Gramma Ray's Blog

I have been fighting a headache/migraine for about 8 days now. I am not sure if its because of all the smoke here, hormones, or something else. But NO BUENO! I am going to give it to the end of the week, and then I will go back to the doctor!!

The house is coming along. Floors are 99% done, painting is 95% done...and the rest is about 90% done- Best of all, I am back in the kitchen!! This past weekend I made chili, a new salad, and a yummy blueberry lemon loaf! I LOVE being able to putz in a regular (for me) sized kitchen again!!

I recently scored at Kohl's- they had a big sale, plus I had 20% off. I got several Christmas and birthday presents normal cost would have been well over $400, but my cost was just under $70. Got to love sales like that!

I am taking advantage of no cable right now and using my Amazon prime account and DD1s Netflix- plenty of new to me things to watch, when I am not busy with the house.

I don't know about everyone else, but I am ready to be done with the heat and smoke. I am ready for FALL.

We are back from our trip to Portland. Wicked was simply fantastic! I've seen a few performances over the years and this one ranked up there with one of the favorites! The acting and singing were amazing! So glad I had a chance to go see it.

We did a little shopping while we were there, but I didn't get much. I spent $95 at Cabela's for some wall pictures, a kitchen towel and a welcome sign- all in the bear/cabin décor.

I paid for one night at the hotel, my daughter paid for the other. We split the cost of meals and gas. Somewhere along the way I managed to lose my credit card. SO I called and had it blocked. Thankfully no fraudulent transactions were posted before I realized it was missing!!

The weather was great and the air was not smoky- so those were definitely pluses!

While I was gone, my daughter found the cutest bear coffee table on craigslist. It was $75, including glass top- on Amazon it retails for $250 without the top. The bear had a few small dings, but a black marker and 15 minutes took care of that!



Isn't it cute? I think it will go great in the living room or family room!!

I'm cooking my first meal in the kitchen tonight! Chicken and quinoa and plan to make enough for a few lunches and dinners! So good to have a functioning home again!!

DD1, granddaughter and I are about to leave for Portland. I am eager to get going- should be a great girls weekend! Its about a 4.5 hour drive, but hopefully we will get out of this darn smoke for a few days!!

The painters are here finishing up today. I think we are down to our last week of contractors next week and we will be done. It will be so nice to get back to a normal life. Home remodeling and living in limbo are not cheap and I am READY to stop the outflow of finances.

My power steering went belly up on my car a couple of months ago. It is a 2005 - and I don't want to replace it yet. But repairing the PS would be more than I am willing to put into the car. So, I am getting a free workout on my biceps every time I need to turn the darn thing. I have decided I will drive it till it dies, and just keep saving for a newer car. But man, that thing is HARD to turn. (Just keep thinking BICEPS, ray)

This past week I did much better on lunches. I had a sandwich each day for lunch ....so I spent no money on eating out for lunch. Having a functional kitchen again makes all the difference for meal prep.

Well, DD1 is here so I gotta run. Have a great weekend all!

Here are a couple of few pics of the kitchen. As you can see, we added a peninsula, new cabinets, counters and floors...and some new appliances!

Before:


After:

After 2+ years of living in the little house (390sq ft) I can finally say we are living in the big house again!! No, everything is not all moved in- but enough that I am living here now!!! YAY!!!!

I will post pictures in the coming days of all the work we have done. I am super pleased with the end result and can now look forward to spending the rest of my life here in the country.

The hub went back to Alaska today- so I have the next three weeks to get my things settled in.

In other news, Southern Oregon has been experiencing a summer of triple digit weather and smoke from wildfires. It has been an asthmatics worst nightmare here. UGH. We have been down to one room for a couple of months, the bedroom, where we had a small portable AC running constantly...which helped but boy- stepping out of that room to use the restroom or do laundry was crazy hot. Thankfully, we have dropped down into the 90s this week and the smoke is not reaching the area that I live today...so today is good!

I am most excited about having a KITCHEN again. The stove in the little house didn't work, so I relied on a toaster oven and an electric skillet for two years. I am eager to start cooking and baking again!

