I refuse!

A while ago I had printed out a year plus of my blog into a book format.  Ava has always liked to look at it because there are a lot of pictures of her in it.  It is more or less her first year of life.  Interesting thing happened yesterday.  She decided to READ the book.  I suddenly felt a little bit panicky.  What had I said? Is it ok for her to be reading it?   She seemed to really enjoy it and sat there reading it for over an hour.  It inspired me to keep going. 

Life around here is just busy.   My 31 business has been pretty constant.  I am still working part time aside from that and now most of the hours are actually during the day which is really different.  I am also babysitting one morning a week.  The weeks just are over so quickly.  I have so many random jobs from around the house that don't quite get done and are put off until the following week.  Sooner or later I realize it has been a month or two or more.  

Spring starts tomorrow and I am definitely ready for winter to be over.  I know we have a few weeks before the weather actually changes, but just knowing we are close is awesome.  

So anyway, today was a day that just tried to be bad.  I was supposed to help out in Rhys' class.  I signed up a couple months ago.  I couldn't remember the details of when I was supposed to be there, just that today was the day.  So I had no plans to go into work, like I normally do while he is in school.  I drop him off and ask the teacher who got him out of the car (not his teacher) if I come into help now or if it is later. She said it is the last hour of the day.  I go to Target and get some cleaning supplies I had run out of and cat and dog food.  I come home, feed the cats and go back to the school to help.  I knock on the door and the teachers were like "Oh, you were supposed to be here the first half of the day." I explain what happened and they felt really bad.  I am going to have to find another day to go in.  Anyway, I then go out to the car and decide to just call some clients and things like that while I wait instead of driving back home.  Rhys gets in the car and is a mess.  He had been up late the night before and just couldn't handle life.  This continues on for the next hour or so.  He finally falls asleep while watching a show.  Meanwhile, I find that a cat puked up the new food and the dog peed on the floor.  Then I notice it is really chilly in the house.  I look and the heat is up to 70 but it is 63 in the house.  The furnace is broken again.  It seriously breaks every single winter, 6 years running. Fast forward a couple hours and I have a doctor's appointment.  It is supposed to be pretty fast, in and out.  A friend so nicely agreed to watch Rhys and Ava so they didn't have to go with.  An hour and 45 minutes later I finally get called into a room.  I leave and text my friend to say I am finally on my way and get stuck in stand still traffic because of an accident.  We end up getting fast food for dinner because it is now almost 7 and we are hungry and I have nothing made for dinner.  I end the night with finding that the kids had thrown out their garbage including the melted ice cream they had for dessert into the garbage can with no bag in it.  I felt like the day wanted me to be in a bad mood and I just wasn't feeling it. I did not want to be in a bad mood! I don't know how much longer I could hold out, but it worked.  I didn't let the day beat me. I was probably a little crabby here and there, but not overall.  

magic and other updates

I finished straining my yogurt.  Won't do that again because the thicker chunks grossed me out.  I don't think it made that huge of a difference.  Ok I shouldn't say I won't do it again, because I probably will at some point, but I need a better system.  The picture below is how much I got for $1.15.  Not too shabby.

I am still waiting on my first shipment of my yarn of the month yarn! I know other  have gotten theirs but I haven't.  I am waiting patiently.  In the mean time I made a square.  I received a book of different patterned stitches for Christmas and decided that in between projects I would make random squares out of leftover and probably new (at some point) Spud and Chloe sweater yarn.  I made Ava's blanket out of it and it has held up beautifully, even through washes and regular use for a couple years.  I think it has great stitch definition and feels nice to use.  This is my square in the sand stitch.  It is really a cream colored yarn.  The lighting was bad and I take all my pictures on my phone.

Here is the picture of a sweater I made for my friend's baby this summer.  Nice to see what it looks like on a baby.  I really liked this yarn and pattern and wouldn't mind making it again.

Magic

I like to make things into different things.  Like I think it is awesome to turn flour, water and yeast into a sticky growing dough.  It is just amazing to me.  My newest conquest: yogurt.  I set little yogurty bacteria loose in some warm milk and they turned the milk into a fermented gooy semi-solid.  Best part is it tastes good.  My yogurt tastes have changed over the years.  I used to only like the custard style.  Now I don't like the feel of it.  I don't like fat free stuff either because they seem gritty. I really have gotten to like the Dannon All Natural Vanilla.  It is a lot less geletin-like in its consistancy.  The cost of yogurt is usually about $1.00 for a 6oz cup.  Or you can get in a quart for $3-$6, depending on the brand and type.  I have now sucessfully made two batches.  I was worried that I wouldn't want to eat it.  That I would miss all the processessing, but I don't. I actually have been looking forward to my yogurt and granola lunches.

