An Answer to Prayer

 If you haven't already heard or read,

we've decided to move to Arizona!

 After talking with one of the women in the Catholic homeschool group

in the Phoenix area, we decided on these cities:

Mesa, Gilbert or Chandler

The homes listed in those cities alone, weekly,
 is overwhelming.

How do we decide?

Where should we move to?

How will we know, all the homes are awesome, there are tons of parks,
there are Catholic churches all around.

Calm down Jamie.

During my holy hour, during Adoration,

I was kind of spazzing like that to Jesus.

My mind racing.

Then, I remembered, I should ask Jesus where HE wants us to move.

OK

"Jesus, where do YOU want us to move?"

The rest of the hour, all I heard in my head was Gilbert.

Nonstop.

(because God knows I need direct, clear answers)

And a sign.

I need signs.

I asked, "Gilbert?"

"Why Gilbert?"

"That is not the one I would have picked."

"OK, but I need a sign"

(because "Gilbert" going off in my head for an hour is not enough)

"Please give me a sign"

 For all of you wondering why we are moving.

It is the sun.

THE SUN, FOLKS!

Yes, we know it's hot there.

That is why we are moving.

 Plus, if we ever miss the snow (Hahahahahahah)

we could always drive up north a couple hours and see it again

(this picture is in Flagstaff, AZ)

So, after getting home and feeding my family,

I decided to check on the parishes in Gilbert.

They were amazing!

The faith seemed so alive, it was very exciting to know

that I could go to daily Mass, confession and Adoration whenever I wanted.

(this is my number one thing I look up, when looking at cities)

St Anne's Catholic Church

during the school year, has Confession available from 6:20am-6:20pm 2 days a week,

and is also available 3 other days for like an hour and a half!

Plus 3 daily Masses.

(their summer hours are different starting June 1)

And 24 hour Adoration!

St Mary Magdalene's Catholic Church

has daily Confession and Mass and Adoration after morning Mass

from 9am to 9pm

I was excited.

Now, for the normal person,

this probably would be enough of a "sign", right?

Not me.

I wanted a sign, that only I would know was for me.

 The next day Simeon wanted to wear his "shark shirt"

We got it in Texas. 

It's his favorite shirt.

I knew there were types of sharks on there, but never really paid attention

until what he asked me next.

"Mama, read the shark's names!"

"What?"

"OK, Hammerhead...."

"No mama, their names!"

Me: "Oh, OK"

(I had not realized they all had names)

"Sammy, the Hammerhead"

(reading from left to right, top to bottom)

"Bubba, the Blue Shark?"

"Tony, the Tiger Shark"

"Marky, the Mako Shark?"

And

Brace yourself.

"Gilbert, the Great White Shark"

I froze.

I laughed.

I yelled.

(to everyone in the house to come see!!)

Everyone made fun of me.

So, I asked for yet, another sign.

I went to Confession and ran into a friend,

Simeon's godfather, and he told me that Gilbert is a great saint!

Who knew?

(not me!)

Sure enough!

See HERE

"OK, God, Gilbert it is!"

3 more reassurances happened this week,

Gilbert, Arizona, was listed as number 2, in the Top 10 safest cities over 200,000

See HERE

I saw my cousin at his grandmother's funeral.
He'd flown in from Arizona.
I didn't even know he lived in AZ til this past year
when we became friends on Facebook.
He was in the process of moving from Queen Creek, AZ
to....
Guess where!!
Gilbert.
Yep.
 

And last, but not least,

My good blogger friend,

that I knew lived in the Phoenix area,

actually lives in GILBERT!

Hi Deb!

The kids found a favorite house in Mesa, that has everything we are looking for,

(including lots of citrus trees)

It is located on a corner, the street on the side of the home is "Gilbert Street"

Hmmmmm....the kids are trying to talk me into this being the house,

even though, it's in Mesa.

On Gilbert Street.

God is Good and answers prayers.

I have no doubt He will lead us to where He wants us to be.

(whether that be in Gilbert or in Mesa on Gilbert Street)



Let's Clean!

 OK, I admit, I like to clean.

I don't really like to clean like a madwoman every time we have a showing.

But I like it when our home is clean.

I like leaving it like that.

This is one thing I will enjoy when my kiddos leave home

A clean house.

(Oh, gosh, I'll miss everything else!)

OK,  maybe not everything! (click the link)

My cousin Jana and I, when we were young, used to talk about

how we'd make our beds and want it to stay that way all day. 

I'm the same way today.

So in a perfect world, I'm a neat freak.

But I have kids, and they are not.  (neat freaks)

I've just found these past couple months of massive cleaning 

some really awesome products.

I'm going to start with this Orange Glow wood polish product.

It smells really nice when using and brings all wood back to life.

I love it!

I ended up polishing all our cupboards, doors, dressers, coffee/end tables,

anything wood!

 Look how the cupboards shine!

A friend stopped over to pick up her girls and noticed our doors!

She said, "Wow, these doors are really nice!"

I'd just shined them up!

 This stuff!! 

Found at Wal-mart!

I admit, I never even knew there was a "polish"

I've tried Murphy's Oil Soap among other "wood floor cleaners"

but none shined it up.

Well, duh!

 Here is "BEFORE"

 Here is "AFTER"

This is 3 coats

Wish I knew about this stuff like years ago!!

I asked online and my friend Dwija sugested this Holloway House product.
She said it was AWESOME and it is.

Several others

gave some great suggestions, but Wal-mart had this one,

so this is what I tried!



