Huh?

Sorry everyone for such short posts. I just haven't been in the "blogging" mood the past few days.

Anyway, soooo, I forgot to take pictures of the bumper pad before my friend came and picked it up. It was my first time making one and I think I did pretty good. If I ever make another one, there will be a few changes that I make.

I didn't use a pattern, just did my own thing. It took about 3 yards of fabric to make it along with the ties. Sewing wasn't hard at all and didn't take long. The most time consuming was pinning and making the ties. All in all, it took me about 4 hours to complete. I bought the foam insert at Walmart and had a lot left over to use for another project.

I had some material left over that I used to make cloth napkins this morning.

I used up the rest of the turkey that I roasted yesterday and made turkey teryaki sandwiches with a curried bean salad ( I love this salad!).

It's just me and two of my stepkids here tonight. We'll probably watch some T.V. and then read.

I've got to work on my checkbook...somehow the bank messed something up and now it's messed us up.. A LOT!!! We've got to get this figured out. Can someone tell me how when we have not used the checking account in over a week that charges are still appearing on our account....one was for 22 cents!! We have not used the account at any time for just 22 cents...come on! Ok....breathing now. I know it will get taken care of. I just need to let it go for now. There's nothing I can do about it tonight. Tomorrow is another day. This maybe one of those things I let my husband take care of just because I can get so emotional.

Take care and have a blessed Wednesday night.

Work at Home Ideas?

O.K...here's the deal. I would like to bring in some income to help my family. I always have been able to until we moved here.

Before I did some part time accounting work and I did in home childcare/preschool. I haven't had any luck here with the childcare, but it is something that I truly love.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I do NOT want to do any time of MLM program. I don't have a land phone line either. I can do small bookeeping, and can type 75 wpm.

I can sew a little, but I'm still a beginner. I have tried selling my bread and stuff, but it's hard when you don't really know anyone and don't really have friends here since moving.

If you have something that has worked for you, could you PLEASE leave me a comment?

Upcoming for tomorrow: Today I am making homemade barbeque sandwiches, homemade buns, homemade coleslaw and potato wedges. I am documenting and taking pictures which is will post tomorrow along with all the recipes, so check back tomorrow!

Saying Good-bye to the Debit Card

A couple of years ago I wrote an article for Associated Content weighing the pros/cons of cash vs. debit cards. Click here to go to the article.

Since the writing of the article, we have slipped back into using a debit card. I can vouch that you WILL spend more using a debit card instead of just using cash. We have finally made the break from the debit card and will be going to all cash again. It is much easier. You know how much cash you have to spend and once it is gone, you are done. Plus, you don't have the worry about writing down receipts in your checkbook or the possibility of missing writing a receipt.

So, how do you go to cash? It's easy....use the envelope system. If you are unfamiliar with this, check out Dave Ramsey's website...www.daveramsey.com.

Here's how it works: We have a separate envelope for categories used each week.
For instance, our categories include: groceries, "blow" money, gas, eating out/entertainment, and a miscellaneous fund.

Each payday, we will fund our envelopes with the cash. When the money in the envelope is gone, you are done spending.

This has worked very well for us in the past, and I'm glad to be making the change back to this system again. Let's face it, when you have cash, it makes it a little harder to turn it loose. You will look and question each of your purchases a little more closely.

Money is Tight...

Today has been a pleasant day. It's been in the 80's and I have the windows up and a good breeze is blowing thru.

It's been kinda quiet today, my son and hubby slept in and I grabbed a cup of coffe first thing this morning and sat on the back patio just enjoying hearing the birds singing.

Money is a little tight right now...not a big thing, but a bit frustrating. My hubby's paycheck was shorted quite a bit over the past two weeks. Co. forgot to pay him his holiday pay and his overtime. So, he is not a happy camper right now. But this too shall pass.

I have a VERY limited amount of money to spend on groceries this week. But I really don't mind. It challenges me to be really creative with our menu planning and looking for good deals at the store. Luckily, we still have lots of meat in the freezer, so I only need a handful of items to round out our meals. Some things are essential that I buy now...like toilet paper. You know, that's something you just don't want to run out of..hehe.

We will be fine...have been here before and I'm sure that there will be times that we will be here again. God always provides so I'm not worried. I have a roof over my head, food in the house, gas in the vehicles, healthy children, and a husband that loves me very much. What more do I need?

I will leave you with that. I hope everyone has a blessed Friday and a wonderful weekend!!

God always provides....

Just a quick note and then I gotta go.

My hubby just became eligible for health benefits. I knew that a considerable portion of his paycheck would be going to pay for those benefits. I have to admit I was worried about how it would affect us financially in other matters.

I even went on an interview for a job this past week (but I didn't get it).

Then today, when I looked at his paycheck stub knowing and dreading the amount that would be taken out and how much his check would be reduced, I noticed that the final amount was not different at all.

Huh? I questioned my husband. His company gave him a raise!!! A raise on the same paycheck that the benefits would be taken out! A raise that covers the amount of the health benefits!!

God always provides......

Family Finances

We are trying to get out of debt, like a lot of other people. Right now, my husband works full time and I stay at home. Since we have moved, this is the first time I have not contributed to the finances and it bothers me.

Even though in the past my financial contribution has not been much, it helped.
My babysitting job that I thought I had earlier, fell through. I am praying that God will open another door.

With our tax money, we will finally be out of debt (not including some money we owe our parents). We recently sold our house that had a large house payment and we are now renting a more affordable house. We are hoping to buy again after the first of next year. When we do buy, we have decided to get a fixed 15 yr loan.

We are following Dave Ramsey's financial strategy. For those that are not familiar with it, the website is .

We will have our Baby Emergency Fund in place and our debts paid off within the next couple of weeks. Then we will move on to our fully funded emergency fund, 3-6 months expenses. Then we will concentrate on buying the house and paying it off as quickly as possible.

It has been a long road - since 2006 and I will be glad to get rid of some of these bills.

I cannot stress enough of how important it is to have a budget and to discuss with your spouse regarding the budget and also purchases that each plans to make.

My husband leaves the bill paying to me. We discuss what is coming up, what we have in the accounts and how to proceed. While sometimes I think I would prefer him to take care of everything, I think the control side of me wouldn't be able to handle it. This is what works for us.


On another note (completely different)....we got lots of snow - 8 inches!!! There is still snow on the ground, but it will be gone soon as it will be in the upper 60's/lower 70's by Thursday.

March - in like a lion!!!