"More and more boxes appeared, more and more things seemed to disappear!" - Oscar P. Woofington Moves

 I can't think of a move accurate way to describe moving! Boxes, or storage tubs this time, do appear and other things seem to disappear! And even things that we might still need...I tend to pack more than I should at times (and maybe too early). 

This move, has been a little different in that we had to remove a lot of items for the photos and showings. That was the first "wave" of packing. We are now in the second "wave" as all the rest has to eventually be packed up for the move. I'm ready to have all of our things under one roof again! Ready to not be surrounded by boxes and tubs. 

At the end of Oscar moves (in the Dear Reader), I wrote that I thought moving to this home would be the last move. That was the thought. Then God showed us so much more...if. If we moved. Family, resources, opportunities were more available, if we moved to another county/town.

The process of buying and selling is never "easy"! And ours has had its bumps.
We listed the house and scheduled an open house that led to weeks of no showings and us making a significant drop in our pricing. Our realtor was thinking we might need to drop the price again, but we felt like we needed to stay where we were longer. Then one day....a showing, an offer and sold! We had said often that it just took one and it literally did. Our buying was also out of the ordinary. We had starting looking and not finding, starting to get frustrated by what we thought we might have to "settle" for. Then a family member told us about a neighbor talking about selling their house and our need for one. That led to us seeing the house and making an offer to them. Hand shakes, celebration with energy drink in wine glasses (you had to be there), and an agreement among strangers. 

I should back up and say that our looking and making an offer....was before we had put ours on the market. And sellers are not big fans of contingent offers! Our sellers weren't the biggest fans either, but seemed willing to trust us enough to "get it done". We quickly got our house ready and on the market...for it to sit. But...in just the right timing we had a contract on our house. As I type this, I'm again in awe of how amazing God's plans are and how He works out the details.

We will leave this home and create a new together. I love this thought! This new house will be ours with new memories that will be all ours. This house has history without me. We have made this house ours as best we can....painting, replacing, removing, changing, etc. However, there is something I'm really looking forward to with the fresh/new....especially with the proximity to family!

And somehow through this process, we have come to really care for the elderly couple that we are buying from. They are characters, but so are we in our own ways. They are the only owners of the house...and it has only been the two of them there. I like to think that they are happy to have us as the next inhabitants. We are certainly grateful that they trusted us in this process!

Excerpt from Oscar P. Woofington Moves:
Soon our house was empty.
This would have had me very worried, but my ladies didn’t seem concerned at all.
Then they asked me if I wanted to go for a ride again.
We pulled up to the gentleman's house!
I was excited to go back inside with them.
But do you know what I didn’t expect to find? Our things!
There was an amazing combination of the gentlemen and ladies things!
Comfy cozy - just like I like it!
This is my house.
It is all mine! 
Well, mine and my ladies and my gentlemen!
I share it with them.

Oscar has a way with words doesn't he 😉 (you can read the whole story - just let me know if you want a copy or feel free to order it on Amazon). #shamelessplug

It will be comfy cozy and all ours very soon! 

I had hoped to be writing more blogs, but I'm at least trying to get one a month. So here is March....

March has marched in and almost out of here! Spring break just ended and we are entering the last push for school and for our move as well. Right now life is full of "the move" - boxes, tubs, storage units, closing items, etc. 

I've continued to write in my "Oscar P. Woofington" series. There is something with these and I'm continuing to enjoy looking at life through Oscar's eyes and mind. The newest publication is Oscar and Bad Habits. Such a cute little guy couldn't have bad habits...could he?!  I have another in process and under review with my author friend. I'm wanting to start to go a little deeper with these books and provide conversation starters for those reading. This summer I plan to participate in some Coffee Shop Hops showcasing my books. That was one of my goals this year! I just purchased a tabletop display that I'm excited about using!! With our upcoming move, I've been re-collecting my books that have been in local stores. I haven't sold any in that endeavor, but am proud of the process and effort. Meanwhile, my mom has been selling my books! I love that she has shared them and that someone else was interested in them. 

Besides the craziness with selling, buying and moving endeavors - my youngest and I continue to create for our booth. Having a booth has been something that we have enjoyed over the years and we will see if we have the success with it at our new spot. So far the sales have been slow, but the crafting is always fun! This month also brought a little traveling and I was able to connect with my coworkers - seeing some of them in person for the first time.

Life is full of possibility and I'm looking forward to all that is to come with our upcoming move. 
Maybe not so much the packing and unpacking...but the new settled in version :)

The day that we traveled "south" to sign the official paperwork to purchase our next house, there was a rainbow in the clouds. I noticed it and even pointed it out to my love. I wasn't sure if I was seeing it or if it was an odd reflection. But, he saw it too - a rainbow in the clouds. Over the next few days as I was reflecting on that sight and the peace from the evening, I looked up what we had seen. A quick Google search told me, "Cloud iridescence (or "rainbow clouds") occurs when sunlight diffracts around small water droplets or ice crystals in thin, high-altitude clouds (cirrus, lenticular), creating brilliant, pastel-colored patterns. Often mistaken for "fire rainbows," this optical phenomenon is distinct from a traditional rainbow, appearing as patches of color near the sun." It doesn't seem that they occur often, but there it was as we went to sign paperwork on a house that we want to buy and are with the contingency of selling ours. 

As I read on, I found this - "In a literary context, Maya Angelou famously used the metaphor of "a rainbow in the clouds" to symbolize finding hope, help, or being a blessing to others during difficult times. " It isn't lost on me today the message of that rainbow for us! 

I didn't try to take a photo of it or even think to...just enjoyed it. Wanting to share it today, I found some photos online and this is close to what we saw...

It was beautiful, peaceful, and full of promise!

The words, "that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud" really stuck out to me as I read this today. The words strike my heart with reminders of His faithfulness and promises and I'm thankful.

And then I'm reminded of my word for this year....possibility. 
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

It is beautiful, peaceful and full of promise...His WORD - as was his rainbow reminder.

Because we had nothing else going on in life (said with sarcasm), we decided that we should look into moving. Actually we didn't think we would ever move again (either of us), but for several reasons we decided that moving to another county would benefit us in several areas for our future. 

So, we began the process of thinking....what do we want and need for a house, what are we willing to give up and what do we have to have, what can we afford and where. We started to look and shared with some of our close friends/family that we were considering this move. We connected with an agent and looked at some properties, we met with builders in an area, and spent more time than needed looking online. It would be a family member that would connect us with our potential house...and more on that later.

We also knew this whole thing meant selling and started to prep for that. Once we had a house that we wanted, it put major pressure on getting ours up for sale and sold. Our agent came and gave us a list of recommended things to do in prep and we hit the ground running (giving ourselves just a little over two weeks). Weekends (plus days and nights) were spent painting, packing up, cleaning up, and more. We have a couple of storage units now so that the house looks "almost like no one lives here". 

The photographer came and took the listing photos and the next day they were live. It hit me how "public" this all is. Everyone has a view in our house if they want to look. It feels a little vulnerable. Not to mention those that will come and see it in person as we open our house to potential buyers. My private refuge, is now on public display. 

​What would you (will visitors) see? It hit me a little more why our agent advised us to remove personal decor and make it look almost like no one is living in it. Yes, it makes it look bigger and more spacious...but it also reduces the impact of the invasion feeling (just a little). 

Our first open house weekend, didn't work out as we had hoped. Instead of feeling invaded, it was desolate...and we felt defeated. All of our hard work and pushing to get it ready....didn't pay off like we had thought (yet). I was talking with a colleague and she said, "I hate when you get high hopes and then life throws you a curve and makes you be patient." That summed it up! 

So we remain an "open house". We are open to buyers...come one, come all. And I am trying to be patient and open to not knowing all of the timing and plans. As all it takes is one...right buyer, right time and right price. 

My #oneword for 2026 is possibility. 

These verses are so similar in wording and I love the personality of the writers of God's word...the little differences here. But more than that, I love that "Jesus looked at them and said". He LOOKED at them when saying this...sounds like He wanted attention, it was important for it to be mentioned. (I tend to think that Jesus looked at people when speaking, but to specifically state this makes me think it deserves some attention.) 

I sense Him saying...
Trust Me
Lean on Me
Follow Me
Look to Me

New Booth!
We are excited to announce that, in partnership with Jeannie McPhail, Em and I have a craft booth open again!! The partnership created Dandelion and Daisies!

You can find out more information online at:
Facebook - www.facebook.com/DandelionandDaisiesBooth

See and purchase items:
Craft-ee Crafters Craft Mall in Topeka - 1947 NW Topeka Blvd, Topeka, KS, United States, Kansas
We are Booth #107