We purchased a new vehicle

A couple of months ago, I brought our van in for an oil change, and one of the salesperson noticed that we were coming up on the end of our financing. He asked me if I was interested in a new vehicle; they had a 2013 Chrysler Town and Country Touring edition that had just come in. I told him I’d be happy to take a look.

He took the time to show it to me, and I was quite impressed. Whoever bought it had made sure to include several extras (it was the same scenario when we had bought our 2002 Ford Windstar, too), so there was quite a bit appealing about the vehicle.

When I sat down with a financial advisor, I explained to him that we were waiting for a mortgage to clear, and we didn’t want to jeopardize that by putting several inquiries and a new entry into our credit history.

So, we put it aside and received approval this week on the mortgage. Luckily, it was still on the lot. I guess there aren’t too many people interested in minivans anymore. For an 8-person family, however, we don’t have a lot of choices. 🙂

Well, we picked it up today, and here it is.

Our new vehicle next to our old one.

A photo posted by Kim Siever (@kim_siever) on

Just in time for Sinéad and my road trip to Arizona next week.

What do you think? Anyone out there own a Town and Country before?

I made a bed frame

I spent 7.5 hours making this queen size bed frame. I used mostly reclaimed wood, except for the 1×4 spruce trim along the outside. It cost me under $20 in materials. Also, it was my first time using double rabbet joints. Let’s hope this one lasts longer than our previous metal frame did.

I made a bench

Made a simple, sturdy bench for our younger children to use at the table. Made it out of 4 2×6’s, and it cost me under $15. Now, Our three children don’t have to share two chairs. It actually works great.

My first tattoo

After 25 years of wanting a tattoo, I finally got one today. I think it’s fitting that my first one is of Mary’s fingerprint over my heart. She has touched my heart in so many ways.

Real Christmas tree

After 20 years of Christmases together, we bought our first live tree tonight. We brought 4 of our children with us. It was a pleasant experience. And our home smells like a forest. 🙂

Waterton trip

We took a family trip to Waterton today. We hiked Bear’s Hump, checked out Cameron Falls, and hiked Red Rock Canyon. For me and Ash, Ace, and Quillan, it was our first time hiking Bear’s Hump.