One of the foremost goals for myself is to live my life in the way God intended it. That being said, I'm not really sure what that means. I mean, it sounds good. It sounds so gentle and so deep and so thoughtful. Yeah, maybe..... Mostly it means that I am trying to let go more and trying to just let things happen. In a very 12-step kind of way, I suppose. Except I tried the 12-step thing before, and I'm not particularly good at it. I tried in terms of eating, which I like to do and probably do way too much of. But how do you Let Go and Let God determine if you eat the bread or not? I never got it. So now I'm trying it again, but in terms of oh, let's just say, just about everything.
I'm a reactor. Nuclear sometimes. I have a non-existent level of patience, I interrupt others all the time (ask SH......he'll tell you all about it, except I'll probably jump in there to tell you first), I have a lightening-fast temper and I jump to conclusions. Usually, not the accurate one. So I'm working on letting go. I'm working on counting to 5.....but let's face it....I rarely get to 3. I'm getting better and better at this when SH is not home. He's not home often because he travels for his job and is gone 3-4 days a week. I'm really good at taking a moment to pause, reflect and speak before inserting my foot.....when we are on the phone. I'm really--NO REALLY--bad at doing this when we are in the same room together. I tend to get pretty wound up quickly when the energy is in the room. I think that it is such an issue in my relationship with SH right now because God is trying, begging, pleading and forcing me to look at how destructive that personality trait truly is. It is a lesson in faith I'm telling you. Do I have enough faith that if I just shut up for a few moments, I'll still get what I need? Do I have enough faith that my needs will be met? Do I have enough faith that I will be nurtured? Do I have enough faith that even if it is not my way, it is still The Way? I am really bothered by that notion. That I don't have enough faith to carry me through. Because if I don't have enough faith, how do I teach the boys about it? If I don't have enough faith now, what is in store for all eternity for me?
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Snowball Goals for 2008
One of the things you don't know about me/us yet is our fanatical following of all things Dave Ramsey and DEBT ELIMINATION in our lives. It is getting pretty hot in here...so to speak.
Superman Hubby (that's way too much to write all the time, considering I'll be talking about him a lot....from now on, let's just whittle that down to SH) and I had what we thought was this fantastic little idea a couple of years ago. That was after the fantastic Little Bit that was born to us. We thought we wanted a retail business of our own....a food business. I'm quite a foodie, and quite a cook, and sometimes, a bit of an entertainer. SH is just quite a business man. So we delved into the world of food-related retail. It was quite an adventure, but to make a VERY long endeavor short, it just wasn't meant to be. So we ceased that adventure and are now stuck with a bit of debt from it. That combined with our own little bit of debt and we have more than we want. So we are in the Graduate School of Hard Knocks, mastering in Debt Elimination and Living More Simply and Frugally. It actually is kind of fun...trying to get blood from the proverbial turnip (I actually like turnips....raw with just a bit of salt....Yumm!).
Here are our overall financial goals for 2008, which are being reworked and revamped on a continual basis:
1. $1000 in our Emergency Fund---DONE! Thanks to a "failed" business in the eyes of the IRS...we got a great return this year
2. Chase (those evil, evil people!) Circuit City credit card---will be completely paid off in May, this month!
3. Chase Credit (again, another entity of the evildoers!)--paid in full by September 2008
4. All business equipment sold and monies applied to debt--so far, over $4000 paid toward debts. We are expecting only about another $2000 from the equipment and that will go toward the Chase CC.
5. NO NO NO additional credit card debt---As of April, we completely destroyed all our cards. We found we truly had to complete a plastic-ectomy to stop the bleeding. So, that takes care of that!
I'll keep you up to date on how we are doing. I can't divulge just how much debt we have yet....it is truly an emotional issue as well and just too difficult to put those numbers on paper for all to see. We poured our hearts and souls into something that was just not meant to be and in hindsight, realize we should have stopped the bleeding long before we did.
We recognize also what a wonderful lesson from God it has been. We are incorporating many things into our lives at this point, that we know are what we are meant to be doing. We are not only spending less money and living below our means, but recycling more, reusing more, praying more, talking more, and eating less (especially outside of our home). I don't think that it is at all a "coincidence" that in the year I turned 40 that we are experiencing a life change. Each decade of my life has always been very different.
My teen years were well....full of teen things. My 20's were spent close to my childhood home, trying to grow up and grow out of an environment that didn't want me to change or leave it. I left when I was 30. In that decade I lived in 5 different states, started my new career and created an entirely different social network. I still maintained some key relationships near my childhood home in the Midwest but everything else changed. I met my husband, moved several times, got married and had children in my 30's. Seems to me that my 40's will be full of yet a new adventure and the business what just a blip in that process. So far, I'm really liking the change.
