Seasons in life. Trust.

At Jules & Clayton's wedding

It's almost a month after I wrote the last post. We have sold the house (almost). We have bought another house (almost). And a lot has happened in between.

I won't go into all the technical details of what we've been up to in the past month. Let it suffice to say that it has been very, very stressful and this selling/buying journey has taken many unexpected and mostly unpleasant turns. I still know deep down that God's hand is in all of this but if I would have known how drawn out and stressful this process will be, I am not sure that I would have signed up for it.

One of the lovely things that has come out of it is that I really feel that Neil and I have grown closer while going through this. He's a rock in this family when I fall apart and holding on to him is very reassuring.

I've also felt God speak to me many time. Peace. Calm. Reassurance. Love. A resounding "trust in me". "Just trust in me".

I heard someone say that often times God is not so concerned about what it is we are going through (He knew it was coming and has made provisions already), He is interested in our response and growth through these situations.

I've been through seasons in life. When Neil and I met, I was going through the "Hope" season. This is the "Trust" season. I am learning to trust. It's a beautiful journey because I know that there is a safetynet under me - God's provisions.

A lovely family day on ANZAC day

Daniel "helping" mommy pack up the house :)

Stress is a thief

Tips for selling your house

I am not an expert but here are a few things I learned:



Tips for selling and buying from our experience:

• NEVER EVER sign a contract for selling or buying before your solicitor has read it and approved it. The agent selling our house is outstanding, the agent of the house we want to buy is ... less than outstanding. After we signed the contract, our solicitor said there were a few things hidden, which were crucial. Learn from our real estate mistakes. 
• Invest in styling. Guaranteed price hike if buyers can imagine themselves living in your house and they will if what you present looks really good. I have a friend who has an eye for this thing. I invited her over and told her to give it to me straight. She did. It has paid off - 8 offers on the first weekend.
• De-clutter! I've looked at a lot of photos of homes presented for selling and been to a few open homes. The one thing that really devalues the visual presentation of a home is clutter. For the purpose of increasing the perceived value of your home, if it does not fit, hide it. Same for photos. Same for decorations on the shelves, same for a lot of little things that take attention away from the bigger, more important things.
• Make sure your house is clean when people come to look at it. I've been crawling around, mopping every weekend since we put the house on the market. And I say it is worth it. I've been to homes for sale that have not been cleaned and instead of being interested in it, I want to leave as soon as I can.
• Find a good agent. Totally worth the time spent in research. Our agent is AMAZING. This house is on the (very) cheap side on the scale of real estate and yet she had 4 people working here during the open house. Even a guy holding an umbrella over people's heads while they were coming in on a rainy day - I was speechless!!!!
• Pray over it all. I am a Christian and I believe that God has totally been in it when we bought this house and in the process of selling. It's important to say thank you and it has give me peace in some very, very stressful situations.

Our first home

When I was about 6 or 7 months pregnant we were told that the apartment that we were renting in the city will be sold and we should look for another place. We were ready to do this because with the birth of first grandson we knew that we'll have lots of lovely guests over.

So we started looking. It was quite the story as Australian realestate is VERY expensive. We looked and looked and were getting pretty discouraged because for what we could afford there was not much. Until I came across this house about 12 kms from the city (further than we wanted) but it was freshly renovated and quite the steal for the price.

We looked at it and decided to go for it.

This is where all our esteemed guests sleep. Actually it looked very different all along but the realestate agent came along and said we need to create space. So the double bed went and this lovely pull out couch was purchased. I love this room! 

This is the home where my first baby was born. I know that down the road when I look at these photos I will think of all the love I experienced here for my firstborn. This is where he came home from the hospital, this is where he learned to take his first steps. This is where he first said "mummy". Those moments have been absolutely priceless and they have happened here. 

This is my baby's room. Actually, it is not used as much as one would think because he sleeps with us most of the time. Still, this is his room. 

This is where I have set off too many smoke alarms and once or twice cooked up something that my husband said "wow, can you do this again?". No. Wait, I don't think he has ever said that. Oh well, my gifts are in other areas...

As much of a total blessing that this house has been, there are a few things that just don't work for us anymore. There is no flat space for Daniel to play and he LOVES being outside and playing. Also, the house is on a road and I always worry he can run out on the street. Finally, this is a little something that I have never understood about Australia and especially Queensland. This is one of the hottest and most humid states in the world and air conditioning is a rare thing. In fact, most homes don't have proper insulation which means that in the winter is gets COLD and in the summer it gets HOT.

Our living room. After Daniel goes to sleep Neil and I get out chocolate (wine, pistachios, tim tams... etc) and enjoy our evening. Lately I have been enjoying "My Kitchen Rules". This still doesn't mean I can cook...

As someone who has grown up in a country where preserving heat and cool is of essence this sort of building is a nonsense. I still don't understand why the houses are built this way but anyway, I will leave it here. My point is that winter in this house was COLD. I was not ready for it and I never want to experience it again. From now on I will only buy brick and tile house, instead of wood and without insulation in the walls or ceiling.

There is a lot I could say about this place, the LARGE land we have in the back of the house that also has been breeding grounds for pythons the size of anacondas, turkeys, dinosaur-looking lizards, cockatoos, and possoms. Don't get me wrong, there is two million other creatures but I don't venture down there. I am still a European, not a Crocodile Dundee...

This is where Daniel enjoys his baths every night. 

This is where I get cuddles from my baby in the mornings. I love those times. 

Our lovely deck. It doesn't need comment.

Due to the blunders with the house we want to buy, there have been some very stressful moments. I think we are out of the woods now but at one point, if everything was going to turn against us, we would have ended up on the street and the house we want to buy would have been sold to someone else. I was stressing. Seriously stressing. Feeling sick stressing. The lessons I learned about that are in the post below.

Back yard

Front of the house

Sometimes I look at others who ... are way richer than us and I get swept up in that feeling of "we need more". It's something I need to consciously remind myself not to fall into. 

I am thankful. Thankful to the bottom of my heart for the blessing that only six years after moving to this country we have been able to buy a house. I know that we are so very, very blessed, there are millions and billions who can't afford food, let alone a house. We are blessed, so very blessed. I don't ever want to forget that. I don't ever want to take that for granted and forget. I want to bless other with the blessings that we get. 

So through this whole experience, stress and worries I am learning to trust and to thank. It's a beautiful thing.

"Trust in me"

These last few days/weeks have been 'learning to trust' kind of times. There is so much uncertainty, so much unknown, so much instability – something I was not prepared for and not expecting. It just sort of hit me in the face like a brick wall. After every set-back I am thinking, ok, this should be it, things will turn around after this. But they don’t.

I have been feeling the adrenalin in my belly mixed with complete exhaustion. I have been hating this whole process and wishing for it to end already.

Through it all, I have turned to God many times asking for advice and every single time I get one answer “trust me”, “I am in control”, “Leave it in my hands”, “Give it to me”. You would think that a person who has any amount of faith would just do it after this message being reinforced time and time again and while I am able to gain peace, the anxiety rises and I am back in square one.

I know deep in my spirit that it will be all ok. I know it without shadow of doubt. Not only because I’ve felt God say that to me but also because I trust that He will take care of us. Through this process I have had a few thoughts.

In times of uncertainty our spirit is fertile ground for faith to grow. In these really hard, difficult times that no one wants to go through, that we try to avoid at all costs, we actually probably grow spiritually the most.

During these times we are able to turn to God truly, and be vulnerable and open like it is hard to do when things are going well and there is no real need to depend on Him.

I have also thought a lot of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac. I wonder what he was thinking when he was climbing the mountain with his son, who God had asked to sacrifice. Sorrow? Grief? Anxiety? When his servants asked him what he will sacrifice and he answered “God will provide”, was he sure of it or was it just an answer that he gave in faith?

For Abraham the sacrifice was complete trust in the face of uncertainty. He didn’t even sin in his answer to his servants. I can’t say that I have been able to do that.

I have re-read that story many times and at the very beginning it says that God wanted to test Abraham. God allows these testing times in our lives. God makes them happen.

Finally, because Abraham didn’t veer in his faith, he was rewarded richly. There is always a reward after testing and after sacrifice made to God. God rewards richly.

I feel like this is a time for testing for me and for us as a family. I feel inside that the end will be good and there will be blessings in the end but going through it is still hard and it is still hard work to constantly keep turning my thoughts to God and to keep consciously reminding to myself all the times that He has provided and blessed. I force myself to remember what have been the times that I have built altars because God has come through and blessed richly in the end. He is trustworthy.

Yesterday I was doing a bit of reading and meditation on it and these are the thoughts that came after reading a few different things;

"It is so comforting to know that no matter what we go through, He knows, He knew and He already has made provisions. No matter what the situation, He is already there, already providing."