I know. I need to write more. I'll work on that. Maybe. Life is good. No correction, life is great. We have seen the Lord's hand in so many things. Mike and I have seen tremendous blessings from his calling, (He is the 2nd counselor in the bishopric) Seriously, so many tender mercies I couldn't begin to number them. Blake has finally taken a liking to school, and has been focused and has started excelling at his school work. It's starting to come easier to him. He really needed that little boost of confidence. He has also really blossomed spiritually. Michael and I have noticed a difference in the little things. The spirit of our home is so sweet. Life is truly happy and peaceful when it is centered and focused on the teachings of the Savior and his Gospel. Mike and I have both had the opportunity to substitute institute recently. I can't tell you the blessing that it was to both of us. I really can't remember a time that I felt the companionship of the spirit so strong. It cemented the deep love I have for the scriptures. There really is nothing in the world I love doing more than teaching about our Savior.

We have been attending the temple once or twice a month still, and that, I believe, is a huge factor in the happiness and easiness of our marriage. That and personal scripture study and prayer. Really I don't think it would be possible for people to fight with one another if both parties were diligently and honestly seeking and partaking of those blessings daily. I can count on one finger the number of times Mike and I have been in a major disagreement. In our entire marriage. Seriously. That's not to say that we don't disagree or have two different ideas on how to do something, But it's always an easy resolution. And don't tell him this, But in all reality, Mike is always right when it comes to the important stuff. I always find that I was being prideful and not in tune with the spirit. I could never tell you how much I adore and love that man. I know he's not perfect, none of us are, But in my opinion, He's as close as they come. He is always trying to do better, He sees the burdens of others and does his best to ease their pains. I've seen that man kneel by his bedside and commune with his father in heaven night after night for the last 8 years. I've seen him study his scriptures everyday, Most days more than once, They are part of who he is. He has become like his heroes from reading, studying, and learning who they were. He has made several friendships with different verses.
 He is the greatest daddy any kid could ever ask for. He rides bikes, gives horsey rides, paints fingernails, plays ball, goes to the park, races down the water slide, he lives to play with those kids, It's the very best part of his day.
Now, To say that life is super easy and we don't have hardships or heartache or trial, Is simply not the case. We are just to the point right now, That we truly trust in the Lord, and his plans and his timing. We simply have learned that life is much much happier if  you focus on the blessings, And look at the trials and hard things, as an opportunity to come to know the Savior better. To allow him to make you into something more than you are.

So yes, Life is stressful, full of heartache, uncertainty, and sometimes just down right long, hard, and repetitive, Especially if you're a parent. And more especially if you stay at home with 4 little jokers ages 2-6 years old. (Was that too specific to be hypothetical?) But it is so beautiful and happy with this little family of mine. I really have had to work hard to find the joy in the seemingly meaningless tasks, But the Lord has shown me through tiny seconds of inspiration, that he is mindful, and has wonderful plans for me to accomplish if I will let him use me as an instrument in his hands.    

I figured I'd better write this one down. You know, for posterity's sake.

                                

You remember that time you were 26 years old and you were married to a high priest? And had 4 kids ranging in age from 22 months to 6 years old, and had to sit in the church pew alone with them. Yeah, me either... until yesterday. Let's start from the beginning. Friday afternoon I got a call from Mike. Red flag number one, I never get calls from him, I get an occasional text message during the day. "I just got a message from Brother Hurt," {He knew he was in trouble when he said Brother Hurt and not Mike Hurt, Mike sells Brother Hurt cars so a phone call from him wouldn't necessarily be so bad} "We have a meeting with a member of the stake presidency on Sunday morning at 8:30." I got sick to my stomach literally.
Neither of us slept well the next two nights.
We were going to send the kids to Mikes parents house to spend the night so that we didn't have to take them to the meeting with us, but ultimately decided against it, looking back on it, I wish I would have taken that opportunity. So we had all the kids ready and up to the church at 8:30. We sit down and chat a bit and then President Herrington Says something along the lines of "we'd like to ask you to serve as the Second..... {MY mind is racing, Second counselor in the elders quorum? No, that's not it hes already a counselor in the elders quorum. second counselor in the stake Young mens?} President Herrington continues and as soon as the word "Julington" came out of his mouth I knew what it was. Second counselor in the Julington creek ward Bishopric.
That one set us both back. I paused for a few seconds and immediately thought to myself. I have to sit through sacrament meeting alone with all of these tiny kids... I didn't care about all of the meetings or anything else.

                                            


President Herrington said they had a few concerns, And all 4 of them were sitting in this room. I told him those were my concerns as well.
And then we talked about a few other things, and President Herrington said, we'd like to do this today, That means you'll need to be ordained to the office of a high priest. Who would you like to do that? Mike looked like a deer in headlights. Well, My dad's not a member, My brother isn't a high priest, my grandaddy is dead, My father in law. Yeah, he's the one. But he's on the high counsel in the other stake and he's in another ward today, I'm not sure if he can get here by 12:15.
9:00 rolls around and Mike starts out the meeting sitting with us, and then by 9:15 I'm on my own.
Our sweet friend Janae ran to the rescue. Over the pulpit, they asked me to bear my testimony, I sounded like an idiot. I bear my testimony like every fast Sunday. I didn't really have anything to say. And then this big mouth that doesn't think before it speaks says something along the lines of "I love. support, appreciate and sustain my priesthood leaders, but I know that they are just men and we have to be patient with them. They are all the Lord has to work with and we just have to be patient and understanding, But I know that they are called of God." It didn't come out as eloquently as I wanted it to but I'm just going to say that one was their fault for asking me to bear my testimony when I had nothing to do with the calling really.
So after church was over Mike was ordained and set apart and then afterwards the Bishop told us how this calling came about.
About 5 or 6 weeks ago Mike had given a talk or bore his testimony and said something and the Bishop had a thought, "he needs to be in your Bishopric." The Bishop thought well, I'm not releasing brother Woodruff or brother Ebanks. Then a week or two later Mike got up to take Brent out in the hall, And as he saw Mike heading out he had the same though. "He needs to be in your bishopric" {As the bishop told us this I thought to myself, really? Thats when it came? As he is taking a crazy baby out of sacrament?? Really??} But again he thought I'm not releasing either of my current counselors. And then the Bishop got a call from the Stake Presidency and they said the Bishop wasn't going to be really happy about this but they had another calling in mind for Brother Woodruff. So it all made sense as to why the Bishop kept having those thoughts. I think that it was good for Mike and I to hear that Mikes name wasn't just a name that he thought of and went with. We really know that as crazy as it is for Mike to have that calling with all of these tiny kids, the Bishop knew that and so did the stake presidency, however, The Lord made it very clear and prepared a way... funny how those things work out.   
So here we are. I now have to do a little more on my own. Yeah, It's absolutely going to be challenging some days. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I absolutely knew when I married Mike I was marrying an elect priesthood holder and I knew that the Lord would always need him to serve in the church. And I was and am willing to support and sustain him and all of my priesthood leaders. Even if it means sitting with a 6 year old, 5 year old, 3 year old and 2 year old alone in a pew on my own.I adore this quote by Sister Monson.

   “It has never been a sacrifice to see my husband doing the Lord's work. It has blessed me, and it has blessed our children. He always knew that if it was for the Church, I expected him to do what he had to do."
—Frances J. Monson,
 
Clearly she had it way harder than I will ever have it. But I feel just as strongly as I could ever say or express, that I will do whatever I have to, to make it possible for Mike to serve where the Lord would call him. And I know that our family will be blessed for the effort, the sacrifice, and the service. Even in these few hours that he has been called, I already feel buoyed. A sense of, I can do this. I can stay on top of all of this and it's going to be okay. The Lord won't let me fail. I have already felt the outpouring of the Lords spirit confirm to my heart that this is where the Lord needs Mike right now, and that he will make up whatever help I need in the absence of my husband. I want Mike and the Lord to know that if the Lord has work for Mike to do, I expect him to do it, and I will take care of the family obligations that may seem hard to get over or around to accomplish that work, The Lord will strengthen us, and the Lord will bless us.

I don't really have a topic for tonight. Just some things that I've been mulling over in my head. Today a lady ran a red light and almost hit us as we were crossing an intersection. She had to have been going about 60 miles an hour down 210 as I was on st johns pkwy crossing 210 she was literally 10 feet from my back bumper. Literally one second was the difference in a horrendous accident. You can't tell me that was a coincidence. I know that Gods hand was in on that one and that his angels were round about to protect us. It shook me up a bit. Immediately I said a few prayers thanking heavenly father for his protection. I was thinking to myself, if we had been hit, it would have been on Brent's side. Don't think that I didn't get him out of his seat and held him and hugged him. Later, After he smeared orange BBQ chip hands on my white couch and brand new PB pillows, I scooped him up and hugged him tighter. I was so grateful those hand prints were there.
I feel like I have been fighting the depression and anxiety battle within myself, and I've been losing. I don't want to be that way. But at the same time anytime I try to go on medicine for it, it makes it worse. I feel like its eating away the most magical and happy season of my life. We had a lesson in sunday school yesterday about joy and being happy. And the comment was made that life is our garden, and we can choose to focus on the weeds that are there to torment us, and that we spend time weeding out, or we can still do the weeding and see how beautiful the flowers are. And overall how beautiful that entire garden is. I feel like lately I haven't been seeing the flowers. And perhaps I needed that little wake up call today to realize that I need to focus my thoughts on the flowers in my life instead of the weeds.
I wasn't feeling as spiritually strong as I know that I have in the past. As I was reading back on past posts, I was reminded that I am spiritually strong, and Satan knows that, and be knows that I am on a path to be better and be stronger. He knows that if he can get me to be down in the dumps, frustrated and selfish, wallowing in my weeds, he can slow me down. Not anymore you poop-head. I'm over you and your games. Im putting on my big girl spiritual panties and getting back to business. That choice is up to me. I am done giving you that power over me.

Cinnamon vanilla muffins

I am just really lacking motivation these days. 

However, I have been somewhat productive. Well, in some areas. I am doing my best to stick to the 40-30-30 diet, natural and organic at the same time. Let's be honest... it mostly sucks. But there are a few foods that I love and could eat all day everyday... Chicken chili, And these awesome muffins.

Cinnamon vanilla muffins.

1/2 cup oats

1 1/4 cup 0% Greek Yogurt

1/3 cup coconut oil 

1/2 cup organic sugar

2 eggs {I use egg powder and they are much more moist that way, If you use eggs, add 2-3 tablespoons of water as well as the eggs}

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Add all ingredients except flour, mix until combined. Then stir in flour. Use a muffin scoop to put into cupcake liners. Bake at 375 for 15 min. It makes about 20 muffins. Weird number I know, But I just cant get the ratios correct to get 24 muffins. There are about 115 calories per muffin, And to make it 40-30-30 I eat it with some fruit and some Canadian bacon....mmmmmm.... One of my favorite pre 

cardio meals. Oh and I should mention that they are a huge hit with the kiddos.

