Leaving Our Loved Youngsville Home

A whirlwind…. That has been my past couple of months. (Realistically, the past few years, but I’ll focus on this recent period.) My Little Men and I – okay, I really should call them ‘Young Men’ – joined Tim in Hilton Head, SC for New Year’s and my birthday. What a busy trip! House hunting filled the days via the computer (oh, yes, I brought an updated spreadsheet with us each day), city to city, and county to county. Our last day, we narrowed the search to five, and found our home. I’m so grateful to Stephanie (our wonderful realtor), and the Shelske’s for taking care of our beloved cat, Lily, and for much more!

Our last days in Youngsville were busy, fun, and sad. I wish we could have visited more people and said more goodbyes in person. We did engage in some nerf battles, peeled potatoes (sometimes the skin), ate good food with great friends, and worshipped with wonderful brothers and sisters when not packing. What a blessing for Joseph to join the choir and to hear the youth (and many other people each week) sing together one last time!

I am blessed by memories of friends who prayed, helped, visited, and stole me away for a break! I was going crazy with boxes everywhere. Praying for a miracle, our family continued hoping God would provide a way to remain in Youngsville. Once it was obvious God was moving us to Georgia, serious packing began. Even Lily helped. I tried to school as long as possible, while working with the realtors, inspections, due diligence, and other calls that come with moving. Yikes! I learned a few things myself, including installing insulation in a crawl space from YouTube. I thought I’d be finished a week before Tim came home (Feb 9th), leaving plenty of time for fun with friends. Ha! Many nights of less than four hours’ sleep, and it still took until the very end.

Our first celebration moving into Youngsville was John and Joseph’s 14th birthday. The last celebration occurred the day we signed our closing papers, February 10th - their 16th! Hmmm…. Born on Thursday (Thursday’s child has ‘far to go’) - I wonder how many times they’ll move around their birthday? Maybe they’ll just travel.

Wednesday we also picked up the U-Haul, enjoyed Flat Rock (but the goodbyes were difficult), and invited friends over for one more Nerf war. Why not? Are we not young whippersnappers who can stay up until 3:30 to finish packing and cleaning? Ha! Thursday, loading up day, flew like a gale! Such amazing help –grateful and blessed! I believe we began close to 9, and the loading was mostly finished by 1. We still cleaned, vacuumed, and divided some plants. We brought the few hens and chicks we still had from New York, some ferns, lilies, and a hosta (only one clump – became sidetracked with the new owners arrival and forgot to get more along with the Moss’s ginger – ugh!) I love the stories that come with shared plants.

Thursday night we were pooped! It felt great to get cleaned up at our friends’ house. Elaine and Mike graciously invited us for a delicious rib dinner, apple dessert hearts, and some games of aggravating aggravation. Mum’s the word on who won. Then we crashed with prayers about the next morning’s warning of icy roads as we thought about the journey ahead…

                                  ~Jenny~

I Believe the Dailey's are Moving!!!!

     As I write this, I smile. Above us I hear furniture moving, vacuuming, music, banging and chatting. Our first neighbors above us were wonderful, and we were sorry to see them move. These people seem nice enough, but they are awake at night versus the day, vacuum almost everyday, and love to run on their treadmill during the middle of the night. It has helped us to be ready. Ready to MOVE!!!

     We chose the house in Youngsville, NC to be our new home. Youngsville, NC, population 1,173 is soon to be population, 1,178 (plus a small panther!) I thought our town, Massena, NY was small! Of course, we are less than 10 miles to Wake Forest.

     Our home does sit on a beautiful lot in a lovely neighborhood. Above is the view from our front stoop. We all love the trees... I'm afraid of the snakes which might be lurking in the mulch waiting for their next victim. It's a good thing we have valiant boys!

      Our realtor, Kathy, has been excellent! She has such a sweet, exuberant personality and is from Youngsville herself. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of her. You can't tell by this photo, but our front door is Tardis blue ~ another sure sign this is the house for us!

     Below is a front angled view. Yes, there is a garage attached to the house and a separate one. The guys are in bliss! I'll probably have the house to myself except when they're hungry or tired!

If you'd like to see more pics of the house, fb message me, or comment here and I will email you a skydrive link. :)



     We fell in love with this new home. We already have a sentimental story. The current owners had it built in 1993 (the year we were married). They have built a new smaller home for themselves after 20 years, and we will be moving into this one in our 20th year of marriage. It was meant to be!

     Joe is thrilled to be moving into the room which housed a Dr. Who video collection. Each of the boys' closets have a 'secret' storage area. They are psyched! They'll have an acre to play on, and there's a beautiful screened porch! I can't wait for Lily to see it! 

     The above photo gives you a little idea of the backyard, and below to the right is the back of the house showing the porch. 

