Changing Life Seasons - Or a New Chapter in My Life's Story

Whichever analogy you choose to go with, my life is changing. The daily grind I've been in for years is shifting into a new pattern. Such a crazy thought. But why, do you ask, is this happening to me? Well... My two older children have graduated high school already. Early, I know. But we homeschool! That is one of the beautiful aspects of homeschool life. We move at our own pace. 

So why do I feel so frazzled? 

Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled. It is a dream come true to have my children successfully complete school. My second child was supposed to graduate a week after his brother, but once he saw it happen for the older boy... well, he buckled down and worked ahead. But with this comes a host of other things. Now that they have passed their exams - we need to get that second vehicle so they can start the job hunt. Then comes all the driving I will have to do. To and from jobs for them. The girls will want mom to start taking them to other parks. Running errands won't be restricted to weekends or after the husband gets home from work anymore. That partly scares me. The other part thrills me. Smells like freedom in its own way! 

But then there were good things too. My husband recently said something, as I was stressing over what to do to celebrate their graduations. After all, we don't have prom. We don't have a stage to walk across as they are handed that rolled diploma. No caps and gowns. (Or do we...) We aren't a part of a group to benefit in those ways. So I had to come up with our own things to show them how proud I am, but also that they should take pride in this. But I'm getting away with myself here. My husband made a comment that caused my mind to completely lose focus on the kids' celebration. He said, "This party should be for you. After all, it is your excellence in teaching that has brought them to this moment." Talk about something I didn't have anywhere on my radar! But it made me proud for a single moment. I actually have achieved something notable in this life. Getting my boys, 17 and 16 years old, graduated through their basic education. Sounds so simple when I write it here, but this has been a wild ride for how many years now?? Wow... Looking back over the years has reminded me just how far we have come. And I can 100% say that it is only by God's grace that I have gotten here. If I had been left to my own devices... well, this would be a different picture altogether. Philippians 4:13 is my go-to. "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." Only in Him can I keep pressing forward. 

So where am I now? 

I told myself I would put other things on hold. I have a million things on my to-do list. But for now, I am focusing my efforts in getting things ready to celebrate the graduating this weekend. It hasn't gone as I hoped so far. But I won't be discouraged. I will make this a time they can remember and enjoy. A milestone in life's path, that has been surpassed. 

For other homeschool parents who are worried, just remember that the daily grind will be worth it. Once they graduate. One day they will move forward as competent adults. And that time comes before you realize it.  

One Bad Apple...

As a Christian, I don't believe in karma. To some degree, the concept of 'what goes around, comes around' does exist for me. But to believe that you are repaid for the good or evil you do on a regular basis? Not so much. 

But let's say it did exist. How evil do I have to be to see my Little Free Library repeatedly vandalized? Broken door. Broken latch. Books and toys tossed around. I was encouraged to fix it. Clean it up. Refill it. But then this... two days in a row every book was removed. I found some of them. Know where? Come on, guess! My neighbors yards. Thrown in the yards like any other piece of trash. Want to talk about a rage-quit moment... Seeing red! Heck, I even cried in front of my kids. This was I-am-having-a-meltdown moment for me. My kids know that I don't cry. I see it as an upset in my hormonal balance of calm. Unless someone I truly loved died.  

Sadly, I thought this was the last time. We were already planning to pull it down to replace the box part when we had the money for new materials. The last repair wasn't strong enough to withstand the beating it takes from kids who yank and hang on it. But this time... this time my husband and kids all seemed to think I gave it a good enough run. And that it was time to move on. And I was inclined to agree. Reading is a passion for me. I love reading books. I love collecting books. And I have tried to instill that in my children. One of them is truly an avid reader like me. So I count that as a win. But outside, I see kids who think of books as junk. I see children who were not raised to show appreciation, but instead are given over to destructive actions. It hurts. And don't get me wrong, not everyone who checked it out were bad people. There was a grandma walking with the kids every so often. A dad who took his kids bike riding and would stop by. Neighbors who added books sometimes. 

But as the saying goes, 'One bad apple spoils the bunch'. In this case, spoils the good for others. I can't keep paying money to fix this box. Or keep having my heartbreak moments when they trash the books or the box. How about having to clean up the mess? I don't want to keep getting upset that someone didn't raise their kids to do the right thing. It lasted almost a year and a half. Not too shabby, right? But as I announced it to the community I'm a part of and was thinking that I would just donate books we don't want anymore to the local library, or to the bookstore that serves the library, I was encouraged by that community of mine. One of them gave me a camera system and made a sign to put in, announcing to anyone who opens the library that they are being recorded. The idea is, maybe that will deter the ne'er-do-wells to steer clear of mischief. The camera is old tech, so we thought we would see if we could get it running. If not, we planned to install it as if it works to still try to scare anyone out of bad ideas. 

As I was waiting for my husband to put the camera into use, someone came by and dropped off a bunch of books! I had been keeping it empty until the camera went in. I figured I would just let those be there. Not add anything else. Then I caught them red-handed. 2 young boys about 12-13 years old. Grabbing all the books (see above picture) and anything else that was in it. This time I took off, barefoot and hot blooded. I made them return all the books, save one each, into the box and lectured them about trashing my little library. I could only hope they would take it to heart since I mentioned the coming camera... Did it work? Nope. Most days, I was either outside or watching when they came by. Today... I wasn't. And what did I find when I went to the mailbox? 3 books had been shredded and thrown around my neighbors' yards and in the street! I cleaned up the mess. Didn't cry this time. Just felt anger. I stripped everything out of the box. Threw everything on the table and walked away. Why bother with a camera? Sure, I can report them. I can shame them online. But what good will that do in the long run? I still have to clean up the messes they make. 

This truly will be the last time. Time for the library to be permanently closed. A heart-wrenching moment for me. But a necessary one if this kind of behavior can't be stopped. People can only push my buttons for so long before I walk away. Dream or no dream, I have limitations. 

If you are a parent, do everyone else a favor - raise them to have respect. To live honorably. And to be someone the rest of the community can see as at least decent. If you don't have kids but think this kind of teaching is too hard - don't have kids. 

On the Road Again!

With my youngest turning nine years old, came the request to go to a Build-a-Bear store. A friend had recently given her a couple stuffed animals that were marked with their BaB. So questions came. And the showing of online pictures. That was when she knew what she wanted for her birthday. But here is the catch - there aren't any close by. The closest one is just a kiosk in the mall in a city a couple hours away. But my thinking is, if this is your first time, you need to go to an actual store. Get the whole experience. So that is what my husband and I decided to do. We decided to hit the road and go to the nearest actual store. Almost four hours drive away from us. We wanted to give her something to truly remember. 

Amarillo - Here we come!

We got a room at Home2 Suites in Amarillo. Talk about amazing service! We were checked in quickly, the room was spacious, and we even loved the indoor pool. They were shorter on options for the breakfast, but that was my kids only complaint. 

There were so many places to store things so we were not tripping over things. There was also a stocked kitchen - dishes, silverware, a cooking container, soap and new sponge to clean them up when done.

You can even request a cook top and pot. We brought our own bedding for the germophobes to make it more comfortable. 

If you need a stay for this many people that might be for more than one night, this is the place!

Build-A-Bear for the win!

My daughter loved going to BaB! The lady that was handling her experience did a fantastic job. She talked to my daughter like she was the only person there, making her feel super special. She gave tips on other places we should go to around town to make our stay better. And really just gave the stuffing process more pizazz than I expected. I was thrilled. My husband was so happy - saying that this was the best birthday for her. And she left with a stuff toy that is just going to be so well loved. I highly recommend their store if you are in the area!

There were other stores...

