My family has been committed to attend a Financial Peace University seminar at our church for the past 13 weeks. All of the lessons have been beneficial with excellent information and Dave Ramsey's no-nonsense motivational style of teaching. I think I benefited the most from gaining a better understanding about financial topics that were intimidating to me before. Granted, some of the information was not new to me at all, but Dave has a knack for making you think "Wow, that really makes financial sense. I would be stupid not to do that." It was the kick-in-the-pants we needed to do it, not just learn about it.
Since the course began, we've been able to pay off a student loan and a credit card, and have begun to apply those payments to a personal loan. We've set aside $1000 in a baby emergency fund, and I've created an allocated spending plan for all of our income to within $1. We are paying cash for several expense categories, namely groceries, entertainment, personal and miscellaneous spending, and blow money. Other categories have been created in our checking and savings accounts to build up funds for things like Christmas, vacation, car repair and homeschool supplies, to name a few.
Tonight's lesson was definitely my favorite... the lesson on giving. If I was not motivated before tonight (and believe me, I was), this lesson has inspired me even more to build wealth so that we can give, give, give. And out of that giving comes blessing. But as Dave pointed out, the Hebrew term for blessing does not refer to monetary wealth... instead the word literally means "peace". And I cannot imagine a richer way to live than to have a life filled with God's abundant peace.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
A Good Weekend
Some people may define a good weekend as taking it easy and having fun while others think working on projects and getting things done around the house makes for a good way to end the week. This past weekend was some of both for our family.
It really started on Thursday evening as we (my husband and I, my mom and step-dad, and my sister-in-law) worked until nearly 10pm getting our stuff set up for a yard sale. Yes, we had our yard sale on Independence Day. We wanted to take advantage of the annual 4th of July festival and BBQ our small town has hosted for the past 40+ years. The real benefit of it is that our home is located on what used to be the town square, so we are rightly situated in the middle of the action... except there wasn't as much action this year as in previous years. The BBQ did not even sell out before 11a.m. like it usually does, not to mention the scant number of vendors under the pecan trees of the Methodist Church.
Well, back to our weekend... I was hoping to get up early and price all the items before anybody showed up to shop. I had advertised that we would start at 9a.m. Of course, the 'serious' bargain hunters were knocking on the door at 7a.m. I was up, mind you, I just couldn't answer the door in my gown so I hid in the kitchen until they went away. Then I dashed to get dressed before the next early bird made an appearance... some 10 minutes later.
And so the day started in a bit of a frenzy, and it pretty much stayed that way all day. We had a steady flow of shoppers, sometimes a yard full at a time, and for the first time in our yard sale history (and we've had quite a few), we sold almost everything we had. At the end of the day, there were only a few boxes to haul to Goodwill. And the profits were worth the effort... enough to help our family pay cash for an upcoming vacation. Yep, a great way to start the weekend.
That evening, we went out to eat at a great new Chinese restaurant to celebrate our success. When it got dark enough, we headed to my brother's house for a fireworks show. He takes pleasure in spending a few hundred dollars to entertain us for a few minutes with his pyrotechnic display. We sat on his front lawn and clapped and cheered as he and my dad and a few other brave(?) men worked in the backyard to keep 'em comin'. Only once did we hear shouts of things-gone-wrong followed by some smoke and dimly glowing lights sparking from behind the house. (I think next year, the plan is to bolt the cannons and boxes to the table so they don't 'accidently' tip over.)
On Saturday, Jeff and I worked hard around the house. He spent the day laying down thresholds that his dad custom made for our 120-year-old home and putting locks on the bathroom doors (we've never had any). I stayed busy tidying up (preparing for a yard sale makes your house messy), and typing up Clara's progress report for third grade. On Saturday night, we went to Mom's for dinner to celebrate my brother's birthday with camp stew and homemade ice cream... yum-my!
Sunday was not the usual day of rest that we like to observe. We doubled up on worship by attending the 9:15 service at our church, then hopped over to a second service at a nearby church to support a friend who hasn't preached in 6 or 7 years. It was good to see him back 'in the pulpit' after a few years of dealing with some big life issues. When we made it home, I worked most of the afternoon preparing for our first day of school which starts this week. After dinner, we sat down with Clara and had a simple ceremony to recognize graduation from third grade/promotion to fourth grade. We read her progress report together and presented her with a certificate of completion, followed by a homemade ice cream sundae.