I have seen quite a few sites that make the whole process seem very complicated. I didn't find it to be at all.  I got a gallon of whole milk for $2.39.  I poured half of it into my clean crock pot and put the other half in the freezer.  I put the lid on the crock pot and turned it on high for about 3 hours.  You are supposed to heat it to boiling or 180 degrees.  I have a candy thermometer but I cheated and used Justin's laser thermometer that he has for beer making.  I turned it off and let it cool for a few hours.  (One time I took the lid off to help it cool faster and it formed a skin, I don't think I will take the lid off again.) It cools to 110 degrees and I scooped some of the warm milk up and mixed it with about half a container of plain greek yogurt with live cultures.  I then poured the mixture back in to the crock pot and stirred it up.  I put the lid on, wrapped it in a bath towel and put the whole crock in the oven for about 12 hours.  Next thing you know, you have a half gallon of yogurt.  I froze one container of the original batch for a starter for the next round. 

I have eaten the first batch.  I do NOT like plain yogurt and I don't like it with honey, so that is always an option.  I put in about a quarter tsp of natural vanilla extract and half a tsp of agave nectar to one cup of yogurt.  It was perfect.  I have also used organic cain sugar and it was fine.  No chunks, no grit, just creamy goodness.  I am straining the second batch through cheese cloth.  Apparently all the liquid will drip out and make the yogurt thicker.  I am fine with the original thickness so I probably won't do it again unless other people like it more.  I am just taking that step to make more of an experiment.  So far my only hold up is having containers to store it all in.  I thought I had a lot more mason jars than I really do.

As a side note, the more things I have learned to do or make from scratch the more I think of how many "necessities" and skills the city or suburban life has made obsolete.  For some reason a while ago, I was thinking of what would happen if infrastructure as we know it ended and we were forced to fend for ourselves.  Like you couldn't just go to the store and buy clothes.  You couldn't just go buy bread.  You didn't have money for those things or the money you had couldn't even buy it.  We would be in a bad situation.  It isn't like I want to go stock piling or anything like that, but I do like the little bits of knowledge and skills that I have aquired would make us a little bit more ok.  And then I would be sad about the lack of internet where I have stored all the recipes and instructions on how to do everything...

The year of the crack down

Brace yourself. This is about to get honest.  Not a woe is me kind of honest, just a real glimpse of where we are at. 

Almost a year ago Justin lost his job.  He was able to get a new job right away and never missed a day of pay.  The new job paid 1/3 less than his previous job.  It had potential for bonuses here and there.  With the economy the way it has been and other reasons, they haven't quite been what had been discussed when he took the job.  Overall this has taken some adjustments at home.  There have also been some unexpected medical expenses in 2012.  It was the year of the medical bill.  I don't think we have ever spent so much in one year on medical expenses. My job also changed this year.  It has been for the better, but it still had us adjust things financially. Our insurance just changed so we will be able to stop accumulating medical debt.  Justin finished is master's degree six months ago so it is time to start repaying loans. Tax rates just changed so our withholdings have changed.  Overall it is a good spot to revamp and make plans.

Debt plan: No more debt.  This plan was actually instituted a couple months ago.  I actually froze our credit cards in ice.  We can't use them.  I don't want to close them out yet because of our credit score.  I do want to pay them off.  I got an app that actually helps keep our debt pay off plan front and center and easy to track.  It shows me different debt pay off options when I enter all of our credit card, car payment and medical debt and when they will be done and which costs the least in interest or which speeds things up.  I paid all of January's bills today.  We have 31 months left! In order to make this plan work we have to stick with it and keep household expenses low to put our money towards the debt.  Our biggest struggle is changing our lifestyle.  I don't think we have an extravagant lifestyle, but we definitely are impulsive and there is no room for that right now.

Student loans: They are a huge looming burden.  Undergrad loans went into forbearance when Justin lost his job and have stayed there.  I just set up a repayment plan for the grad school loans. Adding the extra bill to the already tight budget is a little intimidating.  Ok, more than a little.  A lot.  But in reality, just putting them off forever was not a reasonable option.  It was just us avoiding it.  As soon as I agreed to it, I wanted to take it back, but I was really just nervous.  I know in the end, this is the best plan. 

Private school:  Ava is only in 1st grade.  As much as I hate the idea of her changing schools, now would be the time.  None of us want her to change schools.  I can't think about 2 of them in private school.  I will deal with that when it comes.  We have 2nd grade figured out.  I just can't think about 3rd grade, or 4th.  I have no idea what life will be like by then.  It does seem crazy when I look at everything I mentioned before to even be considering paying for private school for the next 11 years (Rhys included).  It isn't really a logical decision.  Ava doesn't want to change schools at all.  It isn't even about the friends.  She said that she wouldn't have chapel at the public school and she was right.  And then we started thinking of the education level and were reminded of why we chose to start her in private school in the first place.  Justin says we will sacrifice to keep her there.  I knew we would and reality have been.  I guess now it is really put up or shut up time.

Cutting back: The only real wiggle room we have is in the household grocery budget.  We need to get cheap.  Really cheap.  I think it means real meal planning again for me.  I need to consider saving money my job. I also need to figure out a good balance of cheap and healthy meals and make more things from scratch.  I have been earning little bits of money here and there and they have been adding up.  I get free shipping through shop runner.  I shop sales at drugstore.com for things like shampoo and stuff like that and I get cash back through ebates for it.  I actually have a check for $52 coming to me in February. We have also said our only resolution is no fast food.  No eating out unless it is pre-planned and a special occasion for a year.  Convenience eating is really our lifestyle indulgence and it has to stop. 

