September 2009 Recap

Wow, where did September go? It's hard to believe we are already in October. Here's how we did on our goals this month:

• Plant a vegetable garden The critters really went to town on our gardens this year. We harvested a lot of peas and blackberries, but the tomatoes, sunflowers, cucumbers, peppers and cantaloupe all got eaten before they were even partially ripe. I left what was there on the vines to feed the critters into the winter, and declared the garden a lost cause this month. I think we may do peas again next year, but that's it. I didn't really enjoy the gardening. Flowers are much more my thing!
• Go to California My brother and sister in law had a baby at the beginning of the month, and so I flew out there to see them all for a couple of weeks. Lover was able to join me for one of the weeks, and we had a great time visiting and cuddling with the new little one.
• Get together with family more often This was a month for family! We surprised my mom with a trip home for her fiftieth birthday at the beginning of the month, and spent just about every day of the two weeks with her, my brothers and my mom's family. It was great catching up with everyone. I'm so glad we got to do something nice for my mom's special birthday.
• Plan a missions trip to Spain This is progressing nicely, and it looks like we are planning to go to Spain next spring. I am so excited about getting to go back to where I grew up!
• Continue learning piano I am working on a new piece, and now that the weather isn't as nice, I'll be inside more... so more opportunity to practice! :-)
• Read 12 non-fiction books this year. I killed this goal this month. As of last month I had read 5 books, my total at the end of September is 9 books! I also read four novels this month too. Can you tell that Lover was away for most of the month?

This month was all about family, so we didn't spend hardly any time on the house. We did a little more demo in the basement, and some gardening outside, including removing the ivy. That's about it! My little brother is moving in with us in November, so we are focusing on the house this month. Hopefully we'll have lots to report next month! For now I'll leave you with a picture of my sweet little nephew. Isn't he wonderful?

August 2009 Recap

We're more than halfway through the year, so I thought I would make a list of accomplished goals so far for 2009.

• Increase emergency savings by 2009
• Have garage sale-ing fund up to $100 by start of summer
• Have one month's worth of meat in the freezer.
• Go camping
• Go to the Renaissance Festival
• Throw 2-3 good parties (Culoare Zi and Paul and Mandy's party)
• Finish painting rooms in house
• Plant a vegetable garden
• Go to Wisconsin
• Get together with family (both sides) about once a week

Accomplished goals of goals set for the year: 31%

Goals we are still making progress on:

• Have one month's worth of expenses saved up
• Learn canning: I am waiting for apple season to get in full swing so that I can make some applesauce.
• Go to California: I'll be flying out within a week or two, depending on when this little baby decides to come!
• Read twelve non-fiction books this year Books read to date: 5

Other things we accomplished this month:

• Painted the windowsills outside in the front
• Painted the paneling in the kitchen
• Flew my mom home for two weeks
• Continued with basement demolition
• Planted a garden by the stairs

Summer is almost over but I think we've really lived it up this year!

July 2009 Recap

July was a very busy month, with something going on every weekend, and lots of projects during the week. Lover spent three days in NJ, which allowed me to finish up some projects we've been working on. We also threw our yearly Culoare Zi party and took a week long vacation to Wisconsin. Here's how we did on our year's goals this month:

• Go camping We went once this month, and it was a blast. Camping is so relaxing and stress-free. Wish we could go more often!
• Go to the Renaissance Festival We went and had a great time, as seen in the post below.
• Throw 2-3 good parties this year. Culoare Zi: The Year of Yellow was a smashing success, despite copious amounts of rain. Pictures to come soon.
• Plant a vegetable garden. The peas were yummy, as were the blackberries. The cukes are growing quickly, we have baby peppers and little cherry tomatoes. The canteloupe are still flowering, no sign of fruit yet. Hopefully we'll get to taste the fruit of all our labor, before the bunnies and groundhogs get to them.
• Go to Wisconsin We spent four days with Lover's grandparents in Wisconsin, and had a great time. It was nice to catch up with them, and some other friends along the way home.
• Read 12 non-fiction books. I finished a Chance to Die in Wisconsin last week. Definitely an interesting read on the life of Amy Carmichael. Non fiction books read year to date: 3

In addition to these goals, we also:

• Made freezer jam
• Painted the front door
• Refinished a dresser
• Replaced the bushes in the front of the house
• Saw lots of family and friends

Can't believe more than half of 2009 is over!

