Mrs. Nespy's World

Tuesday Free For All - 02/14

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Photo credit: http://www.freehugscampaign.org/

Happy Valentine's Day, loves! I hope you are all having a great week thus far.

Here are some freebies to hopefully fill your heart with happiness!

If you are looking for the linky to list your giveaways and/or enter others, scroll to the bottom of this post!

FREEBIES:

Free "Brain Score" as well as Brain Training Games - Improve Memory and Attention from Lumosity. I had fun on this site!
Fill out this short form to get a coupon for a buy one get one free Ice Cream Creation from Cold Stone Creamery.
Get Your Federal Refund Fast & Free - TaxACT is Free to Prepare, Print, & Efile Your Federal Return
Get a free sample of Nescafe coffee (Facebook offer)
See the all new Mantis Tillers in Action! Request a Free Mantis DVD.
Grab your free sample Clean n Safe all purpose cleaning spray.
Fill out this short form to get a free sample of Splenda.
Like the Quaker Facebook page and sign up to get a free sample box of Quaker Oatmeal Squares.
Get a free sample of Life Choice Meal Bars from Walmart.
Use this coupon to get a free break inspection and tire rotation at Pep boys.
Fill out this short form to get a free sample of Hugo Boss cologne or perfume.
Plan meals and save money? Yes, you can. Food on the Table combines the weekly sales from your local grocery store with your family's food preferences. Join Food on the Table now with promo code FEBFREE and you'll get the premium version (normally $5/month) FREE for life!
FREE Smoothie on your birthday when you join the Robeks Reward Club
Visit daveramsey.com for Dumping Debt FREE mp3 Audio
Visit your local Crabtree & Evelyn store on February 15th (TOMORROW!) to receive your FREE Advocado, Olive & Basil Body Lotion! Offer valid on 50ml sizes only, while supplies last.
The Colbert Report announced that you can visit your participating Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop for a FREE sample of Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream ice cream. Visit your local Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop between 5pm - 8pm on Valentine's Day for your FREE sample! (yet another reason I love Stephen Colbert)
Free Sample of Olay 2-in-1 Daily Facial Cloths.
Free Sample of Purex Triple Action Detergent.
Free Sample of Acqua di Gioia by Giorgio Armani
Sign up for the Bubble Guppies Fan Club on nickjr.com for 25 FREE Bubble Guppies Coloring Pages!
Get a Free Sample of Emergen-C Kidz Drink Mix
Sign up and get a Free Sample of Rachel Ray Nutrish Dog Food. Simply fill out the short form on the Rachael Ray site to request your free sample. I would hurry, these great pet food samples never last long!
Peet’s Coffee & Tea is offering a Buy One Get One Free Beverages with the below printable coupon from now until 2/20/12. Click HERE to find a location near you!
Mark your calendars because February 28, 2012 is National Pancake Day (what a great holiday!). To celebrate IHOP will be giving everyone a small stack of pancakes for FREE. All they ask is that you leave a little something behind for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other designated local charities.
Quick Chek is offering a printable coupon for a FREE Belvita Breakfast Bar. You must be a fan to print the coupon. Offer expires on 2/20/12. Click here for a location near you.
The German Information Center has created a printable coloring book to teach kids more about Germany. Click here to print the entire book.
Scooter’s Coffeehouse is offering a printable coupon for a FREE small drink of your choice when you sign up for their eClub. Click here to find a location near you.
AND Check out Free Sample Freak's huge list of Valentine's Day Freebies!

SWEEPSTAKES:

Laguna Candles’ Coastal Line Sweepstakes: Enter for a chance to win this all-natural, of coconut, palm and soy wax candle from Laguna Candles
iLuv Creative Technology iMM514 ArtStation Pro Sweepstakes: Enter for a chance to win iLuv speakers
Mint Plus Automatic Floor Cleaner Sweepstakes: Enter for a chance to win a Mint Plus Automatic Floor Cleaner
The EcoRoman Shade Company Sweepstakes: Enter for a chance to win a up to four custom Ecoroman shades from The EcoRoman Shade Company
Magimix by Robot-Coupe Premium Collection Food Processor Sweepstakes: Enter for a chance to win a Magimix by Robot-Coupe Premium Collection Food Processor
Diabetic Living New Year, New You Makeover Sweepstakes: Win $1,000 for a healthy makeover this year! Sweepstakes Ends: February 20, 2012 One entry per day.
Ladies Home Journal 2012 Walmart Shopping Spree Sweepstakes: Enter to WIN a $1,000 Walmart gift card! Sweepstakes Ends: February 29, 2012 One entry per day.

GIVEAWAYS:

*Huge thanks to my sources: Thunder Fap, , PointClickHome, Parents.com, The Freebie Blogger, Deal Seeking Mom, Couponing 101, Free Sample Freak, Better Homes & Gardens, SwagGrabber, Mommies with Cents & "Deal"icious Mom

Do You Have a Bucket List?

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Photo credit: TordDesign

You know...since the release of the movie The Bucket List, everyone has seem to be on this trend of having one of their own.

And I see people documenting their bucket lists on Pinterest frequently.

Is it pathetic that I don't have one?

Not that I haven't sat down and written one, but that I really don't have any real plans or "want tos"?

Until just recently, I have been pretty short sighted. I mean, when I was little I had dreams, but since I've become an adult, it's been more about getting through the week, the month, or even the year. My imagination sometimes ventures into the "when the kids grow up" future, but it is usually more in reference to my concerns for them, our relationships, or what I hope our financial health will be.

I need some dreams.

And so far I have only come up with one.

I want to see the Northern Lights. Aurora Borealis.

Not from North Dakota (although it might be lovely from there). Somewhere more exotic. And since Chip's family is from Norway, I'm thinking that might be a good place to start.

Otherwise, I have no idea of things I would like to do "one day." Things that I actually have plans of crossing off a list.

Maybe it's time to make one. Want to help me out?

Do you have a bucket list? What is on it? What would you recommend for me?

Weekend Round-Up #117

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I hope you're having a great weekend! I've had a super busy week, but I've still worked to gather up some great blog posts that I wanted you to read.

