2016

I don't know, I can't believe it's 2016 all ready? Got an in box full of all kinds of 2016 stuff today. Sigh. Well I make goals, but really there isn't much this year? Short of trying not to kill my neighbor? But that is another story.

 

My goals seem to be on going. We never buy new (so can't use that one). If we buy new it has to be 50-75% off. Oh we do buy new food. Although I really need to cut back on the food budget. So we have more gas money. I have one kid with braces coming up and that is freaking me out. I have one right behind him, and then I think I have a waiting period before the third. But Tucker is more urgent. He has such an over and under bite that he has so much trouble chewing and I can't tell ya how many times we have had to save him from choking. It's very scary. We should know in a few months if he is facing surgery.

 

I'm going to see if I can semi master my seeding and timing. As you can see I brought in the first light. I'm starting onions first. Going through seeds I don't need to buy seeds. Relief there. I'm just waiting for the dirt to warm up and so hopefully over the weekend get them going? 

Since I'm doing a garden this year, the rack will come in soon. About early Feb I will start tomatoes and peppers. Oh how I love peppers. well you all know my love for tomatoes. Speaking of tomatoes, I got my hands on Big Zac....If you don't know Big Zac he is a world record holder.

 

 

 

I don't know, I keep hoping oh this will be a good year, and it never is. I don't think this will be either. My hopes are not high. Maybe just hope for peace and calm? I'm tired of being so stressed out. I have so many quilt ideas stuck in my head, would love to get them out? But yeah when I'm stressed I'm not sewing. A cheap way to get fabric is buying sheets at goodwill when they are having a half off sale. Tip there. Because craft store solid colors are pricey.....And you can get yards and yards for about 2 dollars.

 

As you can tell, really not looking forward to the year ahead. So the post is a bit down. I do hope something good happens to lift our spirits and keep us going, but my hopes are not high. Hard to have hope when you are in a time frame of hit after hit. Something dies, you can't afford to replace, yet another hit to the budget here or there. Someone who has no clue about your life has a comment and it hurts. You try and shake it off and this something else comes up. Someone is rude or mean so it drags you down yet again. Try to get up and you are hit again. Frankly I'm just tired.

 

OH I know a good goal POST A FREAKING RECIPE! Get on the ball lady! How many minds did I just read?

When Life Throws You Lemons

Your suppose to make Lemonade right? But what happens when you don't like lemonade then what? I don't mind lemon on fish, but life hasn't thrown me a fish yet?

 

We've had a crazy time lately with things dying around here. TV, computer, Bunny, hair clippers, vacuum, dishwasher. Oh I'm sure I'm missing a few? TV was under warranty and they did fix it. Computer is toast, warranty people won't talk to us with a CC we don't have a CC, so as of right now not replacing the computer. Bunny, well we buried him it was a long time coming, hair clippers I will be replacing. I save so much money cutting the boys hair, vacuum, I bought a broom, but I really need to buy a new vacuum, dishwasher, well we plugged the hole and prayed. We are saving a couple dollars a week and should be there by the end of next year?

 

Make me worry about what was to come.

 

Then you have life. My mother in law fell ill again, nothing like getting a call at 3m when you get home from work at 2am and just dropped into bed. Which got us thinking back to four years ago. Four years ago changed so much here. I fear the changes coming this time around. 

Four years ago, we or mostly I had to be at the rehab center every day at set times, and lots of running around. Going back and fourth from rehab to house to errands sometimes 2-4 times a day. We had to finally take a loan out for gas. Which in turn took about two years to pay off. My kids missed so much school, because I couldn't be at one place at one set time and be at another place at the same time. Something had to give and I had to keep pulling kids out of school to make this time and that time work. Which I'm happy to do, but the kids were suffering. It was one of the biggest factors into finally leaving school and home schooling.

 

Then I get crap about how the kids should be in school. I want to yell HOW? what is the point if they are going to miss so much school? Because I can't be here, and there picking them up? 

Then we have the Mortgage, I've been trying hard to pay it down, so we can either re-fi or move, both would reduce our payment. We need our payment reduced so we can afford our payment with out stressing every single month. We'll it was decided last summer lets try and move. We need a bigger house, as we are in such a tiny house and just tripping over each other. We need a bigger yard. As I grow nearly everything we eat. I need a canning room to store all the stuff I preserve that we eat, that I grow. Tired of having to dig under beds and couches to find foods. Going south would get us a bigger house with less mortgage. Hubby's job may be moving south, it was a win win.

 

But I think we have decided that a move at this moment is not in our future. Because moving 20-30 minutes south is not logical right now. That is adding 20-30 minutes to our 30 minute trip to the in laws. That doesn't make sense. Gas is going to kill us as it is. We will still look, but we have decided to throw our tax return at the mortgage and re-fi. Extend our mortgage back out to freaking 30 years. But we should have a payment we can afford, which would allow breathing room to have a few extra dollars for gas, so we are not going down the loan road again. I also hope that once a dishwasher is bought that, that 10-20 a week can start being put towards a second car. It's something that we will probably need down the road. 

When I think about the in laws, I think back about 15-17 years ago, I'm still damaged from that time. My Grandmother fell sick and she was basically dumped on me, because after all I was just looking for a job and that is nothing. So yeah I have all the time in the world to take care of her. It turned into two years of hell. Taking her to doctors appointments, surgeries, meals, errands. Even when I parked her at my parents, hoping for help, hum nope, you have to come out here and take care of her. If she needs a 2am pill you need to be here, BUT you can't stay here with her. No I was kicked out of the house at 19, probably because I was too old to beat with a belt? IDK. So not only taking care of her, I'm hunting for a job, I'm couch surfing. At times sleeping in the car because I couldn't stay at her place, she wanted to be independent. But have to turn around and be there so early. I would beg and plead for help, and get a nope. I finally get her on her feet, she is doing for herself. I get a job, I get an apartment and then the bottom falls out and she dies.

 

Although then funny how fast her kids showed up to search the place for a will and then how fast they left when they found it, realized she died in debt, and so I was blamed for the lack of money. Hum? you have a 62 year old, who is on ss, no retirement, she has to pay rent and a car payment, pay for her health insurance and everything. She would skimp on food to get by. So that was a nice fight, told them to check the bank account, in the end they realized I was right. I was never paid for a second of the time I gave her. I was loaned her car here and there, which I would sleep in from time to time, because I couldn't find a couch to crash on. I don't mind the non payment, but I do mind the lack of help I received from family. I haven't spoken to my Aunt or Uncles from that day since. Don't even know if they know if that I have kids? They have never met them.

 

But Karma does come around and my mother is living with Karma now, as she is going from surgery to surgery, I know she is doing it for the drugs. But she asked for help and I said no. I haven't been to her house in years. Good luck to ya.  There is more Karma coming and I fear it may hit later this week. Not the week I need it, but in my 40 years on earth she has never heard one word I have said, she will listen or she will be removed from my life all together. I don't need her to live. And the boys don't need a drunk Grandmother in their lives. As it is she only sees them 2-3 times a year as it is. You can't beat someone growing up, call them names, still today I'm called fat. Yeah that helps. You can't dump your mother on me and not help and then expect help when it comes your time? I have learned how to say no years ago. It's actually really easy now.

 

So we have a tough year ahead coming up. I feel it, I know it. Figure if we take it day to day we can try and get through it and hope the other side is better? Just hope God can give us the strength to get through each day.  Although there are times I wonder why God is dumping and dumping and dumping. What I wouldn't give for some good news to keep us going. 

Now to figure out what to do with these Lemons?

Ready For Christmas

Well Buddy is...He has been sitting on presents under the tree. Although someone needs to break the news to him that not one of the gifts are for him????

 

These two kill me. The gray cat hates everyone, she is a one cat, well one animal house. But when she is the mood to take care of someone she curls up with them and loves on them. Other then that LEAVE HER ALONE. 

Well ready for Christmas here. Gifts are all bought and wrapped and under the tree. Kids are not getting much, the bulk of the gifts under the tree are gifts they made and gave each other. Which those gifts they get to open on the 24th. I'm excited about those this year, they really put some thought into the gifts.

 

Although we have been thrown some curve balls this week. Which will drag into next week and we have a crazy three weeks coming up. So Monday night, well Tuesday Morning, hubby gets home from work about 2am, about 2:30am we are finally dropping into bed. At 3am phones are going off. My mother in law was rushed to the hospital. So hubby after no sleep runs up to help get father in law to the hospital. He arrives home about 9am where he finally drops into bed. Mother in law got real sick real fast and it went to her lungs. It was caught fast this time, although tell ya she fought going to the hospital. Luckily with it caught fast, she should only be in the hospital for a few days.