June 2009 Recap

I can't believe the first month of summer is over! June absolutely flew by, but we had a blast. We went to graduation parties, a baseball game, threw a party for my brother and sister-in-law, worked on the house and Lover spent a week in NYC. Very, very busy! Here's how we did on our goals this month:

• Increase emergency savings by $500 As of today, we have reached our goal! 100%!
• Have one month's worth of expenses saved up (besides the savings we already have) We're up to about 27% of this goal
• Have garage sale-ing fund up to >$100 I'm all set for the garage saleing season. Unfortunately I've been too busy to hit up a lot of sales.
• Have stocked food supply We have a month's plus worth of meat in the freezer, I am working on having a backup for our pantry items.
• Go camping Barring a torrential rain, we'll be going camping next weekend. Yay!
• Throw 2-3 good parties The invites for Culoare Zi 2009 will be going out this week, and Lover has his yellow shirt. I'm still searching for the right outfit
• Plant a vegetable garden We ate our first peas this week. They were so yummy! The tomatoes are growing nice and big, as are the cucumbers. The blackberries are ripening up quickly. Parsley was a dud, and the sunflowers got eaten by bunnies. :-(
• Learn canning My sisters and I tried to make strawberry jam, it was a bust. We're going to try again when peaches are ripe. :-)
• Go to California to visit Paul and Mandy I may actually be going out twice this year, once when baby Danko is born, then again around Christmas time, with Lover.
• Get together with family more often Still seeing Lover's family once a week or so, and seeing my brothers one or twice a week as well. They are so much fun and so crazy!
• Continue learning piano I have set myself the goal of being able to play every song in the beginner's piano book that I have. Then I'll move on to the minuets.

In addition to these goals, here's what we accomplished around the house:

• We began the basement demolition, tearing out some of the headers, paneling, carpet on walls, mirrors on walls, and we tore up all of the carpet on the floor. It took us three weeks to get rid of that garbage, and now we're ready to do round two.
• We came up with a floorplan for the basement, where we will be moving some things around, installing a shower in the bathroom, and opening up the glass block windows to let in more light.
• We tore out the yucky bushes in front and replaced with fresh boxwood shrubs and daylilies. Still waiting on the elegantissima boxwoods to arrive, then I'll post pics.

Looks like we are making progress!

The Correct Perspective

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.

Helen Keller

I have always admired Helen Keller's story, and I find it so interesting that she said this about accomplishing something great. She is an inspirational woman and accomplished so much, and yet her focus was to do each little thing as if it were the most important thing in the world. This is what I need to remember!

 

Progress, Water and Dishes

I posted a few months ago (here) about three things that I am trying to improve.  Drinking more water, reducing the paper clutter I have everywhere, and keeping up with the dishes.  I thought long and hard about how to resolve these little challenges in my life and here is what I came up with;

• Drinking more water. I realized that I don't like carrying a glass around the house with me, because I am afraid I will break it. So, I went to Target and found a couple of pretty little acrylic glasses for $0.74ea. Breakage fear solved, and water intake increased. :-) 
• Keeping up with the dishes. It seemed inefficient to me to always be washing dishes, so I would wait until there was a mountain in the sink. The mountain was then so overwhelming that I couldn't bring myself to even start working on them.... yep, quite the vicious cycle. So, now I try to do dishes a couple times a day, and I have to say I have pretty much kept them at bay. My kitchen, husband and guests all thank me. :-) 
• Reducing paper clutter. I'm saving this one for a separate post as I have come up with a few different ways to corral my clutter, and they are pretty good, if I do say so myself. :-) 

May 2009 Recap

Wow, seems like May just flew by. Lover is finally home with no big travel plans scheduled, so we spent all month trying to catch up. I spent a week without a car, but then we found a cute little Pontiac Grand Am for me. It's old, but in great shape and has lots of pickup, which is a necessity for me. The best part was that all of Lover's overtime paid for the car, so we didn't have to dip into the car fund. Yay!