Without further ado, here they are!

FINANCIAL:

In both the family and financial category, there is an awesome post over at Financial Highway called
Dollar Matters: Kid Stuff. It is a collection of posts and articles about teaching children financial responsibility. I'm going to check it out and I hope you do too!
7 Frugal Myths Debunked by Kentin Waits at Wisebread is a great set to wrap your mind around what frugality actually is. Don't listen to the bad wrap it has gotten in the past - check out this post and see what this lifestyle is really all about.
10 Small Ways to Increase your Emergency Fund Without Noticing at Enemy of Debt has a list you and I can both benefit from reading!

FAMILY/LIFE:
How to remember your family is more important than social media. by Jon Acuff has an awesome suggestion in it!
Life Lessons from 6 Famous Failures at Christian PF is a great collection of people who have succeeded despite their failures. If you need some motivation, this is a great list to inspire.
5 Tips to Improve Your Dishwasher at Small Notebook is a great set of tips to optimize your dishwasher.
Where I (we) fit in the political sphere at TYWKIDBI has a great quiz to take. I was shocked at my results.
I Couldn’t See Past Me ‘Til I Saw You is a beautiful video and song shared by BooMama. Get your tissues ready.

Friday Faves - Pinterest - Valentine's Treats

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I thought I'd share with you the treats that I've pinned on my Pinterest Valentine board:

Classic thumbprint but with a Dove chocolate heart twist. YUM!

Valentine cupcakes to go

Tuxedo Red Velvet cookies

How fun and yummy - and easy!

Another delicious-looking variation of the thumbprint - Hershey's kiss in cherry shortbread.

Heart-shaped chocolate chip cherry muffins - great way to start the morning!

Red Velvet cookies

This looks so tempting to give a try!

Made this Red Velvet Cheesecake at Thanksgiving and it was a hit!

Another easy treat that the kids would LOVE!

Made this over Christmas and they became my favorite Christmas cookie. They'd be great for Valentine's Day as well!

Another delicious cookie I made at Christmas. Use chocolate or white chips.

I love to make fudge and this red velvet variety is calling my name!

So show me what you've been pinning lately or your latest Valentine's pins. I won't promise not to steal them for my own board though! =)

Drumroll please.... Our Tax Results

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Photo credit: LeoSynapse

So a few nights ago Chip did our taxes.

The results? A refund.

A huge refund.

To the tune of $4880 (I think that’s the exact amount).

I am thrilled.

The crazy thing is, after last year’s big refund, I changed my with-holdings at work. Not so much that I expected we would break even but that we would receive a much smaller refund.

And yet somehow – our refund is larger this year. I totally don’t understand tax law.

So what will we do with this lump sum?

We have two options. I originally had one thing in mind because it would make the most sense mathematically and it would give me the best feeling emotionally. Sounds like the way to go, right? This option would be to send the entire (almost) $5K to my credit card – you know, the one that I despise so much and am ready to kill the account as soon as it is paid off. That would give me the most emotional payback and it would decrease the debt on the larger interest loan. This seemed like the way to go at first.

But the other option is almost as good and gives a sense of completion and gives us one less thing to worry about. This would be to send almost $3900 to a “loan” that we had from the Army from when Chip was prepaid to finish OCS and came home early. So we owe the Army that money back. They aren’t charging us interest, so it seems like it would be good to pay this one off more slowly than the one with interest. Two things about that though – if we did this, we could completely cross this debt off our list and shorten the list; and the Army is deducting repayments at their own rate out of his paychecks. It’s been going fine so far to do that, but when he goes for his long-term training in a few months (or whenever he goes – they haven’t told us yet), I won’t know how much of his check we’ll be receiving until it arrives and that makes planning difficult. And for this control freak, that’s just one more uncertainty I would like to avoid.

All in all, it will pay off debt. All of it. But how? That is yet to be determined.

What about you? Are you getting or anticipating a refund? If so, what do you plan to do with it?

Papa Murphy's HeartBaker Pizza - Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:40:00 +0000

Twice now at this blog I have bragged and bragged on the deliciousness that is Papa Murphy's Pizza. The pizza was fresh and tasty and pleased everyone at the table (which is no small feat at our house). And with their prices so very reasonable, it is a deal that Mrs Nespy herself can get behind!

Just in time for a Valentine's celebration with your sweetie, Papa Murphy's is featuring their HeartBaker pizza, a heart-shaped pepperoni pizza that is sure to be a great way to your man's (or lady's) heart!

Just as a reference, here is a picture of two of the pizzas we have gotten at Papa Murphy's before. These are their family size and just look at how large the two of them are on our standard size stove!

Their fresh ingredients, prepared right in front of your eyes, are mouth-watering and what keep this killer business idea soaring and growing. They have something to please every palate - from traditional pizza toppings like pepperoni and sausage, onions and peppers, to a wider variety of tastes, such as artichoke hearts, zucchini, feta, spinach, and much more.

So you want me to talk about the prize pack for the giveaway, don't you?

Papa Murphy's wants to offer one of my readers some great goodies! Included are TWO $15 Papa Murphy's gift cards, a copy of Valentine's Day on DVD, a set of tea lights to set the mood, some Hershey's chocolates for dessert, and a set of 4 govino resuable go-anywhere wine glasses.

Happy entering and best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Papa Murphy's provided me with the same prize package as is being offered as a giveaway. I really do love their pizza or I wouldn't be promoting it for them! =)

Please stay tuned....

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:03:00 +0000

Sorry I've been a bit out of pocket lately. The weekend was crazy as I made a whirlwind trip to Alabama and back for a funeral.

I promise things will look a bit more normal around here soon. I'm just trying to play catch-up in life and at work, so the blog is suffering.

Be back soon!

Friday Faves - Pinterest 02/03/12

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

So here are several goodies that I've pinned on Pinterest lately. Yes there are many, but it's been a while since I did this, right?

Bragging: it's quite true

This is so very cat.

Cat Prank - you seriously need to click on this to expand it.

As much as I don't like peeps - these would be adorable for easter!

Thumbprint cookies with Dove hearts? Yes, please!

Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie? Sounds delish!

