Roller Coaster Ride

I suppose my dear readers are wondering what has happened with the buying of the house. The whole affair has been an emotional roller coaster. We made the first bid on the property the first week of May. My husband Phillip went to Traditions Bank and decided to apply for an FHA loan so that he only had to put 3% down. One would think that, with his excellent credit and considerable equity, he would have no trouble getting a loan. The bank, or should I say the bank's underwriter, Synovus, was... difficult, to put it gracefully. Synovus made ridiculous demands about the condition of the house we are purchasing- even though we have no power to make those improvements since the house is not yet ours! For example, the first time we tried to close, the bank didn't let it go through because they wanted an attic inspection- on a house with a vaulted ceiling! I mean, good grief! Do they have rocks for brains?? I think that they still don't understand what a vaulted ceiling is. Phillip was granted an extension on the contract for the second time. Our real estate agent, Kay Whaley, (who I love- she's the best ever!) warned us that the seller may not allow us to extend the contract a third time if we did not close by July 23. One thing after another led us to believe that it was never going to happen. I prayed for God's Will, even though I wanted the house badly. I finally resigned myself to the fact that we were not going to get the house, and told myself that God was protecting us from something horrible- faulty wiring, or foundation problems, etc. Then, Kay called Friday afternoon (the day the contract expired) and said to be at the lawyer's office at 3:00- we were going to close! So, I dragged my three ruffians out and met Phillip at the lawyer's office. The lawyer sat us down and explained that Synovus had another hangup regarding the driveway. The driveway is shared by our intended home and the neighbor, and it is actually mostly on the neighbor's property. I didn't exactly understand what it was Synovus wanted, all I knew was there was not a scrap of paper on the table for us to sign. As the lawyer spoke, understanding dawned on me, and I saw red. I blurted out, "So, what you're saying is, we showed up here for nothing?" Phillip thought I was going to come unglued. He later told me that, at that moment, he feared I was going to jump across the table and strangle the lawyer. He quickly reminded me that it wasn't the lawyer's fault, and I shouldn't take it out on him. I had to fight tears, I was so angry. Phillip left the lawyer's office and went to Traditions Bank to "jerk a knot in someone's a**". He asked to see the bank's president, Tim Compton. Phillip told him about our troubles, and his opinion that the issue needed to be escalated to higher-up people. Phillip said Mr. Compton was very nice, and not at all condescending. Mr. Compton told Phillip that if the FHA loan didn't go through again, he would personally go look at the property himself, and if it made sense to him, he would make sure we got the loan! Phillip explained that he was frustrated that he had left work early to go to a closing that didn't happen, and as a result, lost money. Mr. Compton walked out of the room, and returned with $300 that he gave to Phillip. He said, "This should make up for it. If you make more than that in an afternoon, you have an excellent job." He explained that Traditions is trying to win more checking accounts, and he wanted to win us back. I believe he is well on his way. The seller did allow us to extend the contract for a third time, and we finally closed today! The house is now ours! I feel like I need to pop open a bottle of champagne and celebrate! (Actually, I will, since I have to make a champagne cake for a customer!) As a result of our ordeal, I think we will really appreciate and enjoy our new home. Now, the work begins!

Bathsheba

I was at the grocery store yesterday when I noticed a family walking in together. They caught my eye because the two little girls in this family were absolutely gorgeous. They had long, blonde, curly hair, and cute little pixie faces. What broke my heart, however, was that those sweet little angels were dressed like hookers. Short shorts and halter tops. I was so upset that I actually had to choke back tears. Why do parents see nothing wrong with dressing their daughters like tramps? I mean, do they actually think it's cute? I remember a day not so long ago when I came home with a bunch of clothes that I honestly thought were cute- shorts, tank tops, tight jeans- you know, what most girls wear these days. My daddy sat me down and had a talk with me about how men's minds work- ewww. I was horrified. Needless to say, I returned every bit of it and came back home with clothes more befitting a lady. At the time, I thought my parents were just being sticks-in-the-mud, but now I realize that they were trying to protect me, and I am grateful for it. They taught me that modesty is important, that is does matter how you present yourself. I hear things all the time like: "It's my body, I can dress it how I want." or "If guys want to look at me, that's their problem." or "It doesn't matter what I wear. It's what's on the inside that counts." Yes, my dear, that is true. But when you look like a bad girl, people are going to treat you like a bad girl. If you think for one minute God is not going to hold you accountable for all those men you caused to lust, you've lied to yourself. I became convinced of this years ago- probably not long after my daddy gave me "the talk"- when I came across an article called "The Sin of Bathsheba". You can read it at this link: http://www.momof9splace.com/sinof.html

I hope this article has helped my dear readers to understand my reasons for trying to dress modestly. Admittedly, I have been careless and worn some things I'm not proud of, but I do try to dress in a manner that would please God. That is not to say it is not difficult. I struggle with dressing modestly all the time. I wonder "Why me? Why do I have to know that I should dress modestly? Why can't I be like everyone else and just wear a cute top and jeans? Why do I have to be different?" Just because you dress modestly does not mean you have to dress like Laura Ingalls. You can be "in style" and still dress modestly. You just have to shop carefully, and be honest with yourself when you try things on. Ask yourself, "If I was meeting God today, would I feel appropriately dressed in this?" If you need a place to start, visit my friends' store, Pansy Anne's: http://www.etsy.com/shop/pansyannes

Babies Don't Keep

Just in case anyone was wondering, we still have not closed on our new house. The loaning bank we are dealing with is being impossible. Hopefully next week the house will finally be ours- after that, I fear the sellers will want to move on to greener, less time-consuming pastures.

On a lighter note, a few weeks ago, my sweet Alice started sitting up and crawling, all at once. A few days later, she started pulling herself up and standing while holding onto the coffee table or a chair. A couple weeks ago, she said "Dada"; then, a few days after that, "Mama" (we decided her first word was really "Hey!"). It saddens me to see my baby girl growing up so fast. My mom reminded me just the other night about a plaque she used to have. I looked it up on the Internet, and I want to share it with my dear readers:

I hope that my child, looking back on today

Will remember a mother who had time to play;

Because children grow up while you're not looking,

There are years ahead for cleaning and cooking.

So, quiet now cobwebs, dust go to sleep.

I'm nursing my baby, and babies don't keep.

I am so grateful to my mom for reminding me of it. I have been so caught up in all the cares that life brings that I often forget that my babies are growing up all too quickly, and soon they will leave me. When I am dead and gone, no one will remember me for the clean house I kept or the delicious cakes I baked. But maybe my children will remember me for always being willing to drop whatever I was doing to tend to their wants and needs, and for taking time out of my busy days just to play and read books.