The Best Move I've Ever Made!

For a girl who was born and raised in the same little house in Greenville, CA, I've sure moved around a lot; so I know a thing or two about moving! The sad part is that 17 of the 25 moves happened between 1970-80! (That pretty much sums up that decade of my life!)

Other than the first 17 years and 10 months I spent in my first home the longest I've lived at any address was 8 years and 10 months...

Until now!

We've lived here, on our little quarter acre of heaven for 10 years. As Gordon and I were driving to the Temple yesterday I mentioned to him something that has been rolling around in my little head but finally found its way out-

THIS IS THE BEST MOVE I'VE EVER MADE!

(PHOTO TAKEN MAY 2014)

Gordon asked why so I started counting off the blessings (name them one by one!)

• We are close to many of our children and grandchildren and get to interact with them on a frequent basis.
• We have a paid for home.
• We are able to serve in the Temple often.
• We have the privilege of being ordinance workers- which has brought greater meaning to the wonderful blessings administered there.
• We live in a wonderful neighborhood and community.
• We are surrounded by good people trying to do the right thing.
• We live in the mountains (a plus for this mountain-born girl).
• We live in an area with a lower cost of living.
• We have four seasons!

The list could go on and on. But I just wanted to share here, publicly, my great gratitude to my Heavenly Father who truly has "opened the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there is not room enough to receive."

Another Move for Miss Camille

This marks the end of six years of teaching for Miss Camille! And wouldn't you know it? Time for another move! (If you want to read more about our previous adventures click here or here)

Westmore Elementary has a brand-new building built adjacent to the old 1950s building that they've been in since, you guessed it!, the 1950s!

But, here's the problem... school ended on May 30th and the teachers needed to have all of their stuff moved to their new room THAT SAME DAY! ACK!!! I went on Tuesday to help Camille and we worked until she was exhausted (she'd taught all day and then put in another day's work packing)... we knew there was still a lot left for us to do on Thursday, the next day I could come and help her.

Miss Camille in her new room!

You know the old adage- "many hands makes light work"? It is so true. Desi and Alex came over to help us finish. But let's be honest here... Alex was the real hero here! It is a definite advantage when one set of those *many hands* are strong man-hands. Alex schlepped desks, bookcases and stacky-stackyertons like only a young man can do! He did in 3 hours what it would have taken Camille and I alone three times as long to accomplish! Once again, a big thank you to Alex!

So it's *good-bye* to good ol' room 4! I can promise you that this room has never been this empty since its birth 60 years ago... (and the collection of accumulated junk from all past teachers that Miss Camille inherited? She passed it on to a very deserving intern teacher who will be teaching the newly created 4th first grade class this year)

My favorite thing about the old building! Teeny kindergarten sized toilets!

Miss Camille Moves 1st Grade

When I took the baby SD card out of my MPC-phone I discovered that I had some very fun photos from 11 days ago (the day before my surgery) that I'd completely forgotten about. What a happy find!

Camille's been teaching 1st grade out in Saratoga Springs for the last four years and whereas she loved the people she worked with (you know who you are) she was not wild about the commute, especially since the onset of the I-15 corridor construction! (It already cost her a tire.)

Each year Camille has put in for a transfer to other schools, within the district, which would be closer for her. This year was her lucky year! Her previous school was going through a significant downsize: from 8- 1st grade classes in '09-'10 to only 4 in '11-'12! (There were only 7 last year!) It is a wonderful blessing that Camille was able to transfer to a school right in Orem, 2.1 miles from her house, right across the street from Desi's! Hooray!

ANY-way, on June 13th Miss Camille and I trekked bravely out to her old school with Kevin's (Camille's-kind-of-Kevin) cargo van. Our quest was to remove 4 years worth of planning and working, playing and teaching from her old room there. There were so many fun memories for both of us. Camille has let me come help her prepare for each school year: putting up bulletin boards, original artwork (Horton the elephant in his tree, and other trees) and tons of fun visuals for those ickle-firsties!