DD1 and I are going to Portland with my granddaughter this weekend for a girl scout outing. We get to see WICKED...which I have wanted to see for a long time. I am really looking forward to the trip. I love time with my daughter and this is a double bonus!

Being moved in also means being connected again. No TV just yet, which is fine, but I have reliable internet...so I am looking forward to catching back up with everyone here!

Hello again!

We FINALLY got wifi that works out here and I am back in the connected life for certain! (YIPPEE)

Since I last posted, lots has happened.

We sold the house in town to DD1 and SIL- it was a win win- we only asked for a small amount of the equity to help with the remodel of the house in the country and they got a house with a good deal of equity built in. (If they sell it, they may repay some of the equity then- but we will see when the time comes)

We are in the final stages of the remodel of the country house- We should be moving in in the next two weeks. (another yippee!!) True to the ol adage, the remodel has taken twice as long and cost twice as much as originally planned, but we fixed every issue and remodeled all the things that were horribly outdated and out of code. We also splurged on a few things in the process- we added a large (15X18) second story covered deck - we are already enjoying the benefits of having this. we have used it nearly every night and most weekend mornings and it is our sanctuary! I also bought new appliance since the kitchen was totally gutted. Those get delivered and installed next weekend.

We did not have cash to pay for everything, so we have a debt repayment plan in progress. My goal is to have the remodel paid for in one year.

I have a new boss at work. He is awesome. I am so happy to be in this role and not managing anyone- and he is doing a great job of taking on those responsibilities. Work is finally fun again!

I will post pics in a couple of weeks of the before and after on the house- it truly is remarkable what has been done. We went from a 1965 interior that had been "rode hard and put away wet" to a cabin feel with lots of warm wood and black bear décor. The perfect little country home to retire in in a few more years!!

I decided to give our taxes a shot this weekend and see if I couldn't file using turbo tax. We have had a tax guy do them for the last 20 years. So, stack of records in hand, I sat down on Sunday and started plugging stuff in, using our last few years records as a guide. And I am happy to say that within a couple of hours our taxes were filed, and we are getting a refund back this year! NICE. We usually pay $325 to have them done, but this year it was $98 to file through TT- plus it looks like our quarterly tax payments are dropping. A win-win-win.

The extra money will be needed to help with the cost of the extras we added to the remodel- like a kitchen remodel! After we got going on this project it just made sense to do as much as possible under this job- and the kitchen needed a redo desperately.

I am so ready to live back in a full sized house again- Its definitely been an adventure these past two years!

Hi SA friends!

It has been months since I last blogged. Primarily because the internet at my house hasn't worked- and blogging from a phone is challenging.

I finally broke down and bought a wifi extender, which seems to be helping- since I am typing this on my laptop!

I am still living in the little house (all 390 sq ft) but our country house is in full progress of being renovated and I am within 2 months of moving back into it. Like the adage says, its running about twice as much $$ and twice as long time wise as planned, but it will be so nice once the remodel is done! I will definitely post before and after pictures when we are done.

I recently signed up for a wellness program at work. If I agree to ride 30 round trips of at least 2.5 miles each way, I will get a free bike up to $500. I have always wanted a beach cruiser...so I signed up to ride 30 round trips for during the next year on my lunch hour- a great perk- for a free bike! (free is good!)

Life is still busy as ever. The hub is still working in Alaska, I am still working FT and as I mentioned already, still living in the little house. Hopefully, that will change by May.

I have missed blogging and staying in touch with everyone- and am grateful for the re-connect!! Looking forward to catching up again!

It has been a while...again. My laptop died a painful death, and when I finally got a new one, it does not connect with the wifi as easily to my internet- long story, but the modem is in the big house- and I am still in the little house a few hundred feet away. For some reason, my old laptop worked just fine with the connectivity- but this one, not so much.

We are on our annual girls trip- so I am using the wifi in the hotel room- so nice to be able to finally use the laptop online!