This is sugar coating it a bit.

Yeah - totally my excuse for not letting the kids eat it.

I am so guilty of this

Brilliant way to dye eggs! I might have to try this!

Cute? No - you have to draw a line somewhere.

So cruel it's hilarious.

Trust issues.

This patriotic cake looks like fun for this summer!

Check out these awesome light saber napkin "rings" for a party!

This is awesome - and the "Surprise" looks like she's a handful!

Did you find anything good on Pinterest this week? Let me know what it was or follow me so I can check out your pins as well!

Our Financial Status - Update #24 - January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:01:00 +0000

We're still plugging away through our Total Money Makeover via the teachings of Dave Ramsey. It's been a long haul and we're not done yet. But in the interest in being real, being transparent, and making it obvious that it isn't easy, I post our monthly budget performance here for all to see.

Is it interesting? Probably not to most. For me it is an accountability tool. And for someone else out there struggling through the mess they created like we are, maybe it will be a "we're not the only ones in this boat" kind of read.

If you want, just skip this one and come back tomorrow for something (hopefully) more interesting to you.

INCOME:
Nailed it. Seriously nothing new or unexpected here.

UNDER BUDGET:
Gasoline:$28 under budget. WHAT? Seriously...I don't know that this has ever happened. But I will gladly take it!
Mobile Phone: $4 under budget. It's not much, but I'll take it. I may not have this budget amount right. We recently made some changes to our plan and I'm not sure exactly what it should be yet. So hooray - it may be lower than I anticipated. =)
Electricity/Water: $9 under budget. Yippee! I'm excited that this budget has panned out. This is a rolling budget, meaning that I budget $200/month every month. Some months (summer in the South) our electricity itself is well over that. Others it is well under. So I give an "average" of $200/month and hope it all averages out. From the looks of this month - it did! Hooray!
Doctor: No spending this month, but we have $55 "rolling" from previous months. Like our utilities, I give an average of one copay a month hoping we won't need them. Now that we're to yearly checkups for everyone, I should be able to drop this amount a bit. Maybe one check up and one sick visit each per year? I doubt Chip and I would use ours. That's one to think about.
Pharmacy: Just like the doctor one, no spending this month but have $62 over our rolling budget to wait out.
Baby Supplies: No spending this month. $145 available in my rolling budget. Just wanting to get the girl potty trained and eliminate this budget altogether!
Childcare: No spending this month and $30 rolled over from previous months.
Hair: No spending this month. Money rolling on in this one.
Toiletries: No spending this month. Money rolling on this one too.
Clothing: No spending this month. I am $118 over my rolling budget though. Waiting it out and hopefully will have money in the rolling budget for some new spring clothes for the kids soon!

ON BUDGET:
Auto Insurance: No surprises here.
Television: As usual.
Term Life Insurance: Done
Mobile Phone: Nothing new here.
Alarm Monitoring/Pest Control: Regular charges here.
Mortgage/HOA/Timeshare: On course.

OVER BUDGET:
Eating Out: $117 over our $100 budget. Ouch. There really is no excuse for this. We just ate outside of the house far too much. This is our weak point and we're obviously not in control of it yet.
Groceries: $229 over budget. This one truly baffles me. I've been trying to do better about meal planning and intentional spending in this area and had NO IDEA we were this much over this month. Honestly with the effort I've been putting forth, I would have expected this to be much lower. I've got to sit down and figure this out.
Home Supplies: $20 over budget. I rarely spend anything in this category, so the light bulbs, hooks and whatnot that I bought really don't worry me.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

Sent $167 over our budget to the credit card for repayment.
Working on refinancing the house. This will free up around $200/month that can go to credit cards. Additionally, we will get some escrow back that we plan to use to pay off an Army debt that we are slowly working through.
Taxes will be done soon and we expect a refund. Already know we're going to send that in bulk to credit card.
We've had a little extra in our baby emergency fund that I was hanging onto. Now that we've got this escrow refund coming in as well as the tax refund, we're going to use it to buy Patrick some new furniture in cash. Hooray for no more credit purchases like this!
We're still waiting to see what Chip's Army training is going to look like going forward. Although I don't want him away from home long, I would welcome the extra income that would provide to help us really push through our own personal debt crisis.
In the process of refinancing our home, we found out that we both have really, really good credit scores. Frankly, I'm surprised that they are as good as they are. I mean, we have not missed a due date in many many many years, but still, our debt to available credit ratio is terribly high at the moment, so I'm surprised that the score is so good!

Debt Paid off Since December 2011: $656.10
Debt Paid off Since October 14, 2009: $23,740.03
Change in Networth from December 2011: $2053.75
Change in Networth from October 14, 2009: $45,303.17

This Swimsuit for My Little Girl? I Think Not!

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:01:00 +0000

I got a PR pitch via email on Friday. When I saw the title, I thought, "Great! A way to try out a new bathing suit line for our daughter and pitch a new product to my readers!" Then I opened up the email and was FLOORED.

At first I was outraged. Do people dress their little girls like this?

Then I was saddened when I realized that yes...some people do. And those little girls grow up thinking that it's okay.

I personally am not a fan of bikinis for little girls. Tankinis? Yes. Our Abigail last year LOVED her ruffled bloomer bottoms and 3/4-length surfer top suit. I know that some little girls don't fit into one-piece suits well (because they are tall and skinny). I know two piece suits work better when potty training - and for using the potty altogether for little ones (and big ones!). Tankinis and surfer style suits are perfect for these occasions. But not a fan of the bikini for little tots.

Even if I were okay with it though, I can't imagine that I'd be okay with these suits by AquaMarina.

In fact, I almost didn't post the images on this blog - that's how uncomfortable they make me. But then I decided for the sake of letting you know what is out there chasing after our girls, I decided to do so.

This is the email I sent back to the PR company:

[PR Rep's name withheld] -
First I want to thank you for contacting me for a PR pitch for my blog. I look forward to trying out new products for my readers and sometimes offering them the chance to win some of their own.

I have worked with [company name withheld] in the past with no issues.

However, this pitch has me completely dumbfounded.