I had to throw this one in there, You know, proof to my children in 30 years that when I am old and saggy, I can refer to this post and say listen up you little punk.... I used to be buff and hot. Oh you know, And to let them know that being healthy is and was important to me and that I hope it will be to them too. Blah, blah, blah... 

And a HUGE shout out to my partner in crime Sarah Poor who is on this "diet" {Its really a long term eating plan, not a diet, I hate that word} She is on this too and has now entered into uncharted territory, Weighing in at the lowest she ever has in her adult life, and is killing her weight loss goals! Get it girl! She makes me so proud and keeps me motivated to not eat candy corn and cupcakes. And she also smokes me when we run too. I can't keep up with that machine. I would have put her bicep picture up too, But she would have put me to shame... And we can't have that now can we.

virtual school

Ive had a bunch of friends curious as to how virtual school is going, and curious as to how it works and what not. So, I thought I'd do my best to give you some insight.

Seriously, This isn't even all of it.

First and foremost, I love it. I love the program that we use. The curriculum we are using is through k-12. You can find their site here.  He is still in the public school system, But everything is done at home. {Unless we choose to participate in group get togethers and field trips.}
They sent us a HUGE curriculum package. Seriously there has got to be $500-$1000 worth of stuff. All the student workbooks, And all the teachers books, math cubes, science supplies, 3d shapes, TONS of books, dvds, cds, You name it. And yep, The county pays for all of it! Cost to us... Free!
He has to be logged on for a total of I think 20 hours per week, But between me and you, it only takes maybe an hour to get through the material per day, and then they have pre-set time amounts you can just log in. {Does that make sense? Like a math lesson should have taken 30 minutes, but blake got through it in 10, But you can still log the 30?} any how, So that isn't an issue as far as it being time consuming. I fought with him longer than that to get his homework done after he was at school for 7 hours.

I love that he can work at his pace and it is catered to his strengths and weaknesses. For example, The kid can do third and fourth grade math, No seriously, the kid is off the charts smart in math, bar graphs, division, multiplication, But he struggles with fine motor skills. {He's also dyslexic.} So we can tailor the curriculum to harder math curriculum, that is better suited for his needs than that of a class of 28 kids, and focus more on how to correctly form his letters, also taking more time for that than most children would need. Something that in an average classroom setting we wouldn't be able to do. As much as the teachers love these kids, There is just no way that with the number of students that they are being given is it possible to individually tailor lessons to one kid.

I love having him home still. I know that the time will come and that he will eventually go to regular school. I love that we have individual time together and that I am the one teaching him and enjoying his successes.

I love that there are so many more learning options for him. For example, He has music theory incorporated into his lesson plans, {His teacher writes up lesson plans for the week and tells me what pages to do with him, and if we don't like it, we can skip it! How awesome is that?} And also Spanish. Most schools have done away with the music programs and it crushes me inside to know that something that I learned a love and passion for as a 2nd grader in Mrs. Vonderheids music class, That most children won't have the opportunity to be introduced to that.
There are also tons of other "Electives" that you can choose from.

This is what a typical weeks lesson plan looks like.

So yes, He still has a teacher that writes our lesson plans, But we are on a conference call at least once a week, And she has learning check up sessions with him {Its like a test over all the subject matter that we have covered that week, that is all done online, at least for us}And we are constantly discussing his learning needs. These virtual school teachers are seriously incredible. 
I could not even begin to describe all of the different programs and opportunities that this supplies him with. And I love that it leaves me time {Instead of him being gone for 7 hours a day} To teach him the other important things. Chores, cooking, baking, music, scriptures, manners, Etc. Things that I think are important for him to know.
So, If you are on the fence, Or wondering if you have time, The answer is yes. It's not hard. I think you should absolutely give it an in depth look and I would recommend it to anyone who thinks that their child could benefit from tailored individual lesson plans, or who thinks that the schools are not meeting their child's individual needs, Or hey, If gas is too expensive and you don't want to drive your kid to China, Like me. That was the original reason we started, That and I was nervous about the environment that public school is, Even kindergarteners have potty mouths. But now, after starting it, Just now am I realizing and learning all of the numerous benefits that virtual school offers. It's not nearly as scary as jumping straight into home school, and he is still in the public school system, So if we do send him back, I know he wont be behind. I'm actually scared that with this, If he does go back he will be so far ahead in certain areas that he'd be bored. But that's a bridge we will cross when we get there... He's only in kindergarten.

Excuses.

So here goes.
I haven't written in a while for several reason.

~ The move has been hard on me emotionally. {I'm finally getting over that} And I really do love it.

~I'm busy. Blake is doing virtual school, And I am keeping LaLa home for VPK as well.

~This is a big house and it takes a lot of time to clean. By myself. I don't have help anymore. Seriously, that is the first thing on the list...hire a new cleaning lady. But it has to wait a little while. Until I can get the budget situated. {More on that later}
Although, I did have the kids start putting their own laundry away, and it was life changing... seriously. Made my life much easier. And I felt like I was doing them good making them work.

{Holy Handouts}

~I am overwhelmed. Well, No, Not anymore I'm not. I'm actually in a good place... Today. That may change next week. Or heck, even tomorrow. But I have been. For example.... It all came crashing down Wednesday. Wednesday was a horrible day. And I sat and cried {literally} to my Heavenly Father begging him to help me understand how one person was supposed to do everything that is expected of me. And you want to know the answer I got... Well, Kyrsten, sitting here isn't accomplishing any of it. So put your big girl panties on and deal with it. So I did. {I'll admit, I was wallowing in self pity}  {No, It was really a bad day. And it was my fault. I overdrew our checking account by $800 that day, because I was just careless and irresponsible and wasn't paying close enough attention to a single transaction, you'd think with one that big I would have. But no. And then literally hours later, I got a Voicemail from JEA saying our power was being shut off at 6pm if I didn't pay it by 5 pm. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I paid that bill. But long long long story short I didn't pay $40 of it {Because I didn't know the amount because JEA isn't mailing my bills to the right address} So anyways, long story longer, we transferred some money from savings to checking {Thank heavens we have savings}  I wasted $70 in over draft fee, so that was awesome. The whole point of that story is that I am totally off my groove. I am so crazy about budget and finances normally but since we moved, I haven't even attempted to stick to a real "budget." Ive just been buying what we have needed. Big mistake. I am just overwhelmed and running behind and budgeting takes time and that's something I haven't had a lot of lately. 


~Instead of blogging, I have been reading. I was having a really hard time being released from teaching Sunday school. I missed it. So I started reading more diligently. It was about 6 weeks before I got a calling in this new ward. That was hard on me too. Now I am in Young Womens. I'll be honest. Brutally honest. It wasn't where I wanted to be. I wanted to teach the scriptures. More. The new curriculum is fantastic. And I do get to teach the scriptures, but not as often as I'd like. I'll only teach once or twice a month. Which is good, But Its been hard. I know how Alma felt. {Alma 29:1-10} The Gospel of Jesus Christ burns in my soul. And I want to teach it. I want others to love it like I do and to know the happiness and peace that comes from it. I want others to know of the plan of salvation and our Savior. I want them to know. I don't want them to think they know... I want them to KNOW. And I want to teach them how to know, how to learn. I want to be an instrument in the Lords hands to help others feel the spirit. I want to teach these kids that the people in the Bible and Book of Mormon are real people. I want them to know the promises that the Lord has so mercifully given to us if we will consecrate our lives to Him.
I know that I can do that in Young Womens too, And I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to be with them. It just means that instead of giving lessons, I have to focus more on being an example. Living the Gospel and showing them that I love it, Without saying that in a lesson.
So, I have dedicated myself to learning and loving the scriptures and first obtaining His word {D&C 11:21}, So that when the opportunities do come to teach and testify I will be ready. So, Right now I am studying the new testament again, And have made my goal for this year to read the Book of Mormon once a month. So that's another reason that I haven't had time to write. In order to get through it at that pace, I am going to have to read whenever I get the chance. And to be honest, I need it. I need to feast upon the Word. Not just have an appetizer.
 Captain Moroni wrote "by the maintenance of the sacred word of God to which we owe ALL our happiness." {Alma 44:5} How cool is that? ALL their happiness. So I can gather from that that if I want to be happy, I can find it in the scriptures.
 I can't do anything without Christ. But I also know that I can do ALL things through Christ. {Philippians 4:13} Even if all those things are laundry, dishes, cleaning bathrooms, and taking care of kiddos.
~I have projects. There is a lot of painting and reupholstering and hanging and all that kind of stuff that goes along with a new house. As long as I can remember, my grandma always had a cedar chest at the end of her bed. I asked her if I could have it. So she brought it down this last time she was here. And I have had the privilege of giving it a little facelift. It's a beaut. My niece is getting baptized in February and so I am putting sleeves on her dress, and making her a scripture case too. Not to mention a few skirts and dresses for my girls and myself.

Okay, So now you're kind of caught up. Long story short, I've been in a funk, and I'm busy. But I'm back in the blogging saddle. {As soon as I go get a new computer chair, We don't have one right now so it kills my back to sit at the computer, But I'm on it...it's on the list...the very long list of things to do and buy.}

Today was a wonderful day. My beautiful little Lala turned 5, Blake learned to ride his bike without training wheels, Lala is not far behind him, {maybe tomorrow she'll have it down} and my rug came. I'm living the dream my friends. As my best friend would say, these are the good ol' days. Yes, yes they are. These are the days I'm going to cherish. Simple, ordinary, happy joyful days with this sweet family of ours. This house is slowly becoming our home, but today it especially seemed "homey." I saw our families gathered around laughing and playing and as I looked around and it finally felt like it was not just our house, but it was our home. I don't do well with change, even when it's change that I want and plan.... So this has been a bit rough for me emotionally, but I have slowly started to wrap my head around it and get to a new normal. I know this is the best place for our family to be, and I absolutely love it, there's just some little pieces and conveniences of our old life that I miss. But this move has fulfilled so many of my dreams, and has allowed me so much more time with my sweet family and the simpler, more family and Gospel centered life I have always wanted. Today was one of the good old days that Michael and I will look back on and cherish and hold tight in our hearts.

