Gramma Ray's Blog

The hub is back in Alaska for the next month.

Since I am feeding just me, I have planned simple meals for the next week. I put the makings for split pea soup in the slow cooker this morning, will make a big batch of oatmeal today and am going to cook up some chicken for chicken and quinoa. These will make up breakfast, lunches and dinners for the week.

My three oldest kids recently lost their paternal grandma (my ex-mother in law). She was a nice lady who was extremely frugal her whole life. She saved a nice nest egg, only to have her two primary heirs (her son and her brother) fight over everything while she was spending her last days here. Thank goodness the kids were there with her to keep it out of her hospital room as much as possible...and shame on both of them. I am so proud of my kids for making their grandmas final days as peaceful as possible, and to show her that there were at least three people who loved HER and not her money and possessions.

It just drives home the point to have that will and/or trust and make sure you write down what you want (funeral, cremation, services or no) after you go. SOOOO important for those left behind.

The hub and I are making good progress on our financial goals. Unfortunately, there have been some emergencies with a couple of the kids that have really drained the savings. Bank of mom and dad must close, but we have a tough time saying know when it will impact the grandkids. But the hole must be plugged. I am at a point where we have helped, but any more will be enabling. (If I were objective, Id probably say we passed that point a while back- but at least we are drawing a line in the sand now)

I'm about to start my NINTH month in the little house. Thankfully, the weather is starting to warm a little and spring is coming. Spring and fall are my favorite times of the year, and living in the country just makes those seasons more enjoyable. There is an old wooden planter on the side of this house that promises to burst with tulips in a few weeks. The wonderful thing is that my dad planted these tulips years ago, so for me, those flowers are a continuing gift from him. In his younger years, my dad was a burly truck driver but in his older years he softened and loved planting flowers and feeding the squirrels and birds out here.

We will be making repairs and remodeling the big house this spring and summer. I will move into it when it is done and make a final decision as to whether to stay out here or not after next winter. Whether we stay or not, the work must be done.

So, it is a wonderful sunny day today, one that will be filled with cooking, laundry and cleaning. The type of Sunday 'putzing' that I love. I hope everyone has an equally beautiful day!

The LeAnn Rimes concert was cancelled- reason, east coast weather and cancelled flights. So, we opted to just stay home- the change in plans and refund on tickets saved us about $500 for the weekend, which was fine with me!!

We stopped by the store for our cell phone provider and had no luck with any change in plans to shave $$ off the expense. My job refunds me $90 a month for having a smart phone, so our plan isn't too bad. Our contract is up in December, so I will make a note to recheck then.

I made caprese on sourdough toast for my dinner tonight and the hub had leftover Chinese that he had a few days ago, making for an inexpensive Valentine's dinner...but even more important, we avoided all the crowds.

I am starting my 9th month in the little house. I bought a little toaster oven a couple of months ago ($40) which has come in really handy. I can toast, bake, broil, etc. Between that, my crockpot, microwave, electric skillet, and rice cooker, I can cook everything using electricity and save my propane for heat. Doing this, I can make it almost a month on two 13 gallon propane tanks.

We will most likely move into the bigger house here in the country this summer and save the little house for visitors. I have a few more months to make up my mind. Living in the small space works for me, but I would like more room for the grandkids when they visit. Plus having the washer and dryer in the house where I live and not having to lug it up and down to the other house, is a convenience I enjoy, especially when it is raining/snowing. That alone could be the deciding factor!

Happy Valentines Day!

I am on vacation today and Monday is a holiday, so a nice 4 day weekend ahead. This is the hubs last weekend home for a month, so it will be nice to be off. We are going to a LeAnn Rimes concert tonight. The hub is the fan, this is his Valentines gift from me.

This is my last vacation time for a while. Work is so busy I really cant afford anymore time away for a while.

Speaking of work, I am all moved into my new workspace. It is so different working in a cubicle instead of an office. I can hear everything everyone says and vis-versa. Our team will be in this space for the next year or so, so plenty of time to get used to it.

I am so excited about the progress we are making on paying off the last CC debt. If all goes as planned we will have it paid off in about two months!!

Financially, my focus right now is doing my due diligence on things like insurance and cell phone bills to determine if we can shave anything off those expenses and paying off the debt. Otherwise, things are all budgeted and fairly predictable each month. In a couple of months it will get more fun because 'extra' income will go towards savings! Cant wait!