Our main concern was could we fit the kiva into the van? LIKE A GLOVE! I just love the laws of physics: leverage, wheels, balance, a little muscle-power. We leveraged the kiva onto one of the rolly-carts, wheeled it out the very uncooperative double set of doors, tipped it into the back of the van and...

P-U-S-H-E-D!

Go little Camillie!



The second section of the kiva just needed to spoon on top of the first. But we didn't realize we had it backwards until we got outside. We flipped it around, again with the tip and push! Yay for girl power!  We laughed and had a good time with all of our silliness.



With impending thunderstorms threatening us I neglected to get a photo of the van fully loaded... right up to the roof! We stopped at Carl's Jr for a much-deserved milkshake on the way home.

I'm looking forward to another day of working in Miss Camille's new classroom when my hands are strong enough for the work.

My New Nest

Two weeks ago my new quilting machine was delivered and literally turned my life upside-down! But all in good ways! My previous workroom/playroom/sewing room is in the larger of the two upstairs front bedrooms but now I would need that extra space for my new and LARGER quilting machine. That meant there wasn't going to be room for much of any thing else that wasn't sewing! I would have to do a major change up in my creative suite (yes, there it is... I really am spoiled; I have all three upstairs rooms for my use! But I'm a nice spoiled girl and share the master bedroom with my #1 fan and enabler!)

Ahhh, I got to build a new nest! Yay for little Joanie! I knew I wanted a very HAPPY COLOR for my new OFFICE. My inspiration came from two different quarters, umm, halves, umm, I know! sources! First, I'd found 3 (count them, only three) pieces of scrapbook paper in my stash that I was fell in love with. Second, I'd just returned from visiting Bek and she has some wonderfully happy colors at her house. So what do you think? Did I hit that happy color? I think so!



I had to wait until I had several projects out of the way before I could start the painting. I sent off P's quilt, bought my happy-paint, and sequestered myself to paint (with lots of plastic to protect the new carpet!)  Late that evening, when I was finished, I told Gordon how happy it was. The next morning this is what I found permanently poster-taped to the closed door. I LOVE IT!



So let's talk about those 3- 12 x 12" pieces of scrap paper! How in the world can I make that work? I had my mental image of this wonderful valance; which turned out just the way I wanted it to. (I decoupaged the paper to 1/4" foam board and taped it to the blind valance).



But what about my plastic Sterilite drawers? Now they were totally visible, obvious, ugly and cluttered looking from the door.

OOO-ooo-ooo, ME, pick ME! I know! I scanned the scrapbook paper and then printed it on card stock! I cut it to fit the front of the drawers then used my tape-runner to stick it on the inside of the drawer.



Now I can reveal in the beautiful Velvet Morning and Watermelon colors that grace my new nest!



See? I told you! Happy, very happy new nest!

168- Camille's New Home

Today Camille moved into her new house today! What a wonderful event!

Wonderful in so many ways:

• She's joined the ranks of home-ownership where one doesn't just keep paying rent out the window each month,
  
• She and Kevin will start their new lives together in their own house
• She gets to decorate the way she wants... no management group telling her she can't hang any pictures, use bed risers, etc,
  
• And, my personal favorite, she won't be moving every 6-12 months to a new apartment!!!!

Welcome home, Miss Camille! We are so proud of you.

342- Quilted Nativity

The year we moved here to Utah (Jan 2005) my daughter-in-law told me about the Jim Shore Nativity. I went right online to scope it at my favorite online collectibles store and ordered right then... yes, in January. I just love all the colors, textures and little murals that he has worked into his art.



Now here is the funny part about my order... Cherrylane is located right in Provo (10 miles from my house) No wonder it got here so fast!!

270- The Windows of Heaven

Most of you know the scripture in Malachi 3:8-12 where the Lord promises that if we pay our tithing he will "open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

I'm here to tell my Windows on Heaven story tonight. Way back in 1997, at the bottom of the housing crash in Palmdale (Palmdale has a very volatile housing market with high peaks and "way down in the valley" lows) we were able to purchase this lovely house. We felt so blessed to be able to afford it, as we had been hit very hard by said crash. We lovingly restored our house with paint, carpet, landscaping, trees, more paint, wood floors, paths, more landscaping... etc. There was a lot of love and sweat in this happy house.


