Tune In Tuesday!

Ok, since I'm home a lot I must admit that I watch a lot of television. There's good and bad out there. But right now I'm loving Impractical Jokers, on truTV. I normally don't laugh out loud when watching a show, so you know it's funny if I'm near tears from laughter. Have you seen this show yet? What do you think? I like it because no one gets hurt and no one is humiliated in a bad way so I don't feel bad watching it. Definitely not like Jack Ass. Check them out!

Monday Mourning

Well, the title of the blog is not quite accurate because today is a holiday. So thank you to all the veterans out there and I paused today to remember those who never came home.

If you ever go to Kansas City, I recommend visiting the National World War I museum, located under the Liberty Memorial.  This memorial was erected after the community raised over $2.5 million in only ten days.  It commemorates the first World War but is often the site of remembrance for all wars.  The museum portion is one of the best museums I have visited to date. Check it out here.

For a few weeks I've been pondering over this blog. It started as a space to clean my brain of thoughts, to vent, and to find humor in difficult situations. As with everything in life, it is ever evolving. Maybe it's time this space had more organization and more of a purpose. I am the type of person who doesn't pick one thing and master it. I pick several things and do well in each, but never master any of them. I enjoy target shooting, baking/cooking, spending time with the baby, playing with my dogs, etc. Therefore I am going to have categories for each day, except Sunday. That's my day off. And if/when life gets too crazy and I can't blog, I will just skip those days. Since this IS the Blog of Arrrrghhhh, it wouldn't be the same if I cut out any and all rants! Monday is the day for that. Even housewives hate Mondays, save days like today, which are holidays.

I actually don't have much to vent today. The baby is teething and scooting/crawling everywhere so my free time is very limited now. The teething makes her cranky and the scooting ensures that anything and everything she finds is a potential hazard. I will bitch about the weather because it is like walking into a sauna out there. It doesn't matter the temperature because no matter what, if you spend even a few minutes outside, sweat starts to drip off your face. The lows at night are in the 70s too. Ick.

Health-wise, I'm ok. The docs kicked up my muscle relaxer and the side effects seem to be racing heart, concentration problems, and drowsiness. These are times when I need to evaluate the side effects versus the benefits. I am a bit concerned about my resting heart rate so I will bring that up at the next appointment. I'm having an MRI soon and that kind of blows. I hope it helps in the long run.

My view on life is just like all my stitching projects: it's a work in progress, all the time. I make mistakes, tear out the stitches and start over again. I just need to pause more often to straighten out the threads, tighten my stitches and check over my work. And to also appreciate more the work I've done so far.

This photo was posted with its story on my other blog but I will just throw one photo of it here. This says to me that life is fun and beautiful but sometimes there is shit. And that is ok.

Belated Mother's Day

Holy cow, how could I have forgotten to blog Mother's Day!? I haven't had a lot of free time these last few weeks. I hope all you mommies had a great day. And remember, I include moms of fur babies. I got a card from my husband, one from the dogs and one from Elsa. It was very cute the way everyone "signed" the cards.

We spent a couple hours at the arboretum which is a short drive from our home. It was wonderful to get lost under the thick canopy of branches. All sounds were dampened, save whatever bird calls we could hear. EK did amazing. The little wiggle worm lasted two hours in her stroller before she announced enough was enough. She outlasted even me! I am glad I had the foresight to bring my cane. This is the first time I have been photographed with it. I felt sort of like FDR. Some people gave me a second glance but I didn't feel ashamed. Instead I felt happy to be out in such beauty despite my annoying joints. I will quit boring everyone and just put some photos up for you to see. Have a wonderful Memorial weekend! Tschus.

Plant Impatience

I'm plant impatient. Through the generous help of my husband, father and neighbor, I was able to get my flower beds going this year. I tried to choose a lot of perennials to save money over the long run. All the plants are so little! I can't wait for them to fill out and have more blooms. I can already see the front yard needs more water and the back yard...the dogs and I are still battling for supremacy over the plants.

I didn't pick last year's onions so they grew back. I gave up a bit on doing vegetables this year and only put in one tomato plant. The rest is herbs: thyme, rosemary, basil and oregano.

What a mess this is. Last year the crab grass took over and the dirt was hard as cement. My husband dug it all up again for me and we planted a peony root, five coneflower roots, sage and lavender. If the roots don't come up I will try putting in established plants one more time before I mulch. If those die off, I'm saying hell with it, covering the area in mulch and making it look more like a tiny park. I'll put various sizes and shapes of potted plants there instead of trying to put more plants in the unforgiving soil. I would also like to try attaching a lattice to the fence behind it and seeing what I can get to grow up the fence.

The front yard is starting to come along. I hope the summer sun is kinder to us this year because last year it was way too hot. Here is what I have done so far.

Last year's lavender is really growing! And a zinnia to keep it company.

This is part of the bed on the side of the garage. Coneflowers and a peony have started growing. I have another lavender started, more zinnias and a few petunias.

This was a real eyesore but it looks 100 times better already. I'm worried that the next big rain storm will wash it downhill. I'm hoping that the plants will establish well and prevent too much erosion. I have lavender, dianthas and coral bells.

Roses are going crazy. Not sure what the other bush is called but it doesn't have much going for it. I need to get them trimmed up more.

This is a beautiful bloom on the tree in our front yard. I have no idea what it is, do any of you??

Welcome! This solar doggy doesn't work. Kind of a POS but I will keep him around anyway. That's all for now. Hurry up and grow already!! G'night.

Baby steps

No, not Elsa steps. Baby steps of the Dave Ramsey financial plan! We've hit the first one (saving for the small emergency fund) and just paid off two debts. So we are on baby step #2: the debt snowball. If you don't know what this is, it's pretty easy. You list all your debts, except mortgage, from smallest to largest. It doesn't matter what the interest rates are. Once you pay off the first debt, you take the minimum payments and add it to the next minimum payment for the next debt. So if debt #1 was $150 with a minimum payment of $25, but you paid it off, the $25 is now free to add to the next debt. So if debt #2 was $300 with a minimum of $25, you now have $50 to pay on it instead of the $25. And you just keep rolling those minimums to the next debt after you pay off the top of your list. Now that we paid off the first two debts, we have $89/month to pay on the third debt instead of the $25 minimum required before. Sounds simple, right?

The hardest part of the plan is creating your budget, sticking to it and paying cash for everything. You cut up all your credit cards, but you keep your debit card. So if we get paid at the beginning of the month and have budgeted $500 for groceries (which for us includes toiletries, diapers, formula, food, etc.) then I take out around $250 in cash per pay period and keep it in an envelope. When I go to pay for my purchases, the money comes from that envelope. When it's gone, it's gone. Same with restaurant money. We have an envelope for dining out and we pay cash for those meals. If we only have $1.50 left in it, then that's it until the next month. On your budget form, you record every penny that comes in and every one that goes out. When you see the cash leaving your hands, you are less likely to want to spend it. The emergency fund set up during the first step is to pay for things like a dead car battery, small home repairs, or other small emergencies that normally you would throw onto a credit card. Then once you snowball your debts down to zero, you save up three to six months of your salary in case you face a major emergency, like a layoff. That one will be super hard to do.

It's not a quick fix and just like when you try to lose weight, you have to really commit to changing your lifestyle instead of going on a fad diet. Treat the problems, not the symptoms. If we want to replace all the windows in the house, we save up for it. No more financing. It is definitely hard only because it's hard to change your behavior and the culture of debt dependence. I'm only half way through the book and I already notice how marketing for credit cards and cars target young people into thinking that it's normal and expected that they have cards and car loans to keep up with the Joneses. Crazy life.

So I mentioned my new couponing shit, right? Today I scored some damn good deals and I was excited to see how much I saved. And yes, I do have a small stockpile in my basement, but that's partly because our "pantry" is just a tiny closet. The kitchen has very little storage space.

I received credit for bringing in reusable bags, shopped the sales with the store rewards card and also brought in a bunch of coupons. This was my biggest savings in a single purchase.

My little stockpile. We also have extra paper towels and toilet paper in the basement.

I'm freakin' EXHAUSTED on top of tired on top of an approaching comatose state. After two hours of shopping and then preparing meals, taking care of the wee one and lovin' on the pups, I'm ready to call it a day. Hope you all have a good one. Tschus.

Green is good!!

Thank you all for the comments on my latest posts. Your support and comments help push me forward on this journey and keep me blogging.

I received a survey to fill out for an acquaintance for her blog about domestic life. One of the questions is "what are you known for?" Holy hell I had no idea that would be so hard to answer. Since I function with tunnel vision about 80% of the time, I don't know what to say. What am I known for? Let's see. I am a mom to a kick ass little baby. I also advocate and volunteer for a couple charities. Bruce Campbell is my hero and I'm a crazy, obsessed fan. I love to cook and bake, when I have time. I love to express my angst and frustrations through embroidery, but I am not very good at it yet. Also I love working on my herb and flower garden. But what am I really known for? So dear readers, please please please tell me what you think of when you think of me.

I've worked into our budget an organic delivery service twice a month. The company is called Door To Door Organics and you can choose the size of your box, the types of foods you want included and you can also purchase organic breads, meats, eggs and cheeses. They even have gluten-free bread if that is part of your diet. Their website is awesome because, not only do they list the contents of your next delivery and allow substitutions, but they have several recipe suggestions based on your box's contents. The recipes sound delicious and they each have gorgeous photos but they don't always include what pan size you need. I've bookmarked and planned a few using their suggestions and look forward to trying them out.

