New House

Ok, now that things have settled down a little (ha!), I thought I would upload a few pictures of the house. I sure wish I had taken "before" pictures so that the "afters" could really be appreciated! You can't imagine what this house, built in 1923, had turned into before the renovations. Oh, and ignore the yard. It is a work in progress!

In desperate need of landscaping...

Kitchen...what I would give to have a garbage disposal again...



Dining room. This funiture was my great-grandmother's.

Living room. One thing about wood floors, they never feel clean!

My teeny tiny bedroom. From what my closet was, to what it is now, you would think I had magical powers making my clothes fit!

Guest bedroom. So far, the only one to enjoy it is Mina (the cat)!


My pink bathroom isn't nearly so shocking now that it is toned down with charcoal, black, and white.

And life rolls on...

Well, a month and a half later, and I've just about moved everything into the house I'll rent from my grandmother. This has NOT been an easy transition. I'm very much missing the freedom of living on my own, although I do enjoy the company that living with my parents provides.

However, I will be so glad to be back in my own personal space. Of course, nothing could run smoothly. My grandmother is a sick woman, who MUST worry and work herself up over things. This does not bode well for future renters. Now that the house is almost done (we just need the yard leveled and the roof over the carport redone), she is telling my mom that she can't handle the stress of the house, and she doesn't want to rent it. I, of course, am livid. I haven't waited this long, moved all of my gigantic furniture in, and put up with things to be told she "just doesn't want to rent it". Why do all of the remodeling to let it sit there? So, in effect, I'm ignoring the fact that she has said this to my mom, and today I hung up the curtains in my dining room.

Ugh...why would things run smoothly?? There must be some lesson I'm meant to learn in all of this. God wouldn't have uprooted me from my life in Houston, to return me to my roots if it wasn't part of the plan. I can only try to wait patiently while my next steps are revealed. It is so difficult to let go of what I want from my life to believe that what He wants will be shown. I just trust that God wouldn't have put the love and desire for a husband and children in me if he didn't plan to allow it. Just because it hasn't happened how I wanted it to doesn't mean that it isn't going to happen. I've never been patient when it comes to things I want.

Maybe that is my lesson.

A New Start

I've moved back in with my parents. After 10 years of being on my own, I'm now sleeping in my childhood room, with all of my belongings lost in storage rooms. I can't wait until my house is ready to move in. Yes, I do enjoy some of the perks of living with my parents (mainly, no rent), but it is so tough to live with people after you've lived on your own for so long. I'm having a tough time with it. I'm sure it will get better...or I'll move into a tent on the football field?? It is amazing how quickly you revert back to the roles of parents and child. I don't like it one bit. I may go crazy if I have to pick up after them one more time...

Anyway, I'm renting a house from my grandma. Or, rather, I will be when it is finished being remodeled. It was built in 1923 and hadn't been updated since. It has come a long way. I'm constantly told by the carpenter/contractor/gossip man that it will be finished soon. I wonder what soon means to him? They have been working on this since about May.

I'm working/finishing several projects, but I just haven't had the desire to post pictures. I think I'll wait until I'm finally all moved in, and then show before and after pics.

In other news, after having the summer off (as a teacher) I'm forced to return to the classroom on Monday. I feel as if I need to be asleep by 8:30 each evening, regardless of whether or not the sun is still up, just to make it through the day. It will really be a change from my previous school, and I'm really hoping that it is a good change. I'll keep you posted.

Still Packing

I'm down to 3 and a half days left in Houston. I must admit that as much as I have hoped and prayed over the past several years for a new direction in life, now that it has come, I'm nervous and filled with anxiety.

I tell myself over and over that I am ready to return to my home town to leave my mark, but the prospect of leaving my dear, dear friends and my favorite 3 year old is almost too much to handle. I think this is why I've had so much trouble packing up my house.

Yesterday, the realator came by and put a sign in the yard. She also insisted on taking pictures of my disaster zone of a house, which I think will only hinder her progress in leasing this house. Oh well. So, I guess it is all real and I will be leaving my home of the last 3 years, not to mention hometown of the last 6, on Saturday.