These suits are atrocious. I have a 2 year old daughter and a 6 year old son and I am floored that swimsuits like this exist for little tots. They are far too adult, far too sexy, far too revealing. And these little girl's poses are nauseating as well. It makes me feel dirty just looking at them.

Although I would like to continue to receive more PR pitches from various companies, including [company name withheld], please do not send me any other offers that are not family-friendly.

As far as this pitch in particular, not only am I not interested, but I will be using it as an example on my blog as to what is stalking our little princesses in this world. No, I will not be using [company name withheld]'s name in the post, but I ask that you strongly reconsider doing business with companies that would subject little girls to this type of advertising and attention.

I will go home tonight and hug my little girl just a little tighter and pray for her protection in a world that offers options like this for little children.

Regards,
Kaye T.
http://mrsnespysworld.blogspot.com

What in the world do you make of this? Am I a total prude or does anyone else have a problem with this?

8 Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Photo credit: LeoSynapse

Yep - it's that time of year. Some people are itching to do their taxes, wanting the refund they deserve. Others are more cautious, either not knowing the outcome of their tax form calculations, or knowing they will be sending a check to the beloved IRS.

Some people will argue the ins and outs of whether you should try to get a refund each year or try to balance it as to not loan the government money interest free.

I get it. But we're not going to have that argument here and now. Right now we're just going to discuss what to do with the money that some of us will be getting back (I will!).

Start or Bolster an Emergency Fund: If you don't have any type of emergency fund, this should be the first step you take with this money. How much to put into your beginning emergency fund is up to you. I am a follower of Dave Ramsey's teachings, so I'd say $1000 if you have debt (to cover small emergencies) or 4-6 months of spending if you have no debt. This would be a great place to use this windfall.
Pay Down Debt: If you are covered on the beginning emergency fund, throw that bad boy at your debt. It's a great way to make a big stride in paying down debt. There's nothing like seeing a much smaller balance after that check is sent. Successes like this one can motivate you on for months more.
Save for Retirement: What a great way to go ahead and toss some money at your Roth IRA. You might be able to cover all of your annual contribution allowance if your refund is enough. What a peace of mind this would give you to already have this covered!
Children's Education: Look into socking this away into an education fund for your children. There are a number of different way to do this and since I'm not a financial advisor, I will not tell you the best way to do it. There are plenty of people out there that can help you though, and this is a conversation worth having.
Fund a Purchase: If you've been fighting the uphill battle of debt or if you've been looking for a way to live on cash alone, this money might be just what you need to afford something you've been hoping for. Whether it is a good used car that will allow you to get out from under a new car payment (and the accompanying new car insurance) or some furniture that your house actually needs, using cash will not only give you the freedom of paying without credit card interest, but you might likely be able to swing a better deal if you can pay cash upfront!
Donate it: If you are blessed enough to not have anywhere in particular that you need to put this, why not bless someone else with it? Give it to your favorite local charity or sponsor someone on a mission trip. Not only will you have the joy of helping someone else with this money, but you'll be able to count it as a deduction next year!
Go on a Mission Trip Yourself: If you have the drive to help others but can't typically shell out the money needed for a trip, use your tax refund and sign up through your church for a trip to - well, wherever they are going. You will get some hands-on experience of serving others, but you might just change a life or two (including your own!).
Splurge: This is the last way you could spend your money, but ONLY if you are in a good place in all of the above items. I don't mean that you feel okay about spending when you have debt. I mean you have no debt, you have a full emergency fund, you live within your means, you have nothing that needs to be purchased with cash and you feel good about your giving. Then - and only then - should you buy that next larger TV, or that new laptop, or that family vacation. Yep - make sure you are financially secure before splurging. But once you are, SPEND AWAY! It's your money! =)

What will you be doing with your tax refund? Are you having to pay in instead?

The Grace Effect by Larry Taunton - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Publisher's Description:

“Simply defined, the ‘grace effect’ is an observable phenomenon—that life is demonstrably better where authentic Christianity flourishes.”

What does Christianity give us beyond televangelists, potlucks, and bad basketball leagues? Not much, according to the secular Left. The world, they say, would be a better place without it.

Historian and Christian apologist Larry Taunton has spent much of his career refuting just this sort of thinking, but when he encounters Sasha, a golden-haired Ukranian orphan girl whose life has been shaped by atheistic theorists, he discovers an unlikely champion for the transforming power of grace.

Through the narrative of Sasha’s redemption, we see the false promises of socialism; the soul-destroying influence of unbelief; and how a society cultivates its own demise when it rejects the ultimate source of grace. We see, in short, the kind of world the atheists would give us: a world without Christianity—cold, pitiless, and graceless.

And yet, as Sasha shows us, it is a world that is not beyond the healing power of “the grace effect.” Occasionally infuriating, often amusing, but always inspiring, The Grace Effect will have you cheering for the courageous little girl who shamed the academic elitists of our day.

My thoughts:

This story by Larry Taunton about the process he and his family went through to adopt their daughter Sasha is a good story. It is quite reflective of stories of friends who have adopted internationally and dealing with the various laws and organizations they worked with (and around). It also shows a commonality between this family's journey and the adjustments made due to the cultural differences encountered by their new children.

It's a tale to describe exactly what they were willing to put up with to make Sasha a part of their family, but honestly, I wasn't really making the connection to grace while reading it. Yes...I can see a distant similarity, but there was not a clear parallel between the two. I was just expecting something very different, even after reading the synopsis of the book. I can see Sasha's parallel with grace, but that side of the story was not emphasized enough to make this book about grace in my mind.

Summary:
While it is a good telling of their lives, I really can't recommend this as a good read about grace. It was just too disconnected from that concept to me. Is it a good tale? Yes. Would it be good for adoptive families to read to prepare them for international adoption? Yes. Is it a good read if you need to know more about God's grace? I really don't think so.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Weekend Round-Up #116

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Today's a busy day for our household. School function and a birthday party on top of the usual housework, laundry, etc.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Here is some reading for you if you find a few spare moments!

