Kurrent and Komplete Kitchen

We have lived in our house for just over 6 years.  When we moved in, there was a lot of work to be done.  The entire house was covered in old, nasty wall-paper and stained carpet.  The first thing we did was assess what we could live with, what we had to get rid of right away, and what we could afford.  We got rid of all the wall-coverings and painted, then slowly worked on everything else.  Now it's six years later and we're still working on everything else.  But that's because we do what we can when we have not only the time, but also the money.  And we make everything else work until we can work on it.

The kitchen probably needed the most work.  We had to buy a refrigerator but the rest of the appliances were here.  They were functional, but nothing to look at, and nothing that had any bells or whistles.  The oven was black with a white top, the dishwasher was white, and we had bought a black fridge with the intention of going all black in the kitchen someday.  The appliances worked most of the time and, in the case of the stove, was original to the house when built in 1979.  The floor was old, worn linoleum that showed the perfect triangle path from sink to fridge to stove (and where the 4 chairs had been at the table for several years).



First thing we replaced?  The floor.  It was so old and scarred and just felt beyond dirty to me because it was also pitted.  Yuck.  Then we replaced the stove.  I got a beautiful flat cooktop and an oven that was considerably larger than the old one.  Not only that, but all the burners work on the new stove!  The next thing to be replaced was the dishwasher.  The old one didn't get our dishes clean and was horrendously loud.   In the meantime our microwave also died and was replaced with a nice, new and sleek model.  All that was left was the range hood.  The disgusting, grease-laden, impossible to get clean, white, loud and inefficient range hood. (and I don't know how many times I gouged my forehead on those sharp corners!)

And here's the new range hood, my new love...

Take a look at that beauty!  Not only does my kitchen now look consistent and current, but it's also quiet!  The old fan was so loud that I couldn't hear conversations at the kitchen table if I was cooking.  And the fan was so permanently gross and greasy that I had to always use it on high for it to be effective--and that's using the term mildly.  It did the bare minimum of sucking out the steam and stank from my cooking.  But this new one...oh it works so great and so quiet and looks so good.  And the filters can go in my dishwasher!!  How awesome is that?  My old filters I would soak in hot, soapy water for an hour and then scrub with an old toothbrush--all to get them as clean as possible which was about 25% clean.  Ugh.  So happy to see him gone!! 

See how much of a face-lift our kitchen has had?  We replaced the refrigerator, oven, dishwasher, microwave, floor, and 2 light fixtures (on the ceiling and above the sink).  We removed some wall-paper, painted, added vinyl wall lettering, and took the doors off the peninsula cupboards.  Now to finish removing the old wall-paper, get new counter-tops, put up a back-splash, replace the door/drawer pulls...

The girls planted sunflowers at Sunday school and are so excited they are growing! 

Tell me, how many of you have a fridge like mine?  I know they say that a clean fridge door can make the room seem bigger and cleaner, but I have 3 kids and do daycare.  I will not get rid of the ABC magnets that keep them occupied while I cook.  And my HUGE dry-erase calendar? I live and breathe by that thing.

Funny Money

One thing that I haven't shared about very much is the fact that the Full Man Grown has been laid off of work for a long time.  Like over a year and a half.  He is a carpenter and with the current economy, no one is building much of anything.  Businesses are waiting to see how things pan out and banks aren't loaning much money.   What does that say for the carpenters out there?  Trouble.

Full Man Grown had been working for a company for several years and making great money.  We don't have any credit cards and live within our means, but we were living near the top end of our means.  Even though we didn't have brand-new vehicles or the latest electronic devices, we did spend a lot of money eating out or going to events like concerts, plays, etc.  Then his company started laying off people.  At first it was just a few, then more and more.  They went from over 300 carpenters (it was a huge company) to 45 in less than six months.  Let me tell you, every Friday that he came home and hadn't been told not to come back, we breathed a huge sigh of relief.  Then his day came.  He was laid off one Friday and only two weeks later the company closed their doors.  Ouch.

