Our Emergency Fund Saves the Day!

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have read that, yesterday, my car broke down.  I’m taking it to the shop today, but I’m not sure yet how much it will cost to repair.  It is less than a month until Christmas and suddenly, we have this unexpected expense!

I can’t say that I didn’t feel any worry.  I did (I needed to get to work!).  But, not because we didn’t have the money.  We do!  Thanks to Dave Ramsey and his Total Money Makeover baby steps, we have an emergency fund!

Menu Plan Monday: Back on Track

After a couple of weeks of special menu plans based on the fact that I didn't really have access to my kitchen, I am finally getting back on track.  I finished my kitchen floor...

Finally finished!!!!

...and won't be starting on the next step of my makeover until later this week.  Even then, I will only lose access to my counter and can just do all my prep work on the kitchen table. 

Friends to Help you Along the Way

It has been over a month since I posted my last update on my weight loss journey.  It may seem as if I have given up.  And, to be honest, I considered it.  After that horrible gain a few weeks back, I was feeling a little less motivated.  Plus, being without my kitchen for a week made eating well and measuring portions difficult.

The Thankfulness Goes On

I'm behind, but I'm not giving up!  I'm thankful for:


1) A God who loved me, despite who I am, enough to give Everything for me. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 

2) My husband who makes me laugh and works so hard for our family.  He is such a wonderful husband and father! 

3) My kids.  I truly believe that my purpose in life is to be their mother.  They amaze me everyday!

 

4) My mom who gives everything for those she loves.  What would I do without her to help me?  

She's an amazing example of a servant's heart and putting love into action. 

 

5) My dad who first taught me about Jesus.   I will forever be grateful for the time he spent with me as a little girl and all the things he taught me.

 

6) My baby sister.  She has always been one of my favorite people and has taught me so much about having an abundant life.

 

7) My in-laws.  They raised an amazing man whom I now call my husband.  I am so thankful for them!

8) My church family who love me, encourage me, and serve beside me.  They truly are family.

 

9) My pastor.  He is not afraid to preach the Gospel.  I have learned so much from him and he continually challenges me in my walk with Christ.

10) My friends.  We laugh together, cry together, and encourage one another.  The Lord has given me amazing friends that I don't know what I would do without!

 

11)  The men and women who serve our county.  They sacrifice more than we will ever know for the sake of freedom.

 

12) My home.  I am working hard to really appreciate my home and to put that into action by caring for it the way I should.  God has blessed us greatly with a roof over our heads and love inside the walls.

13) The opportunity to homeschool my children.  I get to combine my love for my kids with the joy of teaching to produce a great result!

14) Our jobs.  The blessing of a good job is more evident now than ever before in my life.  May we serve the Lord through our work each day.

 

15) The beauty of the world around us.  God didn't have to make the world beautiful or give us the ability to appreciate that beauty.  But, He loved us enough to instill that in us for our joy and His glory.

 

16) Laughter and those who provide it.  It is wonderful when joy just bursts forth in the form of laughter.

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I'm looking forward to a day filled with family and friends, I am also making a point to dwell on the purpose of this wonderful holiday.  I think there is no better way to remind ourselves of the reason for this day than to look to the original proclamation, made by President Abraham Lincoln, on October 3, 1863.

In his proclamation, President Lincoln states,

"To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God."

May we never forget "from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2)  I pray that, on this day of Thanksgiving, our nation would look to the Lord and remember His great goodness!

 

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Being Thankful in the Midst of the Busyness

I am really behind on saying what I am thankful for!  I'm not going to post all the past ones, today.  But, I am going to post a few each day until I'm caught up!

1) A God who loved me, despite who I am, enough to give Everything for me. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 

2) My husband who makes me laugh and works so hard for our family.  He is such a wonderful husband and father! 

3) My kids.  I truly believe that my purpose in life is to be their mother.  They amaze me everyday!

4) My mom who gives everything for those she loves.  What would I do without her to help me?  She's an amazing example of a servant's heart and putting love into action. 

5) My dad who first taught me about Jesus.   I will forever be grateful for the time he spent with me as a little girl and all the things he taught me.

6) My baby sister.  She has always been one of my favorite people and has taught me so much about having an abundant life.

7) My in-laws.  They raised an amazing man whom I now call my husband.  I am so thankful for them!

8) My church family who love me, encourage me, and serve beside me.  They truly are family.

9) My pastor.  He is not afraid to preach the Gospel.  I have learned so much from him and he continually challenges me in my walk with Christ.

10) My friends.  We laugh together, cry together, and encourage one another.  The Lord has given me amazing friends that I don't know what I would do without!