We finally determined what work we wanted to do to the big house that fell within the budget- and we are almost ready to get started. Probably in the next 10 days. I am really excited to get it going now. We opted to not do the kitchen right now. It functions and we can make it work- but there were other things we decided were more important.

I have been out of my old position at work for 2.5 months. I still don't have a new boss or a job description. I am doing many of the things I used to do, but don't supervise- I pass that ball as soon as it appears. Ironically, one of my biggest people challenges turned in her resignation last week.

I am pretty excited to be here with my daughters on our annual trip, so this will be a short post. I hope all is good with everyone!!

The contractor came by yesterday. We discussed some of the obstacles we have with the house- specifically the small living room in comparison to our extended family size. The contractor recommended enlarging the living room and is bidding the job based on adding 140 sq ft to that space -which is funny when you consider my current sq ftg for my little house is 390. He has great ideas and is bringing back a cabinet guy to look at the kitchen. He felt like we could do everything we are thinking within the budget, but wouldn't know for certain until he prices it out. I am anxious to see what he comes back with.

He DID mention that he is booked with work until Mid October, so we wont start work until then...which means it is unlikely I will be in the house by Thanksgiving. But Christmas is still possible!

I have really enjoyed this week off. Today is my last vacation day. I meet with my boss tomorrow to finalize the change in my job and then I will let my team know that I am moving into a peer position. I have a great team, so working as peers will be fun for me. I hope my replacement will be a good fit in our department!

So, how to spend the last day of a great, productive vacation...Grocery shopping, Preparing for the work week ahead (clothes and lunches), and finishing up anything else.

The dump trailer has a flat and the hub was unable to find one of the parts to inflate it, so he will do the dump run tomorrow.

We have made major progress this week on the cleanup project at the country house. Instead of calling this a staycation, Im deeming it a workaction! But it feels great to have everything done that we planned to do. The dump trailer is full, the Goodwill pile is full and the keep stuff is organized- the scary room is now a temporary storage area while construction is in progress. Tomorrow we will head to the dump, Goodwill and meet with the contractor. (The contractor wasn't able to make it today, which is fine. After working all day, I was tired and dirty and ready to shower and relax.)

Thank you to CCF for the link to Pinecone- I was able to sign up and I am hopeful there will be some future 'snowflakes' out of this!

Today was a go nowhere, spend nothing day. We actually have not spent much at all this week aside from the grocery store and Costco on food for the week.

I decided to try to negotiate my new salary and was pleasantly surprised when they accepted my request! I asked for $5k more per year. NOW I can say I am super happy with the change. They agreed to keep me in the department I asked for too. Now I am eager to return to work again and focus on the new responsibilities without having to manage a department or people!

The hub and I spent the day looking at woodstoves and kitchen layouts and pricing. It will be tough to stay within budget with so many options- but we will take it slow and make our decisions carefully. It is way too easy to get caught up in the wants rather than staying focused on the needs. Maintaining balance between the two will be key.

We are meeting with the contractor tomorrow afternoon, I am REALLY hoping that his schedule and what we need done will equate to being in the home by Thanksgiving. Now that the ball is rolling, I am motivated to get er done!!

I am halfway through vacation- and still have so much to do! We have made huge progress in preparing the big house for the remodel work that we need to do before I can move in. I have been thinking about the plans we have and wants vs needs - and trying to come up with reasonable alternatives just to make sure we are thoughtful in these decisions.

I am really glad this is the week I am on vacation- the first half of the week was super hot, then yesterday fall was definitely in the air as it was much cooler and just felt like fall! This is my favorite time of year - I love the colors, the foods, the weather, football! I am so thankful to live in an area that has 4 distinct seasons. I plan to collect pinecones and acorns to decorate for the holidays. Those are both in abundance here- and free!

I am really getting excited to get the big house going. Only 3 more weeks until it will be empty and ready to go!

Many of you may remember Boomeyers, a fellow blogger, from way back. She and I have been cyber-friends since we started blogging on here and have always talked about visiting one or the other. Well, next month, she is coming to Oregon to visit! I am so excited. I have been lucky to meet several bloggers through the years...from California to New York- and have always felt an immediate sister-hood and friendship. I hope to meet many more of you someday!!