We were scared of what was going to happen to our family.  Since I stay home and do daycare part-time, my income was hardly enough to support our family.  Full Man Grown's unemployment was decent, but not what we were used to and not guaranteed for a long period of time.  He was able to find various things to supplement, but it was hard.  Somehow, we made it.  At times, it was really hard and we were playing the "If I pay this now, this other one can wait up to a week before they charge us a late fee" game more often than I liked.  But somehow, we always had enough.  Things would look really dire, and we'd get a reimbursement check from our insurance company or someone else for an overpayment.  I knew without a doubt that God was watching over and providing for us.

Thankfully, FMG is back to work again with a new company.  But you know what?  We haven't gone back to our old habits.  I still act as though we're on the brink of our finances and buy only what we need, with just a small number of wants sprinkled in.  We pay our bills and put everything else into savings or apply them as an extra payment on other bills.  Never again will we put ourselves into the position we were in with his lay-off.  Here are some of the things we do:

1)  We don't have a credit card.  Unfortunately, we are still paying off an old credit card from when we were first married, FMG was working a low-pay job, I was finishing college and we had a newborn baby.  We had to rely on it more than we wanted but after I finished school and FMG became a journeyman carpenter, we closed the account.  It's almost paid off now, and we can't wait for that money to be freed up!

2) We spoke with our accountant to figure out what we should claim on FMG's taxes with his job.  If you file 0 dependents, the maximum amount of taxes will be taken out of your check each week.  The more you claim, the smaller your deducted taxes and more you'll take home with each check.  For our family and situation, she suggested a certain number to claim that should get us more in each paycheck but result in a small (think $1000 or so) refund each spring.  We decided that we wanted to get a bit larger refund but still not have it be outrageous, so we claimed just less than what she recommended.

3) We follow some of Dave Ramsey's basic rules and suggestions for cutting down on our debt and obligations.  The main one we use is paying the minimum payments on each bill, but applying as much extra as possible to the lowest total bill.  In our case, it was my student loan, which we paid off recently--before FMG was back to work full time.  Now we're applying what we were paying on that account each month to finish off that pesky credit card from several years ago.  When we're done with that, we will be debt free except for our mortgage, which we'll work on paying off in the same fashion.

4) We have a savings account that we automatically contribute to with each paycheck.  FMG gets paid on Wednesdays, so I have it set up to transfer money each Thursday to our savings.  Since it's automatic and right after each paycheck, I don't really notice the difference or that it's missing.  But if I need it, I can transfer back to the checking in a pinch.

5) We run all major--think over $50--purchases past each other before we make them, unless it's something like groceries and gas.  If it's a part for the vehicle, a new pair of shoes for each kid, or a replacement vacuum cleaner, it's ran past the other so we are both aware of where our money is going and when.  Plus, if you have to hash it out, sometimes you realize it's something you don't necessarily need, thus keeping spontaneous purchases to a minimum.

6) Anything above and beyond our normal weekly income is either put into savings, used for fun activities, or ear-marked and saved for a bigger purchase.  Last week I watched two of my daycare kids an extra day than normal.  That money went to eating out on Friday night because I just didn't feel like cooking.  FMG sometimes will get a small side-job here or there, and that money will go to savings.  One thing we're saving up for?  A new vent hood for my stove since the 30 year old one we have now is on it's last leg.  (I cannot wait, as it's the only appliance we haven't replaced in the kitchen but it's coming up very soon!)

7) We do not have car loans.  Now, in reading that, you may think that we drive old clunkers.  That's somewhat true, but not completely.  FMG commutes 1.5 hours to work each day and drives an old Honda Accord that gets 30+ mpg.  We paid cash for it after saving up the money.  We also own a Dodge Durango that is 12 years old.  We bought it when we were first married and it was a wonderful vehicle to us, giving us plenty of room for our growing family.  The loan has been long paid off but we continue to drive it when we need to.  It's no longer in the best shape and isn't our family vehicle anymore, but it still works for various needs or as an extra vehicle that will fit everyone in a pinch.  Our other vehicle is a newer Dodge truck with 4 doors and lots of bells and whistles.  This is our family vehicle and we paid for most of it with cash and the rest with a loan from a good family friend who owns his own business.  FMG has worked off the loan (which was about $5000) in just under a year.