A Homemaker's (Not Handyman's ) Guide to Preparing for a Kitchen Floor Project

I can't believe it has been a whole week since I last posted!  Time sure flies when you are having fun!  Even though it is really hard work, I am having a blast working with my dad on my kitchen makeover.

I spent last week patching walls and getting things ready for the floor to go down.  My Hubby also put up my new light fixture (electrical work makes me a little nervous).  What a difference!  I'll actually be able to see my food when I cook, now.  With the old light, it is truly a miracle I've never given my family food poisoning! 

Before: An ugly, plastic, florescent light.

After:  A pretty light fixture with a brushed nickle finish

Then, on Saturday my dad and I started peeling off the sticky vinyl tiles only to discover what we thought were ceramic tiles underneath.  Turns out it was actually two layers of Formica tiles.  After talking to some people with more experience, we decided it would be best to pull them up and start with the sub-floor.

The blue layer is the peel-and-stick and the one with the design is the top layer of Formica.  You can kind of see the speckled, bottom layer of Formica peeking out.  The black is the adhesive on the sub-floor

My dad, hard at work.

Finally finished!

It wasn't easy, but I think we made a good choice.  The last thing we want is to do all the work of laying tile only to have problems with it in a couple of years because we were in a hurry.  Better to do it right the first time!

After getting down to the sub-floor, we needed to lay concrete backer board.  We started that step on Tuesday.  First we had to patch the hole where the vent was, then we had to move the water line for the refrigerator.  Next, we cut out the backer board and laid it down to make sure it fit before setting it with thin-set and screwing it down.

I only got to work for about 45 minutes on Tuesday, but my dad decided to plow ahead and work without me.  This is what I came home to when I had a hour between my kids' gym class and when I had to leave for work.  My dad is just awesome!

Spreading the thin-set.

Laying the backer-board

Yesterday we laid the tile and tomorrow we will grout it.  I am so happy with how it looks!  Here is the difference so far:

Before                                                                     After

All this waiting between steps means I will be without a kitchen for about a week!  No easy task, but well worth it.

My kitchen stuff is taking over my dining room!

I did lots of thinking about how to prepare for this kitchen-less week and here is my to do list to help it go as smoothly as possible:

A Homemaker's (Not Handyman's ) Guide to Preparing for a Kitchen Floor Project

1) Decide what can be moved.  If you are putting down a new floor, big items like your refrigerator may need to be moved anyway.  Can it be moved somewhere you can still access it (mine is in my dining room)?  Don't forget the small appliances!  If you have a toaster oven or crock-pot, they greatly increases your cooking options.

2) Plan your menu!  Now that you know what tools you will have access to, you can choose foods that can be prepared outside you kitchen.  Remember to plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!  Meals like sandwiches that don't require cooking are great.   But the crock-pot and toaster oven can really increase your choices.  You may also want to make a few things ahead of time that can just be heated up.

3) Make clean-up easier!  While you can do dishes in the bathroom sink or tub if needed, it isn't always the best plan.  Instead, buy some disposable dishes.  Make sure you get plates, bowls, utensils, cups, and napkins.  If you plan on using the crock-pot, invest in some crock-pot liners.  They really speed up the clean-up process!  For the toaster oven, make sure to line your cooking sheet with foil so you can just toss that in the garbage.

4) Don't forget the serving-ware.   Think about what types of big spoons, spatulas, and other serving utensils you will need out of the kitchen.  Trying to dish out servings of your yummy crock-pot stew with a disposable, plastic spoon won't be fun!

5) Grab the garbage bags.  If you keep your garbage bags in the kitchen, make sure to grab them before you begin your project.  You'll need a place for all those disposable dishes!

6) Remember your medication.  We keep a lot of our medication in a box in our kitchen.  This includes vitamins and supplements, but also things like ibuprofen that we may need after all the noise from the project!

7) Focus on the results!  With the kitchen taking over the rest of the house and your family eating off paper plates like every day is a picnic, it can be easy to become annoyed or overwhelmed.  But, keep reminding yourself of why you are doing this and how great the finished project is going to be!

Oops! I forgot to post what I'm thankful for!

I just can't seem to stay on top of this!  I tend to remember when I am laying in bed at night, not when I'm in a position to post!  But, I'm catching back up!

 I am thankful for:

1) A God who loved me, despite who I am, enough to give Everything for me. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 

2) My husband who makes me laugh and works so hard for our family.  He is such a wonderful husband and father!

3) My kids.  I truly believe that my purpose in life is to be their mother.  They amaze me everyday!

 

4) My mom who gives everything for those she loves.  What would I do without her to help me?  She's an amazing example of a servant's heart and putting love into action. 