This is the place

(I am on my phone and typing with fat fingers so excuse any typos)
We are here. Finally in our forever home. However, I still have no internet, tv or cell phone reception. (We have zero bars and no service in the house) I have to go get a cell tower.
Moving, not so smooth. The movers were slower than molasses and of course they are paid by the hour. So it cost us double what we paid for the last move and what we had budgeted. And they put all the boxes in the front two rooms and I had to carry them upstairs to their final destinations. (they would have taken them upstairs, but I figured we would have been there another 5 hours and I didn't have time or money for that.
We still have to get the swing set taken apart and moved and put back up. We are waiting on a trailer. Mikes uncle is going to help us move it but we have to get everyones schedules aligned. In pretty sure that thing will make my life much easier. The kids LOVE being outside already, I can't imagine what it'll be like when they have a swing set.
My mom from Utah is here. Thank heavens. It was perfect timing because I really needed help with kids and boxes. The goal is to get the kids rooms done while she is here. Oh yes, and it's good she's here to take care of the kids because I have strep. I'm pretty sure I have had it for about a week but I just didn't have time to go to the Dr. I've been running myself ragged and so maybe it's a good thing it finally knocked me flat. So I have no choice but to slow down a bit.
Furnishing a house without going into debt is hard. It's really hard. But we are determined to do it and so if that means that a few rooms sit empty for a while, so be it.
So craigslist and garage sales have been my go to. There are a few things in the house that I bought new like a lamp and pillow covers, but all on sale and all with a coupon. However, this is what am most proud of at the moment... My $5 garage sale leather chair.
We aren't talking like cheap bonded leather either. This is the good stuff.
I originally wanted to purchase a little lounge chair from Ballard. But it was going to set us back about $1,000. (I cannot stand fake bonded leather so I was not going cheap on that piece) so I searched craigslist and found one that was suitable but it was still $500. A good savings, but I couldn't bring myself to buy it. It was just too much money. I knew I could find something else. And so sure enough we (Sarah, and my brother in law Barrett) were out garage sale-ing on Saturday and I spotted this thing from a mile away, jumped out of the car almost before Sarah had time to stop it, and asked the lady how much, praying it wasn't sold already. "$5" the lady said. I almost died. I was thinking at least $100. I quickly paid the lady and hauled that thing off happy as could be. So, that's where we are at. Still trying to unpack and get settled. I'll post a few pictures when I get the Internet hooked back up.

Our walk through is tomorrow. We are scheduled to close the Monday after. 1/2 the house is in boxes, And the other 1/2 I am just pretending it will pack itself. There's a few things that still need worked out on the house, {The fence is the only one that I am slightly concerned about, But it will get worked out} I'm kind of stressed, But not really. I probably should be, But I think I am just not facing reality. It's easier that way. 

We have a Halloween party almost every night this week, And I still have to finish one more costume, I'm just going at life as normal, like the whole moving thing isn't happening. After all, I can't just skip the Halloween festivities, It does happen to be my FAVORITE holiday.

Want a sneek peek?

Cutest sidekick ever right??

 Plus the regular school scheduel, and you know, packing the house up. So I will resume the blog after we get settled. Thanks for the help. Thanks for babysitting. And hey, If anyone wants to join me for a paint party on Monday the 29th, Holla at me. I'll pay you in pizza, soda and love. And you can come see the house. {Am I the only one that likes to creep and see other peoples houses? Does that make me a weirdo?}

One mans trash is my treasure.

I am really up to my earballs in stress, boxes, projects, and kids.

Our walk through is a week from monday. And we close a week after that.

Holy cow. I have a lot to do.

The house is beautiful. It's more than I could have ever imagined it would be. Mike and I went through yesterday and it was the first time I had seen the correct backsplash, {The first one that was put in was the wrong color, And it looked terrible. just a little miscommunication, But they fixed it quickly and without issue.} And the wood floors were put in... And my stove. Oh my stove.

I was fighting as hard as I could to not burst into tears. I was so overwhelmed and grateful, and couldn't believe that this was going to be ours.

Here was the list we were waiting on and here are the things that have been completed.

The garage door and front doors need painted. {They were doing that today}

The shutters need installed

The lawn, landscaping, irrigation, and fence need done

The backsplash in the kitchen

Glass inserts in the kitchen cabinet doors

wood floors need installed

carpet needs installed

stairs need stained

stone work on the fireplace 

We are so close. 

Sarah and I went garage sale-ing today.

It was one of the best, most successful hauls I've had. 

I got blake a bag of boy dress up clothes for $5. Retail new - at least $100.

 Including 

optimus prime

bumblebee

swat team leader

army dude

firefighter 

police

pirate

spider man

a knight

A disney store sleeping beauty dress in fantastic condition.
I paid $5. Retail new $45

A Barbie Jammin Jeep power wheel for $40. Retails new - $290

{I got Blake and LaLa a power wheel on target clearance last year and paid $75 a piece and so this one is for Kynzi because we all know LaLa would never let Kynzi drive}

A pair of sperrys for LaLa... get this... I PAID ONE DOLLAR. Retail new is $50

  A pair of Gap zebra print shoes for LaLa -$1.00 Retail new $29

3 Gap shirts $1 each. Retail new-$13 each

Pair of cowgirl boots for lala $2. Retail new $15

A mirror for the girls room-$10. Retail at least $40. {And thats with a coupon from hobby lobby}

An old school desk $20

But my best deal and favorite score of the century... 

This swing set. 

We were going to buy a new one when we moved anyways so finding one at a garage sale was beyond awesome!!!

I paid $500.

Retail new for this particular one is $1200. 

And bonus... I don't have to put it together from a million pieces. 

So, Total saved by buying other peoples "junk"... Instead of new.

$1,241.

The only advice I have is to be picky. VERY picky, Don't just buy junk. Know what you want and don't settle. It's so easy to get caught up in the moment and buy junk just because its a good deal. Or to buy something you will never use just because its a good deal. Only buy it if you need it and will use it.
That being said. I have no shame in proclaiming to the world that I buy used things. I buy other peoples trash.  And you know what? I save a LOT of money doing it.
I don't know why some people think they are "above" that, But they are missing out!

The washer broke two weeks ago. And our less than fantastic land lord will not fix it. I can't even talk about it. This lady makes me so mad. 

