House developments...

 our stove---for the house...we 've ordered it to be delivered to the store in August!!!

 John has dug out an area so I can have a step from the front porch!!!  This red clay is very hard to deal with, but he did it!

 more grading to the pad

 our new "ole" work truck!  Isn't it pretty!!  I love it, and John has wanted a truck for over 10 years...and the price was super duper for us!  It's a 1999 with 123,000, but it's a great work truck!  It's super spacey too...so we call all fit for now.  We will keep all three vehicles b/c they all are being used in one form or another!  Katie will then inherit a "driving" car, if the honda is still running in 4 years, which we expect it will!

The house pad was mostly done by John, but then we hired someone to level it with surveying equipment. John then has been working around the lot to make sure it drains sufficiently. He has also worked on the backyard. We went out to the land yesterday, which as of last week is officially in our name(thank you Mimi and Papaw!). It looks amazing to me, and I am super excited to see so much progress! Since this weekend was tax free for appliances, we went ahead and bought our refrigerator, stove, and missionary washer/dryer unit! Did I say we are excited yet? A few years ago, I would say that the thought of building was really overwhelming. Not that building is easier in East Texas, because it's not, but it has been fun looking at things. John has been drawing up the plans and doing most of the work, so maybe that's why it has been ok. Here in East Texas, there are zero tract homes-that's not to say you don't find similar houses, but each house is different in its own way. You have to build from scratch...unless your builder helps limit the choices! But, when we are the contractors, the limits have to be set by us. Thankfully, John's mom has given us pointers and names of great people to use for different aspects of the process. So, as John finishes up the plans, our next step is to have someone pour the slab. Framing, plumbing, electric work and more wait their turn in line!