Expensive Surprises

:::Please wait while ASUS installs another couple hundred dollars of credit card debt on your account:::

Bahumbug.  What a week for your laptop to die. Well, at least there were sales on the computers this time of year.

Let this serve as a notice to you:: BACK UP YOUR DATA. RIGHT NOW.

I now have a much lighter, much smaller laptop, courtesy of my Best Buy Credit Card. Don't ask my why they wanted to know my father-in-law's ex-wife's age (as if people really know these obscure relatives on a regular basis?) to activate my dormant account again. And I have a little silver external hard drive with my old, hateful Toshiba laptop hard-drive in it.

The old data box says that 1/4 of the memory on it is used... but there are NO FILES. :::whaaa??::: Come on. Really?


Is there a PC doctor out there who can help me figure this out?

I was right in the middle of emailing the vendors and winners of the Homeschool Blog Awards about the prize drawing I had completed. There were spreadsheets and email templates and documents involved. All of which took lots of time to create. I've also got PICTURES and many other important things on that hard drive.

And the transmission is going out on my truck. Which won't be cheap.

This day was full of surprises. Some of them were good ones, though. My 2 year old actually let a DENTIST look at his teeth - and the hygienist clean them! I won't ruin it by mentioning that he ate the orange flavored paste and refused to spit it out. Hope there wasn't a lethal dose of fluoride in it.

Before anything else unexpected happens, I think I'll go get in bed.

Oh, and I lost all my email in Outlook... so if you have been waiting on a response from me, just email me again as a reminder... I won't mind! Nice to have an excuse for not replying to all my zillions of emails for a change: "The computer died and I lost my data." How long you think I can milk it?



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E is for Eat.... and E is for Elmers!

E IS FOR EATING
Here's my weekly addition to the A B See Photomeme over at the Homeschool Post. I think I may have missed a week in there, somewhere, because I'm still on the letter E (not that there are rules about what letter you can be on... but I like to go in order). I've been really bad about taking pictures lately. Blame it (like everything else) on the pregnancy.

So... this picture is rather old. I think it is possibly two school years ago - on our "back to school breakfast" day. Too bad this year we really aren't having one of those... because we aren't going back to school.

Ha! Gotcha! We never stopped doing school this year. Still plugging slowly away at it - like a constant dripping torture...

However, I'm feeling the inspiration and desire slowly come back - despite last year's painful burn out. Here's hoping that all these new school supplies and the feeling of 'fall in the air' can breathe some life in to our homeschool and put a fire under our hineys.

Check out the link in this post up there (under the phrase "back to school breakfast") to read about our school-year tradition of starting up with a trip to IHOP or our favorite breakfast taco joint. I think this year we might go to a donut shop... or maybe take donuts to the park after it gets cooler. We already did some goal review at home, so in another 6 or 8 weeks, we should be ready for a "back to school breakfast" again.

E isn't just for eating, though. School children can not live on breakfast tacos alone. School SUPPLIES are also very important and necessary for getting the year off to a good start.



E  IS FOR ELMERS
Elmer’s has started a new way to bless those who can't afford school supplies: Bagging It Forward. They are donating $10 - up to $10,000 total - to 'Adopt-a-Classroom' for every Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward blog meme post. This post would qualify (see how easy it is???)...

HOW CAN YOU JOIN?

• Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward and by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post with specific rules described below.
• Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom.
• You can give as many virtual bags as you want.
• The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 12 PM EST on August 12, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.
• The blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section of this post for your participation to be counted.
• In addition copy and paste the following text into your blog post:

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

• Copy and paste these rules into your blog post.
• Create a blog post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
• Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
• Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
• Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
• Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by August 12, 2010).
• Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

I’m donating a virtual bag of school supplies to Karin and Nikowa, and challenging them to Bag it Forward with Elmer’s! E is for 'Excellent Idea'!

A Kitchen Revolution

This morning I decided we needed a change. It all happened after something fell out of the freezer and smashed my foot. It was one of those 'aha!' moments... that required ice and restraint of my vocabulary. It grew into a huge plan of epic proportions as I dug through my freezer, pulling out pasty ice-cream, experimental pickle-pops, year-old brisket that never made it to the grill, and bag after bag of un-used bread flour.

"How in the world did tiny pieces of broccoli get all over my freezer bottom?" I asked the kids (who weren't listening). [Sounds better than saying I said it to myself.]

"I didn't know we had frozen ground turkey." The kids were still ignoring me.

"Look! Pecans!"

I found at least four items in the freezer I had no idea were in my kitchen. I got at least that many ideas for dinners while I was wiping down the base of the freezer and rearranging the items on the bottom shelf.

A lightbulb went on inside my head. What if I try to use up all the items in my freezers and pantry before we go to the store again for a long list of ingredients?! What if we really hunker down and start cooking every meal at home to save money?! I felt like the little engine that could... "I think I can!" I said to myself. "I can do this!"

So... I pulled out the sausage for tomorrow's lunch and put it in the fridge to thaw. I pulled out the frozen soup from January to cook for today's lunch (it was GREAT, by the way - my daughter even asked me to make it for her next birthday). The frozen soup gave me ideas about freezing meals for the future. Especially since it cooked up just like I had slaved over it all day (and saved me at least an hour and a half). I made notes about what was in the freezer so I could make a menu to use up our excess food. I didn't even stop there, though. I also added all the items in the fridge and pantry. I was on a roll.

Tonight, when I got ready to make my sesame chicken fingers and fried rice (a family favorite), I ground up the Italian wheat bread (that had been in the freezer - too stale to eat) and made bread crumbs for my chicken. It was the best chicken fingers I've made in a long time - the bread was crunchy and made a super coating!