The Scary Room:
I am ashamed to admit that we have a room in the big house that would make the cut for the Hoarders show. We have appropriately called it the 'scary room' for years. The room is actually a one car garage that was converted to a room. Stuff ends up there either as storage, indecisiveness, or just because. It has been the scary room during my son's renting days, my daughters renting days, and now DD3 and her friends renting days.

Two days ago, WE WENT IN....
A few minutes later we WE CAME BACK OUT after we found black widows.

We set off bug bombs and yesterday, we went back in and got about 50% done. 80% went into the 'dump' trailer. The other 20% is either going to goodwill, salvage yard, or back to the owners to deal with. All in all, there was about 2% that was the hubs or mine that will be kept. Mine is my moms depression glass that has been boxed up and a few keepsake toys for the grandkids.

We will finish the scary room today. Then we will move into the storage room that currently has my stuff from the city house...but has also accumulated stuff from DD3 and her friend who are currently renting the big house. It all needs to be organized so that the room can be easier accessed.

After we are done with these two rooms, we are ready to bring in the contractor to get a bid on the work we need/want done.

One thing I have definitely learned over the years is that STUFF is expensive. It costs to acquire, it costs to store, and it will cost to dispose of. How much easier life would be this week without all this STUFF.

Hopefully- Goodwill will benefit from what we can donate and the rest, well an expensive lesson in less is more.

I am humbled by the well wishes from everyone regarding my post yesterday. I mentioned changes at work- which is something I have pondered for several months actually, but didn't think Id really do it.

Looking back, opportunities and more responsibility just kept coming at work-and it was flattering to be trusted to take on more and more, my department grew-which meant more people to supervise, but my core job duties still had to get done- only they were multiplied because of our company's growth. Sometime during the past several months, I realized that I wasn't happy. My job became the only thing I had energy to focus on- work crept into lunches then evenings and the past several months, many weekends...dread began to fill my Sunday evenings. At 53 years old, with a family I adore, my focus just seemed backwards. I loved having money to splurge on my family, but money does not replace time to spend with them or energy to enjoy it when I do.

So- I will move into something different in the next few weeks after I get back from vacation. I am very grateful that my job is creating a new position to fit my strengths and my new responsibilities will include things I enjoy doing. I am truly blessed that they are making this such and easy thing emotionally to do. Financially, ouch. My cut will be about $14 an hour...but I will still make what I consider a decent salary and will retain my seniority and vacation time (5 weeks a year)- which is SO important to me. And most important, the workload and management expectations will be reduced.

The weird thing for me is that I have always been climbing...working my way up. Taking a step back is foreign to me, and not something many at my job do- so it will be foreign to others too.

So- what do you do with the budget in order to do this? Thankfully, we don't live paycheck to paycheck. And thankfully, we have paid everything off except our house and the 5th wheel we bought to travel in when we retire.

I wont splurge as much, will reduce the budgets for Christmas, birthdays, vacations, etc. And we will have to be more conscientious about things we do to the big house. We wont cut our 401k contributions and will continue to save what we can for rainy days.

And we will hopefully start to see the benefits of the change in our grocery bill when we don't eat out so much! And then there are the bullets I will dodge in doctor bills by being less stressed.

I haven't updated on little Z (foster child) in a while- his world is so different these days. He is still with his mom and they are living in a homeless mission - although they have to leave there tomorrow-and she has no plan of where to go. She has a new boyfriend that she met in rehab and he has been out of jail for a few weeks now- just long enough that they are pregnant. This will be the 3rd child for each of them (not together-so 6 total) and they do not have custody or support any of them- besides Z- and the state supports Z. Thankfully, she needs lots of breaks and lets us have Z often. It is heartbreaking- I want so badly for her to figure out life but she continues to make really bad decisions.


On a happier note- I am enjoying a staycation this week. We are working on the big house and are getting things cleaned up to start some much needed remodel. THe work will start in October and hopefully will be done enough so that I can move in by Thanksgiving.

