Tender Mercies

Thank you to those that are actually reading this. You are my support alot of the time. You are the ones that have lifted me up and made me feel better about myself. And that's why I feel like I can write more personal things and you will understand.

Towards the end of last week I had a Big Long EMOTIONAL post typed up. I decided to hold off on posting it for that moment. I then went and got on the treadmill and ran....and I ran...and it felt good...then I got off the treadmill and cried...ALOT....and it felt good....and I felt relief from alot of things...issues that I have been dealing with. And today I do feel better.....

I have heard the phrase "Tender Mercies" alot over the last couple of years and the last week all I can think about is the Tender Mercies that the Lord has blessed Jim and I with along with our beautiful daughters. I am amazed at each little "coincidence" that has come along in the past 6 months. (WOW, HAS IT BEEN 6 MONTHS!)  And to know that they ARE NOT COINCIDENCE! They are TENDER MERCIES from the Lord.

As our new journey started several months ago, we were blessed with such a calm, and peaceful assurance that everything was going to work out. Jim was without work and our money was running out and we weren't freaking out!!! WHY??!! I started to worry about the fact that I wasn't worried. I kept saying to Jim, "Why are we not freaking?" We knew we could make it through March with the funds we had, but after that....then what?! We both still felt ok about our situation.

And now, here I sit on the 7th day of May... Where just three days ago I went and took $250 of our last $400 in savings and paid bills....and today is Jim's first real payday with his new job.....tender mercy.

I CAN NOT deny the hand of the Lord in our life. I can not deny that Heavenly Father knows me, Jim, and my girls. I can not deny that this is His plan and things will happen on His time and we will be better and stronger because of it.

HMMMM...What to do First...

The house just suddenly got quiet. It hasn't been like this for awhile. The 3 oldest are off to school. Jim just left for his first day at Wasatch Properties. Sam is sitting in the office chair next to me spinning in circles.

I'm really not sure where to begin or what to do first today.

For almost three years Jim has been working at Aaron's. It was a very stressful job and he was gone ALOT. It hurt me to see the stress he was going through. And he was doing it for our family. Finally...enough was enough...We both knew that he couldn't go on like that, so we called it quits. He was done with Aaron's on the 1st of Dec. We stayed in Carson City til after Christmas, then loaded up and headed back to Utah. We were planning to stay with Jim's parents til we found a job. Funny coincidence, our renters gave their notice the first of January. You would think that we would have panicked knowing we didn't have renters or a job to make the house payment, but we didn't. We both were ok with the situation and what was happening.

After many long days and hours working and cleaning up our house, we finally moved back in on Feb. 25th. Still no job prospects at the time, but we still felt OK. It's amazing how our Heavenly Father has blessed us with peace. We are enjoying being back in our house. Jim and I sit on the back porch often and look out over the valley to the south and tell each other how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place.

Another thing that I feel truly blessed about is daycare. I know I have been blessed with the peace of mind to do it. I also have been blessed to watch 2 really good boys. They behave really well and mind alot better than my own kids.  They both are home sick today, so another reason that my house is so quiet. I think it will be a long day, but I am excited for the new changes and schedules.

I am also very blessed to have Jim. He is going to do AMAZING with this new job! I am excited for him and for what he will be learning and doing!

Now, What should I do first? Clean my toilet? Clean Sam's bedroom? Clean the Playroom? Mop the kitchen floor? Organize the Office? Vacuum? Fold Laundry? Exercise Cross that one off because I got up early to do it before Jim left!! :)

Easter 2012

We spent Easter in Koosharem. Cory and Angie were there with their kids. Cory did alot of work in Dad's yard by cutting down some trees.  It was fun to watch as they all worked together to get them down and make them fall where they wanted them to fall.

It started snowing but the sun was still shining....only in Koosharem.... 

She's 12.....!!!

I'm not sure if I am ready for her to grow up....but I do love having a daughter as a best friend.

Brindley is now in Beehives in Young Women's. She Loves it!

 She is a great help around the house and with her younger sisters. She is very sensitive to me and my needs and is willing to help without even being asked.

She is getting quite the sense of humor. She Loves to crack Jokes....she's getting to where her jokes are quite funny too. 

Another Update

To see our Christmas Tree Hunting Pictures Click HERE!

Same Home...New Home

I wanted to share some of the pictures of what we did to our house before we moved back in.

First thing first...We scrubbed the kitchen! It was filthy. Actually the whole house was filthy. I didn't dare lean against a wall. With being landlords, we discovered that renters don't try as hard at taking care of the place they are in. I'm assuming because they aren't paying the mortgage. We put in well over 50 hours just cleaning.

***Funny side story. Before the renters moved out, Jim and I walked through our home. We could see how filthy it was. Jim said to me, "Maybe you should contact the Relief Society President and see if she would help get some sisters together to help the renters clean." I just laughed it off. Well, the next Sunday while sitting in Relief Society, the president came over to me and let me know that they were passing around a sign up sheet for volunteers to go help my renters clean "my" house. She didn't want me to be surprised or caught off guard. I smiled and told her that was just great! When they passed it around, they totally avoided handing it to me. I had to laugh at this. Thanks to some great sisters in the ward. I didn't have to wash the walls downstairs!***

We decided that we would try to redo the wood floors and replace the carpet that I don't think had been vacuumed in several months. While the carpet was out we also thought that we should paint those rooms that needed paint.

Jim rented a sander and went to work. He sanded for several hours and was getting exhausted....to the point of giving up. Just then, in walked his dad and brother. I honestly wanted to cry at this point. They came just at the right time. They both took over the sanding and with in a couple hours we had the floor how we wanted it....until the next day.

When we got back the next day, with the sunlight shining on the kitchen floor, we could see so many grooves. So Jim went and rented the sander again and worked several more hours. We finally decided that we were just going to leave it how it was. (I think doing it ourselves, we were being very picky). Jim's dad and brother returned that night along with some friends. They helped us wash and vacuum all the sawdust up. So glad that I covered the cupboards and doorways with plastic. That sawdust was everywhere.

New Carpet!!

We didn't get new carpet downstairs (except Brindley's room). Picking out carpet is hard! I knew what color I wanted and I knew that I wanted to be able to run my toes through it. We went to about 8 different places looking at carpet. Finally we found a place that answered our questions, made suggestions for us, and even let me come to his house to see what the carpet was like. I'm am so happy with our choice!

The carpet on the stairs is a shorter cut so it doesn't mat as easily. 

Front Room 

My bedroom! I Love the colors we choose! 

Lexie and Sam's room! There will be white trim covering where the two colors meet.

Putting the polyurethane on the floor. So beautiful! 

I REALLY LOVE how the colors go with our bedroom set! 

Jim did such a great job on the floor. He worked so hard.

Brindley got a whole New Room too. Her room had mold in it so we had to tear out the wall and carpet. I don't have pictures of it. Guess I had better have her clean her room now so I can get pictures.

We still have a few projects that need to be done, but I honestly feel like we have a New Home!

Back Home...

We were ALL excited to be back in our own house. We stayed with Jim's parents for 2 months. They were very gracious and I thank them so much for their help. I felt bad for bringing my 4 daughters in there home and ruining there quiet evenings. All 4 girls slept in 1 room and Jim and I in another. With all of our immediate needs packed in those two rooms. So being able to get back in our home made us feel like we were stretching out. We couldn't move stuff in yet because the kitchen floor was still hardening, so we blew up some air mattresses and spent our first night back in our home. There was no internet or tv hook ups yet so we played games and watched movies that we had access to. It was good to be just our family again. Even if the air mattress went flat in the night!

 Our renters left their swing set...Jim was going to get rid of it but Sam was playing on it from day 1. It was so fun introducing her to our home. She was only 5 months when we moved so she didn't remember any of it. Lexie had even forgotten some. She did remember the Play Room though! :)

 I Love being able to let Sam just run free! In Carson they could never play out front unless Mom or Dad were with them. The back yard was ok for them because it was fenced but the neighbor's house was 25 feet away so I worried about all the noise my kids created and bothering the neighbors....Don't have to worry about that here!!

It's good to be home!