I decided today that I really need to get my kitchen's act together if it is going to serve our family through this recession. I'm certain that eating at home can not only save me money, but it can be such a huge blessing to our family - bringing us back to a time that has nearly been erased from American history... a time when the family lingered at the dinner table... a time when our hearts were at home.

I want to save money. I want to cook more. I want to grow veggies. I want to teach my children how to make menus and omelets. I want to freeze more meals and save more time. I want my kids to have their WHOLE family at the dinner table eating WHOLESOME food each night. I dunno - maybe I'm a little nostalgic, but I'm pretty sure that the dinner table is a big part of raising kids up to be good Christian people.

If you want to join me in this kitchen revolution, you can pop over to Gathering Manna and sign the linky. You don't have to wait until a bag of frozen green beans falls out of your freezer.


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Buzz Words: food, cooking, eat, saving+money, parenting, money, motherhood, recession, thrifty

Quarter for your Quandary

 

My husband has a keen sense of wit. He also knows me really well after nearly 17 years (16 of which - coming up this January - we've been married). He's a good dad, so he tries to give the kids fatherly advice when he can help them out. Yesterday was no exception.

We had just come home from lunch after church (Chipotle, mmmmm). I had been walking around in those high-zippered boots with my sausage pregnancy legs and was super tired. I sat down at my computer to zone out and goof off until dinner time. Suddenly I was thirsty. But going downstairs seemed like traveling to the Amazon to hunt for extinct rain-forest animals.

I blurted out in my moment of sheer lazy exhaustion, "First kid to bring me a glass of ice cold water gets 25 cents!" Yeah. I'm a big spender. Unfortunately my kids have learned the value of money at nearly 10 and 12. Seems like household chores keep getting more expensive for me.

Kaden was playing pc games already and Morgan was watching Daddy on the X-Box. Not a sound could be heard besides the peeling out of race-car wheels and techno music. Morgan didn't even turn around when she said, "Won't work on me" matter-of-factly. Kaden said nothing from his room (which was within earshot); having perfected the art of ignoring me.

Daddy chuckled as I sat there looking at them - a helpless, thirsty, pregnant lady in distress.

"You better get up and get her some water. Take the money while you can. You are fixing to do it for free." He warned Morgan.

Morgan thought about it and said, "Yeah, you're right." She reluctantly got up to go fetch me a glass downstairs.

It pays to listen to good advice.

... speaking of good advice... be sure to hop over to the Homeschool Post and share a link with pictures of your Christmas decor. We might even be doing a give-away over there soon if I can get a graphic made. First things, first, though - bills, checkbook and finalizing the HSBA prizes! See you over at the Post later!


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Buzz Words: funny, money, kids, humor, personal, life, blogging, family, children, motherhood, lazy, dads, allowance

Picnic at the Pond... and Elementary Economics

This field trip was not from a long time ago like most of my Field Trip Foto Fridays are. This one was just yesterday. [Note to self: Don't walk 2 miles to field trip in Texas until December - 90 degrees does not qualify for autumn weather!] It wasn't so bad on the way to the pond... mostly downhill with a spring in our step. The kids were ambitious thinking we didn't need to take the car. I had my doubts. Each of us took a backpack or bag. Of course, I took the camera bag and some of the food. The kids brought lots of things they didn't need. I let them learn the hard way to pack light. In their defense, Kaden did get out the binoculars and use them once during the picnic.

"It sure is harder going back home uphill with these heavy backpacks," said Kaden on the way back to the house. I tried to not say "I told you so", but it came out anyway. I lack self control when I'm hot, cranky, and pregnant.

The pond made the trip worthy of sweating, nearly loosing a shoe in the mud, and ant bites. Morgan may disagree on the ant bite part. We got to see two ducks, two White Herons (or Great White Egrets), one Great Blue Heron, and teeming masses of frogs and tiny minnows. My camera doesn't have a long-range or macro lens, but I did what I could with what I had.

We learned a few lessons about doing without. I had the economy on my brain anyway, so this was a good object lesson for the children (who have been listening to Daddy and Mommy talk about the evils of bail-out plans and socialism). When we got to the pond with our food sacks I realized that the jelly was missing. I had the spoon for it - and the peanutbutter - and the bread... but no jelly.

"Ick!" said the kids as they imagined a dry peanutbutter sandwich.

"Well, you could put pickles on your sandwich," I offered. I had brought the knife and cheese, so I held out a pickle and began to cut slices for them to use on their peanutbutter sandwiches.

"GROSSSS," said the naysayers.

"Your aunt Amber loves pickle and peanutbutter sandwiches," I said. "It is better than plain peanutbutter, anyway. Maybe you'll like it. You won't know until you try."

The kids thought about it and reluctantly agreed. I sliced the pickles and they took a hesitant bite. Lo and behold, they both loved it. In fact, they said it was their favorite sandwich ever. But they never would have even tried it if we hadn't been in a bind. First we had to learn from going without what we were used to.

That's just like the economy, folks. We'll never learn our lesson if we keep living on credit and bailing out the banks so they can offer more money to people "for free". Things aren't free. We don't need more credit. We need to get back to living purposeful lives built on more than materialism and greed... and live within our means. Sometimes you have to learn lessons painfully. If someone is always there to bail you out - you'll never change. And that's too bad. Because most of the time God is wanting to change us for the BETTER. That's why he allows the hardships in the first place.

And so we had our first economics class for 5th and 6th grade - right there at the pond over our peanutbutter-and-pickle sandwiches. God works in mysterious places. But I bet the kids won't forget the moral behind the story.

