on my mind today!
First.......GO PHILLIES! What an amazing season....they played like Champs the whole way through!! They deserve this, the fans derserve this and the city of Philadelphia deserves this....to the parade we go on Friday! We are letting the kids skip school....and see a moment in history!!! Should be a fun end to this crazy week!
Second....I continue to worry about this election! I pray everyday that God's plan whatever it may be....will protect our country. I cant help remember God's word....."When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day." This country is full of people who are looking for that "quick fix", never wanting to work for something better! Everyone is so desperately seeking a "change" and not seeing the bigger picture. FAITH! Faith that God was what this country was founded on. Faith in God, brought our fore fathers here! Faith in God, that now seems less important than the economy, war, taxes, health care, education.....while all these things add to the wellbeing of our lives....the foundation of it all should be FAITH! Where is yours?
I know mine is still in my God, and I chose to follow in those who have that same faith! John McCain! God Bless this Country.....and may he save us from our selfish ways!
"I am a Christian"I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'." I'm whispering "I was lost, now I'm found and forgiven. "When I say... "I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide. When I say... "I am a Christian"I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on. When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess. When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect,My flaws are far too visible. But, God believes I am worth it. When I say... "I am a Christian"I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name. When I say... "I am a Christian"I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wouldnt you just know it.....
HEALTH INSURANCE!
We finally applied and will have it in full force and effect on 11/01/2008!
But, I AM SICK NOW! It all started a few weeks ago.....UTI, along with back pain. The pain was dull and annoying in my lower back on the left side. I knew this feeling all too well....when I was pregnant with Kylee.....it was so bad I thought I was in labor.....turned out to be a kidney infection/stones! Five days in the hospital on antibotics.....peeing out stones....fun!
So, since I dont have insurance, I called my Uncle Jeff's office (he is a doctor) and spoke to my Aunt Jane. I told her I would like some antibotics to help with this, since I was pretty sure it was an infection in my kidney.....just like before.
She then called in the antibotics and within a few days I felt much better. It take longer than usual but thought nothing of it.
Sunday night, I was helping my sister move and within an hour, the pain in my back started all over again.....but it was coming on more strongly.....and it hurt 100 times more.
I came home and layed on my heating pad thinking it was a pulled muscle or something. Benaiah tried to rub it out, but it was too painful for me to bear. I took some Advil and went to bed. I awoke with the same pain.....but had to go to work. I hobbled around getting Kylee off to school and spent the entire day at work sitting in my chair afraid to move.....it hurt too much. I came home last night and sat on my couch again with the heating pad.......didnt move!
I took a Tylenol with codiene just to sleep. I slept till about 10am(Shannon called to check on me) and then fell back to sleep. Didnt get out of bed till after noon. Got up and showered. Now sit here on the couch still in pain.
What the hell is it? I called my Aunt Jane back again, explained my dilema with this insurance.....I have FOUR days to wait for it to kick into effect! But at the same time, I dont want to get worse.......
She is going to talk to my uncle again........hopefully he can help me.......
We finally applied and will have it in full force and effect on 11/01/2008!
But, I AM SICK NOW! It all started a few weeks ago.....UTI, along with back pain. The pain was dull and annoying in my lower back on the left side. I knew this feeling all too well....when I was pregnant with Kylee.....it was so bad I thought I was in labor.....turned out to be a kidney infection/stones! Five days in the hospital on antibotics.....peeing out stones....fun!
So, since I dont have insurance, I called my Uncle Jeff's office (he is a doctor) and spoke to my Aunt Jane. I told her I would like some antibotics to help with this, since I was pretty sure it was an infection in my kidney.....just like before.
She then called in the antibotics and within a few days I felt much better. It take longer than usual but thought nothing of it.
Sunday night, I was helping my sister move and within an hour, the pain in my back started all over again.....but it was coming on more strongly.....and it hurt 100 times more.
I came home and layed on my heating pad thinking it was a pulled muscle or something. Benaiah tried to rub it out, but it was too painful for me to bear. I took some Advil and went to bed. I awoke with the same pain.....but had to go to work. I hobbled around getting Kylee off to school and spent the entire day at work sitting in my chair afraid to move.....it hurt too much. I came home last night and sat on my couch again with the heating pad.......didnt move!
I took a Tylenol with codiene just to sleep. I slept till about 10am(Shannon called to check on me) and then fell back to sleep. Didnt get out of bed till after noon. Got up and showered. Now sit here on the couch still in pain.
What the hell is it? I called my Aunt Jane back again, explained my dilema with this insurance.....I have FOUR days to wait for it to kick into effect! But at the same time, I dont want to get worse.......
She is going to talk to my uncle again........hopefully he can help me.......
Monday, October 27, 2008
MCCAIN/PALIN RALLY
McCain & Palin to Campaign in Quakertown
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Memorial Park, Quakertown
John McCain and Sarah Palin plan to be in Quakertown, on Tuesday, October 28th for a rally expected to draw more than 10,000 people. The free event is scheduled to be held at the baseball stadium in Memorial Park, 600 West Mill Street in Quakertown from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Want to attend? Call for tickets: GOP headquarters, Quakertown, 215-804-1072; Victory Center, Warminster, 267-282-5235 or GOP headquarters, Doylestown, 215-345-6811.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Please read BEFORE you vote :)
THINGS THAT SHOULD BE READ BEFORE VOTING:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/huntleybrown.asp
I truely pray for our nation during this election....I think it is the most important one of my lifetime.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/huntleybrown.asp
I truely pray for our nation during this election....I think it is the most important one of my lifetime.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Budgets, Budgets, Budgets
Well yesterday I did my new grocery routine with some success!
This was my process:
1) Bought the Sunday paper, took out the coupon packets and filed them by date. What is cool about www.couponmom.com; they already organized the coupons for you. They have what they call the "coupon database", where they have listed the coupons by product & date. So instead of clipping coupons and trying to keep them organized yourself. You save the packets by date, go online look in the database for the coupons you need and then it tells you what packet to find it in!
2) Went online to find ideas for weekly dinner plans!
3) Used the sales circular for the grocery store to find deals on the items I needed in my home this week. Then went in the coupon database to find coupons to coinside with the sales items.
4) Made a detailed list of every item I needed, what it was on sale for and whether or not I had a coupon for it.
5) At the store I followed my list ONLY! Never stray! And compared the sales items to generic and decided whether the coupon actually saved me or not.
The result? I have groceries for the entire week (including household items) total bill before savings: $202.56 After coupons and sales savings: $143.85
I think that is a success, but still disappointed I couldnt do it for under $100. We usually spend about $800/month on food for this "always eating" family. I really want to cut that down to $600 or less if I can. So I did reach my savings goal if I can do this every week.
I think to bring it down even more; I am going to have to start bulk buying. Which could cost more upfront....but save in the long run.
This was my process:
1) Bought the Sunday paper, took out the coupon packets and filed them by date. What is cool about www.couponmom.com; they already organized the coupons for you. They have what they call the "coupon database", where they have listed the coupons by product & date. So instead of clipping coupons and trying to keep them organized yourself. You save the packets by date, go online look in the database for the coupons you need and then it tells you what packet to find it in!
2) Went online to find ideas for weekly dinner plans!
3) Used the sales circular for the grocery store to find deals on the items I needed in my home this week. Then went in the coupon database to find coupons to coinside with the sales items.
4) Made a detailed list of every item I needed, what it was on sale for and whether or not I had a coupon for it.
5) At the store I followed my list ONLY! Never stray! And compared the sales items to generic and decided whether the coupon actually saved me or not.
The result? I have groceries for the entire week (including household items) total bill before savings: $202.56 After coupons and sales savings: $143.85
I think that is a success, but still disappointed I couldnt do it for under $100. We usually spend about $800/month on food for this "always eating" family. I really want to cut that down to $600 or less if I can. So I did reach my savings goal if I can do this every week.
I think to bring it down even more; I am going to have to start bulk buying. Which could cost more upfront....but save in the long run.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
I think too much :)
Well it has been awhile since my last post....I have no idea how many of you even read these? haha :)
Today is Thursday; busy day ahead of me. I have to CLEAN my house (big surprise), work on accounting stuff (get paid), pay some bills, laundry (ugh I hate it), show a rental property @ 2pm, then rush back home to get Kylee from the bus @ 3:30pm...then dinner, homework, Halloween parade and take Brandi to dance and come home at 10pm!
Benaiah and I have officially paid off ALL of our debt! No car payments (paid our van off 1.5 years early), no credit card payments......nadda! I am also trying to budget our utilities as much as possible....learning to live differently is fun and exciting! So with all this change we have also decided that we have lived without health and life insurance for TOO LONG! So we officially will have health insurance 11/1/2008 and we cant wait to see the doctor and get all our physicals (just to know we are ok!). Oh, to the dentist we both shall go! Still looking into life insurance policies....but they are coming next!
You ever do something nice for someone, then have them use the situation against you? This is how I feel about a person I helped find a home. We moved here over 2 years ago, when my twins started 8th grade here, one of the friends they made happened to be the son of a girl I grew up with on the same block (around the age our kids are now). I heard how her husband became very ill and spent numerous months in and out of the hospital. All the while she was trying to work, take care of the kids and be with him in the hospital. Her bills started to fall behind, eventually so, that one day Benaiah was reading the paper and noticed their address was in the Public Notices and being foreclosed on. Now it isnt like me to ever hear of anyone in trouble and not try to think of ways I can help them. Since being in real estate and working with owners of rental properties (had a listing here in Red Hill) I contacted the owner and asked that he give her and her family a chance to stay in the area and keep the kids in the same school. I talked it over with her and her husband and made sure they could afford this home and they said they could. I was able to work it out so that within 2 weeks they were in a new home and now had the peice of mind knowing that they didnt have to move. Ever since they moved in, I have had to chase them down for rent that is constantly paid late (even the utility companies have contacted me about shut offs). She never returns my calls and now I am being left with no choice to evict them. This sucks for their kids and myself (I put my word on the line). I am very upset because apparently they just dont manage their money right, they had the chance of a lifetime to live in a very nice home in a nice community and for less than others! Such a shame!
Kylee is such an awesome dancer, she is dancing three nights a week now. I love to watch her dance and sing! Brandi is starting a new form of dance along with hip hop this year also....she is so great at it (might see her on MTV someday). Amanda will be starting piano lessons as soon as I can locate a free piano somewhere! I love that my girls are all so musically talented (I could of never been).
Having a house is so much work! Wouldnt be so bad if I could just motivate my husband to do it! When we got this old house, we knew the work that it would take....I knew and was very prepared to handle the inside (decorating and painting, etc.) even the landscape! But Benaiah knew the work that needed to be done on the porch, roof, etc. And after two years......I have a half completed fence! Somedays I think we should of moved into a condo!
Twins are done field hockey! Whew.....now we have catching up to do with academics! They need to refocus and get their grades up! Kylee is an awesome reader for any of you who wanted to know.......I am amazed how well she can read at 6!
Benaiah heard on the radio that the Eagles Cheerleaders were holding a cheer clinic last Saturday...so we decided to take Kylee. She loves cheerleading! So she got a TShirt which they signed, pictures taken with the cheerleaders, her own pom-poms, and learned cheers and then preformed them on the Lincoln Financial Field! Benaiah was more excited than her I think, he even took some of the grass from the field and put it into his pocket (which he says he is going to frame!)
So that is all I can think of at the moment! Thanks for reading my many thoughts...lol.
Today is Thursday; busy day ahead of me. I have to CLEAN my house (big surprise), work on accounting stuff (get paid), pay some bills, laundry (ugh I hate it), show a rental property @ 2pm, then rush back home to get Kylee from the bus @ 3:30pm...then dinner, homework, Halloween parade and take Brandi to dance and come home at 10pm!
Benaiah and I have officially paid off ALL of our debt! No car payments (paid our van off 1.5 years early), no credit card payments......nadda! I am also trying to budget our utilities as much as possible....learning to live differently is fun and exciting! So with all this change we have also decided that we have lived without health and life insurance for TOO LONG! So we officially will have health insurance 11/1/2008 and we cant wait to see the doctor and get all our physicals (just to know we are ok!). Oh, to the dentist we both shall go! Still looking into life insurance policies....but they are coming next!
You ever do something nice for someone, then have them use the situation against you? This is how I feel about a person I helped find a home. We moved here over 2 years ago, when my twins started 8th grade here, one of the friends they made happened to be the son of a girl I grew up with on the same block (around the age our kids are now). I heard how her husband became very ill and spent numerous months in and out of the hospital. All the while she was trying to work, take care of the kids and be with him in the hospital. Her bills started to fall behind, eventually so, that one day Benaiah was reading the paper and noticed their address was in the Public Notices and being foreclosed on. Now it isnt like me to ever hear of anyone in trouble and not try to think of ways I can help them. Since being in real estate and working with owners of rental properties (had a listing here in Red Hill) I contacted the owner and asked that he give her and her family a chance to stay in the area and keep the kids in the same school. I talked it over with her and her husband and made sure they could afford this home and they said they could. I was able to work it out so that within 2 weeks they were in a new home and now had the peice of mind knowing that they didnt have to move. Ever since they moved in, I have had to chase them down for rent that is constantly paid late (even the utility companies have contacted me about shut offs). She never returns my calls and now I am being left with no choice to evict them. This sucks for their kids and myself (I put my word on the line). I am very upset because apparently they just dont manage their money right, they had the chance of a lifetime to live in a very nice home in a nice community and for less than others! Such a shame!
Kylee is such an awesome dancer, she is dancing three nights a week now. I love to watch her dance and sing! Brandi is starting a new form of dance along with hip hop this year also....she is so great at it (might see her on MTV someday). Amanda will be starting piano lessons as soon as I can locate a free piano somewhere! I love that my girls are all so musically talented (I could of never been).
Having a house is so much work! Wouldnt be so bad if I could just motivate my husband to do it! When we got this old house, we knew the work that it would take....I knew and was very prepared to handle the inside (decorating and painting, etc.) even the landscape! But Benaiah knew the work that needed to be done on the porch, roof, etc. And after two years......I have a half completed fence! Somedays I think we should of moved into a condo!
Twins are done field hockey! Whew.....now we have catching up to do with academics! They need to refocus and get their grades up! Kylee is an awesome reader for any of you who wanted to know.......I am amazed how well she can read at 6!
Benaiah heard on the radio that the Eagles Cheerleaders were holding a cheer clinic last Saturday...so we decided to take Kylee. She loves cheerleading! So she got a TShirt which they signed, pictures taken with the cheerleaders, her own pom-poms, and learned cheers and then preformed them on the Lincoln Financial Field! Benaiah was more excited than her I think, he even took some of the grass from the field and put it into his pocket (which he says he is going to frame!)
So that is all I can think of at the moment! Thanks for reading my many thoughts...lol.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
thrifty is the new me
Well I have always been sorta cheap (despite the husband and kids costing a fortune....haha)...but with the economy the way it is; my thoughts are dont get depressed & down; just figure a way to survive!
Tricks from the "Most Thrifty Family in America" featured on TV:
1) MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL ~ Only spend what you can AFFORD!
2) Clip coupons; there was a woman from www.couponmom.com, who took her $127 grocery bill down to $37! I was inspired to clip more and more coupons and strive to always find the best deal. Go there!
3)Pay off debt; this year we have gotten most of our debt eliminated - but I think we shall be paying it off sooner than later and getting our health insurance back! Why is it that we put our health below (on the priority ladder) paying the car payment? Seems silly when you think about it. So we are taking some savings, paying off the car and using that money each month to get health insurance for us!
4) No more eating out! Ugh it is killing our budget, but with the kids after school activities I find it hard to get us all at the table for dinner! But I think if I strive to plan meals around the stores sales and use coupons; I should be able to get dinner together and save money at the same time!
So with all this news about the economy; I am refusing to get upset and worried about the big picture and playing the blame game. I am looking at my family's situation and doing what is best for us. I dont want to get us in a situation where we cannot afford to keep the roof over our heads, pay for food and health costs! For they are the MOST important things of all :)
Tricks from the "Most Thrifty Family in America" featured on TV:
1) MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL ~ Only spend what you can AFFORD!
2) Clip coupons; there was a woman from www.couponmom.com, who took her $127 grocery bill down to $37! I was inspired to clip more and more coupons and strive to always find the best deal. Go there!
3)Pay off debt; this year we have gotten most of our debt eliminated - but I think we shall be paying it off sooner than later and getting our health insurance back! Why is it that we put our health below (on the priority ladder) paying the car payment? Seems silly when you think about it. So we are taking some savings, paying off the car and using that money each month to get health insurance for us!
4) No more eating out! Ugh it is killing our budget, but with the kids after school activities I find it hard to get us all at the table for dinner! But I think if I strive to plan meals around the stores sales and use coupons; I should be able to get dinner together and save money at the same time!
So with all this news about the economy; I am refusing to get upset and worried about the big picture and playing the blame game. I am looking at my family's situation and doing what is best for us. I dont want to get us in a situation where we cannot afford to keep the roof over our heads, pay for food and health costs! For they are the MOST important things of all :)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Things my father made....
Some of my favorite memories from childhood were the cool things my father built for me. When I was six, Christmas morning I woke up to see the GREATEST dollhouse ever built!! My father created this custom barbie house, complete with furniture and working electricity! I was the envy of all my friends :) I have redecorated this house for each of my three daughters and Kylee still plays with it today!
Then there was the Christmas that he built a table and chair set for Mark & me. I think I was 3 years old. What was so cool about this set....was the chairs. The seats lifted up so we could store things in them. And there were also storage slots in the backs.
Pretty cool, huh?
My dad always thought of something cool to build or rebuild for us as kids. We didnt have alot of money or things growing up, but what we did have was sooo special! I also remember my first banana seat bike that my dad got as a hand-me-down and repainted for me. He also redid a "big girl" bike for me one year; painted it red, with a new seat, headlight and even working blinkers! I remember learning to ride that bike........never forget all the work he put into giving us the best, even if it wasn't "brand new".
