place to get fresh honey by the bucketful. She said all you have to do is freeze it, and it won't sugar. I've got a whole list of questions for her. I think I'll start with, "Just what is that strange creature?"
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Jul. 11, 2008
We're Here!
Just a quick note to let everyone know all went well and we are in our new house. We are having too much fun - even with the mess of boxes all over. In the next couple of days, I'm going to start a small garden for some fall crops. Who wants to be inside unpacking when there are 2 1/2 acres to romp around in?!
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Jul. 6, 2008
Uhhhhhh........
Well, we spent the last two days packing up all of our... umm... stuff. Boy, I hate moving. I am really, really, really bad at this. My mind is shot. I can't think. I'll be glad when this is over. Hopefully, my mind will return. Our home group has been absolutely awesome. They have given so much of themselves. And the craziest thing is, after physically and mentally exhausting themselves for two days, they were still happy! They were out there, loading the truck, whistling and joking and having fun! Who does that?!
Our house closes tomorrow. We close on the new house on Tuesday and then we get to unload, unload, and unload some more. That's about all I can think about right now. I probably won't blog until at least Thursday. That's when our internet comes. So much to do, so little brain cells....
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Jun. 23, 2008
Two Weeks
I am down to two weeks until we move. AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! There are a lot of things I plan to do today. I wonder if I will be able to accomplish any of them.
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Jun. 16, 2008
All Set To Move
We are set to close on July 7. That's three weeks away. So, I have a lot of stuff to do. Please pray that everything goes through this time and that my hubby will get his transfer. Real quick.
I packed half of a bin today, and half of a box the other day. Should I be blogging right now? No. But I wanted to update all of you. The problem is, I don't have time to pack AND clean up the mess that packing makes. Did you know that 5 kids is A LOT of kids? It's a lot more than four, I can tell you that. Five is not just one more than four. I don't care what they teach you in math. And my two year old just cloned himself. I'm not sure how many there are of him, but it's enough to drive me batty. Hopefully, we'll at least get rich on his cloning recipe. Also, I've apparently lost my voice. Nobody seems to hear a word I say. I can still hear me, but the kids can't. It used to be that I was speaking a different language than them, but now, they just plain out don't hear me. Or, maybe they have gone deaf. That would explain the ever rising decibel levels in the house. 
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Jun. 10, 2008
Dare I Say It?
Can it be? Will it work out? Are we actually going to move this time? We have a contract on our house.
Again. I was just going to put a contract back on the last house we wanted. But nooooo.... Hubby wanted to go looking again and find a closer house to his family. Which I didn't have a problem with. I just didn't think we would find anything better than the last house. So after a tiring day of seeing the weirdest houses, we pull into the last house to look at. We pulled in the driveway:
And fell in love with the outside of the house:
And then we saw the barn:
This house, unlike the last house, is on a dead street. Not one car came by. The owners say that every evening they take a walk down the street to the "crick" and back. Yippee!! It's near a "crick"!
We didn't get pictures of everything, and I couldn't post them all anyway, I'd freeze your computer. But here are some neat things.
The kitchen:
The cabinets are so beautiful! The picture just doesn't do it justice. Where I am standing is a huge area for a table and a bay window with a gorgeous view. They people had this house decorated so beautifully. They took much effort to keep the old farm house feel. Which is what I badly wanted. The kitchen floor is ceramic, but all the other floors are original wood floors. All the doors and molding are original. Here is a built in in the dining room:
But it was the bathroom the sold me:
How can you pass that up?!
And the icing on the cake was stepping out on that front porch. Man oh man. Of course, it is smaller than I would like. It has no homeschool room or fireplace. But, it has what was most important to me. Quiet.
