Todd's Birthday Surprise

Todd is going to be 40 next month (May 30^th), and I have been thinking of a once in a lifetime gift for him.  My step mom mentioned something with Todd racing a race car. I found out that there are a few tracks around our area, but you have to have your own car, and it is EXPENSIVE!

The next, I decided I wanted to do a scenic flight around our area.  I called several places, and found one that is perfect for us. To be honest, I think I am more excited about it than Todd will be when he finds out what we are doing on the 31^st of May.

The day after Todd’s birthday, I am taking the day off from work and we are going to go to lunch and then we will drive up to Cleveland to Burke Lakefront Airport.  This is a small airport close to the Cleveland Airport.  We will be flying over Cleveland and other areas for one hour with a personal pilot on a 4 person Cessna plane.  I was expecting it to be several hundred dollars for the two of us, but not so!

Todd is going to be flying the plane with the pilot, and the price is $62.95!  For me, because I will be a passenger (and official photo-taker!), I am riding for less than $30!  After all the regulatory fees and taxes, the cost is a few dollars less than $100!

HOW PERFECT IS THAT?!?

Not only will it be an experience of a lifetime, it is affordable!

We had been talking about going to Cancun or someplace tropical when we hit the big milestone of 30 and 40 years of age (as we both are this year,) but $100 is much more affordable.  We are going to lunch at his favorite place that gives a LOT of food for a LOW cost, Benihanah’s!  We will get the lunch boat for $9.75/person.  I just hope I don’t ralph it all up on the plane.

I’m so excited…can you tell?

Now, how am I going to keep this a secret for over a month without bursting at the seams?

Saving Money on Vacations

When Squiggy was extremely sick, I told Todd that we needed to get away when the pigster was better, just the two of us.  We didn’t expect Squiggy would pass on us after three weeks of trying to nurse him back to health.

We tend to go away in May every year for our anniversary.  May is the time when we are completely sick of Ohio weather, and need to go someplace and forget about everything we are dealing with.

I wanted to go do something with Todd this month, and we may, but we are not able to make a long journey due to our schedules at work and meetings I have to attend.  I may take a Friday or Monday off that Todd has off, and we may go to Amish Country where we got married in 2007. 

At this point, we are looking for an extended weekend vacation.  I was thinking about someplace warmer than NorthEast Ohio, but not too far away so that we don’t have to spend the week.  Todd and I really enjoy forests, rocks, and scenery.  I noticed that there was the Monongahela National Forest within 4 hours driving distance from where we live in Elkins, WV.

I then went to my go-to place to look for affordable cabins in the area. We have stayed at two different cabins from this website and had nothing but great experiences.  One was on top of a mountain in Gatlinburg, TN.  The other was a week in Lancaster, PA in a cottage that a Mennonite family owned, right in the middle of Amish country.  I smile just thinking about the horse and buggy that went by daily, the fresh milk, eggs, yogurt and granola and the cows that would look through the windows from across the street. We want to go there again, we had such a great time (and we generally have a rule that we don’t want to go anywhere twice; we want to experience NEW things together.)

Since Squiggy has passed, Todd has latched on to Lana. I’m not saying that he didn’t love Lana before, but he is really attached to her now. He wants to take her everywhere with us all of a sudden whereas before, he wanted her to stay with Squiggy. After all, we got her to be Squiggy’s companion.  That being said, he wants to take Lana with us on vacation.

We had a pig-sitter for when we went away when we had Squiggy.  My mom gave us Squiggy within months of marriage, so everyplace we went, we had to schedule the sitter.  It wasn’t cheap either.  We had her come twice a day to feed and play with Squiggy.  She loved Squiggy, and Squiggy loved her.* 

Now that we have a mobile animal we can take with us, I started looking at cabins that are pet-friendly.  I found one that is on 46 acres of secluded woods, has a fenced in back yard AND has a large crate for when we are out of the cabin.  How perfect is that?  The price of the cabin is not bad either, $111/night after tax.  The cabin has 3 bedrooms, a large porch, a hot tub, grill, all utensils, bedding, etc.  We need to arrive with clothes and Lana.

