The Heymann Family Journal

Well, I’ve spent allot of hours looking at stuff to equip a vacation house.  It's been kind of fun to dream of how I would furnish each room.  But it would cost thousands of euros to fill the house with furniture, appliances, towels, sheets pillows etc. for 8 to 10 people.  But finally you can tell summer vacation is almost over.  The interest is picking up again.  We have had 3 new requests to see the house in the past 24 hours.  So hopefully we will at the very least rent it.  I would rather sell it, but it is easier to rent it.  One of the families that asked about it today has 3 kids and want to rent long term.  They both work, and also want their grandmother to live with them.  It is big enough for 6 people.  Could be the answer?  But either way, I'm calmer.  I think its fun to think about decorating the house in Leimen, but I don't need the job of running a big vacation house.  I think it would be a ton...

If we do end up renting our house in Leimen out as a vacation house, I want to make one of the kids rooms into a Star Wars room.  But I hope we can sell the house!

Juergen called the people who wanted to rent our house Oct 1st to say no. We just don't want to rent to smokers because of the potential for damage. It is very hard to get rid of the smell. You need to paint everything. The deposit would not cover the costs, and it takes time. So we have no renters or buyers looking at the house. And we just might have to pay the mortgage on Oct 1st. I hate that. But God knows what we need, when we need it. I refuse to waste what little wisdom I have and open another potential problem because I got afraid right now. I’ll just stand until God gives us an answer. I’m looking at antique furniture on eBay. Maybe I’ll rent the house out as a vacation home? At least until we find a buyer. Is anyone interested in renting a vacation house near Heidelberg Germany for 800 Euro per week, 200 Euro per night? It will sleep between 6 and 8 people. A very good place for out of town guests. Family reunions, vacations, weddings, Chr...

The good news is a very nice family with 3 kids wants to see our house for rent on Wed night.   They have 3 kids, and their house is being sold so they need a place October 1st.   The bad news is one of them smokes.   Should we rent to a smoker?   It's hard to get rid of that smell.   Everyone says they plan to stay a long time, and say they will smoke outside, but I'd have to repaint the entire house after they move out.   Is it worth renting to a smoker?      Sorry but I’m just thinking of the long term costs.   If we need to re rent the house, it may take time to get rid of the smell.   It may make it very hard to re rent.  

I'm trying to stay focused on all I can do, and not worry about what I cannot control. I cannot control the house situation. We have no buyers, and no renters. It is almost September. The mortgage will be paid for by our renter on September 1st. But in October we will start losing over 1 thousand Euros per month. That really hurts! Juergen has a time to show the house on Wednesday night, but so far no one wants to see it. I cannot do anything about it. So I will just continue to do all I can at home. Today I'm cleaning the basement. I'm at the mercy of God. But that is a good place to be. I need to remember that. I’m safe in his hands.

I just won the bid on ebay for this bunk bed I want to use it for a chicken coop.  I'll build it to use for the bunnys I'm going to babysit.  Later for chickens (if Jurgen lets me have chickens).  I spent 15 Euro.  I just love ebay!

I'm going to take care of a friends 8 rabbits for awhile. Maybe even forever because she needs to move and can not find a new place to rent with her rabbits. I think I'll build something like this. Rabbit Manure is very good for plants. I'll use it to feed my garden.

Thomas and Sarah are at summer camp this week. Thomas is a helper, and Sarah is a camper. Nicole paint tions and Philip helped set up the camp last week.

I've been trying not to get too discouraged about our house in Leimen not selling or even renting yet. The renter moves out in September and we will need to pay the mortgage on 2 houses. Juergen showed the house to 6 families this week. It seemed like none of them had much interest. But today one of the families said they would like to see it again next week. So there is some hope. Please pray for us if you think of it. It isn't just the major waste of money we are looking at, it's the awful drain on our time. I would be so grateful to no longer have this concern. Thank you for your prayers.

