Oh my, holy goodness.

*I started writing this about 2 weeks ago, only to finally finish it now. 

We are living in a small house. The house belonged to my husband’s maternal grandmother, she passed away a few years back. The house is amazing, quaint, 1920’s, random add-ons over the years, we actually have a hard time telling what is the “original” house and what has been added on. Our bathroom was added on, hmmmm, guess they didn’t have bathrooms in the 1920’s. Well we have gas and electricity here, in the last county we lived in we just had electricity. We bought an electric clothes dryer a while back, while still living in Crescent City. The house heater is gas, it is a wall heater that does not allow heat to reach the bathroom or the kids bedroom, so we have an electric heater in the kids bedroom. We have two refrigerators running, one very old (has an actual ice-box) small (maybe 8-10 cubic feet) and then our not huge (maybe 18ish cubic feet) one that is in our laundry room. Ok then we have lights, a microwave, a small heater in the bathroom we use when we take a shower (it is like an ice box in there), a stove, a hot water heater, and on and on. But mind you we live in a house that is roughly 1000 sq feet. Do you want to guess how much our gas/electric bill was this month? Come on guess!

FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS! Are you totally joking me. That is insane.

Ok so we have uncovered some useful information. Our so-called lighting in the living room is a chandelier, it has 12 bulbs that have 40watts in each of them, so burning 480watts are burning when it is on. I got out my tape, that chandelier is not longer in use, HAHA! And we found out from my in-laws that when the house was completely vacant there was a gas/electric bill of around $70 each month. It has to be that old fridge. Cute-old-energy-sucking fridge you are UNPLUGGED! Take that!

We are being extra, extra mindful of what lights we have on, making sure we turn them off when we leave the room, unplugging items that are not in use as much as possible  and bundling up before putting the heater on.

Will our efforts be rewarded?  Will our bill take a dramatic dive?  One can only hope (and pray, HARD).

Eliminating Debt

This year we are really tackling our debt.  Honestly we don’t have that much, especially in comparison to the national average, which is about $9900 in credit card debt, plus car payments and mortgages.  We have no where near $9900 in credit card debt, but if you add in our car loan we are just $10,000.  We have made a debt pay-off plan with the help of Dave Ramsey, and we will be completely debt free in April of 2009.  The target date of April 2009 is very easily attained and we hope to be debt free by the end of the year, we are praying for Gods will in this.

We are doing a few things to help pay-off our debt:  using the cash/envelope system for most purchases, using the Dave Ramsey debt-snowball,  COMPACTING, budgeting our money before we spend it and using some of our tax return to help pay down the debt.

So far so good.  We are paying off a few little debts this month, and old dentist bill, a garbage company bill that I got tired of fighting, along with our closing cable bill from our last house (we just received it, WEIRD) .

As you noticed, I said nothing about a mortgage, well that is because we do not own our home.  We live in the home that my mother-in-law grew up in.  Our hopes and dreams are to add on and remodel.  I am not sure it is possible, but I dream of being able to pay cash for the remodel/add-on.  Right now any big changes to the house are on the back burner, it will definitely have to be in Gods timing.

Tackle it Tuesday

My DH is gone again. We are newly self-employed, so we really can’t say no to really good and good paying sub-contracting work. Even if it is 2 hours away. So prayers for me again this week please

As a surprise to Nick I am going to clear off all of my files of photos and organize other computer files that have just gotten out of control. (He has been bugging me for quite some time to take care of this.)

Anyone know if I can just use regular CD-R for my photos or do I need some fancy-smancy CD?

My fear and The Megas

About 6 years ago I had a huge, I mean huge fear. I feared one day I would loose my best-guy-friend to stardom. See at the time he was living in Southern California, going to school at Cal State, Long Beach, making movies, playing in bands and being beautiful. One night I told him (I actually think I was crying), that I was so afraid that one day he would be famous and he would forget about me. That we might pass on the streets and not even know each other. I couldn’t stand the thought of that and thankfully nor could he. See, our lives had gone different directions, he was working on becoming famous in LA and I had gotten married and was having a baby. Honestly our lives couldn’t have been more different.

There is a happy ending to this story! The Megas have released their first album and are on their way to becoming famous and Eric and I are still friends. We still live pretty different lives, but we get to talk (not as much as I would like) and we are still friends. He hasn’t forgotten about me, well not yet anyway. So here is my plug for The Megas. Check them out, support them, for all of you Humboldt folk, LOVE them so they have to come here and play.

The Megas MySpace

 Buy The Megas Album

My favorite gift.

The day after Christmas my best friend Kristy, her husband Greg and their two boys Luke and Peter came to stay with us.  The visit was a little crazy, good crazy, but how could it not have been, we had 10 people staying in our one and a half bedroom, one bathroom, 1000sq ft house.  There were people sleeping everywhere.  I will do anything to spend time with the Campbell’s and would have them back in a second.

Kristy and I have amazingly odd connections.  (We think they are normal, they are odd to other people, hehe.)  She lives four hours from me, yet I know what she does each day of the week and if she isn’t home I can most likely tell you where she is.  We talk daily and not just once or twice, I would say an average of five to seven times a day.  Usually they are not long talks, but quick check-ins, had a minute in the car, I just had to tell you something, calls.  Anyway, moving on.  I was so excited to give Kristy her Christmas gift, it was so perfect for her, I had bought it atleast a month prior to Christmas and had even considered buying it for myself it was so perfect.  So they were here and it was time to exchange gifts, I handed her the gift and she handed me mine.  I held mine, it felt, well oddly familiar.  I began to open, she began to open, we started laughing, almost to the point of crying.  We had gotten eachother the same gift.