I’m not sure why I started looking at cabins instead of hotels, but let me tell you, even though we are paying just a LITTLE BIT more per night for the cabin, we have the cabin all to ourselves.  We have all the amenities that we would have at home (plus a hot tub which is a treat for us.)  We don’t have to pack as many clothes because we can wash them in the washer and dryer at the facility.  We prepare our meals at the cabin, saving us money!  If we go out to eat, it is usually for lunch, which is at a lower rate. And now, with taking Lana, we are saving $13/day on the cost of a kennel.  Also, on a trip like this, we will most likely do a lot of hiking (with Lana,) which means we may be having a sandwich for lunch at a park.  Many of the activities are free, including museums and trails.  Not to mention historical towns (I love old towns and antique stores!) 

There is ONE frivolous thing I am looking into doing while on this trip, and that is a train ride.  When Todd and I were on our honeymoon, we went on a train ride through the Yukon Territory while we were in Alaska.  We had a blast, and every trip we go on, it seems we go on some sort of train ride.  We may do so in the Monongahela National Forest, or we may just cheap out and skip the ride this time around.  We’ll see. ((Side Note: I asked Todd about the train and he said he'd prefer to save the money and just hike on trails.))

All I know is that it is always fun to experience new things, take in the sights, and enjoy our time together. 

What do you do to save on vacations?

*It may sound as if Squiggy was a pain, he wasn’t.  He just wasn’t mobile.  If we had to pay a sitter triple every time we went away, I would…just to have him back again.  

I Have an Amazing Husband

It has been mentioned (on more than one occasion,) that my marriage to Todd was not always the most pleasant.  There was a time that we both agreed that we wanted to get divorced; however, we decided to give it one last go before breaking our marriage vows.  We went to a counselor for a few months, learned a lot about one another and how we cope with many things, etc.  Since then, it has been pretty smooth sailing.  I strongly believe that every couple should go through pre-marriage counseling BEFORE getting married.

That being said, I want to let everyone out on the world wide web know that I have an amazing husband. 

Squiggy is deathly ill right now.  He is suffering from hypothermia (even though his house is 65 degrees,) along with a possible hip or back injury (the vet thinks he may have slipped and fallen on the ice.)  When we were giving him steroid shots, he was doing better.  He would stand up, and at least eat and drink if we gave it to him by hand.  Then, last weekend, he wouldn’t even get up.  He has been lying in the same position for several days now.  Some days, he wont even open his eyes to look at us.  Those are BAD days. 

The vet came on Wednesday for the second time to see what he could do.  Unfortunately, he couldn’t do much.  He stated that he was surprised that Squiggy was still alive.  Hypothermia will shut down the organs of an animal, and they don’t generally last a week and a half as Squiggy has.  Well, we knew we had one stubborn pig.  They don’t say someone is “pig-headed” for nothing!

Todd has been doing an awesome job of taking care of Squiggy. He has gone above and beyond…considering, he really doesn’t necessarily LOVE Squiggy as I do. 

I do not generally cry.  I am not one of those girls who cries about the littlest thing.  The last time I sobbed was this week due to Squiggy, but before that, it’s been over a year when Todd and I spoke of divorce.  The vet came out on Wednesday, and Todd was nursing Squiggy throughout the entire day.  Thursday, I got a text from Todd stating that Squiggy was doing worse.  His temperature kept dropping instead of going up.  He refused to even drink the Gatorade we were told to give him. 

I started doing research online, and I saw that dehydrated pigs do not live very long.  It was mentioned that a vet should come out to the house and possibly put an IV in Squiggy, or he should be put to sleep.  I called Todd (which is again, something I don’t normally do from work.)  I was crying and I told him I didn’t know what to do.  The thought of losing my precious pigger absolutely kills me.  PBP’s (pot bellied pigs) live up to the age of 19 or 20!  3 ½ is WAY TOO YOUNG for him to pass. And I also was thinking about the last time I saw him up and walking around, before he was sick.  He had too much life in him to be like this within two weeks.  It is very difficult for my brain to process.

Within a half hour, Todd texted me stating that Squiggy was drinking for him!  Within two hours, Squiggy drank a quart of Gatorade, which is equal to 600 calories.  Mind you, the pigster has not eaten anything in several days now, and would drink only a few sips when we fed him through the turkey baster.

Todd texted me stating that he had pretty much given up on saving Squiggy.  He didn’t know what else he could do.  He covered the pig in a heating blanket, had it set on high, have heat lamps on him, but Squiggy was not getting any better (nor was his temperature going up.)  Todd stated that it was hearing me cry over the phone that gave him the motivation to keep working on the pigger.  Within minutes, Squiggy was actually drinking from the turkey baster.  He was also able to take a couple of tablespoons of corn syrup from a wooden spoon.