"If a path to the better there be, it begins with a full look at the very worst" - Thomas Hardy

Proverbs 22:26-27 ~ "Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts. If you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you."

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Buzz Words: field trips, nature, homeschool, picnic, Texas, economics, bail out, elementary, teaching, motherhood, parenting, pictures

Camera Happy: Summer Memories

We've been discussing the economy and the credit/housing bubble. I have to admit, after years of going virtually credit-card-free (paying with cash or check card only), I broke down last April and got myself a camera. It was right after my son won the regional Robo-championship and we were off to nationals across the USA. Daddy took me to Best Buy and we signed our life away on a nice digital Cannon. I love my camera (but I hate the payment). Thankfully I don't have a lot of credit card debt - but we have our share of school loans, govt. loans (disaster loan from FEMA), and of course the mortgage and car notes. We stopped using credit cards for the most part way back in our last 16 years together. We just haven't been able to shake all of our debt yet.

My mega-zillion photos from last April through today make me feel better about that Best Buy payment each month. Photo memories can't be replaced and will always be treasured. I hope I can pay off the camera quickly, though. Lately I have been considering doing some photography for money on the side. A lovely friend at my retreat last week told me that I wouldn't have a hard time starting my own business. I thought about offering to take pictures for homeschoolers - annual class photos for the school year - but homeschoolers are usually not the type that have money to spare for luxuries. I am too afraid to do a wedding (until I get some more experience under my belt).

Whatever ensues with my camera ideas, at least I have the option to continue making beautiful memories for our family. Here below are a few from April through September of 2008 (my "Summer Essay in Photos" for the HSBA Post's meme):



From left to right, top to bottom:

May wildflowers
Kaden's smile
Garden harvest
Robo-medals
Back to school breakfast
Robot
Moth in the back yard
Redecorated school room (my desk)
The sweetness (Quaker my cat)
Cool July rainbow clouds
Watermelon on the porch in June
Morgan's Keepers ceremony
Dirty fingers at Aunt Kristie's
Memorial for Bubba in June
Intent gazes - Robofest in Michigan
Aunt Kristie's garden pests and tomatoes
Brother and sister hugs at the Wildflower center
Aunt Amanda and Morgan
15th year anniversary sweethearts
Cousin Ty and Kaden with his missing front toof
Prickly poppy
Purple mermaid on a noodle
Hill country beauty
Competition
Longhorn mole cow

Those are just a few of my photos from this past year (with the exception of the rainbow clouds, which I didn't take). How about you? Do you have a summer photo essay up? It is easy to make a picture collage. Just download Picasa and use the easy collage feature to make your own photo boxes.

I'm off to clean house, get dressed, cook dinner for my cousins, and pay a few bills. Hope your Saturday brings you much joy. The trick to the joy part is just being thankful.


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Buzz Words: Summer, Photography, Pictures, Camera, Money, Parenting, Fun, Photos, Memories, Life, Personal, Finances, Memes, Family

What Really Caused the Economic Crash in America

I said I wasn't going to get political again, but this is a must-see video before voting this November. Sorry, but some of it was news to me. I figured everyone would want to know the truth about why they can hardly afford to get around town and buy groceries. We're coming up on a really ugly tax season with an escrow shortage. I can totally relate to the fear a lot of folks are having about their mortgages. Seems like the only rate that hasn't gone up in the past two years is PAY.


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Buzz Words: elections, Obama, conservative, economy, taxes, economy, America, democrat, republican, 2008, family, housing+bubble, economic crisis, voting, issues, Christianity, families, money, opinion

Bargain Finds for Back to School

I visited Target the other day and stumbled across some awesome finds. My buddy Cindy had told me they had flashcards for the states. That was what I originally went for. I got two boxes (one was completely out of order and missing a few states so I'll have to go back and exchange it). Not only did they have the states, but they also had presidents and landmarks (famous places around the world - with vivid photos!). There were cute things for little preschool and early elementary kids, too. They had board books and a flip book of the states, spiral bound notebooks, other school supplies, stickers, and a VERY CUTE mini plastic globe that now is sitting on my bookshelf in our underwater map-themed school room. I also got a star shaped scrapbook hole-punch (they had hearts and other shapes, too). Most everything is a dollar. You can't beat that!

Also a great find was the pink owl duffel bag for $2.50 that we used as a gift bag for a birthday party. Great for toting library books, sleepover supplies or even car schooling! For under 15$ we were able to get a Hello Kitty clearance outfit (skirt and tank top), a notebook and highlighters for school, a set of stickers, and the pink duffel bag and some tissue paper to wrap it up in! I think our birthday girl enjoyed her super-cheap Target present.

I love collecting swap gifts for later, too. The dollar bins at Target are great places for stocking up. That reminds me... I need to get over there and close the swap for July and August. Head over and sign up today if you haven't already. I'll be emailing out your questionnaire soon!

Happy bargain hunting for back to school!



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Buzz Words: Homeschooling, bargains, school, gifts, supplies, back to school, Homeschool, Target, presents, shopping, swap, school supplies, flashcards, America, summer, life, personal, home office, smart, saving money

S.O.S.

Monday. Another week beginning to "run right over me". I'm meeting myself coming and going. There are nearly a thousand emails for me to sort and figure out in both of my in-boxes (that makes 2,000). The other two email accounts haven't been checked in weeks (I have four). I'm sitting here in my pretty new office with piles of filing folders and papers strewn across the floor waiting to be organized into file cabinets. I have a doctor's appointment for me and my son at 3:20pm (we were up coughing all night). I need to get the insurance planned out for my son's front tooth crown this week (in case you didn't notice the missing half of a tooth in his lovely snarl)... and give him a blood test for sugar levels in the past three months. Oh, and the bills have to be paid today or the auto insurance will be canceled. No pressure, right?