This has been a tough year with work. Lots of reasons why, but the end result is that I have decided to step down from my position and take a lower paying job where I work. It is a HUGE cut in pay, but I am ready to let go of the stress and accept a job that I can hopefully work until retirement in. I wont have to manage anyone, and I wont be responsible for multiple areas within a department. I am not sure what the new job will entail, but I do know that I will make at least $20k per year less. (ouch). But it is the right thing to do. I am ready to downsize stress. Beyond ready.

So, I am taking a week off- recalculating the budget and preparing things to transition into pre-retirement mode.

In all honesty, I am giddy with relief...while simultaneously worrying about the budget. It works on paper, but....OMG.

My son called to tell us that his in-laws are selling their treadmill for $60. They are moving into a smaller home and wont have room for it. I am not sure about the size of their new home, but I have a whopping 390 sq ft. However, I know this is a nice treadmill in good condition AND I am going to Hawaii in 10 months. What to do, what to do? My solution, out with the dining table and chairs, scrunch things up a little more, and in with the treadmill. The hub is on his way to pick it up now.

We are getting to have little Z quite a bit- as in several times each week- mom gets overwhelmed and needs breaks - much to our joy!! Z has FINALLY been assigned a CASA worker- thankfully a seasoned one who understands the needs of the child and the pitfalls in the system. He is concerned about some of the decisions that have been made and is concerned about his moms ability to raise him and has requested evalutions. I sure hope Z isn't shipped back out of state to his grandma- he has been moved so many times. We are taking each opportunity to see him and enjoying every moment. He went with us yesterday to the local caves. Unfortunately, he wasn't tall enough to go on the tour, so I spent the afternoon with him while everyone else took the tour. I took Z for an ice cream, we went 'exploring', took lots of pictures and had a great time. He was none the wiser that he had missed out on any fun. And I loved every second!

My sons business is doing great this summer and he is slowly starting to pay us back- not much, but what they can- and it is nice to see the flow of funds reversing. I am so proud of him for working so hard to make his dream successful.

We were supposed to be camping this weekend. Unfortunately, on the way home from picking her dad up from the airport, DD3 and the hub hit an elk. Thankfully, they weren't hurt- the elk and the truck not so lucky. The truck is in the shop. Damage was about $2600- my surprise was that our deductible was only $60. Umm...I guess that's good this time, but I will certainly be raising that - as I am sure our premiums are reflective of such a small deductible. wow.

My oldest grandson, 10, spent the night with us last night- he is curious about ancestry- so we have spent the morning talking about our relatives. He was surprised to see a picture of my paternal grandfather and to realize his great grandfather was full-blooded Cherokee, which means GS is part Cherokee too! Fun times

Happy 4th to everyone! I hope you have a safe Holiday!

This past month (oh wow, it HAS been a full month since I posted) has been so busy. Work has been go, go, go- with full time plus and a couple of weekend days too. The rest of the summer is going to be much of the same- thankfully I have a day off here and there, followed by vacation the week after labor day.

Prayers were answered and DD2 and I got to see lil Z for an entire day. He has grown so much. He was a little shy at first, but soon warmed right back up to us and spent the afternoon enjoying lap time with gramma. I am so happy we may get more time with him.

Tomorrow all the grandkids will be together for the 4th. My dil's mom is having everyone over for a swim party and BBQ. DD2 may even get to bring Z- I will be in gramma heaven for sure with all 7 of them together. PICTURE TIME!!

We are doing pretty good with our finances. We have a line item set up for our trip to Hawaii next May- which will be the next big trip. Our last big trip was in 2012..and next year is the 25th wedding anniversary- so I am more than happy to splurge a little on a wonderful adventure!

I am working on the emergency fund savings and rebuilding it. Helping the kids at the beginning of the year and focusing on paying off debt equaled a drained EF...so rebuilding that is our focus now.

I am still in the little house- and its ok for now. When DD3s friend moves out, DD3 and I will swap houses and I will be back in the bigger country house.