When we got piggy, we were told not to give him too many sweets because he would refuse to eat anything else.  But we were informed by the vet to give him the Gatorade and corn syrup so that his glucose levels would increase, therefore making his metabolism work, and by his metabolism working, his body temperature should go up.  Also, the sugary drink and syrup gives him much-needed calories because he’s not eating.

1 quart of Gatorade is more than Squiggy has had to drink in 2 or 3 days.  As you can see, that is a huge accomplishment.

Yesterday when I got home from work, it was so nice outside.  I kept thinking that it’s a shame that Squiggy is sick, because he would have loved walking around the yard, eating grass and some treats that he and Lana had missed out in the yard last year (pumpkin parts, apple cores, etc.)  Hopefully, one day soon, he will be up and running again. 

PS – and how many women can say their husband spent all day nursing a pig AND had dinner on the table by the time she got home?  I’m one lucky girl.

Stay At Home

I have been wondering lately about whether or not Todd’s life would be easier if I were to stay at home.  We struggle with keeping our house clean, which sometimes creates a little bickering between the two of us( where is that darn flashlight?!?)  I will admit, I am a lot of the problem. I hate cleaning, so this falls on Todd’s shoulders.  Todd is the cleaner, he cooks on days he has off and I am at work, he helps take care of the animals, he fixes anything that is broken, he is still doing work on the house to get it completed (I swear, it will never end,) he sews when a button falls off or when pants are ripped, he does the grocery shopping when I’m too lazy to do it on the weekends that I have off and he is at work.  He does A LOT!

I was thinking that it may be easier on him if I were to take care of the house.  Make him a homemade breakfast in the morning, pack his lunch, and then have dinner on the table and ready for when he gets home.  Take care of all the animals throughout the day so that if he wants to just relax in the evenings, he can.  Also, I could see myself out there mowing the lawn and gardening, trying to make the house look nice.

As it is right now, when we get home, we both have lists of things we’d like to do.  A lot of it doesn’t get done because we have so much going on, or we are just too tired to do anything but plop our butts on the sofa and stare at the TV.  Awful.  Life isn’t meant to be like this. 

I would also try to bring in a couple streams of income with the businesses and possibly a part time job.   It’s time for me to step it up a bit.  I’m not a stay at home wife right now, but this weekend, I am going to TRY to be one.  Wake up with him in the morning, get a little bit of cleaning done, some organizing, decide what we’re having for dinner, get some laundry done, maybe some grocery shopping.  I am exhausted just thinking about it.  I enjoy my “lazy weekends” of staying in my PJ’s and doing absolutely nothing that requires me to think.

I think the main thing would be to have a schedule and stick with it to be able to get everything I want to get done – done.  We’ll see how it goes.

Cheap Date!

At the end of January, Todd and I decided to go to lunch and a movie as a cheap date.  We love cheap dates, but this one probably took the cake.

We decided we wanted to go see the new Narnia movie.  Well, it wasn’t exactly “new,” but it was at the dollar theater (which is usually $1.50/person.)  When we got there, we found out that the tickets were only $1/each! 

We brought pop and a bag of popcorn from home in a purse and snacked while watching the movie.

Afterwards, we went to the Olive Garden for the all you can eat soup & salad (our favorite.)  The bill for lunch: $14…and we had a gift card from my grandmother.  So, we paid nothing for lunch.  The gift card is for $50, so we have enough money to go out 2 more times and get the soup and salad. 

I absolutely love cheap dates.  We had a great time talking at dinner about places we’ve been and where we want to travel.  It was just an all-around good time. 

What do you do for cheap dates?

Engagement Ring

I was listening to Dave Ramsey's podcast the other day, and he gave this younger gentleman the suggestion that an engagement ring should cost no more than  a month's income.  This got me to thinking about my engagement ring.

I am NOT conventional at all.  I bought my own diamond a couple of years before I met Todd.  I have always liked trillion cut diamonds, because they were different, like me.  I also saw how much they cost - it was unreal!  I found this diamond online from a diamond wholesaler in California.  They had a jewelry store very close to where I work, so I asked them to send it to the local store to see if I was interested.

It came about a week later, and I LOVED IT!  It had inclusions (imperfections) and it was not the clearest diamond I've seen, but it was beautiful.  I absolutely loved it.  It was perfect for me...because I am not perfect.

Fast forward a couple of years.  Todd knew that I had bought the diamond.  It was something we discussed when we talked about getting married.  We went to the same jewelry store that I bought the diamond and took a look at settings for an engagement ring.  I liked a plain and simple one.  He knew where the loose diamond was located to take and get set when he was ready.