Other goals we've made progress on:

• Increase emergency savings by $500 We're up to 88%!
• Plant a vegetable garden Yesterday I planted three tomato plants and a canteloupe. I'll be planting the rest of the garden outside this week, and I am so excited to have my kitchen counters back!
• Learn canning My sisters-in-law and I are going to try our hand at this at the end of the summer. Sara has all of the supplies, so that is great! I am also going to try to make some freezer jam while starwberries are in season.
• Get together with family more often. We're still seeing Luke's family about once a week, and we've been seeing my brothers about that much as well.
• Read 12 non fiction books this year Still working on my next two; A Chance to Die and 100 Christian Women who Changed the 20th Century

In addition to these goals, we've accomplished a lot around the house:

• Painted the inside of the front door
• Painted the entryway and hung a chandelier
• Painted the stairway
• Stained the moulding around the front door
• Installed the moulding around the living room window.
• Installed the baseboards in the guest room
• Planted hanging baskets of petunias
• Gotten quotes for power washing the house
• Installed a window in the workshop
• Started working on the back "mudroom"

So, I think May was pretty productive!

April 2009 Recap

• Increase emergency savings by $500 We're up to 76%
  
• Have a month's worth of expenses saved. We've got this up to 77%!
• Increase car fund by $1K My car went caput this week, so we are car shopping. But, that is what a car fund is for!
• Have a garage sale-ing fund for the summer months. I've saved a few dollars, and I still have a month before there are really a lot of sales.
• Go camping. We've set the dates for a few weekend camping trips, I am so looking forward to this!
• Throw 2-3 good parties We've set the date for Culoare Zi 2009, and we've have the menu planned. Yay!
• Plant a vegetable garden The seedlings are growing up quickly, and there's just a few more weeks before we get them growing in the ground!
  
• Read 12 non-fiction books this year. I've read Passionate Housewives Desperate for God and Behind the Ranges Currently reading two others.

That's it for this month. I think we did pretty good since we weren't here for two weeks, and I spent a week at the hospital with my grandma. (She's better!) We'll see what May brings!

March 2009 Recap

• Increase emergency savings by $500 We're up to 68% of this goal!
• Increase car fund by $1K Like I said last month, we had done this, but Luke's car cost us this amount to pass inspection :-(
• Do more sewing this year I've made a cardigan, and a tunic so far. I also made a curtain for the laundry room, so I think I'm doing well on this goal so far.
• Plant a vegetable garden We've bought the seeds and the greenhouse to start them in. I've researched the planting schedule for our zone, and am now researching soil/compost, etc. We'll be starting the seeds at the end of April.
• Take a summer vacation in WI Luke took the time off of work, now we just have to plan the vacation!
• Get together with family more often We've been seeing the immediate family a lot lately, and I even had lunch with my grandparents this month. Now that Luke's Grandma is back from FL, we can see her too.
• Study other religions I checked out a book called the Illustrated Guide to World Religions. I've only read through Judaism so far, but it was very interesting.
• Get shoulders in shape (Luke) His shoulders have been improving little by little, he hasn't dislocated one in months (a record!) He was also able to swing a bat this month, which is huge progress.

Overall, I think we're doing really well with our goals this year. If you notice different goals from last month, that is because I only post the goals that we made progress with each month. Let's see how April goes!

2009 Goals in Progress

I've set up my google calendar to remind me to check my goals for 2009 once a month. This forces me to actually make an effort to accomplish them this year. :-) Here are the ones we've made progress in so far. (and on a side note, don't you just love google? they sure do make my life a lot easier)

• Increase emergency savings by $500. We've saved just over half of this so far
• Increase car fund by $1K. We've done this too, but Luke's car needs some work so... it might be a wash. :-(
• Have money saved for garage saleing season. I have $10. That counts right?
• Have a stocked food supply. We have a month's worth of meat in the basement freezer, and we're working on stocking the non-perishables.
• Finish painting rooms in house. I've painted the living room, dining room, master bedroom and hallway, as well the ceilings in all of those. All we have left is the stairwell. Of course, those are just the rooms we've been working on. There's always more!
• Get together with family once a week. We've pretty much done this with Luke's family, and we've seen my brothers about every two weeks. It's been Great!
• More people coming to Bible Study We've had four new people come this year, and we're hoping they stick around! Yay!
• Continue goal of getting in better shape. I've lost eight pounds so far, and am still losing. On a side note, how it is possible that Luke only weighs six pounds more than I do? That's motivation for ya!
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Friday Fav: Reading

I have always been a fanatic about reading. My mom says I started reading when I was three or four (really!) and I haven't stopped since then. I used to have just about every single book in our house memorized, and despite our weekly library outings, I was always desperate for reading material. I even remember trying to read a book about marriage when I was 8 years old, I was that desperate. :-)

That said, I am super excited about the lineup I have for Tampa. Oh, did I mention I was going to Florida? For four weeks? In March? Yeah, I know you're jealous. Hee hee. Anyways, these are the books I have tucked aside for my vacation;

I'm anticipating that this will be very convicting, bring it Mrs. Pearl! 

