Unexpected Blessings!

So, I thought I'd jump on here to say that I had a bit of good news today :) I called our mortgage company to inquire about whether they needed me to send them a tax bill that I'd received last week, since we pay an escrow and that is supposed to cover our taxes. Anyway, I had several questions that I asked (since this is our first go-around with owning a house/taxes/etc.) and I wanted to be sure that I have all of our bases covered. One of the things I asked was when we would know what our "new" house payment was going to be, since I was assuming that it would increase at least somewhat for a new escrow amount - higher taxes is what I was getting at. I really don't want to get hit with a huge tax bill because we haven't been paying enough all year! So, she said that our account wouldn't be reviewed until September, at which time they would adjust our payments accordingly. UNLESS we wanted to have a review done now? So, of course I said yes - I'd much rather have the increase now and know that we're paying enough versus waiting until almost the end of the year! Well, she quickly ran through a few things then informed me that our payment would indeed be changing. Our property taxes had actually DECREASED and we had overpaid according to their records, so not only is our house payment going down, but we're getting a $450 refund :) I was shocked - since when do taxes go down?!?

Anyway, for now, we are very excited about saving about $40 a month, and the refund will be a nice addition to our savings account :) That said, I'm not going to just assume all is well - I plan to call them again over the summer to have them re-asses things to be sure we're still paying enough!

So, thought I would share and say PTL for God's grace :) Our being in this beautiful house was nothing short of a miracle from start to finish, and He is continuing to bless us and remind us that He is in control!

*P.S. This photo was taken during the snow we got on December 4th - Alex's birthday :) The orange blockade was put there by the water district when they ripped out our sidewalk and part of the yard to fix a pipe! Its the most recent pic I have right now.

Below Freezing...and Dropping!

We live in Texas - for a reason! We aren't used to having temps in the freezing zone, much less below freezing! And to hear that temps will be in the teens tonight and not be above freezing tomorrow just makes for a miserable weekend!

And I have plans...to be out of the house tomorrow! What was I thinking?!?

Oh, and then we have the little problem of the frozen pipe on the side of the house - the one that had a hose attached to it that neither Michael nor I disconnected, even when I suggested to Michael that he go out to do so - yes, I am blaming him, and he's blaming me for not doing it myself. Anyway, said hose is full of frozen water, making it weigh more than my youngest child! And the water in the pipe - frozen solid! I'm praying that it will start to melt - even slightly - so that we don't end up with a bigger problem :( When he gets home, we'll be going out with rags and duck tape to wrap it up, along with the 2 other outside faucets that are thankfully not full of frozen water.

And yet...the kids want to go outside to play! With temps below 30, they would prefer to brave the elements to ride bikes, than to stay inside, where its warm, coloring. The coloring, which was their idea, lasted for 10 minutes. We'll see how long the playing-outside-idea lasts :)

New Year's Resolutions

I don't generally make a New Year's Resolution, simply because I know its something that I won't keep. I decided long ago that if I was going to commit to something, I needed to do it when I meant to keep it, not when it was "time" to come up with something to resolve. So, I've never bothered.

BUT, its been way too long since I've blogged! BUT, I have excuses...good ones, I promise!!! For instance, I've been busy...3 kids will do that to a person. And then there is the pregnancy - the gestational surrogacy that I embarked on. Being 3? and pregnant will make a person a little less energetic! And then we moved...we closed on our beautiful home on 9/30/09 and have yet to unpack enough boxes to clear a path in the garage :( And of course Christmas came & went, so all of the hubub that goes along with the holiday season kept me away. Toss in 2 birthdays during the month of December and one might agree that blogging would fall to the bottom of the priority list, right??? RIGHT?!?!

So, don't count this as a New Year's Resolution, because its not! BUT...I resolve to get back to blogging. I'm sure I've missed allot of milestone moments or funny stories that I should have written down for posterity's sake. I have lots of pictures I want to share, and I would bet that if I think about it long enough, I can conjure up a few funny tidbits, BUT sometimes life happens! So, if I miss a few postings here & there, or am absent for a short time, I promise to return :)

Did you miss me???

Taking a break!

We are "out", enjoying our summer, so I'm not taking much time to post on the blog right now. But, if you are interested in finding out what might be happening with this or this, feel free to click the links and browse away!

Now, if we could just get a little rain....

Summertime Fun!

As a few of you know, Alex, still my baby boy, left for his first "summer camp" experience on Sunday morning - the buses pulled out bright & early at 6:20AM! Two buses loaded with 60 kiddos left for Dry Gulch USA, a Christian camp based in Oklahoma, and run by Willie George Ministries. This is the 6th year our church has attended this camp, but the first time for about 2/3 of the group that left on Sunday. Today is Tuesday and I miss my little man so very much, but know he is probably having the time of his life :) Anyway, the children's pastors are keeping a blog of their daily goings-on, and are posting a few pictures to appease the parents. Tonight I found my son's picture on there...he's flying!!! OH.MY.GOSH!!!!