I have missed the blogs- I hope to catch up on reading them all this weekend. It feels great to have the three day weekend ahead!

Today was a productive, busy day.

DD1 asked if I could watch her kiddos (and 'grandpa')this morning while she did photography at a wedding. DD1 lives in my house in town- with the kitchen I love...so I happily agreed. I took advantage of the time there to make a big batch of ronza's. My parents used to make these years ago, and I LOVE them. I just don't have the kitchen to make them here in the little house. The kiddos were great..as was grandpa. I spent about $21 for the supplies to make a batch of 36. Ronzas are little bread pockets filled with seasoned meat, onion and I use sauerkraut, but many recipes call for cabbage. We eat these hot with mustard...yum.

Then, I had to go by work and get some work done on a project that is due tomorrow afternoon. I didn't finish, so I will have to work again tomorrow. I am really thankful that vacation starts next weekend. These deadlines are wearing me out.

Tomorrow, I will get up early and head off to work- hopefully finish by noon and then get groceries and head home to clean and do laundry. I am exempt, so I don't get overtime, but I also wont have to take time out of my PTO for last Tuesday when I was sick, since I have made the 8 hours back up this week with all this overtime.

I have now been in the little house for a full year. In some ways that's hard to believe, in others it feels much longer. I am still up in the air about what to do. When a decision impacts others, it is harder to make. I guess indecision is, in a way, in a decision in itself.

Todays balance is ZERO!!!!!

Years in the making- a lifetime of bad decisions, over indulgences, 1 step forward 2-3 steps back...

But today, 5-30-14...we are officially credit card debt FREE.



We have paid off 401k loans, car and truck loans, and now this.

We still owe two mortgages and have a loan for our 5th wheel...but that's it!!!

WOOOT.

I actually worked 12 hours today and didn't really get a chance to happy dance until now- but what better place to do so than here with my frugal friends!

I woke up not feeling so good this morning. I have been tired for a few days now and sleeping a lot. I don't know if I am trying to come down with something or what..but I felt just off enough to take the day off and then I slept in for a few more hours.

I am feeling better this afternoon, so hopefully, I will have more energy tomorrow as I cant afford to take more time off work. I have vacation in a week and a half...and a lot of work to get done before that!

I didn't go grocery shopping this weekend, so I have slim pickens. Yesterday I had some leftover frozen taquitoes and left over soup. Today I made oatmeal and am cooking artichokes and potatoes in the slow cooker for dinner- with leftovers for tomorrow.

Today is my third no-spender in row!

This is the first time Ive cooked artichokes this way- but I looked at a few recipes and they should do just fine. I love artichokes with garlic/lemon butter.

My little house is starting to clutter up again...so this coming weekend will be a declutter, summer cleaning weekend. Also, I am going to try mowing our land. With my asthma, that should be interesting. I will definitely have to wear a mask- but I know the hub will appreciate having the lawns mowed when he gets home.

Last week I gave a co-worker a ride home because her car was in the shop. She lived pretty far out in the country, but I didn't mind- I actually enjoyed the conversation on the drive. when I dropped her off at home, she brought out a dish from her freezer- frozen chicken enchiladas as a thank you. They were really good, and much appreciated. I have her dish, but I don't want to return it empty- however, I need to go shopping first!! Any yummy suggestions?

I am reading one of my library books - Breakfast at Sally's. It is written by a guy who found himself homeless and is about his experiences and the people he met during his homelessness. Sally's is a nickname for the Salvation Army. So far its pretty interesting- and enlightening.

Im grateful for PTO days at work- I just would rather use them for fun. However, every once in a while using one for a mental catch up day is needed. Today was definitely one of those kinda days!

What a wonderful day! This morning DD2 and I headed down to the lake where DS, DD1 and their families were camping for the weekend. It is about a 2 hour drive. I spent a very HOT day under a shade cover welcoming on my lap whatever grandchild needed a place to dry off and warm back up after a cold dip in the lake. Since I don't see my sons kids as often as I do the others, they were the two that stayed on my lap most of the day. GS is 4 and GD is 6. I loved every second. My son celebrated his 30th today. Then this afternoon DD2 and I drove back home and I am now enjoying my nice cool house. A wonderful day for sure.

