Happy Independence Day!!! We bought a home, I'm 40 weeks pregnant, we're loving summer, life is great!
Happy Independence Day!!! The 4th of July is my absolute favorite holiday!!! (That and Christmas!) I love the United States and I'm thankful for the freedoms we have here! We went to our ward breakfast in the morning, and then to a BBQ at the Knopf's house, some friends in our ward. Lydia had a blast with fireworks and it was a wonderful day!
Also, my Mom is in town now in preparation for little Baby Jane to come! She brought Lydia some books, shoes, clothes, and Lydia is so happy to have Grandma Harper here! I'm so glad too, because I can't wait to just craft and decorate and have fun together the whole time she's here! We'll see when Jane comes, but until then, we're just going to have a blast.
I'm 40 weeks pregnant as of yesterday and we can't wait to meet her.
ALSO, OUR CARPET WAS INSTALLED!!! It has seriously changed the world!!! We felt like we'd been working so much and still felt like our home was a big construction zone. Living on subfloor for 6 weeks was so not pleasant. But now that it's in, I just feel SOOOOO grateful!It's the best, we are so happy. Here are some pictures!
So we started the process of looking at homes, and our home specifically back in January, and it's been so crazy busy since then packing, preparing, moving, remodeling, being pregnant, etc! We are so grateful though, the Lord has taken such good care of us and we could not be happier with what He is doing in our lives. I love the quote from President Benson that says,
"Yes, men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that he can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life to God will find he has eternal life."
Mitch and I are constantly in awe these days at what God has been able to do in our lives. A little over year ago we would never have thought that we would be in this beautiful home here in Washington and so blessed, but here we are, and I am so thankful.
So! We purchased this home from friends in our ward, Rod and Connie Bean. I first found out about it from my friend Whitney Bean in our ward, who is the young women president in our ward where I'm serving as 2nd counselor. I am so thankful that she texted me back in January to tell me she'd heard they were going to move and asked if we were still thinking about buying a home. We were, of course, but not very seriously because housing prices here are crazy right now! We figured we'd never be able to afford a home. But talking with my sister-in-law, Mary, whose realtor mother told her that first time home buyers can get special financing, I started to hope we might be able to. Also, our friend in the ward, Mollie Kersavage, talked with me and helped us to realize that we totally could start looking at houses now and put us in touch with her lender. Truly, Heavenly Father helped and guided us so much through friends and family who helped us figure out what to do.
So we visited the Beans and loved them, and we loved the house. The night after we saw it, I couldn't sleep all night because I was imagining a library downstairs, thinking about where I would put the girl's rooms, how we would decorate, etc. and I got really excited. We still wondered if we would be able to afford it, but since the Beans wanted to sell without using a realtor, we were able to settle on a price that was good for both of us, and it is SUCH a blessing!!! I am overjoyed that it worked out, and we love being here in this home.
So we started packing and getting things ready to move out of our apartment in Rivercroft. We closed on April 25th and started remodeling on the 26th! The home has wonderful "bones" as they say, and we love the layout. It's a split-level home, so we decided that we would remodel just the upstairs for now, as well as the stair well. We painted all the walls with Behr's Swiss Coffee paint, and the ceilings in ultra-pure white. We had the popcorn ceiling scraped professionally in the upstairs since there was asbestos in it, and the ceiling came out beautifully. Mitch patched it up in a few spots and sanded it down and it looks great! We decided to put in a new kitchen from IKEA, laminate floors in the kitchen and dining room, put in new trim and casing in the upstairs, paint the girl's rooms in Behr's Youthful Coral paint, added some new light fixtures, and finally to put in new carpet in the upstairs.
I just have to say, we could NEVER have done all we did without Mitch's parents' help!!! They came for a whole week and pretty much worked all day every day with Mitch who took a week off of work to do it from Friday May 12th to the 20th. They were AMAZING and helped so much! Also, we received SOOO much help from friends in our ward! We had remodeling help, moving help, cleaning out our apartment help, and I just can't thank everyone enough for their kindness. We truly felt the Lord taking care of us through the kindness of angels here in our area.
Everything has come out beautifully, and we hit one major hiccup along the way, that at first seemed like the worst thing ever, but now I realize it was just God helping us out again! So we were supposed to have our carpet installed by The Home Depot on May 24th. We moved in on the 27th, so we thought that would be perfect. We had ordered the carpet on April 29th, so we planned ahead and also got a super good deal! Anyway, the week Mitch's parents were here helping, The Home Depot called and said due to staffing installer shortages, they needed to push our carpet install back six weeks. I was shocked! July 3rd??!! Were they kidding?!!! But nope. 6 weeks later. That would mean us living on subfloor for that whole time...which didn't sound fun! But you know, it has worked out!
