Yay, so happy for you and your family. God is so good. And what an awesome witness you are for Him...He really does have the best plans for us in mind, doesn't He?
I hope you are able to pack up quickly and before you know it, you will be in your new home!

God blesses you immeasurably!!!

Jamie, PA

I'm rejoicing with you! I love to hear stories of how God provides at just the right time!

I'll keep your family in my prayers - as I know that the next few weeks will be busy, busy, busy. But I'm sure that you'll be posting more stories of God's goodness in the weeks to come!

Congratulations on the new job and best wishes for a smooth transition.

Ruth Ann

Nine days. I can't even imagine being in your shoes right now. You must be excited and nervous all at the same time. I know I would be! I'll be praying.

Michelle Moses

That's amazing! Best wishes for a great move. I'm hoping someday God will work in our lives so we can move closer to family.

Oh wow! Your story gave me chills! God is a awesome God! Wow!! Congrats!!!

Oh, I'm so glad to hear the news! I was praying! Happy packing and safe traveling. ;)

This is so silly because I only "know" you through reading your blog--but when you said you were moving I immediately thought that would be so sad. But thankfully your blog will still be here and hopefully you will be settled soon and can share about your adventures with us. I hope and pray the transition will go well and be over quickly.

you can do it!!!!!!!!!!!
you'll like the milder weather and a new home to start over in!
only pack what you need and/or love:)
Tereza

Tammy,
We have 7 people (the youngest is 12) in 1110sq ft. I will be happy to pass on any small space living ideas I can. The suggestions to de-clutter now are a great idea. If I had an idea of the type of space you will have, I can formulate some ideas. One thing that helps is to have all of your beds (where possible) on bed risers. It will give you at least a foot of storage under the bed. Another thing that we have that is a little different is I have bookcases all the way down the hall. It makes the hallway a little narrow, but the added storage is great. You might also put some shelves on the floor under where your clothes hang, for books or use baskets to store other items. I have white cardboard file boxes under my short hanging items, which I store material and patterns in. Maybe some of these items will spark an idea for you.

Isn't God wonderful and doesn't He work things out in the most awesome ways?!

Lora
http://lora.keethfamily.com
http://keethfamily.com

That is a neat story.

Take the bare necessities, clothes, diapers, shoes, bedding, pillows, a few favorite toys etc. If you can leave furniture, or sell it, do it. Have a garage sale, the money you make it can go towards moving or "newer" furniture. Everything can be replaced. I say this because you are moving across the country, if it was only a city away then I'd say the opposite.

By taking the bare necessities, you can acquire what you need when you get there. You'll know what you'll have room for etc. But if you pack everything, and take the furniture, you may not have room for everything. And this will also cut down on moving costs.

Good luck! I'll be continuing to pray for you all! This is so exciting, I'm very happy for you all!

That is wonderful news, Tammy and family. :) We are really happy for you all. Praying that all will go well for you as you prepare for this big move. May Yahweh go with you!! I'm sad that you will be so far away now.... :( ~Tanya - mama to 5 :)

Great things can happen and much easier when we leave our decisions in Gods hands. This is a perfect example.

Nine days to move? I'll be praying for you!

This is awesome!

Isn't it rainy there? I know it is beautiful though. I pray that the everything else works out just as easy for you!

Even though we know God has a plan- it is sometimes hard to accept what comes our way and moving so far is a huge change! You are accepting it all with grace and that is to be admired!

I will pray for you as you pack and unpack and settle in.
What kind of job did Joshua get? Is it anything like he had?
Can't wait to hear about all that your new home is like!

Oh Tammy! Goodness me! Congratulations to Joshua, and many blessings to you and the children as you pack and move. It must be a comfort at a time of leaving your wider family to know that God really orchestrated all of this for you. Much love, Lucy x

Wow. Nine days, huh?

That is an awesome story about how God brought everything about. I will pray God will give you wisdom how/what to pack!