Then, on July 7th, 2006, Todd surprised me on our way to my aunt's house for my cousin's graduation party.  We passed the Salamanca, NY exit and kept going past Buffalo and up to Niagara Falls.  He took me to this amazing restaurant, and then told me we had a suite overlooking the Falls.  After dinner, he took me to the suite, and proposed with a beautiful ring. 

((Please excuse the fact that our camera is on it's last leg.  It did NOT take very good pictures of my ring.))

When I opened up my lock box, the money for the diamond was in there.  The cost of my ring was less than $500.  I would never want or need a ring that costs one month of Todd's income.  There is no way.  I am perfectly happy with my  3/4 carat trillion-cut ring.  I love it, and I love my husband for understanding WHY I bought my own diamond.  I didnt want my future husband to spend thousands of dollars on an engagement ring.  My partner and the love I felt for him was what was most important to me...not a ring.

Fun Evening Together

Lately, I have been feeling like Todd and I are drifting apart.  We get into a routine, and it gets to the point that in the evenings, we talk at dinner for 10 minutes and then we are on our own.  Having 6 animals doesn’t help.  It is like I have to divide my time amongst everything, everybody, and every furry creature.

One night last week, I texted Todd while at work asking if we could spend some time together.  I wouldn’t get on the computer or go into the bedroom to read a book, I preferred that he didn’t find a show he had TiVo’d on the DV-R, and we spend some quality time together.  I didn’t care if we meditated together (recommended by his doctor to help his bad back,) practiced yoga together (again, to help his back,) worked out together, played a board game, or played Wii together.  I was up for anything.

After dinner, Todd got his shower while I played with Lana.  After the shower, we decided we were going to play the Wii together.  We played a couple of games of darts (to which I miserably lost all 3 games.)  This opened up to conversation between us, got us laughing together, and a little bit of competitiveness.  We then played shuffleboard (he won again! DOH!)  After shuffleboard, we played some weird table-hockey-type game (to which he won twice,) and then we played cow racing to which I won twice!  HA!  Lastly, we played 3 games of pool.  I won once, he won twice.

We played the wii for 2 ½ hours, and we had such a blast.  Within the 2 ½ hours, we made some popcorn to munch on, and then let the kittens out to play with us.  We were laughing and having a good time.

It is days like these that make me fall in love with my husband all over again.  We had a blast doing nothing but playing games together.  I may ask him if we can do it more often.  It was nice not being connected to the outer world through the internet (because the puppy chewed through the DSL lines AGAIN!) and focusing on what really matters.  Our family of 2 … and 6 fur-babies.

Negativity

I need some advice, desperately. 
I'm actually surprised I lasted this long on the blog without asking for this help, but I am in desperate need.

My husband is very negative.  Very rarely, anything positive comes out of his mouth.  On the way home from work today, I listened to Joel Osteen's service  from yesterday, and it was about taking the the sand you are given and making it into a pearl.  Rough things happen in your life to teach you.

I cant see Todd doing this.  One statement that was made was that one needs to look back over the past several years.  Has your attitude changed?  If not, then you need to GROW UP.
I completely agree.  And to be honest, Todd's hostility towards others and his negative attitude is exactly the same as it was when we first met.

He talks badly about my boss when I tell him something that was said at work.  My friend and her husband who came over on New Years Eve, he makes fun of the way they live (talking about he is going to buy them a year's worth of food for next year: a box of crackers and cheese because they dont eat much, and those are their favorite foods.)  It seems like anytime I have something to say, he comes up with a negative comeback.   Everyone on the road is a bad driver.  He acts like everyone is out to get him.

So...how do I say something without saying it in a way that will cause an arguement?
He is miserable about his job, but he talks about the people from his job in such a negative way.  Maybe it's HIM.  He does not like his half-sister because she is a bit crazy.  But the way he talks about her just breaks my heart.  He has spoken of her in this way since we've met.  It just bothers me.

All of this is mentioned in daily conversations with my husband.  It really wears on me, and is part of the reason we went to counseling last year.

So what do I do?
What do I say?
HELP!

Date

I love surprising Todd with dates.  I am always looking for something new and interesting to do on our weekends together (after all, we only get every other weekend together.)  Some weekends, we just go to lunch, do a little shopping, and go home.  Other weekends, we go to lunch and a dollar movie.  Sometimes we spend the weekends with our families.

