::We found a house!::

The perfect little farm.

The land is stunning.  It gives me an emotional response every time I see it. 

It has plenty of room.

The gardens are perfect. 

But it needs some work.

The animal set up isn’t perfect.

The house is too small.  Not one decent closet it the place.  One bathroom is still not done.  The landlord is a slave driver.

 Its our current farm.

We couldn’t do it.  We just could not leave.  All the financial risks of staying or going were not the final straw.  The final straw was driving by our house to see if the last showing was done yet, and...

THOSE PEOPLE WERE IN OUR HOUSE!

We turned around and waited at the nearby church for them to be done. 

But we both had this sick feeling in our gut. 

It was like watching someone flirt with Josh.  It made me want to throw up. 

We were both just waiting for the other one to back down. 

I said it first.

“Let’s stay.”

I’ve never seen him agree to anything faster. 

So we stay.  Now we have to figure out how. 

We have learned that our bank has a hardship mortgage department.  We are currently negotiating with them to get our loan in line.  I’ll keep you posted on the details as they come. 

NOW I CAN FINALLY PLAN MY NEXT YEAR GARDEN!!!!!!!!!

::leonardo the elf::

 We got a new friend.

His name is Leonardo.

As in Leonardo the Terrible Monster, the best children's book ever. 

He is already up mischief.  

::november wrap up::

photo by YourFamilyStory

Hello friends.  

Funny Farming has been ruling my life.

Its long past time for an update.

Things are rocking and rolling.  We have lots of new developments around here.  None of which are anything having to do with another baby, so drop that idea right now.  If I got prego again Josh would be on suicide watch.  You're going to have to stay tuned for all the details, but here is a general update on the crew.

Quinny - he is extra Quishy.  Six teeth in.  Crawling around this joint in a odd half leg pull half leg drag technique.  He loves to pull up and cruise.  He really is just pure joy.  Still hanging on to breast feeding but we are about done.  Both of us.  He's really not in to it.  He has crap to do and me trying to feed him is just not enough time spent watching every thing Max does. 

Max - still curly.  Thank God.  Also still on a quest to break and destroy all in his path.  But his good looks help him get away with much.  This may be true his entire life.  He went down on the growth curve from 58% to 23%.  After months of specialist and tests and blood draws and ultrasounds and general Max torture they came up with an official diagnosis.  Ready?  
                  He is going to be a late bloomer.  
That might be good for him.  Because if you have his looks AND you are 6ft2in 195lbs at 16 you might have physically peaked a little too early.  We had decided two years ago to hold Max back in school a year anyway.  I can live with "late bloomer" over "kidney failure" any day, thank you very much.  

Lily - is on an up swing.  That kid has started violin lesson and LOVES it.  She waits all week for her little lesson.  I tried piano with her before but she fought it so hard that I couldn't keep fighting with her about it.  Now she finds violin and we are off to the races.  She has also started writing her own songs.  I encourage her to carry a notebook and write down any little snippets that might come into her head.  WHAT!!!  Me encourage someone to carry a notebook?  No way.  She went through a little bit of a rough time, but she is feeling confident and on top of the world.  Her third grade teacher and I had a big talk about Lily being a creative soul.  This lady gets Lily.  She lets her sing and original song for the class whenever Lily has one.  She wrote a song about her school that is so sweet - it really might make you cry.  

Emma - is make all other teenage girls seem annoying.  That kid is rocking it out.  She is in swimming right now as a freshman where she is on varsity.  Ok fine - the team is so small they are all on varsity.  But she really is good enough.  She is coming in first almost every meet.  IN HIGH SCHOOL!!  She is already about 5ft 7in and the prettiest girl around.  That kid warms my heart.  We have been getting to see much more of her now days.  It is a true joy.  She is actually sleeping on the couch next to me right this second as I type.  Teenager can sleep through anything.  

Joshy - Good.  Great.  Wonderful.   We are going to our first Colts game together on Sunday.  I am overly excited.  No kids!!!!  His job is trucking along.  He has been letting go some hints that he wants to get a Jeep to restore.  Of all his potential hobbies I like that one the most.  I love the idea of a Jeep to play with.  

Me - following Lily on that same upswing.  Things are wonderful.  I love the holidays.  I got along with my entire family at Thanksgiving.  That's something.  Even in the corners of my head, even on the wrong side of my mouth filter - I was getting along with them.  I am loving my job.  I'm not sure when that happened.  It just kind of snuck up.  I get my fix of rushing in the ED then I get my baby loving/ICU time in the NICU.  Its a perfect fit right now.  I am getting financially nervous about Christmas again, but I do that every year.  I can't wait to post the kids presents.  I think I found some good stuff this year.  BUT - Miss Emma has been reading my blog so I will not be posting her presents before Christmas anymore.     

::moving emotionally::

"When we leave here we leave together."  Wise words spoken by a wise Josh.  As usually he has a way of putting things in perspective.  When we walk out of this place for the last time, we will go one together.  We take the funny farm with us were ever we go.  No matter what.  Even if we had to leave every material thing or animals behind, we would still be a family.  (Don't worry - goats, ponies, DONK, and chickens are going to live at Josh's brothers house.)  

But what still has this - I think I might throw up feeling - kicking in my stomach?  What do I not want to leave?  First of all is the door frame where every Schaefer kid got there height measured.  How can I walk away from that treasure?  Well - what about making one of those huge wooden rulers?  I could transfer the measurements to that.  Then when we leave our future rental to move into the next funny farm I can just move the ruler too.  Yes?  Plus you know I love to rewrite a good list.  I actually am getting that "excited about list making" feeling right this second.  It it a psychosis.  But I think of it more as a super hero power.   

I get a little sad at the idea of leaving our tiny little bedrooms.  This is silly.  But I am converted to the kids being so close to me when I sleep.  It makes me feel like they are safe.  I can't deal with a house that has the kids two miles away.  I need the meatballs near by.  

I will miss the view.  The green alfalfa field looks so soft to me.  Its not.  That sucker will scratch you to death in flip flops, but it looks so lush.  And it smells amazing.

If I am being honest, I will miss having what in my mind was the best hang out house.  The place to burn huge bonfires and gather.  A place I was happy to show off.  A place I was always willing to host a party or play date at.  That is a weakness in my soul.  A little flash back to the princess youth I had.  In truth it was the property I was always prideful of.  The house has never been the best thing about this place.  A too small little ranch that needed someone with deeper pockets than me to fix up.  But the out side is impossible to beat.  BUT - who know what is coming next?  I went tire kicking at a rental house that was interesting to me.  A HUGE old main street house in a town over from our ideal location.  It had tiny little nooks and crannies every place, an urban chicken coop, and a wonderfully creaking old stair case.  I fell in love with it.  Now if we could just move it over one town we would be moving in this weekend.  I would have been very proud to have people over to that place.  I would not have even wanted to phrase invites with, "It's just a rental house."    

But -
I hate my set up right now for the animals.  I have a great barn but the pastured and runs make no sense.  I will not miss that at all.  I have done a pretty good job of detaching myself from the cottage garden.  I liked that garden.  It was my brain child.  But it too, will be even better its new and improved version.  Size is perfect, but layout could make more sense.  

I love the idea of a restart.  A clean slate.  Doing the things we did pretty right here even better.  I like the challenge that gardening at a rental house is going to bring.  I like the idea of RENTING a big old house that isn't my problem with the roof needs replaced.  I'll want my next funny farm, but our rental sabbatical actually sounds like fun.   

We take the funny farm where ever we go.  Even if it ends up being in an old house in town.