I live in apartment with my husband and 2 daughters. I don't know our square footage, but I think it is probably less than 950.

Decluttering as you pack is a very good idea!

I am working on the whole not-having-too-much-stuff department. I would suggest praying through the packing and getting rid of duplicate items.

Best wishes and prayers to/for you! :)

If 11 of us can fit into 850 s.f. then I know that 5 of you can fit into 950! We have no basement or garage for storage. We do, however, have two sheds. My best advice is to think UP.

Use furniture that is more tall and narrow, rather than wide and short (chest of drawers instead of dresser, high bookshelves rather than short ones, etc.). As another suggested, put your beds on risers, or as we did, my husband built a loft just high enough to clear a Pack n Play crib so that we could put little ones under our bed (with an end of the crib sticking out for ingress and egress of child, of course). He made a two-step set of stairs for us to get in and out of bed. There is also room for storage under the bed. We used to have a dresser under the bed, with the front of it flush with the edge of the bed, for easy access to clothes. If your husband is handy, he can build custom-sized bunks to fit your space and your children's ages (e.g., a crib-type bunk for young ones). My husband also built shelves, not fancy, but sturdy and functional, to fit open wall space in the kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms.

I would second the suggestion to get rid of furniture here. You will have a better idea of what works for your living space once you are moved. Over the years, we have bought very little furniture anyway because the generosity of others and the goodness of the Lord has kept us supplied (even with appliances and vehicles).

You have been geographically close to me, although we've never met, so I will miss you. I'm praying for you as you think and pack and decide and keep little ones occupied over the next few days. May God go with you.

I'm so glad for you and look forward to hearing about your adventures in Seattle.

Your story brought tears to my eyes. I'm just so glad for your family that everything has worked out for the best!

I wanted to let you know that you will love the Seattle area. We live an hour outside of Seattle, but we both grew up in the area - so we are used to the weather.

Best of luck with your move and your husbands new job!

What a move! As someone who has lived in small spaces most of my life except now when God provided a very large house for us, i have lots of tips. i also moved alot!
Get rid of lots of stuff, save furniture that is generally expensive to replace, books and sentimental items, think everything else through really carefully! Think of how often you use it, how hard it is to move and how expensive it would be to replace.
When you pack, make sure to mark the boxes well. When we moved alot, we numbered the boxes and then kept a list of what was in each box. it made life much easier!
Bunkbeds are what we grew up on! i know some people are scared of them, but they are not bad. Two little ones sharing a twin bed is not bad either! Three of us slept in a double bed when we lived in Seattle in a two bedroom apt. My brother was in a crib in our room.
My mom did get into trouble because she hung clothes on the balcony on a clothes rack. She was fined for it being unsightly, so ask before assuming things like that are okay! (this was in Kirkland)
i hope the move goes well, if you are driving through Mt and happen to be coming through my town, let me know if you need a place to sleep!

We moved 11 times. It isn't always easy but as the mother you can make it work. Be cheerful. It takes a long time to know an area. The Seattle area is beautiful. Let us know if you can get a garden to grow in the NW!

We will be right across the water from you! Who knows, you'll probably run into some of my family depending on what area of Seattle (or greater) you are living in?! That is too fun. What a cool story of God's provision!

Wow, that's exciting news!! :)
And really QUICKLY too... amazing!
I'm sure it's taking a while to sink in that it's reality now, isn't it?
And it's a BIG move too.
But everyone has given you some great tips for packing up and God will be with you. I'll be praying that the trip goes well and for your safety.
God is so amazing, isn't He? Wow, to have things fall into place like that... it's His plan, without a doubt, isn't it? Praise Him!!

Praising God with you! How great he is and how happy I am so to see his kindness in your life! Praise the Lord!

Elizabeth Sue

www.wifehappens.blogspot.com

Exciting that you're now in Seattle (it's a lot easier to get to than Tiffin). We might be planning a trip up there in early DEC. If we do, we'll keep you informed. Hope you find everything well and not too wet (or grey. :)