 

She should be home sometime over the weekend. But next week, hubby will be up and back helping out. Mother in law needs to take it easy, so for the first week we are forcing help on her. She likes to over do it, so hubby help in the morning and an evening nurse until bedtime. Try and get her to take it easy for a week.

 

Our TV arrives back home tomorrow. So excited about that. We so have missed this thing. It's not like I watch it a lot, but been watching the stupid Christmas movies in the evening so have to drag the kids' TV back and fourth. 

 

Tomorrow we are home all day. Hubby home from work. I plan on a working on a new cracker recipe, and making a good dinner and just being quiet. 

12/19/15 Candy Canes

 

This picture doesn't do this justice. These are 9 foot tall candy canes. Yes, 9 foot tall. It's 4 inch pvc pipe, you wrap red duct tape around and then the lights and boom you have a candy cane, although the top is a bit tricky, they are 4 inch curve pieces, glued together. I found these first on pinterest and if I hadn't lost my other computer I would supply you with the website I got the idea from! But to me they look stunning and just something that no one else has.

 

Although light wise it has been about all we can do this year. Lack of funds, our minds are else where.

 

December has totally side lined us. Loosing the computer has cut our swags in half, So having to get Lego's from our budget. Budget tight as it was so that stops money from going to the house. So our Mortgage really hasn't dropped, our savings really hasn't gone up. Been kinda at a stand still.

 

 

We have a couple big purchases we need to do for the house. So probably put x amount aside a week for that and start going down the list. Would be nice to not need to do anything when we go to sell the house. Just be ready to list.

 

Updating 12/8/15

Well, about three weeks ago our TV died. Sitting here watching a silly Christmas movie, not paying any attention when I look up and it's a black screen. After some googling it's probably the inverter. Going for about 60 on Amazon. BUT the TV is under warranty so we went that route first. Called Costco and they sent us to the company. A freaking three week run around and we were finally able to send off our TV yesterday. Now because of the flooding it was stalled in Portland, as of tonight it's on a truck heading to GA. At this rate I won't be seeing the TV before Christmas. The kids loan me theirs in the evening so we are ok. 

So not in the Christmas spirit. Life isn't a Christmas movie that is for sure. Nope, it's stress, things breaking, money issues, rainy season, wet dogs, dying bunny, no time for anything, sewing, sewing and more sewing. Squeezing in school. And wishing time would stop because seed catalogs are starting to roll in.

 

Been racking my brain on what to make for the neighbor boy, when this idea finally landed in my lap, thanks manly to the fabric. What child doesn't want a batman cape? Like seriously? The child is three so it's a bit small on my ten year old. 

I wasn't going to do anything for baby brother, but hum how does one not do a bib in the same fabric? Almost wanted another baby, oh batman bibs, and batman diapers??? But then reality hits, and that baby thing passes, very quickly. 

 

I have sewed to many things so more photos are coming. I have created slug terra stuff animals, and about to do slug terra pillows. Two blaster holders, yeah no idea. In the midst of a quilt. Oh boy. Although the kids keep adding projects to my list. OH a pillow case tonight.

 

So Cole was flying the other night. 

Sam is doing well, well as well as he can. Flea issues, we are consently working on. Nothing is working on this dog. We are now doing a dawn bath every other day, and coated in natural flea stuff. It semi works for him. Along with cleaning his eyes daily. He pretty much has run of the house now. He has his set blankets in certain spots. He likes to sleep in the laundry room, where Tucker finds him in the morning and potties him. They take him to the playroom until I get up. Then his box is dragged to the living room where he either keeps sleeping or goes over by the couch. After a long nap, he gets fed and usually ends up in the laundry room until kids go to bed, then he is glued to my feet until it's feeding time again and bed time. And the cycle starts again. If he does something odd you rush him outside, it's pee or poop time. 

So not ready for Christmas. Even with us starting early on Lego's we are far behind. Losing the computer hurt. So the swags just are not there, so have to take the Lego's out of budget, and budget just can't do it. Still have four more sets to buy. So paying down the house is taking a big hit right now. We had to pay for packing to ship the TV back. The dishwasher is so close to dead. We are working on re-installing the second bathroom. Got the new toilet in. Only took two extra trips to Home Depot. We thought we had a leak, but it must be from turning on that water after so long? Now to get the new vanity in.

