My own bed

We are in the new house.

I have slept in my own bed since Sunday night.

I am waiting for my fridge, but am using the yellowish one provided in the house.

I have my own utensils.

I have my mixer on the counter.

I have my clothes hung up in the big (heehee) closet. Can I tell you how much I love walk-ins?

The boys' clothes are hung up in their closet. I love the drop down closet rod you can buy. I don't really know what it is called, but Boaz can reach his clothes without a step stool. Love it.

I am almost moved in. I am still missing at least 2 kitchen boxes. One of them has my dishes. After I get the car registered (it expires tomorrow) I am off to the storage units (I have no idea which of the three it could be in) I will hunt for my dishes.

The computer is hooked up and on the proper desk.

The TV is set up with our channels so we can watch General Conference.

I have a list of things to get and organize. But at one call, I will dash to Salt Lake and cry with my brother and his family. His baby is seriously ill. They are hopeful that he will recover fully, but it is still scary. If you can spare a prayer for baby Carter today, it would be so welcome and I would be so grateful.

Less than 10 minutes away

The Idaho Falls temple is less than 10 minutes away from my sister-in-law's house.

This morning Craig got me up at 5:15. I hurried through my shower. Got dressed and we were at the temple for the 6 am session.

I was surprised at how many cars there were at the temple already. I have to keep reminding myself that we are in Mormon country.

It is a very good thing.

cleaning house

It takes a lot longer to clean walls and windows than I ever think.

I am so grateful for dear friends, and my friend and sister, for helping me with the job.

We washed down walls and pulled windows out of frames and steamed the growing flora. We washed down cupboards and steamed the kitchen floor. I need to get me one of those floor steamers. It was amazing.

We ran the last load to Goodwill and took the bed over to Salem.

Do you know a bungee cord will not hold a mattress in the bed of a truck. Well, I do now. We had to turn around and pick the mattress off the road. That was embarrassing. After we asked Brenda's friend if he had a rope, I looked behind the seat and there was a rope.

You know, normally Craig does these kind of things. And he knows what he is doing.

We got the bed roped down and it drove just fine to Salem.

We had a lot of fun in that house, and now it sits empty. You know, once you take everything out, it's not home anymore.

I thought a lot about how much stuff I have. How would I have reacted to a covered wagon, or just a hand cart?

After 12 1/2 hours in the car, I am in Idaho. Waiting for the rental to open up. My piano is in a storage unit. That bugs me. It will be one of the first things out and in the new house.

My shampoo is in the storage unit.

The boys' piano books are in the storage unit.

I'm really not sure what else is in the storage unit. I tried to have it all organized. But I messed up on a few things.

In between houses is awkward.

I am grateful to my lovely in-laws who are letting us stay until we can move in.

I am anxious for April 1st.

the house is empty

It took us two days to pack up the house. 

Craig took the two boys and drove away.

They made it to Idaho and are all unpacked.

I am planning on leaving Tuesday.

It's weird being here without boys to take care or feed or make sure their teeth are brushed. I miss them. I am excited to see them Tuesday and we will be a family together again.

And April first, we will be in our own (rented) house again.

Thursday, March 17th

Craig flies in tonight. He is coming to help pack up, load the U-Haul and drive away again.

I have been packing every day. The house is torn apart.

Thea is almost moved out. Just a few things left in her room.

They boys' room is almost cleared away. (My goal for today is to get the toy chest out and pack up the clothes.)

I have boxes and bins on the landing, but it will be quick work to move them out to the rapidly filling garage.

I went through my closet and have pulled 30 articles of clothing for resale. (That is amazing for me. I've been hanging on to dresses and skirts that I loved and could wear back before I had Josh. I will never get back to that size again, so I am letting them go.)

Other goals --

1. clear out the office of everything except the furniture I can't move and the computer.
2. clear out the bathrooms
3. call direct TV and Qwest and change our service (I called the other utilities yesterday.)
4. get started on the kitchen

Wish me luck. I'm wondering if this will ever end.

His last day of school in Oregon

. . . and he was sick.

Poor boy. He never takes naps anymore. But he fell asleep on the couch.