Today was a vacation day. The end of a fun 4 day weekend. We arrived home from our mini-trip, unloaded and I got organized for the week ahead.

I carved out time to call our tv provider to cancel a service which was no longer in the free trial. That will save us $48 per month! In addition, we were overdue for a free upgrade on our system boxes, and so I took advantage of those.

Next challenge is our vehicle and homeowners insurance policies. I have a feeling we are overpaying at least the vehicle insurance policies.

And the last challenge this month is reviewing our cell phone plan.

Hopefully, this time investment will add up to some nice savings!

The hub and I are enjoying a get away this weekend. We are staying in a rental house in a resort area that we like to visit. We have rented with this company several times over the years. I always visit in the low season, so that we can rent two nights and get the third night free. We also have to pay a cleaning fee each time we stay. There is no daily maid service like at a hotel. The cleaning fee is to take care of cleaning the house after we leave. However, before we go, we are supposed to load and start the dishwasher, start a load of laundry, empty all the trash cans into the outside containers, etc.

When we arrived this time, there was a nice little postcard with the housecleaners picture and profile and an envelope. I assume for a tip? But Im perplexed, because, in addition to paying for the rental, we also pay a separate cleaning fee.

I can understand a tip at a hotel when someone tidies everyday and you don't pay a fee specifically for cleaning, but this seems ridiculous.

What would you do?

We have had a wonderful weekend. It snowed like crazy, and we got to sit in the hot tub and watch it snow. Of course, we FROZE when we had to get out. My shoes were totally covered with snow and so I walked (ran screaming) through the snow barefoot to get to the door. Brr...

I was able to pay $3000 more on the credit card because of budget and a bonus at work. We are totally on track to pay this last bill off by the end of April (yay).

I paid $3874 towards the last CC today, leaving a balance of $20126. I am so excited to have that puppy PAID IN FULL. But we are still many paydays away from that goal.

My son is visiting and getting some repairs done at the country house. He and his family rented that house a few years ago and when they left, they left some things in dis-repair. He is here to fix them, which I really, really appreciate.

My ex's mother (grandmother to my 3 older kids) is very sick. She recently had surgery and the doctor slipped during the cauterization and burned a couple of deep holes internally. She is 81 and it's not looking look good for her. It is sad to see how quickly the family vultures started circling both her and her bank accounts. She has always been a VERY frugal woman and I am sure has amassed a sizeable nest egg. Unfortunately, her son (my ex) and her brother are both trying to gain control of her finances- neither with her best intentions in mind. It breaks my heart to see her being hurt by those who supposedly 'love' her, focusing on her money instead of her health and wellbeing. I know this is all too common when it comes to money and heirs. I hope all works out for her. My kids are planning to go visit their gramma once things settle down a little. It sounds like its a pretty hostile situation right now.

Happy MLK Day! (Started this post earlier this week)

I am enjoying the day off. I got up early and made a to-do list. I needed to catch up on work, but my work laptop does not play well with my internet here, so I have crossed that item off my list and will just go in to the office early tomorrow. Movin on.

I made a beef roast in the crockpot. It is a good sized roast that should last a few days- I will enjoy roast and potatoes, tacos and beef dip sandwiches the next couple of days.

Today- 1-25-14
I am struggling to finish my posts lately. So much going on- and not enough time to get it all done!

Today DD1, DD3 and I are going to High Tea at my friends tea room. The food is always excellent, we get to try some new teas and there will be a guitarist there playing live music. A couple of hours of relaxing girl time.

Yesterday was payday- my increase in my 401k was included. It is pre-tax, the addition to my 401k was about $70, the hit to my paycheck, $40. My raise will be 4.75%...so I will increase the contributions from 10% to 12%.

I spent most of this past week moving into my new work space. Our department will work at this location for the next year. The location is great, the workspaces are less than desirable. But I am being paid to work where they need me to work, so I am fine with it.

I received my evaluation yesterday and got a very good one. I wasn't sure how the eval would be since I was promoted mid year. Even in the new position, I received good marks. Very nice surprise!

We managed to use our entire annual FSA funds already with the hubs and DD3s dentist expenses- I contribute 1200 a year, and it usually lasts most of the year. Oh well, at least it was there to use!

