Fall Frenzie!

I got really behind in blogging this past year and I have a lot of ground to cover so I will condense the fall into this frenzied post...

1. Fall football! We love football.  We got to enjoy a Seahawks' game with Christina's family and she learned something about herself that day.  If you like funny, humiliating, resourceful stories...ask her later.



We went to the Cougars game against Oregon State which was played at the Clink as well.  It was fun for Matt to go to a College game for the 1st time (it was actually his 3rd, but apparently Whitworth doesn't count since it isn't Div. I, and the UW game we went to last year is easily forgotten as it quite possibly might be the worst memory of our married lives--crying children, freezing cold, incessant downpour. Stanford won though!). 

Matt also spent each Saturday coaching his little guys in Woodinville.  He comes to life in a way I haven't quite experienced when he's coaching.  It is brilliant.  We are hoping he can continue with this endeavor in years to come...

And, we spent many Friday nights enjoying our Young Life kids' football games.  They went to the State Semi-Finals.  They were stellar.

2. Pumpkin Carving/ Halloween!

Our first Fall in our new neighborhood has been a learning experience.  We learned that just because you live on a safe, little, quite street does not mean that you get trick or treaters... We bought 20 lbs. of candy and we had a total of 2 visitors that night!  So funny.

3. Continued home improvements...we put up new closet doors in the hallway and installed a heater!  We had baseboards originally and we replaced them with blower heaters...they work great!  We also learned that the BIG, beautiful trees in our yard make a great big mess in the fall.  Good job Matt.

Strawberry Extravaganza...

Some of us country folk like us some home made jams and jellies.  With a newly purchased home, I thought a good way to initiate the kitchen was to make freezer jam!  Yum!

I went to pick berries with Hannah Dockter and her girls, Devyn and Kenzie, out in Carnation or some of them those parts... ;) 

When I got home I started cleaning, chopping, mixing and pouring until I had this delicious, beautiful pile of jam that should last the year (especially since Matt doesn't like berries!).

New Wedding Pics...

So call me crazy (and Matt does, indeed) but I was not super pleased with our original wedding photos.  Well, a friend of mine volunteered to take some more for us so Matt and I put on our wedding duds and went out and got some photos taken.  Here are a few...

Thanks Rose and Patrick Joiner!

New House...New Fun Challenges

We have been in the new house now for about two months.  It has been such a blessing having our own place but also a challenge because it seems like every time we turn a corner, there is ONE MORE THING that needs to be fixed.  Matt is right now fixing our shower drain what was clogged with Chubacka (Sp?) and leaking into the crawl space.  We found this out when we had a team of men in the crawl space on Monday replacing our insulation as the stuff that was there was not doing it's job--it was as if there was no insulation. 

the bags and bags of gross, old insulation

I have been painting and fixing up the place to make it feel like "home"!  I love doing that stuff but we just now go summer here in Seattle, so it has been a long time coming.  I have furniture that I have been repainting and making ours! 

Kitchen BEFORE...

Starting the paint job...

a bit of decor...

and more...

almost done.  Not sure what to make the curtains for the shelving unit out of.  Red gingham, solid green or should I match the window drapes?

I have also been looking for work as I lost my job and decided to try to sell the precious jewelry that I have been creating for years.  Check it out on laluzcrafts.blogspot.com or at etsy.com/shop/laluzcrafts. 

Matt is working hard and staying pretty busy.  Thank you Jesus for provision!  And, he just got signed on to coach youth football in Woodinville, so he is stoked and we are looking forward to fall Saturdays filled with concession stands, football helmets bobbing on children's' heads and whistles!

Speedbumps...

As posted before, we were supposed to close on our house last week, but that didn't happen as planned because of the Appraiser (aka Real Estate deity).  Had we closed on time, nothing that has happened in the past week would have been an obstacle, but God continues to teach us about His faithfulness and we are continually amazed. 

I was told last Friday that my contract at work would not be renewed for the coming school year.  (Another story for another day.)  It boils down to the fact that I was supposed to have left earlier in the year, but I was too scared and insecure to obey that leading.  Since I did not obey, I get to leave under less than desirable circumstances now.  Regardless, I am relieved that I get to move on and at peace with the goings on. 

