Our New Friends and a New Venture

Last July we welcomed our new friends, an Afghani refugee family, to America. The past 7 months have been one of the greatest blessings of our life. It has been amazing to get to know them and recently we have begun work on a project to help this family to use their skills and talents to become self-reliant.

Turning lemons into lemonade. When their power was shut off for several days in October because of a mix up with their bills we spent a fun evening eating donuts by lantern light. 

At Christmas time we went with our volunteer group and our family downtown to see the lights at Temple Square.

As we were leaving Temple Square Mike explained to them that the buildings we'd visited, the temple and the tabernacle, were built by refugees many years ago when they settled here.

With no men to help provide for this large family, we knew it would be a more difficult challenge for them to support their family. While the oldest daughter of the family was able to get a part time job at Walmart, the mother was not having any luck finding employment because her English was progressing so slowly. As we came to know the family more, we learned that the mother and her oldest daughters are highly skilled seamstresses. The mother was so skilled she could make a dress from just looking at a picture and getting some measurements. When we discovered this - Mike hatched an idea.

One thing we've learned over the course of Jessie's high school experience is how hard it can be to find suitable dresses for dances. Especially if you want something unique and/or something modest. What if we found a way to link her skill with the demand for dresses that we see. We wondered if it could work. We posed the idea to the family, who enthusiastically agreed. We wondered how they would be able to acquire the quality machines that they would need if they were to really make this work. We wondered how best to structure our venture. As we worked these things through in our minds and made it a matter of prayer,  things began coming together, the solutions presented themselves and the way opened up.

Our first step was to ask them to make a dress for Jessie, and the daughter of some friends who were willing to join us in the venture. The only machine they had to make the dresses was one from Costco that was generously gifted by my old friend, Wendy. Not a professional machine, but in the hands of a master...

Here they are adjusting the sleeve on the dress they made for our friends' daughter

Part way through their work on Jessie's dress an Afghani man, a neighbor and friend, took it upon himself to purchase a professional grade machine for them with the understanding that they would just pay him back as they were able, without any time frame attached. He has become one of our best resources, showing up to translate complex ideas, facilitating, researching and helping us stay connected. A humble, quiet man - here in the U.S. because he was an aid to American troops in  Afghanistan.

Here they are at work on their new beautiful Juki machine

With those first few dresses under our belt we put the word out that our refugee friends were making dresses and the first real orders came in. We're still working out our process and streamlining as best we can for now, but I think we're onto something. We have felt guided every step of the way.

We are calling our new venture, "Panah" - which means "refuge" in Dahri (their language). We hope to move things forward enough to help employ other refugee women, all here without husbands, to be able to support their families.

Our love for them grows. I jokingly call the mother my little sister, because she is a year younger than me, but she is my elder in terms of experience and strength.  

I'll keep you posted.

Six Months Later...

I have totally gotten out of the habit and have not kept up blogging. I had to look here the other day to find a video that Sully wanted to see and I realized what a treasure of memories we have here. I didn't want the rest of the story to be undocumented. So, I will try to keep with it. Keep on keeping on.

To make an attempt to record everything that has happened over the last 6 months would be impossible. I am reminded of the words of the prophet Mormon, "nevertheless, they cannot all be written in this book; yea, this book cannot contain even a hundredth part of what was done among so many people in the space of [six months]" (the "six months" is my addition) (3 Nephi 5:8). 

So, I thought I would compose a few themed posts to cover the highlights.

Today's installment: Reno-with-Roy Update

 

Roy prepping the concrete floor.

Sealing the stained concrete

I love it!

Testing out the movie screen  (we're missing the patio this time of year).

The painting of the basement

Finally getting rid of the butterscotch color

Paint makes such a difference!

Painting the baseboards

While replacing baseboards we found out why the girls' room is always so cold in the winter -  previous owners slapped the drywall directly onto the concrete wall on the east side in their room. Now we have another project...

