Return

A lot has changed in my life.  A lot of surprising sudden changes.  But finally I am ready to return to blogging.  Really just sort of wondering is there anyone still out there?

Not that I blame anyone for giving up.....it has been a long time.  There were things that hit me from the blind side that I had to deal and cope with.  I'm not really sure if I am finished, but I am getting closer to the other side. Maybe one day I can talk about it.

There are some new things in my life.  I am a Grandmother.  This is my new little guy!

 Also some new baby chicks.  Eleven of them.  My sweet little hen was such a good setter!  So proud of her!  She also is a good little Mama to her babies.

But.....   Some things haven't changed....I still love Jesus and my family.....and I still adore gardening, chickens, frugality, cooking, canning, crochet, knitting, art, and a lot of other things.

I am looking forward to writing and sharing.  I just didn't have the courage in the recent past.  Just maybe...just maybe....this will help return the courage that sometimes I feel I have lost.  Although I must not have....I am still here!

Getting Out Of Debt

About 8 years ago I had this uncontrollable desire to get out of debt.  It consumed me.  It felt as if I had no other choice.  Boy I'm glad now I listened to this inner urging.  I was diagnosed just before Hurricane Katrina with Graves disease.  For years I knew I really hadn't felt well and thought something just wasn't right.  After several years of going to doctors and describing my symptoms I still wasn't diagnosed.  Not until my hands were shaking uncontrollably and I could barely climb stairs did a doctor finally recognize what this might be and he did a blood test that confirmed Graves disease was the problem.

Graves disease causes mental issues as well and I really thought for a time I was losing my mind.  Thankfully my faith in God kept me tethered to the ground during those hugely emotional times.  The doctors prescribed radioactive iodine treatment to stymie my thyroids out of control hormone production.  Now I have to take thyroid hormone to regulate the levels in my body and deal with the subsequent battle against weight gain.  Boy it was easy to stay thin when my metabolism was working overtime...Not so anymore so cutting down on the excessive calories I had to consume before has been an issue I'm dealing with as late.

   THANKFULLY...Debt is not an added concern on top of all the other challenges I face day to day...and I am so HAPPY HAPPY this is the case.

Byron and I are not any different than the average God fearing American couple.  We love our family, church and community and work hard to do the best for them all.  Unfortunately, most people have turned more to the marketers than God to determine how best to live their life. 

Marketing and our own pride has convinced us that to be, or more accurately appear, to be successful we must have the right accoutrement's which include a new car....new clothes...coolest cell phone...  Unfortunately, with the way most people choose to live their life, and the way I did at one time, you must borrow to afford these things.  I found out quickly that this life was a huge weight and it chaffed against my knowledge of how I must live as a follower of Jesus.  The Bible simply states:

  1.Proverbs 22:7



The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.

Proverbs 22:6-8 (in Context) Proverbs 22 (Whole Chapter)

I want to be a slave to no man and only a servant to God.  Geez, actually if chaffs against the whole idea of what it means to be a free American.  (So does many other things, but I won't go there now.)  I realized that my indebtedness actually made me a slave!  All of mine and Byron's future earnings were already owed to the overseer.  We weren't working for the future....we were working for the past!

I discovered Dave Ramsey through some friends, and thought Wow!  This is what I have needed for so long!  Instruction on real people real life money management.  His ideas made so much sense.  I found myself struggling up hill at first trying to do it on my own, but with enthusiasm and daily gentle encouragement and lots of love....I finally convinced Byron to get on board the get out of debt train and once we were united in a single goal as a couple .....we cruised through the steps!!!

It was so freeing to be out of debt!  No credit cards at all!  No car note at all!  Basically no house note at all (another long story maybe I'll tell one day).  We were free to work for our future instead of our past, give more to our church and do things we only dreamed of doing....like hiking to Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon (an experience I will never forget.)