Well, this weekend, Todd and I are going on a tour of a local brewery!  Todd likes beer.  Cleveland has an awesome brewery called Great Lakes Brewing Company.  They have seasonal beer that is excellent, but very pricey.   On Groupon several weeks ago, I noticed there was listed a local brewery that I’d never heard of offering tours of the place, a t-shirt and a pint glass with their name on it along with samples.  So I bought it for $15!

Todd has no idea what we are doing, but I told him I have a surprise for him, and that we had to be there at 1:30.  I cant wait to go!  We love to learn and to take tours, and I doubt he knows that there is one right in our back yard (OK…about 20 miles away.)  I cant wait to see his face when we get there and I tell him what we are doing.

Todd's Realization: Maybe we ARE Misers!

Todd way on the floor (his back is still hurt and it helps when he's on a hard surface) with the puppy tonight after dinner.  I told him that I took $100 out of the bank account to use for our "entertainment" money for the month.  In months past, I think I've short-changed us on the entertainment fund.  We could spent $20 in the month out of the $100 budget, and Todd would mention wanting to do something and I wouldnt want to spend the money.   So, this $100/month is in an envelope and specifially for entertainment for the two of us.  Whether that be a night out with friends at a bar, bowling, wineries, or doing anything together. 

He then said, "You know, I think you have rubbed off on me.  I dont even ENJOY going to a sushi restaurant and spending $50 on sushi anymore.  I enjoy the sushi we get at the buffet because I know we're only paying $6.50 for it!" 

I told him that I just wrote a blog about me feeling like a miser.
He said that this describes how he's felt exactly lately.

We dont like to spend money anymore.
We are becoming so "miserly" that we dont even want to spend $1.50/person to go to the dollar theater because "we can get it free next week from the library!"

I just think it's funny that he brought up the conversation on his own, and I have felt the same thing.

Now, I am not complaining.  I am GLAD we have gotten to this point together.  But I dont want to be one of those old fuddy-duddy couples that hoards their money and does nothing good with it.  I want to have fun together and experience life.  But lately, we have more fun doing that AT HOME playing the Wii or watching movies from NetFlix than going out and doing it. 

Todd mentioned he enjoyed the meal he made for dinner tonight (salmon, steamed broccoli & homemade spanish rice with homemade sangria with free wine I got from a vendor at work) than we had at Red Lobster last weekend (with a gift card.)  I agree with him.  And it cost a fraction of the price.  About $2.00 for the entire meal.  Mom gave us the salmon because she and Doc didnt like it, brocolli was $1 for the bag, and white rice (2 cups) with some spices. 

Oy!
I prove my point.

Tennis Elbow

Last weekend, Todd and I had all weekend together.  We went out shopping on Saturday to pick up some items for the Christmas Eve guests we have coming to visit, and we went to lunch together.

Sunday, we were lounging around most of the morning.  I bought Todd the Nintendo Wii 2 years ago for Christmas.  We played it so much the first year and it’s pretty much sat for the past year (since last Christmas.)  We use it to stream video from Netflix, but we haven’t played any games.

I asked if he wanted to play with me.  It had been so long, I needed to get reacquainted with the controllers, so we started off with bowling.  I beat Todd both games we played (he was NOT a happy camper.)  I even got the best score I’ve ever gotten on the second game: 249! 

Todd was getting frustrated, so I asked if he wanted to play tennis. 2 games of tennis (best of 5.)  He won the first one, I won the second. 

I don’t know what it is, but every time I play the Wii, I get tennis elbow.  My right elbow hurts so bad.  I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.

I would really like to start playing the Wii more.  For Christmas, I bought Todd a controller charging station so we never have to worry about switching out batteries in the remotes again.  I have so much fun playing games with him, but we rarely ever take the time to do it.

That is going to change in 2011!

Travel

Todd and I have been talking about taking a cruise in December of 2011.  Yes, we plan THAT far in advance.  We have been talking about this for months now.  However, the more I think about it, the more I don’t want to go. 

After flying to Florida, I feel like flying is a waste of time and money.  They pretty much take up a whole day, especially if you can’t get a flight straight-through.  Even though we won our trip for free, the flights were $305/person!  Yikes!

So, back to that cruise from Miami to Belize, Cozumel, Roatan, etc.  The price for the cruise was $550/person for a room with a balcony.  That includes meals, water/tea, some entertainment on the ship and NO excursions on the island.  When we were originally talking about it, we were so excited…”What a great deal!”  No…it’s really not if you think about it.

  $1200 for room and board

+$600 in flights

+$400 in excursions

          One very expensive week!

I may be becoming a tight-wad.  In the past, I wouldn’t have thought twice.  I would have chalked it up to “a once in a lifetime experience!”  But now…I see it as my take-home income for a month!

I am so glad that we didn’t book the trip a few months ago.

Todd read somewhere that the best places to visit for couples are places they’ve never been.  But Todd speaks quite fondly of the places he lived and visited while in the Navy, and I’d love to experience them with him.  There are some places I’ve been in the past that I’d love to take Todd to experience with me (Macinac Island, MI & Put-In-Bay, OH which would be a day-trip for us.)  Do you know how many mini-vacations we can take next year for the price of that one week cruise?!? At least 2-3! Maybe even more if we go camping with my dad in 2011!     

So, I think we will trade in our passports this year and do several fun trips throughout the Spring and Summer as we did this year.  I love doing “mini vacations” of 3-4 days because I don’t burn through my 3 weeks all at once as I do with 7-8 day vacations.  Some of the best trips with Todd have been those mini vacations and the “fly by the seat of your pants” excursions we did.  One was a buffalo reserve in either Michigan or Indiana where we got into the back of a truck and rode with the buffalos.  One came right up to us in the back of the truck, it was amazing.  And the smell of the concord grapes in Erie, PA this October is unforgettable.  We had such a great time…and that could easily be a day trip for us again next year.

Great experiences together…that’s what life is all about (in my opinion.)

My Mr. Fix-It

Todd really should have been an engineer.  I swear, it’s his calling.  This man can fix ANYTHING!  I am constantly amazed at what he can fix, and what he thinks up. I cant imagine how much the home-improvements on our home would have cost if he couldn’t do them by himself.  So far, the only three things we’ve hired people to do are: 1.) Roof (because I wanted to make sure it was done right and had a warranty), 2.) Septic (required by the county to be one of their approved excavators,) and 3.) Cutting down huge trees that were too close to our home.

Todd installed the gutters on our home when we first moved in (there were no gutters when we bought the place!)  Ever since, we’ve had really bad icicles.  These never really bothered me, except for when they dripped on my head when I walked out the French doors.  Apparently, they’ve bothered Todd.  So…he went looking for a solution.

And guess what?  He found a solution!  He bought women’s pantyhose (he must have looked weird in WalMart looking at boxes hose) and a couple of jugs of the de-icer pellets.  Of course, if we didn’t have little critters running around, he could have gone for the cheaper salt, but this is pet friendly (thank goodness, because Lana was drinking out of the rain gutter yesterday!)  You fill up the knee-highs with the de-icer and tie the end.  He then tied several of them across the roof where we have the most icicles.  He made and tied 6 of them.  And it worked!  We had a really good snow, and so far, there are no icicles! 

He is such a fart smeller…I mean, smart feller!  (This is his joke that he’s said since we met…and now, I’ve acquired it!)

My Mr. Fix-It costs us a lot of money sometimes, but he sure does come in handy.  I love him to pieces.

Status of Todd's Car PayOff Plan

I got paid December 15^th (Wednesday) and THOUGHT I was going to put a large portion of my paycheck toward Todd’s car; however, I decided against it.  The next payment on his car is not until October of 2012, and even though I want to pay his vehicle off by the end of the month, I wanted to get some other things paid off first.

I get paid on the 15^th and 30^th of every month.  That said, 4 times a year, I get an extra week’s pay.  Luckily, this paycheck had an extra $475 in it to help pay some things.  What did I decide to pay from this paycheck? 

1.)    The mortgage of $418.00 (due 01/01/11)

2.)     Propane Bill (not due until January 4^th, but I didn’t want to push it.  We need gas to heat our home! This last fill-up was $120 more than I expected.  It ended up being $768 instead of $650!)

3.)    Every other bill we have (satellite, DSL, cell phones, Todd’s credit card, dog tag renewal (Lana is now legal through 2011,) septic renewal ($175: we are legal through the end of next year.)

4.)    Finished purchasing Christmas gifts (I had 3 gift cards to buy : and I was able to do it with this paycheck!)

So…we are paid up on all of our bills through the end of December!  Luckily, we did NOT get the invoice for our property taxes yet, so I can wait to pay those after the New Year. 

I allocated $300 for the rest of the month for groceries/party items for the two parties we will be having at the house.  I also allocated $150 for the two of us in gas as well as $80 total for allowances for the two of us through the end of the year. 

All else said, with my last paycheck of the year and Todd’s next 3 paychecks (every Friday through the end of the year,) we SHOULD be able to pay off Todd’s vehicle (current balance: $1,235.27) and have $450 left over by the end of the year assuming we don’t have any unexpected expenses.

One less revolving payment sounds so great right about now…

We Are So Odd...

I really think we have a strange relationship at times.  Well...all the time, but it is very prevalant at times. 

We were driving in the car on Thanksgiving and having a really good conversation.  I have been wanting to talk to Todd about something that he has put the kai-bosh (spelling?) on in the past.

There was a break in the conversation and so I took it as my opportunity to talk to him about it.

I said, "Honey, I really want chicks."
He looked at me with his eyes huge and in shock.
I said, "I just want a couple of them, and we can keep them in the side yard."
He put his hand over his heart, started breathing again and explained his shock.
He said, "I thought you were having another one of your quasi bi-sexual fantasies again."

He thought I wanted a woman!  No.
Just two (or three,) fuzzy little chicks.
After his heart stopped racing (and I stopped laughing at his comment,) we talked about it, and it looks like I'm going to be getting a couple of chicks in the Spring! :-)

Ha! And he said he refused to live on a farm.  Well... he seems to go along with it all.  Really...I dont want a farm.  I love my Squiggy piggy, puppy and 4 cats.  But no goats, cows, horses are in our future.  OK...I wouldnt mind having a cow for milk, but it's not going to happen!  We dont have enough room!  I love our mini-farm and garden.  I cant wait to put in our order for 2-3 chicks at Tractor Supply in the Spring. :-)

**Side note: I just remembered something else I'd like for our mini-farm.  I would like bees for honey!  Todd HATES bees, but we'll see how many years it will take to talk him into letting me have our own bees.  

Hair

I have had my hair cut twice at a “Best Cuts” or “Great Clips” with coupons ($12 or less per cut!) in the past and have always had to go home and fix the cut.  My mother was a hair dresser which is why I never had my hair cut, permed or highlighted professionally.  If I ever needed anything done, she would do it for me.  When I moved out, I started doing it myself (with an occasional cut from her here and there.)

Todd has become a master at cutting the back of my hair.  Before our trip this weekend, I asked him to cut my hair.  There is a length in the back that my hair curls under nicely without me having to do anything to it.  It is “above the mole.”   So…he did it!  A few snips, and voila!

Since I got out of the hospital last year, I started to lose a lot of my hair.  It was coming out in clumps in the shower, every time I would brush my hair, I’d have to clean out the brush, and I shed all over my clothes, my coats, everything.  I lost a good bit of hair.  Well, now that it’s coming back (thank goodness,) it’s a bit wavy!  I never had wavy hair in my life.  It is very thick and very heavy.  But for some reason, it likes to flip out like this!  This is my hair after a blow-dry and some hairspray.

It is definitely not perfect, and I will probably find longer strands for the next week that I will snip here and there, but to me, there is nothing like a free haircut! J  And it’s so easy to do (especially with layers, because you cant really screw up layers!)

((Please dont mind no clothes in the above picture. I probably should have put a shirt on before the picture was taken. Oh well, maybe next time.))

Todd's Vehicle Payoff Update

Well, another month has gone by, and I am STILL freaking out worried that we wont be able to pay off Todd’s vehicle.  As I write this (Monday, November 29^th,) our balance on the vehicle is $1929.66.  I get paid on the 30^th, and the majority of my paycheck should go toward the payoff of Todd’s vehicle.  Assuming Todd doesn’t spend any money out Christmas shopping with his mom today, we should be able to pay approximately $700 out of this paycheck which would leave a balance of $1229.66 at the end of November.

Why weren’t we able to pay more?  Because I am an idiot, that’s why.  Two reasons.  I jumped the gun and bought WAY TOO MUCH STUFF ON CREDIT for the craft business not knowing what would sell and what wouldn’t.  So that was $500 that could have gone toward the car instead of paying off the credit card.  Another reason is because I am a REALLY BIG idiot who got a ticket while going through a yellow light a few weeks back.  That was $124.  Right there is $624 wasted, which would have paid off half of what we currently owe on the car.

We are getting a fill-up on our propane tank sometime in the next week, which means we will owe over $650 to the propane company.  We have put that off for as long as we could but we are below 20% which is not recommended. Also, we have property taxes that will be due in January (approximately $1200 for the two houses.)  We cant forget about Christmas.  I still have to purchase a few more gifts to complete my shopping.  Oh, and a 4 day weekend get-a-way this weekend! 

There are some positive’s that I have to keep in mind.  December is a month that Todd gets paid 5 times, and I should receive an extra week’s pay in one of my paychecks (I get paid 24 times a year: 15^th & 30^th.)  Not to mention I sometimes get a bonus at the end of the year.  I’m not sure if I will this year because of sales, but it is a possibility and any little bit helps.

We are really going to have to watch where our money goes this month.  And I am committed to getting rid of my credit card once and for all.  It has done nothing but get me into trouble with impulse purchases.  When the gift items sell, it will generate more than what I purchased the items for, but I went way overboard on what I bought.  Live and learn – never again.

Can we pay off over $1200 in December?  We’ll find out!!!

Nesting

Todd is definitely nesting lately.  I’m not sure what it is with him, but he has been a cleaning machine!  I am not complaining, but it’s amazing how long it takes to clean the house, and then how quickly items can accumulate.  OK…I will admit, most of it is my fault.  I open the mail and don’t know what to do with the statements, so I just leave them in a pile.  I take off my shoes and leave them wherever.  When I get home, the first thing I do is take off my pants and leave them around the house.  Sometimes they are on the bathroom floor, sometimes I take them off in the kitchen and hang them over a chair.  (I could be a semi-nudist.)

I feel bad that the house is accumulating “stuff” again.  If I were to do a quick sweep of the house, everything could be put away within 30 minutes flat (if I don’t get distracted by adorable fuzzy kittens or make my way to the laptop.)  I don’t understand why I cant do that every night before bed!

So…that is my goal for the week.  Pick up every evening before bed-time.  We’ll see how that works out for us.

Children & Marriage

Lately, Todd and I have been talking about how we believe children should be raised.  For the first time in our 5-year relationship, we have open conversations about children.  For most people, I assume these topics would (should) have been discussed before marriage, but for us, it wasn’t.

I’m not sure what the change of heart is in each of us.  Todd always said that he wanted kids if I wanted children.  Well, I didn’t want children.  Our relationship was so rocky that I couldn’t even imagine having ANOTHER child to deal with (yes, I thought of him as a child.  He acted like one!) 

There has been a huge turn in our relationship together over the past 6 months (maybe when I stopped seeing him as a child?)  I truly, honestly am in love with my husband.  If I started this blog a year and a half ago, it wouldn’t be so lovey-dovey.  No way, no how.  We were just existing with one another.  He wanted out, and so did I.  We were miserable together. 

I’m not sure if marriage is this rough for everyone the first three years, or if it was just us, but I’m glad we went through it.  Yes, we were miserable, and we didn’t come together on a lot of things, but we have just gelled together and we fit so perfectly.  In the beginning, I couldn’t take his corny sarcasm, and now…I am the corny sarcastic one!  If you cant beat ‘em, join ‘em!  We communicate about what is important to us without jumping down one another’s throat.  And because of this, we have been able to see eye-to-eye about children.

We agree on what we would want of our children.  I was surprised when Todd was OK with the fact that I would want to home-school our children.  He was surprisingly OK with me not wanting the children to be involved with the TV (if it were my choice, I’d say get rid of the TV’s all together, but that wont happen with Todd around.)  It was just a back and forth conversation about what we’d like of our children and what we wouldn’t.  It was refreshing and it made me love him that much more knowing that we want the same thing (for the most part.) 

There is still a question about Todd being able to have children and my health, so for now, we will have to continue to talk about what we want and wait.  I want to be out of debt with a bit of an emergency fund, get an “OK” from the doctor, and THEN we can start trying.  If it is God’s will, then we will have children. Otherwise, we are perfectly happy with being with one another (or possibly adopting!)

Busy Day

It was a busy day for Todd and I today.
I had my last craft fair of the year.  It was terribly slow.
I came home and Todd and I went to eat lunch at a new Chinese place.  After lunch, we went to the dollar theater to watch Toy Story 3.  Yes...two adults...watching Toy Story 3.  It was adorable.  Actually, Todd got a little teary eyed at the end.  He is so sensitive!  Afterwards, we went to the dollar store to pick up some items for a gift for someone for Christmas, and then back home.

We enjoy "$20 Dates," and today was one of them.  Actually, it was less than $20.  Lunch was $13 (with a coupon!), and two tickets to the dollar theater was $3.00.

It is not even 8:00, and I'm pooped.  I can hear our comfy bed calling my name.

G'night!