So close! The bedrooms, the hallway, and one bathroom are all finished. The kitchen has been painted and just needs a few touch ups. The kitchen needs cleaning, the living room needs painted, the yard needs mowed, the garage needs cleaned out, and the van needs loaded. And everything on the To Do list needs done TOMORROW as the carpet is being installed on Wednesday. A deadline means we'll get stuff done quicker. But it also means I'm tired and can't go to bed. :(

Ohhhh my goodness, it's never ending! I feel like the painting and cleaning to get the house ready for sale is never going to end. I wanted so badly to leave here on Wednesday afternoon, but now it's looking like we'll be lucky to make it out of here by Friday...when the house is listed!

Sigh. It's taking so long!

So what has been going on for us this week? Lemme tell ya!

On Tuesday, the movers came to pack up our stuff. The boys and I took off for a few hours. We went to WalMart, to the park, to my doctor's appointment, and McDonald's. We were here for a little bit while the movers were here, but not too long...and the boys stayed out from under people's feet.

On Tuesday night, the realtor came by. We discussed what she thinks we should list the house for and improvements that need to be made in the next several days...things we were already aware of and planned to do. I think we're listing the house way too high and it's never going to sell at that price...but I'm no realtor so we're going with her suggestions.

On Wednesday, the movers came back to load up our stuff. The boys and I stayed here and sat on the driveway watching. For four hours. It was long and boring and ugh. But it's done and over with and our stuff is on its way to Ft. Detrick, Maryland!! :) Also on Wednesday morning, the carpet guy came to measure the house for new carpet. Yay! After everything was done on Wednesday, we started painting.

Adam bought a Power Roller electric painter. It definitely makes the job quicker, but painting is still slow and tedious. The boys room and the master bedroom both needed two coats of paint, but thankfully, the playroom looks good with just one. Adam does all the walls and I do all of the trimming. It's more work for him, but more tedious for me. But we both have to be working hard or we'll never get this done. We did one coat in the boys room and master bedroom on Wednesday.

On Thursday, we woke up and headed to WalMart...again. We picked up a few things we needed and then came back home to hang out for a little while. The boys were getting their pictures taken by an amazing local photographer (www.paigekimballphotography.com) at a nearby pond. I CANNOT wait to see how they turned out. They both had goofy, crazy smiles and half the time weren't paying attention to what we wanted them to do...but they are cute and silly boys and I'm antsy to see how things turned out.

We had to stop at Lowe's and Home Depot on the way home...oh, and Goodwill to donate lots of stuff. We grabbed some dinner and came home and decided we were happy with our day of no painting.

Friday, however, was another story. We got up early and started painting right away. We added another coat to the boys room and the master bedroom, and started the first, and thankfully only, coat of paint in the playroom. We also got the hallway started. We had to stop in the evening to run to the laundry mat and do two loads of laundry, but we still got a lot done.

Buddy also had to go to the vet yesterday. He needed caught up on his shots and Adam discussed a few other problems he was having. Apparently, he has arthritis and allergies. Poor guy. We'll be picking up a few over-the-counter meds to help him feel better.

Today, I'd like to get the hallway finished, the closets in the bedrooms painted, the finished bedrooms cleaned, and maybe we'll start on the kitchen. I'd LOVE to have the painting finished by tomorrow night, but I'll be thrilled if it's done by Monday evening, too. After the painting is all done, we have to rip out all of the carpet...by we, I mean Adam. It shouldn't be too difficult, just time consuming. We're not painting the baseboards until the carpet is ripped out, so we will have that to do after the carpet is gone.

We also have a lot of cleaning to do. Every nook and cranny and sticky fingerprint needs cleaned up in order to have the house ready to show. It won't be difficult and should only take a few hours, but that's also on the list of "To Do" stuff. We have some exterior work to do as well. The doors need repainted. The trim around the door frames, garage, and porch columns need repainted. The grass will need mowed again. The hedges need trimmed and we need to lay down some mulch.

I'm hoping we can get all this stuff done by Thursday...as the house goes on the market on Friday. Without the new carpet installed. I have no idea when that's getting done.

shhhhh, the movers are coming..... :)

So tomorrow the movers come. They will be here around 8:00 to pack up all of our stuff into boxes. Then they'll finish up and leave and come back on Wednesday to load everything into the truck. And then we'll have very few things left here. :) We'll be sleeping on an air mattress and eating dinner from a card table. It's not so bad, but already my poor pregnant belly is not looking forward to it.

Today we have to pack up everything we'll need for the month of September into as few bags as possible. We have to clean up the house so everything is in it's place to be packed correctly. We have to clean out the van, bring the tubs down from the attic, get rid of a few toys, pack up a few toys so the boys have something to do for the next week, make a trip to WalMart, etc. :) It will be a very busy day to start off a VERY busy week.

Tomorrow after the movers leave, the realtor is coming by to go over stuff with us. Wednesday after the movers load up, the carpet guy is coming by to measure the house so we can order carpet. On Thursday we're going to start painting...if Adam hasn't already started on Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon, the boys are getting their pictures taken.

All I need is the energy to get through this week. I know it will go by fast...the days always seem to be passing faster and faster, but I'm tired just thinking about all of it. I guess if we can just get through tomorrow, we'll be good. But first there is today.

What is a friend? If I told you that my mind has been centered around friends of mine all day, praying for a miracle for them...would you think of them as less than friends if I told you they were people I'd never met?

I homeschool using Five in a Row and spend time everyday on the message boards there. But it's not just a homeschooling forum. It isn't just a place where I ask about math curriculum or for handwriting help. It's a family. A close, tight-knit, loving, caring family. A family that when you need something, the best and greatest something, they will provide it for you...they will pray for you without ceasing. They will reassure you, they will comfort you, they will storm the gates of heaven on your behalf. And they have likely never met you face to face.

And when one of our own is struggling, we bear the cross with them. We pray and pray to God Almighty that He shows our sister our endless love as He loves.

And tonight one of our sisters is so very desperate for a miracle and we've responded with overwhelming prayers. Yesterday her toddler was hit by a car. She posted briefly, while at the hospital, that her baby was in the PICU with severe brain injury...not expected to make it...and to pray. And that's all she had to say. And we prayed. And we still pray. But it doesn't look like God's plan is to keep that precious little boy on this earth. He will likely be home with Jesus by the time I am done writing this post.

And we weep with pain. And we still beg God for a miracle to save his life. And we sit staring at the word's on our computer screen and wonder how it's his time to go already. And we reach out to our own little one and hug them so close.

Last week, another one of the FIAR mama's posted about a friend of hers who was dealing with a very sick baby in the hospital. He was born in May and at the beginning of July his Mom took him to the hospital with concerns for his breathing. At the time the prayer request was being made last week, this precious little baby remained in the hospital since his initial visit in July. He suffered from a genetic disorder, found when he was admitted to the hospital. I visited C.'s blog everyday, begging and praying to God for a miracle to save her tiny little baby. But this morning she let us know that he went home to Jesus today.

I know I shouldn't question God. It's all in His plan. But these are just babies.

I'm off to kiss my boys yet again. Thankful that I was given another day with them.

Realizing how very precious my children are and how so very blessed I am to be their mother. Everyday that I have with them is an amazing gift from God.

Praying for some Mom's I "know" tonight.

May you feel God's healing touch tonight. May He bless your child with a miracle that only He can give.

I've been spoiled lately by a husband too willing to run out for food so I don't have to cook! :) The moving company had a representative come out to the house today to survey our goods. They need to know how many people they need and how many boxes, etc. He was nice. It took him about 4 1/2 minutes. :)

We've nearly sold all of our outside stuff. It's weird to look out back and see an empty yard. I am so very excited to move, so excited about the adventure. Sometimes, though, it's a little hard to look at things changing. Before we bought this house, Adisson had four addresses in two years. And this is the only home my nearly three year old has ever known. Two yearlong deployments. The loss of a pregnancy. The birth of a child. Living in this house as just me and Adisson and now we're collecting baby stuff for #3. I will miss our home. I will miss the memories made here. But the memories get to come with me. And someone else can hopefully can start making new, happy memories here.

The boys get their pictures taken tomorrow evening. Then Thursday is Zander's dental procedure. Then the last weekend here with all of our stuff. We're really moving.

And I'm putting my faith in the Lord God Almighty to help us along this journey. I worry sometimes, ok, a lot of times, about moving and this house sitting vacant. I want it to sell quickly for a few reasons, namely for the financial aspect and then because I will worry everyday about what is happening to the house while we aren't there to take care of any issues. But I know that it will sell, in God's time. I just have to have faith that He will work this all out for us.

I've got to go to bed. First I'm going to grab the blanket I bought for my little MW tonight so I can look it a little more and think about what it's going to be like to snuggle my third, and final, son in this precious little blanket...when he gets here in just five short months! We're so very blessed.