     When are we moving? The closing was scheduled for January 31st. Today, the plan changed, and no one is complaining! We are closing in one week on January 24th! Due to having our apartment through February 14th, we will have plenty of time to load our backs and set up camp.

~ Jenny ~

Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Psalm 127:1

Changes are Coming...

     Almost two and a half years we've been apartment living and homeschooling three middle school boys. It's been a tremendous blessing, but we've become more and more restless. Jordan had been asking for a house for his birthday and Christmas - that's all he wanted. Less than three months ago, we were thinking we might be headed for Charleston, SC. Maybe we would try to buy or rent one there. Life is full of surprises! After a series of events, we began the process of seriously looking for a house in the Raleigh, NC area.

     December 12th, 2013 was our first trek out to look for houses we had narrowed from computer searches. In one day we looked at dwellings in Creedmoor, Raleigh, Louisburg, Wake Forest, and Youngsville. What a loop! It was a long, but worthwhile day. Above are some of the houses that didn't make the final cut. Some were easier than others to knock off our list. Below are the three our family thought were worth checking out again. Only two interiors were toured, eliminating the one without a garage.

     We chose one (to be revealed in my next post!), and started the process!!! It's been nerve rattling at times, but I am ecstatic to announce that as of today - it's a 100% go! Wahooooo! If you heard yelling today, it was the shouts of joy coming from the Dailey's! 

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,

and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.

For the Lord is a God of justice;

blessed are all those who wait for him.

Isaiah 30:18

~ Thank You, Lord Jesus! ♥

~Jenny~

Happy New Year.... Happy Birthday!

     We have traditions for New Year's Day: Hop-N-Jon, greens, cornbread, and football. Granny had adjusted a Hop-N-Jon recipe to have stewed tomatoes, and I decided it needed a few more hog jowls. I grew up knowing the peas (black-eyed peas in the Hop-N-Jon) represent coins/ luck, and the greens represent paper money. I discovered more info after some research. Cornbread represents gold! If you really want good luck, you need to eat at least 365 days on New Year's Day (I'm assuming 366 in a leap year - yuck! Well, maybe if enough hog jowls are mixed in.) Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes mean wealth and health (Granny sure knew what she was doing!) Some people add a shiny penny to the pot before serving. The person whose bowl holds the penny receives the greatest luck in the New Year, unless, the receiver swallows the coin!


Granny (maternal) made shortbread every year for Christmas, and I remember Grandma (paternal) making kolacky some years. This year I made both, and appreciated the memories while indulging along with my french press coffee. Yummy!

     We also started the year out right, with a family friendly game of Risk. It was great fun texting back and forth to our Florida family who had bets on who was going to win ~ pink won!

    



 Today was perfect! Tim made some scrumptious Eggs Benedict! The last time I delighted in these were back in New York. What a nice surprise! No better way to start a birthday. It was a pleasant day hanging out with my guys, sharing Facebook wishes, and a few calls from family and friends. 
In the afternoon, the family was game for a trip to the movies, and everyone agreed on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty! What fun! Even the previews were great (Heaven is For Real (boy dies and experiences heaven), Million Dollar Arm (baseball pitchers from India), and One Chance (dream of being an opera singer); all the boys want to see them. Walter Mitty's life changes as he searches for slide 25. Although predictable (for some), it was entertaining and encourages one to live their life instead of just dreaming about it.

     The evening ended after dinner at Johnny Carino's (I got to sneak a few bites off of Tim and John's plates), and a delicious homemade Angel Food cake by Tim (I love that he uses Granny's (and Mom's for butter cream frosting) recipe! The candle holders are a great find from Restoration Hardware years ago. They're the same animal holders my mom used in our cakes as children. I have cherished using them in our sons' cakes, and Tim likes to have them appear on my cakes occasionally.... feeling blessed!

                                             ~ Jenny~

New Year.... New Changes

     Every year brings changes. The road I have traveled incorporates various terrain ~ rough, smooth, deep valleys, mountaintops, and even some cherished beaches. Each path is valued, especially the rough patches where I grow and come out stronger and more refined. Through it all, one constant remains ~ Jesus Christ. He is with me on this journey, filling me with joy, hope, peace, and strength. I could not imagine walking this life alone!

     My home is blessed with five: Tim, my dedicated husband of 20 years; John, our witty oldest (by 2 minutes!) and the tallest (how dare he!) of our household; Joseph, (sleeping here on the couch with me as I type) our tender-hearted middle son; Jordan, our youngest one who keeps us laughing, shaking our heads, and on our toes! (Don't they all?); and Lily, our black panther, who will be six in March. Yep! I am one lucky gal!

November 6, 2013 Charleston, SC
Joseph, John, and Jordan