Case Family Update 2019

Our new beauty - moving in this summer

Last year I got my real estate license and it was a perfect time to sell in Grand Junction. So after living in what we thought was for sure our forever home, we took advantage of the market and sold. We moved just around the corner into a rental that we owned and settled in, or so we thought.

This winter after talking to a friend who was trying to sell a property that needed a little bit of love, we went by and looked at it. It needs to new carpet, paint, countertops and some other cosmetic updating. When I asked Darrin what he thought he said "Well it needs some work, it seems like the very house we would buy" and so we did.

We put our current home up on the market and after 3 days we had an offer. So now we are currently set to close on June 13th and move again. Just today I started going through cabinets and throwing out things we don't use. Since we have moved to this house I have seriously had a monthly visit to goodwill dropping of donations. I. Do. Not. Understand. How so much stuff enters into my house. How can one family go to Goodwill MONTHLY with bags of stuff? It's weird but so true.

So we will be packing our stuff into a storage pod, unit or Case parent's shed and living out of suitcases starting June 13th while we renovate the new house. Where are we living while we renovate? Well...we thought camping on the property might be fun (but we know it won't really be fun at all), we've thought about begging some friends to let us borrow their RV for the summer and be on the property but the one that most likely will happen and sounds the best is staying in the Case parents basement. Ahhh! Nothing like living in parent's basement as a grown adult with teenage kids.

In all reality we are so excited and just feel like our last year of real estate has been a whirlwind of buying this, selling that. We've learned soooo much. So is this going to be our forever home? Now, now don't try and get a firm commitment out of us...how can we possibly answer that question?

1 Nephi 2

1 Nephi 2

Supplies:

Notebook

Book of Mormon
Walking Shoes (optional)

Activity:

After reading chapter 2. Ask the children to image that their parents just announced they would be leaving their home in 2 days. How would you feel? How do you think Nephi and his brothers felt? Tell everyone they can take 3 things with them. What would they be? Write in their journal what things they would take and why. Would a copy of the scriptures be on anyone's list? If you don't include the scriptures how will you continue to learn about God? 

Random thoughts that might pertain:

Have everyone gather their item that they would take and go for a walk. Are the items they choose to take useful? If on a weekend maybe you could camp out. You can make this as in-depth as you choose to take it.

1 Nephi 1

1 Nephi 1:1

Supplies:
Notebook/Sketchbook for each family member
Book of Mormon for each family member

Activity:
Have each family member make a book of remembrance just like Nephi did. In the first entry list some things your parents have taught you. Then give a little history of your parents; where they work; what they like; what they believe; Just as Nephi wrote about his father.

Random thoughts that might pertain:
I envision this being a notebook, sketchbook, or even 3 ring binder of papers. Each person in the family will need one. Each person in the family should also have a paperback copy of the Book of Mormon you can get FREE copies here https://www.mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon

My procrastination has lasted long enough

Its time I just do it. I've been procrastinating this for a long time, but it's time. I started writing this activity guide 10 years ago. I have big plans for it to be published and sit on the shelves of Deseret Book but sometimes seeing the big picture can keep us from moving forward. So...I'm just going to put it out there, unedited, with the supplies or printables. Not at all how I imagined but I think by doing this it will be done. So here goes...

After reading each and every chapter of the Book of Mormon I came up with ways to teach, what I felt, was the purpose or the truths of that chapter to children. When I started this my oldest daughter was 3 years old and most of the activities were geared towards very young children. Now that oldest daughter is 13 and I teach differently. Maybe you'll read these posts and they will change and adapt with your family as mine has.

If I started this activity guide again right now I could probably come up with completely different truths and how to teach them, and that's exactly why I love this book, God is always teaching us from it. Every time I read it I get something different out of it. Maybe different is too strong of a word, the truths are always the same but I feel like what I'm supposed to learn about that truth maybe changes a bit because I need to hear something a else each time.

Broken cat heads and wishing for value

About 3 months ago a friend organized a really fun activity where we sewed and created the cutest sock kittens. I know my kids liked them, they slept with them at night and they were so stinkin' cute how could they not? Yet, when it came time to clean their rooms today I realized the kittens had to go.

This was a hard decision.

Why though really? One kitties head was safety pinned on because we ran out of time to finish the cat and it ended up on of our list of projects that will just have to be finished later. So why so difficult?

Maybe because it was unfinished...maybe because of who I made it with...maybe because I was the only one that felt sad about getting rid of the kitty.

Lately I've been wrestling with the thought and the scary conclusion that my kids don't value their things.

My mom is an avid yard saler and she's good at it, so every few weeks we are given great new things that she finds. A lot of it has to get thrown out just so I can keep some sort of semblance of tidiness in our house.

So do my kids not value things because my mom attends yard sales and they know new things are always coming in?

While I would love that to be the answer (because that's easy to pinpoint) I don't feel that's the whole story. How do I instill this sense of "value for things" in my children?

My only solution, thus far, has been the mantra of Less is More. If they have less things and really think about what to acquire will that help?

I guess for the meantime I'll continue to throw away sock kitten heads and silently mourn.

Yep! 3 years has passed

I told myself that when I blogged again I wouldn't apologize for all the time passed, the moments lost the words forgotten. Don't mistake this for an apology because it's not, it's just a...Oh! That's where I left off sort of heading.
If blame be needed for my absence to this blog it resides solely on CHATBOOKS. Yep that wonderful little company that has transformed my life and made me a better mother, journaler, scrapbooker, etc. is to blame.
I got a smartphone for Christmas 2013, set up an instagram account immediately, linked it to my life-changing-app Chatbooks and haven't looked back, till today.
Why now, you may be asking yourself? Well because I miss lengthy, over-analyzed thought processes that drive me to my computer and can only be written. I miss typing. I miss seeing that I'm more then just the places we go and the events we attend. I miss writing about the hard days and my crazy ideas and pouring my heart and part of my soul into a journal.

Come unto Him

“If we notice that planning for parties and scrambling for presents begin to detract from the peaceable message of Jesus Christ and distance us from the gospel He preached, let us take a step back, slow down a little, and reconsider what matters most.” —President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency