My Complex Life

Food Storage in Uncertain Times

2011-04-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

I was raised in Utah, the daughter of devout Mormons. Those Mormons are good folks -- always willing to lend a hand and very much into being self-sufficient and never a burden (if they can help it) on society. One of the things they preach and practice is the importance of having a year's supply of food in case of an emergency. One only has to watch the news...or read Newsweek...to see that strange things are going on in the world. Emergencies can happen in any form -- earthquakes, floods, civil unrest, government collapse, economic problems (global, national, or even personal), and more.

While I've always felt more comfortable with a good supply of food in my cupboards (probably due to my Mormon upbringing), I started to get uneasy about not having enough long-term food storage -- things I could purchase now and then put away and not really think about, but have it should I need it for any reason. I started to research and found that food storage today is much better than when my mom and dad would buy bulk beans, wheat and rice and store it all in 55 gallon drums in the basement.

Now you can purchase items in more manageable #10 cans, with all of the oxygen removed, which makes the shelf live of most products 25-30 years. I visited an LDS cannery and made my first purchase -- beans, rice, pasta, flour, sugar, oats, milk, apples, and potato flakes. All in easy to store #10 cans (they fit in closets, under beds, etc -- however, the temperature in the storage area must be around 72 or below -- as when the temperature goes up, the shelf live dramatically decreases).

My children shook their heads and rolled their eyes at my latest project. I told them that if we never needed these items, that would be wonderful. In 25 or 30 years, my husband and I will be pretty old and probably living on a fixed income. We can always open the cans then and supplement our food supply with our food storage then. However, if we ever need the food storage for whatever reason, we'll all be grateful it is there!

Then I started thinking -- while my purchases were a good start, they would certainly be boring to eat after awhile and they probably would not supply all of the needed nutrition. What I wanted was some additional items that would allow me to cook my food storage and make meals similar to what we eat now! I then started researching more and found other places that sold food storage. Some companies really charge an arm and a leg for products -- but I did find that Costco and Sam's Club both sell food storage items from various companies through their websites (and in certain cases in the B&M stores). I then made another purchase -- this time of things like powdered eggs, pancake/biscuit mix, freeze-dried vegetable mixes (for soups and stews) and also texturized vegetable protein (TVP) -- a meat substitute. I found the real meat (which you CAN purchase freeze-dried) is terribly expensive. While TVP is not something I would eat on a daily basis, it now comes in various textures and flavors and would work in a pinch to supply the taste and nutrition I'm looking for. For example, you could throw some bacon or ham flavored TVP in with some beans or lentils and have red beans and rice, or lentil soup -- things that we eat often now.

My next project is to see if I can find a place where I can can my own items into #10 cans. Buying things like lentils, bulgar wheat, and split peas from companies are quite expensive. I would much rather buy in bulk from a local supplier and then take care of the canning on my own. I know it can be done (Mormons up in Utah have access to personal canners through their churches) -- I just need to figure out how and where in my area.

By the way -- when the great catastrophe happens and you start starving because you didn't plan ahead, don't come looking for food from me. I'm a big believer in the adage "Lack of preparation on YOUR part does NOT constitute an emergency on MY part." Part of my plan also includes getting some firearms and ammunition -- both for hunting and for personal protection of my family and our food :)

Family Fun!

2011-04-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

One good thing about loosing weight and exercising more is the ability it gives you to participate in fun family adventures -- things I never would have done 45 pounds and a year ago! Months ago I made a donation to the local PBS-TV station and received some tickets to steam locomotive trains in return. Since some of them were due to expire soon, we decided to take a weekend trip to Durango, Colorado to use a set of them while both of our younger kids were home on spring break. When we got there on Friday afternoon, we weren't ready to just sit around the hotel all night -- so we started reading through the brochures they had in the hotel and found an ad for a zipline that was just down the road. It turned out to be a blast! The owner and one of the workers were our own private tour guides, giving us tips and showing us how it was done. Everyone picked it up in no time and were soon flying through the trees. Here is the family on one of the platforms:

That night, we ate at Mutus -- the best Italian restaurant I've ever been to! While it was a bit on the pricey side, it was worth it. We tried all sorts of dishes we had never had before, each one as good as the last. I really appreciated that families were young children were seated upstairs, which was fun for the children and very nice for those of us who were older. The next day we took our train ride (not nearly as exciting as ziplines, but there was some beautiful scenery).

The next weekend, my older children joined the family for a short visit and we took everyone to Tent Rocks for a hike in the slot canyon and up to the top of the mesa. It is a great hike with very interesting features and a terrific view! The weather was beautiful and a good time was had by all (even those who weren't really into hiking). Here's the family on top of the mesa:

Later this month, I'm taking a day off work to join second daughter, Cherron, on another hiking trip to the top of the mountain. This time, we're taking a different route and, since it is spring, it should be a lot more comfortable, cool, and greener than it was last time. Pictures coming soon!

Blah, humbug!

2010-12-03T17:38:00.000-08:00

This has been a tough year for nearly everyone I know. Not only financially, but emotionally. It seems that most everyone feels kind of "blah" about the holiday season. Mike and I were discussing it last night and we're not sure if it is the stress (from being out of work or in stressful work conditions) or the state the country and economy is in, finances, or just a general state of apathy for whatever reason. Whatever it is -- it's not fun! I'm trying to be more upbeat and (as Monty Python would sing) "Look on the bright side of life!" I finally broke out the Christmas decorations last weekend and my goal is to finish them up this weekend. Twinkly lights and beautiful decorations always puts me in a more happy, peaceful mood!

Unfortunately, my apathy has extended to my weight loss program. By mid-October I had dropped about 37 pounds -- but since then, I've gained and lost the same three pounds over and over again. In my new "look on the bright side" philosophy, I tell myself that I am not GAINING -- and it probably does my body good to adjust to this new, smaller me. Plus, this is a hard time of year to loose due to all of the holiday food and relatives visiting. I'm still working out 3-4 days a week, but I know I need to start being more selective about the foods I'm eating. Realistically, I know that will be difficult through the first of the year -- so I plan to keep up my workouts, eat sensibly when I can, but not feel guilty if a Christmas cookie finds its way to my mouth. If I can continue maintaining through December, then January will be a good time to recommit to Weight Watchers and really track everything I eat (they just revamped the program, so it is like starting it all over anyway!)

I am going to start thinking about my New Year's Resolutions now. Of course, healthy eating and a healthy, exercised body is part of it. However, I want to be more happy in the coming year -- connecting on a better level to my spouse, family, and friends. I know that means I have to be more selfish sometimes (making time for me and the things I like), but I'm wondering if volunteering will also help. I'll keep you updated.

Oh, and here is a shout out to you, brother James! You are quite a detective to find my blog all on your own (and I'm glad to have a follower/reader -- even if it is my brother :)

Hiking!

2010-11-08T05:35:00.000-08:00

My daughter, Cherron, has always done a bit of hiking, but I haven't hiked since I was a kid. With my recent weight loss (down about 35 pounds so far) and goal to be more fit, I decided to give hiking a try. For our first hike, we decided on a real challenge -- hiking to the top of our mountain and then taking the tram back down to our car. Total miles -- about 10. I figured it would take us about five hours -- boy, did I underestimate!

We started at 9am and hiked three miles to get from the bottom of the tram to the actual trail that led up the mountains. It was hot and dry, and we were going through water quickly. I soon realized that I probably had not packed enough water and that worried me, as we had quite a ways to go. Luckily, about halfway into our trip we encountered a couple who had stopped because the girl had blisters. Cherron had a first aid kit and offered them bandages, which they were happy about. As we talked, I mentioned we were doing good, but I wondered if I had brought enough water. They promptly opened their packs and handed us each a bottle of frozen water -- as they had brought too much! What a nice experience to do some "mountain bartering"! Turns out we DID need that extra water -- it was just enough to get us to the top of the mountain.

The hike was rugged and strenuous. A lot of it was over broken granite, so you really had to watch your footing. The scenery went from scrub brush and cactus to wooded areas with pine trees and aspen. We gained about 4500 feet in elevation. My daughter's knee started to bother her when we still had about 4-5 miles to go. Luckily, she had brought an elastic bandage, so she wrapped it, but I could see each step hurt her -- but she kept going (the other option was hiking back down, and as we were more than halfway (and going down would put even more pressure on her knee) we opted to forge ahead. Finally, more than 8 hours later, we reached the top!

We took the tram back down to the bottom of the mountain and then had a great meal at a nearby barbecue restaurant. We had brought plenty of food on the hike, but never felt like eating. We knew we needed food, but even after the hike did not feel hungry. However, as soon as the waiter brought us the food, our appetites kicked in and we ate and ate! I didn't even have to feel guilty about what I was eating, as I had just burned hundreds, if not thousands of calories climbing that mountain over 8 hours! Overall, it was a great day and we decided then that we would try to do a hike at least a couple of times a month before winter set in. Next spring, we'll be making another trip to the top of the mountain -- this time by a different, longer route!

Goals

2010-08-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

Once I had my surgery in February, I decided it was time to start getting healthy. I've been overweight most of my adult life and working out is not fun for me at all. However, I was on all types of drugs for various ailments and I was in pain nearly every day -- and I knew that if I could loose some weight and get my muscles more toned, I would feel better.

So, my big goal this year is to loose weight -- not for looks, but for health! I finally broke out the Wii Fit I won last fall and weighed myself on it on March 30th -- 218 pounds and a size 18-20! I've weighed more, and I've certainly weighed less (at one period in my life when the drug Phen-fen was still being prescribed, I got down to 160 and a size 12 -- but I quit taking that and quit exercising, and it all came back).

I started going to the gym or walking 2-4 times a week and was watching what I ate. By early May, I had lost 7 pounds. Then work sent out an email inviting people to join Weight Watchers, which would be meeting once a week during lunch at work. The best thing (for a spendthrift like myself) was that it was free for the first 17 week session (and half price for additional sessions). I wasn't sure I was ready to be in a "program" -- but then I figured, why not? I was already doing it on my own -- a little more help and support couldn't hurt. So I joined.

The 17 week session just ended this past week and I've lost a total of 20 pounds while on Weight Watchers (added to the 7 pounds I had already lost on my own -- for a total of 27 pounds gone!) That is more than 10% of my original body weight. I'm wearing smaller clothes and people say I look great. In fact, one day a young man I didn't know came up to me at the gym and told me that he had noticed me working out the past few months and that he could really tell the difference from my hard work -- that really made my day! The best thing about the weight loss and activity is that I no longer have to take medication for nightly indigestion and I don't get that crippling back pain I used to have. Usually, when my body hurts these days, it's because I've added weight or intensity to my workout.

The Weight Watcher's program at work ended, but I can still get the discount if I go to meetings out in town -- which I plan to do. My goal is to loose another 20 pounds by Christmas. I'm not in any great hurry -- I want to be slow and steady, and learn how to really live realistically while being healthy. Occasionally, I really want a cookie or a soda -- and I allow myself to have treats, while eating healthy overall (and getting in the activity I need).

Another major goal I have for myself is to start thinking about what I want in a job and what kind of job would meet those needs -- and then trying to find/create that job for myself. Again, I'm not in a great hurry -- I want to really explore and find something that will be rewarding (better still would be something I love -- but rewarding works for me just now). Once Mike makes it past his 90 day probationary period and is hired full time by the corporate office, then I would feel comfortable moving to a job that perhaps does not pay as much but might offer more rewards mentally. I'm excited about that upcoming adventure and hope to be in a new, fulfilling job by spring!

Good News...and More Good News!