Finished baseboard in the game room (the room previously known as the vampire room). Roy is a fine craftsman. Those corners are so precise I hardly had to calk. 

Next on the punch list: new door trim, build a linen closet (converting the closet on the left in the picture above), and new carpet.

These Weeks

The past few weeks in pictures:

Spring is upon us. 

Noble planted a little peach seedling in the corner of our garden a few years ago and has nurtured it even though I told him I wasn't sure it would produce anything. This spring for the first time it blossomed. It is beautiful.

I see this little tree as a metaphor for Noble's life. We have been trying to teach him a lot of things in his life about what is true, how to live and find joy. I hope like his peach seedling he will give place for those teachings and nourish them...and see them miraculously blossom and produce good fruit.

 Thank goodness for the two little boys who live at our house! They bring so much joy, and excitement, and wonder (and sometimes exhaustion). We all love them so much! I am forever grateful that Heavenly Father had two more in store for us.

Asleep in the same bunk.

Lunch time with Abner and  his buddy (the Kemp's youngest) and big sister.

Climbing the hammock in the warm April sun. 

Showing off his work from preschool.

One of the things I will sorely miss when my kids are all grown - little kids' soccer games. Here is Abner with his team. (Notice the kid with the pirate hat.)  While our other kids have ramped up slowly when it comes to sports, Abner is already a force to be reckoned with on the field. He scored a hat trick (3 goals) in his first game.........after he'd finished crying for half the game on the sidelines about not wanting to play (first-game-ever nerves).

 It is the sweetest thing in the world to still have a couple of kids who want to snuggle up and sleep.

 Our animals are fat and happy.

Literally, Pluto is fat from her winter of leisure (mostly spent in the house and garage, eating). With the weather warming up she is on the prowl on the easement once again...keeping the rodent population at bay.

River has made a miraculous transformation (coinciding with the acquisition of his new shock / vibration training collar). He is now able to roam with relative freedom around the house and yard, and behaves himself around little children and new people. He has learned that life is MUCH better when he's not constantly on a leash or in a kennel.

Nature appreciation

We had a couple of moon rises this past month that were sublime. Here is one I tried to capture with my phone.

A Near-Miss

Last night Noble had a run-in with the neighbor's dog line (like a zip line for dogs to exercise). It was dark and  he was running full-tilt across their yard. Next thing he knew he was thrown to the ground by the throat. Today his throat is swollen and his tongue too where he nearly bit it off. Ouch.

 More Reno With Roy

A few boulders had to be moved to finish the back patio. We had to transport them to a new home in the yard. This was Roy and Mike's genius solution to moving them. It was pretty effective.

The Vampire Room is officially gone! Demo day in the basement.

More demo. Roy rented an industrial sized tile remover and the boys went to work chipping up all the tile in the basement kitchen. Roy says that he found the one thing the previous owners did that was built right: the tile floor. Unfortunately for us. It was a bugger to remove. And it made a TON of dust. I hate that part.

Mike spent about 6 hours yesterday grinding / buffing the residual mortar left from the tile. What a mess. But we are now down to the bare concrete floor. Our plan is to make a finished concrete floor in the kitchen / soon-to-be game room.

Meanwhile Upstairs...

While the grunts worked away in the mud and the dust downstairs, Jessie was upstairs getting ready for prom. Thanks to Holly, who helped us line her dress. It was lovely. 

Jessie didn't get out of work scott-free though. She started her day pulling weeds. Her date told us later that in between morning and evening sessions of prom (ha ha - one of the things I love to hate about high school dances is the all day activities they plan with it) he was home pulling weeds as well. Our respect went up for this kid...or at least for his parents. 

Prom 2016

Reno with Roy

Recently, after nearly six years in our house, we started the monumental project of renovating our back deck / patio and basement. We persuaded Roy to act as our unofficial contractor with the understanding that Roy would also have the help of several Melton apprentices (Noble, Tillman...and pretty much the rest of us too).  And thus we set out - dubbing our project: #RENO WITH ROY.