Yes, to me, this was a good weekend. A balance of work and play, labor and celebration. A time spent with family. A good weekend... and I am exhausted :o)
It really started on Thursday evening as we (my husband and I, my mom and step-dad, and my sister-in-law) worked until nearly 10pm getting our stuff set up for a yard sale. Yes, we had our yard sale on Independence Day. We wanted to take advantage of the annual 4th of July festival and BBQ our small town has hosted for the past 40+ years. The real benefit of it is that our home is located on what used to be the town square, so we are rightly situated in the middle of the action... except there wasn't as much action this year as in previous years. The BBQ did not even sell out before 11a.m. like it usually does, not to mention the scant number of vendors under the pecan trees of the Methodist Church.
Well, back to our weekend... I was hoping to get up early and price all the items before anybody showed up to shop. I had advertised that we would start at 9a.m. Of course, the 'serious' bargain hunters were knocking on the door at 7a.m. I was up, mind you, I just couldn't answer the door in my gown so I hid in the kitchen until they went away. Then I dashed to get dressed before the next early bird made an appearance... some 10 minutes later.
And so the day started in a bit of a frenzy, and it pretty much stayed that way all day. We had a steady flow of shoppers, sometimes a yard full at a time, and for the first time in our yard sale history (and we've had quite a few), we sold almost everything we had. At the end of the day, there were only a few boxes to haul to Goodwill. And the profits were worth the effort... enough to help our family pay cash for an upcoming vacation. Yep, a great way to start the weekend.
That evening, we went out to eat at a great new Chinese restaurant to celebrate our success. When it got dark enough, we headed to my brother's house for a fireworks show. He takes pleasure in spending a few hundred dollars to entertain us for a few minutes with his pyrotechnic display. We sat on his front lawn and clapped and cheered as he and my dad and a few other brave(?) men worked in the backyard to keep 'em comin'. Only once did we hear shouts of things-gone-wrong followed by some smoke and dimly glowing lights sparking from behind the house. (I think next year, the plan is to bolt the cannons and boxes to the table so they don't 'accidently' tip over.)
On Saturday, Jeff and I worked hard around the house. He spent the day laying down thresholds that his dad custom made for our 120-year-old home and putting locks on the bathroom doors (we've never had any). I stayed busy tidying up (preparing for a yard sale makes your house messy), and typing up Clara's progress report for third grade. On Saturday night, we went to Mom's for dinner to celebrate my brother's birthday with camp stew and homemade ice cream... yum-my!
Sunday was not the usual day of rest that we like to observe. We doubled up on worship by attending the 9:15 service at our church, then hopped over to a second service at a nearby church to support a friend who hasn't preached in 6 or 7 years. It was good to see him back 'in the pulpit' after a few years of dealing with some big life issues. When we made it home, I worked most of the afternoon preparing for our first day of school which starts this week. After dinner, we sat down with Clara and had a simple ceremony to recognize graduation from third grade/promotion to fourth grade. We read her progress report together and presented her with a certificate of completion, followed by a homemade ice cream sundae.
Yes, to me, this was a good weekend. A balance of work and play, labor and celebration. A time spent with family. A good weekend... and I am exhausted :o)
Monday, June 30, 2008
A Little Praise
With each of my previous pregnancies, I had gestational diabetes that I was able to control by careful eating and monitoring my glucose levels four times a day. When I found out I was pregnant this time around, the obstetrician immediately put me on the diet I followed before, along with the monitoring.
So since week 14, I have been pricking my finger when I first wake up and again two hours after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I make sure that I eat the right foods in the right amounts and in the right combination with very little 'cheating'. My numbers have been good for the most part, and I have felt healthy with minimal weight gain (only 4 lbs according to the doctor's charts, and I am at 30 weeks! Of course, they don't count the 3-4 lbs I gained during the first trimester when I was not even aware I was pregnant :o)
The fact that I feel good and am not packing on pounds is a praise in itself. But added to that is the great news that when I called this morning for the results of my 1-hour glucose tolerance test I had last Monday, the nurse said that my levels are normal! And my blood iron levels are within range, too! I nearly cried(which is easy to do lately, just ask my husband)... not because the diet and monitoring are so awful, but because God is so faithful and good.