I found myself wanting to share this with everyone!  I foolishly ran out and told everyone and shared it with everyone I knew.  Hey you don't have to be a slave to debt.  That's when I found out that most people like their debt chains.  Most really would rather you shut up.  They think you're crazy when you say they can pay cash for the car they want or they can go on vacation without using a credit card, or you can give up the false security of having a credit card "just in case" there's an emergency or you don't have to live from paycheck to paycheck.  It's the simple old fashioned...."Live Beneath Your Means!"
I think that most people have to much pride to drive a car or dress in a way that most people consider...'sniff' beneath their class in life.  There's a scripture for that too:

1.Proverbs 16:18



Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.


Proverbs 16:17-19 (in Context) Proverbs 16 (Whole Chapter)

Many people find themselves in financial straights because of pride, and then call out for God to deliver them from the snare that he warned them of in the beginning.  You must deliver yourself, then God will bless and help. 

How many people have I heard poor mouth about not knowing how they will pay their bills then pull out their I-phone....Really?  Not trying to be judgemental.  It just makes you wonder.  My husband drove my Father's old Suburban that my parents gave us with no air condition even during Louisiana summers.  Yes, he had to endure jokes from people he worked with about having the junkiest car at work, and people really do judge you by the car you drive.  Shallow, yes!  But we experienced this during our getting out of debt time  We did it though!

I would like to encourage anyone who is having trouble to seriously consider Dave Ramsey's advice.  He has a great website.  You can listen to his radio show and there are many other resources...just google it...it's there.

I will tell you.  It's a load off the mind not to owe....and without stress....I'm a lot healthier now!

Here is one of Dave Ramsey's videos to start you off!

Finding Places To Cut

A favorite topic of the times is "this economy". What is "this economy"? I'm so very ignorant when it comes to these big topics. I always tell my husband, "That's why God gave me you. To help me see the big stuff."

It's not always easy to understand why things are the way they are or why certain things happen. Sometimes frustration fogs up my mind when trying to sort out reasons and facts so all that big stuff gets pushed to the back until inspiration to deal with it hits.

What I do find easy, is to evaluate the things I do understand and try to improve in that department.

Sometimes I am asked, "How do you find time to do all that?" Make my own laundry soap, tend to a fairly large garden, raise three children, take care of my home, make my own bread....and so on. You know all the stuff you read about in this blog.

I view all the stuff I do around here as my "job". Just as cost cutting and time management was important when I worked a secular job, it is equally if not more important since I made the decision to not work.

When my second child was born, I simply quit work and informed Byron I wouldn't be going back. Somehow we would have to make it on his salary. I needed to be with my children. As much as others wished to help, no one would love them or care for them like me. I needed them and they needed and need me. I am an event florist and I still do events when and what dates I want to.

Byron being the man he is was actually happy that I made this decision. It wasn't easy, but working together we identified those things we could do without and we cut cost where ever we could. Contentment is so much more important than stuff that it cannot be compared. It's amazing, but we are better off and happier now than we have ever been. We eliminated debt, cut up ALL credit cards (we do not have even one), and only buy if we have saved for it. For a great plan on how to do this look up Dave Ramsey.

The first step to cutting home costs is identifying what really is a need. Most of our Neeeeds...are wants. Does everyone in the household neeeeed a cell phone? Do you neeeeed television? Do you neeeeed a manicure? Do you neeeeed a four wheeler? Do you neeeeed lots of "friends" and parties? I have an acquaintance (a real sweetheart) who has admitted to not having saved a cent, but has a huge house and note, she gets a manicure every week, her toes done, her skin sanded, she eats out all the time.....do you see a ticking time bomb? By the way she also takes anti-depressants. These very same type people loudly complain about "this economy". Which I know is bad and worsening.

I find that when someone grows up and figures out the difference between a want and a need they just naturally know where to look to shore up the family budget and cuts costs. They also naturally will find contentment and in contentment they will find God. See I Timothy 6:6-8 at the top of my side bar.

Taking Stock

First read this blog entry from the blog "How Many Miles From Babylon". Good huh? I really enjoyed it.