We were there for 2 nights, which is quite the rarity. My husband hates hotels and going on trips has to be planned so far in advanced or has to be saved for... It can just be too much of a hassle to him to bother with. So, had she not asked, this would never have been a thing. But since it was, he graced me with a mini vacation. I can't tell you how excited I had been to plan this out and how hard I worked to save up! And it was well worth it. I had made a list of places to hit up before hand. Some of them were such a hit - we will gladly go back if we are in Amarillo again!  

Back & Forth thrift store was a cute place to visit. And the owner was so friendly! We found this doll there that my youngest fell in love with. She is a Snapstar doll. My daughter is already looking to get more wigs and clothes for her. 

Game Quest was the biggest hit for every single one of us. They had games, they had trading cards, there were movies (I got an anime) and nostalgia for nerds in all kinds of other things! I even found this Barbie that is special in the face, but wearing a Spice Girls doll dress.

A friend clued me in that she is Posh Spice (aka Victoria Beckham). I love how her face looks. Though the nose has been a little smushed. 

My husband was able to get a cable for one of his original consoles. The boys both found cards for their trading games they love. My oldest daughter got a book from her favorite series. The youngest found toys from her favorite shows and movies.

We actually went twice before leaving. And it is on the list to return to the next time we head that way.

This one is along the Route 66 too, so there are plenty of other places you might enjoy visiting. Especially a lot of vintage and antique shops. 

Another game store we visited was Recycled Entertainment. This one is actually in the same strip mall as Back & Forth. You will know it by the throne out front, made of various old consoles. My husband found a game he loved for the Nintendo. 

We visited the Five Below while there. They had so many fun finds! And at the time, they were the only store open on Saturday morning from our list. I gotta say, I was wishing to find some of these at our local store later. For now, I grabbed the Teeny Tinies Gamer Essentials pack. That one was $5. 

We also stopped by one of the Goodwills, up there. I must admit, I was disappointed with their prices. Quite a bit higher than what we normally see in our town. But they did have books and movies that we have been looking for... I also grabbed this cute ornament that is a picture frame. I haven't decided if I will use it in a doll room or if I will put it on the Christmas tree. 

What would be your favorite part of this trip? What kind of places do you like to visit when you travel? Let me know! We are already thinking about the next trip we want to make. 

Will I Still Be Thankful?

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is the one day a year when we are supposed to remember all the things we are thankful for. If you aren't a Christian, it is simply a tradition. Hopefully you get the day off. You eat a lot of good foods. Take a nap when the tryptophan kicks in. Maybe watch the parade and football games. Have a relaxing day. 

But if you are a Christian, you reach deeper than all that. You remember all those things that God has blessed you with in this year. Bills were paid. Needs are covered. Kids are healthy. Husband is happy and well. Didn't burn the meal. All this falls second to the thankfulness we feel that we are saved, however. We have an eternal future. 

I was on cloud nine Thanksgiving morning. Things hadn't been going the best leading up to Thanksgiving, but the day itself was working out well enough. The meal was amazing. The migraine stayed in the background. We even ran food to an elderly friend, and let another friends dogs out while they are on a mission trip. Since I was getting tired, I thought a nap was in order. My alarm went off, and I didn't want to get up. But that was okay. I have kids. And one of them came to wake us up. The sink was spraying water again. Welp... Guess it thought our leaking and broke down washing machine was not enough of a headache for me. 

Like one of my sons said, "At least it waited until we had finished washing all the dishes." Yes, at least there was that. My head was spinning. Stay thankful through all this trouble. It isn't always easy. My husband reminds me often that we are to write things in pencil. Be flexible to what God has coming our way.  

1 Thessalonians 5:18 has been a good reminder. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." God uses these trials to build up our dependence on Him. To seek His guidance and see what He is trying to teach us. But if you back up 2 verses, you see even more that needs to be kept with verse 18. We are to "Rejoice evermore" and "Pray without ceasing". All the while knowing that we also need to give thanks through it all. Not that we should have the attitude of "Thank you, God that everything is falling apart and I feel like a boat tossed in the wave right now! Hallelujah that my life is upside down!" That isn't what I'm saying. More like this attitude... "Thank you, Lord for the patience and peace that only you can give me right now. I don't know what Your plan is, but I know You have one. And things will work out. What do You want me to learn in this hard time?" See the difference? Saying it though, and actually doing it... yeah, two different things. 

In the end, we got one of the problems fixed. It required buying a new faucet for the kitchen sink, but God provided. My washing machine has sent me back to the pioneer days for some of our laundry, but I know it will all be fixed one day and I will rely on God to grant me the patience and strength until then. I think that is what this is about for now. How long will I continue to be thankful? And will I patiently wait?  

Getting Organized in Little Ways

I have been dealing with a lot of pain lately. Some days I am not walking too well. But despite that, I have tried to push myself. One project at a time. No matter how little that project might be. I pulled out the crafting things that were "one day" things and started to put them together. More mindful of the things having a place and everything in its place, sort of mentality. It gets messy in the process, but the end results are fantastic. 

I created a new shelf for the home goods that go in the store I built. Nothing too crazy, just from things that I had. Like cardboard and shelf tops from the Mini Brands Books sets. But it is a beautiful addition! And it makes me feel accomplished. You can get more insight on this from the video I made HERE.

I added a statuette that a friend brought back from her travels to the Middle East. It was an exotic find! I love how cute it looks. Makes my doll look like a traveled lady, I think. 

I unpacked and organized the dolls that were stuck in boxes. Gave them a chance to show off! Starting to look like a full house in here... 

My older daughter had fun helping me set up the shelves. We tried to sort everyone by the type that they were. These little things help me feel like I'm still getting somewhere with everything that seems on hold. I don't feel useless as much, though I still have those moments. 

A New Aspect to the Daily Grind

I have never thought I had the green thumb skill. I couldn't even keep a bamboo plant alive! But that doesn't mean I wanted to sit back and only watch others grow things. I had hoped that one day I could have a garden yard. Pretty flowers. Edible plants. Everything one might only dream of. Fast forward and that has not been a thing. The plant that lasted the longest for me was a succulent. Until the little pot it was in broke. Despite moving it to another pot, it withered away too. 

This year was different. Prices of produce, and the skimpy things you could find in stores, left a lot to be desired. Which solidified my resolve. I was going to put more effort into growing things myself. Would it work? Eeeehhhh maybe not. But I was going to give it my best effort!

I had seen shorts made by Creative_Explained on Instagram. The guy is awesome! He breaks down the process of seed starting and growing. I have used some of these already to try to grow things.   

My first plant was the cucumber. I was SO proud of how big it got. And it even flowered. Then, one of two things happened. Either it became diseased, or I over-watered it. I'm not exactly sure which... But it showed me I could do this!

So I started another plant. Sadly, something kept getting into the pots and pulling out the seeds.  I did get the watermelon started, but it didn't last long. Instead, I now have potatoes sprouting up. 

I have about 3 spuds growing that I saw when I transferred this to a bigger pot with more soil. I started this one from a potato we got at the meat market. It had started growing on my counter and has taken off from there. 

Then came the onion. This was also started from an onion we had purchased and then I sliced off the root side and planted it. Green onions (or chives) will grow the same way! I have had success with that in the past. 

Some wild flowers are growing from seeds I was given. Another happy experiment!  

Some helpful tricks I'm learning to balance in the process are adding cinnamon to keep away rot and mold. The brown flakes you see were from crumbled cinnamon sticks we were given. Also, if you soak banana peels in water for about 2 hours, you can then use that water to add potassium back into the soil. Used coffee grounds are also helpful. Soak in water, strain that out into a spray bottle and use it to benefit the plants nutrients and growth. I have to learn how to properly apply these techniques in a balanced way though. That might have been what killed my cucumber. Not balancing the 3 just right.  

Despite the ups and downs, I have taken this as another task to my day. One that can be disappointing when things don't grow. But can also bring great satisfaction when they do. It pushes me to try harder. Research more. Do better. Some days, I don't want to do anything. There is a lot pressing down on me lately, but this little change in life has helped me fight those down days. I can't wait to see what I can do later on!  

From Hobby to Hussle

I love to bake. I quit doing as much of it as I once did, but it still brings me joy. Not just from making a tasty treat, but more so from the happiness I see others get when they dig in. Up until this summer, we would go to a Friday night Bible study with friends from church. Everyone brought a dish. After reading a passage and discussing it, we would partake in a meal. It was a great joy to us. I would bring desserts. Cakes, cookies, brownies, pies.... I even took requests. 

Then life got really busy. We couldn't go as much. So I would make our once-a-week dessert and set aside a little for certain friends who really enjoyed it. One of those friends owns a game store in our town. He loved things I would bring in. Made jokes about certain secret ingredients I must be adding to get people addicted. He then suggested I get a table at the local Trade Days. Not a bad idea. I've mulled it over and considered it. But that will have to wait until we are less strapped and short on time. In the meantime, I asked him about setting up some of my goodies during his game tournament nights. He agreed, and it has flourished! 

Some of his younger guests seemed to think he made up Suzette's Sweets! They think he provides them himself. He slipped up and called them by my real name once, which just furthered their belief that he is making up the baker of these delectable sweets. I explained to him, Suzette is my pseudonym. I use that for my characters in video games I play. It has become such a lore event, that I decided to boost the story even further. I created a little sign for them - 

Meet your Baker!

This is one of my game characters. I screenshot her from the game and put her to work as the sales girl in his shop. It must be working, or the sweets have truly garnered a following, as they have nearly sold out most weekends. 

I have really enjoyed doing this. I'm even learning new things to make based on requests that I get. And even better is the reward of a little extra cash to get 'fun' things.  

A Life On Hold

It feels like forever since I was posting on here. But that is what happens when you are flailing through life. These days, I'm constantly tugged one way or another. 

 

I have teenage boys that I need to get through their final high school lessons. They are struggling with the Algebra. Moms nemesis in school subjects. So we have a lot of days of failed tests and "I hate my life" speeches that I have to listen to. 

I have two girls who are only 4 years apart and yet may as well be 10 years in difference some days. They are constantly getting on each others nerves. 

And then there is the husband. In the south we have a term... God bless his poor little heart! He is generally patient. But even his patience seems to have dwindled since the high school saga began. Can't tell you how many days I have felt as though I'm walking this path alone. House full of people, but only one me to keep the balance. Gets tiring. Must be showing. I had a lady at church tell me she thought she needed to take me out of the house for a while. 

We don't do school on Fridays. Why? Because when else am I going to catch up on housework, bake for the weekend, and reset my brain to 'social' mode? Monday to Thursdays, I'm not a very social person. I'm holding on to that thin thread of sanity while trying not to decide if all 4 kids need to survive to adulthood. *Edit - NO, I'm not considering which kids to sacrifice to maintain my sanity. It was meant as a joke. Watch Jeff Allen and Tim Hawkins sometimes, people.* On Fridays, we sometimes go to Bible study (been missing a lot of those lately). I have to get myself psyched up to smile and chat and answer all the questions I can otherwise avoid. On Saturdays, I can get errands done. My husband will take me to any of the places we can't get to during the week, but he has this weird thing about being home and done by 3PM. I feel like Saturday is a race. How quickly can I run through stores and find what I'm looking for? Can I be done before he checks the time on his phone, or makes the motion of looking at the invisible watch on his wrist? Then comes Sunday. We have church in the morning, and unless it is an absolute NEED, we don't go out any more. 

This is where my husband shares his concerns that I'm at home too much. And it makes me crazy. See above and insert *I wonder why...* to the thought train.

All this to say, my crafting and my blogging have taken to the very back of the bus. Unless I'm working on a review that requires a blogged bit, there is a good chance you won't see very many posts popping up in your feed until life reaches a more.... balanced era. So if you like what you see, savor each one while you can. 