My oldest grandson (9) started Karate last month and got his yellow belt last night. He did so good during his testing. He asked to spend the night last night, so he is here this morning. I sure enjoy the time with him. I know someday he will have other 'more important' things to do..but for now, it is wonderful that coming to grammas is still a big treat.

While the hub was home, he went to the dentist with a lost filling and ended up needing a root canal and crown. Then, this past week, DD3 started having tooth pain and ended up getting all 4 wisdom teeth pulled. Dentist expenses YTD so far $3800.

Then, long story, but DS and DIL had a major bump in the road and we helped them out with a loan to catch up.

Aside from the dental expenses, I am staying within our budget. At the beginning of next month, we get our annual bonus. This will go straight to the emergency fund.

Z turned 3 this week. It is comforting to see that he is adjusting well in his new home. His bio-dad is still doing all he can to bring him home, but that is totally up to the courts now. I miss him terribly, but am so grateful he is adjusting and happy.

Next week I will be relocating for work. We are moving about two miles from our current offices to an older building and I will move into a cubicle- which is fine- Ive never worked in a cubicle, so I am looking at this as a new experience. We will be there for about a year. I get paid well and will work where-ever they want me to. I am going to look for organizing options for the smaller space. And will focus on downsizing my paper files all week next week as I pack to move.

All in all, life is good. I am enjoying this three day weekend.

I had such a wonderful day yesterday.

DD2 and I went to the spa and enjoyed a foot soak, 1 hour massage and the sauna this morning. Ahhhh.. DD2 used her gift certificate that we gave her last September for her birthday and I just splurged to go with her. I try to be nice that way... My back needed it, lots of knots worked out.

Then, we went to the store so that I could look for a new pair of tennis shoes. I had a $50 gift card and found a pair of Sketchers "Go Walk 2". OMG. I have never tried these on before, but I am a F*A*N now! They are so comfy! There was a $10 coupon, so after my gift card I ended up paying $5. Seriously worth it. They honestly feel like an old comfy pair of slippers.

DD2 and I then went to lunch at Applebee's and enjoyed a 2 for $20 late lunch and then went back to her house where I finished my laundry. Its raining here today and I really appreciated not having to walk back and forth to the big house to do the laundry.

Today will most likely be a stay home day. Nothing on the horizon.

2014 is off to a great start!

We received the log-in info for the hubs new 401k and the contributions have started! Right now, he is contributing 5% and his employer is matching the 5% (the max match). Whatever we save in this account will augment his pension nicely when he retires.

The hub headed back to Alaska today. We got quite a bit done before he left- primarily moving furniture so that we could deep clean the little house. It is incredible how quickly animal hair accumulates, so I really appreciated the help getting it all cleaned up. We also spent time planning projects here on the country property.

DD1 and her hub have decided they would like to try to buy the city house. They have lived in it the past 8.5 months and have decided it is a good place to raise their kids. The question is, will they be able to buy it. They are looking into their options, and I will wait to see what they come up with.

I learned today that I am getting a $2 an hour raise! This is an annual increase..which amounts to about $350 month or just a little over $4000 this year! I plan to increase my 401k to 10% to absorb it. (One step closer to retirement!!) I made that change to my scheduled contributions tonight!

So all in all, I am pleased so far with the first week of the new year and am hopeful for a wonderful year ahead!

Im so ready to dust my hands of 2013 and get on with the new year!

2013 was a year of financial success, in that I was promoted at work, we paid off massive debt and boosted retirement savings.

But emotionally, it was a train wreck kindof year. A painful test of the marriage - ugh, and our loss of little Z (foster child who was placed with bio-gma after 2.5 years with DD2).

I moved out of my city home and into a 390 sq ft country home- (and am now on month #8!) Small space living has its benefits, but country living on a well has proven to be more stressful than I imagined, especially this past month with the frozen pipes. I am still undecided if I will continue here after the year is up or not.

Ready to put the year behind me, and focus on the excitement of, with the exception of the houses and 5th wheel, being completely debt free. And REALLY heading towards retirement goals.

Personally, I have set goals to misplace 5 lbs per month- somewhere other than my waist and hips and to carve out time one weekend a month for me.

Well, here's to a Happy New Year to all!

