We are right in the midst of the first truly winter weather around here! Some of ours are more willing to be out in it than others, hahaha! Laela ran an errand for me just yesterday, fully smiling on either end of the task.

When I say some are more willing, I do not mean myself. Cold is very very hard for me. But I still get through it without too terribly much complaining, haha! I just like to warm up good and proper afterward in my coziest spot.

I’m pretty late to bed these days, however, but I have other options that are not half bad! 💜

The countdown is on, and our nights here are numbered. Lucky for us, we still have one another, and all of the same people to love 💜 We are incredibly fortunate to move our beautiful life into some new walls in the not too distant future! Thank you, Lord!

I start this blog at 2:45pm. I just finished eating lunch, and I can see the school bus making its way down the gravel road surrounding town, heading to pick kids up from school. The end of the day is upon us already! The end of the school day, anyway. There is still much to do around here, but the day has been productive in its own way.

I spent time with some loved ones this morning.
I ate breakfast and drank coffee.
I texted three different social workers.
I drove to Saskatoon and picked up some meds.
I purchased and picked up a crib.
I filled up the van.
I stopped in on Brady.
I dropped off a few things upon getting back into town.
I fed babies and tucked them in for naps.
And just now, I ate lunch. Before the kids came home from school, even!

Meanwhile, Brady is being helpful even while at work, contacting people about our upcoming new mortgage, our insurance, some deliveries we need, and confirming with a contractor.

As I said, there is still much to do. But I can feel my body needing to sit for a minute. So I’m going to. Back into the work shortly. I’ll leave you with this beautiful pictures of a couple of my kids.

Aren’t they gorgeous?? Dekker is SO grown up these days. SO handsome!

I can’t wait to get these happy kidlets over into the next place 💜

It is oddly quiet this morning. After two bustly weeks at home as a group, the kids made their way to school this morning. Except Wavy and the babies. So the house went from a family of nine to just the four of us. And two of us are sleeping. So as I take this moment to write the blog, it is very quiet. The curtains are open, revealing the blanket of white snow that we finally got, after Christmas. I can hear our water cooler humming away, and the furnace is going. Otherwise, it is still and quiet. Wavy is across the living room from me, thumbing through a comic book, wearing shorts and a sun dress. Its peaceful.

It won’t be long, though. There is still so much to do, and while the weekend was incredibly productive, there simply are not enough hours in a day.

So far this morning I have made a handful of phone calls, booking a doctors appointment, as well as eye appointments for six of my kids. I emailed two places to reschedule appointments that I can’t get to, and while I waited on hold, I put the last few pieces of our most recent puzzle into place.

I’ve also gone around the main floor and the basement and gathered up all products/meds/supplies etc to pack up. Instead of having little boxes of things all over the house in all different places, I’m going to have my own version of a supply closet at my next house, and it will hold EVERYTHING from backup Tylenol to extra shampoo to the toilet paper we buy in bulk. Its all way too spread out here. If a kid needs tums, I have to look in three different places to see where it is! It all needs its own home. And this way, I can even lock that closet, to keep the ministry happy. Everybody wins!

I’m still waiting for the babes to wake up so I can gather up the items that live up in our room before I can really get into the organizing and packing. But its going to happen, and I’m excited to get such a big thing off my list!

Babies are up! Thats my cue!

We have packed much of the kitchen into tubs and shuffled it all into the garage! Even the linen closet is empty now. Also in the garage. Brady says we’re going to get teased about how many tubs of bedding we have, lol!

I can’t believe that Brady goes to work tomorrow, and most of the kids go to school! Its crazy! Where has the time gone?? There is definitely still work to do, plus additional important life things that need attention, but God makes everything possible, so I know it will work out! We are blessed beyond measure and it absolutely shows. We trust you, Lord!

That move is really coming in hot!! Today Brady and I got into some of the nitty gritty! Brady disassembled the girls’ bunkbed and loaded it into the trailer. He also managed a lot with the babies while I did some more of the running around work. I emptied our basement fridge and got it defrosting, and I began the hefty task of packing up the dishes! It is far from done, but most of the mugs are gone (it looks SO much emptier without them on the wall) and plates, bowls, and cups are all wrapped and ready. Those boxes are still open and waiting because there were still dishes to be washed and added to the boxes, but they’re on their way to being done!

