6 months...mini update

well, we are now 6 months into unemployemnt. can you belive it? (i can!) somedays it feels like 6 years. the one thing about this, that has been the hardest, for me, at least...is that "it" never goes away. meaning you wake up, spend all day and go to bed with the stress of money, and everything it touches, swirling around your head. you wouldn't believe how many things in life money is connected to. make a list sometime and you'll see what i mean~


a few people have asked how we are doing it.



i thought i would give the abbreviated version to give you a taste of the good life~ (wink wink)


first off, every single penny we make, we pay tithing on...we are counting on the Lord to uphold his end of the whole "opening the windows of heaven" bargain and so far so good.
if i did NOT have a testimony of paying my tithing before, i most certainly do now.



we have cut out every single "extra" expense. that means no movies, no going out to dinner, no lessons for the kids, no milk delivery or cable (we did not have these before, but they would be gone if we had). we have trimmed literally to the bare bones of neccessity. LUCKILY for us, we have received a few gift cards for dinners, and movies and so life doesn't feel quite so barren. AND i do allow the $1 RedBox movies to visit whenever the kids want....i look at it like $1 in the end will not make or break whether or not we make our mortgage payment AND they deserve to have a fun time too.



i have worked hard at my ebay business (the one i have been running for the past 10 years or so). these funds have been used for gas and grocery money (it used to be "fun money") and so far, every single week i have sold enough out of my store to pay for our own gas and groceries. Groceries have also been trimmed and i have used my money wisely (i hope) to stock up on basics at the case lot sales that our Utah grocery stores offer. we even eat left overs now.



kyle has worked LITERALLY almost every single day since loosing his job. his "madd skillz" (did i spell that right?) as a "handyman" have paid off big time for us. He does everything from plumbing to electrical to tiling to painting to, well you name it, he does it. It has been a huge blessing for him, and us, to fall back on these skills.
#1. it has made our "ends meet".
#2. the man does NOT know how to sit still and this has been a blessing to him to be able to work hard. if there is anything good about my husband, it IS that he is a HARD worker! he will give you HIS BEST. i know that if it were NOT for this, he would probably be in a major depression.



the interviews for "real jobs" have slowed to literally nothing--although a few kind souls have kept him in mind for positions and given him a call. however, a $10 to $12 an hour job is LESS than he is making as a handyman and leaves him no time to look for real work. we are so grateful to friends and associates who have thought of us during this time and have decided to keep going forward, with faith, that a better job is still out there. (this is VERY hard to do! believe me!) and in all honesty, one cannot support a family of 6, with a mortgage and groceries and bills, on a $10 an hour job. do the math. we wish it were possible, because he could have had several jobs by now. so forward we go!



he meets weekly with people to network and practice interview and gather information. we keep hoping this leads to a "real job".



we now joke in our family...."remember back when dad worked?" you MUST have a sense of humor to survive this, or any tough spot.



we honestly should not be where we are today (mortgage paid in full, groceries purchased, bills paid on time) all on our own. we know that the Lord has been with us every step of the way on this journey. there is no way we could have done this alone and give Him credit where credit is due. that is not to say it is NOT through our hard efforts as well, we both believe that what it amounts to is WE try our hardest and the Lord fills in the gap. Someday, i have some good stories to share about gap filling. and phones ringing when the road before us was void of work, they are good ones.



so friends, we continue forward--with faith and hope in our hearts that a "real job" (you know the kind that is 9 to 5, monday through friday, one that has health benefits and all that jazz) is somewhere around the bend. at the moment we don't see it, meaning it is not in our line of vision, but are hopeful it is there! it would only take one phone call, right?


thanks for so many good thoughts and deeds, love and prayers for our family. we KNOW that is what has helped us to survive.