The hub is home from Alaska. Yesterday, the poor guy slept almost all afternoon, evening and night. He has been working crazy long hours- then got stuck in Seattle on the way home because of fog, and ended up sleeping in the airport. Needless to say, by the time he got home he was exhausted.

Unfortunately, this morning he was heading outside and slipped on the top step off the porch and landed on his back against one of the steps. OUCH. He took a muscle relaxer and pain pill..and has been out most of the day again today.

Since I've had quite a bit of free time, I decided to crunch numbers to see how we did this past year.

We started 2013 with a staggering $63,226 of debt ( not including the houses). We ended the year with $24,000- which means we paid off $39,226 or 62%. WOW. We anticipate paying the remaining $24,000 by May.

My retirement fund has done well this past year. At the beginning of the year the value- $71,519 and it has grown to $112,886- a $41367 increase!

The value of our homes has increased a combined $32,600. We owe appx $410k on the two homes, their value is appx $445k. A nice increase from where we bottomed out the past couple years (we were seriously in the red for a while). At least we are back in the black on paper on these homes.

I feel like we are finally making strides towards paying everything off and eventually retiring. That is, if I can keep the hub on his feet.

Im looking forward to setting our goals for 2014. I expect a fairly nice annual pay increase in February- which will be split between increasing the mortgage payments and the 401k contributions.

The past couple of weeks have been busy ones, so I haven't had much time to blog.

We had a nice Christmas- we actually had our gift exchange last weekend while DS and his family were here. To add some fun and bonding time to their visit, I put together a road rally- everyone was assigned a team and off they went. They had challenges, bonus points, and a time-limit. And they had a blast. Young and old loved finding Santas, handing out candy canes to strangers, drinking hot cocoa, etc. This may become an annual tradition.

Today, DD1 and SIL hosted dinner. SIL made a prime-rib (his first attempt) and it turned out wonderful.

I work tomorrow and then have six days off. The hub will get home early Friday morning after being gone almost 5 weeks- so I am taking a few days off to ring in the New Year with him.

I love setting goals for the new year. I spent some time today thinking of things I would like to accomplish next year- family, personal, work and financial. I am eager to firm up the goals and get them in writing. More on this in a few days.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!

Still, no water. My SILs are here working in freezing weather. So far we have breaks in the well house, the big house, under the little house, and just now a pipe went in a wall inside the big house. Will this ever end? The local hardware stores are going through inventory like crazy. Thankfully, they still have supplies on hand. Total cost is approaching $600 and that only covers supplies. The boys wont ask for pay, but I will make sure this has been worth their time away from their families.

Since my kids cant all be together on Christmas day, we are planning our family celebration on the Sunday before. And since everything will be open for business that day, I am considering an "amazing race" type car rally for everyone. Of course my reason for this is to get them out of the house so that I can set up the real gifts. But I also think it will be great fun.

We paid off one more credit card and are finally, down to our last debt aside from the houses and 5th wheel! Yay! Of course, all the new house repairs this week will impact our ability to repay the last debt...but I am still committed to having it paid by May!

Update: Water is again working at the little house! Yay!

Last weekend we had a nasty storm pass and it left in its wake lots of snow and the pipes to both houses frozen. Solid. They are starting to thaw, but as they thaw, many are broken. We lost the main pump, the main pipes, and today, two more pipes. And the little house pipes are still frozen. We kept the water turned on before the storm, but it dropped to 4 degrees and our houses just weren't winterized for the extreme weather.

I have spent this last week sleeping on DD2s couch. I have really enjoyed the time with her, but I am really ready to be back to 'normal'.

So far, the cost of the pump and broken pipes is about $500. Hopefully tomorrow, we will know the final cost after the water is working again. (please let the water be working again..)

I hope to finish Christmas prep this weekend. I am woefully behind- but have a plan, so I should finish up this weekend.

Its been a very busy couple of weeks.

It is with a sad heart that I post that Z is leaving tomorrow morning. DD2 has to drop him off at the DHS office by 8:15am and he flies out with his grandma at 10am. That will be his first meeting with grandma, since she doesnt arrive here until midnight tonight. I wished there was more transition time for Z- at 32 months old, he will not understand.

Tonight I am going to DD2s to help pack Zs belongings and help get him ready- I am also going with her in the morning to be a shoulder if she needs one.

