Farewell to the red stripe

Today we met with a realtor,  he came by our house to help us know what steps we should take to fix up our house and make it more saleable.   I understand and am on board with most of his suggestions. However there is one thing I am having a hard time with.

The red stripe in the kitchen.  He told us that red is a color that people either love or hate, and to appeal to the masses,  we should get rid of the red.  Especially where the kitchen is the #1 selling point of a house.  I understand his reasoning, but I still mourn the loss of the red.

As I pondered my response to this, I realized that the red is part of who I am.  It reflects my love for color.  In taking it out I think it really hits home, that this isn't really my kitchen any more,  and I have to say goodbye.   I will have another kitchen one day, and I can make it mine, and fill it with color.  But for today, I need to take me out of my kitchen,  so someone else can make it theirs.

Progress

I booked a trip today for the hubs and I to go to Texas and do some house hunting.   The hubs also applied for a few jobs.  It is amazing how quickly things can happen when you are trying to follow the Spirit.

I also bought some more paint, and my brother-in-law started working on the painting that needs to be done.

Jewelry

Today I went to a jewelry party my sister-in-law was hosting.  It was an interesting night,  they had people try on the jewelry and display it.  There was also food, and chatting.   The jewelry was nice but expensive.   I agreed to host a party, before I knew how much the stuff costs.  So if you would be interested in attending,  without any obligation to buy  (really I won't be offended if no one buys, because that stuff is expensive) let me know and I will include you on my guest list.  You may even see an invite if you don't respond.

Baby steps

Today I worked some more on potty training Spike.  I think we are making progress, but definitely not there yet.   I also ordered moving boxes from u-haul.  I plan to start cleaning out stuff that we want to keep but don't need in the short run, to help our house look and feel more open.

Decluttering at my own pace

In trying to get my house ready to sell, I am going back to my decluttering.  However this go round I am doing it my way, at my pace.   I am following suggestions and ideas from the same resource as before.   However I am not tying myself down to meeting her goals.  Today I cleaned out my bedroom closet, where my clothes go.  I still need to handle random stuff, and the hubs clothes, but it is progress.

I am also working on potty training Spike.  He is making progress, but the connections aren't quite there yet. 

Anyway that was my day.

New Year, New Goals

As a new year starts we find ourselves turning inward and wondering what we can do to improve ourselves and our lives, and wondering what this coming year might have in store for us.

Last April, while watching the General conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,  I received the distinct impression that my family's time here in  Utah was limited,  and that the Lord had a work for us to do in sharing his gospel some other place.  Ever since then the feeling has just grown, and I have known that the time was coming to move.

Well the hubs and I are really feeling it now, so much to the extent that we are prepping our house and aiming to have it on the market sometime in the next 6 months. 

We have felt some pretty strong impressions as to a location,  and even a job the hubs should apply for.  However the timing is still unknown to us.  All we know is we need to act and we need to act now.

Excitement

Life has been rather exciting lately, and tonight takes the cake. My brother-in-law made a 3 layer bunk bed for my kids, and tonight is their first night in the bed. As you can guess that brings about a lot of excitement, and not really going to sleep.

My man's two brothers are at our house for Thanksgiving, and they along with the hubs decided that to cook the turkey they wanted to make a fire a pit in our backyard garden. Then bury the turkey in the pit, and let it slow cook over night.

So as I was hearing banging noises from children jumping out of beds upstairs, the boys were running around out in the yard making their fire.   Therefor it was my responsibility to handle the kids.   I went in there, and was helping them remake their beds, because they had thrown the blankets off.  As I climbed off the top bunk to the middle one, I noticed an ambulance out in our cul-de-sac.  It didn't have it's lights on, but I started wondering what was going on.   

Then I noticed the guys get out of the ambulance and walk toward my house.  "What?  There is an ambulance in front of our house."  I said.  At this all of the children were instantly looking out the window.  "There is a police car, and fire truck too!"  one of the children cried.  By this time it had clicked in my mind that this must be about their fire.  So that is what I told the kids.  "Oh, no! Is Daddy going to have to go to jail?"   One cried.   "No, he won't have to go to jail, but he may get a fine."   "What is a fine?"   "It means he will have to pay some money."

At this point I told the kids goodnight and went to make sure no one was hurt.  I get out there to 4 firefighters and the hubs and his two brothers, talking about some neighbor had called concerned they were burning the neighborhood down.  Apparently it was a yellow burn day (meaning low air quality), and so they shouldn't have a fire.  The firefighters were pretty good about it, and said that because it was in a pit, and they were using it for cooking, it was ok.  We may get a fine for having a fire on a yellow burn day, but that is up to someone else.  

I think we will always remember this Thanksgiving as the one where the fire department came.