2010-08-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

Mike finished with his Bachelor's Degree and this summer started on his Master's Degree. He was also looking for work, but could not get so much as an interview. This town is funny that way. I noticed the same thing when I was looking for work and finally started with a temp agency, which placed me at my current job. That is how I was able to get on full time with the office when they decided to hire. Some of our patients from out of state say they have had the same problems. It's frustrating, because you know if you could get an interview, you could get a job -- but I don't know if the employers in this town post positions with someone already in mind, if they want local people for the job, or what -- but it's hard to get an "in."

Mike's unemployment is due to expire in another month, so he decided he would also start temping to see what happened. That was frustrating, because he has so much experience and should do better than a $10-$12 per hour job. However, it was a good decision, because one of the national temp agencies called him about a management job for a computer giant that has a branch in our town. Once they talked to him, they hired him the next day! After a 90 day probation period, he'll be working full time for the temp agency -- but contracted out to the computer giant. The pay is about half of what he was making before -- but enough that we can live comfortably on it, my job, and his pension from the military. He is going to continue going to school full time as well -- at least through the fall semester. He really wants to get his Master's Degree and I admire that.

In other good news, one of the problem employees at my work decided to move on to greener pastures. I was very happy to see it, as work had been pretty miserable. We still have another one of her gang that wants to do things her way -- taking time off whenever she pleases, doing the job however she sees fit, and spending hours online, texting, and on the phone. It's maddening, because she has indoctrinated another employee that this is the way things can be done -- so between the two of them, not a lot of work gets done. I'm starting to get emotionally and physically exhausted trying to cover the stuff they let fall through the cracks. We just hired a new person and will have another starting within a few weeks -- so I'm waiting to see how that works out. If they have the same type of work ethic as these two gals, then it's time for me to move on as well. Management is aware of the problems, but are never on hand to witness things -- so nothing gets done. I find going to work to be frustrating instead of rewarding, and I really want to have a job I look forward to! I'm making that one of my goals for the next year.

Another Guest Room Done!

2010-08-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

While my youngest daughter was at college last spring (and after I had recovered from my surgery), I decided to make over her room. We had painted and decorated it when we first purchased the house, and she had liked the super bright colors at the time, but her tastes had changed. I also wanted to have another guest room that friends and family could use when she was at college (or when she moves out once she graduates).

This is a before shot of her room once it had been emptied. Needless to say, all of her accessories were also in these bright yellow and salmon colors (with some lime green thrown in as well).

We purchased a very nice queen-size bed for $100 from a retired couple who were moving and had used it as a guest bed (so it was in almost new condition). I then found a "Bed in a Bag" on sale at Wal-Mart for $35. I took my color inspiration from the comforter and purchased a very neutral wheat color paint for the walls. I kept the trim and doors white and also kept the current white cellular shade for the window -- just adding a splash of color with a new turquoise valance (not shown in the pictures). We also found a great upholstered chair for $20 at a thrift shop that matches the valance and headboard. The showpiece for the room is the padded headboard! I've always wanted to make one and finally did it. The fabric was on clearance, which cut the cost down quite a bit. It ended up costing about $75 -- but I think if I do it again, I can do it for less using foam mattress pads for the padding instead of the foam I bought at the local fabric stores. What do you think?

I still have some work to do in the room. My daughter already had a few beachy accessories, like a shell wind chime and a few pictures/corkboards that fit in with the color scheme nicely. I had a few more that I salvaged from the kid's bathroom before the remodel. I need to get those up and add one more, larger piece of art on the wall across from the bed. I'm thinking I might try my hand at an abstract piece on canvas, in the colors of the room, that gives a "beach like" impression. It's something I've wanted to try after watching some decorating shows on TV -- and it doesn't look too hard. Look for my results later :)

Bathroom Remodel Reveal

2010-03-12T22:40:00.001-08:00

The kids/guest bath remodel took a bit longer than expected (what is new), but we were able to finish it up before my surgery (and before my mom came to stay to help me out afterwards). Of course, as with any remodeling job, there are always unexpected surprises. This time there was one of our own making. We checked all of the connections in the bath/shower area after installing the new tub and fixtures -- but forgot to check the DRAIN! It wasn't seated properly, so the first time my mom took a bath, quite a bit of the water went under the drain and down through the garage ceiling below (sigh!) Mike gets to spend this weekend cutting the new drywall for the garage and installing it and new insulation.

I promised some before/after pictures -- and here they are:

Before: The doorway between the vanity and bath/toilet area really made the room feel small (and it was stupid -- because there wasn't even a door there!) You can also see where my son put a hole through the tile in the shower -- turned out that the builders used regular drywall and a bad grout job -- and the drywall had turned to mush.

After: We knocked out the wall with the useless door and built a pony wall instead. It opens the room so much! We also used the same tile we used in the master bathroom (discontinued -- so it was a steal), as well as accent tile left over from our kitchen remodel -- and there is the mosaic I made. I think it looks great!

We were running short of tile by the time we got to the floor, so we created this pattern to make use of the different types/styles of tile we had left. We like it a lot! You can also see the "new" cabinets. We found a mirror we liked in an espresso colored finish -- and got paint to match. We updated the old cabinets with the new paint and hardware.

Here's a better look at the cabinets and pony wall.

My son is loving his updated bathroom! I've already started on my next project -- updating my daughter's bedroom (who spends most of the year at college) to be more adult, sophisticated, and a great looking guest room when she is away. Pictures soon to come!

Grateful for Medical Insurance!

2010-03-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting much the last few months because I was in the midst of a health crisis. It took some time for the doctors to figure out what was wrong and what parts needed to come out -- and I recently had surgery. That was good news, because they were able to fix things (and they didn't find some scary things they thought they might). The bad news was that I was out of work for a couple of weeks and I had no sick leave or short term disability, as I had not been an employee long enough. Since Mike is still out of work and going to school, this freaked me out a bit, as I worried about the money.

I'm back to work half days for now (and will go full time again in a few weeks). I'm feeling good and grateful that things went so well. I'm also very thankful that we have good medical insurance through Tricare (which we qualify for since Mike is retired military). The hospital recently sent me a bill for my surgery and overnight hospital stay -- with the doctor's fees included, it was over $20,000 for a two hour surgery and less than 24-hour hospital stay! If the insurance pays for everything they are supposed to, our out of pocket cost will be just $25!

This was a real eye-opener for me. Since I work in the medical field, I see many patients come through who have no insurance. It's bad enough when one has to pay for an office visit (which can run anywhere from $150-$300) -- but can you imagine having an emergency hospitalization and suddenly getting a bill for tens of thousands of dollars? What was also interesting to me is what the providers/hospitals will accept from contracted insurances. For example, the bill from my anesthesiologist was $1700 -- but my insurance only paid $350 as part of their contract with the hospital, which was accepted as payment in full. If the providers are willing to accept that amount -- why not just CHARGE that amount to anyone, with or without insurance?

It adds a whole new layer to the current health care debate. This is not a political blog, so I won't go into my feelings (both pro and con) towards a health care bill -- but I'm just really glad that we have insurance when it is needed.

Looking for Great Deals?

2010-03-12T21:50:00.001-08:00

I'm always on the lookout for a bargain -- and one easy way to make sure I know about online deals is through Funtasia. Not only does Michele have a great website where you can look up current deals or coupons for nearly any online shopping site -- but you can subscribe to her great Hot Deal Alert -- a daily email with the details for limited time great deals.

Check it out! I've been a subscriber for several years now and I've saved a bundle!

Wins so far this year

2010-01-30T09:56:00.001-08:00

I had a couple of nice wins in January. Both were surprizes, because I had entered and then forgot about entering the sweepstakes. One was a local drop-box entry for a $100 debit card, so that is going to come in handy! The other was delivered the other day --

We got a Blu-ray player for Christmas (to attach to one of the big screen TV's that we won last year). But we hadn't purchased any blu-ray discs to watch on it -- so this was a fun win! Even though we don't have any little kids in the house anymore, I'm always up for a good Disney animated movie! Plus, the movies that I'm not that into (like Tinkerbell and Santa's Buddies), will make great Christmas presents for my nephews. This win was valued at about $350! What was surprising to me (after going back and reviewing the sweepstakes rules) was that this was a national online sweepstakes, with unlimited entries. I think I entered only ONE time!

We're just waiting for word on a couple of local drop-box sweeps that we entered very heavily around Christmas -- one for a 42" big screen TV and the other to be in a dice roll to win a Harley motorcycle. I'm hoping all of our work pays off for both of those!

Beautiful Bathroom on a Budget!

2010-01-24T15:57:00.000-08:00

The remodeling we are doing in the kids/guest bathroom is coming along nicely! I guess the more remodeling we do, the better we get (so it seems easier). Plus, this job has not had any nasty surprises (knock wood)!

It was my goal to do this bathroom for between $1000-$2000, using leftover supplies from previous remodeling jobs, clearance items, and a lot of elbow grease. It looks like we'll come in on the low side of our budget -- and what is nice is that the bathroom will look very high end!

As we didn't want to spend $600-$1200 on a new vanity, we decided to refinish the exsisting vanity and add hardware. We opted for a beautiful espresso black/brown color. I've never painted cabinets before, so I was leery about how they might turn out -- but we love the look. The natural grain of the cabinet doors shows through the paint, making it seem like the wood has almost been stained that ebony color. We had a rather ugly medicine cabinet on the wall and I cut out the raised panel in the center and we are going to put "rain" glass in the frame that was left. With the espresso finish, the cabinets look brand new, very updated, and very expensive! We purchased an inexpensive mirror (we actually found it first and had the paint custom mixed to match it). As I mentioned in an earlier post, the sink was found on clearance and we are keeping the fixtures we currently have (as we purchased them when we moved into the house and they are a lovely oil rubbed bronze color).

The tile is going up today and my mosaic is being installed in just a few minutes! I'm really excited to see it "in action" so to speak. I've still got to do some mudding and taping of the drywall -- but I can do that while Mike is working on the rest of the bathtub tiling and getting the floor ready to be tiled. If all goes well, this bathroom should be done by next weekend -- about a month from start to finish.

Sweepstaking and Remodeling

2010-01-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

Not that the two have much to do with each other, but both appeal tot he bargain hunter/deal finder in me! Christmas turned out to be quite nice -- thanks to a few nice wins in the latter half of 2009. I was able to purchase some gifts thanks to a $200 QVC giftcard and $150 in debit cards that I won. Jonathon got his Wii thanks to a win. I had several food and gas gift cards that we used on the trip to my folks house in Arizona. The whole family was there and a good time was had by all!

Currently, I've been focusing a lot on local/regional drop box sweepstakes. These are those that you might see in a store -- where you fill out your entry and drop it in the box right then. I was notified last week I won another $100 gift card from one of these. Over the Christmas holidays Mike helped me to enter a drop box for a big screen television. They were giving away about 30 of them and it was only open to our state -- so we're hoping that at least one person in our family wins one. Mike says if we win, we'll put it above the fireplace in the front room -- and that he will remodel that area at that time, putting the wiring in the walls, replacing our, unusable gas fireplace, and redoing the tile/mantle on the fireplace. We got in over 50 entries between the two of us -- so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

The kid's bathroom is our latest remodeling project. As I mentioned in my earlier post, Jonathon put his head right through the wall/tile in the bath area -- so it took the shower there out of commission until we got the job done. We've had some ideas on how we wanted to do the room for many months and we've been buying items we needed when we find them on clearance. For example, the tile we used for the master bathroom was on clearance -- so we purchased all of the tile we would need for the kid's bathroom at that point as well. About a month ago, we found a new sink at Lowes -- normally $85, on clearance for $14.50. They only had the display model left, but they took it down for us and Mike installed it at that time (the sink we had before was some sort of PLASTIC and was all discolored, gouged, and scratched).

