money matters

I guess I'm getting into a bit of a routine here. In light of our increased income slicing our child tax credit in half and eliminating medical subsidy, we have come to the desperate need to find a new source of income. So the girls and I have started a paper route. They get a small cut of it and I use the rest to cover half their piano lessons which Brent demanded they give up. But I just couldn't do it, so here we find ourselves. I wasn't sure how we would like it, but as luck would have it we ended up with a pretty sweet route. We do the neighbourhood behind our complex (where we go trick or treating) and the girls working together can get it done in less than 45 minutes. Our first day of papers just happened to be flyer day; the papers were so fat that we had to use 2 strollers to take them. There was no way they could carry that many papers (82) So then I was on the hunt for a wagon. Sure enough the recycling place came through for me again just when I needed it. The girls now love playing outside with the wagon. They have all the kids in the complex clamboring for rides. It reminds of the days when Layne and Karen lived here and their boys had a wagon. (Their rides were so popular that they tried making a little money off their rides) I remember Brenna and Alysha coming for a visit and all the cousins riding on the wagon.
Sigh. Now I've gone and reminded myself how alone I am here. I miss those days when my kids could just go out into the complex and play with their cousins. I had to go to the relief society conference all on my own. I felt so lonely. One of my first conferences here all of us girls that lived here were asked to sing--there were 6 of us and now there is just one. Sometimes I feel a little abandoned and cheated too. I would never have come here to live if our family didn't live here. You enticed me to live here, I set down roots and then you all moved away!
But I digress. Everything with the paper route has just fallen into place. I feel so blessed. We've also talked about Brent doing some gis work on the side--sub contract out for some work and work experience. It has been 3 years since he finished and since he hasn't used gis, he needs to brush up. The challenge is the software costs over 2 thousand. Then Brent went and did some pro bono work as an alumni for viu up in Courtenay. 2 of his instructors were there (1 gis instructor) and they want to use what he did for gis stuff. It ties gis in with what he does at work, so that could be really helpful. This also put him in touch with the software which he can use free for a year! He has already received some requests for work--he just has to demonstrate his skills. We have just really felt the Lord's hand guiding us in what to do about money problems and have been so blessed.