8) I talked to our utilities and asked about discounts or ways to save on our bill.  We have satellite tv and receive lots of mailings from another company that advertised for lower prices.  I called our current company and told them I was thinking of switching and asked what they could do to keep me.  Their response?  They took $20 off each bill for the next 12 months with no contract obligation and no other changes to our service.  When the year is up in a few months, I'll revisit my options.  We bundled our phone services and internet to save over $30 a month. 

Now I know we aren't perfect and still have a long way to go when it comes to managing our finances.  But right now, things are going well and we're working towards our goals in a consistent, steady manner.  Hopefully some of this has inspired one of you to work on your finances and realize that while it does take some sacrifice and discipline, it's not impossible to get on top of your money while still having fun and living life, as well.

Sometimes Life Gets in the Way

Have you ever realized that sometimes, life gets in the way of all the things we want to do?  I want to be a good and consistent blogger.  I enjoy writing and hope that my writing can help just one person.  If so, then it's all worth it. 

But sometimes, that Life thing gets in the way.  These last few weeks, life has been both my joy and my irritation.  I have attended school events, parties, practices for the church musical, dinners, visited with friends from out of town and all other fun things that take up time.  But I've also been doing a lot of laundry, dishes, spring cleaning, organizing, and other not-so-fun things that have taken my time.  And one thing that hasn't taken much time?  Blogging.  For that I apologize.  But I also know that since those who do read this blog are also moms and wives, you all understand.  You know how life can get crazy and leave you so little time that when you do get 5 minutes, the last thing you want to do is sit at the computer and think.  Again.

Thankfully, my mind is feeling refreshed after the blogging break.  I have all sorts of ideas in my head and stories to share.  Hopefully, I can get back in the swing of things and get cracking here again.  I hope you'll still stick with me and if you feel so moved, share me with your friends and family.  I promise to have some good things coming up very soon.  Until then...

We're Back in Action

We have gone on vacation and I'm happy to say, we all made it home in one piece.  It was our first time taking the kids on an airplane or away from home for more than 3 days.  Of course, we also had my parents, my sister, my in-laws and my sister-in-law to help out...but still.  As parents, we still did the majority of things for and with the girls even though we had other adults to help us out.  I guess once you're in the groove, it's hard to get out.

We went to Florida and had a wonderful time!  We went to the 4 Disney parks--Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom (twice).  We also went to the beach on our first and last days there, with the last day including watching Space Shuttle Discovery launch while laying on our blanket on the beach. 

The girls loved being with the whole family together.  They loved their first trip to the ocean and playing at the beach.  They loved the parks and all they had to offer.  They loved meeting all the characters.  They loved swimming in an outdoor pool in February (such a treat to us northerners!)  They loved buying souvenirs with their own money.  They loved writing in their journals each night about the day's activities. 

Full Man Grown and I loved seeing their smiles and hearing their squeals of delight with each new discovery or sighting or experience.  We loved that Scrat was shaking because she was so excited to meet her favorite princess, Belle.  We loved that Picasso continued in her true dare-devil, thrill-seeker form and liked all the roller coasters best.  We loved that Brainiac read each sign and plaque and tried to learn all she could while at the various parks.  We loved that the girls repeatedly thanked all of us for such a great time and vacation.  We loved that both of our families were together for the first time in years.  We loved that while basking in the 80s and sunshine, we missed a 12" snowstorm here at home.

Vacation was wonderful.  We all loved it.  We can't wait to do it again.

The Full Man Grown

I thought I'd introduce you all to my partner in crime--The Full Man Grown.  I would actually introduce you with pictures and such, but he doesn't really know that he wants his face on here (even with my so-far limited readers)  I respect that, but he didn't say anything about the rest of him.  Evil, I know.  In the pic below, he's wearing a pink shirt because all the guys we were camping with were--it's kind of an inside joke.  And that's one of his loyal sidekicks, our dog Sunny.

So there he is.  He's a pretty good-looking chunk of man-flesh, if I do say so myself.  We've been together for a long time--since high school--but he's one of those guys that gets more and more attractive with age.  He's losing his hair, but that's okay because I like his head shaved and bald better.  He has naturally straight teeth (one of the things I don't like him for) and the most amazing dimples.  His eyes are like chocolate and always have a twinkle in them because he's very seldom serious for long.  He's 6'2" and almost solid muscle from growing up on a farm and continuing to still work on the farm from time to time and have a career as a carpenter.  I don't think he's ever lifted weights to build up muscle or for the "sport" of it, but he has the naturally built muscle that's so much more attractive.   

Now, I don't want you to think that I'm all shallow and only into the FMG for his looks.  While I do enjoy looking at him, it's the last thing I really care about.  He's honestly the perfect guy for me.  He is the big tough guy who is sexy and a little scary at the same time, but inside he's the biggest marshmallow and sweetest man.  He cried at our wedding when he saw me coming down the aisle.  He cried so hard at Brainiac's birth that our family thought something was wrong (he cried for Picaso and Scrat, too).  He cried the first time he heard each of the girls sing in front of the church.   But he's incredibly strong.  He can take so much and is my solid rock whenever I need him.  He works hard so that I can stay home with our girls.  He gives me my time away to re-energize when I need it.  He's just as comfortable with a My Little Pony as he is with his hammer or tractor.  He has literally carried our family both physically and mentally for years.  He is who the song "Tough Little Boys" by Gary Allan was written about.

The Full Man Grown also has a crazy sense of humor that fits mine perfectly.  We laugh all the time about things most people would think ridiculous or just plain strange.  We are that couple that finishes each other's sentences, starts saying the same think at the same time, will think up the same plans without consulting with one another.  We honestly have mostly the same interests--we love being outside, we love time with family, we love sports, we love animals, we hunt, we camp, we fish.  He doesn't scrapbook, and I don't work on engines, but we talk with each other about these activities.  We make an effort to know.

We also fight.  Like the Kenny Chesney song, "I Lost It", says--No one can make me smile or drive me mad like (s)he does.  Oh, there are days I want to strangle him and I know he feels the same about me.  We have had some doozy fights and not talked for a day.  We struggle to sleep as far from one another in the bed as possible and we say as little as we can to each other until it blows up again and we settle it the next day.  We also have the same little squabbles that everyone does--I get mad because he didn't take out the garbage, he gets mad because I let it pile up.  We vent, we don't talk for an hour, and we get over it.  We are both far from perfect and we know it and sometimes we let each other know it, too.  But thankfully, these fights don't identify us.  

Even when I want to boot him in the butt, I couldn't imagine not having the Full Man Grown in my life.  He is my sun and my rain, my light and my dark.  He balances me perfectly, puts up with me, and makes me who I am.  I am a much better person with him in my life.  I hope that you all have that person that you want to simultaneously strangle, kiss and laugh with.  Will you tell me about that person in the comments? 

Red and Green

No, this post isn't revisiting Christmas.  I promise.  But I am going to talk about the two typical Christmas colors--red and green.  As a little side note, red is my favorite color, and green is Full Man Grown's favorite color.  But I'm not really going to talk about that either.

Today is Wear Red Day.  It's a day dedicated to wearing red to bring attention to women's heart health.  Heart disease in women is a major killer, but most people focus on illnesses like breast cancer or other cancers.  These causes are very important, don't get me wrong.  But heart disease tends to be a more silent and less discussed illness in women.  And it shouldn't be, not when it's the #1 killer of American women.