The work has been going pretty smoothly so far (I think we're getting better at remodeling the more jobs we do!) We took out the walls and ceiling in the bath/shower area and cut down a wall that separated the vanity area from the bath/toilet area -- that really opened the room up! Mike put in a new, quieter but more powerful fan, as well as a couple of new can lights to brighten the place up. I started working on a mosaic I've wanted to do for a long time. It's about 24 inches square and will be the focal point of the room, installed on the tile wall of the bath/shower. I just finished up yesterday and I really like it!

The best part about the mosaic is that it cost only $20 for new materials. Everything else was left over from previous tile jobs in the house! I priced some mosaics online and in the store and the cheapest I could find (for mosaics that either weren't as large or were a much more simple design) were well over $100.

We installed the new bathtub yesterday (nothing fancy -- but better than the old plastic-type tub we had before) and we are putting up the cement board in the shower/tub area today, as well as the rest of the walls that needed to be torn out. The next project will be the tiling and I'm in charge of refinishing the vanity cabinets. We got a great espresso color paint to match a mirror we found. I think it's going to be striking and much more modern than the golden oak color the cabinets are now. I'll keep you updated with pictures as I finish projects!

Back Again!

2010-01-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

I've found in my life that I follow a pattern of sorts. I start off a strong (on a project, diet, New Years resolution) and then taper off and forget to finish. It's not on EVERY project I tackle -- but certainly those that are not urgent or are not as fun as another. Now, I enjoy blogging -- but it is easy to put it on the back burner when more pressing things occur -- which is just what happened in this case.

It has been more than four months since I posted last! Of course a lot has happened during that time -- and I've been told I have "verbal diarreah" when it comes to writing -- so I'll make it as short as I can (but then again, this is MY blog, so I guess I can write as much as I want and if you don't want to read it -- then don't!)

Mike is still unemployed and still in school. Luckily, the Post-911 veteran's education bill that passed last summer is really helping in that regard. It pays his tuition and gives us a monthly stipend that helps to buy books, make ends meet, etc. He is currently taking the last course he needs for his bachelor's degree and then two other courses that will transfer towards his master's degree (which he plans to start in the summer). At that point, we'll have to reevaluate things, as his unemployment insurance will have run out and the VA bill doesn't pay the entire cost of the more expensive tuition for the master's degree -- but we both feel it is really important he get his MA -- because any job he can get in healthcare administration at this point is an entry level one that pays quite low. He was also contacted by the people who bought up the assets of his old company (the one that went bankrupt). They have started it up again and will start training pilots in a month or two. They want to hire Mike as an independent contractor a few days a month to teach training classes. It will only bring in as much as the unemployement insurance on those weeks -- but if the new company does well, perhaps the work will increase o r they will find a need to hire someone to manage the training program -- and he will be the obvious choice.

I finally got hired full time at my job in November. Things have been going better than I expected with the women in my office. We are all now rotating from station to station, so I've actually been in the main office for the past two months and I think it has helped to reestablish some sort of relationship with the others. Plus, everyone has been on their best behavior for the most part. The pay is a bit better (by about $1.50 per hour) and most importantly, I do get benefits -- such as dental insurance, paid time off, life insurance, a 401K and a flexible spending account. After paying for all of the benefits, I'm pretty much down to what I was making before -- but we are getting by and it is nice to be able to send the kids to the dentist when they need it.

When Cherron's last television job ended, she decided she wanted a break from the film industry. She applied for a job as an assistant decorator at a local bakery -- as she has always loved baking. She was really smart (and ballsy) and took a plate of some cookies she had decorated to leave with her resume. They called her back within hours and hired her as the main cookie decorator within days! The owners were so impressed with her work (and work ethic) that they have now promoted her to the manager of the entire bakery (as well as a satellite coffee shop they are opening in the food court of a nearby university!) This was after only a few months in her first position there! She would love to open her own bakery/cafe one day, so this is a great opportunity and learning experience for her. I hope she still will have time to decorate and develop new ideas, as she loves that creative aspect. Check out her work on her blog So Many Sprinkles. Here is one of her latest projects:

My son, Jonathon, was getting out of the bath/shower in the kid's bathroom a few weeks ago and slipped. His head went right through the tile wall. The drywall (yes -- that is what they used behind the shower tile!) was basically mushy and crumbly after years of moisture getting through the grout. We had planned to remodel that room -- but not quite yet :) This has prompted us to move forward with that. I'll detail more about that in later posts!

Road Trip!

2009-08-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

Mysti and Nick, my oldest daughter and her husband, came to visit for a day before heading onto a dude ranch vacation with Nick's family. Cherron offered to drive them to the dude ranch in eastern Arizona and I came along for the ride. I enjoy seeing parts of the state/country that I haven't visited before. We did some minimal planning, deciding to follow a route that would let us see the "Very Large Array" - one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories, consisting of 27 radio antennas (each 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter. I've seen them before in movies, but it was interesting to see them in person.

The part of the trip I looked forward to the most was visiting Pie Town, NM. This tiny town (blink and you'll miss it), boasts a post office, chiropractor, and two pie shops (you won't find a gas station or fast food joint in Pie Town). We visited the "Pie-O-Neer" diner and pie shop.

Kathy, the owner and pie maker (pictured above) was busy baking when we arrived, although she made the time often to come out and check with customers on how they liked their pie. The menu was simple, with an offering of sandwiches, quesadillas, and soup -- and everything we ordered was delicious! Of course, the best thing was the pies. When we got there, it was busy and one of the workers/musicians suggested that we reserve a slice of the pie we would like, as they went fast. At the time, there was a selection of Blueberry Cream, Apple, Sweet Potato, Strawberry/Rhubarb, and Blueberry (still bubbling from the oven). As we were eating, new pies would periodically arrive, such as Peach/Raspberry, Peach/Almond, and a New Mexico favorite -- Apple pie with green chili and pinon nuts.

For an entree, we had a couple of Kathy's Kraving (a grilled cheese sandwich with tomatoes and green chilies), a BLT, and a spinach quesadilla. All of them were very good, but the Kathy's Kraving sandwich was especially delicious. We then started on the pie. The Blueberry Cream was good, with fresh blueberries on top. The Sweet Potato pie was creamy and delicious -- and we were informed that it was made with molasses instead of sugar. We also had Strawberry/Rhubarb, which was very tart. Kathy informed us that we should have it ala mode, as the sweet ice cream complimented the tartness well. As we were waiting for the Peach/Raspberry to cool enough to slice (and planned to have that pie ala mode), we set the rest of the Strawberry/Rhubarb to the side to wait for that ice cream. When the Peach/Raspberry slice arrived, the four of us set upon it like we hadn't eaten for days. It was quite possibly the best pie I had ever eaten. When we finished (within moments), I flagged down the waitress to ask for another slice. We waited anxiously to see if there was any left, as another table had just reserved several slices of the pie. Luckily for us, one was left and we again ate the entire piece within just a few moments.

We had a great time talking to Kathy, listening to the musicians that were playing, and eating some great food in a charming atmosphere. We spent nearly two hours there and, when it was time to go, we were practically waddling on the way to the car as we were so stuffed.

The drive continued, across the Arizona border and past the tiny town of Alpine. We then turned off the winding, mountain road onto a gravel forest road on our way to the Sprucedale Guest Ranch, where Mysti and Nick would be spending the week. The gravel road seemed to go on forever (actually 9 miles) and then we had to navigate a mile of rough dirt road, complete with large potholes. Cherron was not very happy, as she loves her little car and it was not built for four-wheeling. However, we finally made it and I have to admit, the scenery was lovely.We had a few minutes to play with some adorable puppies, a friendly kitten, and dodge a plethora of hummingbirds that were flitting around the porch area. We then told Mysti (our technology girl) to have a great time at the cow milking in the morning and headed back home, taking a different route that took us past some great scenery, including El Malpais National Conservation Area, which had some incredibly cliffs and this great looking arch. I plan to take the family back there sometime this year, as you can go on a 4-mile hike along the top of the cliffs.
All in all, it was a long, but fun day. My husband also had a road trip, but his was not as fun. He was helping our third daughter move back to college. She has her own apartment this year, so there was a lot of furniture to lug around!

Finding Treasures

2009-07-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

I love the thrill of the hunt -- bargain hunting, that is! There is nothing quite like knowing exactly what you want for a room/area and then, sometimes months later, finding an item that exactly fits the bill, at an inexpensive cost.

One of my secret pleasures is looking up houses online that are for sale and have the same floor plan as our house. I like to see the pictures and look at what changes they have made. Sometimes I get great ideas on how to remodel or decorate my house. Occasionally, we'll go to open houses, just to see the decor. On one of these outings, I saw that the owners had updated the upstairs deck by replacing the ugly overhead bulbs with great looking ceiling fans. I fell in love with the look and started my hunt.

Unfortunately, indoor/outdoor fans in the style (closed light fixture) and color (oil rubbed bronze) that I wanted were running for over $150 each. I couldn't justify paying that sort of money for something that was mostly a cosmetic update in an area we did not use often. However, the other day I finally found exactly what I wanted and, with our military discount at Home Depot, each fan was only $50!

Mike put them up for me over the weekend and they look terrific. However, then I noticed that the paint and some of the texturizing on the ceiling of the deck was peeling -- and it stood out like a sore thumb now that we had pretty fixtures! So -- another project is in the works. I spent the afternoon scraping off the loose paint and texture, and putting up new tape on the seams of the drywall ceiling. I'm going to mud the seams again tonight, and then I'll be able to texturize before the weekend (and I can spend the weekend painting the ceiling). We already picked up some outdoor furniture for next to nothing (90% off at Target a few years ago), so when we are finished, that area should be a pretty, relaxing area to enjoy a drink in the afternoons and evenings while taking in the great view of the valley and mountains.

Pictures soon to come!

Dry Spell

2009-07-11T17:30:00.001-07:00

Well, we're having a dry spell -- and that is both good and bad. Good, because we have no more leaks in the roof. Mike figured out that the problem was that the "spider arms" on the swamp cooler were out of whack -- sending water into the fan instead of onto the evaporative pads. So, all of that water ran down the duct work and was leaking out of a joint, which caused the second (and who knows -- maybe even the first) "leak" that we had. We left the hole in the closet for a couple of weeks and several rain storms -- just to be sure things stayed dry and we felt confident enough about it today to patch the hole (and repair the ceiling in the hall). I've done my initial taping and mudding, and I'll finish up with the texturizing tomorrow. Then I'll paint everything on Wednesday, as I have the day off work.

The other dry spell is not so great. No wins to report in the past several weeks. I did win a $200 QVC gift certificate in June and sent the affidavit back on that, but I haven't actually received it yet. I think I'll hang onto that and use it for Christmas (along with the Wii win), since Mike still might not have a job and things could be really tight. I keep hoping that we'll get a really big win...like another car, or $25,000 in cash, or a really nice trip (Italy or Greece would be GREAT since we had to cancel our cruise there this year due to the economy and the job situation). I am not sending out a ton of entries -- mainly because I just don't have the time and I'm trying not to spend a lot in postage -- but I still get a couple bundles of entries out each week. And, as I've learned time and time again, it only takes one lucky entry to win great prizes. My car, $20,000 in Home Depot gift certificates, and a couple of trip wins were all from one entry each.

It's a scorcher outside today (nearly 100 degrees), so I'm going to pour myself a big glass of ice water and sit in the media room (the coolest room in the house) and do some sweepstakes entering tonight. I got a lot done today around the house -- so I deserve a little break, dreaming about how nice a big win would be!

When It Rains.....

2009-06-26T06:13:00.000-07:00

The roofing guy came on Tuesday and spent most of the day taking the evaporative cooler off the roof and replacing all of the worn shingles in that area. He said that there was a leak around the flashings of the cooler and a spot further up on the roof where the tar paper (or whatever it is they use under shingles) had deteriorated. He was so cool about the bill, telling me to send half when I got the invoice and the other half "in 30 days, or whenever."

Yesterday, we had a really heavy downpour in the afternoon. When I got home, I went upstairs to check and make sure things were watertight and the area in the guest room closet seemed fine (no water on the plastic we still have covering the hole in the ceiling). However, just on the other side of the wall, in the hallway, there was quite a big leak, with the drywall sagging on the wall and the ceiling also sagging from the wall to about 6-8 inches towards the center of the hallway.

I have no idea if this is the same leak (as the locations are so close) or a different leak under the tiles (which they did not pull, as we figured the problem was just around the cooler area). I put an email into him, but he is currently away at his son's basketball tournament and won't be back for a week. Sigh.

Mike is going to get into the attic and see if he can tell where the water came from, and perhaps put a bucket up there to catch any futher leaks (as it is supposed to rain at least 2-3 more times before the roofer gets back into town). I guess this also will postpone my fixing the ceiling closet, as we may now have more work to do in the wonderful world of drywall repair (and might as well do it all at once).

I just want a watertight house. We've done so much repair work on this roof since we bought it -- it probably would have been best just to pull everything off and start from scratch (but who can afford $10,000 plus for a new roof, especially now?) Water damage and electric things are what I hate/fear the most and they just cause so much stress! I could tell Mike was really bummed when he saw we still had problems. Luckily, I'm on the schedule at work most days in July and I volunteered to work the 4th of July, as I get time and a half. I'd like to earn enough extra to pay for the roof without having to have a balance on the credit card.

Blog Sweepstakes

2009-06-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

If you've read my blog, you know that I enjoy sweepstaking as a hobby. In the 12 plus years I've been doing it, we've always won more than we've spent in stamp money. I've watched it go from a strictly "mail-in" type hobby to a mostly online hobby -- with most sweepstakes now having a way to enter online.

The most recent wave in sweepstaking seems to be blog sweepstakes. Sites like mine will offer a prize to readers/posters. It's something I'm getting used to and trying out. Often, you can get an extra entry in a blog sweepstakes by posting about that particular sweepstakes on your own blog site. I'm giving that a try for the first time today.

The Thrifty Maven, a blog site I like a lot, is giving away a $100 Home Depot gift card from the Home Depot Garden Club . You can enter too! Just visit The Thrifty Maven site and follow the instructions. Good luck!

There is also another great giveaway at Champagne Living and you can win a $25 Target gift card from Got Free ECards. It ends on 6/20.

Job Hunting

2009-06-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

For the most part, I like my current temp job. When I'm working in Suite B with Dr. Drescher and her assistant, Stacey, the day flies as we are so busy. Both of them are so nice and they allow me to work on my own, trusting me to get the job done and do quality work. They are both friendly and let me know that they appreciate my work. When I'm at the main registration desk, the staff there is also jovial and friendly. It's always busy there, so the day also goes by pretty quickly.

However, there are some downsides to the job. Mainly, I have no control over the hours I work. Sometimes I have a full week and other times I only work a few days a week. It's hard to budget when the income is not steady. Also, it has still been stressful working with the other clerical workers in the OB/GYN office. They have bonded with the other temp worker and the favoritism they show her is very obvious. When they need someone to fill in, she is the one they call on -- so as a result, she ends up with many more hours than I do. I've attempted to discuss it with the gal that makes those decisions, but she either just doesn't get it, or purposefully decides not to. Needless to say, it makes working in that office difficult, as I kind of feel like the last kid picked for dodge ball. On one hand, working in that office is not enjoyable for me anymore, so I shouldn't care. But on the other hand, I need the hours/money -- so the blatant favoritism is upsetting. Plus, it's just no fun to be working in the office and be ignored during conversations and left out of the jokes that are being told. It's all so elementary school it drives me crazy, but at the same time, it probably hits that insecure part of me left over from when those types of things happened in school.

I decided that I would attempt to use the days I'm not working in a productive manner -- looking for a full time job. My goal is to apply for one job each day I'm home. I haven't yet met that goal, as life tends to throw things at me that I need to deal with right away -- but I have applied for one so far. It was an associate editor position at a national magazine that is based here in town. I emailed my resume and was happy to get a response, along with an editing test that was due the next day. I thought I did a good job and was happy with my work -- but I received an email about a week later thanking me, but saying they would not be inviting me for an interview. Ouch! Still, I'm grateful that they at least emailed to let me know -- so many places here never acknowledge applications or resumes that are sent. I'm still keeping my eye open for a full time position where I'm currently working (but probably not in the OB/GYN office) -- but I figured other options could not hurt (and it's good practice to keep applying).

Full time with benefits would be good. Our dental appointments are coming up next month and I may have to cancel, as we lost our dental insurance when Mike lost his job. Thank goodness the medical insurance is through the military.

The Master Bathroom

2009-06-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get around to posting pictures of the finished master bathroom (I've actually been showering in there for more than a week now!), but as usual, life gets in the way. I've got to make this post short, as I have to get to work this morning -- but here are some before and after pictures for you!

BEFORE - tub area. Note the small, high window:

AFTER - tub area. We put in a great new window that lets us see the terrific view of the valley and mountains:

BEFORE - The vanity area. Outdated, too large, and in disrepair:

AFTER - We like it much better. The vanity was more than 50% off online and note our Craigslist $25 mirror/lights:

BEFORE: Shower, complete with the horrible grout job and outdated tile. We never showered here because of a leak we discovered after purchase.

AFTER - Shower area. We did all of our own tiling on this job with Italian porcelin tile that had been discontinued, so we got a great savings. Mike is ridiculously happy about the body sprays in the shower.

You can see the old medicine chest in the before vanity area pictures. We opted to relocate it and create something unique. From the exterior, it just looks like artwork:

But if you know what it is, you can open it up for storage! We had a lot of fun with this project and saved a ton by designing and constructing it ourselves (we did buy the artwork at 50% off at a local hobby store):

I haven't done the final financial tally on the master bathroom remodel -- however, it about $10,000 overall. The quotes we received from two remodeling companies in town were between $25,000 and $40,000 -- so we're very happy with the sweat equity we will receive from this job (not to mention that it is SO much more pleasant and functional to use!)

I HATE House Maintenance

2009-06-14T08:46:00.001-07:00

I was so excited about the new guest room. I found a perfect cabinet to refinish and tile to match the nightstands (at the Goodwill for $9.99!). I went upstairs to measure the closet to be sure it would fit....and found this:

If you can't tell -- that is the ceiling in the closet, which has fallen in due to a leak in the roof! What is maddening is that it is obvious this area was a patch job, leading me to believe that there was a previous problem. This is one of many things the former owners of the house never disclosed to us. We realize that they were in dire financial straits and that they were trying to sell the house before the bank forclosed, but we would have appreciated knowning about problems, such as the master bathroom shower (which leaked), the many leaks in the roof (we found and fixed two right after we bought the place), and the fact that there had been a leak from the washing machine (which warped the subfloor upstairs) and a leak from the water heater (which needed to be replaced). I don't understand people who can be so purposefully deceptive -- how do they sleep at night?

Needless to say, I'm pretty depressed about it. Not only do I now have more work to do in the guest bedroom (and have I mentioned I hate doing drywall patching and mudding?), but we now have the extra expense of having to pay for another roof repair. The quote I got from our roof guy (who I totally trust and love his work) is $1000, because he has to take the swamp cooler off the roof in order to do the repairs and then install it again. I called and explained our situation (with Mike being unemployed) and asked if there was a less expensive option (that will still do the job and not leave us with problems later). However, we may just have to take the money out of savings to take care of the problem, which is scary. I can tell Mike is really stressed about it and I heard him muttering, "I need to find a job!" It makes my heart hurt for him, because its not like he is not trying to find a job -- there is just nothing out there that pays a decent wage that we could live on.

I'm trying to stay positive -- not only for Mike's sake but for my sanity. I'm focusing on positive things and accomplishing the tasks I can handle myself -- such as finishing up on that TV cabinet for the guest room and using a few old king size pillows to finish the accent pillows for the guest bed. Working on projects makes me feel like I'm at least making some sort of contribution.

Next weekend is the annual neighborhood garage sale. Perhaps we'll make enough to put a dent in the roof repair bill!

The New Guest Room

2009-06-08T19:06:00.001-07:00

Since daughter Cherron has moved into her own place, her former bedroom has been empty. I wanted to turn it into a guest bedroom so we had a proper place to put family and friends when they visited -- but with the job situation being what it is, we didn't have a big budget. However, since when do you have to pay a fortune to get a really great look?

I knew I needed all of the furniture, artwork, and accessories. The only thing I already owned was a television and the window coverings that Cherron left behind. The paint was a pretty color, but there was some damage in a few places on the wall. Luckily, Cherron had purchased a quart of new paint to add to the paint we had leftover, as she had wanted to paint the bedroom in her new place the same color. She was kind enough to give me the remainder of that paint to use to touch up the walls in the new guest room.

I became a Craigslist stalker (in a good way -- looking for anything at a great price that might work for me). I was able to purchase the queen size bed and boxsprings, bedroom furniture, and some artwork in this manner. I visited garage sales and picked up a lamp and shopped thrift stores to find the shade and some accessories. I used 50% off coupons at hobby stores for some additional artwork and accessories, and I got all of the bedding on sale. I purchased some fabric (with a 50% off coupon, of course) and I used it to make the accent pillows. I bought a few forms at thrift stores and for the rest, I used old king size pillows we no longer used, cut down to size. The bedroom furniture was in rough shape, so I filled the dings with wood filler, sanded, and painted. I also had to find two finials to go on the footboard, as the originals were missing. I picked up some at the hobby store that were on sale for 66% off and painted them to match. On the nightstands, I tiled the tops to make them more durable and to give them a really great and unique look.

After I touched up the paint on the walls, I found that the new paint was just a tad darker than the old (or the old paint had faded a bit). You could see the blotches on the wall where I touched up -- so I bought some glaze, added it to some of the paint, lightened it up just a bit with some cream color paint I had, and then I did a faux finish on the walls with a sea sponge. The results were great!

Here's where the money went, the total cost, and pictures of the result.

Queen size bed and boxsprings: $80 (from Craigslist)
Four post bed and two nightstands: $40 (from Craigslist)
Finials for bed footboard: $15 (66% off at craft store)
Molding and tile for nightstands: Free (leftover from other jobs)
Paint for bedroom furniture: $30
Paint for bedroom walls: Free (from Cherron)
Glaze & supplies for painting bedroom walls: $30
Candle holders on nightstand: $8 (50% off at craft store and one from thrift store)
Lamp: $4 at garage sale
Lampshade: $4 at thrift store
Bedding (comforter & sheet set, mattress cover and mattress pad): $65 (on sale at various stores)
Bed skirt: $2 at thrift store
Pillow forms: $6 at thrift store and the rest free from old pillows
Accent pillow fabric/thread: $15 (using 40% off coupon at fabric store)
Large flower artwork: $20 (50% off at craft store)
Small flower pictures: $20 (from Craigslist)
Small mirror and hooks: $12 (thrift store and Target)
Floral arrangement: $15 (using coupons and sales at craft store)
Magazine basket: $7 (70% off at craft store)

The grand total: $373

I am still checking Craigslist often, as I would like a small chest or armoir to put inside the closet. That way, there will be storage, as well as a place to put a television (and guests can just open one closet door to watch television from the bed). I don't want to pay more than $25 for this -- so with paint (if needed), I may need to spend another $35 or so. However, I'm so pleased to get this beautiful, comfortable room for around $400! I think it would be easy to spend 10 times that much to get the same look!

Happenings

2009-05-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

Spring is already summer and the kids are out of school! There has been no news on the job front for Mike -- not even one interview! We discussed it and decided that, since pickings are so slim, that this would be the perfect time for him to finish up his BA at college. He only has two semesters to go and while we will have to tap into savings to pay for some of it, we feel it is a good investment, as it may help him to get a job. So, he signed up to take two general education courses (English and biology) at the local community college, as well as an online class through the Southern Illinois University (which is where he is getting his degree). In the fall, he will take three courses at either the community college or university here in town and one more online class and he should be done! Of course, if he gets a job in the meantime, he can always drop the school and finish it later.

We had a bit of a setback with the master bathroom. As Mike was attaching the fixtures in the shower, he found that one pipe was loose. Turns out, the plumbers had not secured it correctly, and we first had to take out a tile (so the plumber could look and confirm this) and then go in through the back wall (Mike's closet) and fix the problem. I thought I was finished with drywall dust for awhile :( However, at least the problem is fixed now and hopefully the last fixture will go in this weekend. We are then FINISHED!! Of course, I'm already planning the next job. The kid's bathroom is in horrible shape. We learned (when we demolished the master bathroom) that the builders tiled right onto normal drywall -- and that is not acceptable. The grout in the kid's bathroom is cracking and we know the wall behind it is in bad shape. Since the tile we used in our bathroom was being discontinued and dropped to a ridiculously low price, we went ahead and purchased enough to re-tile the kid's bathtub surround and the bathroom floor. I'm going to be making a large mosaic from all of our many leftovers and that will be the focal point for that bathroom. I enjoy that type of work, as its an outlet for my creative side (plus, it really gives you a sense of satisfaction when you do a nice job).

Now I just need to find the time/energy to start on that project :)

Time Really Flies!

2009-04-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted for over a month! Things have been steadily crazy for the past several weeks. Mike still has not found work, but he has been working very hard every day on the bathroom remodel, as well as other tasks around the house. I so appreciate that he has been doing most of the cleaning and has dinner ready most days when I get home from work.

Work -- well, that has been interesting to say the least. I'm so grateful that my supervisor decided to give me 40 hours each week for the month of April. I don't spend all of my time in the OB/GYN office where I normally was working. Instead, she flexes me out to where the need is -- usually at the main registration desk for the pediatric and family practice clinic. While I usually keep busy while working anywhere, it is a different kind of busy at the registration desk -- just a constant flow of new patients ready to check in. There has been some drama in the OB/GYN office, with some people feeling resentful that I've been working primarily in the new suite with the new doctor. Apparently, they believe that I sit over there and just twiddle my thumbs or surf the internet and there was a lot of complaining and griping going on. One of the girls even emailed me to chastise me for how I spent my day, basing her opinion on incorrect assumptions and the griping of others. She went so far as to accuse me of not clocking out for lunch and of leaving early -- both of which were not true. After simmering for most of the afternoon, I calmed down and wrote a response, letting her know exactly how all of her assumptions were inaccurate and asking her why she just didn't ask me if she had a question as to how I spent my day. I also let her know I was copying the supervisors on the email, as I did not want them to get inaccurate information about me from her or anyone else.

I spoke to my supervisor about the situation the next day and was very relieved when she told me that they could not be more happy with my work and that I should not let any of my co-workers bring me down. Apparently there are some ongoing issues with the OB/GYN department that I was unaware of (most with this particular co-worker) and we later had a meeting about those issues. At first, my co-workers expressed their resentment at the fact that I alone worked in the other suite -- but when I agreed to their suggestion that we rotate (as I felt that way they would all see exactly what work needed to be done over there), they suddenly changed their minds and decided that the whole situation was caused because of stress, as they do not always have me or the other temp worker (when we are flexed out) and are always feeling behind. The supervisor agreed to a suggestion that one girl in the office help with the scheduling so that they would always have sufficient help -- and I insisted that the other temp needed to work in the other suite, as I would not always be there -- so now we alternate. We'll see if that helps the situation. However, it was sad -- because I really enjoyed my job and the people I worked with -- but to learn that people were talking behind my back, criticizing my work unjustly, and making untrue allegations about my ethics and work habits really hurt my feelings. I don't feel that I can really trust any of my co-workers anymore and I do not look forward to my days at the OB/GYN office anymore. At this point, I'm mulling over some other options, including applying for some other positions which would pay a bit less, but would move me to a more autonomous position away from the OB/GYN office.

The bathroom STILL is not finished -- but every day it looks better and better. My parents came to visit the third week in March and I took nearly a full week off work to help Mike to get a lot of tasks accomplished before they arrived. We were able to tile the floor and tub surround, install the vanity and toilet, and put up the mirror/lights, towel rods, etc. We can now actually use the bathroom! The shower is the last thing to do -- and we are tiling it now (it should be done by the end of the week if things go as planned). We had wanted a frameless glass shower enclosure, but we may not be able to afford that right away with Mike's current situation, so we'll just get a shower rod and curtain for the time being. It will be so nice to be able to shower in our bathroom (for the first time since we moved into the house!). I'll be sure to post before and after pictures.

Some Recent Wins

2009-03-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

Now that we are really penny pinching, I appreciate the occasional win more than ever! For now, we are going to allocate $42 per month (one roll of stamps) for sweepstakes entering. However, that may change if things get tight, so I'm also trying to enter sweepstakes online more.

I was notified the other day that one of my online entries was picked in a General Mills sweepstakes open to active duty and retired military families. We won a Nintendo Wii system, complete with the Wii fit.

That was a really nice surprise and one that will be put away as soon as it arrives. We figured it would make a great birthday present for my son or, if my husband is still unemployed at that point, we may just keep it hidden until Christmas. I also won a $50 gas card the other day, which was also a military sweepstakes. That will come in handy when Mike goes to job interviews.

Today, while I was out doing errands, I figured I would pop into the local Indian casino. They give me "free play" each month in varying amounts and I had $7 to spend this week. I do love going to the casino and it is one of those things that I have to give up for the most part just now. However, I decided to limit myself to the $7 they were giving me and another $5 in my wallet. When the money was gone, then I would go also. Just about the time I had used up my $5, I hit the bonus game on the slot machine I was playing and, during that bonus game, I won a $90 jackpot, combined with the other winnings during the bonus game, I walked away with $110! That will pay for our perishable groceries for the week! Too bad that doesn't happen ever time I go to the casino.

These wins, while not incredibly expensive or lavish are so nice, especially now that we can't buy a lot of luxuries for the time being.

Painting and nursing

2009-03-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

My son Jonathon missed four days of school last week due to a stomach virus. Mike tended to him, as I was at work most of the time. Kristina came home mid-week from college for a long weekend and spent a day helping Jonathon with some math homework. Now both husband and daughter have the same illness -- just in time for the weekend (when we planned to get quite a bit of work done). I had something similar about three weeks ago, so I'm hoping that it hasn't mutated enough to reinfect me, but I am washing my hands like a maniac and spraying Lysol liberally on doorknobs, handles, remotes, keyboards, and other common items. Now, more than ever, it's important that I stay well, as if I don't work, we don't get that pay.

The drywall guy finished today. He was incredibly slow, but did a really great job! I was able to prime and paint a few of the smaller areas today and then move furniture back to where it was suppose to go (with the help of my son, who is fully recovered). I'm hoping my husband feels well enough tomorrow to do a few things like reattaching some baseboard that we had to remove so I can put my office back in order. I haven't painted for some time and I had forgotten what a satisfying job it is -- giving immediate gratification for a job well done. Tomorrow I plan to prime and paint the larger areas, including the downstairs bathroom, a large under the stairs storage area, and the garage. It will be so nice to get the bathroom vanity back into place and out of the middle of my living room!

The plumbers are coming to finish the master bathroom plumbing on Monday. The quote they provided was very reasonable, so I was thankful. I'm hoping that they can finish that job in a day or so, and then we can get on with putting that bathroom together. I was talking to my mom the other day and she was worried about the stress my husband's unemployment might be putting on the family. I told her that while we weren't happy about it and, of course we worried about money now more than ever, the greatest stress in my life just now is the chaos my house is in due to the construction and remodel. Once everything is done, I think I'll have a real sense of peace.

One nice benefit to the chaos is that we are sorting through our belongings as we put things back -- culling out anything we do not need or want any more. I'll try to sell them online for some extra cash and, what does sell, we'll donate. One of my resolutions is to be much better at keeping records of those types of things, so that when tax time rolls around next year, I can take all of the deductions I should.

Well, I've got to squeeze a bit more painting in before bedtime. I'm feeling a sense of urgency to get as much done as possible -- just in case the dreaded stomach virus hits me again (but I'm praying that doesn't happen. I just HATE being sick!).

Some Days Are Better Than Others

2009-03-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

Last week Mike was informed that the purchase of his company will not go through after all. Apparently, the delay in financing was just too much and the senior stockholders in the company demanded that the company refile for Chapter 7 and be liquidated instead of saved. So, Mike is officially unemployed at this point.

We had a tough few days as we attempted to process the information. While we always knew logically that this could happen, we always felt that the company would be saved (and thus were in some denial about the possibility of unemployment). Of course, this happened in the middle of the re-plumb of the house and remodel of the master bathroom.

I'm happy to say that the re-plumb went fairly well, passed the city inspection, and now we're just waiting for their drywall guy to patch up all the holes. What wasn't so great was that when we did the initial quote/walk-through with the owner of the plumbing company, he indicated verbally that most of our master bathroom plumbing (for the remodel) would be no extra charge, as they would already be doing plumbing in that area. However, once the re-plumb started, he indicated that the two jobs were to be entirely separate (due to the class action claim), and he would give us a quote for the master bathroom when the re-plumb was done. That is supposed to happen today -- so I'm crossing my fingers he is a man of his word and that no outlandish fee is quoted, as we just can't afford another huge cost just now (we had to spend $2000 of our own money to hire this particular company, as opposed to the company the class action people usually use (we were not impressed at all with them), to use the materials that every plumber we talked to recommended (instead of the materials included in the class action claim) and to continue the re-plumb to the street so that we would not have a possibility of future leaks under the slab (which is an expensive problem with the substandard pipes).

We spent the weekend productively, doing taxes to figure exactly how much we owed and making a spreadsheet of our finances, including current income, money that is expected in soon, unusual expenses (like the bathroom remodeling costs and taxes), and a regular monthly budget. It made us feel a lot better to see that we'll still have some savings left after our unusual expenses and that we'll be bringing in enough to live on if we are careful with our spending.

Mike was able to get into the dentist for his cleaning before the benefits expired at the end of the month (the kids and I were just in last month). Our health insurance continues, as it is military and not through his work. We were also informed by the company (two days before the end of the month) that we had to use up any money in our FlexPay account by 2/28, or loose it. So, we had to go on an unexpected shopping spree to purchase over the counter medications and other covered items so that we could submit a claim for the amount we had paid in this year. We'll use all of the items eventually, but it was frustrating that the company did not let us know about the situation until two days before the deadline.

I'll be happy to see the progress on the drywall patching when I come home from work today and hopefully the quote from the plumber for the master bathroom plumbing is not horrible. I'm so eager to have my house put back together again and items put away. Living in chaos, especially during this particular time and situation, is stressful -- and we need as much peace of mind as we can get just now :)

Better News

2009-02-21T08:45:00.001-08:00

Even in light of our recent scary news, I'm still excited about the replumb (which starts Monday and should be finished by Saturday). It means that I no longer have to worry about our sub-standard pipes bursting and causing tens of thousands in damage. Plus, it means that we can then move forward with finishing the master bathroom!

We have 98% of all supplies needed already purchased and paid for. The contractor built out the new tub deck the other day and will be coming back to finish the shower when the plumbers are done. My husband is using his unexpected time off to do work we anticipated we would have to do in the evenings and weekends, which will speed things up. He put in our new fan/light combos above the new shower and toilet area yesterday. They look great and much quieter than the old unit we had before. The electrician is working as I type, putting in two new recessed lights in the ceiling, installing new GFI outlets, and repositioning the old vanity light outlets to their new location (to work with those bargain mirror/lights that I purchased for $25 each!)

Today, I am spending some time painting the new vanity feet (at first, we had planned to refinish the entire vanity, but then decided it would be easier/cheaper to go with the original finish (and we grew to love it). However, Mike had stripped the feet before we made that decision, so I need to restore them now. The base coat is done, but I need to experiment a bit to find the perfect combination/technique for putting on the grayish glaze that gives the vanity an antique look.

I'm also going to try my hand at cutting up our old mirror into two pieces that will fit the new mirror/lights (if you remember, the woman sold them because the original mirrors had broken). I feel quite confident that I can at least cut rectangles to size. I'm not sure about the curved cut that would be required for the corners -- but our local glass shop charges just $5 per cut, so they can always finish it up for me and the total cost would still just be $45 per mirror/light (a huge savings over buying them new at $150-$225). We're trying to reuse what we can and recycle the rest on Freecycle, Craigslist, or by donating to Restore (where all proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity).

When the electrician is done today, then we can put up the new drywall on the ceiling. I'm just trying to decide if I want to tape, mud, and texturize that ceiling or if we want to pay a bit extra to the plumber to have his drywall man do it for us. Hanging the drywall is labor intensive, but not difficult. However, we learned from past experience that the taping and mudding require a certain skill and we don't really have that skill. Plus, the texturizing we did on the walls during the remodel of the kitchen and other rooms (when we first bought the house) was kind of a nightmare. Neither of us really want to go there again if we can help it. However, I'm thinking that the ceiling is kind of a different animal. The taping and mudding do not have to be as exact, as the texturizing is heavier (and hides imperfections) -- plus, since the texturizing is done by hand (and I already have all those tools and got quite a bit of practice the first time around), I think I can do that job without too much frustration or difficulty. That would allow us to paint the ceiling and get the light fixtures put together and in place, even before the replumb is done. We can always have the plumber's drywall guy just tape, mud and texturize the walls for us -- which is the part we don't do as well. I just really want to see something "finished" in that bathroom. It's those little things that really keep me excited and motivated about finishing.

I know that Mike took some "before" pictures of the bathroom and has been taking some pictures as the job has progressed. Next time, I'll try to post some pictures so you can see for yourself how things are going.

Scary news

2009-02-21T08:19:00.000-08:00

Mike called me at work the other day to let me know (before I heard it on the news) that all of the employees of his company had been "furloughed" without pay until further notice. Basically, the sale of the company to the new buyers has been taking longer than anyone anticipated. The great majority of the funding is coming from a Russian bank and the bankruptcy court wants to make sure (in light of current global economic troubles) that the bank is solvent and the funds are good. Because of this, the interim funding that the new buyers provided to keep the company running during the transition is quickly dwindling. They hope by having everyone but a skeleton crew go home, that they can conserve enough funds to keep things going until the sale is finalized. Then (they say) everyone can come back to work.

The same day this happened, we had several other businesses go under in our state, leaving around 2000 people without jobs/paychecks. The governor took action to help speed up unemployment benefits -- and apparently those employees in my husband's company who have been furloughed will be able to apply for unemployment benefits (even though they have not been technically laid off or fired). I'm not sure how that will work and I'm hoping its not even necessary, since the new buyers seem to think it's just a matter of days before things are finalized.

At my job, the president of the company issued an email to all employees, explaining that the company has lost $2 million more per month for the past two months than they had anticipated (which seems to indicate that MORE than $2 million per month was lost). Apparently, people are not going to get medical care as they used to and, if they do get care, they are less likely to pay. The president basically said that the company cannot continue to hemorrhage money like this and stay solvent. They are trying desperately not to lay off any employees, but that may not work. Of course, temporary employees like myself will be the first to go if things get worse. As it is, the past several weeks I've been told to go home when there are not enough providers in our office to keep everyone busy all the time. Of course, as I'm a temp employee, when I go home, that means I don't get paid for that time off. It's a particular concern now that my husband is also not getting paid.

We are hopeful that things work out for my Mike's company and that he is told to report back to work within the next week or so. In the meantime, I'm doing as much freelance work as I can and also asking to be flexed out to other departments within my company (if my department does not need me and some other department can use me). We've got a few major expenses coming up immediately that we had saved for -- but its scary to use those funds on the replumb and bathroom remodel when we don't know for sure that my husband will be employed or not. However, not to spend the money is not really an option at this point, as the bathroom has to be put back together and the replumb must take place or we will loose the option. Granted, we could not do the additional work (of continuing the replumb to the street) -- but we both agree it is a good investment for a future sale of the house (not to mention that the piece of mind that we will not have a leak under our foundation/slab is priceless). We did start the refinancing process on our home about a month ago, locking in a 5% fixed rate (down from the 6.375% we had originally). We close on that new loan on Monday, which will save us about $250 per month on our mortgage payment. Every little bit helps at this point.

Nearly everyone I know has been effected to some degree by this horrible economy. I don't know that I agree with everything that the government has done to try to fix it -- and I expect things will not get better for quite some time. I know that there are some that are much worse off than we are, even with our current problems. I'm grateful every day for our savings and for my husband's military retirement pay, which is enough to pay our mortgage under the worse circumstances. We've also finished paying for my daughter's college for this year -- so we have some time until the fall semester starts to figure out how to deal with that. Once the replumb and bathroom remodel is done, then I think I'll be able to take a deep breath, reassess, and draw up a new budget so that we can all feel more at ease, knowing everything will be paid, even if Mike becomes truly unemployed.

Change

2009-02-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

I didn't have a great night last night. I was up until midnight with indigestion and then finally was able to sleep for about four hours. Then, around 4am, I started sleeping fitfully, having a dream that kept getting interrupted (but then it would start up again where it left off when I dozed back to sleep again).

The dream was quite vivid. In it, I was apparently giving a speech at a company meeting about "Change." There have really been some changes at work in some departments (in real life). They have brought in a "LEAN team" in order to standardize things and make things run more smoothly. This has generated quite a bit of hostility and push back from those who thought things were fine just as they were. However, I haven't been working in those particular departments for months -- so I'm not sure what brought on the "Change" dream.

In the dream, I was writing notes for my speech. I clearly remember that it went something like this:

Almost no one welcomes change. It's usually hard and sometimes terrifying. It's hard to understand why change has to happen -- as you may think things are running fine, just as they are. This is true both in a professional and personal setting. However, life IS change -- if we are stagnant, things never have a chance to improve. Can change fail? Well, yes -- but the alternative is unacceptable, as to keep the status quo, never taking a risk, never exploring options, might mean a safe life -- but not a successful life.

At that point, my dream dissolved into something a bit different. I was watching myself give a speech (but I knew in my dream that I was not really giving this particular speech and it was just my imagination) and I was talking about how I had worked this job for months, had done a good job, and had been assured a full time job, which never materialized -- and "that is bullshit." Clearly, I must have some issues with the fact that there is a hiring freeze! LOL! I imagine they are linked to the uncertainty of my husband's job just now (the sale to the major investor in the company went through, and they've been told there will be some news about the future of employees this week).

Anyway -- the point of this post is that I woke up really thinking about change (as I felt my "speech" was a good one that made sense). I wondered to myself if I needed to embrace change more. Certainly there are things in life I am not particularly happy with -- but I've been living with the status quo because change would be hard and stressful -- and I didn't want that in my life just now. Perhaps my subconscious is telling me it's time to really examine my life and make the changes that need to be made in order to improve my mental and physical well being. So, that is my goal for this week -- and I'm going to start a positive change by heading back to the gym (for the first time in months). Mike and I worked out a schedule so that each of us can go on alternate mornings (while the other gets our son off to school). With both of us committed and with a plan, it should work out for each of us.

I'll keep you updated on what changes I decide to make in my life.

Remodeling Bargains

2009-01-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

We still have not heard any official news about my Mike's job. The company is due to be sold to the highest bidder sometime next week. I suppose, at that time, he'll be terminated and then either re-hired or not. Of course, the new owners could elect to pay him less than he was making before and we may not have much choice but to accept, as otherwise his only alternative would be to start over in a different field (as he is in a highly specialized field at this point, and there are no other employers in that field in our area).

With this in mind, and the master bathroom now down to the studs in some areas (preparing for the replumbing that will happen in a few weeks (knock wood), we've been trying to get all of the things we need for the remodeled bathroom, at bargain prices. We already purchased the vanity (on sale for about 50% off after shipping costs), the bathtub (purchased at 45% off retail) and a toilet. All of these have been paid for in full, as we are trying not to incur further debt. In my spare time, I do a lot of online searching for items we still need, such as lighting, mirrors, and fixtures.

The other day, I was on Craigslist and happened to see a post about some mirrors with built-in lighting. I appreciated that a picture was posted, as I had seen these mirrors during my online search and had liked them -- but I had not liked the $135-$266 cost I found them selling for in various places. The Craigslist poster mentioned that the mirrors had broken in transit, and that was the reason she was selling the items -- for $50 each. I did some calculations, made some calls, and determined that I could replace the broken mirrors within the frames for about $40 each, which would still be a significant savings over what I would spend buying them online. So, my husband and I set up a time and went to see the mirrors, which were still in their boxes and in excellent condition (except for the actual mirror). The globes for the attached lighting fixtures were in great shape, as were the frames themselves. When I told the woman I liked the mirrors, she then told me that they would be $25 each -- half of what I had expected to spend. So, for $65 each, we have both the vanity mirrors and lighting in the bag! You can see a picture of our bargain at the top of the post.

I'm finding Craigslist to be a valuable resource. Yesterday, I found a post from someone selling over 2500 square feet of porcelain tile for just $1 a square foot! We're going to take a look at that this weekend and perhaps we can find what we need for our floor, tub deck, and shower.

Grocery Savings

2009-01-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

While I was at work the other day, a customer came up to my desk requesting a pen and piece of paper. She was holding a magazine, so I asked her if she needed something larger than a Post-it, as I thought she was going to copy a recipe. She told me that she was just writing down a website where you could print out coupons. That led to a discussion about how both of us are bargain hunters and the ways we are trying to save money in these uncertain economic times.