First of all, yes, it was dirty, I'd sweep and we'd vacuum, but no matter what, there was dirt everywhere! There were splinters, but though we got used to walking on it barefoot, we didn't get splinters, any of us, even Lydia! Huge blessing! Also, I was able to paint our dining room table that the Beans left for us, right in the living room because there was no carpet! I was also able to paint the china hutch they left for us! We were also able to use the living room as a work zone when we were installing the IKEA kitchen! We put in three new bedroom doors, so I was able to paint all of those without worrying about new carpet, as well as paint the two hallway closet doors and interiors without worrying about carpet!!! Also, Mitch has finished spackling all the trim we put in, but he still needed to finish the caulking and I needed to paint it! But miracle of miracles, we got all the trim done upstairs on Saturday! Seriously, God knew our timeline, and He has helped us with all of this, and I cannot thank Him enough!
I'm also loving my calling. I love working with the young women, they are just wonderful. I've learned so much from them and they have been SOOO kind and helped us paint walls, our kitchen table, clean out our apartment, and have just been all around amazing. I feel so blessed to know each of them.
So I think those are all of our life updates! I love having AMAZING CARPET, a front porch to decorate, a lovely new kitchen, a huge front window, kind neighbors, a garage to park in, a back yard where we've planted a garden, a place to use our new Dutch oven, a deck and a swing to sit on as a family, and just a home. It is a beautiful, special place for us where I know we will have years of joy and memories.
We also love this area. We love going to the beaches, parks, just going on walks in the neighborhood. It is wonderful here. Here are some random pictures too of general things we've been up to!
Lydia getting her face painted by our friend, Jenny Taylor! Lydia loved her star!
Our patriotic front porch!
I'm 40 weeks pregnant as of yesterday and we can't wait to meet her.
ALSO, OUR CARPET WAS INSTALLED!!! It has seriously changed the world!!! We felt like we'd been working so much and still felt like our home was a big construction zone. Living on subfloor for 6 weeks was so not pleasant. But now that it's in, I just feel SOOOOO grateful!It's the best, we are so happy. Here are some pictures!
Our lovely living room! We painted the ceiling and trim Behr Ultra Pure White and the walls and bricks Swiss Coffee White.
Our IKEA kitchen! It's simple, but only cost $2700 and we installed it all ourselves. :) We also installed laminate in the kitchen and dining room.
The Bean family left us the kitchen table and china hutch which I painted white. I distressed the hutch slightly and love how it came out!
Lydia's room! We still need to put in her dresser and set up her bed frame :)
Jane's room: just add baby! :)
Our bedroom :)
Beautiful hydrangeas outside our home!
So we started the process of looking at homes, and our home specifically back in January, and it's been so crazy busy since then packing, preparing, moving, remodeling, being pregnant, etc! We are so grateful though, the Lord has taken such good care of us and we could not be happier with what He is doing in our lives. I love the quote from President Benson that says,
"Yes, men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that he can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life to God will find he has eternal life."
Mitch and I are constantly in awe these days at what God has been able to do in our lives. A little over year ago we would never have thought that we would be in this beautiful home here in Washington and so blessed, but here we are, and I am so thankful.
So! We purchased this home from friends in our ward, Rod and Connie Bean. I first found out about it from my friend Whitney Bean in our ward, who is the young women president in our ward where I'm serving as 2nd counselor. I am so thankful that she texted me back in January to tell me she'd heard they were going to move and asked if we were still thinking about buying a home. We were, of course, but not very seriously because housing prices here are crazy right now! We figured we'd never be able to afford a home. But talking with my sister-in-law, Mary, whose realtor mother told her that first time home buyers can get special financing, I started to hope we might be able to. Also, our friend in the ward, Mollie Kersavage, talked with me and helped us to realize that we totally could start looking at houses now and put us in touch with her lender. Truly, Heavenly Father helped and guided us so much through friends and family who helped us figure out what to do.
Our home!!!
Rhododendron flowers out front!!! And there's an Azalea plant! And peonies! And orange lilies! I love it.
So we visited the Beans and loved them, and we loved the house. The night after we saw it, I couldn't sleep all night because I was imagining a library downstairs, thinking about where I would put the girl's rooms, how we would decorate, etc. and I got really excited. We still wondered if we would be able to afford it, but since the Beans wanted to sell without using a realtor, we were able to settle on a price that was good for both of us, and it is SUCH a blessing!!! I am overjoyed that it worked out, and we love being here in this home.
So we started packing and getting things ready to move out of our apartment in Rivercroft. We closed on April 25th and started remodeling on the 26th! The home has wonderful "bones" as they say, and we love the layout. It's a split-level home, so we decided that we would remodel just the upstairs for now, as well as the stair well. We painted all the walls with Behr's Swiss Coffee paint, and the ceilings in ultra-pure white. We had the popcorn ceiling scraped professionally in the upstairs since there was asbestos in it, and the ceiling came out beautifully. Mitch patched it up in a few spots and sanded it down and it looks great! We decided to put in a new kitchen from IKEA, laminate floors in the kitchen and dining room, put in new trim and casing in the upstairs, paint the girl's rooms in Behr's Youthful Coral paint, added some new light fixtures, and finally to put in new carpet in the upstairs.
I just have to say, we could NEVER have done all we did without Mitch's parents' help!!! They came for a whole week and pretty much worked all day every day with Mitch who took a week off of work to do it from Friday May 12th to the 20th. They were AMAZING and helped so much! Also, we received SOOO much help from friends in our ward! We had remodeling help, moving help, cleaning out our apartment help, and I just can't thank everyone enough for their kindness. We truly felt the Lord taking care of us through the kindness of angels here in our area.