I started this journey of self sufficiency accidentally. Five years ago, all I knew is that something wasn't working with the credit thing and I wanted out of debt....Right Now! There was something in me that cried against being beholden to pieces of paper that came in my mail box every month and demanded payment for things that I had used up months and sometimes years ago. Ceaseless, endless, day in day out. What was I working for? To be miserable?

Daily I would strive to obey the Bible, yet tried to turn a blind eye to the whole borrower being a slave to the lender thing. Thankfully the word of God is a mirror. It reflected right back at me the image of who I had become, and I was far from thrilled. James 1:22-24 KJV "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass (mirror): For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straight-way forgetteth what manner of man he was."

Attending church regularly, the mirror was held up to me constantly. I couldn't forget the mess I had created. I was forced to look at my spiritual self three times a week during the preaching of the word. Thankfully I wasn't left to figure this out on my own. Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." I began to ask, seek, and beat any door I could find. Only then did things begin to change.

It started when I stopped hiding and threw everything out into the open... Honesty with my husband, with my family and with my friends... No longer could I continue in the way I was going, no matter the opinions of others. I didn't need prestige or stuff. I needed peace and contentment. Doors started opening. From fear of the desperate hysterical person I had become, my husband actually stopped and listened to me. At first he listened to the whole "Debt Free Dave Ramsey Thing" to appease me .....then.....it made sense. Now our marriage has become two individuals working toward one goal, instead of two immature children keeping score. When that happens, watch out. A man and a woman can accomplish almost anything when in agreement.

Today I'm so happy we started five years ago on this journey. With the current hysteria going on in our world, I still have contentment. I'm not afraid. I John 4:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us."

Sometimes it is good to stop and take stock (not the Wall Street kind). Remember where you were, where you are, and where you are going. It is important to remember the past, and then make goals and plan your path for the future. I cut a pot shot out of the newspaper before I was even married, and I still have it to this day. It said, "You can't make deals with the past, but with the future, everything is negotiable." Maybe you can't control it, but you can surely negotiate! Certainly you can't change the past, but remembering it prevents repeat mistakes.

Today:

Our marriage is stronger than ever.
I am content. (One should seek contentment, not happiness.)
We are debt free.
I got a solar oven for Christmas.
I am eliminating electric appliances as they die (so far the coffee pot and toaster oven).
I am reducing electricity usage to minimum. (We'd like to get an off grid system eventually.)
I have reduced unneccesary driving.


We have finished one third of our raised potager garden.
This year I planted, 2 fig trees, a guava, 6 mulberries, 12 citrus trees, 4 pecan trees, 3 pear trees, 4 banana trees, 2 persimmon trees, 2 plum trees, and 1 olive tree.

We have built our coop and aquired chickens. They give us 2 dozen eggs a day currently. We sell the excess and make enough to purchase all the supplies for them and give the girls a little spending money.
And....Our chickens are now giving us babies.

It's never too late to start, and there is never a perfect time to start living as self-sufficiently as possible. Have you started, or are you making plans to move in that direction?

The Rooster and The Hen

A Depression Era Poem

The Rooster and The Hen

Said the Little Red Rooster, "Believe me things are tough!"

Seems the worms are getting scarcer and I cannot find enough,

What's become of all those fat ones? It's a mystery to me.

There were thousands through that rainy spell,

But now, where can they be?"

But the Old Black Hen who heard him didn't grumble or complain,

She had lived through lots of dry spells;

She had lived through floods of rain.

She picked a new and undug spot, The ground was hard and firm,

"I must go to the worms," she said. "The worms won't come to me."

The Rooster vainly spent his day,

Through habit, by the ways

Where fat round worms had passed in squads back in the rainy days.

When nightfall found him supperless, he growled in accents rough,

"I'm hungry as a fowl can be, conditions sure are tough."

But the Old Black Hen hopped to her perch

And dropped her eyes to sleep

And murmured in a drowsy tone, "Young man, hear this and weep.

I'm full of worms and happy

For I've eaten like a pig.

The worms were there as always

But, boy I had to dig!"