However, It just makes reason number 450 that I won't be getting a front loader for the new house. 

They are really expensive to fix, and break down quite often. 

So, I have 3 more weeks without a washing machine. Awesome. Especially since we cloth diaper. Now I am having to buy disposable diapers. I am not a fan.

So far on the house we are waiting for...

The garage door and front doors need painted.

The shutters need installed

The lawn, landscaping, irrigation, and fence need done

The backsplash in the kitchen

Glass inserts in the kitchen cabinet doors

wood floors need installed

carpet needs installed

stairs need stained

stone work on the fireplace

Pretty sure that's all we are waiting on. The house will be complete in 16 days. We will move in 24. 

Projects have been at an all time high.
I painted the boys dresser {free dresser from my moms house}

I painted a 2 ft by 3 ft mirror for the girls room {its been sitting in the garage waiting to be used for two years} I used left over paint from their dresser so that was a no money out of pocket project.

I got/made some throw pillows for the living room

But my favorite "project" was our bed. Michael and I have always slept on a box spring and a mattress that sat on the floor. So this was a big deal. I finally feel like a grown up. We have a real bed!! We have carried life insurance for 5 years, But the bed is what finally made me an adult ;)

Remember this post. When I said it was killing me that some sucker was going to get a steal of a deal on the Pottery Barn sleigh bed I wanted... Guess who that sucker was.... 

I hadn't asked Mike to buy it when I first saw the ad because I assumed that he wanted me to wait, because we had just spent a lot of money on the couches, And so I put off calling the guy because I figured surely the ad was old and the bed was gone and he hadn't taken it down. Well, It was killing me so much that I just had to know... So I inquired. He told me it was still available. So, I picked it up the next day. I would have picked it up that night but the bank was already closed. {That's the one bad thing about craigslist, All cash. No card, Which is actually a really good thing I suppose depending on how you look at it.} So, $1250 Pottery Barn Valencia Sleigh bed for $400. It isn't the exact one I wanted originally, The one I wanted has different feet, But for a $850 savings, I can live with those feet. There was a small ding where the wood had chipped a bit, But I just took a $5 wood stain pen to it, and now you can't even tell that it was there.

 We need new bedding obviously, We have never even had a duvet cover, and we sleep on clearance Target sheets. So I will be getting that after we move. And when you come over to my house, You don't even need to ask me where I got something, because the answer 99% of the time will be Pottery Barn Via Craigslist. And I really cannot tell you how fantastic the quality of Pottery Barn is. There really is a difference between them and the cheaper versions. Obviously not enough of a difference for me to pay full price, But enough of a difference that I will pay a little bit more on craigslist and get PB quality instead of even cheaper cheap crap from craigslist.

 Here are my grand plans for our master bedroom retreat. I wanted to keep it very neutral with just a few accents of my favorite color. 

I was "thanked for my service" as a Sunday school teacher and my replacement has been called. {I will officially be released next week.}
I bawl like a baby thinking about it. I love that calling. I love my kids. I was terrified of the calling when I started. {When these kids were 13 years old! Some of the kids I taught are sophomores in college! And some 6 months into their missions!}
I could never describe what that calling did for me, And what it gave to me. It taught me so much. It taught me to love the scriptures, It gave me an unquenchable thirst for the wisdom and knowledge contained in those sacred records. It taught me how to search the doctrine and gospel of our Savior. It gave me a friendship with the Holy Ghost. It gave me an understanding and a compassionate heart to those sweet {sometimes irreverent and rowdy} teenagers. It gave me faith and a sure knowledge that I can do all things through Christ. I was SO SO inadequate for that calling. I still am. But I know that those kids feel the spirit in that class and I know that they love being there, not because of me, But because they love learning about our Savior and his teachings. This calling was by far the hardest most challenging calling I have ever had. But it has been by far the most rewarding and sweet experience of my life. I love teaching the scriptures.
To my kids, I hope that you know I love you. I am so proud of the choices that you make. I am so proud of who you are becoming. Know that I love the scriptures. Know that to every question you have in life that on those pages there is an answer that was written for you. Know that Jesus Christ is our savior and that through his atonement all things are possible. Through his atonement, He knows you. He has engraven you upon the palms of his hands. He knows how to help you. He will never give up on you. He will always welcome you into his arms. He knows that you will make mistakes, That's part of His plan. None of us could learn if we were already perfect. That's the purpose of us being here. To be given hard things in life, to gain a stronger relationship with him.
I am so grateful that we got to share those lessons together. To learn from you, and to learn with you.
Be good, Make good choices. Don't be in a situation you know you shouldn't be. Where the adversary will have power over you. Don't you dare give him that satisfaction. Don't pick a fight with him, You won't win. Search the scriptures. Really pray. Don't just say prayers. Take the small things seriously. They really do matter. Listen to the prophets. There is a reason we have been given counsel. They are the watchmen in the tower. They see more than we do down here in the trenches. Learn the doctrine behind the counsel in the FSOY. There is protection and power in obedience.

And P.S. We are so having a party at the new house and we are going to watch corny living scripture movies and eat all the chocolate chip cookies, smarties, twizzlers, and crunch bars we can get our hands on.