 

But taking hit after hit to the budget. I don't see it letting up until after Christmas. So going with it.

 

So can't wait to have my own sewing room one day. You don't want to see the living room. My small sewing area has exploded. I am working on this quilt and I want it all laid out, and can't. I have flannel everywhere, from sewing Tucker new pj's and such. Sigh.

 

 

A Punch In The Gut

Today I buried a friend. Not an old friend, the friend was only six months old. But my friend went into a coma and on life support over the weekend. And on Monday I finally pulled the plug.

 

WHAT?

 

Well let me back up a bit, back about 7 months ago, my computer died, it was expected, I was just getting every bit of life out of it. So we saved and saved for a new computer and we brought one in July. Hated it nearly every minute, but I figured I could make it work for two years? It went slow as a slug and had to restart 2-4 times a day.

 

Well Saturday it stalled out so I went to restart it and I got an error message, saying disk repair it will take hours. Well Sunday we called Toshiba, because the computer is only 6 months old and I have a one year warranty. Well except they won't talk to us unless we supply a credit card. So apparently the warranty isn't worth squat? Took the computer down to Staples, and for 155 plus a hard drive they can fix it. Well that is how much I paid for the dang computer. Not worth it.

 

So came home and turned it on and just to see if we can get it out of the disk error? Did and got a new screen. So ok I'll set it back to factory standards? except after days I can't get past 54%. So yesterday after many tries. I finally turned it off and buried the computer and I will move on.

 

So I'm computer less for a few months. We can't really start to save until after the holidays right now.

 

But I will tell ya. Toshiba SUCKS. Who has a one year warranty, but you can't use it unless you pay for it yet again? One shouldn't have to pay for a warranty that was paid for? Emailed and nothing back, I don't expect anything back. At the same time I got my six month survey, well yeah your company SUCKS. Why does a six month computer need a new hard drive?

 

Just feels like I've been punched in the gut.

 

So luckily I have hubby's computer, but. I have lost half my swags money. So we are working Lego's into the budget to get one or so a week. Because swag wise there is no way we can make it. 

Then we have the dishwasher. It started leaking months ago, nothing big, we had a cookie sheet under it. Except the other day it flooded. I had water everywhere. So gave up, it's time to figure it out and fix it. Took out the dishwasher, and the hoses are all hooked up. It's leaking from the electric???? makes no sense, until we opened it up to look at that area, and realized we had a hole? It seems the heating coil was bent down, burnt a hole into the bottom of the dishwasher and that is where we get the leak.

 

So hubby ran off to the hardware store and found some putty. It works. Although yesterday got a few drops. Hoping it will hold off most of the water until we can save for a new dishwasher. Sad we have to buy a new dishwasher just to turn around and sell the house? 

In updating our list this weekend we added over 1k of stuff to the list. Between buying a new dishwasher, to ripping out the pantry and putting the half bath back in. A lot of this and that. So it was a very hard weekend.

 

In the midst of trying to recover and work on budget, hubby and I have decided to go gift less this Christmas. It was on the fence anyway, but we can't logically afford anything extra right now. We need to focus on the kids, and then the to do list.

 

I had luckily just gotten out Family Reunion stuff, well snail mail, not the emails, But my Christmas card info is on the other computer. Luckily I have my photos in two places. One on a dead computer.

 

Yeah, so it was a hard weekend.

 

With the budget we've put a semi pause on putting money towards the house. It's a matter of survival right now. But as we work on Christmas and knocking down the list, we will get back to putting money towards the house.

 

 

Bring on the Good Days....

MY NEIGHBOR

MY NEIGHBOR, where do I start? Yes, the same neighbor with the fight over the fence. Still pissed about the fence. BUT, my neighbor, she saw this dog in an empty house and left it. She then a few days later saw this dog walking around the church parking lot. She decided to bring it home. She then raced it to a vet who wouldn't touch it. After some calls, no vet would touch it. LOVELY. 

So of course she thinks of us, because this is what we do we rescue. And boy did he need recusing. He was matted, and ratted, and the smell. His eye, I can't even tell you how gross his eye was, I didn't want to touch it. So brought it home and a bath, it then found our pantry and spent all day in the pantry. Made me wonder if he spent a lot of time in a small room? so left him and the next day he was out and walking around. So to kill the smell and work on the hair I started to shave him. It took four days to shave him. Not because he hated it but because he was so matted and bad and I did not want to cut him at all.

 

It then took two more bathes to get the smell off of him. Spent some serious time working on the eyes. He does look like a dog now. He is blind in one eye, and I think he is old, probably between 10-12. So old he won't touch dry dog food.

 

So he is spoiled now, He gets canned dog food with left overs. so if we have rice or chicken it gets saved for his meals.

 

After the second day we made him a box, and he knows where it is, and it's his box. He loves his box. It's his safety box, I can understand that.

 

Although now he is warming up to us. he now will sleep in places other then the box. and for some reason he likes my hubby, wants to snuggle with hubby. Although in fairness, I did shave him and clean him and bathe him so I can see why he isn't warmed up to me. Although I do fed him and potty him soooo....He is potty trained, well he doesn't pee in the house, we make sure to take him out every few hours. Treating him like we are potty training him.

 

He is becoming such a joy, so hopefully he can have a another year or two of good living now?  Just have to wonder what sort of life he did have? To a point I can understand someone leaving a blind not eating dog, but take him to s shelter or craigslist or something. To leave him in an empty house to die? Such a poor baby.

 

So Please meet Sam.

 

He is one of five freaking dogs in this house. Oh that may have came out wrong, but it's raining and having five dogs in the house gets to me at times. One lives outside and whines to go outside, then she gets wet and whines to come in. One is back and fourth so much I almost need to install a stop sign, and one just wants to sleep on Cole's bed (wet) and the baby, oh he is jealous, but the other day he was protecting Sam. So I think Sam is growing on him? Sam is smaller then Buddy if that is possible? Once he realized nothing is changing, he seems to have settled down and is semi ok with Sam being here.

 

And have I mentioned we live in a really small house? So can't wait to move away from the neighbor so we get no more surprise rescues from her. 

Christmas

Christmas is less then two months away...anyone else freaking out? 

Well don't! If you start early enough. you will be more then ready for the big day. Luckily I don't shop for a lot of family. Mostly just the boys, but my boys LOVE Lego's and Lego's are PRICEY. So back in September they had to make their Christmas List and I started shopping. So I have boxes that look like this, not opened. So Kids can't snoop.

 

I took care of my mother and niece's at a craft show this past summer. And hubby will get stuff if we have money, we are use to not getting each other anything. We really don't need anything and with me using swagbucks to buy about 85% of Christmas. I don't think this year there will be enough swags to go around. But we will see?

 

Another thing to do, if you are one of those person's who have to wait until December to buy for other people, is to set aside about 20 dollars a week, If you start in January you will have over 1,000 of play money....And then buying gifts won't kill your budget, you won't go into debt, in turn spending the whole next year paying off your debt. I have heard horror stories.

 

I'm sorry, but I really find it silly to go into debt for Christmas. Like for example, my mother gives the worse gifts. Always have, and probably always will. I have asked and begged not to get me anything, but oh everyone needs something, Hum no I really don't. For example, one year I got this plastic ice bucket. Like Really? What about this screamed my name? I don't drink? It was ugly. And honestly next time just give me the buck you spent on it. Most of her items end up at goodwill after Christmas. I did lay down the law a few Christmas's ago, no more then three gifts each for the kids. because of all the crap coming into the small house. She didn't obey, but the crap was cut in half. One year it was so sad, Tucker turns to me crying saying he hated everything she gave him and I didn't blame him. He likes Lego's and monkey's and he got clothes and crap.

 

So I'm telling ya, if you don't know what to get someone? Cash is King. Oh don't say that is boring. Because it's really not. I can then go and get what I really want. And then well I'm happy. Or a gift card to a store I really go to. Like I go to Joann's, I could live at Joann's. Gas card who couldn't use a gas card? But a gift card to coffee when one doesn't drink coffee? I have never gotten a gift card to Joann's, But to Safeway a store I have never been too yep. I got Restaurant cards, We dont' eat out. Coffee cards. I don't drink. So they sit and sit and sit, well wishing I was just given cash. So I can spend it at Joann's.

 

So a thought. Less then two months until Christmas. 

10-1 update

Life seems to be flying by. Can not believe it is October all ready. We are still harvesting, we are working slowly on getting the house ready for sale, and school is in session.

 

Although right now only averaging about 3 days a week. Which is ok, as everything is planned out and as long as we get through each day before going onto the next we will be fine.

 

Grapes are in, we got TONS this year. Although I do not do anything with them right now. Maybe down the road in the future? Been sharing with neighbors and such. 

Can you believe this flower bed? These are marigolds, called Firecracker Marigolds. They are so tall and over flowing it's just crazy. Plan on waiting until the last minute to pull the bed, kinda like how they keep going. 

Onions are in....We are processing them as fast as we can right now. 

 

This one weighed in at 2.5 pounds, not bad for our first year. This onion is called Alisa Craig. We may start them again next year, maybe around Christmas and finding a deep bed for them? 

Pumpkins are in. The biggest on only weighed in at 34 pounds. Summer heat turned them orange way too soon or they may have weighed more....

This child built a Chima castle Lego thing, and entered a contest. The next morning big brother made him tear it apart, so he could use the table. Oh the joy of big brothers....NOT

So Cole is getting glasses. Apparently he has never been able to see far away. Tuckers eyes are doing much better, So the supplements will continue, although I'm adding one. The other two will go onto the supplements as well now. Tucker is getting new lenses.

 

We are in the midst of getting the house ready for sale, getting new windows and such in. Fixing this and fixing that. We have a list a mile long and we are slowly working down it. I would like to be close to 100% ready for market soon, so all we have to do is save every penny and wait for our new house to come. Lord knows size is a major issue here for us now.

 

I'm also out in the garden working. Pulling up my herbs and getting them into pots and ready to go. But only moving one here and one there, making sure they transplant ok. I'm taking apart their beds and stacking the brick. I am taking about half my brick with me. Hoping this weekend to tear out the raspberries and get those on craiglist, and start to transplant those herbs in that area. We are taking apart the whole area by the pear trees, the area the neighbor put the shed in, and we will remove everything, let it all go back to grass, and hope for the best with the pear trees. One is so bent over looking for sun it's so not funny.

 

But getting all my herbs into pots and ready to go, so that if we find a house lets say right after Christmas we are not only packing and planning and such, but we won't be digging up herbs and the garden as well.

 

School has finally started here. Although averaging three days a week, as we seem to have an appointment here and there. Tiring. The amount of appointments these kids have, not to mention the massive amount of paperwork that goes with it. But I have school planned out by the day all though the year, so when all the days are done we are done for the year. So even if we run out of days in April then we are just done. Although right now no idea when we are set to stop?

 

 

Oh have any of you down loaded Windows 10? kinda kicking myself for doing it. I did it on my computer. It has made swags so much faster, but has slowed my email to a snails pace. Not to mention the consent kick off of the internet. Especially if you are in the middle of writing an email or buying something from amazon. OH and blogger won't talk to windows 10...So I had to steal hubby's computer to blog tonight. 

BOOM

It was like BOOM we woke up one day and it was Fall? After countless 90 plus degree days, it was 70 and raining and just yuck and it hasn't warmed up since.

 

Tomatoes are still kicking my butt. My table looks like this nightly, often I'm working 3-4 hours just on tomatoes and when I yell Mercy the kids pick up all the tomatoes and take them to the neighbors. I then spend the next day filling bowls and the afternoon taking care of them and by dinner yell Mercy and the day starts again.

 

We are actually in the middle of pulling tomatoes. So there will be an end in sight. Hubby has a week off coming up, my plan is to have the whole garden down and covered. Yeah, we will see, our harvest list is LONG. 

We up and surprise took a trip to the Ocean. I needed a tomato break and the boys haven't been in two years. They were having their art show, so we hit that first, and after lunch hit the beach. After two hours had to drag the kids out of the water. 

Sauerkraut! 

The kids had the job of mashing and mashing and mashing. I filled the crock and some quart jars and then we called it a day. What a mess we made. 

Hubby has a week off coming up, hoping to close down the gardens? Replace a window, and work more on our to do list. We have a long to do list of stuff to do in the house before we can even consider selling it. We want to have it ready to sell so we are ready to go when we find our new house.

 

Speaking of a new old house. We are saving every single penny, we are trying hard to pay down the house. We would LOVE to pay all cash for our new old house and be Mortgage free. So we will see. Budget has been kicking my butt. We got a raise, but I don't think that is it, because spending didn't increase, although I think I have too many lines on the budget as we are trying to save and pay the house and save for a new van and this and that.

 

So for the next few weeks are harvesting, closing the garden, working on the to do list, and starting school....so not looking forward to school. sigh.