I wish there was a way to just stop the world and get caught up. Or maybe a magic medicine cabinet genie that could dispense narcotic cough syrup... so I wouldn't have to go to the doctor (save gas and time) when I'm this busy.

So if you think of it, pray for my sanity. I'm feeling quite buried at the moment, and don't have enough energy to get everything done. Blame it on the cold and cough meds. It is easy to say "This Too Shall Pass"... but when you are sitting in front of a to-do list as long as the Great Wall of China, 'passing' becomes more of a medical term associated with hemorrhoids or kidney stones.

Ooops. Did I say that?


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Sprittibee's Monday Devotional: Finances and Faith

Psalm 37:25 ~ I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

The TEACHER OUT OF SERVICE day is going well. There has been no argument (other than over sorting laundry this morning when we first woke up). There has been a lot of housework done. The kids have actually enjoyed themselves while doing it all! I even heard them singing together while they did our lunch dishes. We warmed up leftovers from Mexico, Italy, Japan and Madagascar in the microwave. All but the Mexican tasted much better the first go-around. The vanilla fruit-salad from Madagascar was getting a bit 'strong'. We threw out the last bit that wasn't eaten. Mommy has been upstairs doing bills, checkbook and laundry... and soon some school plans for tomorrow. Later I have to go return our library books and go to the bank to get an ATM card.

This brings me to my blog topic today: Finances and Faith. No one wants to talk about money (at least those who don't have much of it). Money tends to be a really personal topic and everyone has an opinion. However, money is a necessity - just like food and water... because without it, you don't have food or water!

Why am I going to get an ATM card at the bank if I don't have much money? The answer is simple: ATM cards make it much harder to accumulate overdraft fees! We are going to really buckle down and try and prevent the needless fees (late fees, bank overdrafts, ATM fees, library fines, etc) that tend to bleed our account dry needlessly.

After moving back home, we realized that the raise my husband was getting would only cover our medical expenses (because his company changed his health plan and is taking an additional 250$ a month out of his check for it). We doubled our housing payment by purchasing a home, too. Even though we don't have state income tax here in Texas, we pay a pretty penny for property taxes (to the tune of nearly 5K a year)... so we actually are not coming out ahead. It does cost a tad less at the grocery store here than it does in Arkansas (we don't have produce taxes in Texas)... and we have a lower sales tax and restaurant tax than the county in Arkansas we lived in. However, the fact remains that we added bills and didn't really increase our pay like we had anticipated. Thus the crunch is on to find a way to budget where there's not any left-over. I'm sure there are many of you out there in homeschool land who are in the same shape. I'd love to hear your tips on how to get it done without having to move out of your house and under the nearest bridge.

Since we moved, we have been really slow about tithing. In fact, we have decreased what we normally would tithe by perhaps 85-95%. I justified this off by saying that "surely God would understand if I am 'moving' and in a state of flux with my bills for a while". Strange thing was... I still had guilt. Not guilt because of our church... but guilt because I know that tithing is an issue of FAITH and TRUST in God. My guilt was based on my responsibility after reading God's scripture. In fact, the only place in the Bible where God asks you to TEST Him is Malachi 3:8-12, and it happens to be about TITHING.

Malachi 3:8-12 ~
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.

Ouch. And I knew this verse... before I justified not giving what I should. So I guess a panic attack over lack of funds to pay bills isn't such a harsh punishment for poor stewardship. After all, it is His money, not mine. Maybe (as a brother in Christ said last night in our small group Bible study) we should not ask how much we should give back to God... but how much of HIS should we keep for ourselves.

So today was bill-paying day. Normally, I would leave myself enough to get by for two weeks (until the next payday). Even if sometimes the 'enough' is still very slim. But this time, I stood on the cliff of faith and jumped. There wasn't enough to tithe my 10%. I did it anyway. Amazingly, the panic is gone and I feel peace instead. I'm not sure how less than 100$ can last for 14 days with two kids to feed and a vehicle with only 1/2 tank of gas... but I know that with God all things are possible.

I know that he filled the widow's jar of oil and did not let it run dry (1 Kings 17)...
I know that he fed the multitude with 5 loaves and 2 fish (Matthew 14)...
I know that He turned water into wine (John 2)...
...and I know that He created the universe from nothing (Genesis 1).

I'm going to have to just believe that He's got this whole thing worked out for us... in advance.

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I don't think that believing is going to be hard. I have seen Him working in my life for such a long time now. How could I not believe? And why should I worry? Read below what God has said about worrying about our provisions:

Matthew 6:24-34:
24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I can't wait to tell you about how God managed to keep us in the black in the next 14 days. I'm sure He's got another miracle up His sleeve for me.


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Buzz Words: Homeschooling, Life, Faith, Money, Finances, Scripture, God, Trust, Bills, Belief, Jesus, Christianity, Devotional, Inspiration, Charity

DELL, Debt and Dumb Decisions

As a debtor, I have to say that living without credit is hard (especially as a debtor in a ONE-income family of 4). I'm being transparent here, so be gentle if you respond in my comments section. Kev and I just broke down and bought something on credit after two years of being "credit card free" (aside from Old Navy - which in our case is a necessity and rarely used). Most of our debt is in the form of vehicle loans (2), college loans (1), unsecured loans that we took out when it took 8 months to sell our home and my husband was commuting between cities (almost paid off now... just 500$ left), a government loan due to a flood (1), family loans (3), and of course, the Old Navy card. So, you see, most of our "plastic" debt has already been paid off. Our main debt, aside from transportation, is due to circumstances that were out of our control... and the lack of having any sort of "nest egg" to cover said circumstances. If you include the vehicles, our debt is a hefty number... and our monthly payments are outrageous. We've been nearly two years without adding extra to the debt pile (other than a few minor loans here and there from family)... until today.