Fortunately, bio-dad is still doing everything possible to regain custody- but after watching this unfold, WHO KNOWS what will happen there.

All I know is that Z's little world as he knows it is about to change- and there is not much we can do to help him understand.

I hope and pray Z is resilient, and that grandma and her new husband are kind and loving- and that someday Z understands just how fully he was/IS loved by his extended family.

Oh boy.

Our first freeze and it didnt go so smoothly in the small house. Woke up this morning to a 49 degree house and no water. Brr and drats! The porch steps were iced over too. Luckily, no broken bones.

Thankfully, the hub is home for three more days and can check into why the heater stopped, why the water stopped and fix the slip n slide we call the porch. Definitely makes me leery of the next 5 weeks while the hub will be in Alaska.

Hauling laundry up to the big house and back isnt as much fun in the wind, rain and mud either. But, we will make it all work.

Taking an objective look, I know that the issues I am having are not because of small space living- but they are frustrating none-the-less.

Today we are having a pot luck lunch at work. This has been a super busy week, so making something from home didnt happen. Luckily, several people needed last minute items, so someone was going to the store and I was able to chip in. Whatever is over and above, my job will pay for- so it wasnt as expensive as I had anticipated.

I am so glad it is Friday. The first week back from vacation is always a marathon. I am ready to swap hats for a couple of days. Thankfully, next week is a short 3 day work week, followed by a 4 day weekend.

I will be working on our 2014 budget soon and I want to make sure to include a few things that we didn't include in 2013.

1. A line item for cold weather gear for the hub. This year we spent just over $500- boots, under armor, caps, gloves, socks, etc. So I will add a new line item for $42 per month.

2. Donations for co-workers and their kids/grandkids. Holy canoly has this year been an expensive one for all the requests for every-thing-a-thons, raffles, popcorn, cookie dough, etc. We used to have a policy against these solicitations ..but apparently that is no longer the case. I understand the importance of fundraising, but it is frustrating to have so many requests happen at work. My solution is to determine an amount I am comfortable with and make the donations accordingly. When it is gone, its gone.

3. Challenge every line item expense. Is it still necessary, or is it time to reduce or eliminate? I think this is an important thing to do each year.

4. Increase our 401ks according to pay increases and debt payoff. I anticipate a 5-6% pay increase in February. We will also be credit card debt free by May. Once that happens, our 401k's should be increased accordingly.

I don't want to lose track of these.

Update on Z-
It all boils down to next week. As of today, DD2 has been instructed to pack all of Zs belongings and drop him off on Tuesday morning at the DHS office- where he will meet gramma and fly out that day.

However, as of today, there is a court hearing set for Monday that may reverse the decision- so that bio-dad can continue his custody-placement requirements. His attorney says he has a case and may well get the transfer stopped.

What a roller-coaster.

As planned, I paid my car off today! I am excited that our repayment goals are on track!

This leaves the house payments, the trailer payment and two credit cards. One CC is zero interest. The other, is from my job and we earn 1% cash back plus a 10% rebate at the end of the year. Regardless, the latter will be the next to be paid off, which will happen by April.

The car that I paid off today is a 2005 Kia Amanti that we bought used in 2007. It has 80k miles on it. I hope to have many years left on it. We will continue to pay 'payments' into savings to either pay for repairs, or pay for a new car someday.

We are enjoying our last night at the lodge tonight. It has been a wonderful weekend.

All four of my kids, their spouses, DD3's friend, the kids uncle, the hub and I were here to enjoy it.

On Thursday night, we arrived and ordered pizzas. We started the annual Christmas puzzle and played a new card game that I found online. It was a blast.

Friday, we all hung out at the house, visiting, watching a movie, putting the puzzle together, playing card games, shuffle board,


the hot tub...such fun. Friday night we had a Costume party. Ds and his wife were a gansta and flapper girl, DD1 and her hub- the sheriff from Walking dead and a zombie...everyone else just dressed up comical. DD1 made chimichangas for dinner and we played the card game again.

Today, Saturday, we went to the outlet stores and shopped for a while, then came back and sat in the hot tub, worked on the puzzle, played shuffle board and watched another movie. Tonight DS and DIL are making an Olive Garden inspired dinner. We are all working on the puzzle to finish it by morning.

This has been an amazing weekend. All the kids have enjoyed their mini-get-away.