So, it is now back to packing....

Oh, and I saw this idea and decided I needed a break from packing the other night so I've made some of my own. I'll take pictures when they are in their new home!

Packing Fun

I've spent the past two days on the phone trying to cancel, update, move, etc. all of my accounts. I forget how very time consuming moving is. I've done my best to make sure that everything is now updated, but I have no doubt that that something has been forgotten.

After spending the last week back home, I'm now back at my house for the next two weeks to finish packing and preparing to move. I know that in the past I have said that I enjoy packing. I must have been dilusional. Walking into my house, one would notice some boxes and disarray, but would hardly think that I'm preparing to move in two weeks. I just can't seem to get motivated to mess up my house in the way it needs to be to get packed up.

On the bright side, I've cancelled Tivo, talked with Chase, and am awaiting an email from Nelnet all while packing a total of three boxes. I'd call today a success.

Denial...It ain't a river

Well, the packing is not going well. I move out, for good, in less than a month, with many classes, appointments, and traveling between now and then. I just can't seem to make myself get out the boxes and tape and start doing it. I have been telling myself that it was because I didn't want to live in a messy, unorganized house, but I think that has been a lie. My house is currently messy and unorganized due to all of the packing things laying around.

When I moved out of my classroom, all of my (5 years worth of) stuff moved into my office. I think it has grown roots through the floor and into the earth. I've also bought odds and ends and just never found a place to put them, so they are all living in my dining room. I have a pantry, refrigerator, and separate freezer full of food that something must be done with, but I convinced myself that I have nothing to eat. So, I went to HEB yesterday and loaded up some more. Maybe I'll get the pantry packed and to the food bank soon...sure.

I think that my not packing is one more attempt at trying to ignore how difficult it is going to be for me to leave my friends and move back home. If I don't start packing, I won't start hurting...

Oops..

I seem to have forgotten that I have a blog.

While I haven't done anything "homemaker-ish" lately, I have been busy. I have recently resigned from my first "real" job as a teacher here in Houston. This came after many months of contemplating the direction I want my life to take, and I realized that it was taking me back home.

Now I know that many people think of my hometown, Palacios, as being boring, dirty, etc., but to me, it will always be home. I have these grandios ideas that it will beging to flourish as other coastal towns have, but it will take time. I'm really returning because, to be honest, I've been lonely. I've been on my own for 10 years now, and in Houston for almost 6. In that time, I have made really wonderful friends, but have recently felt that my life is stagnant. I'm not moving forward as I had wished. I always thought that by now I would be married and raising a family, but God hasn't allowed that, yet. I have no doubt that I will raise a family, and if I have to do that in an unconventional manner, so be it. However, I have become lonelier and lonelier in my life here, and I knew it was time for a change. After much debate, many panic attacks, and more doubt and questioning, I have accepted a position as the 9th grade English teacher in my hometown.

So, I'm trying to make arrangements for moving back home and preparing myself to leave my very best friend, so life has been stressful. I go back this week for my first professional development with my new department, and I hope that I make a good first impression. I hate that I'm so concerned by what others think of me. One of my biggest pitfalls is that I worry about what others think. This includes my intelligence, success, performance, physical appearance, etc. I guess it stems from low self esteem as a kid. Being the fat kid can sure allow the scars to be carried over into adulthood.

Anyhow, my one domestic contribution for this blog is a hastily made, unplanned watermelon cake. My mom and I were in the checkout line at the grocery store when she saw a magazine cover containing this cake done to look like a watermelon. Well, it happened that the next day we were attending a benefit for a friend and we were baking cakes and jelly for the auction. Mom decides it would be a great way to occupy me during the day, so we get the things needed for the cake.

Now, when I first started this, I did not expect it to take 6 hours of my time. I did not expect the frustration, and if you know me, you know what a perfectionist I am, so I did not expect it to be sub-par. Working with only a butter knife and toothpicks, this was the final result. If I ever mention doing another cake like this, just mention the word "watermelon" to me. It should serve to jar me out of my insanity.