I am having so much fun cooking and baking things out of this cookbook.  We are very healthy eaters, but this cookbook allows you to make foods even healthier with added fruits and vegetables (the greatest part the kids don’t even know it).  Applesauce Muffins w/Butternut Squash, Pancakes w/Sweet Potatoes, Mac and Cheese w/ Cauliflower and many, ,many more.

A lot or a little?

My hubby is out of town working for the week.  So either I will hardly be blogging or I will be blogging a ton.  Either way, say a prayer for me and the kids and my hubby too.  Happy Week!

Happy Birthday Téadora!

Téadora you have forever changed our life.  You came into this world a tiny little girl, a few weeks earlier than we expected.  And each day since then we have thanked the Lord for bringing you to us.  We love you!

Two years ago, with 11 minutes to spare we arrived at the hospital. There was exactly 11 minutes from the time we pulled into the parking spot to the time I lifted her onto my chest.  Those 11 minutes were jam packed with adventure.  I was thrown a gown and told to put it on.  I said no and took off my pants.  She was 3 1/2 weeks early so I had yet to “pre-register” meaning I was hand a kagillion pieces of paper to read and sign.  I set them on the side table.  I was having my 2nd VBAC, so there was a nurse trying oh-so-hard to get an IV put in me, she had no luck.  However the worst was that one nurse did not believe me that the baby was actually coming, so she decided to check and see how far dilated I was.  I wanted to laugh, I wanted to scream, but I nicely said, you don’t need to “check” she is coming out.  She proceeded to check me, she prepared, started in and yelled, GET THE DOCTOR, we have a head.  HAHA, I thought, I was right.  Crazy a woman right about her own body.  But the best was yet to come.  Dr. Anderson (the same Dr.Anderson that delivered my husband) came waltzing into the room.  “Good thing you called on your way here, I was in the parking lot going home to take a shower.”  Like I care, I am having a baby, I thought.  He put on his gloves and went to take his position, honestly I never wanted a man in sitting there staring at me, but I had no choice he was the only one there.  (But according to him I should be ecstatic that the nurses caught him in the parking lot.)  I was then told that she was coming out with her face up (posterior), which explained my back labor.  Next thing I know I see a HUGE needle.  “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”, I yelled.  He calmly answered, “you are going to need an episiotomy, so I am numbing you.” ” Do-not-cut-me, I don’t care if I tear.”  Next thing I know I am pulling my little girl up onto my chest.  She was wonderful and tiny, a whopping 6lbs 1oz and 19 1/2 inches long.  (For what it is worth, the doctor did end up telling me that I made a good call about not wanting an episiotomy.)

Well onto what you all have been waiting for the finished kitchen!

The sink was cut out.  We use a stainless steel bowl for the sink.

 

We cut a dowel rod that we had in the garage to make the faucet.  We used the rest of the dowel rod for the to hang the curtain (see below).

 The curtain went with her crib bedding set, I had to hem it (in 1/2).

Here is an up close of the curtain and the shelf inside.

 

And here is the finished product with her pots/pans and utensils set out.  The pots/pans set was purchased prior to Christmas.

So how did we do?  Do you like it?  We found everything in our home/garage with the exception of the pot/pans and the knobs for the sink and burners.

I don’t want to.

Part of my COMPACT agreement (to myself) was that I could still participate in my gymbucks redemption.  See in November and December I earned myself $75 in gymbucks at Gymboree.  I told myself that I would limit myself to using $25 or $50 worth and giveaway or sell the remaining gymbuck(s).  Well I had my cart all ready tonight, I had already talked myself down to only using $25 worth of gymbucks, which basically meant I was getting $51.95 worth of stuff for $26.95, plus shipping and tax.  I closed the browser.  I don’t want to.  I don’t want to buy those clothes.  Are they a good deal, YES!  When I add up the regular prices of the items it comes to $120.50 and I would be getting them for $26.95.  As Kristy would say, they are basically paying me to take them, right!!  But it is the principal of the matter.  Do I want the clothes, yes, do I need the clothes NO.  Who cares what a great deal it is.  I am not buying the kids new clothes this year and I am sticking to that.  YAY ME!

He’d look so cute.

I think I might actually cry if I won this giveaway. 5 Minutes for Mom is giving away this amazingly cute pedal car.

I think Dillon would be absolutely stunning in it on his FIRST BIRTHDAY, which mind you is coming way to soon. He was just born yesterday, right?!

I had no idea that there were so many old-school things, now made toys out there. Check out this site (the twins of 5 Minutes for Mom run this store), Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles, and just look how many actual pedal cars there are.

I think Téadora would look absolutely adorable in this one. However, remember we are COMPACTING this year, so there will be no buying of pedal cars or the like for our children.

A sneak peak.

A few posts ago I made mention of trying to find items in my home/garage that could be put together to make a play kitchen for Téadora’s 2nd birthday (which by the way is on Thursday). Well her kitchen is almost finished. God truly blessed us through this adventure. It really came together quite easily. I was prepared with ideas of kitchens that I liked, see this, this and this (made by my friend Brynna and her husband Luke).

So the finished product will not be revealed until Thursday, January 17th, but here is a sneak peak.

We started out with a cheap-o computer desk from WalMart.

It was sitting in our garage taking up space

The top was removed.

And then sawed down to a lower height.

Here it is with the top removed and sawed down.

Check back on Thursday to see the rest of the project and the FINISHED PRODUCT!

On another sort of related note: how does your family do birthdays? Do the kids have “parties” every year? Or some years is it just immediate family for cake and ice cream? As your children get older will you change the way you handle birthdays? Will they ever have “friend only” parties? I would love to hear your responses.