FINANCIAL:

10 big deductions too many of us miss from MSN Money is a great list you need to thumb through before filing your taxes.
Conversely, 10 deductions you shouldn't even try from MSN Money is another list that you need to be aware of.
7 habits that keep you in debt at MSN Money might be an eye-opener for you. We used to be slave to 4 of these 7. Now only occasionally indulge in one of them although I feel it is much more under control.
Women and Money: Why We Stress, and How to Beat It at LearnVest is a great read! Sign up for their financial bootcamp like I did. It's a great resource if you're getting started, a firm reminder if you need reinforcements, and is followed up by a lot of great articles like this one.

FAMILY/LIFE:

When You Feel Overwhelmed by Your Workload by Michael Hyatt was such a timely post for me and I just had to share it. It can't just be him and me in this boat!
There be dragons. by Jon Acuff is perfect for the little boost of inspiration that you might just need today.

FAVORITE NEW SITE:

750Words - A true online journal/diary. It gets your brain moving. It allows you to write it down and maybe sort out your thoughts/ feelings in the meantime. It's a way to improve your writing. It's fun. Join me!

Our Harry Potter Party - Treats from Honeydukes

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

You know what I dislike about birthday parties? Treat bags. I know, they are a nice gesture, but too often they are just that - a gesture. Filled with plastic crap that is themed with the party, most of it goes in the trash can as soon as we get home. I hate to be that honest, but it is true - at least at our house.

I was convinced that I did not want that for our kids' goody bags. I try to buy things that will not be discarded immediately and continued that theme with this party as well.

I decided that only a few items would be in the goody bags to start out with, but the kids could "shop" at Honeydukes sweet shop at the end of the party and load their goody bags up with candy and treats to take home (you're welcome, parents). It was a fun way to wrap up the theme without buying licensed HP stuff that would be tossed soon.

Although my intentions were to make these goody bags (once again, thanks Pinterest), it didn't happen. I did think they were an awesome idea and not terribly hard to do, so I wanted to share them with you!

Instead, I just gave them the brown paper bags and let them shop. The bags only had a couple of items already in them, but those items I do want to share with you.

I found inexpensive HP glasses here for $0.67 each! They took a little while to ship, but well worth the cost of since most of the others I found were $5 a piece!

I also put in some other random (child-appropriate) pins that I got from skycouture (who also made the house pins the kids were wearing). Unfortunately while writing this post I discovered that she is no longer a etsy shop owner. So if I were you, I would search on etsy because there are several others who make these types of pins and most etsians are great people and easy to work with.

I ordered some HP-ish soaps from Mel's Fun Suds and put two in each bag. I chose a mix of owls, brooms, wizard hats, and frogs. What fun - and they're practical (and smell wonderful!) too. She too is fantastic to work with!

And for those who wanted them - dark mark tattoos. I couldn't resist.

Other than these items, the bags were to be filled by the kids by visiting Honeydukes (sign available for your use here). Their choices of treats were

Giant Lollipops (from Dollar Tree)
Chocolate Frogs (mold here)
Licorice Wands (dip the ends of Twizzlers in white chocolate to make a "handle")
Lemon Drops (Dumbledore's favorite Muggle candy)
Fudge Flies (mix rice krispies and melted chocolate. Spread on wax paper to dry in tiny/bite-sized pieces)
Drooble's Best Blowing Gum (gumballs)
Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans (I just used jelly beans, but you can order the real thing from JellyBelly here)
Acid Pops (roll sour blow pops in pop rocks - do it just before serving or the rocks will lose their "pop")
Peppermint Toads (same mold as chocolate frogs but use white chocolate or vanilla and peppermint extract)
Jelly Slugs (gummy worms)
Cockroach clusters (melt chocolate, chow mein noodles and peanuts and drop onto wax paper)
Broomstick Candy
Considered Pretzel Wands (same as licorice wands but with pretzel sticks) but didn't do it.

I made tent cards (download here) with each candy's name on it to let people know what they were shopping for. Using a variety of glass jars (some borrowed and some purchased), Honeydukes was established.

They were then allowed to shop to their own desires. The kids thought the names were disgusting and that was a lot of fun for them (especially the boys!).

And that was that. End of party. All exhausted. So much fun.

I hope I can live up to this one next year!

If you want some more ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours!

Our Harry Potter Party - Games

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

We're almost done with our Harry Potter party series, but we do need to discuss the games that were played. It was a lot of fun.

I intended on having a game of Stomp the Dementors (scroll down to games - you'll probably see lots of other great ideas here), which would have been a way for the kids to run about and let off some of that sugared-up energy, but leading up to the party I ran out of time and didn't have time to create the dementors.

So we just let them run about like crazy little creatures and play with their wands for a little while. This was a lot of fun for them and a great way to just let them be as creative as they want.

Beware a tiny one with a wand!

After that, we had a Horcrux Hunt. This was my second most proud moment of creativity for this party (following the Potions class). A basic scavenger hunt, I wanted to create a Horcrux hunt that would look for the items as the story unfolded. We were looking for the diary, a ring, a locket, a cup, a diadem (or crown), a lightning bolt, and a snake.

Of course I found a few suggestions for wording for the scavenger hunt, but I'm terribly picky and wanted the hunt to not only make sense in our yard and where I could hide the items, but I wanted it to tell the story of the Horcruxes without giving away any/many spoilers. So I set my pen to paper and wrote some poetic clues. In the end, I was quite proud of them.

Here is the wording I came up with.

Voldemort first tempted a girl named Ginny
With his own diary, its mysteries were many.
To find out its secrets, its key to unlock,
You can look in a place where you would sit and rock.

The next one was found by old Dumbledore.
It poisoned his hand when this ring he wore.
But how to destroy it? One of the unknowns.
Now go find Gaunt’s Ring among the stones.

Another – a locket – guarded by a house elf,
Who was true to his master in spite of himself.
It got passed around by two or three.
Slytherin’s locket is hiding up in a tree.

Three friends found the next one inside a bank vault.
They made a huge mess, but it wasn’t their fault.
Getting help from a dragon, they fell on their tushes.
Helga Hufflepuff’s cup shines inside our front bushes.