One way I save big on groceries is to purchase 4 Sunday newspapers. Sometimes, if I time it right, I can get these for free -- as on Sunday evening the grocery store cuts off the front page header on all remaining copies to give back to the publisher -- and then cannot sell the newspaper. So, at that point, they give them away free! The reason I purchase 4 newspapers is that I like multiple coupons when I go shopping. That way, if there is a great deal (made even better with the coupon), I can buy one item for each coupon I possess. I also do not cut out my coupons before shopping. Instead, I go through the inserts, logging each coupon into a spreadsheet I created, which lists the item, the amount off (and how many you need to buy (i.e.: $1.00/2 would mean you save $1.00 off a purchase of two of that particular item). It also shows the date of insert, type of insert (i.e.: Smartsource, P&G, etc), expiration date, and the number of coupons I have on hand. The inserts themselves are put into a manila folder with the date of the insert printed on the outside.

When I go shopping, I print out my spreadsheet and refer to it as I make my ways up and down the aisles. I don't limit myself to a strict shopping list, as sometimes I find things that are nearly free -- so I stock up whether I currently need that particular item or not. Then, these items go into my freezer or pantry and eventually they are used. If its a great deal on something I already have WAY too much of, such as salad dressing -- but I can get a bottle for 25 cents after coupon, then I go ahead and purchase it and donate it to a local food bank. It doesn't cost me but a few dollars to get a bag full of groceries to help out someone else. While this way of shopping takes longer than just throwing things into the cart and paying full price, it also saves me some big bucks. For example, on one recent shopping trip, my total would have been around $300 without coupons. With my coupons, I saved over $75!

Another way I save money (and time) is to do once a month freezer cooking (or OAMC, as it's called on the net). Basically, this means that you stock up on meat when it's at a great price, and then do a cooking session, turning that meat into many different meals that can be frozen, and then thawed and cooked later on. This is wonderful when you are working full time, as you can do all of your cooking on the weekend.

For example, the other day boneless, skinless chicken breasts were on sale for $1.59 per pound. I purchased about 25-30 pounds or so. I usually have the other ingredients I would need for my cooking sessions on hand (purchased earlier using coupons to maximize my savings). Out of that chicken, I made two pans of chicken enchiladas, 3 pans of "Chicken Supreme" (a great recipe the whole family loves), four containers of my chicken soup base (which can be used for chicken noodle soup, chicken and dumplings, etc), 3 meals worth of stuffed chicken breasts, 2 containers of Alice Springs Chicken (an Outback Steakhouse copycat recipe), and several meals worth of chicken breasts in various marinades, that just need to be thawed and then grilled. I have a spreadsheet on my freezer that lists the various items currently inside and, when we pull something out for dinner, we just make a tick mark, so we know how many of that particular item are left. I do the same sort of cooking sessions for pork, beef, and ground beef. There is a great Yahoo Groups email list that deals exclusively with OAMC -- do a search for "Frozen Assets" to find it and sign up.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

The month of December just flew by in a flash! Mike was at work most days (and the company is even paying the employees :) He has also had quite a few days off, as he is attempting to use up his accumulated vacation time, as that will probably be lost when the company is sold next month. We will find out in mid-January if he will be laid off or retained by the new owners and, if kept on, if the pay will be the same or not. Interesting times should be ahead! I kept busy working, although the company I'm currently temping with has instituted a hiring freeze due to the economy. I had pretty much been promised a position that had been open (so I would have had benefits and more pay), but now that is all on hold. They have even put a freeze on building the new hospital that they had planned to open in 2010. The economy is impacting just about everyone, I think.

As we had already purchased some of our fixtures for the master bathroom remodel before we found out about Mike's employer's problems, and since we have to have the re-plumb of the house done in January (as "use it or loose it" situation on the approval to have it done free of charge due to the class action lawsuit), we are going ahead with the bathroom remodel. We are constantly on the lookout for good deals and ways to make it more cost effective. So far, we've had the new window installed, which lets in a great amount of light and really opens the room (making it seem larger). We also now can see the great view we have of the valley and mountains. However, we will need to invest in some blinds -- although the nearest house with a line of sight to our bathroom is a mile away -- I still feel pretty exposed, especially at night. My husband demo'd the old shower over the weekend, finding a lot of mold on the sub-floor (which we expected, since we felt that there had been a leak in that shower). We were surprised to find that the builders had not used any sort of cement backer board on the walls or the sub floor -- and the sub floor actually bends when you step on it. It's no wonder that the grout in the shower had cracked and was leaking! We have a contractor friend who has given us a good price to frame out both the new bathtub and shower, and to install the shower pan and waterproof the whole shower. Then, we can take over the tiling of the bathtub deck, shower, and bathroom floor. The vanity we bought on sale is currently sitting in our bedroom and the new toilet is in the garage. The bathtub has been ordered and we're just trying to find good deals on faucets, mirrors, and lighting. I've been diligent about paying for everything we have purchased as we go -- as I do not want any additional debt. I'm also trying to pay a bit more towards the one credit card that we carry a balance on (for the initial remodel of the house). We're down from $12,000 to around $7500 now -- so that feels good (but I'll feel a lot better when that balance is ZERO!)

The holidays were great, as my daughter Mysti and her new husband Nick came to spend several days with us. We ate much more than we should have and had a nice time catching up. It was sad to see them go, but Mysti is coming back out to see us in February, so that will be nice! Also, I had a nice (I guess) surprise when I went back into work this morning. Since only one doctor was working in the clinic, they apparently decided that they did not need any temp workers for most of the week -- so I was sent home until Friday. While I really have been enjoying the time off (and getting caught up on a lot of stuff that I've neglected due to working full time), I worry about not earning for the whole week (as I only get paid for the hours I actually work). I guess there is nothing I can do about it -- but I will use the time productively and get ahead in some freelance work that I do.

How Things Change!

2008-11-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing certain in life, it's change. This month started out incredibly good -- but that changed quickly and dramatically. I guess I should provide some background first, so you understand more about my family and thus, more about these changes.

Mike is retired military. When we met, we were both earning nominal wages and had quite a bit of debt. In fact, a few years after we married, I was working for a radio station that was having financial problems and then went bankrupt. At that point, we went to a credit counseling company who, instead of telling us all would be well, let us know that we were too far gone for them to help us and that we should probably file for bankruptcy ourselves. Instead, we tightened our belts and I got a new job. At this point in our lives, my husband and I would make bi-weekly trips to the plasma center, spending 30-45 minutes hooked up to a machine that took our blood, spun out the plasma, and returned the red blood cells. For this, we would get $15 to $20 cash each time -- which was our grocery money. I still have scars on the interiors of both elbows that remind me of this hard time.

Things got better as my husband progressed up the ranks and as we paid off our debt. We now have great credit -- but still too much debt for my peace of mind. And now that my husband is working for a company in the private sector instead of the government, (and a start up company to boot), I've always worried about "what if."

Well, the "what if" happened this month. I was eating breakfast and watching the morning news one payday, when the anchor reported on a breaking news story. My Mike's company had an early morning meeting with some employees and informed them that no employees would be paid that day, as they had run out of money. I called Mike, who had not yet made it to work and had no idea what was going on. After almost a day of waiting for word, he called to let me know that the company was searching for more financing/investments -- at least enough to make payroll. The company had been having problems in the past, so we knew this was a possibility, but the cold reality of no pay was a shock. Mike did get his pay about a week late, but we figured it was just a matter of time before it happened again -- so he also started looking for another job. Unfortunately, the highly specialized job he did in the military (which happened to transition so well to his new private sector job) is not in high demand anywhere in the country -- so, it looked as if he would have to start out at an entry level if he changed jobs.

We decided to live as if Mike had already lost his job, only keeping in the checking account what he would receive if on unemployment and transferring the rest to savings and towards our credit card debt. We figured this way, should the worst happen, we would have a bit more in savings, less debt, and we already would have adjusted to the lower pay. I crunched the numbers and with his military retirement pay and disability pay, plus what I earn from my job and freelance work (as well as any unemployment he might receive), we should be able to pay all of the basic bills and not be in danger of loosing the house. Life would not be as entertaining and carefree as it had been -- but as a gal who looked for bargains even when we had extra money, I felt confident that we could live comfortably, if not luxuriously.

During this uncertain time, our cat, Biscuit became ill and what at first seemed like a bad case of constipation soon revealed itself to be a more serious intestinal problem. Seems like Biscuit had eaten a three-foot section of thread, which had tangled up his intestines and was threatening his life. We were faced with a choice of spending money on pet surgery that we should be saving because of my husband's job uncertainty, or putting Biscuit to sleep without trying to save his life. My adult daughter Cherron, who is currently living with us, urged us to at least try to save Biscuit and offered to pay for half of the surgery. So we went ahead. Unfortunately, our efforts were in vain. While Biscuit came through the surgery, his intestines were too badly damaged and repair efforts failed a few days later -- so he had to be euthanized at that time. I found it ironic that the vet charged us over $100 to put our pet out of his pain, after already collecting nearly $1000 for the previous vet visits and failed surgery attempts. Biscuit's passing was really hard on all of us. We really loved that cat and I miss him every day.

A few days later, Mike let me know that his company had declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I was grateful that they at least let the employees know about it before hand. Of course, it happened the day before payday -- so we were uncertain about what that would mean financially. It seems as if it is not all bad news. The company will continue to operate and apparently got a cash infusion from a potential buyer to tide the company over until an official sell can take place at the end of January (after the court has entertained other offers). So, it appears as if (knock wood) his job is safe until then and his pay should continue until that time. Once the new owners take over, we have no idea what cost savings measures they might take and if my husband's job may be eliminated -- so we will continue living as if Mike is already unemployed and hope for the best.

I continue with my coupon clipping and my sweepstaking (if not as many mail in entries as before -- postage is expensive!) We were able to use most of the $1000 Best Buy gift certificate we won in conjunction with Black Friday sales to get Christmas taken care of. The house is now decorated for Christmas (almost all decorations purchased from Target at a 75-90% discount after the season ended last year). It looks beautiful and gives me a sense of peace and contentment, even after our difficult and stressful month. I can't wait to have my family around me (my daughter and her new husband will be joining us at Christmas this year). We'll face the New Year and its uncertainties with our chins up and our strength derived from the love we share.

Wonderful Month!

2008-11-02T05:56:00.000-08:00

More good news in the sweepstakes department! I entered Mike (my husband) in a sweepstakes for a flat screen TV and -- he won! I couldn't believe that we won THREE flat screens in less than a month! Again, it's one of those experiences that only happen in sweepstaking! We've received the first flat screen that I won, and it is beautiful. Our problem was that we wanted it in the family room, where we spend most of our time -- and the entertainment center in there was a "assemble yourself" pressed wood type that we've had for years. Small and not so pretty -- no room for the flat screen TV. What we REALLY wanted was a solid wood entertainment center with a console, side piers, and bridge above, large enough to fit the alcove where our current entertainment center was dwarfed.

We looked online and at local stores and all of the entertainment centers that we liked were over $1500. Of course, we didn't have that type of money to spend just now, so we were thinking we would have to settle for a larger "assemble yourself" pressed wood type -- sigh. Then I looked on Craigslist and found a beautiful cherry entertainment center, just the right size, just up the street. It looked gorgeous in the pictures and was the right price ($500). We went to see it and it was obvious the owners took really good care of their belongings -- not a scratch on it! We brought it home, set it up, and now are watching high-def TV and marveling that we have such a beautiful and functional entertainment spot in our home! The color of the wood compliments the room color so beautifully! It's just a pleasure to look at (and of course to watch our new TV there). We got a shock when we went to buy the hookup cords for the TV -- but luckily the $1000 Best Buy certificate had come and we were able to use it to buy the things we needed (and we'll use it to buy the wall mount for the my DH's flat screen when it comes in a few weeks). We're planning on using the rest of that Best Buy gift card for Christmas presents instead of for a third flat screen. It just makes more sense financially.