Training for The Grand Canyon

Byron and I both are attempting to shape up. That way when we hike the Grand Canyon the only extra 35 pounds we'll be carrying will be our backpacks. At the beginning of the year I had resolved to lose 5 lbs a month for a total of 30 before we go. That would put me at 125 and a state of elation. I have managed to lose a total of 7 lbs. Three less than what I should be now to achieve my goal. Hey at least I'm not gaining.

But Byron....Is looking great!! He has so much resolve when he wants to. Like a rock and you can't budge him. Temptation seems to be non-existent for Byron. He has lost 30 lbs!!!!! In six weeks mind you. He is hitting the weights as well. You know I'm smiling.

Anyway, I was reading in my April issue of Prevention Magazine about different diets that heal. I was diagnosed with Graves disease right before hurricane Katrina hit and received treatment in Maryland. With Graves disease your thyroid is hyper therefore you can eat garmunctuous amounts of calories and still lose weight. After treatment the thyroid is hypo until you level off your hormones using medication. So after treatment I gained 30 lbs. I managed to finally stop the weight gain, and I am now losing it. I had to learn to eat reasonable amounts of food again. Yes, an overactive thyroid may sound like a wonderful thing. It's not. My heart rate was 120 even when resting. My body was consuming my muscles and I could barely climb stairs. My hands shook constantly and my writing was wiggly and I couldn't draw anymore. I was warned that if it wasn't treated it would soon lead to stroke and dementia. I already felt demented so I figured I didn't need a stroke on top of it.

The Prevention article made a lot of sense. They suggested the Pritikin diet for diabetes, the Portfolio Diet for high cholesterol, and the DASH diet for high blood pressure.

Byron is simply consuming less calories, eating healthy foods, and exercising more. Hey that sounds so easy.... Why is it so hard??? Grrrr....

Prevention-Heal Yourself With Food

Pritikin Longevity Center
Portfolio Eating Plan
DASH Diet

Eliminating Clutter-Paper

*Note: Four babies died yesterday. The rest of them, all 22 are expected to make it. The trip in the mail all the way from Iowa to Louisiana was hard on them. :(

Eliminating paper clutter- ughh- The worst of all clutter. The hardest as well! How do you know what to get rid of and what to keep? I'm writing about this to maybe inspire me to do it today :).

It's a process of: eliminating the unnecessary, taking care of the important and organizing, filing and storing what's necessary

I have read that you should have a spot to sit down that is specially designated for taking care of bills and paperwork. In a small house this is not possible. Some rooms have to do double duty. All of my paperwork is done at the computer or kitchen table. Everything is stored in either my holding basket or my small closet where I keep my files.

First Step: Eliminate paper clutter at it's source. Call companies that send out catalogs and brochures and ask them to take you off of their mailing list. You'll eliminate clutter and you'll help curb the destruction of trees to produce these catalogs. Remove yourself from all the mailing lists that you are aware of. Instead opt for e-mail notification of new products or sales you might be interested in.

If you have decided to live debt free and rid yourself of credit cards, freeze your credit report. It can be unfrozen if you need to have your credit checked. This helps eliminate credit card offers.

Next: Have shredder handy (small ones are inexpensive). Sort and open mail daily. Immediately if possible. Throw away all junk mail and envelopes and offers. Shred any sensitive material such as credit card offers and anything with personal info on it. Plain non-waxy paper may be shredded and used in compost and bedding for small animals such as chickens.


Then: Put all papers in a holding area. I put papers I am not handling immediately in a holding basket. Every week to two weeks I go through the basket.



Types of Paper:


Business: Contracts, Receipts, back-up disc, license


All business contracts are filed in a folder marked as such and all dates are marked in my daily calender, Receipts are filed in a simple folder marked receipts, my business disc is backed up each time I record in quickbooks and is filed with my other important discs. License renewals are taken care of at the begining of the year then filed as such.


Personal: bills, investment and bank statements,


A binder with pockets is perfect for holding monthly bills. Pay as many bills as you can on-line and write down the confirmation number in your checkbook record. If it is a bill you claim on your taxes, print a paid receipt.