Yesterday, I took two $10 off any item cards that I received from Kohl's, and got two candles for future friend gifts. Normally they were $19.99, but were on sale 50% off, so the candles were free. Cant beat FREE!! Thank you Kohls!

Tomorrow I am going to get laundry and food planning done for the week ahead. I love having an extra day off on the weekend- just that one extra day makes so much difference.

Anyone else excited about a three day weekend? I sure am!

If all goes as planned...in ONE WEEK, I will get to post that we are CC debt free! We have stayed uber focused since the first of the year on paying off the last of a massive debt that we'd accumulated over many years. About 2.5 years ago, we got really serious about facing the numbers and paying things off. We had several credit cards, 401k loans, and a car payment. We have paid off the 401k, car and all but the largest cc by the first of this year. We started the year with a $25,000 balance and we are down to $2499. To say I am excited is a real understatement. It is an incredible feeling when you think something is insurmountable...but then conquer it after lots of hard work!

This weekend my son turns 30. I will get to see all the kids and grandkids on Sunday- we haven't all been together since Christmas, so I am looking forward to it! The kids are all going camping. I am opting just to visit the campground for a day- which will be just perfect for gramma!

And in two weeks, I have a week off! Ive had a day or two here and there this year, but not a full week since last November, so I am really ready for the time off. Vacation plans are working on the country house and then heading over to the coast for 4 days with the 5th wheel.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Life is good!

This weekend was a NICE low key weekend, mostly spent at home catching up. Laundry, cleaning, reading, budget, and planning. I did go to town yesterday for a little while to go to the library and then stop for lunch $8.25. That is my only expense this weekend.

I got a couple of books on disc for the commute to and from work and checked out a few books. I sure love the library.

I got my laundry caught up- and hung most of it on the line to dry. My last load is still drying in a cool breeze tonight. I am not sure if it will dry before dark or not. But I am giving it my best shot.

We (the hub and I and a couple of friends) have decided to plan a trip to Oahu next May. we have all always wanted to go to Hawaii- and we decided planning a year in advance would give us time to save, look for deals and prepare. Since the hub flies so often, we can probably pay for our flight in miles. We are taking small camping vacations this year, so a nice 'big' vacation next year will be something to really look forward to. We chose Oahu because everyone wants to see Pearl Harbor. Im pretty excited!

I made a nice big pot of soup for this week using some leftover chicken that I bbq'd a few nights ago. I have enough soup to make 3-4 meals.

DD3s friend stopped by to pay her rent and mentioned that she is looking for a new place to live. I am sad to see her having to find something for her and her two little ones on her budget; the neighborhoods that she is considering are known for having a higher crime rate- I sure hope she keeps looking until she finds something safer. But I know rent is expensive, especially for a single mom. She is looking for subsidized options or low income housing, but there are many people on the wait lists.

The week ahead is busy one, so I am glad there was down time this weekend!

Jeff and Nate- for some reason my blog name and author info wont update. :/

I am not sure what I did, but I tried to update my sidebar, and the Author info disappeared, and now I cant get it to save my update.

Hmm.

If I could update it...I would add that we are now at $4999 on that last cc. We have paid $19,000 so far this year!! WOW. We will have the last of this drasted debt paid in full by July!!

We took our 5th wheel out on our first camping trip this past weekend. We stayed at a beautiful campground about an hour from home- it is my happy place, right on the river surrounded by tall pines. There were only a couple of other campers in the campsite, none anywhere near us. It was so fun to have the place basically to ourselves. And at $20 a night it was really inexpensive.

The hub headed back to Alaska today. He will be home in three weeks.

After much debate, we decided that we will fix the country house and live out here. DD3 will move into the little house and her friend will be looking for a different place to live. Looking Forward made a suggestion that we hadn't thought of, which was to have the friend live in the little house, but with baby #2 coming, she didn't want to...so that sealed the decision, and she is going to move back home with her parents. DD3 is actually excited about simple living in the little house. She thinks it will be perfect. And I am REALLY ready to have a normal size bath room, a spacious kitchen and my washer and dryer in the same house where I live.