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Apr. 23, 2008
Our "New" Offer
I put offer in quotes because they thought it was an offer, but we didn't. Our agent actually laughed out loud when she got the offer. And then she repeated it a few times just to be sure she heard right. That gave me a good laugh. They offered us $15,000 under our asking price. Are you kidding me? As it is, if we get what we ask for, we are only breaking even. Drop it 15k and we will have to live here with them. I don't think that's what they want. On top of that, the agent asked for a higher percentage for herself, for "all the work" she did. All the work?? She walked in here, sat down on her duff, and hubby showed the people around the house. The agent had a bad back, so we didn't fault her - until she wanted more money. So, where's hubby's cut? We said no way. Now here is the problem. This agent is sneaky, greedy, and a flat out liar. If these people don't end up buying our house, we will never know for sure why. We guess the agent never told her clients she was going to ask for more money. And we guess she will end up lying to her clients about what we say. You think I'm being to hard on her? No. Remember how I said she is a flat out liar? This is why. When they were here, she tried telling my hubby that for one year after the purchase of our house, if anything goes wrong, we are responsible for fixing the damage. Then she says, "but you can offer a home warranty for just $399." There are other ways of asking for a warranty, oh like saying, we would like a warranty. Not to make up a total, ummm...... garbage story, and think that we are dumb enough to think that we are responsible for someone elses house?!?!?! It wouldn't be our house anymore!! How on earth would we be responsible?? We wish we could tell her clients to get a new agent if they ever want to find a house. I hope I am wrong about her. I hope she tells her clients the truth and they come to their senses and give us what we want and then we can move and get on with our lives. Otherwise, I really don't know what we are going to do. I hate to keep living like this, but I really hate to give up my dream.
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Apr. 19, 2008
House News
We finally got the termination papers signed by the people who were supposed to buy our house. So that is done and over with. Did I say finally? Even thought I wish they could have found a way, I am glad it is over.
More good news - the people who saw the house last Sunday are coming back again today. Please pray that they will decide to buy it ONLY if they can get the money. I do NOT want to go through that again.
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Apr. 15, 2008
What's Going on With the House?
Good question. I don't know. We are still waiting for them to sign the termination of contract. I guess they are still trying to get a loan?? I don't know. They are not returning our calls.
We had a showing on Sunday. They liked our house. They said they will probably call for another showing sometime this week. But, again, we've been told that before and then next thing we know, they bought another house. But, I still think we are going to move soon. I just don't want to give up on it. I'm not sure why. I'm usually very pessimistic. I'll let you know if anything else happens.
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Apr. 9, 2008
Hope or More Frustration
I've been waiting around all day for the deal to be officially over. I just now heard from my agent that they are still trying to work something out. Is this the miracle I was hoping for? Or are they just wasting more of our time? Our agent that is trying to help us buy a house is working with our agent who is trying to sell our house to help they buyers find someone to give them money. Also, they are talking with the appraiser to see if there is anything that can happen there, and they are still trying to come up with a down payment. So that's the deal. I would appreciate prayers for a miracle, but also prayers for patience and peace and whatever else it is that I need. Sanity maybe. Thanks.
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Apr. 9, 2008
Stages of Grief
I was doing ok yesterday. I was in denial. Denial is a good stage. By evening, I was in the angry and bitter stage. I don't like that one. Today, I have been bouncing around between denial, self pity, and depression. Like I said denial is good. I have this crazy hope that some miracle will happen and we will still move. And then I think about all that we have packed and how depressing it's going to be to unpack in the same house we packed it all in! And then I think God must not love me. And then I get depressed because I have to continue to wash my clothes in the basement! And then I go check my email hoping to find that a miracle happened and they will still buy the house. And then I get bummed because we have to decide if we are still going to try to sell our house and live half packed up and in crazy showing mode (which I am SO ready to be done with - like 8 months ago) or are we just going to give up. But giving up means, well, giving up my dream. Admitting it's over and that we will be here forever. It's not like we can move anytime we feel like it. We have a transfer to rely on. And this neighbor isn't getting better. As the years go by, our house value will go down. It already has. Even if the housing market gets better, this neighborhood is out of luck. I'm sure I would be doing much better if I wasn't pregnant. Pregnant woman are not emotionally stable as it is! I've been trying to keep my mind off of this by thinking about preparing for the baby. I need to figure out what the baby is going to sleep in, where the baby dresser and changing table can fit. If we need to move bedrooms around. Who can sleep with who and where. And I have no solutions. So, that's me today. At least the sun is shining and I can have my windows cracked open. Oh which reminds me of what really makes me angry. Yesterday, it was 10 degrees warmer in the town we were supposed to move to than it was here. 10 DEGREES!!!! Talk about anger and depression and self pity all rolled into one. Man oh man, 10 degrees.... That's the difference between wearing a jacket and breaking out the shorts! 
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Apr. 8, 2008
We're NOT Moving
And so ends our moving adventure. It was short lived and we never actually got anywhere. Our buyers couldn't get a loan. What I don't understand is how it all seemed to be coming together perfectly. I remember being told one time that even if it seems like it's God's plan, people are still human and can mess things up.
I am thankful that we have a house. And a house that we like.
I am thankful that D will still be in baseball.
So, not all is lost.