Without my income on our loan application, it seemed that our loan would no longer be approved.  We debated back and forth about how best to proceed and we decided to submit paperwork with just Matt's info on the loan application.  With my college loans, it looked a little like our debt to income ratio would be a bit too high and therefore we would not be approved. 

On Thursday, we learned that we were approved with just Matt's income! So, we will be moving into our new home in the next week or so, it looks like! 

There have been so many ways God has shown us his faithfulness and provision.  We are so thankful.

Please be praying that I find a job that is meaningful and fulfilling and adds joy and pleasure to our lives rather than stress and frustration!  Thanks friends and loved ones!

Furniture, Appraisals and Toilets...Oh My!

We are still in the process of buying our first home!  It has been pretty smooth, but it recently hit a road block.  The appraiser found a few minor issues that we were already aware of and were planning on fixing as soon as we moved in (i.e. replace current toilet, add support and drainage for hot water heater and add proper drainage around the foundation).  However, in the home buying world...what the appraiser wants, the appraiser gets.  Meaning, if they find issues with the home, the owner MUST fix them prior to the loan closing.  Therefore, we cannot get our loan closed until these things get fixed!  Who knows how long that will take?!?!?  We are praying that we can still close on time and move Memorial Day Weekend!  Please join us in that prayer!

In the meantime, I have been doing a lot of shopping for our new little home!  The kitchen is very small.  For a chef like myself, that could be problematic, as I have lots of gadgets and gizmos that make cooking yummier and easier to do.  So, I have been looking for extra storage for the kitchen (i.e. butches, buffets, and the like). 

A couple weekends ago, I took Matt to work in Everett thinking I would just run to a couple furniture stores and then pick him back up in a couple hours...well...not too long into his shift, he called to say he was going to be about 6 hours...so I looked around with a little more attention than I thought I would have initially.  I was originally planning on looking to price things out and quickly found that some of the things I need are pretty expensive to buy new!  Then, I stumbled upon a little flea market/ furniture store there and found some great pieces.  An old, short, 3-drawer dresser and a bookshelf with some really cool angles and woodworking.  My plan is to stack the shelf on top of the dresser and store kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, towels and other items in it.  I ended up placing them on hold, however, because the clerk told me that there is another store up north on Camano Island!  Since I had extra time that day, I decided to make the trip up there!  It was a wonderful store, and I found some other odds and ends that seemed useful, but nothing more appealing than that combination from the first store.  Thus, I returned to Everett to purchased the dresser/ shelf and plan to repaint and distress it to look uber cute in our new dining area.  (Although, I did go back up to Camano Island to purchase a little table later!) 

The past couple weeks, I have been searching stores, online and especially Craigslist for a buffet to go in the kitchen as well.  I finally found one last Thursday and Matt and I made the trek to Olympia to get it!  It is so wonderful.  It has several spacious drawers, but I am only going to keep the top two and will cut out the rest of the wood to create a "garage" environment for storage down below.  I plan on making curtains to enclose that space that match the curtains I am making for the kitchen window!  And, the best part is that this buffet came with a hutch, but since I don't need it in the kitchen, I will put it in my craft room and it will provide an excellent place for all things crafty!

All four pieces were still cheaper than a brand new one!  I love saving money!

I will post pictures as soon as I am done!

The fall and winter...a brief overview!

We started leading Young Life at Woodinville High School and one of our clubs was 80s themed!  It has been a rebuilding year so we don't have a ton of kids coming, but we are working diligently at building relationships with kids and growing the kingdom! 

We are fired up! Seahawks game that Christina's mom took us to in October!  So fun!

Just so I can move on, we also attended a Husky game (yuck!) and it was literally the most miserable day ever...aside from the Stanford Cardinals kicking their butts!  A very typical dreary, rainy Seattle winter day.

Our first Christmas Tree!!!

We attended the Scheuerman Christmas Party and as such participated in a gingerbread house decorating contest...mine was a Seahawks Fan House!

We found Matt a nice little fishing hole.  He is so in his element when he gets to say "bobber down!"

And, I not only sewed this table runner, but I also got an espresso machine that makes YUMMY drinks that I get to enjoy in my big FiestaWare mugs!  Heaven!

This is the birthday cake Matt made me.  Isn't he thoughtful?

Now it's officially SPRING and I am in heaven!  Hooray for sunshine!