Friday, October 3, 2008
understanding when to say "no"
I am sooo not good at saying the word "No". Well except to my kids (lol); but even then they get most of what they want from me, haha. But I was put to the test these last few weeks with our new dog, Milo.
I first heard about Milo from my neighbor who said he was living in an empty house for the last four months (so sad). She said he was a great dog (although a Jack Russell) and six years old and trained at an advanced level and house broken.
We have two dogs already; a german sheppard pup and a chiuhauha (who is 3). So I carefully considered before I asked Benaiah and the kids about meeting Milo (his name was Beenie then) and see if he fits in here with the kids, dogs and kitten. When we first met him he was very calm and careful about meeting us. I had him spend the entire day with us and mingled him with our other dogs and new kitten. He did great!! So we decided to keep him, it was so much better than knowing he was all alone in an empty house. And if he was going to be behaved and fit in, then why not?
The first few weeks went on as expected, he was well behaved, listened with only a few incidents. We realized he needed to be crated since he torn apart my curtains on the front door! But other than that his barking (which a bark collar seemed to solve).
But with in the last few days he started to growl at Kylee when she tried to hug him and snapped at her twice. He was becoming defiant and bit both Benaiah and myself when we tried to get him to listen to us. He barked continuously even with the bark collar, whined when he didnt get his way and began pooping and peeing in the house (completely unacceptable)!
So each day and night I would DREAD coming home, waking up, going to bed and having to deal with his barking, whining, defiance....to the point that on Thursday morning I could no longer take it. A dog is supposed to be a joy in your life and apart of your family....but this dog just was a stress I could no longer bear in my life.
I called the SPCA and asked them about bringing an animal in and could barely contain myself from crying. I hated the thought of taking him there so I called my neighbor who knew the man he came from. She said he would give him a call. She too (living next door to me) saw his misbehavior and told me it was ok since I did everything I could. He is six years old and really (I truely believe) missed his old owner! He was a motorcyle guy (with a Harley) and EVERY time Milo would here a loud car or motorcylce he would jump up on the couch to look out the window to see if it was him. Maybe this man could take him back? Maybe he could realize that this dog truely needed to be with him, despite a loving family trying to take him in.
Later that night, the daughter of the man who owned Milo showed up to get him. It was sad, but again I was sooo over this dog and the stress.
Weird now, my house seems so quiet. Our other two dogs do not bark and whine like he did. I again feel peace in my home.
Sometimes, I should just say "No".
I first heard about Milo from my neighbor who said he was living in an empty house for the last four months (so sad). She said he was a great dog (although a Jack Russell) and six years old and trained at an advanced level and house broken.
We have two dogs already; a german sheppard pup and a chiuhauha (who is 3). So I carefully considered before I asked Benaiah and the kids about meeting Milo (his name was Beenie then) and see if he fits in here with the kids, dogs and kitten. When we first met him he was very calm and careful about meeting us. I had him spend the entire day with us and mingled him with our other dogs and new kitten. He did great!! So we decided to keep him, it was so much better than knowing he was all alone in an empty house. And if he was going to be behaved and fit in, then why not?
The first few weeks went on as expected, he was well behaved, listened with only a few incidents. We realized he needed to be crated since he torn apart my curtains on the front door! But other than that his barking (which a bark collar seemed to solve).
But with in the last few days he started to growl at Kylee when she tried to hug him and snapped at her twice. He was becoming defiant and bit both Benaiah and myself when we tried to get him to listen to us. He barked continuously even with the bark collar, whined when he didnt get his way and began pooping and peeing in the house (completely unacceptable)!
So each day and night I would DREAD coming home, waking up, going to bed and having to deal with his barking, whining, defiance....to the point that on Thursday morning I could no longer take it. A dog is supposed to be a joy in your life and apart of your family....but this dog just was a stress I could no longer bear in my life.
I called the SPCA and asked them about bringing an animal in and could barely contain myself from crying. I hated the thought of taking him there so I called my neighbor who knew the man he came from. She said he would give him a call. She too (living next door to me) saw his misbehavior and told me it was ok since I did everything I could. He is six years old and really (I truely believe) missed his old owner! He was a motorcyle guy (with a Harley) and EVERY time Milo would here a loud car or motorcylce he would jump up on the couch to look out the window to see if it was him. Maybe this man could take him back? Maybe he could realize that this dog truely needed to be with him, despite a loving family trying to take him in.
Later that night, the daughter of the man who owned Milo showed up to get him. It was sad, but again I was sooo over this dog and the stress.
Weird now, my house seems so quiet. Our other two dogs do not bark and whine like he did. I again feel peace in my home.
Sometimes, I should just say "No".
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