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. 

Tea and Monsters

Remember, back in 2012, when I gave you a list of my phobias? I left one out at that point.
 Monsters. You know, the kind that live under your bed and crawl out after dark and stand there looking at you, and then s.l.o.w.l.y reach out and take you by the throat with their cold hands? That kind. And they're about the size and shape of a St. Bernard dog. And neon purple or green.
And my husband to be thinks they're very funny. Until I start sounding slightly freaked. Or threaten him with one of his phobias (Because he does have a couple himself. Thank goodness!). The problem is that his do kinda have a better basis than mine. I mean, his ARE possible. Sorta, like, One in a Bazillion. But still, there's that one chance. Bummer.
 I'm pretty sure that monsters are worse when a person has a cold though. I'm not sure why, they just are. I mean, they're so much more possible. How do you YOU know that they aren't there? Have you ever SEEN one? No? Well then, how can you prove they aren't!!!??? (Yes, I realize my logic is slightly twisted. But still!)
  Josh got to work this morning and was dramatically informing me that he NEEDED coffee. His texts didn't come in until his coffee was done so I wasn't able to sympathize properly. Instead I added my own whine. Winding it up with the fact that I was going to go make tea. Tea is important when you have a cold.
 Me: I'm gonna go make myself some tea.
 Him: Ok. Tea is a hug in disguise....or something. :) :) :) :) (He was looking over my shoulder at pinterest.)
 Me: A hug in a cup.
 Him: Oh ya. :) :)
 Me: I just dumped ginger and cinnamon and sugar and cayenne and lemon into a cup with water and its in the mic. I bet if it don't kill it'll cure. :) :)
 Him: It should do something........
 Me: Its good. :)
I haven't heard from him since.
 Sometimes I wonder if he ever secretly worries I'll feed him cats toenails and spider webs when he's sick with the stomach flu. (Don't worry dear. I'll feed you burned toast and ginger!!!) I still remember the look on his face when one of my siblings decided it was time he knew that I'm a bit of a "greeny". He came to me later and asked me quietly, "are you really.... like that???". With a calmly confused/curious look. I said: "Remember that time when you were here on your first visit. We were driving down that back road and you threw the candy wrapper out the window?". "Yes". "I was VERY horrified.". "Oh".
He still holds to the idea (notice I did not say "fact") that it disintegrated in the first rain storm. This has been our only unresolvable argument so far. Well, that and the monsters...

The Best Valentines Day Ever :)

My man walked in the door this morning with this lovely bouquet of roses. I am decidedly convinced that I'm in love with the best man in the world! 

 Mom ordered us outside to the cold, for pictures. 

 Life Is Amazing!!!

Safe, In The Arms Of Jesus

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe it about this one. I've been thinking about this feeling a lot in the last few days. To have come this far in life with a wonderful Godly Dad, and to know that I'm moving towards a life with another wonderful Godly man. God is good to me, and I do not deserve it!
 That's another thing I've been thinking about. Deserving Gods goodness. It's very humbling to keep coming back to the realization that I can never ever deserve Gods goodness. He freely gives. It's only by Gods grace, and Jesus death, that I can live fully in the goodness of God! It's mind boggling isn't it!?
  We were reading in Matthew last night, about the woman who went to Jesus asking for her sons to be seated at His right and left. I've always been amazed at Jesus gentle, gracious answer, "Woman, you know not what you ask". I know that He still does that for me. I can be pretty dramatic and unreasonable sometimes. But Jesus is always gracious and gentle, "Woman, you know not what you ask. I know best. Wait on me.".  All those verses about our steps being ordered by the Lord, and Him leading us, guiding our feet. They're amazing. Because in the chaos of life its pretty easy to forget that He is in control. But He always is. Completely. And for this I am deeply  grateful.

Engaged

Happy Things

Happy things are pretty abundant around here right now. :D I was sitting at my desk this morning and three of them clicked, all in a row, in my mind. I could see Roses Rainbows And Blue Sky. How could a person NOT be happy???

 Especially when she can write letters to her boyfriend...

 Or look up from her desk and see the roses he sent her one day. 

 I walked up to the front door and saw a box sitting there, I assumed it was something for my Dad and tried the front door. It was locked. Bother. So to kill time until my Mother got home with the only house key around (I've been locked out three times in the last two weeks I believe.) I looked at the label on the box... :D :D :D Mom got home and found her daughter happily sitting on the freezing cold front steps, grinning like crazy, and holding a miniature rose bush. 

 

I was playing with the hot glue gun the other day... The glue goes ON the windowpanes fairly well... The problem is getting it OFF. :D I got  most of the snowflake I messed up off with a pair of green children's sized scissors.

After seeing Mom and Amy bring in pine for the window sills the other day I decided that if they could bring it in before Thanksgiving,

than so could I!

See what happens in ten days??? :D :D :D 

Home-made Flowers

Saturday Charity, Kara, and I spent a simply glorious day shopping. (Is there such a thing as a day shopping with friends that ISN'T?)

This is the end of the list, sort of, because it could kinda go on and on and on. But considering the fact that it's evening, so I can't really go on all day.

I'm going to stop.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving everyone!

-Francis-

Fall Projects

"Mom, I want my quilt from Grandma Ruth put in. This week." -Me
"Okay." -Mom
I like my Mom!

She even started quilting it. 

This is what happens when a person looks at Pinterest too much in  one week. They're Ginger Tea Candy. I burned the first batch. After I unburned them, I'm cool like that! :D  I dropped them into powdered sugar...

Because Mary Poppins says "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." And she's always right.  Not actually, cuz she says that it's okay to climb up the insides of chimneys and out onto the roof. She's wrong on that one. Very wrong.

I put them into a mason jar, just because that's the in thing to do right now. And I figured it would prolly look kinda neat. 

And then I chopped a piece of a curtain off, and wrapped the top of the jar, and tied it with hemp. And then I set it on my desk and looked at it all evening. And a few days later I fed them to Brad. :D He didn't die, and he didn't turn green, and he still walks okay. So I think I'll prolly try again sometime. But next time I'm going to use honey instead of all the vile sugar!

This was another Pinterest project. I'm not
convinced I like it yet. It doesn't look like the picture I copied it from!!! *sigh* I think next time I try I'm going to cut the boards myself, instead of turning them over to the tender mercies of my dear 15 year old brother. He used a swede saw. Yikes. I was glad for his help though. Thank's Brad! I also stuck the handles on with JB weld. Not sure that was necessarily something that normal people would confess to having done. But it worked really well. So. You should try it sometime. If you happen to be out of gray tape! :D 

That's a Zinnia. I like them. Lots.     

This is Amy and I. I like her. Lots.
The End