Now that the decision is made, I am eager to get started on the repairs!

I LOVE bbq'd food. Steak, chicken, corn, potatoes, asparagus..if it cooks on a grill, I generally enjoy it- but I usually only get bbq when the hub is home from Alaska- because I never learned to bbq myself.

I am learning how to bbq in the hubs absence- and Im pleasantly surprised to realize I CAN DO THIS.

I grilled chicken last week, and steak and potatoes tonight. So far, REALLY GOOD. I miss having my big kitchen- so this is a nice treat. And its not all that hard- just knowing when the coals are ready and how long to wait before turning the meat and when to take it off the grill.

Speaking of missing my kitchen, it is hard to believe that I have been in the little house (390 sq ft) for almost a year. WOW. Funny thing is, I have almost forgotten what is in all the storage boxes- all the 'stuff' that wouldn't fit in this space- stuff that I once thought I really needed, but have learned, I don't- that I can do well with just 6-7 options for work clothes and 3-4 options for non-work clothes. I am able to do laundry once a week, generally in 2 loads, unless I am doing all the bedding. A few pots, pans, cups, plates.

I don't shop much these days. There is literally NO WHERE to put any new purchases. I am constantly weeding more out- so bringing anything new in is just counter-productive.

But after a year, I am struggling with whether to stay in the little house or find a bigger option. Warmer weather is coming, which means outdoor space to augment the small living space is soon an option. But as I mentioned earlier in this post, I miss having a spacious kitchen. And I am tired of fighting the handicapped bar for space in the shower every morning. (the handicapped bar was installed by the factory that made this little house, so removing it isn't an easy option.)

So, what options do I have.

Well, the house in town is still occupied by DD1 and her family, who are very happy there. They pay rent that covers most of the house payment and hope to eventually buy it.

The house in the country is occupied by DD3 and her friend. The friend just found out that she is expecting. They love living out in the country, and enjoy the reduced rent. (Rent is reduced because the house needs a few repairs, and they take care of the hubs dogs)

Which leaves me either displacing one of the content kids, staying in the small house or renting a bigger place. I look at options daily and have yet to find anything that is bigger, in a good location, for a reasonable price.

What to do, what to do.

We learned today that lil Z is coming back to Oregon! The state is going to try placing him with bio parents- splitting the time with each about 50% of the time.

Mom is in a secured rehab program and dad has passed all recent drug tests, so the state wants to try the placement. It is shaky at best, but it does mean that lil Z will be here locally and that (hopefully) we can have visits with him! He left in November, so its been almost 5 months. I am cautiously optimistic that this will end up being at least semi-permanent for him. (He will be in the area for 18 months while mom is in the secure rehab.)

He arrives in 5 days and dad has stated he is open to letting us see/spend time with Z during his 50%. Not sure if mom will be or not yet. In any case, Gramma is offering free babysitting anytime I can!!!

Last year we got hit fairly hard with state taxes and paid a hefty amount, plus paid quarterly taxes all year. Unfortuately, it wasnt quite enough and we are sending an extra $3k for last year and an extra $700 on top of the $1600 we were paying for quarterly taxes (now- $2300 quarterly).

Sadly, this hits before I rebuilt the emergency fund so our only option is the CC- which brings the balance to just over $14k and sets our payoff date back several months.

HUGE SIGH.

The aheader we go...the behinder we get.

Time to head back to the budget and see what I can shave and determine a new payoff date.

I paid $1501 today to get the balance on that final CC debt to $9999. We have paid $14,001 since the beginning of the year! I am so excited to have this bill PIF!

This past month has been a busy one, so not much time to blog- but we are making progress. The hub comes back on Friday- He received a 5% raise this year, so that definately helps- especially since they have limited the amount of overtime the employees are getting this year.

More later..just wanted to document the milestone! Yippee!