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Apr. 4, 2008
News on the House
Ugh. I hate it when my post just disappears. Just one wrong key.... grrrrr....
Basically, please pray for another miracle. Our buyers suddenly need to find 5% to put down on the house. We are trying to be patient and trust God and remember that He knows what is best. I had a really good post, too. But I hate to repeat myself.
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Mar. 25, 2008
Our House
Sorry to keep you guys waiting and wondering (if you were). We found a house we like last Thursday, put a bid on it and we will close on it April 30. We are praying everything works out and I won't have to be broken hearted. Hubby made me promise I won't be too devastated if the deal falls through. 
It's a gorgeous house. It's HUGE. Over 2700 sq feet. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, family room w/ wood burning fireplace, dining room, front room, finished basement with fridge, sink and stove and corn burning stove. Almost 5 acres with barn and pasture, chicken house, play house, metal garage and attached 2 car garage. 2 apple trees, 2 peach trees. 2 large garden sections and beautiful landscaping. Clothesline. Deck. Generator. It's awesome.
Here is the family room:
And the kitchen which is open to the family room:
And the barn:
I hope the next month will fly by because I can't wait to finally get out in the country! Please pray that nothing will go wrong and that the people who are buying our house will get the financing they need and our house will appraise for what we need it to appraise for.
On the transfer news, hubby talked to his Captain and she said she would let him transfer! So we actually can move and we won't have to live apart. The latest news had been that he wouldn't transfer until next March. His only hope was getting a hardship transfer, which, rumor has it, is hard to get. But he said he was told he was supposed to transfer this March, his house sold, his wife is pregnant, is there any way he can transfer sooner and she said yes! So that is a huge miracle.
My pregnancy is chugging along. I have been feeling better lately, which I hope to post about that soon.... My mom is home this week for spring break so I have been a little less crabby. Although when I told her that yesterday she said she would never have known.  D will finish his math book this week, which is good. Then we can focus on science and history and moving. And once we move we can focus on gardening and babying. 
Oh, our fridge broke yesterday. But, thank the Lord, it's under warranty! PHEW! Too bad the dog wasn't under warranty.... We have to wait until Thursday for someone to come out and fix it. We have a fridge in the basement, thankfully. The poor boys are getting a lot of extra exercise! hehe...
I guess that about sums it up. I'm still unsure of what to pack when, but it will all come together. I went through all the kids clothes got them reorganized and labeled. Once we have our garage sale, we will have a lot less stuff glaring at me. That will be a relief. Today, I think I am going to see what's under my bed.... that should be a fun surprise.... Are we the only grown ups that shove things under our bed? I'll blame the showings... 
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Mar. 17, 2008
House and Packing update
I packed all of our snowman dishes. I also packed extra coffee mugs and glasses. I even got rid of a few! (That is oh so hard for me to do). I just finished going through the baby clothes and pulling out all of the neutral things. I still need to find the big bin of burp clothes and blankets and stuff. I need all the things I will be using at first in a bin, washed and ready to go. And then hopefully that bin won't get lost.
We haven't decided what we are doing as far as where we will be living. We looked at houses all weekend and have some possibilities, but there are so many things to base our decision on. We have a few options floating around in our heads, but with a baby coming and no transfer coming, it makes things 10 times harder.
Please keep praying we will make the best decision and be able to live with whatever decision it is we choose. We will be losing out on something no matter what we choose. And still pray for a miracle that Hubby's transfer comes through.
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Mar. 13, 2008
We're Moving
Yup, you read that right! Can you believe it? We got a full price offer on our house yesterday! Of course that was lowering the price how many times.... But, we were floored. Who offers full price in this market? So now comes the decision of where to go. Hubby was supposed to get his transfer this month, but it never came and now they say the earliest is next year!! So we are stressing and trying not to kill each other as we come up with a decision. We seem to not be on the same page. We both keep changing our minds about what to do and our minds our never changed together. But as we lay in bed last night discussing our options, we heard the ever so common police sirens and knew that no matter what, we were selling. Plus, getting full price, we don't have to worry about if we should take the offer or not, so that sounds like a God thing, right? I wish He would write on our walls the address of the house we should buy.... But no, the only writing on my walls is scribbles from Toddler B. And they in no way resemble numbers. I checked.
Our closing is April 15, so I should probably get going and figure out a packing plan. Any suggestions on what to pack in what order? I look around and feel like, how can I pack anything? We use all this stuff. I need help. Mental. Help.
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