This house is gorgeous. Its about 5000 sq ft. Has 7 master bedrooms, each with its own bath- so the kids all have their own space. Their is a huge gourmet kitchen, a big living room and a big entertainment room upstairs. The master bedroom, that the hub and I stayed in has a soaking tub, which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

This was not an inexpensive trip, but it was money well spent in the amount of time I spent with the kids and the time we have enjoyed. I think everyone has had a wonderful time and have created memories that will last. It will be sad to leave tomorrow.

This will hopefully become a biannual tradition that we can look forward to.

The view from the back, upstairs balcony-

Planning is one of the best ways to stick to a food budget, but a second favorite of mine, is to have a few 'go to' meals that have easily stored ingredients that can be fixed in a pinch. You forget to take something out to thaw, you realize you don't have the right ingredients, something cut into your meal preparation time...no problem when you have go to options.

My favorite go to meal: tortillas, refried beans, cheese and salsa (preferably salsa verde). All of these keep well, and a fairly healthy meal can be tossed together in under 5 minutes. Health it up a little by adding chopped lettuce or tomato.

Other go tos in our house- oatmeal, pb&j, or grilled cheese.

What are some of the go tos for your family? I am always looking for new ideas!

Its chilly in the little house tonight. The propane tank must be empty, but the hub comes home on Thursday, so until then, I will just use the space heater. The nice thing is that with only 390 sq ft, it doesn't take much to heat the space. I also wear multiple clothing layers, which helps.

I have been in the little house for 4 months now. I have reduced and eliminated so that everything has a place- which is a must. The only time I struggle keeping clutter down now is when the hub is home. Even just a few extra things can start the domino effect of things spilling out.

Then comes Christmas...where the heck do I put a tree, gifts, decorations...I love decorating for Christmas= but I am definitely going to have to think through carefully just how festive I want to get. There truly isn't much space for extras. And gifts...well, gift cards are small.

My house is so small, when I put the key in the front door, I broke the back window...when I eat in the dining room-one elbow is in the living room and the other is in the kitchen....when I drop a Kleenex, I have wall to wall carpeting.

Sometimes, I just have to chuckle about small space living.

My day off was an enjoyable one. And, I got much done:

All laundry and sheets are done
Bed made
House cleaned
Napped
Wrapped some Christmas presents
Relaxed!

And now, I am watching the Packers vs Bears game. Go Packers!

Today was a no spend day.

It is challenging to take a day 'off' when you're email is connected 24/7 via your phone- but I made a concerted effort to stay unplugged all day. I figured if anything serious happened, I would have gotten a call.

Tomorrow and Wednesday I am attending a training and have to be at work by 6am, which means I have to be up by 4:45am. YUCK. (The training is on the East coast, which is why it starts so early here) I don't mind getting up a little early, but...seriously? At least this training follows a fall back on the clocks- so Im not fully acclimated to the time yet.

Yesterday:
I never have figured out how a small sleeping child can take up an entire bed, but low and behold, it happened once again. She must have been practicing her karate kicks in her sleep cause I was woken abruptly several times last night. And to top it off, my cat didn't get the memo about the time changing- so he was impatiently letting me know it was time to get up shortly after 4am.

Its not even 7pm, and I am fighting to stay awake tonight. Thankfully, I am on vacation tomorrow and can sleep in.

I have some pork ribs in the slow cooker tonight. They smell yummy. Super easy recipe. Just toss them in, and season with garlic salt, seasoned salt, pepper and some red chili flakes. They are so tender and flavorful- and for $8 I have enough for about 3-4 meals!

Today:
Today is my 'mental health day' from work. I decided last week to take a PTO day just to relax. I will post the results of the day this afternoon or evening.

DD2 got a call out of the blue yesterday from Zs bio dad and paternal grandmother. (Dad and his family have not been in the picture since Z was taken into the foster system almost 2.5 years ago) It sounds like dad took steps over 6 months ago to get himself cleaned up and was ready to see Z. The family was together for great-grandmas birthday and wanted to see Z. Turned out, dad has been clean for 6 months, has a job, a home, and really wants a chance with (custody of) Z- they asked if they could see him today and DD2 got permission and met them. And what makes me smile, is that dad/family are local. Z would be nearby. COuld this be our answer to prayer? I am not sure. But Zs transition to his maternal grandmother has stalled so many times, for so many reasons, maybe there is a bigger plan for him. After the visit today, dad is going to make the phone calls on Monday to see what he can do. We aren't getting our hopes too high, but this could be a potential game changer for Zs destiny.