Today was also the day things started walking out the door. Our basement fridge has moved along to a new house, and in return, we were given a clear plastic drawer unit. We’d still like a couple of those, but my request for a beanbag chair has been fulfilled! It is even being held for us until after we’ve moved, which is a real help! Its nice to have that off the list! Another thing off the list is that someone spoke for our big freezer! YES! They are also willing to come for it whenever suits us, so we have time to transfer food around a bit. As much as we’ve tried to eat everything we can possibly eat before leaving, some will still make its way over, obviously. So the freezer is not empty enough to just give away yet. But there’s a name on it!

We still have some single bed frames and a black solid wood buffet/coffee bar unit that can go! And we are in the market for a big wardrobe-ish unit to double as a pantry for a little while until we can build one. We have one already, but would love the buffer of a second one.

We REALLY wanted to hit church this weekend but there is simply too much to do :/ So we will skip it one more time in an effort to really get work done. As the timeline gets shorter and shorter, we are eager to do as much as humanly possible each and every day! It is SUCH an exciting, albeit chaotic, time. But that is entirely our life these days/years, and that is just so fine. This chaos is welcomed 💜

Big things to come, friends! We are SO grateful for all we have, and who we have 💜 Sleep well, all.

As I mentioned yesterday, I was away for a couple of days. A kid and I rocked some hospital time and finally were discharged in the late afternoon on Wednesday. Because life doesn’t stop when a kid goes to the hospital, we took a detour on the way home to pick up formula. It was BUSY in there! WOW! But it was nice to be back in civilization in a way, so we didn’t rush. Upon walked back to the van, I started the engine, unlocked everything, and opened both the side door and the hatch with the key fob. Then I set the keys down and got to work getting the baby tucked and warm inside, the heat turned on, and then our formula and other items into the back of the van. I closed the hatch and ran the cart back to where it came from.

I bet you already know where this is going.

I came back to the can, and lo and behold, the van was locked. Every single door. I did two laps.

Baby was warm inside, but growing concerned quite quickly.

I was outside, without a jacket, unable to run back inside for obvious reasons.

It felt like a movie. I didn’t care for it.

Thank the Lord I had my phone! Not really knowing where to start, I called Brady. It was a three second conversation where we decided to get CAA, and he went to call them on my behalf. I did laps around the van, trying to peek in all the windows and keep the baby happy and entertained, but morale was dipping for sure :/ I texted Brady five minutes later and he said he couldn’t get through. I started googling “vehicle locksmith” because 🤷🏼‍♀️ I didn’t have any clue what to do. But Brady texted me maybe two minutes later to tell me Brads Towing was on its way. I replied by asking if someone was actually on their way on their way, or just that they’d send someone. Because those were different. But he said they had a driver in the area who was heading right over. Thank GOODNESS!!!!

Naturally, at this point, the van automatically switched off. Baby didn’t care for the vibe and flipflopped between crying and sleeping. It sucked. But I waited so few minutes before I got a phone call from a random number that I immediately assumed was Brads Towing. I answered, and the chipper guy on the other end just said “Hey hows it going?” I paused and somewhat sarcastically said I was doing great! He laughed and told me who he was and where he was. I waved like a fool from my aisle of vehicles and told him I had pink hair. He spotted me pretty easily and was pulled up beside me so fast. He was SO efficient and also SO friendly. Like, being a tow truck driver isn’t a glamorous job but he was SO pleasant and friendly. I really felt at ease. He got me into my van in less than a minute and told me to get right in and warm up. And that I did. Baby was asleep, thankfully, and extra thankfully, the van was nice and warm from the initial drive to Walmart, so baby was TOTALLY fine and warm.

The tow truck guy kept having these little chuckles at my expense but it was so comfortable and I was already warming up a bit. My mouth was, however, absolutely frozen so I had a lisp in the moment, lol! Man. It was COLD. So he came to me with the bill and it was $63. Which is WAY less than I expected. He told me there was a tip option but that I should feel free to skip it. His exact words were “There is no pressure, it is perfectly fine to skip it.” And let me tell you, that is a quick way to get a tip. I vastly prefer to tip for exceptional service rather than just expectation, so this was a great opportunity 🙂 Frankly, he could’ve put just about any number out there and I’d have paid it, I was SO grateful!

I made it home later than expected, yet the whole ordeal was a lot shorter than I expected it to be, and baby was no worse for wear from the delay in getting back home. It was not my favorite trip home from the hospital, but I was still VERY glad we got there without hypothermia or any deep trauma. Just a bit of a hassle and cold hands.

Beware a fritzy key fob that sometimes has a mind of its own. Super sucks to be on the receiving end of its shenanigans. It has earned itself some time in solitary confinement until it can get new innards. Hopefully it learns from this. Bit of a dick, aren’t you, prehistoric key fob? 😒

I’ve been away from home for a couple of days.

I brought a beach ball home. Get it? #iykyk

While I was gone, Brady dove into ALL kinds of work with the kids! He did a TON of work in the garage, which is probably the biggest source of my anxiety in this house with the impending move. He went through EVERYTHING, disassembling the big stuff, and getting every hand tool in some kind of box or compartment. It will all move out easily now! Well, the table saw won’t be easy. Yikes that thing is heavy.

Also, the kids began packing their first boxes!

Now that I’m home, Brady has gone back to work at Zaks, and we are back to work at home! Its hectic, but its also very cute 💜

I cannot confirm that everyone is packing their things well, but I’ve come to terms with it. I really tried to pep talk the kids about going through their things and being sure that the things they bring to the next place are actually things they really really want, and I’m quite confident thats not whats happening. They are, unfortunately, moving messes. But they are all aware of what they’re doing, and they know their new closets at the house will not be for things anymore. Just clothes. So rather than doing the work for that here, they’re going to have to do it there. Which is a bummer, but frankly, I did all I could, and the rest is on them 🙂 Those things are future problems, haha! I’m just glad they’re packing up what they don’t need themselves before school is back in session so I don’t have to. Win!

I’m making some executive decisions over here, and things are starting to move forward. I’m a bit nervous about some unknowns in regards to moving day, but I’m also very excited. Papers are being signed soon. Deliveries are being scheduled. Things are feeling more and more real.

Thank you Lord for this super exciting time in our life! What a bizarre new year!! Your timing is bonkers but we trust You above all else!! 💜

I had hoped all along that we would be able to have some amazing garage sale before we moved, but as is our system, our timing is poor for that. If you can remember a ways back, we moved out of Radisson between Christmas and New Years. And we moved into this house when Solomon was four days old. So we don’t have an awesome track record or appropriately timed moves. Whatever. Its not our timing, haha! So on we go! 

With a garage sale in mind, however, we have stuff we don’t want to move with us that we’d really like to get rid of. Not worried about values, really just looking to see if anyone wants these things. Before I post it to the folks on the local “buy nothing” page, I thought I’d let you guys know. 

Right off the hop, we have three twin bed frames. One is old and heavy with drawers underneath. One is old and metal and was actually the one I grew up using. And one is from Ikea and has drawers under it. That one is decently nice, but the front layer on one of the drawers is coming off. All work great for what they’re intended for. 

Our coffee bar also has to go. Its solid wood and holds a lot of things! Its a great piece, honestly. Super sturdy and practical. But the top is terribly water damaged, thanks to use using it for beverages. Nothing a table runner cant hide, or a refinish wouldn’t make beautiful again! 

We have one of those big ancient chest freezers in our garage that we also don’t want to take with us. It came to us in our Radisson house, and it was already old there. I have NO idea how long it’ll live, but possibly its one of those elephant appliances that lives forever. 

And our basement fridge is last. It is a great drink fridge! I will be the first to admit it is hard to get it set up where the freezer and the fridge work well in tandem. Vegetables cannot live in this fridge. At least not easily. Unless you decide not to use the freezer at all. Then vegetables would probably be ok. Anyway. Its a bit finicky with the temperature being one dial that controls both areas, but if you’re looking for a beer fridge, you’ve got one!

So to fishtail off of the subject of stuff we don’t want, I’m in the market for a couple of things that I believe people tend to buy, use for a time, and then change out or pass along. Most specifically, I’m looking for a couple of those units of clear plastic drawers. Varying sizes are fine. Nothing special or uniform required. Just, some plastic dressers for papers, crafts, collections, etc. Also, I think I need a beanbag chair?? Hahahaha! Ok, not need. No one needs one of those, but in trying to get the kids rooms in a way that feels homey and cozy and special, I think there is a particular area in one room that could really use a beanbag chair. Or some other cushy equivalent. There are other things we need to lock down for the house in terms of tangible items, but I imagine they’ll need to be new, and thats ok. We do almost everything we can second hand, so hopefully a nice new recliner to replace our 12 year old brown monstrosity and some light fixtures won’t break us, haha! I’m scouring marketplace every day for a couple of appliances, as well as a roll top/secretarys desk/something like it for right by the front entrance to be a bit of a dumping ground for keys, mail, etc. Maybe something smaller. I’m not sure yet. But my eyes are open! 

Its fun to plan these things for REAL now that things are actually going in the right direction and we are (ready?) on the move! The kids picked out their curtains the other day, as well as some Christmas lights to have in their rooms. Its all REAL, and I’m so so excited 💜 We all are! 

But guys, I don’t want to haul this furniture to the next place sooooo please come take it!

An unexpected, deeply welcomed post from my mom 💜 Please enjoy.

💜

Dear Hailey.  

With love, mama jeanne  

Note: I’m sending you this nonfiction short story, in hopes, that someday you may want to use  this as one of your posts in your blog. We know that this is about you and I, but it is also  bigger than that.  

Not long ago, the old north wind was blustering up a dark storm in my soul. “You are  worthless, without value, invisible and lack any beauty”, screamed the wind as it tried to flatten  me. Yes, I knew these dark clouds and murmurings were lies. I knew God had planned for me before the world began, that He loved me dearly, and that because of Christ, I was complete  and a masterpiece. But that day, the recent words and actions of someone who I knew, were fighting hard to reopen old wounds. The battle was on and I seemed to be losing ground. The  pain and anger at the injustice just intensified instead of calming.  

I wasn’t dying and I knew peace would show up again in the morning and that God was good  and faithful. But, even so, that day I was feeling lonely and was longing for a hug of understanding and encouragement. I really wanted someone who knew the real me, to tell me that I was precious and valuable and beautiful. And so I called my neighbour a few blocks  away; I call you, my daughter. You’ve known me every day of your life. Hailey, you picked up even though you were at an appointment on your own. The kids and Brady were at home and  it was soon supper time. After your appointment, instead of racing home, you came racing to  me. Brady was all in and happy to feed the kids. You came into my place and you sat quietly  and let me splash all my pain and sorrow and anger out all over you. You heard me and you  saw me and you defended me, out loud, to me. And then you spoke words of comfort and  truth back into my wounded heart.  

After a squishy warm hug, you headed home to your family who also needed love and  attention.  

When you left, I was exhausted from the strong winds of the battle. I was bruised from being tossed in the waves. Time would heal that. Hailey, I knew the the truth about myself before you came over, but that day I just wanted there to be someone who told me they agreed with me and that they loved me. You left me that evening, comforted, at peace, and feeling loved. Love is the greatest gift of all.  

I see you, my beautiful daughter and dear friend …….. your gracious and tender spirit …. your  wisdom beyond your years….. you are a special blessing and gift to me from God! Thank you  so much. I love you, sweetheart!  

If this gets into Hailey’s blog I want to challenge us…..  

Let’s try, even today, to listen to someone without interrupting them, and wait till they are  totally finished talking. It’s ok to have moments of silence in between words. I think it would  make a huge difference , literally, in this world, if we sat down and dropped everything, (even  for just a few minutes) when someone wanted to talk to us. Sit down, and watch, and listen.

💜

I am blessed beyond belief. Thank you, Lord, for my mom 💜 Words cannot express.

Last night, Cher, Brady and I ate our body weight in appies and started a movie. We didn’t make it to the halfway point before a couple of choice babies woke up to join us, and they were much more entertaining than the movie. We all lasted until maybe 11ish and that was it for the night for us! Hahaha! We are old people, and thats ok. While we had a really nice together, we really missed my mom 💔 She couldn’t join our new years festivities this year. We were all so disappointed. Its not a full party without Jeanne. We made do, however, and come hell or high water, she WILL be at the next one! 💜

So while MANY of our people made it to midnight, we did not, lol! We were asleep very shortly after Cher headed out and the babies went down.

Upon waking up for the day, we faced the reality that our plans over the next few days were cancelled. Sad stuff when things like that change over the holidays. Everyone was discouraged, but our kids rallied better than neither Brady nor I expected, and we actually *gasp* took 👏 down 👏 Christmas! 😳 I know. Who even are we?!?! We NEVER take Christmas down this early! But we have big things this month and lots to do before those big things actually take shape! So Christmas came down. The house was vacuumed. Some kids tidied in their rooms and closets. And then we lunched ourselves with party mix and Christmas oranges. It has been a lovely, productive day 💜

And it doesn’t end there! After this blog, I’m going to start actually picking away at PACKING! Isn’t that nuts?! Where does a person even start?? I’m probably going to have a lot of questions in the coming stretch, but I’ll do my best to know my own answers, haha! I have some furniture to get rid of, and I’m on the hunt for some items to help the kids rooms make sense for them. But that’ll probably be another blog.

All of this to say, HAPPY NEW YEAR. It sure seems that 2024 is going to hold some big things, at least for our family! I hope it holds nothing but the best for you and yours 💜