Kev and I broke down and ordered a Dell Computer online. Kevin has been asking me to let him buy me a computer for over a year now. I am forever having trouble with the slow outdated one I use. This year alone, it has crashed two or three times. Now that I am running a Vista Beta version on it, it is slower than a snail. Even so, I almost couldn't force myself to click the button when it finally came time to apply for that Dell Preferred card. I shudder even thinking of it.

I've worked so hard to stay away from any more debt. For the past few years we haven't even bought any gifts for Christmas other than ONE for each member of our immediate family (4 total). I've worked so hard to finally tread water and see the scales tip in our favor. $800 more of debt is like waving the white flag of surrender to me. Maybe I'll feel differently once the shipment arrives and that brand new 20 inch flat panel and my super fast PC pops out of the box. No more waiting a few minutes between clicks for me. Imagine how much time that will save in my day! Our piles of PC junk, stacks of software, and ancient towers have finally seen their last daylight around here. I banish them to storage indefinitely!

So... when is it OK to fall off the bandwagon and use a little plastic? I wish I could feel OK about it... and actually enjoy the fact that a new PC is on its way down my "chimney". But I don't like credit cards and owing money - I see it as slavery, pure and simple. I also don't believe in filing bankruptcy... I believe you should pay what you owe - even to "evil" credit card companies. Somehow I just don't see that "Santa" and the "American Way" is really what Christmas is about... and all this prolific shopping and mall-scene stuff for the holidays really bums me out. I dream of cabins in the snow (far away from civilization) for Christmas. I wish there was a way to escape how commercial it has become.

Maybe I should post a debt ticker on my sidebar to keep track of how my debt is doing and keep me accountable. Do any of you have one like that? Am I the only debtor out there this holiday season? Hellooooooo out there?


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Compassion Sunday

We sponsor a child in India. It costs 32$ a month to send him to school and provide a meal each day for him. Twice a year, they also allow you to send 15$ as a birthday or Christmas gift. To an American child, 15$ for Christmas or Birthday would seem like a joke; but to these children it is a miracle. Sudharson is my little boy's name, and he looks like my son, only with a little darker skin. I hope I get to hug him one day!

I was so afraid after the tsunami hit that Sudharson had been killed. I called Compassion and at first, they were unable to locate the children because of widespread damage. They confirmed that his village had been hit. His family and he were spared from harm, thankfully; and so was the project/school where they care for the children. I have been writing him for a few years now... and I enjoy getting his letters. They are so refreshing. My children now write him also. He calls them his brother and sister, and he calls me his Aunty. I have told him that I hope to meet him one day, and that as soon as we pay all our debts off, we will try and come across the ocean to see him face to face. He once wrote and told me that he was not sure I would like to come to his house, because it was very small. I assured him that I did not care what his house looked like, but that I still wanted to see him very much. I would like to share a letter from him that I got a few months ago:

LETTER FROM INDIA...

Dear Uncle and Aunty,

Greetings! Received your loving letter, beautiful pictures, and points about Thanksgiving Day. You are all looking beautiful in the picture. Thank you for writing to me in detail about Thanksgiving Day. You had written me that one day we will meet together. If I happen to meet you by God's grace I will be the happiest person. I received a set of color clothing from your gift money. I wore it on the project Christmas function, and on the day of the function, I received a cake box, food packet, and bucket as gifts. Thank you very much for your love. I pray to God that you will come out of your debts. Loving New Year Greetings to You.

Your loving son,
Sudharson

I hope that through Sudharson's story, you will be touched to reach out to another child just like him - a child who is bound by poverty and circumstance, and one who is asking for just a little help from those with enough to share.

Compassion has an annual event they call "Compassion Sunday" (TODAY) where they do a drive to gather sponsors and match them to children who are waiting. They even allow you to pick the country, age, and gender of your sponsored child (and you can see photos on their website if you want)! They will send you updates on your child each year with photos and involve translators to help you correspond until your child is able to write you on their own. You can view a flash animated presentation about the "day in the life" of a Compassion Child if you are interested in what kind of children are being sponsored. Here is what Compassion sent me in my email box:

"April 30 is Compassion Sunday -- a day when sponsors, pastors, and people who care about impoverished children will speak up in congregations all across the United States. We are asking God for 21,000 child sponsors through this event this year. Last year, nearly 17,000 children found sponsors on Compassion Sunday!"

Won't you please consider sponsoring a child?


Technorati Tags: Charity, Missionary, Christianity, Life, Causes, Family, Humanitarian, Culture, Parenting, Help, Poverty, Concern, India, Children, Kids, Innocence, Christian, Action, Sponsor

*Graphic by Steven Wyandt

Links to Check Out

I've been enjoying the sunshine up here and these wonderful 60-low 70 degree breezes. Yesterday we picked strawberries and had home-made strawberry shortcake with my friend Lori. It has been hard to stick to a school schedule with the best of Spring's weather beckoning outside. Next week we're going to try and get our field trip in to go camp for the night and see the stars through a huge telescope. The following week is the Texas Arlington Book Fair. I emailed the McCords who put on the event every year, and asked them out of curiosity how many homeschoolers they average at the event. Her answer?