 With 4 house showings and an open house these past 9 days,

I am loving the Swifter Sweeper, with the extra spendy sheets.

Such a quick way to mop up while the kids are waiting outside to leave.

 Now this was amazing!!

We painted almost everything, but some things we did not.

Like our closet.

It had marks on it's white walls, some, I think were there when we moved in!

(almost 8 years ago)

I scrubbed with these cool little things and all marks came off!

We have 2 white rooms, I painted a couple years ago,

our school room and the toyroom.

Basically they still looked good, except a few scuffs and marks.

Used this Magic Eraser and BOOM!! 

Gone.

White and Clean!

I have to at least give an "honorable mention" to these next 2 products

because they make a home selling cleaning fanatic's life so much easier!

Bleach Wipes....I love you.

Seriously, for quick cleaning toilet seats...counters, door knobs,

ANYTHING! 

 Windex, how I love you too!

You clean my windows, patio doors, glass top coffee table,

the outside of my microwave....my mirrors...and you do it so quickly.

I only wish you could clean my Stainless Steel appliances.

 That's OK, I have this product.

I got it at Wal-mart.

This is kind of a spray foam kind of product,

I spray it on and polish it in the grain of the steel, til it's shiny and

fingerprint free.

Yes, I use it a lot.

I noticed this in my images when looking for an image of the polish.

I wonder if it does as good of a job?

Might have to try it out!

Now, I know these products all have fragances and will probably give us cancer.

But good ol' vinegar

 (which is what I usually use for our floors and more)

just doesn't smell that great. 

One more product, though not a "cleaning product"

I think it's a  house seller.

We've been baking these at a lower temp,

turning the oven off right before we leave,

and letting them stay in the oven while we are gone.

Heavenly smell.

If you like brownies that is.

And they make a great treat for when we come home!

I can't believe I'm going to say this,

I am getting a little tired of brownies though.

But

that heavenly smell will hopefully

make someone think,

"Yes!  I want to live here because it reminds me of home!"



Update (again)

 Well, Simeon's stents lasted 3 days.  He rubbed them out. 

The doctor said if he rubs them out, there'd be no way to get them back in.
(without surgery)

Surgery=total waste.

(We still have to pay over 1500 bucks though)

I guess he's meant to have watery eyes until he's old enough to know not to rub.

 In other news, we listed our home this past Monday

We had 2 showings the other night and have an open house tomorrow morning.

We are praying a St Joseph novena

(our last 2 homes sold on the 9th day of the novenas)

 It's been cool and rainy here in MN.

 

 I'm going to give you a tour of our home!

I love it.

We need to move because the SUN is what is best for our family.

If you do not know already, we are moving to Arizona as soon as our home sells.

Gilbert to be exact.

God told me, that's why Gilbert

(that's another blog post though)

 OH, how I love my porch

I love everything about this home.

Except, I guess, that it's in Minnesota.
(newly stained porch)

 I got all my planting done.

In another month, this will be blooming like crazy!

 Our entry way...remember I used to have a diaper changing dresser here?

 

By packing most of our things,

and decluttering a ton

(8 van loads donated, including maternity clothes for every season,

10 or 12 bins of baby and girl clothes given away to a friend, plus many baby items,

 baby boy clothes given to a pregnant teen)

 

It doesn't look like 8 people live here!

 At least 1/2 of our toys are packed away.

See our new carpet?

New paint?

 

 School room major downsized to look more like a place to...color???

Best we could do to give the impression of a formal dining room and yet still live here.

 

 Kitchen all new Stainless Steel appliances, new countertops, new window

new lights, new hardware, some new cupboard doors and drawers, 
cupboard doors newly re-finished

and new paint!

 AND nothing on the counters.

Now that one is hard with 8 people living here!

 Basement bedroom

See the fuse box in the upper corner?

 Our handy Mr 12 lives at the Lake plus 1, Dan made this for us to cover it with!

He did everything! 

Totally remodeled basement

New paint, carpet, and new bathroom!

Our awesome storage room.

This is yet another thing I love about this home!

 Oh, and the upstairs book area!!

 Best view in the house....window seat!!

(which is too freezing cold to sit at in the winter)

But it sure is nice the rest of the year!

 Now both our mom's gasped when they walked into our Master bedroom!!

Extra mattress gone

Baby bed gone...extra shelves and blankets and bins...gone!

 

 

 New bedding, carpet...windows...hoping it gets a gasp from the potential buyers!

Master bath!

Shower re-caulked, lights spray painted to look new, new hardware and new window!

I've taken many baths with my littles in that big tub!



 Kid bathroom

We actually have 3 1/2 bathrooms, but I'm only showing you 2.

 Boys room

 Girls room

 Our backyard, view from the top of the hill behind our home.

Awesome play set, also fixed up by Dan

The kids spend a TON of time out here.

I'm so sad just typing this....

 Getting ready for the open house tomorrow morning

I have fresh lilacs, cut from our backyard, on the table...

 fresh flowers in the window....

we'll bake brownies right before it starts to give it that

"homey-I-want-to-live-here-and-bake-here" feeling

 I put together a book of the yard and home in different seasons...

Spring flowering trees have already bloomed and are done til next year....lilacs will be done this week, Hydrangeas won't bloom til August, fall colors...things like that.

 

 And the beautiful sunset that can be seen from the upstairs window.

I'm hoping to get back into blogging and reading my favorite blogs again.

Life has been so busy, I'm looking forward to just slowing down.

 

Here's a picture of pure love and joy to end this boring post!

Happy weekend everyone!