He was so excited about school. His class had made him a book -- it was a surprise, but his friend told him about it yesterday.

I told him if he started feeling better in the afternoon, I'd take him to school. He told me that I could get his stuff at conference.

But, as my children do, he felt better in the afternoon. He was bouncing again, so after a lunch of noodles, I took him for the last 2 hours.

I'm glad he feels better.

Packing has begun

Today I took the giraffe to Mrs. Graber. She told us her favorite animal is the giraffe. Josh made a good call.

So, with that out of the way, I began to pack.

Craig's closet is completely clear. Well, there are a few empty hangers, and the bed frame waiting for Thea to take it to her new place.

My sewing machine is packed securely in its box. My serger is in its box. Josh's Ocean (the quilt) has been taken down and packed in a plastic bin.

I have a few things I need to figure out, but my sewing things are packed and awaiting transport.

The books and binders are packed. The games are packed. Most of the DVDs are packed. I have a few stray items on the shelves upstairs that need to find a box and then I can take the bureau, and two shelves to the garage. The landing will be cleared.

I have emptied my water heater closet of the plastic bins.

I am reluctant to pack away the 2nd DVD box, because it has my workout discs and the boy's Wii games. But they are sitting in a box waiting for the tape.

Almost half of my CDs are packed.

I am tired.

I think I will begin again tomorrow.

The giraffe

Yea! I've been racing the calendar. But I got it finished before we left.

I love Josh's teacher. Her class is never chaotic. Every time I go in, she has neat piles for me to do. Things are filed away.

She plays classical music when the kids are working. She doesn't raise her voice. Her kids do amazing work.

She was born in Africa, and she teaches her students about Africa. The culture, a bit of the language, some of the unique animals.

She nominated Josh for leadership, and he has done so well. He has gained confidence in what he can accomplish. He is thriving in her class.

I don't want to take him away from her.

But I am done being a single mom. So he has two more days in her class.

I hope she remembers us. :)

Daylight Savings Time

Oh crap!

It is not almost 7!

It's almost 8!

Church is at 9!

I still have to shower!

Faith and Kitchen Aid mixers

I love my Kitchen Aid mixer.

Craig uses it to make the world's best chocolate chip cookies ever.

I use it to make yummy whole wheat bread. And yummy French bread. And yummy banana bread.

I use it to make delicious cinnamon rolls. (My nephew said they were the bomb dot com)

I use it to make decadent cheese cake.

My assignment for dinner tomorrow is cheese cake.

I waited way too late to begin. The boys were in bed when I discovered I needed baking chocolate squares. I woke up Josh and told him I would be right back. I don't know if he really woke up, but he rolled over and said, "'Kay, Mom"

I dashed to the store, bought my baking chocolate and dashed back. I made the brownie bottom and got it in the oven to bake and started on the cheese cake.

My cream cheese had been sitting out on the counter for hours. It was very soft. I unwrapped three blocks and dumped them in my mixing bowl.

I selected the paddle, locked the mixer down and turned it on.

I had not made sure that the mixing bowl was in properly. I have been using this mixer for 12 years and did not respect the basics I guess.

Well, the bowl flipped around and wedged itself tight against the stand. The handle was jammed into the stand. The mixing paddle was jammed into the bottom of the bowl. The bowl was jammed up into the head of the mixer, putting pressure against the lock and jamming in closed. The bottom of the mixing bowl was tilted at a crazy angle and jammed against the ring that should have held it securely.

I turned the mixer off as quickly as I could, but it was too late.

I unplugged it. I tried to twist the bowl out of the jammed position it was in.

It refused to move. I got out a hammer, but didn't really dare use it. As I said, I love my mixer. I turned and turned the mixer, trying to get a good angle. Nothing. I just about started crying, and had to walk away for a bit.

I scraped out the soft cream cheese and made the cheese cake by hand.

I said a little prayer to help me know how to free the wedged bowl.

I considered all the possibilities of men who could help me muscle the bowl free. There were no good options. It was much to late to call anyone.

I pulled out my cooking spray and sprayed the bottom of the bowl. I hoped that would be a lubricant. It stubbornly refused to move.

