Category: moving house

Quandary…sell everything or storage..self drive or removals…

So, the current quandary is what to do with our belongings. I’m writing this because I think this is part of the journey that many people find themselves in and I said we would write about the moving process.

The situation is that we may find we have completed on our house before we have anywhere (we don’t have a date yet though). We have a few options:

  1. sell everything (which I think is a false economy)
  2. get rid of everything non essential and store the rest with the removals firm until we actually move.
  3. Store everything with a local storage place and then use a removals firm.
  4. Narrow our belongings down to things which fit into a van, store them and then take them over ourselves (wherever somewhere is).

Wherever we move, it is probably going to involve a ferry journey.

I am thinking at the moment that number 2 is the best option. Don’t get me wrong, this “quandary” doesn’t worry me in the slightest. Maybe it should, but it doesn’t. Again, I quite like change and a bit of upheaval. I think that’s maybe just how I’m made. But I think we need to think about it and Chris definitely thinks we do, so we are. (we compliment each other well).

I’m presuming it is difficult to get concrete quotes until you know details like dates, so I’ll wait until we have the completion date and then start ringing. We have never done this before so we have no idea about costs! We got quoted the latter half of the two grand mark to move to Shetland, which I didn’t think was bad considering the overnight ferry journey. So we will see.

faith and love

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

We keep thinking what do we do now?

I have to admit I keep thinking wait… which sounds mad at the moment because we will need somewhere to live…but I still keep thinking wait (for the time being) and I am wondering if it is God speaking.

We have been looking at other places to buy, there is nothing in Shetland currently that we are really interested in, or Orkney. There was one in Orkney that was nice, but it has gone under offer and it wasn’t really what we wanted. We have also been looking at some other places in totally different parts of the country and pushing a door or two. I love looking at property adverts. I love looking around homes as well, but unfortunately the ones we are looking at online are too far away to view at the moment.

So…what to do?… I think lean on the Lord and wait on Him. Keep pushing a few doors and listen.

I remembered today, one item that was on my bucket list “lean totally and utterly into God and come to know him more and more and deeper and deeper” – be careful what you wish for crossed my mind (haha). But it is the only way for me. Jesus is the only way for me.

 

 

 

Saturday morning is quite nice really, even though we don’t yet have a farm…

I have got up early with Mr Toddler, the baby is asleep and so is the husband. I’ve been searching properties and feeling a bit sorry for myself.  But also a bit excited about the fact the we don’t know where we are going. Is that weird? I like it in a lot of ways. We will keep looking and hopefully the right place will come up. In God we trust (often after trying to do everything our own way, haha), but He has plans we do not know about, they’re also more than a million times better/different than ours.

Although I have to admit I have had my moments of looking around where we live and at the allotment and thinking “what are we doing?!!” we have a nice place to live, somewhere fairly child friendly and an allotment just over the road. Then I think, but I don’t want to stay here, we want somewhere new. So new it will be.

Well, I’m going to start thinning down on our stuff today and hopefully spend some good time with the children. Josh is currently laid on the floor playing with some sort of construction set, watching tv.

It feels a bit weird that I’ve put in the opening page that this is hopefully the story of our family moving from Derbyshire to Shetland (or Orkney originally) when we actually don’t know that now. It is not the end of this story though…..

Loads of good has come out of it so far, Chris and I have travelled to Orkney twice (when normally we would not have even contemplated it and have never been before), Chris and his dad have been to Shetland. We have spoken to people we would not normally have spoken to, found out and researched information we would not normally have done and realised we were/are prepared to go into a life which would be totally different to the one we currently have. It has been quite an exciting year so far.

We may also have a gap where we don’t have a house to live in, when our house sale goes through. That feels strange…but freeing in a way, because we will have the money to buy somewhere without any hitches hopefully. Albeit not a massive amount, but some. It is so strange that we could have bought a croft on Shetland for the money we get for our terraced house but if we wanted to live in the Peak District we would need a lot more to even get a 2/3 bed house.

God bless you one and all! Time to get on with life here for the time being.

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The morning after!

So we are feeling a little bewildered this morning (and we did let it totally wreck our supposed date night last night). But in between feeling upset and thinking we are selling our house and don’t actually have anywhere to go (in theory). I am starting to feel more and more peaceful and secure. I believe God when he says he has somewhere good for us to go and I LOVE what a friend said yesterday which was “don’t cry over a Haribo egg when God has a box of chocolates”. (No offence Haribo, your products are lovely). So I am going to trust God in this, pray, see what happens and where we end up.

It is actually quite exciting and I am going to get on with the job of streamlining our stuff. Which I am generally not very good at and get lost in memories on looking at the vaguest of articles, for example – cups, old drawings, books, even old clothes and other things I cannot even think of at this moment. But a lot will have to go. We are contemplating actually selling most of our things and going up to wherever we end up in a van rather than hiring a removals company, but we are unsure about this and still contemplating it.

I don’t like wasting things either, so throwing things out is really not my bag. I like the recycle, make do and mend type life really. I also keep thinking what if it is false economy? but I do love the idea of not having a lot of “stuff” and going up in a van.