I plan to continue on the diet for the rest of the pregnancy, because the results have been very beneficial. Hopefully, I will be able to maintain it even after Baby Boy arrives in 8 - 10 weeks. The girls and I are going to have a time of praise during lunch, and I might even have a chocolate chip cookie to celebrate (made fresh by hubby yesterday with whole wheat, oats, flax seed, and honey). And yes, I'll be sure to count it as part of my carbs :o)
So since week 14, I have been pricking my finger when I first wake up and again two hours after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I make sure that I eat the right foods in the right amounts and in the right combination with very little 'cheating'. My numbers have been good for the most part, and I have felt healthy with minimal weight gain (only 4 lbs according to the doctor's charts, and I am at 30 weeks! Of course, they don't count the 3-4 lbs I gained during the first trimester when I was not even aware I was pregnant :o)
The fact that I feel good and am not packing on pounds is a praise in itself. But added to that is the great news that when I called this morning for the results of my 1-hour glucose tolerance test I had last Monday, the nurse said that my levels are normal! And my blood iron levels are within range, too! I nearly cried(which is easy to do lately, just ask my husband)... not because the diet and monitoring are so awful, but because God is so faithful and good.
I plan to continue on the diet for the rest of the pregnancy, because the results have been very beneficial. Hopefully, I will be able to maintain it even after Baby Boy arrives in 8 - 10 weeks. The girls and I are going to have a time of praise during lunch, and I might even have a chocolate chip cookie to celebrate (made fresh by hubby yesterday with whole wheat, oats, flax seed, and honey). And yes, I'll be sure to count it as part of my carbs :o)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tagged? What's that?
So I am not up on all the blog terms... yet.
My good friend is gently spurring me on to "just do it"... blog, that is... because she well knows my perfectionist tendencies and their ability to keep me from jumping into something when I feel like I don't have the time to do it 'right'... thus the very long time that has passed since my last entry (and boy, do I have some things to share!)
So, she tagged me. Here goes...
10 years ago... I was on summer break from my teaching job at Manchester High School, most likely doing whatever I could to stay cool since our 100-year-old house was not yet air-conditioned.
5 things on my list today... watch the free movie in town with my hubby and girls, run by the bread store, finish our scope and sequence for the next school year (which starts in 11 days), read the next chapter in Financial Peace Revisited, and write this blog.
Snacks I enjoy... dark chocolate peanut butter licked right off the spoon (or spread on a graham cracker); a cold, crisp Gala apple; a bowl of cereal; cheese and crackers.
Things I would do if I were a millionaire... Bring my husband home from work; buy a farm; RV across the country; and give, give, give...
Places I have lived... only Georgia in Riverdale, Fayetteville, Americus, Tifton, Jonesboro, Hapeville,and Moreland
And I will not tag anyone else, but I will start blogging again... I promise!
My good friend is gently spurring me on to "just do it"... blog, that is... because she well knows my perfectionist tendencies and their ability to keep me from jumping into something when I feel like I don't have the time to do it 'right'... thus the very long time that has passed since my last entry (and boy, do I have some things to share!)
So, she tagged me. Here goes...
10 years ago... I was on summer break from my teaching job at Manchester High School, most likely doing whatever I could to stay cool since our 100-year-old house was not yet air-conditioned.
5 things on my list today... watch the free movie in town with my hubby and girls, run by the bread store, finish our scope and sequence for the next school year (which starts in 11 days), read the next chapter in Financial Peace Revisited, and write this blog.
Snacks I enjoy... dark chocolate peanut butter licked right off the spoon (or spread on a graham cracker); a cold, crisp Gala apple; a bowl of cereal; cheese and crackers.
Things I would do if I were a millionaire... Bring my husband home from work; buy a farm; RV across the country; and give, give, give...
Places I have lived... only Georgia in Riverdale, Fayetteville, Americus, Tifton, Jonesboro, Hapeville,and Moreland
And I will not tag anyone else, but I will start blogging again... I promise!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Drum Roll Please....
Today we visited Atlanta Maternal Fetal Medicine for an ultrasound of our baby, and wouldn’t you know, the technician said she couldn’t tell the gender (although she did say it had a beautiful little 4-chambered heart). She gave us a few pics and sent in the doctor.