My grandmother died from a massive heart attack nine years ago, just days before 9/11.  I still remember getting the phone call, late in the evening, and just sitting there in shock.  Brainiac was not even a year old and she, as well as any future children we would have, would never know what an amazing woman my gramma was.  They wouldn't know her infectious giggle, her wonderful food, her funny songs and stories, at least not from the true source.  Ever since then, I've been more conscientious about what I put into my body and how I take care of myself.  I try to eat healthy and I try to be active so that I can carry on my gramma's legacy and pass on her stories.  So please, take care of your heart--eat healthy, exercise, get regular check-ups.  And every time you wear red, please think of those who have been lost to heart disease.

In a terrible transition, now I will talk about green and why I will probably have a heart attack this weekend.  My boys, the Green Bay Packers, are playing in the Super Bowl.  If that's the first you've heard that, you need to get out more.  But really, I take my football very seriously.  I grew up in a football loving family and I've always been a huge fan of the sport.  In high school I was a football cheerleader and when Full Man Grown and I started dating, I started him on the love of the sport.  I watch or listen to every Packer game, the whole family will be decked out in shirts and hats, and if the game is a close one, I'm usually hoarse by the end of it from yelling at the tv.  Yep, I love them.  And they're in the Super Bowl, Baby!  So please cheer for my boys this weekend.  We'd all appreciate it.

Improvisation

Sometimes, I think one of the best skills to possess in life--especially as a parent-- is the skill to improvise.  When we are parents, nothing goes the way it's supposed to all the time.  I'd even go so far as to say it never hardly ever goes the way it's supposed to, whether we're talking a meal or an art project or a vacation.  It's a simple fact of life.  Sometimes things go horribly wrong, sometimes the wrong is so tiny we're the only one that even realizes it.  But we must all be flexible and be willing to improvise when the time arises.

Like this morning, for example.  This is one of the small wrongs/improvisations that I think only a parent can really appreciate.  Scrat was upstairs getting dressed for the day.  She was singing along, picking out her clothes and having a grand time.  Then the singing stopped, I heard a few groans, and she came stomping down the stairs.

"Mommy, I need you to help me."  She was holding her pants in her hand, so I assumed she needed help with the button.

"What's up, kiddo?"  I was checking FaceBook and having some funny banter with a girlfriend on her status update.  This girlfriend is in Germany so I seldom get to actually "chat" with her.  It was important and stuff.

Scrat proceeded to pull down her underwear and throw them at me.  "That tag is all itchy.  Can you cut it off please?!"

Now, Scrat really dislikes when underwear have an actual tag instead of the screen-printed labelling.  Not only did this new pair (which I didn't buy her--I know better) have a real tag, but this tag is in the side seam.  For Scrat, this is a HUGE deal and one of her biggest issues when it comes to clothes.  She simply cannot stand the side-seam tags on her underwear and has even been known to throw them away if I don't cut off the tag in time. 

Here's another thing about parenting--nothing is ever in it's place when you need it.  I have a pair of scissors that are not to leave my desk drawer.  So I grabbed the underwear, opened the drawer and...Nada.  Nothing.  No scissors.  I moved everything around in the drawer and on my desktop.  Nope, no scissors.  Then I remembered that Picasso had asked to use them the night before and apparently she'd forgotten to put them back.  Well, she was now at school so I couldn't ask her where they were.  I could have gotten up and gone to the kitchen for another pair of scissors, or even a knife.  But honestly, I didn't want to.  I was pulling a lazy.  But I still got the tag off.  With what you ask?

The tape dispenser.  Oh yes I did.  I sawed at the tag with the cutting edge of the tape dispenser and in about 5 seconds it was gone.  I proudly handed over the Tinkerbell underwear, put the tape back in the drawer where it belongs for future use, and continued my FaceBook banter without a blink of the eye.  That, my friends, is Improvisation.