Mitch after sanding the ceilings!
Lydia and her, "glasses," as she calls them :D
Mitch just finishing installing our new chandelier!
Installing our IKEA kitchen!
Everything has come out beautifully, and we hit one major hiccup along the way, that at first seemed like the worst thing ever, but now I realize it was just God helping us out again! So we were supposed to have our carpet installed by The Home Depot on May 24th. We moved in on the 27th, so we thought that would be perfect. We had ordered the carpet on April 29th, so we planned ahead and also got a super good deal! Anyway, the week Mitch's parents were here helping, The Home Depot called and said due to staffing installer shortages, they needed to push our carpet install back six weeks. I was shocked! July 3rd??!! Were they kidding?!!! But nope. 6 weeks later. That would mean us living on subfloor for that whole time...which didn't sound fun! But you know, it has worked out!
First of all, yes, it was dirty, I'd sweep and we'd vacuum, but no matter what, there was dirt everywhere! There were splinters, but though we got used to walking on it barefoot, we didn't get splinters, any of us, even Lydia! Huge blessing! Also, I was able to paint our dining room table that the Beans left for us, right in the living room because there was no carpet! I was also able to paint the china hutch they left for us! We were also able to use the living room as a work zone when we were installing the IKEA kitchen! We put in three new bedroom doors, so I was able to paint all of those without worrying about new carpet, as well as paint the two hallway closet doors and interiors without worrying about carpet!!! Also, Mitch has finished spackling all the trim we put in, but he still needed to finish the caulking and I needed to paint it! But miracle of miracles, we got all the trim done upstairs on Saturday! Seriously, God knew our timeline, and He has helped us with all of this, and I cannot thank Him enough!
The Beans painted their family on the subfloor when they got new carpet in 1989.
We painted our family the day before the carpet came, July 2!
So like I said, as of yesterday, I'm 40 weeks pregnant with our little Jane Eliza Steed. Another HUGE blessing is that, well, I'm still pregnant! At 29 weeks, I started having contractions every nine minutes for three hours, and I was terrified that little Jane was going to join us early! I've been following friends' blogs who have had premie babies, and it is SO HARD! Plus, we're not rolling in money right now...we've put a lot into the house and now we're about broke! :) We're okay, but definitely would not have money for lots of medical bills! So anyway, I exercised a lot when I was pregnant with Lydia, up until the end, but right at 29 weeks, I had to stop with this pregnancy because I would start having contractions every time I worked out. So aside from this also being my second pregnancy and I have been all stretched out before, I haven't worked out the whole time, so I've gotten HUGE! I've pretty much gained the same amount of weight, but I'm curious to see if Jane will weigh more than Lydia, who was born at 8 lbs 6 oz. She was 8 days late too...which I hope doesn't happen with Jane, but truly, I'm putting it into God's hands. And...come this Wednesday I'm going to start working out again, so help me! :D
Little Lydia is doing great, she turned 2 on May 20th! We had a fun birthday party with friends here, it was so wonderful and Mitch's parents were in town too, so that was great! She loves touching my tummy and talking to "Baby Jane," and I think she will be a great big sister!
Lydia at church with her Happy Birthday sticker.
I'm also loving my calling. I love working with the young women, they are just wonderful. I've learned so much from them and they have been SOOO kind and helped us paint walls, our kitchen table, clean out our apartment, and have just been all around amazing. I feel so blessed to know each of them.
So I think those are all of our life updates! I love having AMAZING CARPET, a front porch to decorate, a lovely new kitchen, a huge front window, kind neighbors, a garage to park in, a back yard where we've planted a garden, a place to use our new Dutch oven, a deck and a swing to sit on as a family, and just a home. It is a beautiful, special place for us where I know we will have years of joy and memories.
We also love this area. We love going to the beaches, parks, just going on walks in the neighborhood. It is wonderful here. Here are some random pictures too of general things we've been up to!
Father's Day gift for Mitch: A dutch oven! Here we are using it for the first time to make a blueberry cobbler!
Lydia and I at Juanita Beach, one of our favorite places to go!
Lydia preparing a feast of roast flamingo in her new play kitchen! Don't do it, Lydia!!!
Lydia's first driving lesson. He points to Mitch's car and says, "Dada's car," and points to my car and says, "Lydia's car!" :D So funny, but kind of true.
Lydia reading with her friend in our ward, Emily. :)
Dada and Lydia laying in her play tent Grandpa and Grandma Steed got her for her birthday!
A side by side of me as a little girl and Lydia! I thought we looked similar in these pictures. :)
Lydia having a blast at our mutual activity! She loves our beehives!
Family beach day!
Me, quite pregnant!
Puffy feet, but happy in the sand!
Boating on the Sammamish River
Lydia's new outfit from our friend, Kerri Meyer!
My first set of decorations for our front door! Flamingos!!!
Lydia on her firetruck in our neighborhood!
Playing the piano with her friend, Vera!
Lydia smiling among the dandelions in the backyard!
Me at the Seattle Temple! So beautiful there!
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