He was very nice and began explaining to us why I was sent to a perinatologist, being 'advanced maternal age' with gestational diabetes and all that (I don’t suppose he realized that ‘I’ made the choice to have my ultrasound there). He gives us his practiced explanation about genetic disorders and the types of indicators they are looking for with the ultrasound (by this point, Jeff is thinking the doc’s trying to break some bad news to us). According to the doc, everything looks fine (heart, measurements, facial features, etc).
Then, he has me roll on to my side to give the baby more room and hopefully get a good view of the “equipment”. Lo and behold, there it is...we are having a little boy! He says, “That’s definitely boy stuff right there!” He zooms in and actually outlines "the stuff" for us on the picture.
Of course, we are very excited (I’m sure we would be either way). On the way home, Jeff’s making jokes to his dad on the phone about taking on the responsibility of continuing the family name. Dennis, my step-dad jokingly told my mom that he doesn’t understand why all his prayers didn’t work (he was hoping for another girl). I told Mom that I’m sure many more people for praying for us to have a son. In my mind, I’m thinking “this really changes things”, but I look forward to having a little boy to love. The girls are very happy to have a brother.
Now comes the task of deciding a name. We have always been drawn to older, less common names, and I'm sure that will be our preference when it comes to naming our son. I've always liked the name John, but Jeff says that even though it's old, it's also too common. However, when I suggested we pair it with Jeffrey, I got a totally different response: "John Jeffrey... I like that! It's just a good, strong name."
Hmmmm... I thought so!
He was very nice and began explaining to us why I was sent to a perinatologist, being 'advanced maternal age' with gestational diabetes and all that (I don’t suppose he realized that ‘I’ made the choice to have my ultrasound there). He gives us his practiced explanation about genetic disorders and the types of indicators they are looking for with the ultrasound (by this point, Jeff is thinking the doc’s trying to break some bad news to us). According to the doc, everything looks fine (heart, measurements, facial features, etc).
Then, he has me roll on to my side to give the baby more room and hopefully get a good view of the “equipment”. Lo and behold, there it is...we are having a little boy! He says, “That’s definitely boy stuff right there!” He zooms in and actually outlines "the stuff" for us on the picture.
Of course, we are very excited (I’m sure we would be either way). On the way home, Jeff’s making jokes to his dad on the phone about taking on the responsibility of continuing the family name. Dennis, my step-dad jokingly told my mom that he doesn’t understand why all his prayers didn’t work (he was hoping for another girl). I told Mom that I’m sure many more people for praying for us to have a son. In my mind, I’m thinking “this really changes things”, but I look forward to having a little boy to love. The girls are very happy to have a brother.
Now comes the task of deciding a name. We have always been drawn to older, less common names, and I'm sure that will be our preference when it comes to naming our son. I've always liked the name John, but Jeff says that even though it's old, it's also too common. However, when I suggested we pair it with Jeffrey, I got a totally different response: "John Jeffrey... I like that! It's just a good, strong name."
Hmmmm... I thought so!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
To the Other Side of the World
Early on this Saturday morning, my sweet hubby left for a 2-week mission trip to the Philippines. This is his third trip in four years to the Southeast Asian islands. He will soon land in Los Angeles where he will make the connection for a 15-hour flight to Hong Kong followed by 3-hour layover and another 2-hour flight to Manila. He will not arrive at his destination until late Sunday night which will be our Sunday morning (a twelve-hour time difference).
This was by far the most difficult departure... lots of tears and heavy hearts, because this time, our eight year-old daughter really understands how long her daddy will be gone and how far away he is from home. As we tucked the girls in bed last night and listened to their prayers for his safety and quick return, I think hubby and I fully realized how close our family has become and how much we will miss being together. Hopefully, the time will go by as fast as it did on previous trips.
The nature of this mission trip is somewhat unique in that the team of four men will be providing computer technical assistance to missionaries and Christian organizations all around Manila. They will blog and post pictures throughout the trip at www.geeksforchrist.org. Our eight-year old daughter 'Sweet Pea' and 3-year old daughter 'Poppy' have saved and collected over $250 to be given to one of the local orphanages where the team will provide support. We will be eager to all the stories of their work at the orphanage and other places. We are especially excited to hear about how God works and moves and orchestrates the tiniest of details during this journey as they serve Him with the gifts and talents and resources He has so graciously given.
