"Strange Things Are Happening"

Toy Story is one of my least favorite kid movies of all time. That said, it was on a lot when I worked in Childcare, so I know the song "Strange Things Are Happening," which plays as Buzz replaces Woody as Andy's favorite toy. Strange things are happening in our lives.

Doug got a job as a prosecutor for Bonneville County, in Idaho Falls. He has been asked to moved to Idaho Falls as soon as possible. He begins his job on January 31st. So... we'll be putting our house on the market pretty soon.

In our dead economy, I am hoping our house doesn't sell... until we have reached the 3-year minimum to keep our $8,000 of Obama money. In a year and a half:). If we move before next June, or rent our house out, we have to pay all that money back.

Doug would love to have our house sell quickly, so he can move toward his job and not face several months of a 45-minute commute, both ways. I am a supportive, loving wife. And I still don't want to leave. If you've ever lived near me, you know I hate moving. I hate leaving my ward, my callings, my friends, my home, etc. And I hate the idea of losing a lot of money on our home--which we thought would be a good investment.

So, thanks to the impending put-our-house-on-the-market event, we have made a few changes in our home.

We bought an oak table (with two leaf inserts) and six matching chairs for our kitchen--I've been dreaming of this purchase for the past at least five years. We got the set used, so it was way more affordable than we expected. Oh, how I love it. We've talked about painting and polishing it, and we'll see if that happens after the move.

Doug and I converted Lucy's crib into a big-girl bed. Not because we are masochists, mind you--Lucy learned how to crawl out of her pack-n-play on vacation a few days ago, and brought the trick home with her. This was an unfortunate necessity.

Doug bought a heinous chair for Lucy's room. I've wanted to have a glider since we sold our old one (in another move), and although the light-blue corduroy wonder isn't everything I dreamed of, it'll do for the price.

And I got a few more baskets for toys. I took pictures of our bookshelf, which I love dearly. You'll see Lucy and Isaac's most recent picture, compliments of Walmart's Photo Studio.

I didn't take a picture of it, but Doug fixed our mailbox. He broke it a few weeks ago, returning a ladder to a neighbor, and solved the problem all by himself. We are not known for our handiwork, so I am VERY impressed with his accomplishment, which necessitated a sledge hammer of sorts, and a file to deal with stripped nails. Way to go, Doug.

So strange things are happening, including my recent culinary adventures in the Ashton cookbook--my sister-in-law Shauna gave it to me for Christmas, bless her--and I have so many other projects to tackle. Like scrapbooking and organizing clothes, and finding things for DI, and organizing baskets and drawers. And prepping for my new classes, and reading my current Jordan book, and cleaning, and reading all of your blogs. Happy End of the Year!