When I first moved out of home, I didn’t have much (not even a sofa) and I can remember it didn’t really bother me then. It was about 25 years ago though. So I think we need to make a list of what we could fit in a van and what we consider essential. I think some of Chris’s tools are probably more essential than a lot of the other belongings we have. So people who know us, you may see us selling things very soon! (more things).

Thank you for your support our lovely church family, who are praying for us, encouraging us and reminding us of God’s promises.  Thankyou to all our other lovely friends and family for your support too. We will keep you updated.

 

 

 

What on earth is going on?!!

1205 hrs.

So! Suddenly contacted today by our Shetland solicitor, the seller is  wanting to go through with the entry date to the croft being the 31st August. Brilliant news, but we haven’t even exchanged contracts on our house, that is only in about 4 weeks and we need the cleared funds to pay to our solicitor 2 days prior to this. So I contacted our English conveyancing people, they say they cannot do anything, they have sent everything off to our buyers solicitors so now Chris has rung the buyer to find out if there is any chance of completing in the near future. I feel so so stressed, it’s unbelievable. I couldn’t really ring him, Mr Toddler and baby were making more noise than at a football match. So we are awaiting our buyer ringing back….Please God can it all work together.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

ah God please.

1245 hrs

The buyer rang Chris back and was very helpful and is going to pursue whether they can get a completion date on our house.  He is going to ring Chris back when he knows more.

1745 hrs

Phone call from our Shetland solicitor, the owners of the croft have pulled out of the sale of the croft to us because we cannot give a concrete date yet. They thought we were cash buyers (which we will be once our sale has completed, but we definitely have not got it before this).  However, if we can get a date, she thinks we may possibly still be able to buy. We will see. Awaiting a call from our buyer. Hopefully soon. Hopefully with a date.

This is all very, very stressful.

We may be back to the drawing board…

or we may still be going ahead…

Don’t know….

 

 

 

 

Things adults say..

Just for the laugh I thought I would spend a day or so writing down the things we say (or mainly I say) to our children…so I did.  Although it has dawned on me that the things may just be negative as in “don’t do that”. (I do spend a lot of my day telling them good things too).

It has also dawned on me that it would be far more entertaining to write down some of the stuff J (Mr Toddler) says. It’s brilliant. He was talking about Jesus having a cup of tea and a fruit shoot earlier and then that the four cotton buds he had planted at the allotment would grow and become a plum tree. Love him. He also said today that his favourite flowers are purple ones because they grow in the dark.

Chris spoke to our Shetland solicitors today, apparently they have just received a load of paperwork they have to go through and they are then going to send us some paperwork to peruse! So it is apparently all in motion!

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A day in the life

“stop hitting your brother” (classic)

Calm down! (statement guaranteed to never calm anyone down)

Put it down, don’t wave it around…

Sit closer to the table!

Elbow!

Knee!

Not against the telly! You’ll break it if you do that!

Don’t stand on my foot please

Come away from the television

Come awaaaay from the television

Do not put your feet in his face

Don’t push him

Stop sitting on him

Stop!

Stop doing that!

Why are you crying?

What’s wrong?

Do you want the toilet? (repeated 50 times daily, I must be really irritating)

Pancakes? (positive one)

Put it (sweets/batteries/food off floor that someone else has left/50th piece of fruit in a day/food in shop) down

she’s gone to fetch your bun (He was crying because he thought it had disappeared – aw)

Don’t let the dog out

Stay in the yard!

Try not to kick me

Stand still!

That is not a drum, put it down (the PS3), get off it please

No, you can’t have another tube of smarties

No, we don’t have lollies for breakfast

Don’t stamp on your brother, aww that’s nice, yes be nice…stop treading on his hand!!

He is not a naughty baby!

You have to sleep in your own bed

Stay in the garden

Noooo, stop, that is not edible

Do not hurt your brother – I know he is wrecking your tower – I’m sorry

pleeeeasse sit still so we can get your shoes and socks on, it’s already taken an hour to try to get out of the door

Don’t tread in the poo (at least it isn’t don’t eat the poo)

Don’t lick the table/wall/window/mirror

Stop pulling the flowers up – aw is that for me, thank you!

Don’t wave that around in here, go outside (dog ball throwing thing)

Hold on to the pushchair, this road’s busy…Hold on to the pushchair…HOLD ON TO THE PUSHCHAIR

Yes you can walk on the wall

Listen! look at me… Listen!

I love you. You are amazing.

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Tomorrow is not a certainty.

You know we all have thoughts that jump out of nowhere, they are often thoughts that are not even particularly unusual but they make us think.  I suddenly thought last night – today could be my last day here! I didn’t really believe it, but it is true, none of us know when our time is up in this life/body. So that got me thinking, so it could be said don’t sweat the small stuff, live for today, do what you want… blah blah blah…. or it could alternatively be said that the small stuff is extraordinarily important because that is what is important to people on an everyday basis in our lives.