Until next time!

Busy About Life

I have noticed that I haven't been on here much. But that doesn't mean nothing is happening around here. Quite the opposite actually! We went to the Sheriff's Halloween Bash. It is definitely one of our favorite events of the year. If not THE favorite event of the year. One of my daughters got to wear her Mikasa from Attack on Titan cosplay she made. My other daughter was Mavis from Hotel Transylvania. One of my sons was Dark Link from Legend of Zelda.

I was a Sith. Friends from our church put this together. And they do a fantastic job. Word has gotten around. The line was definitely longer this year!

I also made a wonderful cake for our friend's anniversary that we had at the fall festival. It was delicious and made the event that much more fun.

My kids even got to ride horses for the first time while there. It made my heart so happy.

I've even gotten a request for another commissioned dessert in a couple weeks. But hey, this is just the light side of all the things I'm working on. I have another project in the works that is really exciting, so be watching! I also have some reviews on the sideboard.

Say I Won't!

These days have been hard. Some days have been so painful, Mom had to cancel school and stay in bed. I've walked through my house leaning on doors and walls to get from point A to point B. But I'm still singing! Some people ask, "How?" or "Why?". I mean, when things are this hard and all I want to do is cry, how can I still stand strong? Why is it that I don't give in and just wallow in the pain and misery? First, let me share a song with you. This one speaks heavily to me. Rebel that I am in my heart of hearts, this song sings to my soul!

Even on a good day, I'm struggling to keep the pain at bay. But on my worst days, I'm reminded that I am NOT alone. Every painful step of the way, I'm leaning on the arm of Jesus. According to doctors, I may be walking on borrowed time. No. I'm walking on God's timing. As long as walking is required to do what He has placed in front of me, I will keep on. And when my legs are no longer needed, I will ride that wheelchair to His glory. 

Through all of this, I have a choice. Accept my defeat and give up hope. OR! There is always an or. Or I can rejoice that these legs are still moving at all. Accept that there is still a purpose for me. And be thankful for the time I have had until it ends! Here's another one for you.

These are revolutionary thoughts that most people can't seem to understand until they truly walk a day in the shoes of opened eyes and hearts. But the more you praise God for His faithfulness, the more you find yourself in joy. The more you see the good through the bad. That glorious silver lining! 

That is where I am. Being thankful. Accepting the calling. And praising God for the wonderful ways He has been working in our lives. From the mountain top views, through those dark and shadowy valleys - I'm gonna keep looking forward. Just Say I Won't!

First Comes the Test, Then Comes the Lesson

In life, we don't always have the lesson first, do we? Wait, do we ever?? I don't think so. I think we always go through a tough time before we understand why. That is IF we ever understand the why.

My husband and I have been in the middle of a new lesson. Patience being a big part of it. Letting go of that idea that we can do anything without anyone else helping is another part of it. 

Last week, we started hearing something that resembled running water in the pipes. While nothing that requires water was on. Hmm that doesn't seem quite right, now does it? Of course we, the kids and I, told Dad when he came home from work. As well as having sent my husband a picture of a puddle that was in front of a door on our house. 

My husband had bought one of those cameras that you use to see behind the walls, that has an LED light and is flexible. We had gotten it to check on other plumbing issues, but now it was looking for a flowing pipe. No matter where my husband fed it through the wall though, he wasn't finding it. Next step was to drill holes in the walls. A couple in the bathroom. A couple in the hallway. Another one or two in the game room and closet. This is when I started to be concerned. He even opened up the air conditioning unit and found that there was a little pond under that! Well, now things are really getting interesting. 

Fast forward and I'm asking the church to pray for us. My husband and I are getting frustrated. With the situation as well as with each other. In theory, we should be able to handle this. On our own. But the more we look, the more trouble we are finding. All because we can't find the trouble! Then he reaches out to a friend in the church. That alone was surprising to me. Then he's asking me to get recommendations for plumbers that have equipment to find leaks under the floors and possibly under a concrete slab. Finally! We are going to get help. Ever want to suggest that to your spouse, but don't want them to feel that they aren't adequate because of it? That was me. 

To the Nextdoor app I went in search of recommendations. Our Neighbors never disappoint. I had a list of places to call within the hour. Unfortunately, I'm calling on a Friday. The soonest, but most expensive one, couldn't come out until Monday. The next in line, both in price and in availability wasn't until Tuesday. Great, a whole weekend of flowing flooding water under my floors. But then I got a notification. There had been a late addition to the list! Jose from Pro1 Plumbing. So I give him a call and catch him on his lunch break. He's willing to take a look, and only charge me IF he finds the leak for sure. He can come within the hour. I feel hope again! 

He shows up. He gets a lay of the house and how the pipes have to be based on where all our water fixtures are. I'm feeling pretty good about this guy. He calls his son and buddy over to help him in the search. They have to have someone turn the water off and on while he listens for the echo of the spray under the floors. He narrows down the area where the leak should be and then they double check to see where the water main comes into the house. All three of these guys are now digging in my front yard that has become a mud pit. I have two puddles now in front of each of my front doors. And he was able to show me water pouring over the slab. Part of the slab even crumbled as he pulled the mud back. 

My husband is at work while this is happening, so I'm having to text him and wait until he gets the messages through his spotty signal. I'm trying my best to keep him informed and also get his decisions on how to proceed. They are talking about needing to cut the carpet and roll it back to better hear the echo. I'm finally getting a price quote too. To find and repair this busted pipe. Which I now know is a gusher after having seen how fast the meter is spinning and how loud the sound has gotten. In my mind, I was determined to talk my husband into just paying these guys to knock this problem out the park. Get it fixed! They have the tools and the know-how. And I really do NOT want to have to rip up floors and tiles and carpet without knowing what we are facing. Not to mention having to possibly buy or rent the tools to cut the copper piping.

By the time they have dug the hole, it is already 4:00 and the heat is getting high. These guys are sweating and clearly tired. The job would take a least 2 more hours. Possibly more. So we all agree that it would be best if they stopped there and just come back in the morning.

Now, we fast forward to the morning after. We turned off our water at their request before they came over. We had moved everything out of the way of the areas they would need clear.

My youngest says, "It reminds me of when we first moved in!" She is so right. That had been my husbands assessment when he got back from work and saw all that the kids and I had already moved. I probably shouldn't have done as much as I did, which wasn't much at all, since my back has been acting up all week.

The guys showed up and found the closest point to the pipe they could get and had to cut into the hardwood floors that we have under the carpet. Then they had to get the ShopVac out and the jackhammer. Turns out, the pipe is under the slab. And the amount of water is incredible! They were carting out buckets filled. By the time they stopped, which was some time close to 5:00 I think, they had carted out about 25 gallons at least. 

Once again, I'm glad we decided to hire these guys. There is no way my husband and I could have done this alone. Even with help from our teenage sons. This is a massive undertaking. And we don't have the skillset for it. Our house was built in a time when they thought putting layers of tar and gravel under the concrete was the way to go. This is why the water is staying in place instead of finding its way into the ground. That, and Midland is mostly clay dirt, so water stays around for a VERY long time. But now we can see why the weeds in the front garden bed were springing up mercilessly! They were getting well watered by this leak. The plumbers had to leave again with the promise of coming back on Sunday. 

I was thankful to start putting our living room back in shape. The game room was near or over the leaking pipe and was quite the disaster zone. 

Then we had them here working through the day on Sunday. Only to find there was more than one leaking pipe! This house was built in 1952. Most of the pipes haven't had anything replaced since they were laid. We fixed one out front. And another popped loose near the front of the foundation. Then sometime, probably quite a while back, another couple joints came apart under the bathroom and game room. A sketchy patch job was revealed behind the water heater. And we were thoroughly ready to just give up. I'd love to have just curled up in bed and wished it all away. 