My friend Sara lent me this one, thanks Sara!

Also, from Sara, a book I've wanted to read for a while. I've always been inspired by Amy Carmichael, and I love Elizabeth Elliot's writing. 

And lastly, hopefully this book will help me improve my photography! I'll be practicing lots down there in sunny Florida!

Oh, and three of these four books count towards one of my 2009 goals; to read 12 non-fiction books this year. Yay!

Three Things to Work On

Although I do try to keep this blog restricted to house content, there are three things I am trying to improve in my day to day life and my housekeeping skills. I thought I would blog about them in an effort to keep me accountable. :-) I'll letcha know how it goes. 

1.  First of all, I am trying to work on the clutter that accumulates on all surfaces/tabletops on the first floor.  
2. Second of all, I really have to keep the dishes at bay. We don't have a dishwasher, but as there are only two of us, I really have no excuse.
   
    
3. Third, I need to drink more water. I was good about this when I was working, but not so much at home. 
   

Soon to come, the ways I am going to solve these problems!! Stay tuned!

$$ Financial Freedom $$

With February quickly drawing to a close I have been reviewing our 2009 goals, specifically our financial goals. This has lead me to think about the things we do to experience our own financial freedom. Here are some of the things I came up with:

• Our budget, when we spend the allotted amount in each category, is less than our take-home pay. This seems like a simple concept, but it's harder to actually do than to type.
  
• We have a mortgage that we have set up to repay in 15 years. The increased amount is automatically taken out with the actual mortgage payment, so it just seems like our payment is higher. We don't miss the money, and the benefit will be completely owning our home in 14 more years.
• We have an emergency fund, set aside where we don't see it everyday, which gives great peace of mind.
• We have no other debt besides our mortgage and a small student loan. We took out the loan my last semester of college to boost our credit score. Not having credit card debt, a car payment or any financing means that we are in control of more of our own money and don't have to worry about making payments.

Other things we do to experience financial freedom:

• Having a car fund that would allow us to go out and buy a car for Luke tomorrow if needed. This is very important because if Luke does not have a car, he cannot do his job.
• Health insurance and 401(k) contributions come out before we get the paycheck deposited. We don't miss the money, and these two very important items are taken care of almost unconciously.
• We have about a month's worth of meat in the freezer, and a well stocked pantry. If Luke did lose his job, we could live off of the food in the house for quite a while, further reducing our expenses.

Each thing on its own is not enough to experience financial peace of mind. But together, they mean that we spend less time stressing about money, and more time enjoying what we do have.

$$$ Accomplishments in 2008

I thought it would be encouraging to post the financial accomplishments we had in 2008. It's not a long list, but there are some big goals that we met and we are pretty happy about it!

• Bought a house... Wendhurst Castle (but you knew that already, didn't you?)
• Saved $3,000 for a new car. The way Luke has to drive for work, we may need this in 2009.
• Got a 16% Raise... good job lover!
• Quit my job/stayed home all year.  Oh yeah, this is the life.
• Started retirement savings with a 10% contribution.
• Didn't touch our emeergency fund at all this year. Yay!

My list for my life

If you know me at all, you know that I l-o-v-e lists. Here's a great one I stole from Jen who stole it from a bunch of other people. As the New Year approaches, and we set goals for 2009, this is a great review of your life!

Things you've done: bold
Things you want to do: italics
Things you haven't done and don't want to do: plain

 

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars …yes please!
3. played in a band
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland/world
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea.. as long as I am safe
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty (ok, most of the way)
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping… hee hee!
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset (both actually!)
31. hit a home run 
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors 
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michelangelo's david in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris (I was at the bottom, but I think it still counts!
51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theatre 
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person 
80. published a book 
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby 
95. seen the alamo in person
96. swum in the great salt lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee