Box of Chocolates

The sellers didn't accept our offer.  Mark was on his way to apply for the rental.  Hope to hear tonight since the movers have a delivery day of April 6th!  I have lot to do since we are moving this Saturday and here I am holding down the desk chair.  If this house is still on the market in six months and our house sells we can always try again later.  Not looking forward to two moves but I want to be together and that is all that matters.  

This is a long shot but worth a try.  We are making an offer on this house today in hopes that we don't have to move twice in a year.  Tricky part is we want early occupancy and August closing date.  Apparently it can and does happen.   It seems fast but Mark and I have looked with a realtors help since March 11th.  So, three weeks of narrowing it down.  Mark and I both liked this house on the virtual tour and he actually went in yesterday and said it would work for us. The school is great stat wise and the schools are one of our top priorities.  Poor Mark has been all over the county looking at houses to buy or rent.  After a week of looking he likes this house.  Praying for Gods will.  If we don't get it, there are others and we have a rental back up plan.  I will give details later if we get this house.  Also, someone is coming Wednesday to look at our house.  We had someone Saturday too. Pray one of them the "one"!  It only takes one.    

I am on Facebook daily and love flair.  I had a local friend send me flair that said , " True friendship isn't being inseparable. It's being separated and nothing changes."  I'm hoping that once I leave this area I have many friends that are true friends.  This post is an ode to such a friend.  One friend of mine moved away many years ago and I realized the other night that she is that just that friend.  It doesn't matter if time or many miles separates us she is a true friend.  I realized after a long conversation on the phone with that person (her mostly listening) that I have a gem of a friend and I am so grateful for her.  I just wanted to send out a shout to that person, you know who you are and let you know I think your the best!   Maybe one day God will let us live in the same city.   It is funny as you get um... well.... older you start to have friends all over the country.  I do have many friends all over the place and each of you are special to me.  ...

Mark starts his new job this morning.  It took him almost 12 hours to get there yesterday. Without the kids!  EEE GAD!  We have quite a trip ahead of us in less than two weeks.   We still don't know where we are going to live but Mark starts going to the rentals tomorrow. We have narrowed it down via internet and email with the realtor.  Please pray he finds something so we can be together soon.  Also, we haven't had any action on our house in three weeks.  We even dropped the price. We haven't had one phone call for someone wanting to look.  I know it will all work out, but wishing it would be sooner than later.   I am packing slowly but surely.  I look around and say, "well there isn't that much to do".  Then I start opening doors and drawer and say to myself "where did all this stuff come from?". Not sure what to pack next.  Seems this week might be toys and nonessential belongings and narrow down to what we will need for the next two weeks.    Pl...

We decided to throw a party for Nathan before daddy leaves for Alabama.  For a few reasons, first we wanted to see as many as we could before we leave and second Nathan's birthday is the end of April in which we will have zero friends around us by then.   We got to see 40+ of our closest friends and family and it was a blast! I'm not sure how we are blessed to have so many great friends and they will be missed!  HUMBUG!  I can't even type without getting teary.   I don't think one person read the "no gifts please".  Nathan is very grateful for those that chose to ignore it or just don't care. For those that got the girls something too, Thanks!  I on the other hand have to pack more stuff.  ERRRR! I have to say Nathan put on quite a show.  I have one friend that can relate.  1 baby boy + 2 older sisters = HAM!  He is a hoot and is great for a laugh or five hundred in a day.  We all love our baby that is turning three.  Poor guy will always be my baby boy!  ...

I went to eat lunch with Madison today at school and while she was eating her cheeseburger her other top tooth fell out onto her lap. She picked it up, handed it to me and said "nice".  So we spent most of her lunch in the bathroom and office.  Two teeth in less than four days.  Hopefully I will remember to do a certain something tonight.   

Ada you will love this... Madison loses her tooth yesterday on the way home from school.  I am so excited, I take a picture as soon as she gets out of the van and post it everywhere and email it to family.  I clean it off and put it in a zip lock (easier to find under the pillow, right?) and we tuck it under the pillow and we all, ALL fall asleep.   Madison wakes up at 5:30 AM and says to me, "I can't see if the tooth fairy left me anything". PANIC stricken.  I FORGOT THE TOOTH FAIRY JOB!  Okay this is my only job on earth.  I can't remember to exchange cash for a baby tooth. I send her to the couch and tell her it is too early that she has to try and go back to sleep.   I grab Marks elbow and he says to me, "it is only 5:30".  He was awake and heard her too.  We both lay in silence for 30 minutes hoping she falls asleep.  Funny thing is once we talked to each other thirty minutes later, both of us were in bed formulating a plan.  He wanted to sneak out our ...

How cute it this mug?  Madison finally lost her first tooth.  She pulled it out on the way home from school today.  

I told Mark at least a month or two ago.  You better buckle your seat belt because when it starts to happen it will be fast. UNDERSTATEMENT!  We really need a five point harness, like Nascar with an escape hatch in the roof.  This is one wild ride.   Yesterday we had a "moving" sale.  We have never done a yard sale before.  I was a little leery of the whole idea.  It just doesn't seem worth all the work.  We just had so much stuff we can't move to Alabama.  It seemed worth it.  We made about $220 off our "junk". What it really accomplished was actually going through our belongings and deciding what we want to keep.  So, my garage is full of unwanted items and I will be dividing and conquering that tomorrow.    Thanks to the friends and family that helped us.  Your gems!   Today was the last day Mark played in the church band.  It has been many years now that we have gone to Calvary Chapel and we love our church and it is the hardest (beside our family) to ...

Okay, I have to say I am a Dave Ramsey fan.   I don't follow him like a cult and I don't do everything he suggests.  BUT the underlining idea of what he is trying to get people to understand is good and I think based on his biblical beliefs.  This sign/sticker is the truth and I think that if more people acted their WAGE and our economic climate wouldn't be such an issue right now.   His point is get out of debt, stay out of debt, save and then GIVE! What is wrong with that idea?  I really could get on a soap box but won't.  I encourage everyone to visit his website.  

I just need to list my blessings.... Five months of unemployment. Really! I have learn so much and realized that there is so much in life that is pointless, trivial and just a plain waste of money.   Although it didn't keep me from buying the Cricut did it :)   Marks new job. Relocation package in this time of economic craziness. Never expected it and yet so blessed (even though it will be taxed) to get something. Living below our means for years. Which isn't always fun, but really has paid off the last five months. After five months of unemployment we still have money in savings. PRAISE! I don't have to go back to work, HUGE BLESSING. I would if I had too, but so blessed to be a wife and mom that works "from" home. The friends that help you put stickers on your junk to sell. For the friend that always comments on my blog or the friends that email me an encouraging word. The friend that saves you bubble wrap. The friend that understands the importance of Ho...

The garden has been a little less than a victory.  We are NOT the farmer type.  Although we have learned a lot about the veggies we did plant.  We never got to eat the romaine lettuce.  Who knew that lettuce flowers and once that happens, yuck!  It makes the leaves bitter.  We also learned that each little broccoli is a flower bud and if you wait too long each little bud flowers and turns yellow. Again, you don't want to eat that.   The zucchini and squash..... well it died.  We tried to save them but just when they started to look better from the disease it froze here one night and they all died.   All Mark wanted when we put the house up for sale was one tomato. We have gotten a few red tomatoes and a dinner serving of broccoli.   The broccoli is about ready for harvest again.  It has been a learn experience.  The kids love it!   

Looks like we are moving to Alabama and will be living in the Tennessee River Valley.   The August average high is 89 degrees almost 10 degrees cooler than here.   I already regret not spending more time out at Fort DeSoto and Grandma's condo on the beach. Lucky us we know lots of people that live on the Gulf Coast of Florida.   Mountain life will be different for us.  We are so looking forward to it though.  Here is a crazy statistic ~ there are 4 million people in the Tampa/Saint Petersburg metro area.  4 MILLION! There isn't even 1/2 a million where we are moving.  385,000 people in the metro area.  I welcome a city with less people.  There are over 4,000 people per sq mile here verses 350. That is a huge difference.   My kids are excited, but they are so young they really have no clue what is going to happen in the next month.  Nathan says we are moving to "Balabama".  Mark will go two weeks before us and work out renting a place and come back to get us for the bi...

This past week has been interesting and the coming months will be too if everything doesn't fall apart. It should be quite the Stofer Family Adventure.  Do you hear the pessimist in me?   If and should, usually not in my vocabulary.  I try to stay positive but the past five months has been full of false hope and let downs.   The one thing I know is that my hope in my God is the only thing that will suffice.  Some reading might say I can't believe she believes all this religious hooey and you can choose to read on or not,  but I will continue!  I do have faith in a God that is everlasting and I do believe He has a plan for me.  So, needless to say I have prayed that He would direct our path and lead us where He wants us.  If I chicken out or say "surely isn't the place God wants me" then my religious beliefs are just that, religion. I would be a hypocrite.   I am by no means perfect, but I do believe the bible is infallible word of God and I believe what it has to ...