Superman Hubby (that's way too much to write all the time, considering I'll be talking about him a lot....from now on, let's just whittle that down to SH) and I had what we thought was this fantastic little idea a couple of years ago. That was after the fantastic Little Bit that was born to us. We thought we wanted a retail business of our own....a food business. I'm quite a foodie, and quite a cook, and sometimes, a bit of an entertainer. SH is just quite a business man. So we delved into the world of food-related retail. It was quite an adventure, but to make a VERY long endeavor short, it just wasn't meant to be. So we ceased that adventure and are now stuck with a bit of debt from it. That combined with our own little bit of debt and we have more than we want. So we are in the Graduate School of Hard Knocks, mastering in Debt Elimination and Living More Simply and Frugally. It actually is kind of fun...trying to get blood from the proverbial turnip (I actually like turnips....raw with just a bit of salt....Yumm!).
Here are our overall financial goals for 2008, which are being reworked and revamped on a continual basis:
1. $1000 in our Emergency Fund---DONE! Thanks to a "failed" business in the eyes of the IRS...we got a great return this year
2. Chase (those evil, evil people!) Circuit City credit card---will be completely paid off in May, this month!
3. Chase Credit (again, another entity of the evildoers!)--paid in full by September 2008
4. All business equipment sold and monies applied to debt--so far, over $4000 paid toward debts. We are expecting only about another $2000 from the equipment and that will go toward the Chase CC.
5. NO NO NO additional credit card debt---As of April, we completely destroyed all our cards. We found we truly had to complete a plastic-ectomy to stop the bleeding. So, that takes care of that!
I'll keep you up to date on how we are doing. I can't divulge just how much debt we have yet....it is truly an emotional issue as well and just too difficult to put those numbers on paper for all to see. We poured our hearts and souls into something that was just not meant to be and in hindsight, realize we should have stopped the bleeding long before we did.
We recognize also what a wonderful lesson from God it has been. We are incorporating many things into our lives at this point, that we know are what we are meant to be doing. We are not only spending less money and living below our means, but recycling more, reusing more, praying more, talking more, and eating less (especially outside of our home). I don't think that it is at all a "coincidence" that in the year I turned 40 that we are experiencing a life change. Each decade of my life has always been very different.
My teen years were well....full of teen things. My 20's were spent close to my childhood home, trying to grow up and grow out of an environment that didn't want me to change or leave it. I left when I was 30. In that decade I lived in 5 different states, started my new career and created an entirely different social network. I still maintained some key relationships near my childhood home in the Midwest but everything else changed. I met my husband, moved several times, got married and had children in my 30's. Seems to me that my 40's will be full of yet a new adventure and the business what just a blip in that process. So far, I'm really liking the change.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Happy Birthday!
Our wonderful neighbors celebrated his 40th birthday last night and we were invited to the party. It was really great to be included in the celebration. Friday was spent preparing for the event and evidently, the rumor has it that my potato salad was pretty terrific. Woot! Here is the recipe below for any potato salad fans....nothing spectacularly fancy but being from the Midwest, it is a staple and one that any good former 4-H girl should be able to do!
Potato Salad
5-6 large red potatoes
3 eggs, boiled
1/2 cup finely diced onion
3/4 cup sliced thin celery
1/2 cup pickle relish
1/4 - 1/2 cup mayo
1/4 - 1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
2 Tbs. yellow mustard (if desired)
Boil potatoes until just tender. Immediately remove from boiling water and dip into cold water. When cooled, slice into bite size pieces in large bowl. Dice boiled eggs into same bowl. Add remaining ingredients, leaving mayo and sour cream for last. If you like a "drier" salad, start with the 1/4 cup. For a very creamy version, go ahead with the 1/2 cup. You can add more to taste if you want it even creamier. Let sit overnight for best flavor.
That's it....as I said, nothing spectacular but pretty darn tasty. I'll be doing many more recipes on the blog....I LOVE to cook, love to entertain and love to share some good food and memories with those we love. Enjoy!
Potato Salad
5-6 large red potatoes
3 eggs, boiled
1/2 cup finely diced onion
3/4 cup sliced thin celery
1/2 cup pickle relish
1/4 - 1/2 cup mayo
1/4 - 1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
2 Tbs. yellow mustard (if desired)
Boil potatoes until just tender. Immediately remove from boiling water and dip into cold water. When cooled, slice into bite size pieces in large bowl. Dice boiled eggs into same bowl. Add remaining ingredients, leaving mayo and sour cream for last. If you like a "drier" salad, start with the 1/4 cup. For a very creamy version, go ahead with the 1/2 cup. You can add more to taste if you want it even creamier. Let sit overnight for best flavor.
That's it....as I said, nothing spectacular but pretty darn tasty. I'll be doing many more recipes on the blog....I LOVE to cook, love to entertain and love to share some good food and memories with those we love. Enjoy!
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