The lost diadem is quite a lovely crown.
Trying to find and destroy it almost burned the school down.
In a giant pile of stuff it nearly was buried,
But you’ll find it in a place where our mail is carried.

The next horcrux made was the Dark Lord’s mistake.
Harry faced trading his life for its sake.
He meets up with Voldemort, the tension grows.
Go find a lightning bolt stored with our hose.

To end this great hunt a snake had to die.
A new hero rose, courage shone in his eye.
Could this be real? Would peace be restored?
Go find Nagini taped to the front door.

The hunt is now over. The seeking is done.
All horcruxes are found, I hope you had fun.
One more activity and the party is complete.
Go inside the house and “shop” for some sweets.

You can print this out for yourself here, but unless you have the same places to hide them that I did, I don't know if it will help you much.

As each Horcrux was found, I would read the next clue while everyone looked for it at the same time. It wasn't a competition and anyone could find them. It was just fun for them to look.

Found the diadem in the mailbox!

While the Horcrux Hunt was going on, I had my ~~house elves~~ spouse and friends inside setting up Honeydukes for a shopping extravaganza. Come back tomorrow to check that out!

If you want some more ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours!

Our Harry Potter Party - Food

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:02:00 +0000

So after sorting, wands, owls, and potions, it was time to eat.

For the cake, I considered a number of things, which you can find on my Pinterest board.

In the end, we went with the cake that would duplicate the first one Hagrid gave Harry when he turned 11 and learned he was a wizard. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and "Happee Birthdae Patrick" written on it (to duplicate Hagrid's spelling). The great thing is, the cake was terribly ugly in the movie so your piping (or icing) skills don't have to be great! Score!

I'm rather sad that I didn't get a good picture of the cake, but here is an idea.

In addition to cake, we had some standard goodies - cake truffles (which I love), chips, fruit, and the like.

I did provide Butterbeer sorbet that was interesting and surprisingly tasty for those daring enough to try it (yes, it is kid friendly).

A bit hit with the kids was the drinks. I provided water, Sprite, Capri Sun (which are mostly clear or light colored), and White Grape juice. Using the fun I found on Pinterest (where else?), we had amazing color-changing drinks. Of course not an option if you have someone who can't have food coloring, but otherwise, it will blow the kids' minds!

Then it was time to run off some of that sugar! Outside we went!

If you want some more ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours!

Our Harry Potter Party - Potions Class

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:02:00 +0000

As a continuation of our Harry Potter party series, I wanted to talk to you about my favorite part of the whole affair - The Potions Class.

Let me start by saying that I have the most awesome husband on earth. Seriously.

Not only does he like Harry Potter (almost as much as Patrick and I do), but he has a bit of a man-crush on Alan Rickman's character of Severus Snape (sorry sweetie - but you really can't deny it).

So for this party and the soon-to-follow Halloween, I purchased him a Snape costume on ebay. We also bought a witch wig at Walmart and trimmed it to be about the right length. The wig was cheap (and it looked like it), but it worked well for what we needed.

My Snape and my Harry.

So this was the most fun for most of the kids and adults.

The Potions class was set up in the garage. I gathered a number of glass bottles and containers and stored various liquids and greenery found in our neighborhood in them and labeled them with Potterish names including those to be used in the potions class and demonstrations. We also purchased some dry ice, which we found at Kroger for $5 for a 5 pound bag (this was approaching Halloween, I have no idea if they normally have it).

And this sign was my favorite of all of the ones I made (and here it is for you to have).

I spent lots and lots and lots of time scouring the internet for potions class ideas and do-at-home science experiments that could be done with ease but would seriously impress the kids. I was able to use potions from The Leaky Cauldron, It's the Life, Dirt and Sunshine, and Lemonade. You can find even more (that I didn't use but really considered) at My Harry Potter Party, Harry Potter Birthday Party, and lots more at The Leaky Cauldron. Once I found them, I modified the ones that needed to be Potter-fied (you like that, don't you?) and created a Potions Handbook for the kids and a Potions Master Handbook for my Snape using fonts found on Mugglenet and the same parchment used for signs and invitations. They neatly folded into a booklet that the kids were allowed to take home.

The Potions Student Handbook had all of the ~~experiments~~ potions that the kids would participate in. I also included an ingredients list so the kids could take them home and do them with their parents help if they wanted to (yes, a little science lesson to go home with you). It included the following potions

Exploding Filibusters - A huge hit, as everyone likes an "explosion."
Dancing Unicorn Milk - Another regular chemistry project that was "Potter-fied" by changing the ingredients' names.
Exploding Elixir - Lots of bubbly fun.
Fleeing Spiders - I was quite proud of the explanation I came up with what this experiment is about. It's really all about surface tension, but adding the element of spiders and basilisk venom makes it very Chamber of Secrets-ish.
Mandrake Restorative Draught - An actual potion from the books. This one is impressive because of the color change that the kids don't see coming. Requires a tiny bit of prep work, but well worth it for the looks on their faces!

The Potions Master Handbook had those items that the kids would only watch. One was a density column and some dealt with dry ice (little hands OFF). It included the following Potions:

Magic Mud - this is fantastic stuff to play with!
Wormwood Comes to Life - I actually researched HP potions ingredients to come up with a way to work in dry ice
Screaming Spoons - I extended the explanation I gave for the dry ice potion ingredient to this potion as well.
Liquid Enemies - This is just a chemistry lesson on density. However, it looks really cool, so I wanted to make it into a Potions lesson. So I renamed the ingredients, came up with a Latin spell to speak over it, and voila! Such fun!

And yes...I'm sharing both the Potions Student Handbook and the Potions Master Handbook with you now. Hooray!

Here are some pictures of the kids and the fun from the Potions class.

If you want some more ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours!

Tuesday Free For All - 01/24

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

I'm in the middle of a Harry Potter party series. I hope you are joining me for it. However, it took a lot of work to put together, so there was no time to compile a legitimate Free For All Post. So in the meantime, just list your giveaways here or enter others'.

Our Harry Potter Party - Sorting, Wands, and the Owlry

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

As a continuation in our Harry Potter party series, today we will look at the sorting "ceremony," the wands and the owlry.