I thought of ice. Ice would make the bowl cold. Maybe that would contract the bowl enough for me to twist it loose.

I let the ice sit in there for about 30 minutes. (Really that is amazing that I was able to let it sit and go and do something else. Usually I fuss around and don't have the patience for the required time.)

I came back after I printed out the lesson for Primary tomorrow, and folded the clothes.

Still nothing.

I grabbed the cooking spray again. This time I sprayed the handle that was wedged up against the arm of the mixer.

I thought about Pres. Allen, from the Redmond Stake. He told a story of getting a bulldozer, or some other heavy piece of equipment stuck in the mud. He tried everything he knew. And then he prayed about it. He tried one more thing that he knew wouldn't work, and the truck (dozer -- whatever) drove right out. His co-worker (who is not LDS) told people that it was like the hand of God just picked it up out of that mud hole.

I thought of the people of Alma who prayed and their burdens were lightened.

I thought of the hand cart pioneer who pulled his hand cart until he was exhausted. He picked out a clump of trees and thought that he could continue to pull that much farther. When he reached his spot, the hand cart began to push him.

I gave a half-hearted tug, and the bowl sprang free.

In the grand scheme of things, I know my mixer is not important. The universe would have continued with or without my stuck bowl being freed.

But I am grateful that Heaven helped me salvage my Kitchen Aid mixer.

Some days, I am sure He knows my name. He must shake His head at the messes I get myself into. But when I ask and believe, He listens and He rescues me.

Playing in the snow

Craig has been working 12 - 14 hour days. He's cleaning up the mess left for him by previous people. Never a lot of fun. But he is good at what he does. And he doesn't have us to come home to, so he works away.

Today is his day off. He and his brothers, Mark and Brad, took off to Island Park in Idaho. They hauled the snow machines and played hard.

He took these pictures with his phone. I think they are really good pictures for phone pictures.


Our friend, Becky, grew up in Island Park. I showed her the pictures, as I gave her the moon baby quilt. She knew right where they were.


Craig said they were on the back side of the Continental Divide. I think that is awesome.

I wish I could have gone, it looks like fun. But obviously, this was a boy's play day. :)

Reality

I decided to write Pity Party because I can't pretend to be perfect. I don't think it is fair to share only my greatest and best moments. Moments of weakness make up my personality also.

So, after writing about my weak moment, I went to watch TV. I saw the results of American Idol and then Bones. As I was wondering what else to watch (I was binding my giraffe -- so I was being a bit productive) I saw the news.

I watched in real time as the Tsunami swept over a Japanese community. Peoples livelihoods and lives were being washed away right before my eyes.

One of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history (8.9) had just rocked Japan.

My sister-in-law's family lives in Japan. I was worried about them.

The news talked about a potentially lethal wave headed to Hawaii. I have a sister-in-law and her family vacationing in Kauai right now. I worried about them.

I started sending texts and trying phone calls.

I am grateful that they are all safe. My sister-in-law in Hawaii spent the night in a church building on higher ground. It was a long night, but they were all safe.

My sister-in-law with family in Japan texted that they were all safe. I sure they were all shaken and afraid. But they were safe.

Japan is still in danger of going through severe aftershocks. There is still danger of further earthquake damage and another possible tsunami. The Pacific basin is still alert to further potential devastation.

I am blessed to know my family is safe. We still have household goods to move. Our family is secure and intact.

I'm glad pity parties are short-lived and that gratitude can come so quickly and is lasting.

Pity Party

I have been married for 12 years. That is a good thing. This last year of marriage has been the best one yet. Another good thing.

This past anniversary Craig was in Michigan and I was in Oregon. It's hard to celebrate an anniversary alone. It was a great business opportunity and the pay was great. But it made for a lonely anniversary. Craig made it home for Christmas. That was wonderful. I did get to fly out for a visit in January. That was fun. But on our anniversary, Craig was in Michigan and I was in Oregon.