We just got back from a trip to DC where my daughter Mysti was married. It was such a beautiful wedding and reception! Of course, I cried like a baby when she walked down the aisle. Most of the family came from all over the country and I was able to rent a vacation home for a decent price -- so we all stayed together (both sets of in-laws (and one of their poodles), my two brothers (one with wife and baby), my three unmarried children, and my nephew. My sister and her husband just moved to DC, so they visited often, as did my daughter who was getting married, her fiancé (now husband), and some of her bridesmaids when they got to town. It was like a family reunion every night! We did some sightseeing, but most of all I enjoyed helping my daughter get ready and doing some cooking for her, putting about a dozen meals into her freezer for them to enjoy when they get back from the honeymoon. Now I just have to help her find some great deals on some furniture -- as their living/dining room is totally bare!

Lady Luck Has Been Smiling On Me!

2008-09-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting month. I'm still getting use to working in the "real" world again and missing those days of editing in my jammies from home. However, we've seen a significant decrease in the credit card debt, which was the goal.

I've also managed to find some time for my sweepstaking on the weekends and I'm starting to see some results from that, which is nice after a rather long dry spell in that area. In the past few weeks, my daughter Kristina -- who just went away to college -- won her very own iPhone. This was welcome news, as the first week in college she was pushed into a swimming pool with her old cell phone in her pocket. The same day, she also won a $10 ITunes card -- so now she can buy some music to put on her fancy phone :)

A week or so later, I got an affidavit stating that I had won a 37" LCD HDTV -- something that has been on my "to win" list for the past year or so. I guess that "name it, claim it" mentality works -- because just today I received another affidavit and I won ANOTHER HDTV -- this time in the form of a $1000 Best Buy gift card! At the time, I was just heading to the post office with ten entries to another sweepstakes (a regional and quick closer) with 20 prizes of HDTV's -- LOL!

I think I need to start "naming and claiming" things like gift cards to home improvement stores or money for home improvement. The bathroom remodel is coming up quicker than I would like. I'm keeping my eye on the internet, hoping to find most of the fixtures and such on sale -- but a little help from some wins would be wonderful!

A Fun, Free Evening Out!

2008-08-16T21:40:00.001-07:00

One of my hobbies (when I can find the time) is sweepstaking. I've been doing it for over ten years now and have won some nice things over that time, such as a Mazda Miata car, $20,000 in Home Depot certificates, several trips, and other nice prizes. Some of my best wins are not expensive things, but special things that a normal person could not buy -- such as the time I won a 50-pound custom made chocolate/almond candy bar with my name inscribed on the label! That was a ton of fun that lasted a long time -- the family got hammers and screwdrivers and used them to chisel the candy bar into chunks, which we stored in ziplocks and kept in the freezer for more than a year, eating it slowly over time. The label is still in my "memory" box, with some other nice mementos from wins.

Things have slowed WAY down in the wins department in the last several years, but occasionally something fun will come along. Tonight the family went to the local ballpark as I was drawn as one of 20 finalists in a key turn to win a Harley Davidson motorcycle. As part of that win, I was given four tickets to the baseball game and $40 in vouchers for food. It was the last night before my youngest daughter, Kristina, went off to college, so it was nice to be able to spend it doing something fun.

It turned out that all 20 finalists showed up and we drew slips of paper out of a bucket to determine our order of drawing keys and trying to start the motorcycle. We then all went inside the stadium and lined up -- and they brought the motorcycle in. I was # 3 in line. They had told us that some keys would not even fit into the ignition, while others would fit, but would not turn -- and only one would turn all the way and be able to turn on the headlight of the motorcycle, which would determine the winner.

I was between a middle-age guy who seemed very excited and a very old woman who was on oxygen, who did not seem to care at all that she was there. The guy next to me asked her if she planned to keep the motorcycle if she won and she said she did not want it, but that she had kids who probably would like it. I'm not sure why she even entered -- as she was so unenthusiastic.

We lined up and the first woman went. Her key went in, but did not turn. Then the guy in front of me went and he could not fit his key into the ignition. Then it was my turn. I tried to see if there was a key more scratched than the others (that is one pointer you often hear in key turns -- to make sure to take the scratched key). However, they all looked the same to me and I didn't want to stand there all day deciding, so I grabbed one and gave it a try. It went in smoothly -- but did not turn :(

The crowd gave a sympathetic groan when I shook my head and then they gave me a big hand (I later found out that I was on the jumbotron and the family said I looked good and "normal" -- so I guess that was a good thing.

I walked to the back of the line and then turned to watch the other contestants. The old woman was helped up the ramp (the motorcycle was on a trailer), put her key in the ignition, and the light on the motorcycle came on!! I couldn't believe it! She did not even smile when she was told she won! My daughter said that her son and daughter were sitting behind them in the stands and the son said, "I already have a Harley!" I just don't understand why they would even enter this contest if 1) she was not interested in winning and 2) her son already owned a bike. I'm sure it was rather disappointing to the Miller Beer and Harley Davidson people (the sponsors) who were also present, as this woman was obviously not in their target audience and did not even seem happy to have won.

I did feel lucky that I at least had a chance to try my key -- as the other 16 people never even got to give it a shot, and that had to be frustrating. I went back up into the stands and we ate lots of ballpark food and heckled the other team for a bit until it started to rain. Then we headed home. All in all, it was a fun night -- but I really would have liked to have won!

Maybe the next drawing I'm in (for the $2000 Visa card) will be luckier. That one also has great odds, with only 21 finalists and, on that one, I don't have to be present to win, so it will be less stressful for sure.

So TIRED!

2008-08-02T19:21:00.001-07:00

I just finished my first week at my new job. I can't believe how tired I am and how behind I'm feeling. The job itself is not physically demanding, but I think the combination of "new job stress" and the fact that I'm still trying to keep the house clean and also keep up on the freelance writing and editing I do is all adding up.

I informed the company I edit for that I would be going back to work and that they should probably find someone else to handle things. The owner was sad to hear that, as we've worked together for nearly 7 years. She said she would start looking and I told her I would help out as much as I could until she found someone. I'm just hoping that she really starts looking, as I don't think I can do both a full time job, my writing (which I don't want to give up) AND the editing (plus all the household things that a mom needs to do).

I keep telling myself this is all for the greater good. Each paycheck will go directly to the credit card company to pay off that granite countertop :) Since this is a long-term temp assignment, I plan to keep working until the first of the year, and then take some time off to manage the remodel of the bathroom. That way, I can be on hand as the sub-contractors come in to do the work (as well as being there to do my own work when I can).

On other fronts, my oldest daughter is getting married in October and my youngest daughter is going off to college in two weeks! Excitement, stress, and of course, expense on every level!

Remodeling on a Budget

2008-07-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

We purchased our first home about 18 months ago. It was on the brink of foreclosure and in desperate need of some attention and love. We continued living in our rental house for five months, with me spending just about every day at the new house (as I work from home), painting and staining, and my husband (Mike) joining me on the weekend, to demo and do some of the work that, quite frankly, intimidated me.

What a journey it has been -- and it's not over yet! We totally gutted the kitchen and the downstairs bathroom, changing the floor plan slightly for the kitchen (making the attached dining room into an unattached office and closing up a sliding glass door so that we could put a built-in banquette in that corner). We read a lot, watched a lot of HGTV, and took some classes at the local home improvement stores. Overall, we're proud of how things turned out and we're especially proud of the fact that we saved tens of thousands of dollars by doing so much of the labor ourselves.

I've always been a bargain shopper, so I was in my element as I hunted for materials and fixtures. I was able to buy a beautiful free-standing vanity with a hand painted glass sink online for nearly 75% off, as the online store was going out of business. I got all of the accessories for all rooms on clearance for 75-90% off, and then added a bit of creativity to some to make them into real works of art. We spent about $25,000 overall on all of the work we did, which included repainting the entire interior of the house, purchasing and staining new baseboards for most of the rooms downstairs, buying new light fixtures for most of the downstairs rooms, putting in two new windows, framing in and installing French doors in the new office, buying a new toilet and vanity for the powder room, totally revamping the kitchen (with new cabinets, tile backsplash, tile floor, built-in banquette, stainless steel appliances, and granite countertops), and then doing some neglected maintenance work that the old owner left for us (and of course did not disclose), such as the new waterheater that was needed, the roof patching that was needed in two locations, and the new plumbing manifold that had to be installed.

We had saved for nearly two years so that we could pay cash for most of the remodel. We did end up charging about $2000 at Home Depot (mostly for tools and things like molding, drywall, and lumber), but put it on an interest free for a year plan and then made sure to pay off the entire balance before that year was up. The one thing that we DID go over budget on was the granite countertops. Quite frankly, by the time we got to that stage, we had used up most of the savings and we did not have the cash for the granite counters we had always dreamed about. We discussed the other options, like the granite-look alike laminates or a solid surface counter. However, we really felt that if we put in a laminate counter, we would just replace it in a few years with granite -- and then we would be paying twice on the same project. So, we bit the bullet and charged the granite -- something I would not recommend to those in an "iffy" financial situation. It's taken us some time to pay down that credit card bill -- and I've probably paid more in interest than I saved on my beautiful bathroom vanity. However, everytime I walk into the kitchen, I do LOVE those countertops -- so for us, this was a good decision (although how I hate being back in debt for any reason!!)

For that reason, I opted to get a full time job so that we could pay off the credit card the rest of the way and start saving for the NEXT project -- which is the master bathroom. We will probably start that project in the next few months, as we've been approved as part of a class action claim and our house will be totally re-plumbed (a normally $10,000+ job -- at no cost to us!) We figured that would be a good time to tackle the master bathroom, as the plumbing and walls would be torn up anyway. We had a remodeling firm come and give us an estimate -- $20,000-$25,000 if we only replaced the fixtures (no changing of the floor plan) or $40,000-$50,000 if we moved any walls or fixtures!! I could hardly believe the quote! So, as nice as it would be to let someone else do all the work -- we plan to roll up our sleeves again. We figure we can make the changes we want (which will add about 10 square feet to the room), put in the materials we want, and keep the cost between $7000-$9000.

So, the search begins for bargain priced vanities, tubs, toilets, and tile! I'll share what I find and, if you have any great suggestions, please let me know! I welcome all the help I can get!

My First Blog!

2008-07-23T14:07:00.001-07:00

Isn't it funny how we resist change? I remember when I used to have dial up internet access and I could not understand why anyone would want high speed/broadband connections! Dial up worked perfectly fine for me, so why should I change? Then I got high speed internet after a move and, after just a short time, I wondered how I could have lived with dial up for so long! The same thing happened with online banking. I couldn't imagine doing my banking online (for any scammer to see, I thought). Now that I have it, I can't imagine writing checks to pay my bills. When I do have to write a check, it just seems archaic!

I guess that is why I resisted having a blog for so long -- just one more change I would need to get comfortable with. Plus, isn't that something that only young people do?? Plus, did I really want my life out there for the world to see? Then I got a Facebook account and I began to see the beauty and fun in connecting with others, even if it is not "face to face." So, I figured that even this old(er) dog might be able to learn a few new tricks and I decided to give blogging a try.

The one thing that hasn't changed in my life for all of these years is that I am a creative bargain hunter. Yes, I'm a cheap chick (in a good way), and proud of it! Why pay retail if you don't have to?? So, I figured that could be the focus of my blog -- especially in this time of economic uncertainty for so many. This will be a place where I can tell you about my creative solutions to money matters and where you can share your own experiences!

Enjoy!