SORTING:
So I couldn't have a Harry Potter party without sorting the kids into houses. This would really have no bearing on them during the party. We didn't play any games where we separated them into houses or anything, but just did it for fun.

When each guest walked in the door (parents too if they wanted), they were met with our sorting table. This was a tiny cauldron that I found at a thrift store (luckily this was around Halloween, so these items are easy to find). Inside the cauldron were pins with each of the house crests on them. I found them on etsy. There were a few etsians who offered similar pins, but I chose skycouture. She was awesome in both bulk pricing and customer service. I asked for a slight change of color for the Slytherin crest and she happily obliged. It was a wonderful experience.Unfortunately while writing this post, I discovered that she no longer is on etsy. =( So just search around etsy. There are many of other great creators on there still!

So anyway...they reached into the cauldron and pulled out a pin and attached it to their shirts.

In addition to a pin, they also picked up a sorting card that told them something about their houses. These were created by me and I LOVED the result (if you let me brag on them for a moment). They include the house crest, name, the sorting hat rhyme about the house from Harry's first year, basic info about each house, and a list of famous wizards/witches from that house. I thought these would be cool to tell the kids (or parents) about the house they were chosen for. And I am gladly sharing those cards with you now. There is no reason that someone else would have to do the work to create these again, so here they are for download and use!

WANDS:
After the guests were sorted, they proceeded to Ollivanders to receive their wand. Against Ollivander's words though, we let the witches and wizards choose their own wands. They were created using this awesome tutorial that I found via (guess where) Pinterest. They are made from paper and glue. That's it! Everyone loved them!

If you need a sign for your Ollivanders, you can print this one out. I created this and printed it on the same parchment that I used for the invitations.

OWLRY:
We ordered these awesome unglazed ceramic owls and had them out for the kids to decorate. I provided markers because I didn't want to get into the mess of paint since these were younger kids. Paint would look nicer and be more permanent though. It was a hit and they each loved decorating their own owl to take home. Some even named them!

You can of course, name your owl station Eyelops Owl Emporium (like the books), but we kept it simply with Owlry. There are two sign options you can have if you'd like. Here and here.

I also want to note that a few of our guests showed up in costume.

Of course our little Harry

Actually quite unintentional, but we thought Patrick and his buddy made a great Harry and Ron.

A house elf in attendance (does she have the coolest parents or what?)

Our party's Luna

If you want some more ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours!

Our Harry Potter Party - Introduction and Preparations

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

INTRODUCTION:
On October 1, 2011, our son turned 6 years old. Over the previous 6-8 months he had become borderline obsessed with Harry Potter. He had seen all 8 movies. By the time he turns 7 he will begin reading the books.

And I have to admit - my husband and I (although probably more I) are big fans as well.

So when he chose the Harry Potter theme, I was so excited that I could really geek out and run away with this theme.

So I started scouring the internet and found so many wonderful sources. I will include them as often as I can to show you where I got my ideas. I found them mostly via Google and Pinterest. In the end though, it was up to me to put this shindig together and make it work for us.

So over the next 6 days I will be documenting that party and all of its elements in full detail. I hope this series can help you construct your own Harry Potter party using the tools, recipes, and tips that I provide.

As always, feel free to comment, question, and participate! I am always around to respond!

INVITES:
For the invites, I scoured the internet for the wording. I wanted it to look like a letter for Hogwarts. This is what I came up with.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Wizarding School Candidate,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to a Harry Potter birthday party in honor of Patrick [last name withheld] at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please note that any wizard attire is welcome, but certainly not required for entrance. Term begins on October 1, 2011 promptly at 3:00 PM and will last until 5:00 PM.

The location of the party can be found via Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station. If your parents are Muggles, a Memory Charm with make the platform appear as [address withheld]. If you need further directions to the party, please notify me at once.

We eagerly await your response via owl post by no later than September 29^th. If you do not have an owl available, you may use the Muggle telephone system and RSVP to [phone number withheld].

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

I printed it up on parchment paper (purchased at your local office supply store or even Walmart) and prepared them for delivery.

So one of the first things I ever saw when I looked at Pinterest is probably what made me sign up myself. It was this method of delivery for our Harry Potter party invitations. I LOVED the idea and knew we had to do it regardless of how crazy our neighbors thought we were.

Here is a picture of the idea as presented on Pinterest:

Here is our execution. Our local florist was almost out of white balloons (what?!) but we got brown ones and improvised. Here is Patrick ready to deliver the invites.

Deliveries successful.

And awesomely enough, we did get one response by owl. Check it out!

SCHEDULE:
I am a bit ~~controlling~~ particular when it comes to my kids' birthday parties. I love to have a schedule, even if only in my head. I need to know where the party is going. We opted to do an afternoon party (3 pm - 5 pm) that did no overlap meal times or naptimes for the little ones so we only provided goodies and snacks and not a meal. Yes, this was absolutely intentional. So here is how ours went:

ARRIVAL: Guests arrive. Immediately they are sorted into a house and allowed to chose a wand.
OWLRY/POTIONS: Guests have their choice of either decorating an owl, attending a potions class with Snape, or doing both with time permitting.
PRESENTS: If we open presents in front of everyone, this is when it happens. We skipped it at this time to have more time to play - and because they were engrossed in Potions class. Later we opened them after the party while some really close friend stuck around to hang out.
CAKE: Here is the time to have cake and ice cream and yummies
STOMP THE DEMENTORS: Time to run off some of that sugar and give adults (who aren't playing) time to socialize.
HORCRUX HUNT: Time for an organized game
SWEET SHOP: Time to visit Honeydukes and fill their goody bags with candy before going home. (yep, you're welcome, parents).

DECOR:
I had some great ideas but honestly, ran out of time and wasn't able to put everything together exactly how I wanted. So, I will show you where my inspirations came from and, when applicable, our execution of it.