This past week was very busy, but here are the highlights:

I received my 3rd quarter eval and it was very positive. I have grown into the new title and am on track to get a very good end of year eval/raise. (5-5.5% raise!)

I learned my office will be moving (our department is moving) to an older building that the job owns. It will most likely be for a year, while a new addition is built on the current location. But it is going to be a change. My current office has beautiful furniture and a big window/view...my new workspace (maybe office?) will have no windows and the furniture will most likely be old pieced-together items from storage. Its all good. I am of a mindset that I can work anywhere, so long as I have a desk and a computer. (Kinda like moving from my big house to this little house...its not what you look at that matters, its what you see.)

The really interesting thing about the new work location is that it is literally 5 minutes from my house in town. Hmmm...

We are about 3 weeks away from paying off my car!! This is one of our BHAG action steps! (BHAG= Big Hairy A## Goal, which is to retire by 60)

We will be down to a zero interest CC, which must be paid off in April, and our final CC, which will be paid off by April-May. After that, we have our 5th wheel and the house to payoff. 5th wheel will be paid off 1st qtr 2015. House, by BHAG time.

Tonight my sweet little 4 yo granddaughter is sleeping over. She is such a gorgeous little girl. Blonde hair down to her behind and great big blue eyes. And very sweet. We are having fun. She is also Z's 'big sister" She was 1 1/2 when Z moved in with them.

Tomorrow I plan to take little miss home and then have some free time in the afternoon/evening. One week until vacation!!

Tonight's dinner was PB&J on toast. Sometimes simple is good and tonight was simple. Cheap, easy and quick-the perfect choice when you are home alone!

I decided to take a 'mental health' day next Monday, making the coming weekend a three day one for me. I have been working, watching grandbabies, volunteering, etc..and I am pooped. A 'me' day sounds wonderful. Do you ever just take a me day?
I am not sure how I will spend Monday, but will certainly appreciate only working four days next week, followed by a week of vacation and a four day week the week after.

We have our family trip coming up in a couple of weeks, and I am planning some surprises during the trip. I want to get little prizes for the Halloween party night and for a shuffle board contest. Nothing expensive, just fun small gifts to add to the festivities. So I will do some shopping one day this weekend. I love doing special unexpected treats!

I volunteer on a board for a non-profit- we are planning to have a 3 day conference next April. I get the opportunity to build the budget for the event. I am going to plan on 75 attendees, but set a stretch goal for 100. I know we can hit the goal, but others on the board aren't as optimistic. I have confidence in this team..so I am sticking to the goal.

My little house is COLD tonight. (well, not cold enough to see my breath) But I am starting to second guess my decision not to get a big propane tank. However, we have a nice electric fireplace-type heater in storage that Im gonna have the hub set up when he is home. There isn't much space for it, but I think I can make it work..and it has a mantle, which will be a great space to decorate for the Holidays. And there are always sweaters and blankets to help stave off the chill.

I received a post on Facebook this morning that today is the kickoff for Christmas Countdown. This is a six week plan that helps you get ready for Christmas. Where did this year go? My goodness. Anyway, I do find that organizing ahead of time helps me avoid last minute craziness for the holiday.

I don't have anything on the agenda today outside of football....housework, laundry and making soup in the slow cooker. All the latter are chores that will help keep me on track for the work week ahead. It is a beautiful sunny day, so I should be able to hang all of the laundry outside. (yay!) I splurged on some wonderful smelling fabric softener just for line dry days. I cant wait to see how the sheets turn out!!

The hubs employer was sold recently. (this is the third time since he has worked for them) The good news is that his new 401k has a 5% match! He faxed off the paperwork this morning to enroll and get started. We will start with 5% and up the amount as we pay things off. My 401k has an 8% match, which I have always taken advantage of.

The value on our homes continues to rise. I sure hope this trend holds until we sell the city house next summer. I would love to show a profit for that purchase. By then, we should be debt free except for the country house. Our plan then is to maximize 401k savings and focus on paying off the country house. All part of our BHAG goal of me retiring by 60 and the hub cutting back at 55. (He is 7 years younger than me)

Time to start the laundry and get the soup going. I hope everyone has a fabulous day!