 

5) My dad who first taught me about Jesus.   I will forever be grateful for the time he spent with me as a little girl and all the things he taught me.

 

6) My baby sister.  She has always been one of my favorite people and has taught me so much about having an abundant life.

 

Progress in the Kitchen

Ok, so I didn't post my menu plan yesterday.  But, I have a good excuse!  I was hard at work on my kitchen walls.  I took all the food off my shelves and moved them...

...and this is the nastiness that was hiding underneath and behind them.  This was after I swept up all the moldy cat food that had found its way under there and was impossible to reach (the shelves went completely to the floor).

Yuck!!!!  I hadn't been able to clean back here for about six years!

 This vent, which was always covered up by the shelves and therefore never did anything anyway, was the first thing to be removed.  Followed quickly by the rubber "baseboard" that was impossible to clean.  Whatever glue they used to install them was seeping out the tops and collected dirt.  Gross!

After that was all done, I started patching all the holes in the walls.  The people who lived here before us left holes everywhere!

You can see what a big difference there is between what this corner looked like this weekend (on the left) and how it looks now (on the right)!  There is still lots of work to be done, but I'm making progress!

Weekly Goals: 11/4/12

What a week! I worked four evenings and we went trick-or-treating on my night off.  We made Halloween costumes and went to lessons and classes.  We also had school everyday and went shopping on Saturday.  Then, today I packed up all the food in my kitchen and removed the wallpaper border.  It was a busy week!

But, there are also a lot of things that I let slip this past week.  I lost sight of my priorities at times and made bad choices about my precious free moments. 

I'm in for another busy week ahead.  I'm working three evenings this week and I'm going to be working on my kitchen some more.  So, I'm really going to have to work at keeping my priorities straight and making good choices about my time. Like always, the things I need to improve on are marked with an * and my daily task that I am working to make a habit is marked in red (I think I may be ready for something new, soon!).

But first, I missed listing the thing I am thankful for yesterday (again), so I've added two more to the list:

I am thankful for:

1) A God who loved me, despite who I am, enough to give Everything for me. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 

2) My husband who makes me laugh and works so hard for our family.  He is such a wonderful husband and father!

3) My kids.  I truly believe that my purpose in life is to be their mother.  They amaze me everyday!

4) My mom who gives everything for those she loves.  What would I do without her to help me?  She an amazing example of a servant's heart and putting love into action.

Spiritual Life

• *Read Bible daily.
• Part of making this happen will be afternoon quiet time for the kids and I. 
• *Be consistent in praying for requests on my list 
• Write in prayer journal and update regularly

Family life

• Have a daily afternoon quiet time and concentrated cleaning time
• Play a board game with the kids

Home life

• Finish all laundry on Monday.
• Start Sunday night
• Set timer and change over every hour
• Clean off counters every day
• Have 30 minutes of concentrated cleaning every afternoon
• Work on kitchen
• Finish taking shelves out
• Remove baseboard
• Patch holes in walls
• Tape off walls
• Paint

Church Life

• Attend church Wednesday 

Physical Life

• Contact friend about being accountability partners
• *Measure all foods to make sure I am eating the correct portion.
• *Track every bite I eat.
• *Lose at least 1 pound. 
• Drink at least two bottles (refillable bottles, not disposable!) of water/day. 
• Earn at least 15 activity points this week.
• Take vitamins every day
• Try to get to bed by 10:30 every night I don't work, 12:15 on days I do
• Put on makeup every day

Social Life

• Probably not much time for this

Financial life

• *Update budget software daily
• Do not overspend!
• Pay bills  

Mental life

• Continue working on blog  
• Teach

Homeschool Life

• Print out materials 

Work Life 

• Work on worksheets for Teachers Pay Teachers 
• Send unit study to Kathy for review
• Fix a few items on a math worksheet
• Work on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday

A New Goal

This week I worked on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings and I will work again tonight.  Wednesday wasn't much less busy with trick-or-treating.  Needless to say, I'm worn out!  Working (even part-time) while homeschooling and running a home is hard.  So often, I feel like something just has to give!

I've done a lot of wishing and hoping and praying over the last few year that I might be able to once again be a stay-at-home mom, able to concentrate on my home and my family.  I admit that, most of the time, it feels pretty hopeless.  After all, we have debt that needs be paid off and that is a three-year goal.  My kids will be 10 years old by then!

Finally, after lots of prayer, I think God may have given me a solution.  No, He didn't drop a bunch of money in our laps and, no, this isn't something that will allow me to quit my job tomorrow.  But, I think He has shown a way for me to actively work toward this goal of being a stay-at-home mom.