This Valentine's Day Craig was in Idaho and I was in Oregon. He thinks Valentine's Day is silly. But I can usually count on flowers and chocolates. We ordered out dinner on Friday and I bought a chocolate cake at the store (they were having a sale) and chocolates and Jordan Almonds (I love them) and said we are celebrating Valentine's Day today (Friday -- instead of Monday). Then I refused to get out of bed on Saturday as Craig drove away at 5:30 in the morning. On Monday he started his new job in Idaho. Valentine's Day was lonely.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I will be 45. As I type that, I think that is crazy. How did I get that old? Anyway, Craig is in Idaho and I am in Oregon.

We have a plan. I need to call tomorrow and reserve a U-Haul. I talked with my sister, Deb, and Craig can get buddy pass to Oregon from her. He'll be here a week after my birthday. And then we will load up the van and I will watch him drive away with all our things and my boys on Sunday. I will stay behind to clean and wait for Thea. She has to work on Monday.

(Once Craig gets to Idaho, he will put all our stuff in a storage unit. It will need to stay there for almost two weeks. We'll hang out at Craig's sister's house until our rental opens. The timing really is great -- it just doesn't seem like it at first glance. This is the only house for rent we were able to find in Blackfoot that didn't give me the creepy crawlies. There are all kinds of houses for sale. But even as they stood empty, the owners didn't want to rent them.)

I am excited Thea is coming out for a visit. This is a very good thing. We are hopeful she will decide to come to Idaho and go to college there. She doesn't think we are stable enough to make the move. I must admit, our track record does seem a bit flighty. She asked me, "What if I come out to Idaho and you guys move again?" Honestly, there are no guarantees. But Craig is talking about settling down and staying put. I told him he is coming out of exile in Oregon to go back home. I have a friend that asked if we were in the Witness Protection Program. What can I say to that?

The end appears to be in sight. I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But, I'm pretty sure I will cry Sunday morning as I watch my life drive away from me, leaving me alone in an empty house.

Tomorrow is my birthday.

Craig is in Idaho. 

I am in Oregon.

Cousins hanging out

I didn't take any pictures while I was in Idaho. What is up with that?

Craig took this one with his phone.

They had been playing outside in the snow. Boaz decided that he liked Idaho after the snow day. :)

As we were leaving, he decided that he didn't like the snow anymore. It was beginning to melt anyway.

We did drive away as Idaho Falls was beginning to be blanketed by lovely, fresh snow.

I was glad I didn't have to drive in it too long.

I was foolish yesterday

Out looking at houses yesterday, I found myself out in the country looking at a small house with one bathroom. I felt pressed for time, so I looked for a way to go the back roads to another house. I had a GPS on loan and pulled it out to see if it would plot out a course. Well, I was excited because it did.

So I headed off in my little car and found myself on muddy roads. A muddy road is a dirt road in the middle of a thaw. There was at least 3 inches of mud and ruts before a stable or semi stable surface. At patches there was standing water on the road that had frozen over.

I was afraid to stop, I was afraid to turn around and I was afraid to keep going.

When I reached the frozen standing water, I kept my speed up and hoped I wouldn't get bogged down. If I did get stuck, I would step out into water over my ankle.

I remembered reading an article on line about people trusting the GPS and it taking them out in the middle of nowhere. People were getting stuck and dying. They called it death by GPS.

My sister-in-law called, and I was telling her at least I had cell service. If I got stuck she could come out in her suburban and rescue me. She just laughed at me.

I saw on the GPS that I was getting close to the freeway. I was excited, but found myself on a road that paralleled the freeway.

I hit one puddle where the water splashed up on the passenger side and curved up and over my car to soak the driver's side as well.

I was worried about hurting my car. I wanted Craig to drive it to make sure I didn't mess up the alignment.

When I told him,  he just laughed. He knows all about the back roads in Shelley. I told him I would never do that again.

I was so happy when I hit pavement again.

I did find the house that I was looking for.

I'm taking Craig there to look at it this morning.

We are taking a different route.

Did you know . . . ?

. . . there are no houses for rent in Blackfoot?

So today I played hooky and went to the Family History Center and looked up my Grandma's Aunt Grace. I found her in a few more places. I still don't have her family, but I have a better picture of her life.

I went to the Distribution Center and bought me a new temple dress. My old one hasn't fit me ever since I had my Joshua. Now I have all my temple clothes again.

A good day.