The weather has been bad today. It rained very hard, and there was strong wind. My kids are helping set up camp for Sola Hoffenheim. They were outside all day, and sleep in tents tonight. 27 campers at a different camp in the area of Stuttgart (just one hour south of us) were hurt pretty badly by what looks like strong wind. Maybe even a tornado. They had to be put in the hospital. They closed the camp. About 200,000 Euros worth of damage was caused. My kids are out there, and many other kids are also at camp. So I pray they will be safe and have a good week setting up, and an amazing week with the campers next week.

I just ordered heirloom seeds from embay in America. I'm having them sent to my Mom and Dad’s house. One of the things I ordered is skyscraper sunflower. It is a towering giant that reaches heights of 12 to 15 feet at maturity, with 14-inch dinner-plate blooms. I have tall sunflowers this year (maybe 10 feet tall) but nothing like these.

I have been giving Jessica (my 21 year old autistic daughter) coconut oil every day. It is good for the brain. I have been hiding it in drinks and food. But she just handed me the jar and a spoon because she wanted it. Maybe it makes her feel better? I try to give her 2 TB two times a day. I also take it, and so does Juergen.

I did not take these photo's, but here are pictures from Sarah's summer camp. http://www.photoshow.com/watch/iy7Yu5XE

I really do not want to be a landlord. I just want to sell our house. But so far that has not happened. So it’s on the rental market. And today I got an email from someone who wants to rent. They are 9 people with 4 big dogs. And they are unemployed so would it be OK if the welfare office pays the rent? Oh man! My neighbor would kill us if we rented to 9 people with 4 dogs. God bless them with a good home, but I just could not! What would 4 dogs do to the garden and hardwood floors? I feel sorry for them, but no I do not think that would be very wise.

It's raining here- I'm praying Sarah is safe at camp. Our basement flooded.

I dropped Sarah and a friend’s son off at summer camp today. The drop off point was the church in Worms. Do you know why this church is famous? And as I walked to my car, I saw these golden tiles on the sidewalk. Do you know what is special about these tiles? I pray Sarah and my friend’s son are really blessed this week. Stolperstein http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolperstein

I think that the housing market is going up but that does not always help you personally. We actually got an offer on our house the very first week it was on the market, but the couple could not secure a loan. So we have shown it a few more times to maybe 8 more families. And we got another offer but it was extremely low. The real estate agents say it's worth what we are asking. I think it is worth more. But the reality is it's still a buyers’ market. So now comes the stress of renting it again. If we wait to find a renter we will lose rent (and we may already lose rent). And we will need to put in a new fence in the back yard, do some painting, replace a dishwasher and put in some new grass. Basically spend any profit we have made renting the place out the past year. This house has been a money dump. It causes me stress because I hate to waste money. I want to be wise. But it is not my fault it's a buyers’ market. Some people got so blessed to sell in a week...

I just started taking coconut oil and give it to Jessica. I drink mine in coffee with cream and almond milk. I give it to Jessica with yogurt. I'll let you know how it goes. We have 3 tbs 2 times a day. I may give it to Jess 3 times a day. And I may even start making it myself so I can give it to the whole family.

I spent about an hour watering my plants outside. In the green house it's over 100 F. The tomatoes don't seem to mind the heat as long as they have water. And it felt like a sauna in there. I was dripping sweat after I watered the plants. Philip, Thomas and Nicole are at summer camp this week. Sarah is at her friend’s house. Jessica is taking a nap. And Juergen is at work. It is so quite it seems almost strange! And I do manage to keep up with the laundry and the dishes. I almost think it's what it is like to be an empty nester. I'm getting allot of reading done. Yesterday Juergen showed the house in Leimen to 3 families. But the ones who need the space do not have the money. I'm afraid we will need to advertise the house as a rental. I think that is only wise. At this point it does not look like we will be able to sell it. I am trying hard not to get too emotional about this process. I really would love to sell it now. But I'm really fine if...