Earning extra: We are just going to earn little bits of extra when we can.  I am babysitting once a week this spring.  I am selling Thirty-One.  Justin is refocusing on his t-shirts. 

Are we alone in the financial crack down?  I know we aren't. What does yours look like?

A new discovery

Guess what I discovered today?  There is such thing as a yarn of the month club.  Not just one, but a lot.  Different manufacturers have their own yarn of the month clubs.  There is one official "Yarn of the month" club and they send out samples of different varieties.  That particular one is pretty cheap, especially compared to other "of the month" clubs that I have purchased for others such as beer, cheese, chocolate, etc.

Anyway, with a bit of the profits from my new direct sales endeavor, I decided to join a yarn of the month club.  I decided to go with one from www.threeirishgirls.com.  I picked it because I do get to pick from a couple color options, it is a different fiber type every month and if I wanted to order more of the color to make a bigger project, I can at a discounted price.  So anyway, that was my decision.  I had to jump on it because they sell out.  Can you believe it?  Some people are very loyal to their yarn of the month club, I discovered, so you kind of have to wait for people to drop out to get a spot.

I am hoping to try some new projects.  I have been in a rut with blankets and hats.  I need to branch out.  I am looking forward to something being picked for me and I just have to figure out what to do with it.  It is a challenge.  I am intrigued.  Maybe yarn of the month club subscriptions will be my new go to gift request!

I got invited to drop in and knit over the next couple weeks at a friends house.  I am hoping to finish this blanket that is my nemesis and get my first delivery of yarn so I can make something for Ava for Christmas.  So stay tuned.  I will share my new yarns and projects for those who are interested. 

Hello old friend

It has happened!  After a year without it, we have cable again.  We have had an antenna in our bedroom, which allows us to have some major networks but that is about it for live tv.  We have had subscriptions to hulu and netflix too.  Recently I have been less and less happy with them.  So on the main tv downstairs we just could watch things streaming on the roku and upstairs stuff on the antenna.  Now we have basic cable downstairs.  It is still way less than we used to have.  No dvr, much fewer channels, only one tv with it.  So now I think we will be canceling netflix and hulu.  We are saving money by having cable.  What are the chances of that???  Ava is happy.  She regularly would tell me that she wasn't happy that we had canceled tv.  She is very happy that she can watch all of her disney shows on demand.  The funny thing is, they didn't watch a single thing that was live. 

Did you ever wonder...

Do you ever imagine a different version of your current life?  Like if you reorganized your schedule and priorities and replaced your personality and drive with something else?  I do this often.  I plan out my days with some ideal version of myself, that I would probably hate if I met on the street.  It would never work out if I tried to implement these changes.  I would lose focus just about the time the alarm clock went off.

Here is my pretend life.

Wake up at some unpleasant time in the morning, long before my kids get up.  Put my slim and toned self into cute, matching work out clothes and go out for a fast paced, easy run.  Come back and start some amazing breakfast, hop in the shower and use amazing smelling products.  Get dressed, putting on very expensive jeans that fit perfectly that I happened to get on a great sale so I get a sense of triumph while wearing them.  I will have good hair and nice make up on and a cute shirt on that isn't too much like a t-shirt but just casual enough that I don't feel bad wasting it just ithe house.  I floss my teeth.

I come downstairs to my immaculate livingroom and finish up the breakfast prep, setting the table on place mats that don't have a spot of food on them.  I walk easily into my kids room to wake them up, not worrying about stepping on a random car or Barbie shoe.  They get dressed and ready without any fighting or arguing.  We all have a delicous breakfast together.  I have already put most of the dishes in the dishwasher so it is a fast clean up. I pack Ava's lunch of all healthy, fresh foods and we are out the door with time to spare.

I come home from drop off and spend the day not trying to undo messes, but really just doing deep cleaning tasks.  When I do laundry it is all folded and put away that same day.  I don't have bags for Goodwill laying around my house because I never put off bringing them downstairs and actually dropping them off. I play with Rhys and take him to some class at the park district.We have a delicious healthy lunch and I once again clean up the kitchen.  Rhys takes a nice quiet time, I spend it doing a Bible Study and beginning dinner prep.
I make a delicious dinner and dessert. I am always trying new recipes and we never are missing just the one key ingredient.  Ava has a nice healthy snack to come home to....

Ok.  Fantasy is over.  I just got tired making that list.  Here is my reality.  I woke up and checked my email on my phone.  I got Ava up and argued with her to get out of bed for 10 minutes.  Rhys had his coat and shoes on before Ava got int he shower.  We had cereal for breakfast in the last three clean bowls in the house.  Ava ate in her underwear because I forgot to put all of her uniforms in the dryer last night.  Ava couldn't find her shoes and kept messing with other things when she was supposed to be putting them on.  Rhys took off his coat while Ava was getting her shoes on and refused to put it back on.  We walked out the door with Rhys crying and me wearing pajamas and boots.  Ava got to school 2 minutes before it started.  I came home and did a load of laundry and dishes.  I then lost motivation and decided to browse recipes because that is productive, right? Then I wrote this post.