Here are some of the highlights so far:

After closer inspection Roy deemed the existing slipshod deck-extension unfit for use, and began immediate deconstruction. Just thought you'd all like to know that those times we had the whole family crowded around out on the deck, throwing pumpkins off at Thanksgiving - the deck was probably not structurally sound.

Add caption

A few boulders needed to be relocated to make room for the new pillar and the patio that was to follow. Btw, Noble is using the old pillar (that used to hold up the deck-extension) as a lever in this picture and he BROKE it with his own hands. Makes you feel good about standing on that old deck, right?

After taking the old deck extension apart, Roy and Noble raised a new solid pillar, and then Mike helped them place the new beam. This thing was a beast.

New joists - actually pressure treated, as opposed to the old joists that were warping.

After replacing the decking

We kept all the kids busy for days as the construction went on by giving them the assignment of  "cleaning the wall" (essentially painting with water on the cement). It worked liked a charm.

After the new and improved deck was up, the cement guys arrived to frame up the new back patio. I know my whole family is thinking, "didn't we spend a whole Saturday once breaking up SIX TONS of concrete in the Melton's back yard and hauling it away?!" True--- but that was a bad back patio. Really bad. This one is going to be awesome.

Here are the little boys last Saturday rapt in amazement, watching the new concrete being poured.

Cement and pumping trucks.

Our new back patio. It still needs to be acid washed and sealed.

Next step: the long-awaited steps off the deck (yay!), and finishing touches.

Where to begin...

Procrastination + infectious disease x technical difficulties = over a month without checking in here on the blog.
To sum up the past month: We've been busy with projects & accomplishments, rest and rejuvination and germs running amok.

Projects and Accomplishments

On a rainy MLK Day Mike and Noble put together this SWEET sk8 and long board rack.

We shoveled lots of snow this spring

Abner was pretty proud of this this Lego ship with a Star Wars windshield, pizzas and a Christmas tree on top. And that is the party hat he made a preschool.

Grace made the honor roll at Providence Hall

Sully and Abner built this space ship and space helmets

Our desktop computer finally breathed its last (after 7 years of diligent service). The U.S. Army (Sean) swooped in to diagnose the problem, back up our hard drive, help us choose a new computer, and then load all our info onto the new computer (remotely from Logan. like magic. while putting baby Mae to sleep. Sean has super powers.) - this took him two lengthy house calls, and another evening from home.

The kids had fun with baby Mae when Sean and Kim came to call.

Webcam pic of Sean the man. Fixing computers and putting babies to sleep with his SKILLS.

Rest and Rejuvenation 

Sully leading an afternoon yoga class in his room. 

We took the 4 day Valentines/Presidents Day weekend and went south - spending a day skiing / snowboarding at Eagle Point, east of Beaver, a day at Zion and chilling at the Melton's (our cold weather get away destination) in St. George. Here is the at Eagle Point.

ALL SIX KIDS on the slopes (Eagle Point has great week day deals - which makes taking 6 kids skiing possible).

This is how Sully nd Abner finished the day.

Zion was really crowded - but cleared out as the afternoon  went by. The weather was absolutely beautiful.

Walking the river at the Temple of Sinawava

Weeping Rock

Hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's

Oldest and youngest - at the Costa Vida in Fillmore

As soon as we got back home from our trip Abner wanted to get straight back up to the slopes.

Germs Running Amok

With all the other stuff going on  -  we have also been fighting one infectious disease after another - for about 3 months.  I AM SO DONE WITH SICKNESS. After a couple of rounds of strep, I got on Amazon and bought a box of  rapid strep tests. Between strep, the most potent cold virus in history, strep again, and now hand, foot and mouth., I have really had enough. Sometimes that's how it goes. I'm going to go disinfect some more stuff.