When my sisters and I were younger we used to listen to Karen Carpenter a lot on rainy days.  I almost feel like it was a springtime tradition because we would get weeks of typhoon weather when we would be stuck indoors playing board games and mopping up water that leaked in.  One of our favorite songs was "Mr. Postman" We would break into choreographed routines using whatever we had on hand as our micorphone singing at the top of our lungs.  I think it's fitting to sing about the postman in rainy weather.  It reminds me of the creed they take, "neither rain nor hail nor sleet nor snow..."  Well, unfortunately when it comes to roofing you can't be as dependable as the postman.  So today we are working on indoor projects as thunderstorms taunt us.  The new roof will have to wait until Wednesday (the forcast is for SUN!)  In the meantime we have worked on replacing the hall carpet, painted the hallway, replaced/repaired light fixtures in the bathroom and dining room, and I've started packing away photos and knick-knacks throughout the house.  My allergies are going nuts from all the dust we've stirred up but at least I can be thankful that the rain has freshened the outdoor air.  Monday is our May 1st deadline but we will obviously have to push that back a few days until the roof is on.  We are pleased with the work we've done so far... it's kind of sad to think we will be leaving all our hard work behind but we are definitely ready for some more space! 

This past weekend we spent two days in Kansas City area celebrating the wedding of Chris' brother Joshua and his new bride, Michelle.  It was a beautiful event and the happy couple are now honeymooning at Big Cedar Lodge, Branson.  We managed to get home (at 1am) and catch a few hours sleep before Chris had to go to work again. 

 

Now that we are back home the packing has reached full swing.  Chris and I just sorted through all of the kids toys and for the most part have limited them to just one boxful each.  We are hauling most of them off tomorrow along with the old carpet... good riddence.  We had hoped to be a lot further along with our packing but we got sidetracked with work and school... go figure! 

 

The kids are taking all the upheaval well and even joined in the sorting earlier today.  They "found" a bunch of their "favorite" toys when we started moving the beds around to paint the walls.  Both rooms are now painted and after tomorrow (cross your fingers) will be "staged" for showing the house.  Next is our bedroom which needs decluttered and painted (of course) and a with a little rearranging we should have it looking spacious as well! 

 

We are still aiming for our deadline of May first to have the house on the market.  Not sure what we will be listing it at but everything is just falling into place so we are trusting God will help us decide that when the time comes!  Saturday, if it's not raining, we will be having the roof shingles replaced.  While Chris is doing that I plan to haul a truck load of items over to Goodwill to donate.  We contemplated the garage sale idea but decided it was too time consuming and we will be better off just getting a tax receipt. 

 

Keep praying that all will go smoothly for our move this summer and most of all that our "dream home" will be available at the right price when we are able to make an offer. 

The last few weekends we have been trying, in vain, to take the kids out to the nature center for a short hike and spring picture taking.  It seems the weather never wants to play nicely.  Either a cold front comes through and our week of 80's turns to 40's for the weekend or gray weekend skies pour down on us after a perfectly cloudless week.  Well, this Saturday dawned with wind blowing and sporatic showers teasing us as we hoped and planned for a late afternoon venture.  Luckily the sun came out just as we were heading out and we were able to snap some shots of the kids with their cousins... I've posted some here so I hope you enjoy them! 

 

Plans for moving seem to be coming along just fine.  Chris has ripped the carpet out of the play-room and plans to start laying the new on his day off.  Our realtor, Kathy, has been awesome!  She came by and helped us make a "to do" list for getting the house ready.  She even offered to bring over some tubs to help the kids pack up their toys.  She seems impressed with the work Chris has done on the house in just a short amount of time. I have been doing my part by using my "spare time" to work in the flower beds.  The kids and I planted some marigolds in back bed along with a cypress vine to climb a hummingbird feeder trellis.  I've been trying to keep the weeds pulled from the front beds (after all the help I had to get them looking nice I need to keep them that way)  I'm also continuing to sort through closets and cupboards to get rid of as much clutter as possible.  With less than a month left in the school year we are hoping for a quick sale and a smooth move to a new house (cross your fingers!) 