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Strangely things like moving house, looked at from this perspective, actually don’t really matter. I think it’s personal things, caring for others, looking out for others, loving others, which is important.

It is not just important to us, it is important to God. He wants us to steward this life well.

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. (Luke 16:10)

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matt 25:21)

give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)

He is a generous God. This gave me a little perspective I think, over the move. We really want it, but we tend to want it on our terms and in our timing (i.e quickly), but it’s not that important.  What is more important is how we do it and how we do life in general. God’s perspective is different to ours again. “give and it will be given to you” and he also talks a lot about helping people in need, about being there with them and doing nothing out of selfish ambition.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Phillippians 2:3-4)

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:16-18)

The only way any of us can do this is through meeting Jesus, making him Lord over all of our lives and being filled with the Holy Spirit. Then we will be changed, jealousy and selfish ambition will be changed (sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly) into love and compassion.

I pray for this process to continue and for our perspective to come from you Lord Jesus. Our perspective is often off, yours is not. We are and will keep asking for your wisdom.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5-6)

 

 

 

 

 

Roots…

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

i hate nothing about you with red heart light
Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com

I’ve been thinking about this line, for the last couple of days.  When I say thinking, I mean it has just been coming back to me in my quiet times and has been at the back of my mind.

I can be very emotional  and when something upsets me or makes me angry, hurt just pours out of my mouth and then leaves me speechless and full of remorse afterwards for a while…well almost speechless…. Or! I clam up and store it all up and then explode at a later time. As moving house is supposedly one of the most stressful times in your life I suppose this is an apt post.

I really want to change my reactions, I’ve been thinking about how the only way this can change is to think about what actually upset me and deal with that (the root of the matter), because usually it is not actually the action or even words of the other, it is usually an association with some other event or hurt I have experienced, or even just plain selfishness when someone is stopping me doing something I want to do or even just tiredness! I also need the continual filling of the Holy Spirit and to rely on him, when I say also, I mean that needs to come first. I also need to be able to talk about whatever it is that is wrong calmly.

On our own we are not accepted by God, we have to come to him through Jesus and then we become fragrant and we live with God and through God.  But there is still stuff we need to deal with.  I love God, I need God. He is not a crutch as I used to think about Christians, He is real and the reason I need him is because we are made for him and by him. When we don’t know him we try and fill our lives with other things. Now I know Him I just want to be filled with Him and I become aware of my sin. Pouring out words indiscriminately is sin. But it hurts so much! when I feel unappreciated, unloved, tired, unfairly accused, put upon, completely confused with everything I feel I need to do.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? (Isaiah 53:6-8)

This is about Jesus and was written (prophesied) years before he lived and was crucified. He did not say a word despite being accused, oppressed and afflicted. He did not need or have to defend himself. He also did this for me so he became my righteousness. I do not need to defend myself, God is my defence. If I am guilty I need to say so, if I am not I do not need to say anything or even feel hurt. I do pray that God will give me the compassion to actually feel for the other person in this circumstance.

None of the previously mentioned upsets are reasons for not being kind. So I think I need to rethink. Stop doing things because I feel I have to and just enjoy being with my kids and husband. Meditating on scriptures and spending time with God is a must. So is accepting that I will sometimes get upset and hurt, I just want to sort out my reaction to it. My reaction is my responsibility, I want to operate from love not hurt or frustration.

I love my children, but I make so many mistakes and so often feel as though I’m getting it completely wrong. I read a post yesterday that I need to think about, it’s about how God leads those with young with gentleness. That what he want from you when you’re in this period of your life is gentleness. I thought it was a lovely post, I cannot find it again now for the life of me but when I do I will put a link up. It is normal stuff about playing with them/just being with them, going for general tidiness rather than sterility (as if) about meditating on scripture and just having this as a gentle time in your life, a time with them. As a person who tends to put extra stresses on herself, worry that she is not doing a good enough job and then tries harder (resulting in more anxiety) but then also get distracted by unimportant stuff this really spoke.

He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
    he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
    and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11)

I love God, he really does give life.

Not even a ripple

That’s how Chris described the moving situation this week. Nothing, nothing at all. I’ve heard this is normal but it is frustrating. If we actually knew whether an offer accepted in principle was just an offer accepted or not, it would be fine…I’m guessing (as someone kindly commented earlier in the week) we’ll suddenly hear from everyone at some point and it will all go through.

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This photo was taken when we went to Carsington Water this week. It was a beautiful day. It was the day when I felt stressy and serious and we went out. We were VERY hot but it was a good day. We took a picnic again, my boy loves his picnics and we built things out of big stones and fended off geese.

Geese that seemed fierce but then weren’t
This was the nest we made for the geese

So I guess we just keep on looking up at our maker and seeking him and keep on keeping on. I love Psalm 27, I read it a lot when I was first saved. It is very calming and beautiful. You have said, “Seek my face.”My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek. Always Lord, always.

As a side note I’m quite interested in keeping some geese, I will have to read more about them and what types there are. I think they are good for field rotation with the sheep and keeping the worm count down too. Will get back to you when I’ve read more!