Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Thanksgiving is Coming

I'm on the verge of turkey thawing, pie baking, table setting and house cleaning for our guests who will be here tomorrow! Can it be that close already? Yay! We somehow convinced Ben's family they should come down and visit us for Thanksgiving, and we're so excited. To get in the mood, my friend Cyndi sent out this email. Just had to post it for any who wanted a good thanksgiving laugh:
THE GOOD NAPKINS

Ahhhhh The joys of having Girls. My mother taught me to read when I was four years old (her first mistake). One day, I was in the bathroom and noticed one of the cabinet doors was ajar I read the box in the cabinet. I then asked my mother why she was keeping ''napkins' in the bathroom. Didn't they belong in the kitchen? Not wanting to burden me with unnecessary facts, she told me that those were for 'special occasions' (her second mistake).

Now fast forward a few months . . . It's Thanksgiving Day, and my folks are leaving to pick up my uncle and his wife for dinner. Mom had assignments for all of us while they were gone. Mine was to set the table (her third mistake).

When they returned, my uncle came in first and immediately burst into laughter. Next came his wife, who gasped, then, began giggling. Next came my father, who roared with laughter. Then came Mom, who almost died of embarrassment when she saw each place setting on the table with a 'special occasion' Kotex napkin at each plate, with the fork carefully arranged on top. I had even tucked the little tail in so they didn't hang off the edge!! My mother asked me why I used these and, of course, my response sent the other adults into further fits of laughter.'But, Mom, you said they were for special occasions!!!'


Wednesday, November 19, 2008

I Spy Fabric Weakness

If I didn't already have a hard time restraining myself from buying cute fabric, these I spy bags have definitely done it to me. At least I only need a little of each so I'm not totally breaking the bank. Here are the options

I Spy Fabric Weakness

If I didn't already have a hard time restraining myself from buying cute fabric, these I spy bags have definitely done it to me. At least I only need a little of each so I'm not totally breaking the bank. Here are the newest options I've bought:

I Spy Fabric Weakness

If I didn't already have a hard time restraining myself from buying cute fabric, these I spy bags have definitely done it to me. At least I only need a little of each so I'm not totally breaking the bank. Here are the newest options I've bought:


Monday, November 10, 2008

Halloween 2008


Batman (Ben), Pegasus (Samantha), Pumpkin (Anabelle), Rapunzel (Alaura), Spider Girl (Talia)

We did a quick trip to a few of the neighbors, then hit the ward Trunk-or-Treat and ended up at a party at the Beaty's where we rocked out to Rock Band, played by the fire and had a great time getting a sugar high and running around with friends. Ben & I dressed up as James Bond and Penny, but since we didn't get any pictures you'll just have to use your imagination :)

Thoughts

"...we each have moments of inspiration and revelation. We must sink them deep into the chambers of our souls. As we do, we prepare our spiritual home storage for moments of personal difficulty. Jesus said, 'Settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which I shall teach, and command you.'"

--Elder Neil L. Anderson from the talk You Know Enough.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Budget "A Ha"

How to budget on a flexible income? Ya, that's been my question for a long time, but I think I've finally come up with the solution. How to pay the bills, keep priorities straight, and not feel like I can't spend any money on fun things. I think this budget plan might work... the trial phase is coming this month. If you're like me, I keep it simple... once the bills are paid and savings set aside the rest of the money goes into one big lump where everything an anything comes out of. I tend to run out of money, find good deals or need more groceries and then lean on the credit card crutch with a balance that just keeps expanding. Well I hit my wall and had to come up with a system that would work... so after my long-winded intro, here it is:

Take INCOME

pay % for TITHING (best investment you'll ever make)

transfer % for TAXES (since we don't get it taken out) to savings account

deposit amount for FIXED EXPENSES into bank account
(fuel, utilities, insurance, car payment, you know... and make sure to have some personal savings automatically transfered to a savings account... treat it like a bill and only use it for pre-determined purposes)

The remaining money gets pulled out in CASH and divided into ENVELOPES with specific categories based on PERCENTAGES
(these catagories are ones that un-fixed spending occurs on a regular basis... analyze past spending and figure or guess what percentage of the total is spent on each respective category)

Put this money in ENVELOPES and keep a balance ledger of the spending... only buy with cash... divide it into weekly amounts to pace your spending.

So, here's an example:
Income = 2000
Taxes & Tithing = 400
Fixed Spending = 1000
Remaining = 600 pulled out in cash

Envelopes
Food 50% = 300
Non-Food Groceries 10% = 60
Christmas 10% = 60
Clothes 10% = 60
Entertainment 10% = 60
Fun Money His/Hers 10% = 60