I've been stewing over a lot of things recently. Mostly with how different I want to be living my day to day life with my children. I have been feeling {For quite some time} That my life just isn't what I want it to be. I mean with the things that we are spending time on, and the things that we aren't spending time on.
Our days usually look like this {This is since school started about two months ago}

7:30am wake up rush to eat and get kids dressed and out the door by 8:30
9:00 drop kids off and go to gym
11:30 leave gym to pick up lala
12:00-2:30 waste time doing who knows what while we wait to pick up Blake
3:00 pick up blake
3:30 get home get snacks pick up a little bit, fight to get homework done
5:00 start dinner
6:00 eat
7:00 bed.

Then we do it all again the next day.

Growing up all I wanted to be was a mom. I wanted to be the mom that did crafts with the kids, and helped them with their numbers and letters. I wanted to be the mom that taught them music lessons, I wanted to be the mom that read books to them all the time. I wanted to be the mom that threw fun parties. I wanted to be the mom that surprised my kids with little presents on random days. I wanted to be the mom that my kids deserve.

But recently, "Life" Has gotten in the way. I hate that my kids aren't with me during the day. I hate that we fight for two hours to get homework done after he is exhausted from being at school for 6 hours with only a 30 minute recess.

I have come to the conclusion that I want my kids home with me at least for a little bit longer. We will fight for those two hours and do the numbers and letters and then we will spend the other hours doing the things that I think are important for them to learn. Music, cooking, scripture stories, and having fun together.

I have decided that after the move I am going to home school them. I want these years with them.
I want to stop spending hours wasting time running from one school to the next. And when the school on our street opens and everyone is on the same school scheduel and we aren't spending crazy amounts of time in the car, And they are a bit bigger and I have had a bit more time with them, Then I will send them back to public school.

There is also another reason I have come to this conclusion.
Blake is dyslexic. He needs some special therapies to help him get to where he needs to be. So we will start those as soon as we get to the other side of town and can find someone who can do help him with that, But my mom taught 5 of us that had this problem, So I will be using the same method at home with him that she used with us.

32 days left of living in a 2 bedroom townhouse with 6 people.

The house is 26 days from being completed. 

32 days until we move in. 

 

 All the stone work outside is done... She still needs some shutters.

This is the color the kitchen and breakfast nook will be. I will be painting the night we close.

There's my hammered copper sink... That Michael Neal doesn't ever have to wash a dish in. That was the deal when he let me get it.

 

This is a close up of the vent mantle. 

 

The cupboards still look a little naked. Thats because they still need the hardware and the glass inserts. The glass inserts give me a headache. There were 20 emails back and forth about them and they still weren't put in. But whatever, It will get fixed.

The counter tops went in today. Its hard to tell in the pictures what color they are, But they are a sandy beige-y color with copper and brown specks. This top picture is the actual color of them. {That's the kitchen pallet}

 

The master vanities, well, One of them at least.

The master vanity with the counter tops. Believe it or not, These are the same cabinet. The lighting was different.

Remember those brick floors I mentioned... They are by far my favorite thing that has gone in so far. This is the mudroom entry from the garage.

Eventually, this is what the mudroom will look like. Minus the wood floors obviously. But the cabinets have to wait a little while. The builder wanted something stupid like $7,500 to put this in. So we opted out and have gotten a few different bids, and unless someone can get it down to $1,000 {Which you cant even buy the wood for} Then it has to wait a while... But I was planning ahead:)

 

 Or this is the other option... {It would save us quite a bit of money,} I'm pretty handy and I'm fairly certain I could build this. {Note that I said I...Mike's theory is that he funds the projects and I carry them out, It's a good system that works for us.} And if I can't, Well, I can always stop mid project, fly my dad out from Utah, and make him finish it. {Or build the whole thing} Either way, as long as it gets done, I'll be a happy camper.

  To see it go here. {A CHARMING NEST}

 So there we are. I'm ready. I way past ready. And with the washing machine broken, a landlord that is in NO hurry to fix it, some stupid vertical blinds that are constantly falling down, and a neighbor who always slams their door, and kids who are constantly waking each other up because they sleep in the same room, It makes me wish it were yesterday that we moved. 

However, that being said, this has been a really fun process. And I think I will be sad to have it end. It's like Christmas every day something new gets done. But one that I hope I never have to do again. It's been stressful, and still is... and it's been long... VERY long. But we are closer than we were yesterday.

Why I am voting for Mitt

I am writing this post, not to persuade anyone or to start an argument, but because I want my children to read it one day in the future and know where I stand and what I stand for. 

How proud I am to be an American. 

I love my country. 

 I love, respect, admire and am so grateful to those who serve our country to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. 

We live in the greatest nation on earth. 

I will never vote for a man who won't put his hand on his heart in front of that sacred flag that so many have given their lives for. I don't care if it was "just" for the the national anthem that it wasn't there, It should have been. 

I will never vote for a man who apologizes for America and what she stands for. {here}

I will never vote for a man who wants a communist society. If you want a communist society, Get out of America. There are plenty of other places you can go. 

I will never vote for a dishonest man. 

I will never vote for a man who wants universal healthcare. It is garbage. It doesn't work. Check other countries track records, or talk to someone who has dealt with that system.

I will never vote for a man who wants to "spread the wealth." You are not entitled to a car, a house, or even food. Yes, I said you are NOT entitled to food. ^" In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,"{Genesis 3:19} God's way is that you work for what you get. I am not cold and heartless, On the contrary, I would and do help anyone that is struggling, but trying.

 I will never vote for a man who wants to force me to give. Hey, Guess what? If you want to help people, and give them your hard earned money. You still can! But we should never be forced to "help" those who won't help themselves. That's a disgusting thought to me.

I will never vote for a man who's policies go against the constitution. Who's policies go against the foundation that our country was built upon. 

I will never vote for a man who is friends with people who hate America. 

If you have anything but love and pride for this country, We are going to have issues.

I will vote for a man of integrity. 

I will vote for a man who knows how to manage money.

I will vote for a man who is a man of God. Who's actions reflect that.

I will vote for a man who loves his country and the freedoms we enjoy. 

I will vote for a man who knows how to take companies that are in the crapper and make them successful. Hey, That's the boat that America is in right now. He has the track record, to PROVE that he knows how to fix economic issues.

I will vote for a man who will not fail. 

This election will be a turning point for America. 

I want my children to live in a country that is free, successful, And respected. 

The Book of Mormon states that America will remain a free land as long as the people worship the God of the land. It also assures us that “unto the righteous” this land “shall be blessed forever.”

AS LONG AS. 

I am not voting in ignorance. And neither should you.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
  --  Thomas Jefferson

38 days and counting... Here's where we are.

 All the wood trim is in. And all the interior doors are in. Ceilings and walls are all painted.

 Upon the paint drying, it looks much less orange-e terracotta-e. I don't hate it quite as much. Don't get me wrong, it's still more yellow than I'd like, I don't LOVE it, and there will be lots of new paint colors going up, But I can live with this color until I can get to all the walls.

 All the tile is in. {Bathroom floors, showers, food storage room, and the laundry room} I drove out today not really planning to, But I made a run to whole foods and the two little ones were asleep and they needed a nap before we had to get Blake so I decided to take a drive. It's a good thing that I did because the guy that was laying the brick floors in the mudroom didn't know what pattern he was supposed to be laying them in. As I was walking through he asked me if I was the owner and he said he had a question. {Thank heavens he spoke English. I'm not really sure what he was planning to do if I didn't show up?}So it was good that I was there so I could show him a picture. Any how, We got it all figured out, and hopefully those went in this afternoon too. And hopefully they are in right.

 They were working on the stone outside while I was there too. It looked like they had just started on it. There is a ton of stone work that is going on. And the fireplace will be this stone as well. Oh and I love love love the exterior paint color and stone color. The stone color goes so great with the roofing color. {I was slightly nervous when I first saw the roof color, it's a reddish brown and all of our neighbors have grey or black shingles. We stuck out like a sore thumb. But it looks so great together. {Not to toot my own horn. This was all dumb luck that they go so well together. Because I'll be honest, I was terrified as I was picking all these colors and trims. And I am so lucky that the outside color is what I was hoping it would be. It is so so different when you are looking at 2 inches of this color and when you are looking at an entire house of this color. It's a lot of pressure picking all these things out man. If someone hates the curb appeal of your house its 100% your own fault. If the neighbors think your house is the ugly duckling of the street, that's your fault. Or when you are trying to sell it {Not that we are ever planning to do that} if someone hates it, It's your fault. I seriously got so dumb lucky. The only things I am kind of worried about now is the front doors and the garage doors. They are going in brown. We did this so that we could have a faux wood paint treatment done to them. {as much as I wanted it, real wood in Florida is just not a good idea because of the humidity and warping} But now I am looking at it, and I really think I'd be okay with white. {Don't tell Mike that, Because we had to pay extra for the brown. He is probably going to shoot me!} Oh well, Maybe I will love love love the brown. Who knows. I think I just need to see it.
So, That's where we are. Part of me is like, what the heck do they need 38 more days for? Extreme Home Makeover does it in like a week, Just hurry up and get my floors in and my kitchen in and let me move in! But it is really exciting seeing all the little things going in. It's like Christmas everyday that something new gets started!

The ugly bombe chest

I found a new app for the Ipad. And let me just say that I have wasted  spent way too much time on it. It's called moodboards. Basically you can do whatever you want with it, But I have discovered that it is the perfect app for making design boards for each room in the new house. Here's a peek at the one for the girls room. {mind you it's ever changing as I find things, But you get the idea.}

  

So I have been slowly collecting things for their room. In looking for the "dresser" I ran into a few problems... one I wanted a mirrored furniture piece. Well, as I was looking at homegoods I saw a mirrored table in the store and it was already shattered in a few places. Yeah, This is going in a kids room. Not an option. I'm sure that thing would be destroyed in seconds. So I decided on metallic instead. And problemo number two...Money. I had in mind a very specific shape and feel for what I wanted to act as the dresser. I wanted a bombe chest. Well, The only metallic bombe chests that I could find run about $1000. Like the one pictured below. Some of them ran up to $4,500. {Layla grace} Really? Who spends that kind of money on a piece of furniture?

So I got to craigslisting. And what would you know this bad boy was listed. I called and picked it up that night. $100. Now, I don't know if you have priced regular dressers lately, But for a "dresser" for the girls room this was a steal of a deal. Most new dressers I have found on the cheap side run $400+. So I happily paid the lady $100. {I didn't have the heart to haggle with this lady.}

Here is what this beast looked like before. Oh man, Talk about seeing the potential. But the lines were absolutely perfect. I knew I could make it work.

 

I had a "helper"

It took about 3 coats of primer to cover the black. No joke. 

 

 This is what made the magic happen. And it only cost me $4 at hobby lobby. It's normally $7.99 and I used a 50% off coupon. And one container did the whole thing. {It took two coats}

 Drum roll please....

 

 My Iphone pictures do not do it justice. This thing is beautiful in real life.  I used some crystal knobs I have had laying in a drawer for years waiting to be used. I think my mom got them for like .25 cents each when pier one kids was going out of business at the town center. So, Total cost for this awesome piece for the girls room... $104. I'm pretty happy about that.