Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some click-to-enlarge pictures of my dear blessings:

Just curious

What does the following mean to you?

We purpose, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit... to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort...

It's a great house!

Loren said the inspection went very well, and most of the modifications the inspector recommended, Loren thinks he could do himself. (That's saying something.) We're still gathering paperwork for the financing, but I suspect that will work out just fine.

So today I will be packing the garland I bought for the pillars,


the wreath for the front door, the welcome sign for the back door, and the little pre-lit tree for the foyer.


We're starting to get excited now!

I'm sharing pictures, you know what that means!

Our offer was accepted! This may be home by December, though I'm hoping for a lot more white at that time. Loren and the inspector will do their thing on Friday morning. If all goes well and the financing works out as we expect, we'll be well on our way!

Ok, so here's what's to like about this place: over 3000 sq ft, 5 bedrooms, 2 baths, a basement and an attic, original woodwork, new windows, two leaded windows, new roof, 3 types of heat (wood, oil, and electric), fruit trees, lilacs, 3 car garage and another outbuilding, all on 8+ acres.

Tiny bubbles...

And big ones, too! I took the plunge and made soap. Twice. The first batch was a recipe I made up, wondering if I was looking at the right numbers in the right way, and having no idea what to expect. I scented it with Sage & Lemongrass fragrance oil, and if the ball I made from trimmings is any indication, it's delightful!

Sage & lemongrass, fresh from the molds

The second batch was even more experimental. First of all, I created a recipe based on my leftover oils, hoping not to have to move them to Minnesota as oils. Once those were used up, I added enough palm oil to make this batch the size I wanted. As a result, I think I may have used a bit too much palm oil. I'll have to wait and see how that turns out. Then, I experimented with color. That was... interesting. And finally, I divided the batch and used two different fragrance oils. The half I mixed was with Green Garden FO, and Lynae mixed her half with Jasmine Dreams FO. I still go back and forth as to which scent I prefer. I probably won't know for sure until they've cured for a few weeks. Meanwhile, I have closet shelves full of soap, and my bedroom smells wonderful!

As you might guess from the picture, I'm still trying to get the hang of cutting and trimming these, as well. Right now I've got large rectangle bars, some almost cube-shaped bars, oval bars, little guest-sized rectangles, and several balls. Not one of them is perfect. I'm trying to be ok with that for now.

Northward bound update

I don't have the date yet, but we should close on the sale of our home in the next week or so.

We're mostly packed now. I could get the rest done in a long day if I had to. Or if Lynae helped me, a reasonable day. Somehow Toby just doesn't "get" practical packing guidelines. I hope his things make the trip intact. But he's working hard at other big projects for me, so it all works out.

Today it got up to 79º here, and Lynae doesn't have any short-sleeved shirts unpacked. She's a trooper, though, and I haven't heard her complain.

We're putting in an offer on a house about 10 minutes from the school I used to attend. It's right across the road from an active railroad track. It's at the edge of town (pop. 102). There's a bit of water in the basement. The cell reception in that area is poor. And I might not be able to get DSL. But all that aside, it is by far the nicest house we'll look at. It was built in 1920 and lovingly cared for. If our offer is accepted, I'll share pictures. If not, we'll rent through the winter and see what 2007 has in store for us.

You're right. Those things I mentioned about the house are very minor. And that's all the "cons" I could think of. If I were to go on about what's right about the place, you'd be reading here much longer. And I'd get all excited. So, in an effort to remain relatively sane, the "pros" will wait until such time as an offer is accepted. :-)