About 4,200 adults and 1,800 kids.

That's a lot of homeschoolers! No wonder they are willing to shut the park down at Six Flags to accommodate the homeschool families! Some are even from out of state. I wonder what the biggest homeschool event is in the nation? I bet this one is close to being IT.

I'm not feeling like sitting here to type today.... Kevin is off and we're on our way to eat breakfast out for a change. He changed his days so we could get a Saturday off this week and we're excited to have some time with Daddy. I'll leave you with these links I typed up earlier this week to share:

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I've been meaning to read Christine Miller's Blog because she has a great Beating Homeschool Burnout series. Go check that out if you are like me and have the Spring Playing Hookies!

If you are interested in an awesome story of triumph for a seriously wounded soldier and a testimony to his mother's love.... Alan's Angels is the story for you. Alan's complete story (worth the thirty minutes it takes to read it) at the Washington Post article which is linked on his site. Be prepared (you'll need a box of tissue).

I can't remember if I've posted this link before, but I certainly needed to read this article again: Am I Really Supposed to be Homeschooling? by Crosswalk.

Dana over at Principled Discovery invited me to join HomeschoolschoolBuzz.com's Blog Watch, and I checked their site out earlier this week. They have a lot of talented bloggers that are being piped into their main page! Thanks, Dana!

Since I've been neglecting my food blog for so long, I thought I'd make it up to my friend Meena at Hooked on Heat and link her blog here as well. I love Indian Food, and she has a lot of very interesting recipes. She just moved her site and re-did her template, and it looks great. All her old recipes from the last site are probably linked somewhere! I'm going to link her on my other blog when I get time to sit and type out the recipe stack I have waiting to be posted! Headmistress, zookeeper at The Common Room has tagged me (ever so long ago), to fill out a kitchen meme. I'm working on getting to this, but I think I'll put the answers on Gathering Manna! Check there early next week and maybe I'll be posting there again!

Here's a neat link I've been wanting to explore myself, but have not had time yet. I thought I would share it with you all: MSN Kids and Money

Resolution Check! How have your plans to exercise and loose weight turned out so far for your January '06 Resolutions? It's nearly half way through the year and most people are loosing steam. Here's an article to help you get your exercise goals back on the jogging trail: The Best Time to Do Everything by Prevention.com


Technorati Tags: Homeschooling, Health, Homeschool, Soldier, Iraq, Education, Links, Convention, Texas, Homeschool Events, Summer, Field Trips, Roller Coasters, Fun, Kitchen, Food

Wal-Mart Woes

If you haven't read this article... I would highly suggest you stop on over. I think we all KNOW this information deep down... but are we willing to forge over a few more dollars to keep American jobs in America?

Here's a snip of the article:

"People ask, 'How can it be bad for things to come into the U.S. cheaply? How can it be bad to have a bargain at Wal-Mart?' Sure, it's held inflation down, and it's great to have bargains," says Dobbins. "But you can't buy anything if you're not employed. We are shopping ourselves out of jobs."

- Steve Dobbins (CEO of Carolina Mills, a 75-year-old North Carolina company that supplies thread, yarn, and textile finishing to apparel makers--half of which supply Wal-Mart)


Technorati Tags: Wal-Mart, Sales, Business, Wages, China, Imports, Grocery, Finance, Money, Jobs, Purchasing, Opinion, Products, Household, Living, Life, Goods, Shopping, Economy

I'm Just Not Cool Anymore

Romans 14:4 - Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

One day you're up, one day you're down. This Saturday night, I was certainly on the down side. As if that wasn't a kick in the stomach, somehow I went from Mammal to Bird in the ecosystem this weekend as well. I am de-evolving - a puddle of cyber slime. We all need a little humility lesson now and then. Trouble is, I seem to be one who is in constant "schooling" in this area. I got quite a lesson this weekend.

We did our budget Saturday night, or rather, our budget did us - talk about raining on your holiday parade. I decided, before we were heading out the door to go see "Chicken Little" with the kids... that we should at least pay a few bills first. We discovered that even with our huge scale-backs (apartment vs. house, no traveling and gasoline cut back since we're now living as one family and no-longer commuting, eating at home rather than eating out, etc.) that we are still going to be living on the razor's edge of "paycheck-to-paycheck" or worse. My sweet husband (who I don't deserve) brushed off my offers to get a seasonal job or a part time job and said that if need be, we would get rid of one of the vehicles instead.

We also got introduced at church as the new members this weekend. After my prayers to God over our finances the night before (and skipping the movie to save money) we were delighted to find that God was about the business of answering our prayers the very next morning at church services. The class, the worship service, the introduction as members, and even the people who came up to talk with us after church seemed to all have something from God to tell us. Before we even got off our pew, we were invited to a Dave Ramsey financial peace course starting in January. It was one of those "feeling like you are in the center of the universe" moments.

Even the beginning of the morning at church in our class was "geared towards us"... the teacher in our class was discussing how God used flawed and sinful people to work His will out in the past (Noah got drunk, Abraham lied and gave his wife to other men because he was afraid of being killed, Moses killed people... and David was an adulterous murderer!). The point was that even when you're sinful and a "BIG LOOSER" (like we've been feeling lately in our exile)... you can still be used by God and do His will.

If that wasn't enough, we got a great sermon in service that kept the lesson moving forward. I could almost feel God whispering, "This message is for you" in my ear as the preacher spoke. The sermon was about how trials and setbacks are going to happen to you that will shake your faith, (death of a loved one, financial collapse, loss of a job, death of a child, etc.) and during those times you need to keep moving forward in honesty with the Lord - to force yourself to do the things that will bring you closer to God. Our tendency (mine for sure) is to fall away and melt into the woodwork when life deals us these blows. The preacher said we need to PRAY even when we feel like God isn't listening, READ our Bible even when it's message rings hollow, FELLOWSHIP even when we would rather be alone, and GO TO CHURCH even when we would rather be anywhere else.

