Praise & Thanksgiving 2

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Its a miracle... literally!!!  We have rented Dustin's house!!  YIPEE!!!

Over the last year we have been saving money for this exact time.  We knew there would come a time when our current renters would move out and when we would wait for new ones to move in.  We assumed that with the economy, as well as our asking price, we probably would have a few months while the house sat unrented.  So we followed Dave Ramsey's advice... and prepared!!  We saved enough to cover a little over two months of all the expenses of having that house sit empty.

A few weeks ago my old roommate, Alyssa, randomly asked me when Dustin's house would be up for rent.  She knew some people looking for a place to rent.  At that point we had only listed it on Craigslist once {with just a few inquiries}, and asked a ridiculous amount in rent (about $300 more than what we currently rent at), just to see if we had anyone bite.  Fast forward to last Friday when Alyssa's friends came over to look at the place. They asked all the right questions, but neither Dustin or I could really tell if they were interested.  We walked away thinking that most likely nothing would come from this situation, and Dustin posted another ad on Craigslist.  Within the next hour we got a text message from the guy who came to look saying that they were interested and would like to sign a lease.  They would be able to move in as soon as we would have it available!!  And the best part is, we were able to rent it at what we currently rent it at so we aren't losing any money.

Our current renters will move out at the end of the month, and we will have the new renters in the house only a week later!!  PRAISE GOD!!!   This has been a huge answer to prayers for us!!  Dustin is going to most likely kill me for writing this, but he actually got a little teary eyed when he got the text and he told me how good God has been to us!!  AMEN!!  One of our biggest fears has been the thought of what would happen if we couldn't rent his house, and if we possibly had to walk the path to foreclosure.  We have been working so hard to get out of debt entirely {all except house}and really maximize our savings, and we are making such HUGE strides! And as it turns out, we will be able to continue to put money towards our an emergency rental fund and continue to save!!

God is good!!

praise and thanksgiving 1

On my drive to work today, I was listening to klove and they were having listeners call in for a day of praise.  It got me thinking... what is a praise in my life, and what am I thankful for.  If I started living every moment thinking of all that was going well, I would probably be a lot happier and much more content.  Of course, there are always the obvious... I am thankful for my husband, my family, my career, my house, etc.  But honestly, those are the standard responses anyone would say.  I want to really think about the small things that make my life better each day.  I thought this would be a great place to document and share... the little things that God has given me.

Today I am very thankful for Elana's Pantry Chocolate Chip Cookies!!  My mom makes us a batch almost every week {another thing I am thankful for} and we ADORE them!!  Honestly, they are better than any other cookie out there!!!  Now this may not seem like much of anything to be thankful for, especially for those of you who don't have food allergies.  But for us... this is BIG {and yummy}!!!

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup agave nectar
1 cup dark chocolate chips 73% cacao

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
2. Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Form ½ inch balls and press onto a parchment lined baking sheet
5. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes
6. Cool and serve