It's a strange feeling to walk into work and know that you dad is one of the patients. I guess the pay off is that I know and trust the people who are caring for him so that gives me a huge sense of calm that I wouldn't get if he were somewhere else.

Luckily, they were able to discharge my dad yesterday afternoon in time for him to get his radiation and chemotherapy. We were so grateful because the radiation is very beneficial in treating his pain. On Sunday our family will be going to church with my parents to celebrate Easter. Easter has always been my favorite holiday but it has even more signifigance now because of the hope that I have to see my sister again. It is also very soothing to know that Papa's pain will end as well and he will be rejoicing with Susan and his parents as they wait for us to come as well into God's kingdom. I am so blessed!

Speaking of springtime... our house is really shaping up now. Chris painted the "playroom" today. It used to be purple but now it is a beautiful creamy eggshell. Next is to replace the carpet and stage that room for showing. We've already packed up about half of the kids toys and the rest will be packed tomorrow... with a few exceptions for keeping them entertained until we move. Chris is going to rent some storage and start moving "stuff" out of the house so that it is as clutter-free as possible. One by one we will get the rooms ready and in no time we will have the house on the market. Our goal is for the 1st of May.

The insurance adjuster came out to see our roof today and decided to give us money to paint our trim, replace screens, fix the coils in our AC, and replace the roof. Praise God! It is just more answers to prayer and confirmation that we are making the right decision about moving. After four years of knowing we needed to find a bigger place we are finally seeing that dream come alive!

I guess there is no better time to do all of this than in the Spring when the temperature and the mood is just perfect for CLEANING!

Tonight we got to enjoy watching Chas in his spring concert at school.  The theme this year was all about building good character traits! He sang songs about being responsible, keeping promises, and the value of knowing who you are comes from inside and not from external influences.  He did a great job! 

 

After we got home and the kids were in bed we got a call from Mom saying that Papa was feeling weird like he had several months ago when he developed a dysrythmia called atrial flutter.  His blood pressure was low-normal but his pulse was racing between 120's and 150's.  So Mom took him to St. John's ER to be checked out.  As it turns out he was in a. flutter and they immediately gave him a dose of IV cardizem to control the rate.  He will most likely be admitted for observation, in fact he may end up on the floor I work on.  Needless to say we are all nervous for him but we are doing our best to give it to God as His hands will bring healing that none others can.  I would appreciate your prayers!

It is becoming a bit of a tradition now to drop in on Grandma and Grandpa Feistel Sunday after church for a bowl of ice cream and big hugs.  The idea of Sunday night snacking has been in our family for quite sometime.  Mom tells about cookies and milk and maybe peaches at her house growing up and when I was a child we almost always got a steaming bowl of chinese noodles.  For my kids it is well known that Grandpa always has ice cream in his freezer so we take a quick detour off the highway as we pass through town and enjoy a treat! 

 

I spoke with the kids today about Grandpa's cancer and how the news we got from the bone scan was not good as we had hoped.  I struggle with how much to tell them and whether I should try to shelter them from the pain that we are all feeling as Papa battles cancer.  In the end I feel like honesty is always the best idea.  I have always been matter-of-fact with my kids so I went ahead and told them that the cancer is worse along with his pain.  I reminded them to slow down (no running in the house) and to be careful not to bump into Grandpa.  Charles was a bit worried and asked if it was still ok to hug him.  I reassured them that Grandpa not only welcomes hugs but NEEDS hugs!  I think they are taking it all very well considering.  This has not been easy on any of us.  Through this experience both Charles and Abigail seem to be growing in their relationship with God.  They were quick to remind me that we need to continue to pray not only that God will "make Grandpa's cancer go away" but also that "Grandpa won't hurt so much".  It is humbling to see their faith when my own is shaken to the core.  God knew when he gave me these children just how much of a blessing they would be for me.