But we have had to juggle refilling water jogs to refill toilet tanks every time someone had to use the restroom. 

We have four kids who are tired of being trapped in either their bedrooms or the living room. 

Then came the big decision. Do we do a quick patch or do we actually re-pipe the house? A patch job won't hold. Not for long. So now, we are going with the saying, "In for a penny, in for a pound." We decided to have them move all the piping upwards through the attic! I'm glad we have a fantastically strong foundation with about 3 inch thick wood over about 3-5 inches of concrete, over a layer of gravel that was packed in, over a final layer of tar. This house shouldn't ever have issues with settling. Whoo! But they have to reroute the pipes upwards now. Yay...

That is what they worked on ALL DAY on Monday. My husband had to take a day off from work. We went without water, which meant having to purchase huge jugs and more bottled water to keep us going through the night and day. We kept the whole family in the living room to limit anyone getting in the way. The guys worked hard and fast, which made us happy. But it was hard on us all. Being confined in a single room. You'd think it was a zombie huddle. With spurts of activity when someone decided to do something. For me, it was incredibly tiring. Though I did manage to finish reading a book. 

Suddenly we think they are at the end of the job. Putting things back together. Cleaning up areas they were finished in. That is when another leak was found. They had turned on the cold water with no problem. Then they turned on the hot. And water spouted from another joint! I was  feeling pretty dead inside. Too tired. Too desperate for a shower. Just too much of everything at once! 

But as we were finishing up dinner in the living room, they were finishing up cleaning. They even repaired the holes in the wall, which wasn't part of the deal we made. They also repaired the drainage for my washing machine hook up that was leaking every time we washed clothes. I'm more than grateful for that! After all, my husband has been too busy to do it and the way he wanted to fix it was too much of a process. After all, engineers sometimes over-complicate things. I've been washing clothes since the plumbers left without any more leaking water! But that was all they did. I probably sound like those infomercials - But wait! There's more! They found out why we had this sewage smell sometimes. Turns out that the pipe that would vent sewage gases up out of the house, is cracked. So when the wind blows really hard, as it has been, it sends the smells right back in. Jose told my husband how to repair that when we are ready.

Time to think

I have been thinking a lot about the lessons we were facing in this. 

We had to let go and let someone else step in to fix something. 

We had to accept that it would cost us a pretty penny and possibly eat up the majority of our savings cushion. 

We had to 'rough it' without water. Again. 

We had to be patient with this plumber and accept that he has been working on the weekend and dealing with his family wanting his time as well. 

And for me, in particular, I had to accept that my weekend plans were effectively erased. I try my hardest to write my plans in pencil, but the weekend is the only time the kids and I can truly get out of the house and possibly do things. Not gonna lie, spending time at the park was looking really nice... But we couldn't do that. We had to be here for the workers getting things done. We missed church too, while waiting to hear from the plumber on Sunday morning. Not knowing when he might show up. 

I had my moments of doubt. Had moments of thinking we messed up in our choice of plumber. That maybe this was just a bad dream. No, wait, that was just my wish. And yes, even wondering why this was happening to us at all. 

But I will say this. There was so many things that were evidence of God's goodness. Things that I can be thankful and praise-filled about. 

1. Even with the water turned off, we could still use the restroom and flush the toilets. 
2. This plumber was no-nonsense. Honest and blunt with us. 
3. My in-laws weren't here while this was going on.
4. The prices we were facing, while still high for our income, were nothing near as high as they could have been. 
5. God gave us what we needed, included enough money to purchase extra water and microwavable foods to keep us going until the repairs were finished. 

There is a song by Micah Tyler called Even Then. I heard him in person once, and he explained the story behind it. The heartaches and trials his family were facing were still more than what we had here. Part of it says, "Even when the waters won't stop rising... You're with me even then." The waters were rising under our very feet. But God got us through. And sent the right person to fix it.