I have to admit that over this past year, as much as I have wanted in my heart to be close to God, it has been a really trying time for me. I have fallen away from my personal study time, Bible reading, prayer, and church attendance. It was easier to get overwhelmed and wrapped up in all the trails than to try and take control of them by prayer and fasting.

Speaking of prayer and fasting... I ran across a verse yesterday that I wanted to share....

In Mark 9, a father pleads with Jesus to heal his son who has been sick since birth with a demon who has made him mute and thrown him into convulsions. Jesus had given the power to cast out demons and heal to his apostles, yet they were unable to heal the boy. When the apostles asked Jesus privately why it was that they couldn't cast it out, he told them:

Mark 9:29 - And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

I think that some troubles and some lessons are so deep and hard that only a committed effort and bond with God will help you dig out of them. Maybe it is time for me to pray and fast.

In this same chapter, the father who is pleading for his son makes the mistake of expressing his doubt to Jesus that He could heal his son. "IF you can", he says. "If I can?" asks Jesus...

Then comes the moment of truth... "I DO BELIEVE. HELP ME IN MY UNBELIEF!" This is where all the talk is swept away, and the action starts. I can pretend I believe that God will fix things all day long. But when I empty my heart and honestly express my doubts to God, it is then that HE will go the extra mile to truly bring me out of my doubt and into His light.

I may not ever be "cool" again (and that's OK), but I will be on the other side of this test... and my Lord can make me stand victorious.

Praise God that He can use fault-ridden sinners like me.

It WOULD happen after I leave Texas...

Article by "FOX NEWS 7 - Austin", forwarded to me by a Texas friend today...

Texas Supreme Court Rules Property Tax Unconstitutional

By APRIL CASTRO
Associated Press Writer

AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas school districts illegally tax property owners to pay for public education and the state must find a new way to fund schools by June 1 or classrooms will remain closed in the fall, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. Texas' highest civil court ruled that the property taxes for schools have become an unconstitutional statewide property tax and charged lawmakers with repairing the $30 billion funding system. State funding would be stopped if the deadline isn't met.

The nine-member Republican panel agreed 7-1 with one of three arguments in a lawsuit brought against the state by hundreds of school districts, but found the system meets constitutional requirements for "adequate education" and equitable facilities funding. Justice Scott Brister dissented and Justice Don Willett did not participate.

June 1 is an extension of an earlier court deadline set in the long-running case, and one lawmaker said it this one is much more serious.

"This time the Supreme Court has ruled. There is no back door," said Texas Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, a member of the House Public Education Committee. "This deadline is a real, hard, firm deadline. At that point, you can't finance schools the same way, you have to make the system constitutional, otherwise you run the risk of not being able to open schools in August."

The court declined to offer its own solution, pushing the issue back to lawmakers.

Republican Gov. Rick Perry praised the ruling and said he plans to call lawmakers back to Austin to take up the issue in a special legislative session "at an appropriate time before that deadline." The Legislature has failed to remedy the system during the last two regular sessions and three 30-day special sessions called by Perry. "I'm also pleased to see that the court agreed with a position that I have long advocated: simply pouring more money into the same system will not alleviate the property tax problem," Perry said."Our entire tax system needs substantial reform to make it fair, more modern and that will ensure schools have a reliable stream of revenue."

The court has been considering the case for months on appeal from a district court in Austin. Property-rich and poor districts sued, claiming the method for funding education did not meet requirements set in the state constitution.

State District Judge John Dietz in September 2004 agreed. He ordered that the three problems get repaired or the state would have to halt funding for schools Oct. 1. That deadline was suspended pending the high court ruling.

The state appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that changes to the system should be made by the Legislature, not the courts.

"The court recognized -- as all Texans recognize -- that we can and should do a better job of educating students in Texas," said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, whose office represented the state in the case. "But, just because we can do a better job does not mean that the job being done now is unconstitutional."

The Supreme Court agreed with the plaintiffs' argument that the system is unconstitutional because so many school districts are forced to tax property owners at the maximum limit of $1.50 per $100 in property value. That amounts to a statewide property tax because districts don't have room to set their own rates, the high court ruled.

Districts argued that to fund all state and federal education mandates -- such as the 22-student per class limit and minimum teacher salaries -- they must tax at the legal limit. The property tax cap, they said, had become both a minimum and a maximum rate.

Money for the Texas school system comes primarily from property taxes and a loophole-ridden franchise tax. The business tax probably will be overhauled to make more entities pay.

While the court said that state spending on education satisfies the constitutional requirements of an "adequate" education, the ruling cast doubt on the future of the system if there is not "increased funding, improved efficiencies, or better methods of education."

"The court is obviously worried about the future of the system," said Scott McCown, a retired state judge whose decisions helped shape Texas' school funding system.

Perry has appointed former comptroller John Sharp, a Democrat and former political rival, to head a commission that will recommend how to restructure the tax system that pays for schools. It met for the first time Monday.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

11/22/05

My comment: FINALLY. We were almost sank last year over property taxes. I paid $4,780 in taxes on my 2,400 square foot house. Now, tell me, is that fair? My kids don't even go to public school! "Restructure" is right. They need to go to a flat tax across the board - tax everyone the same, and no more than 10% of your income in ALL FORMS of taxation combined. Cars, Sales, Income, Property, whatever... it all needs to equal a TOTAL of 10%. I shouldn't be giving the government more than I give the church! My worry is that even with these changes, they will find a way to "sock it to us"... but it is nice to think that this ruling is a step in the right direction for Texas.

