the details of our move...finally

It's been 6 months since we started the moving process and somehow I haven't found the time to share about that experience. It was definitely a situation that was managed by the Lord.
When I gave up my career to home-school in May of 2011, we knew that it would mean big changes for our family. Floyd and I even discussed the possibility of losing our house because of the financial impact. We talked to the kids about it. Their reaction was that it wouldn't be a problem. "We like to camp, so if nothing else, we'll live in our tent," was their response.
When Floyd got laid off in November of 2011, the finances changed even more drastically. God provided a job for Floyd only a week or two after being laid off; however, that job paid noticeably less.
Once we knew what Floyd's new pay would be, we contacted our mortgage company to discuss any potential options, as we knew that we would not be able to maintain the house payment on his new salary. They told us that we were great candidates for a modification. They also explained that if the modification didn't go through, there were other options that we could consider. In January, we submitted all the paper work; however, there was one catch. They told us that in order to get a modification you had to be behind on your payments. Their logic is that if you're making your payment, you don't need a modification. So, they told us to stop making our mortgage payment until the process was complete. We followed their directions.
It ended up taking several months for them to complete the process. We stayed in communication with our assigned representative from the company and he continued to tell us that everything looked good.
In May, I signed for a certified letter from a lawyer saying that he was the lawyer in charge of our foreclosure. Of course, Floyd called our representative immediately. He assured us that we shouldn't worry; that it was just a routine practice but that nothing was wrong. Of course it didn't make sense but what else could we do?
The next week, around May 15th, the same representative called Floyd. He said that our modification process had been completed. It was denied. Since we always take things in stride, Floyd said, "ok, so what do we need to do now? What are the other options that you said were possible?" To which the representative said, "well, we don't have time for any other options because your house is scheduled for foreclosure on June 5th." Sure enough, that very afternoon I got another certified letter from the same lawyer as the previous letter. This one was our notice that the house was scheduled for foreclosure auction. Of course, we questioned the short notice but lawyers confirmed that they only have to give you 21 days notice of the scheduled sell. They have to give you a 30 day notice to move out, but they can sell the house and then have you move out. A lawyer told us that we had some options that would stall, but that didn't feel like the right path.
The very next day I was looking online for bowling shoes for the kids and saw an advertisement for a small house for rent in Allen, literally 0.4 miles from Floyd's work. We contacted the owner and he met us that very night. We saw the house and told him the truth of our situation. The next morning we emailed him our application and by 5pm that day he let us know that we were free to move in to the house.
We really felt that this was God's provision for us.

Another view of the new house

Our new house

Our house in McKinney for 7 years

The house is about 1/3rd the size of our previous home but we love it! We have only 1 bathroom for all 5 of us. Floyd's desk is in our bedroom. We don't have a kitchen table because there isn't room for one. We bought 5 TV trays and use those, or we just eat in the backyard or sit on the living room floor. The kitchen is so small that without taking a single step I can cook on the stove, turn on the sink, and get something out of the fridge. We added some shelves to the utility room to allow space for our groceries. One funny note, the dishwasher is in the utility room, not in the kitchen. It does cause a bit of a water trail when the kids are loading it, but we're just lucky to have a dishwasher.

these are our TV trays

this is the main room (on a school
day when materials are everywhere)

 Our favorite part is the backyard and porch. The entire neighborhood consist of 10 houses on one street. We do not have fences and all the property is lined by a huge path of trees. Behind the trees is an empty field. The kids are able to run all over the property, climbing trees and running free. We haven't had any issues with our neighbors, in fact it is extremely peaceful here.

one side of the back porch

View from the back porch 

 One person puts out everyone's trash cans on pick-up day and returns them when they're empty. He also mows all the yards on his riding lawn mower. We just pay him a little bit to help with gas and thank him for his time. Back in June I went out on the porch one day to find a bag of tomatoes from the neighbors garden. It was a nice surprise.
This "country" lifestyle is hidden right in the middle of downtown. We can walk to the library or park or Dollar Tree or dozens of other businesses, and yet, from our house, it is totally serene.

our walk to the library (or just about anywhere else)

Needless to say, we are grateful for our new home. The kids haven't complained a single bit. In fact, they love living here!
Did I mention the trees? They are absolutely wonderful! In fact, I believe we have the best tree in the area right in front of our house. It's magnificent. Right now, the ground is covered in leaves and I've enjoyed the colors of fall more than I can ever remember in my life.

This is the tree right now

a close-up of the glorious colors!

One last final note, in the midst of all the financial crises in our country, I'm amazed at the process our mortgage company went through. They didn't actually sell it to someone else on June 5th. The week after, they offered us a deal to move out. If we would move out, not steal or damage anything, and hand over the keys, they would give us a cash payment. They offered us 6 weeks, but we told them that it had to be done in 2 because we were leaving for Uganda. We had no intention of damaging or stealing anything, so that was an easy deal to make. The cash they gave us was enough to cover all of our moving expenses and the things we needed to get our new home in order. We were more than willing to do whatever we could to continue making a payment on our house. We just needed a smaller payment than what we had. Their response was no. Now, the house has been sitting empty for over 5 months.