I woke up so sad this morning. I almost started crying. Two weeks and I will have to move from the house I love. This house is constructed so that you can shut the bedrooms off from the rest of the house. This is convenient with the dogs. There is lots of shade at the other house. Not as much light and sun. The other house is going to need so much work. I am overwhelmed. Because it was part of an estate unless I can move in and homestead it before October 1 my property taxes will be $1500 per year which is going to throw my debt ratio all out of whack.
I really did love where I have been living. I love the drive through town. I love stopping a Gary’s Service Station every other Monday to buy gas and refill my coffee for free and chat with the guys hanging out there for a moment.
The house I bought has no character, no personality. It’s just a brown box.
Yes, Kim, that house sounds like a challenge that you can handle. Give yourself time to grieve. Life gives us a lot of things to grieve. The satisfaction of making a box into a home may be better than you imagine. I pray it will be so.
Kim, I agree with Donna and Kathaleena. You will infuse it with the character and personality it currently lacks. I know you can do it! If I, one who does not have a creative bone in her body when it comes to decorating, can make this modest little home in the woods with little light and in a part of the country far from the sunny South a livable, peaceful sanctuary (and with a nearly $3000 dollar property tax bill every year!), then I have every confidence you will turn your new abode into a gem.
A request for prayer for my dad, please. My mom called this morning and told me my dad had had an MRI last week, and something abnormal was discovered on his back. He’s 84 and has had arthritis for many years, but this appears to be something different that they want to further investigate. He will have an ultrasound tomorrow, and has an appointment to see a neurologist on Wednesday. Thank you.
Thanks for your prayers for my dad, KBells (and anyone else who may be praying). Praying for you, too, KBells, vis-a-vis your request on the weekend thread.
One more request, if I could. I mentioned some weeks ago about starting up my piano-teaching business again. I don’t have money to advertise my business, and have mainly been relying on word-of-mouth advertising by friends in the area, to whom I have spoken about my intentions. Word-of-mouth, of course, being a slower way to find people. No one has inquired yet about piano lessons.
My piano teaching income in the past was used to pay our property taxes, which are ridiculously high in my state. (See my 11:16 post above.) When I resigned eleven years ago, we had to get that nearly $250 per month needed for the taxes from out of my husband’s pay check. We were able to scrape by, but it is getting harder and harder, as the price of food and other necessities have gone way up recently. Thus our need to increase our income, but without adding to the huge work load my husband is already bearing.
Please pray that I will be able to get some students soon, and for patience as God works this out in His timing.
6 arrows, have you tried craig’s list and/or social media sites like FB? Does your church have a FB page? Someone started a job search FB page for our local area, maybe you can find other options like that where you can post for free the opportunity to learn piano!
You could then always arrange to meet the people on neutral territory (assuming the lessons are in your home) first. It’s probably a little daunting having people come to your home if you don’t know them or have a link to them somehow.
Or maybe I’ve been watching Criminal Minds too much …. 😉
My former pastor’s wife gave piano lessons in their home, I think they got a lot of the kids (most were kids) through church and denomination connections.
Thank you for the suggestions, Donna. I hadn’t thought of Craig’s List — I will look into that.
I don’t think our church is on Facebook, and I myself don’t do any social media, for reasons that are more complex than I can go into here.
Two of my friends at church also teach piano (well, one is kind of in the same situation I am — she formerly taught, then stopped, and has just recently decided to get back into it, but does not have any students yet, either, the last I talked to her). The other friend has been actively teaching in this area for a number of years, and a few years ago, she told me she had more students than she could handle (she is also a part-time school teacher at our church’s school), and told me she’d gladly send some piano students my way if I ever started teaching again.
Turns out now, when I told her I was looking to get back into it, she said she herself is short of students at this time. 😦
And both of these friends of mine charge a lot less than the going rate for lessons around this area. My rates are competitive with the average rate, but not with their rates, so I don’t think I stand much of a chance of getting many students from our congregation.
I could lower my rates, but I’d rather have a reasonable number of students at a competitive rate than a huge number of students at low rates, because I have a lot of other responsibilities, and can’t spend a large amount of time teaching other children.
And speaking of Criminal Minds, the step-father of a former student of mine was discovered to have been doing something very creepy. I shuddered to think that guy had been in my house once (though it didn’t happen here). Ew.