30 Days of Thankfulness

Like people all across the blogosphere and the many social media sites, I'm planning to post something I am thankful for every day this month.  I missed yesterday because I forgot to put in in my quick post and then had to leave for work.  So, today I'll list two things. 

"O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."

Psalm 107:1

1) A God who loved me, despite who I am, enough to give Everything for me. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 

2) My husband who makes me laugh and works so hard for our family.  He is such a wonderful husband and father!

My Hubby and Bub

A Quick Post

I'm just dropping in to share some pictures of my kids in their costumes.  Sadly, there is no time for a real post because I'm working again tonight.  It has been a busy week with working on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday this week and trick-or-treating and church on Wednesday!  My house is a bit of a disaster, but I'll be doing 15 minutes of concentrated cleaning before leaving for Sis's piano lesson and then work.  No time for the whole 30 minutes, but I can't skip it completely!

It was cold and rainy during trick-or-treating time yesterday, so we didn't get to take too many pictures.

Sis just had to match her American Girl!  I sewed a matching ruffle on the bottom of Sis's skirt and made them matching vests.  We even found her doll a matching pumpkin bucket!  She loved her costume and loved, even more, that she was the only one with that costume!

Hubby and Bub spent a week working on his costume!  Thankfully, Hubby was on vacation last week.  It is made of foam board and old computer parts.  I'm glad he found a use for all the spare computer parts we have gathering dust in our basement!  We made sure he could see before finalizing the visor idea, but didn't think about how hard it would be to see the steps up to people's porches!  So, he ended up having to hold someone's hand the whole time!

I hope you all enjoyed your day yesterday!

Menu Plan Monday: The Ultimate Grocery Shopping List

I'm late getting this up today.  I normally write out Monday's post on Sunday.  But, we were busy finishing the kids' Halloween costumes and also went to my in-laws' for my father-in-law's birthday dinner.  No time for writing a blog post!

Today, I wanted to share a look at my "Ultimate Grocery Shopping List."

My shopping list has gone through a lot of changes over the years.  Everything from a simple scribble on scrap paper to the picture you see above.  It looks complicated, but after getting it set up, it make things so simple!

Kids and Chores

Sis sweeping the floor

A couple weeks ago a friend asked me what kinds of chores my kids do.  Even though I'm really quite horrible at housekeeping, I have always made it a point to teach my kids how to do things around the house and work with them on developing good habits.  Honestly, they are much better at it than I am!

As a kid I never really cleaned much.  I think it was just easier for my mom (whom I get my perfectionist tendencies from) to just do it herself rather than try to teach me.  It all came naturally to her and I don't think she ever really understood (still to this day) why it isn't that way for me.

So, I've had to teach myself how to clean.  And, since it really doesn't come naturally for me, cleaning lessons have been hard lessons over the years.  I knew I didn't want my kids to have the same struggles over housework that I have.  I honestly believe it is just as important for me to teach my kids how to care for a house as it is for me to teach them math!  So, I started early with teaching them to do some small chores.

Menu Plan Monday

This week is going to be a little different around here.  I mentioned yesterday that I have to have a colonoscopy this week (eek!).  I've been having tummy issues for years and have just dealt with it.  But, the doctors want to rule some things out, so I have to go in for the dreaded test.  Because of this, I am only allowed to eat clear liquids all day Tuesday.  I'm not so good at having food smells around me when I can't eat.  So, I am actually planning for Hubby and the kids to eat out on Tuesday night.  This is a very rare treat around here!

Also, Hubby is on vacation this week, so I don't have to plan a lunch menu for him.  He doesn't always eat what the kids and I eat for lunch when he is home.  But, I keep lots of sandwich fixin's and some of his other favorites on hand so he can grab something when he is hungry.  He is so used to a late lunch at work that he just isn't hungry when we eat lunch!

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Desert
Mon	Bagels	Shadow Steaks, Fries	Grilled Chicken, Fried Rice, Veggies	Ice cream
Tue	Pancakes	Hot dog, chips, veggies	DH and Kids eat out!	---
Wed	Cereal	Muffin tin/Ramen noodle	Sausage & Perogies, Peas	Ice cream
Thu	Homemade doughnuts	Peanut butter sandwiches/leftovers	Chicken Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans	Brownies
Fri	Fried eggs/Smoothie	Taco wontons	Breakfast: Bacon, French Toast, Scrambled Eggs	Coffee Cake
Sat	Bacon, scrambled eggs	Muffin Tin/Salad	Baked Rigatoni	Ice cream
Sun	Pancakes	Leftover Baked Rigatoni	Pork Chops, Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli, Corn Bread	Brownies

I'm linking up again over at I'm an Organizing Junkie for this week's Menu Plan Monday.