Technorati Tags: politics, News, Current Affairs, Media, culture, Society, Opinion, Law, Government, School, Texas, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Texas Politics

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Sneaky Late Night Post

I've decided to head home. Yup, I'm headed back to Texas. We checked into renting furniture and it was the same price (per month) as a rental truck would be (once). I don't have to be great at Math to figure that a one-time payment of over 300$ would be better than a monthly payment of over 300$. Right? So, we're headed home to sort through storage, and hopefully we can get some family and friends to help us load the truck up Saturday.

Sara? You out there? :)

Anyway... I'm packing up my computer tomorrow... and I'll be on the road for a few days. Happy Trails to me. Until we meet again. Don't worry, my little blogish friend, it probably won't be much longer than Monday or Tuesday... hope to "see you" then.

Woeful Wednesday

You might say that the inspection went dismally awry... or you could just say that we are two-hundred dollars lighter. I'd say that it was a well-spent two-hundred, though, considering the repair issues we would have been stuck with had we not hired someone today. The half-basement on this house had a crawl space behind it that faced the sloping hill the house was built on. Inside this space, we discovered a natural spring coming out of the ground, a pool of water and a muddy, broken sump pump, some foundation step-cracks in the concrete blocks holding up the garage, and a river and mud pit where the French drain under the garage entry was leaking under the house. Not to mention we found termite damage that was so extensive that the foyer floor and some other wood under the house would have to be replaced. The water heater was manufactured in 1977. It was rusting out from both ends and had a leak in a pipe. One of the sinks downstairs wasn't working, although the pipes looked new. There was no pantry (something I'm not sure how I overlooked the first two times we saw the house). Although the heater man was there to service the heater, and it did come on, he notified us that the unit was at least thirty years or older, and he knew it was only a matter of time before it needed to be replaced (to the tune of three or four thousand dollars). The roof also had some buckling because of poor ventilation, and there was some kind of animal droppings up there. The attic crawl space was very tiny, and the drainage on the back of the house needed to be revamped. The repairs were around or over ten thousand dollars worth - not including the barely functioning heating unit. For as much money as they were asking, we could have bought a slightly smaller NEW home, and saved ourselves the worry of never being able to re-sell it again. I don't want to be stuck out of state forever... and with our last house being in "NEW" condition and taking over eight months to sell... I'm just NOT feeling the love.

So, it looks like we're moving next door to some apartments near the hotel. I went by and looked at them today. Not a SUPER area, but not the ghetto, either. I'm considering this a credit card punishment... and a lesson learned. Cracker box it is.

On a light note (Lord knows I need to focus on the positives right now), I've been watching a particular tree out of the hotel window for two weeks now. When we pulled in the tree was green with the top leaves barely showing a slight orange tint. Over the days, the tree has been changing before our eyes. It is varying degrees of orange and red, and the top is almost entirely a cranberry wine color. Behind it, there is a tree that is entirely yellow. I've seen a lot of lovely red Japanese Maples as well. I think the tree outside our window is a Fruitless Pear Tree. We had two in our front yard at our last house. I am pretty sure those are not turning the same colors these are. I also saw a Monarch Butterfly this morning. It was soaring effortlessly like a bird. I am a butterfly lover, and I also love the autumn season.

Keep us in your prayers. I almost skipped blogging today because I've been a little somber. With the Lord's help, we will pull out of it soon!

Anyone else have the urge to eat a Special Dark Chocolate Bar?

Houses, Houses, Houses

Well, we've seen our share of the real estate market here in this town... and we've found quite a few that were to our liking. We lost out on a contract last night for a little two-story, New-England style (built in 1966) bungalow with a high roof pitch, gobs of curb appeal, hard wood floors, chic crystal light fixtures, faux leather and plaster wall treatments, and three bedrooms with reading nooks in each! I had a feeling we wouldn't be the only contract they got after the open house ended. When I heard they got another contract, I had a feeling our deal (asking for closing allowance) would not be the one they accepted. I'm chalking it up as God's will and trying to keep my chin up.

There is another house we saw yesterday that we are going to make an offer on today. It is built down the side of a hill (scary), and the back part is considered basement. It has four bedrooms, and a lot of extra space. It has potential, but the view from the street leaves little to be desired. Maybe a good coat of paint (even over the bricks) and some landscaping can turn this house around?

If this deal falls through, I'm going to turn in that apartment application. No more of this house hunting for me. I'm ready to end our "break" and return to a regular schedule. Mom is gone, and got home safely to Texas. We miss her a lot. I am running some errands today and we are eating in our hotel room to save money (went out and got groceries). Thank the Lord this hotel has a little refrigerator and microwave. I'm giving up reading food labels and being healthy somewhat - you have to make allowances when you have no stove, counter tops, or pots and pans.

Keep us in your prayers. I have a short prayer list for today if you don't mind adding it to your own:

• Our housing dilemma
• My friend Ammie's Dad and her husband's job
• My cousin Brooks who is out of a job and pretty depressed
• My friend Christi's family (just went through a divorce and her husband isn't doing well)
• My mom's hand and her financial situation
• India and Pakistan and those suffering there
• A lady in our hotel who's daughter had a transplant last week
• For us to find a church home here

That's what's on my mind today. I think I'm going to see if I can find a library and call a homeschooling friend to make plans for tomorrow.

God bless to all.