Home Incredibly Dirty Home

Our last few days have been busy with moving a 70 something year old man out of the house we bought from him.
After waiting a week past the time he was supposed to be out, we finally went to him and offered a trailer, and man power. And last evening when I showed up with supper and realized how slowly the process was going because of his inability to pack boxes quickly, I offered to help him pack.
This has been stretching for me.
I've spent the last six months planning and processing and preparing for the work that goes into taking a never-cleaned-in-ten-years house, and creating a clean and pretty home out of it. It's been an exciting time for me, full of Pinterest board ideals, and journal list reality.
And then to be pushed off, and off, even by a few days at a time, has been good for my Christianity
Today Josh and Brad took the day off and the three of us moved an incredible mountain of boxes (of seemingly trash), to a storage unit. I am convinced that the only reason we were able to accomplish so much today was because of friends and family praying for us. God is faithful.
I found three dead mice and layers upon layers of mouse poop. I found tin cans. I found gospel CDs of music, I found filthy movies, I found koolaid and I found squash. It was amazing. Mostly though, I think I found a lonely old man who needs Jesus. Pray for Mr.G.
Tomorrow morning Josh and Brad are planning to take part of the day off and help him finish moving out of the house. I plan to go in, in the afternoon, and begin the colossal chore of cleaning the bathroom. 
Also tomorrow Anne Hazel turns one year old. I'm amazed. How can this be? But I'm happy too. Life moves forward at a cheerful rate for us right now.
My mom and sister are coming by Thursday afternoon to help begin painting. I'm so excited to have them helping with this project!
  Hoping to post pictures of our new home sometime in the near future.
God bless! - Mrs. Cross

Home Is Where The Heart Is

We got home from a trip, a glorious trip, full of lovely family times. A trip that was two weeks long. A trip that had me FRANTIC to be home in my own house, with no one but my tiny family.
I'm not a people person. Traveling I can handle, I love the rare chances that Josh and I get to take an eighteen wheeler and head to far away places. But people, please give people to me in small amounts, with deep conversations happening only within my comfort zone.
We landed on our own doorstep on Monday evening. And I've been reveling in the wonderfulness of quiet and peace and my own thoughts.
My own thoughts have been rotating around the absolute safety and happiness of being home. Blessedly home. Where coloring happens in my two lovely new books. Music happens at my own volume. And baby one on one happens to my heart's content.
And then Anne came down with a cold, and was up too many times to count last night.
And today was a constant struggle to keep back tears over small things.     We left the baby with my mother in law at six thirty and headed to Lincoln to do my mountain of grocery shopping. And try to find clothes to fit post baby me.
And it was a nightmare. And I cried.  Kara Graber I looked up Matthew West because of something you put on Instagram and found Strong Enough. 
Pieces fell together.
Home is where the heart is, literally.
202 B Street isn't going to magically keep my heart safe, or my emotions, or my baby, or anything. Because there are humans there. Humans who get colds. And humans who struggle with their self image. And humans who struggle to be happy when their supper is late.
This is when I'm glad that I don't have to be strong enough.
And that HE is. And that my heart is home in Heaven.
 

Discovering An App

Aunt Amy showed me this the other day. With the news that its not hard to blog from your phone. I'm glad. I've missed this.
I'm not even going to attempt to catch up on the last year of my life on here. Mostly, I'm after a place to put pictures. So feel free to check in if you're one of the people in my life who cares about seeing us.
Anne Hazel is growing like a weed. She's seven months old and is catching on to holding her bottle. Sitting up like a pro. And eats pumpkin like it's going out of style. She's discovering that she can slide across the floor, but has no clue how to side forwards, so she gets herself stuck on chairs and table legs, etc. I laugh, while she whines at me to rescue her. Poor kid. :) 

Jenny's baby is six weeks younger, and they're just starting up catch on that the other wiggling thing over there, can communicate. It's fun to watch. :)

Josh made me a snowman last week. It lives on my kitchen windowsill, and makes me happy in my heart.
And Christmas happens this week.
We're headed to Wisconsin tomorrow, and on to Indiana in a week. Happy times ahead.
Merry Christmas!

Life Is Full Of Swift Transition

This is almost two years ago, we were dating.

This is a year ago.

This is about 9 months ago, we were on vacation with the family.

A baby on the way!

Anne Hazel was born on May 18'th. 