The Entrance:

Another Pinterest find. This is what it would ideally have looked like:

But since I searched the whole town for brick printed fabric and found none AND since I didn't have time to make my own (with fabric paint and a sponge, which would have done it), I went with streamers. They didn't hold up well, but oh well... This was our result:

The red streamers were supposed to reflect the idea of a brick wall (although they didn't because they started ripping and fell down). The sign I was proud of. I basically used some fonts in MS Word and created both the 9-3/4 circle and the Hogwarts Express letters (colored gold). I cut them out and glued them to a red piece of posterboard. Not high tech, but it worked.

I had the sorting table and the wand table, which you will see in another post. Also I created a banner that said Happy Birthday Patrick. I downloaded the Harry Potter font from Mugglenet and printed each letter really large and spaced out on yellow paper. I "created" a lightning bolt by taking the "P" in that font and editing it in MS Paint and used those between each word and on the ends of the banner. I cut each letter out and hung them on red thread across the living room.

You can kinda/sorta see it going on in the background here if you want an idea of what I'm talking about.

Patrick's friend and carpool buddy. She was really getting tired of her mom's photography at this point, it seems! But you can see the banner in this photo. =)

The garage was our owlry and potions class. I knew a lot of mess was ~~possible~~ likely so I didn't want that happening in our house. Worked out perfectly.

So - I hope you've gotten a good feeling about how we kicked this whole thing off. Tomorrow we'll talk about the wands, sorting, and owlry.

By the way...if you want some ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours!

Weekend Round-Up #115

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

So it's been a crazy week at work and I haven't been able to peruse the blogosphere as thorough as I usually do. That being said, this week's Round Up is a strange conglomeration of posts that I hope you enjoy.

FINANCE:

57 Avoidable Tax Mistakes at The Wisdom Journal is one you should read through and assure yourself that you're not making these.
Why Are You Overspending at Financial Highway offers some possibilities. If you never know why you have a bad habit, it will be nearly impossible to conquer.
Suze Orman’s “Approved Card” Gets Denied; Thinks PF Bloggers Are Idiots at 20 and Engaged is amazing. If you missed it, Suze Orman now has a prepaid debit card that she has attached her name to. Many PF bloggers are outraged because they see it as a means to make money for herself while charging outlandish fees for the card users. It doesn't seem like something a PF "guru" would do. This exchange commenced on Twitter. I was floored.
Credit Card Emergency Funds – An Alarming Trend in Society is a guest post over at Enemy of Debt by Jacob of My Personal Finance Journey. I used to have this mindset as well until I wised up.
The Best 10 Items to Borrow by Carrie Kirby at Wisebread is a great list that I probably would not have been able to compile myself (and you know how I love lists!). Great insight!

EVERYTHING ELSE:

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Blossoms at Baking Serendipity - talk about taking a classic and improving on it. Wow!
Jesus Loves Religious People Too at The Church of No People made me smile in one of those "a-ha, you are right" humility-invoking moments.
31 Unexpected Perks of Blogging You’ll Never Want to Give Up at ProBlogger contains a lot of things that I really do enjoy but never really realized. Blogging is a lot of fun and can give you these perks as well!

Friday Faves - Pinterest 01/20

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Here are my most recent Pinterest finds:

Loved this. We are all variations on brown, right?

How to remember if you gave your kids (or yourself!) medicine.

Lemon cupcakes with Strawberry sauce. Sounds refreshing!

Blueberry Sweet Rolls - Abigail would love this - she's on a blueberry kick

Haven't tried this site yet, but it intrigued me.
Click a button and receive instructions on a random craft.

Orange cloud pancakes - oh I do love citrus

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cookies
See, I told you I loved citrus. Add chocolate and I'm in heaven!

What have you pinned this week that you want to show off? Come follow some (or all!) of my boards and I'll check yours out too!

Things are Looking Up

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:03:00 +0000

So last year I made some rather aggressive financial goals and failed to accomplish many of them (I was 2/5). Although some headway was made, it was an overall disappointing performance.

This year might be looking up though. I hate to get too excited just because the disappointment from those unmet expectations from last year still linger over me, making me hestiant to put too much into what has not yet happened.

But for right now, this is what we're looking at:

We are about to refinance our home. We are currently at a 5% interest rate, but can most likely jump onboard with a 3.75% rate within the next month. That's a very exciting prospect. It will save us just under $200/month. I can think of a few things I could do with an "extra" $200/month. (ahem - bye, bye Chase)

We're still in the talks of this, but it looks like it is going to happen. When it does, we will skip one (or two based on when it happens, although more likely one) mortgage payment and will get back our current balance in our escrow account. Together that will be about $3000 in our pocket.

I would love to say we were going to send that to our credit cards, but we have discussed it and we are not. We owe the Army about $3900. They paid Chip up front for going to OCS last year and when he didn't complete it, we still had their money. It's only right that we pay it back now. So that is where we are discussing putting that $3000. The other money we owe them will come out of his next few paychecks about $200 at a time.

Then we are looking to get a tax refund. We always do and we have made preparations to do the same this year. I'm hoping for $3000 there, but last year we ended up with far more, so maybe we'll get a nice surprise like that again. Whatever we get here will go exclusively to debt repayment. I am so anxious to knock out that Chase card and would love to be able to do it this year. This would be a huge step in that direction.

We have an extra $900 in our savings account right now that has been in a holding pattern for several months now. I was/am prepared to send it to the Guard for repayment, but since they are not demanding it or penalizing us for the "loan" I think we're going to use it to buy Patrick some new bedroom furniture. He has outgrown all of his old stuff and the poor 6 year old is still sleeping in a toddler bed. I know...I feel bad for him, but I think we're about in the place to do something about it. His old stuff is nice and we should be able to get some cash for selling it (hoping $500-$700). That would be fantastic, but we've got to buy the new before tossing the old. And since we'll pay cash for it, I hope to get a great deal and not have to use all of it.

There are some other unknowns right now - like Chip's National Guard training schedule. He has his annual training this year and still has to go to school for his new Guard job. We've heard differing tales about what this will entail, so I'll wait until we know before writing more about it. However, if all goes well, we should be in a ~~good~~ much better place by the end of this year.

Wordless Wednesday - Beautiful Spunk

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:51:00 +0000

Tuesday Free For All - 01/17

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Just a quick Free for All today. List your giveaways or enter others'! Best of luck!