My hope is to eventually switch to organic meats as well. Right now it's just too expensive but I think if I can find some vegetarian recipes that we both love, we can get down to eating meat only a few times a week. Does anyone else here eat organic? How organic are you; do you eat organic pastas and other boxed foods? Do you find the cost is worth it? In the summer, I think it's so much easier to do this because you have the farmers' markets everywhere. In the winter, where I live, fresh produce is harder to come by. And I think Whole Foods is a yuppie money suck to be honest. We DO have Trader Joe's in the area but it's a bit of a drive for me.

So our ultimate goal is to pay off our debt in a few years and buy a small acreage in the country. I'd love to have a horse or two and a big garden. I want my kids to grow up experiencing the agrarian lifestyle and to be able to grow some of our own food. Although I grew up in the city, I spent a lot of time on my families's various farms. I've run through fields being chased by a bull, roped a goat, sampled milk fresh off the cow (it was gross), chased chickens back into their pen and many other things. I'd be happier than...well, a pig in shit I guess!

I better quit here and get to cooking. I leave you with a picture of Elsa from today. Just an aside, Elsa is totally organic.

Tschus.

In case of emergency, break glass

All of the health woes I feared would return after the baby arrived have returned. The endo isn't intolerable, but the pain during each period is rough. The arthritis is still a work in progress to get under control. Just a word to the wise: If you start Enbrel, don't even try to inject it in your leg. Just do the stomach, it's so much easier and little pain. The injection in the thigh was like putting liquid fire into my muscle. I've never had a shot hurt that bad. After talking to the Enbrel nurses and reading online, I tried out the following tip: let the Sure Shot warm up to room temperature for 30 minutes, let the alcohol swab dry completely before you stick yourself and inject in the stomach, keeping away from the belly button by two inches. To anyone out there holding back on having kids because of your health, just go for it. Yes, it's hard. It's very hard. The little buggers need attention all the time and you have to use your energy to entertain them, feed them, rock them, soothe them, change them, you get the idea. But it's worth it. You will never regret having them.

Seeing that I do not need jaw surgery at this time, I decided to go with the cortisteroid injections. Holy hell that hurt like a sonnofabitch. You need to have a scan done at the time of the injection so they can locate the exact spot of your TMJ. It's kind of cool to see your skull on the television, opening and closing its mouth. I don't talk much about my spiritual beliefs, mostly because I hear so many people around me bitching about and making fun of Christians. As if all of us Christians are like the fanatical evangelicals. I think that's very narrow minded and disrespectful but hey, your opinion is your own. I decided to give up all the pain and worry about my health to God. I can only control so much and I can't afford to freak out every single time I have to undergo a painful procedure. Because there will undoubtedly be many more. Having that internal talk with God really helped me get through yesterday. The following picture shows a little bruising, redness and swelling. Thankfully my right eye is no longer all wonky. I looked like a stroke victim yesterday.

This summer I had a big trip planned and I've had to cancel it for various reasons. One had to do with our finances. I just didn't have the money to change the dates. It would have cost more than the ticket was worth! So if you go through Hotwire, just know that to change plans is next to impossible unless you have a butt load of cash at your disposal. So I had to make some hard decisions and after a sobering evaluation of our finances, I realized not only was the trip out of the question, I realized we needed a financial diet. Therefore I signed us up for Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. We are only on the first month but I have to say this has already changed our lives. The guy is no nonsense and says it like it is. It is amazing to see exactly every single penny that comes in and goes out. We needed the structure, but some people don't. Some people don't have debt so this is not a tool they need. But most people have at least some debt and we fit into that category. Plus, going down to one income has been really hard, especially after the baby arrived. Formula and diapers don't come cheap.

We are moving onto the cash-only system. I am clipping coupons like a mad woman. On my last two purchases, I saved over $30 by using coupons and shopping the sales. I got a pair of awesome Skecher shoes to replace my worn out tennis shoes for %15 off plus free shipping. This weekend we are having a garage sale during the ginormous, city-wide garage sale craziness and I hope we make some money to put into our baby emergency fund. Once we get that fund established, we start the debt snow ball part of the program. I am so excited to pay off this debt and start building wealth and peace of mind. Having this control is very empowering and it has helped lessen the blow somewhat of the cancelled trip.

The money diet is trickling down into other areas of our lives too. Because I have to track every dollar for our grocery bill, I'm evaluating our diet a lot more. I hope to make another garden box to plant more vegetables, and if I can finally get a good harvest this year, I can learn to can what's left over. We use a lot of canned diced and stewed tomatoes and I hate buying anything out of can because of the BPA lining. I also want to make the baby's food myself so I am paying more attention to organics. So far she's a good eater so I'm lucky on that front. I hope that we lose some weight during our financial diet since we won't be eating out as much! Also we are getting rid of all the extra shit in the house. We are planning and budgeting for things like dental care and treatments for the pups. And home improvements have to thought out well in advance, if possible.

I realize I'm probably boring the shit out of anyone reading this but I'm just excited to do this, as hard as it will be. And speaking of, I need to get working on the garage sale shit for tomorrow. It's gonna be a long, hot day! I leave you with a photo of my work in progress for my next art therapy piece. Lots left to do on it!