(our old Palmdale house today newly loved and painted by the newest owners)

I never thought I would leave Palmdale. We'd raised out *little* family there. We had dear friends and we'd put down deep roots in our 23 years. But then some of our dear friends announced that they were moving to Utah! Wait... how could that be? They were just as connected and rooted in Palmdale as we were. But Nancy explained that they were following the Prophet's counsel to get out of debt. I realized that our wonderful *blessing* home had become even more of a blessing since it had tripled in value! We, too, could sell our home that we loved, go to a cheaper housing market, buy a modest home and have it nearly paid for with the equity! After 18 years of paying child support I never thought we would ever get a paid for home. But here we are... nearly there. We owe less on our present home that many people rack up in a month on credit card debt!

What makes all of this so poignant to me is that the Palmdale-crash-cycle has continued. Less than a year after we sold our Palmdale home it had quadrupled in value!!! Some poor soul bought it and then the bottom dropped out of the market and they lost all. My *happy home* sat vacant for over a year. But it was just sold in July at one third of the market high! I hope that *my* happy home continues to be a safe haven for its current occupants.

Do I think that all of this was just a coincidence? Not in the least! The Lord honors his promises. When we obey He is bound to bless us! Will the blessings come right away? without any trials? Probably not, but when we do what is right and are obedient the Lord truly does open the windows of heaven and pours out a blessing that there is not room enough to receive. How grateful I am for that principle. How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father.

115- Moving Day

It is the end of fall/winter contract for Camille and that means time to move! In the spring/summer housing contracts are very inexpensive, which means a bigger room for less money. This will be the last move for Camille within the Branbury complex. She started out in 213, then 211, then 212 and now... 114! She has been in every stair well of this building!



I'm not sure what we did differently this time but the moving went very fast and without as much work as before... I'm just grateful.



The good/bad news is that it rained most of the day. Gordon told me that it snowed here in Springville for a couple of hours. I knew I had my tomato plants ;). I caught these cool reflections as we were making a WalMart run to pick up the I've-just-moved-need-some-stuff!

016- Ya Teach Your Kids...

... to grow up and lead independent, responsible, adult live... AND THEN DARNED IF THEY DON'T JUST GO AND DO IT!!!! (Quoted from a very wise woman… ME)

When Stuart arrived home from his 2-year mission to the Ireland Dublin Mission just over 2 years ago I knew that he wouldn’t stay at home forever. But this week we finally arrived at that day when he moved out and up to campus. Can I just say, “That doesn’t make me like it any better!”

Will I get used to being an empty-nester again? Sure I will, we’ve spent several years that way… but it will take some getting used to for both of us. It’s one of those bittersweet moments when you realize that everything you’ve worked so hard for all your life has finally happened and now we move on to the next season.


This is a composite photo of Stuart moving out and the empty room. (FONTS- Problem Secretary, CK Cursive, BRUSH- KPertiet_LedgerGrids-9, OVERLAY- kimi's homework overlay green)

Just for Blake

Just because you asked Blake... here is the graphic to go with the last post.

recycled, reused U-Haul boxes circa 2004

Adventures in Moving

Usually that line is associated with U-Haul. Fortunately, there was not need to involve U-Haul this time (except for using saved boxes from our move 3.5 years ago!) Just lots of foot work... but not as much as 4 months ago.

The moving was taking place at Camille's apartment complex, and yes, she was the one moving, AGAIN! In April she and Katie moved into a 2-bedroom 2-bath apartment for the cheap spring/summer rates, but now that it is time for fall term the rent was going to go sky-high! That meant another move.

The funny part is that none of these moves has been that far, just down AND up a couple of stairwells. In the spring we just did the "let's tote it" type of move and wore ourselves out with all the downing and upping. This time we really lucked out. The landing that leads to her apartment just happens to randomly wrap around the building to ONE of the four bedrooms of the new abode. I had the bright idea to take off the screen of said bedroom and just pass the boxes through that window! It worked like a charm!!! No downing... no upping... we even moved a bed through that window.

As I like to say in my best dyslexic form... "Mother is the necessity of invention."