We are richly blessed!

202 B Street/Home Sweet Home

Here's our little home in Milford Nebraska.

And here is our dining room table, we'll have dinner around it when you come.

I found the little red pickup on top of Josh's gun case at his folks place and told him, "I want that!". He gave it to me. :D

Isn't it the cutest thing? 

Josh told me about this dining room windowsill while we were dating, I've been having fun looking at it and dreaming about what to do with it. For now it looks like this. 

My dad hung our light fixture for us while he was here. It makes me happy in my heart.

Josh sent me a picture last Christmas of my  "early Christmas gift". I was thrilled to be the owner of this piece of furniture. What is more fun than arranging candles, china, glass bowls, and tea cups, behind glass doors?

This  is part of the fun of living in a hundred-year-old house, a built in bookshelf in my dining room. This is one of the happy spots in my house. 

The kitchen. And the dog 's (Sadie) gate. I keep her shut in the back entry way. There is nothing more disturbing than thinking you've got your dog house trained and allowing her the run of all un-carpeted arias and suddenly discovering that she... er.... isn't house trained. 

My view when I do dishes. Lisl, the card there is the one you gave for our wedding. It's gorgeous. 

Roses and mint tea in a crystal candle holder make me happy too.

The living room that has been declared, "cozy" by several people. I'm quietly biding time untill I can get rid of so much carmel color. I like a little... but four whole walls is a bit much. Any idea's on what to do to add some, "less carmel" to this room? 

It's been lots of fun settling in and getting used of a new normal. So far normal has proven to be just what my mother always said it was though, "a setting on the drier". Life is busily being summertime here. But it's a lovely summertime. :)

                                   

Come visit us, you know where we live now. :D 

The Neighbors Think We're Insane

I spent five hours at school today. Learning theory from my piano students. And patience from my first grader. (She actually was good Kayla, it just took a while. :))

 So, when I got home I stepped inside the door and yelled, "AMY, I'M WALKING RUGER AROUND THE BLOCK. COME! *Pause* AMY! COME!". She came obediently out a few minutes later and we walked a couple blocks. While explaining to the dog the whole time that he was a wimp. And that the big dogs that were barking would probably rip him into tiny shreds. He completely ignored us and continued on his merry way. 

 When we got back I tramped into the house and fished my snow pants and boots out of the back of the closet, all the while informing Amy that, "I'm making a snowman. Come". She followed me out to the porch where I found Brad and told him the same thing. He wasn't quite so obedient. I had to dig the 53 cents I had in my coat pocket out and bribe him. Sometimes there are advantages to having mercenary brothers. :)  

 The snow is still about two feet deep out there, which makes the top of things look a lot more reachable. Like, say, the clothes line pole. 

"Brad, lift me up there?". *He takes my boots and lifts... and lifts... and lifts. I become completely terrified and can't talk to make him STOP LIFTING. I go clean over, get caught momentarily on the way down by one of those wicked green wires. Lay there dying for a couple minutes (I now have a bruise three inches in diameter). Stand up. "Brad. Lift me up there?".

It worked the second time. :) :) 

We decided we needed a, "dramatic snowman". The only way we could think of (Other than using red food coloring and creating a blood and guts scene. Which we figured our mother wouldn't approve of.) was to put it up high. So we explored the possibilities. The flat roof (discarded because of the risk of our father not liking when the roof fell through). The camper roof (discarded for above reason). The snowbank (discarded for the boringness of it.) Ah ha!!! The garden arch! (Which Amy and Brad promptly discarded because they weren't about to clamber up there and try. And anyways, how is a person supposed to lift the snowballs up!?) I told them. "Fine! I'll do it myself!" And she did! :) Using the snow that was already piled high up there. 

 Half way through the project the neighbor drove past and yelled out his window, "You guys are INSANE!!!". Thank you sir, for that information. We didn't know that before. :) :) :) 

                                          

Her name is Juliet.

His name is Romeo. 

                                       
Mom got home while I was still in the process of building her. Oops. I finished rapidly and jumped down before she managed to get out there with the camera. Thank goodness!!!

Ruger loved all our romping in the snow.

We discovered that a person can actually stay on top the crust of snow, and move quite rapidly. If they crawl. Yeah, it's undignified. Yes. It's fun. :)

And yes, Mr. Neighbor Man. We're insane... and loving it.