My granddaughter and I slept in until 7am this morning. Then we got up and had a cinnamon role and visited. She is getting so big and smart. I really enjoyed the sleepover!

I double checked my library account this morning to make sure all the books I returned showed as returned. All but one did, and that one is over-due. So I started looking...and looking. I finally found it. It had fell in that black hole on the back of the recliner. Sucked totally out of sight and mind. So I went to the library today and turned it in- bringing my borrowed items to zero. A fresh start. I checked out 4 books and a book on CD for the car.

Then, I ran some errands with DD2 and Z. He is such a good little guy. We popped into Pier One. DD2 did some browsing, while Z and I found the swingasan chair. It had a couple of fluffy pillows and a cozy throw on it. He cuddled up on it and stayed perfectly content to lay there while we waited for DD2. Everyone commented what a good boy he was..he really enjoyed the gentle swing and the fuzzy, fluffy pillow and throw. And all the pretty breakables in the store, stayed on the shelves and in tact- which was my ultimate goal.

I came home after that and had left overs for a late lunch and have been vacillating between cleaning and relaxing since.

Tomorrow I will catch up on laundry and make soup in the slow cooker. The week ahead should be a much more relaxed pace. I have lots to do at work, but no early or late appointments planned.

The leaves on all the oak trees have turned and are really starting to fall. A light breeze this afternoon made it look like it was raining leaves! So pretty. Nature's freebies are the best kind of frugal entertainment!

I read a post on Facebook the other day that said "My favorite color is fall"...I have to agree. I attended a meeting today about 3 hours north and the drive was gorgeous. I snapped these shots with my phone (I was the passenger in the car)- they don't really do justice to the beautiful colors, but capture many of them:




The fir trees were inner-mixed with splashes of orange, gold and red. Absolutely beautiful.

I have had a crazy week this week. My days have all started before 7am and I've not gotten home until after 9pm. Thankfully, today was a shorter day and I got home at 4pm after being on the road about 6 hrs and attending a 2 hour meeting. Im pooped.

Tomorrow I have another busy day plus I am getting an evaluation. Then, tomorrow night my oldest granddaughter (age 7) is spending the night. Rest...well, that will happen on Sunday.

On Monday, my steering started acting up again on my car- (again, while the hub is in Alaska). Thankfully, my son-in-law has time to fix it for me, so we swapped cars. Hopefully, he can determine what this issue is and fix it (and it wont be too expensive)

The hub is starting to pick up overtime. His check tomorrow is $115 more than budgeted. I will hold onto this until we determine how much the car fix is. I also have money in the car repair account just for times like this.

I was glad to come home today to leftover roast (that I made last weekend) Dinner was a hot roast beef and swiss sandwich. The price was right and it was a quick fix.

Its hard to believe the end of October is only 7 days away.

I am home from the class I attended Friday night and all day Saturday. It was fairly intense and was more of a self awareness course than a leadership course. I slept over 10 hours last night, so it drained me- but in a good way.

I have a 3 lb roast in the crock pot today. That will last most of the week. Tonight will be roast dinner, then- sandwiches, burritos, and a hash will make up the rest of the meals. I also have the makings for soup, which will fill in the rest of the week. I do need a few groceries, which I will use the remainder ($33)of a Winco gift card to buy everything.

I am meeting friends for dinner on Monday to celebrate one's birthday. I need to pick up a birthday gift today- and the other friend asked to go in on it. I waited until the last minute for this one..I usually am better prepared than this. I have a couple of ideas so I shouldn't have to spend too much time shopping. Tomorrow will be a long day. I have to be out the door shortly after 6am to be at one of our remote locations to train. Dinner with friends isn't until 6:30pm...Leave before sun comes up...get home well after dark.

Tuesday night, the fraud group I belong to is hosting a financial fraud seminar. We will be serving pizza to all who attend. Our topics include counterfeit bills, elder financial exploitation (my pet peeve), and the DA will be covering a current case as an example of the prosecuting steps for financial crime. It should be really educational and interesting. I am pleased that we will be able to offer this for free to the attendees.

This means that Monday and Tuesday nights, I wont be eating roast, so tonight I need to separate it into meal size portions and freeze part of it for later in the week.

No new news still.