Wandering Views 
I woke up so sad this morning. I almost started crying. Two weeks and I will have to move from the house I love. This house is constructed so that you can shut the bedrooms off from the rest of the house. This is convenient with the dogs. There is lots of shade at the other house. Not as much light and sun. The other house is going to need so much work. I am overwhelmed. Because it was part of an estate unless I can move in and homestead it before October 1 my property taxes will be $1500 per year which is going to throw my debt ratio all out of whack.
I really did love where I have been living. I love the drive through town. I love stopping a Gary’s Service Station every other Monday to buy gas and refill my coffee for free and chat with the guys hanging out there for a moment.
The house I bought has no character, no personality. It’s just a brown box.
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Kim, praying. You’ll make it ‘yours.’
It has potential, isn’t that what they all say? 🙂
God will give you what you need to create a new home out of what seems like not very promising raw materials.
After all, look what he does with all of us, His rag-tag people.
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Yes, Kim, that house sounds like a challenge that you can handle. Give yourself time to grieve. Life gives us a lot of things to grieve. The satisfaction of making a box into a home may be better than you imagine. I pray it will be so.
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Kim, I agree with Donna and Kathaleena. You will infuse it with the character and personality it currently lacks. I know you can do it! If I, one who does not have a creative bone in her body when it comes to decorating, can make this modest little home in the woods with little light and in a part of the country far from the sunny South a livable, peaceful sanctuary (and with a nearly $3000 dollar property tax bill every year!), then I have every confidence you will turn your new abode into a gem.
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A request for prayer for my dad, please. My mom called this morning and told me my dad had had an MRI last week, and something abnormal was discovered on his back. He’s 84 and has had arthritis for many years, but this appears to be something different that they want to further investigate. He will have an ultrasound tomorrow, and has an appointment to see a neurologist on Wednesday. Thank you.
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Kim, think of it as your Charlie Brown house. 🙂
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Thanks for your prayers for my dad, KBells (and anyone else who may be praying). Praying for you, too, KBells, vis-a-vis your request on the weekend thread.
One more request, if I could. I mentioned some weeks ago about starting up my piano-teaching business again. I don’t have money to advertise my business, and have mainly been relying on word-of-mouth advertising by friends in the area, to whom I have spoken about my intentions. Word-of-mouth, of course, being a slower way to find people. No one has inquired yet about piano lessons.
My piano teaching income in the past was used to pay our property taxes, which are ridiculously high in my state. (See my 11:16 post above.) When I resigned eleven years ago, we had to get that nearly $250 per month needed for the taxes from out of my husband’s pay check. We were able to scrape by, but it is getting harder and harder, as the price of food and other necessities have gone way up recently. Thus our need to increase our income, but without adding to the huge work load my husband is already bearing.
Please pray that I will be able to get some students soon, and for patience as God works this out in His timing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
6 arrows, have you tried craig’s list and/or social media sites like FB? Does your church have a FB page? Someone started a job search FB page for our local area, maybe you can find other options like that where you can post for free the opportunity to learn piano!
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You could then always arrange to meet the people on neutral territory (assuming the lessons are in your home) first. It’s probably a little daunting having people come to your home if you don’t know them or have a link to them somehow.
Or maybe I’ve been watching Criminal Minds too much …. 😉
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My former pastor’s wife gave piano lessons in their home, I think they got a lot of the kids (most were kids) through church and denomination connections.
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Thank you for the suggestions, Donna. I hadn’t thought of Craig’s List — I will look into that.
I don’t think our church is on Facebook, and I myself don’t do any social media, for reasons that are more complex than I can go into here.
Two of my friends at church also teach piano (well, one is kind of in the same situation I am — she formerly taught, then stopped, and has just recently decided to get back into it, but does not have any students yet, either, the last I talked to her). The other friend has been actively teaching in this area for a number of years, and a few years ago, she told me she had more students than she could handle (she is also a part-time school teacher at our church’s school), and told me she’d gladly send some piano students my way if I ever started teaching again.
Turns out now, when I told her I was looking to get back into it, she said she herself is short of students at this time. 😦
And both of these friends of mine charge a lot less than the going rate for lessons around this area. My rates are competitive with the average rate, but not with their rates, so I don’t think I stand much of a chance of getting many students from our congregation.
I could lower my rates, but I’d rather have a reasonable number of students at a competitive rate than a huge number of students at low rates, because I have a lot of other responsibilities, and can’t spend a large amount of time teaching other children.
It’s a balancing act, that’s for sure.
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And speaking of Criminal Minds, the step-father of a former student of mine was discovered to have been doing something very creepy. I shuddered to think that guy had been in my house once (though it didn’t happen here). Ew.
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