This was by far the most difficult departure... lots of tears and heavy hearts, because this time, our eight year-old daughter really understands how long her daddy will be gone and how far away he is from home. As we tucked the girls in bed last night and listened to their prayers for his safety and quick return, I think hubby and I fully realized how close our family has become and how much we will miss being together. Hopefully, the time will go by as fast as it did on previous trips.
The nature of this mission trip is somewhat unique in that the team of four men will be providing computer technical assistance to missionaries and Christian organizations all around Manila. They will blog and post pictures throughout the trip at www.geeksforchrist.org. Our eight-year old daughter 'Sweet Pea' and 3-year old daughter 'Poppy' have saved and collected over $250 to be given to one of the local orphanages where the team will provide support. We will be eager to all the stories of their work at the orphanage and other places. We are especially excited to hear about how God works and moves and orchestrates the tiniest of details during this journey as they serve Him with the gifts and talents and resources He has so graciously given.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day
After sharing about my husband's gift of giving, now I get to share about my Heavenly Father and His extravagant love. Last night, we had a wonderful surprise when we found out that I am pregnant with my third child. After going out to eat and running a few errands (one of which was purchasing a pregnancy test), I dutifully performed the task and watched in amazement as the test showed a very clear positive result. After staring in disbelief for a few moments, I declared "Happy Belated Valentine's Day!" to my husband and handed him the stick to see for himself. Needless to say, we are absolutely thrilled (and somewhat in shock). The girls were tickled pink (or blue?), as were our parents, when we shared the news.
Now for the rest of the surprise... I suspect that I am about 3 months along. I am usually very aware of my body and the signals it sends to let me know that things are not normal. This time, my body sent quite a few obvious signals, and I just missed them all (actually, I had a perfectly good explanation for all of them).
First, the biggie... I missed my cycle for 3 months. Lest I seem too blond, I took a pt in December and it was negative; so when I missed two more times, I just assumed something was wrong with my hormones and started trying to contact my doctor for a yearly exam.
Then there was weight gain, which I easily blamed on overeating during the holidays... except that I kept gaining after the first of the year. I blamed that on winter and lack of exercise.
Next came the chronic stuffy nose, the head cold I couldn't seem to get over (well, it was cold and flu season). And the extreme tiredness that made me want to fall into bed at 7pm every night (must have been the lingering head cold).
I also had low backache and sore breasts, which I thought was linked to my whacked out hormones (and they were :o) I just never put all these symptoms together to come to the conclusion that I was pregnant.
Now for the 'God thing'... friends and family have been asking me for a couple of years if we were going to have another child. My response was always, "I don't know... I don't know (wistfully) if Anna will be my last baby, and I don't know (cautiously) if I should go through another pregnancy. I don't know how to make that decision."
Well, I didn't have to decide... my gracious Lord, who knows all and controls all, has decided in His infinite wisdom to give us another child. Halleluiah! And if that was not blessing enough, He has also given me an easy start (i.e. no morning sickness). For that, I am also truly thankful.
Now for the rest of the surprise... I suspect that I am about 3 months along. I am usually very aware of my body and the signals it sends to let me know that things are not normal. This time, my body sent quite a few obvious signals, and I just missed them all (actually, I had a perfectly good explanation for all of them).
First, the biggie... I missed my cycle for 3 months. Lest I seem too blond, I took a pt in December and it was negative; so when I missed two more times, I just assumed something was wrong with my hormones and started trying to contact my doctor for a yearly exam.
Then there was weight gain, which I easily blamed on overeating during the holidays... except that I kept gaining after the first of the year. I blamed that on winter and lack of exercise.
Next came the chronic stuffy nose, the head cold I couldn't seem to get over (well, it was cold and flu season). And the extreme tiredness that made me want to fall into bed at 7pm every night (must have been the lingering head cold).
I also had low backache and sore breasts, which I thought was linked to my whacked out hormones (and they were :o) I just never put all these symptoms together to come to the conclusion that I was pregnant.
Now for the 'God thing'... friends and family have been asking me for a couple of years if we were going to have another child. My response was always, "I don't know... I don't know (wistfully) if Anna will be my last baby, and I don't know (cautiously) if I should go through another pregnancy. I don't know how to make that decision."
Well, I didn't have to decide... my gracious Lord, who knows all and controls all, has decided in His infinite wisdom to give us another child. Halleluiah! And if that was not blessing enough, He has also given me an easy start (i.e. no morning sickness). For that, I am also truly thankful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)