All investment statements can be hole punched an stored in the binder until a new one comes in. Then store them in a file folder.

You can balance your checkbook weekly on-line. When my statements come in compare them if you have a question. Remove any checks used for tax receipts and file them with the appropriate information. Then file the statements together.



Important Documents: birth certificate, marriage license, immunization records for children, titles, insurance-car and house, bonds, wills

Keep all together in a folder. That way in case of a hurricane or emergency, simply grab the folder and run.

Taxes: Any receipts or papers to be used for taxes

Most people keep all receipts because they do not know which receipts they should keep. Throw away: groceries, fast food, small purchases. Keep: large purchases and any receipts needed for taxes-medical, business expenses, charitible giving etc.. You can also scan receipts and store them on a disc. This is nice since heat sensitive receipts fade.

Children: Artwork, report cards, awards

Keep exceptional drawings, writings, or artwork, end of year report cards, exceptional certificates. (I don't keep perfect attendance, I did keep Tera's certificate for the highest science score on the leap test - who says girls arn't good in science?) Then keep each child's work in a box marked with their name.

Warranties: File warranties and owners manuals along with purchase receipts in a large binder. Slip them in clear pockets and put them in the binder. Once a year remove any that you do not have anymore.

Do not create too many files. It gets too tedious. For example: Do not create, electric bills, gas bills, insurance bills, - Just create, Paid Bills. They can be separated easily at the end of the year for any you might need for taxes.

At the end of the year, put everything (except your children's artwork and warranties) in a box, mark it "2008", put your tax return info on top and put them in a closet or attic. Yer dun!!!

Debt Free and Contentment

Being debt free was unthinkable for us just five years ago. I've heard it said that most newly weds spend their first few years trying to live the same lifestyle that it took their parents thirty years to achieve. Byron and I were pretty much following this trend. Then I started a new business (and yes I thought the way to do it was to borrow instead of growing slowly). If we could afford the monthly payments and we wanted it, we got it. All of this stuff never brought any happiness or peace after the immediate joy of getting it! Then, I developed Graves disease and didn't know it immediately. In short, you get weak, can't sleep and you feel as if you are losing your mind. Thanks to my God, husband, family, dear friends and Dave Ramsey's know how, we are debt free, and I am well. We have completed all of the steps listed in Dave's program and it really works. I trudged on at it by myself at first, but when Byron jumped aboard the train took off!

Some have told me that being debt free in our society is impossible. I know that this is not true. Yes, you do have to lower your sense of self worth and pride must go out the window. For example, in the past a friend of mine was having serious money problems and it was putting her marriage in jeaprody. The home they were renting was in a very pricey neighborhood. When I told her maybe they ought to move. She informed me that, "I deserve a nice place to live!" She was barely twenty and had done nothing to benifit her husband, community, church or herself. I was wondering exactly why she "deserved" this home.

Because we breathe doesn't mean we deserve: a nice house, a nice car, money, etc... We deserve nothing except-life and liberty. Maybe you will have to drive a "junker" for a while to avoid a car note. Ironically, now that we have worked hard, very hard, to get rid of our debt we can afford to pay cash for those things that we want. Maybe we "deserve" it now???

One of the best things that Byron and I have ever done is to get out of debt and step out of the consumer mentality. I now only work when I feel like it and around my family's schedule. My husband and children are my responsibility. NOT anyone elses (I mean that.) That is why I chose to marry a good man first and have children after. My children do "deserve" a Mother and a Father if at all possible. They are the innocents. This is the best for children, and I did my best to make this possible by marrying an honest man of my same faith. Our entire budget is based upon Byron's salery and mine is the have fun money!

I Timothy 6:6-8 says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." Throughout our "getting out of debt" period, I posted this scripture on my refridgerator to remind me of what brings contentment. I have tried the other way and was not happy. I have tried this way, and I have more peace and contentment in my life than I dreamed possible.

Three Gifts Challenge Update

I've collected a few things to help me with my promise to Rhonda and her Three Gifts Challenge.

I bought the three bags in the back from Whole Foods. They were $.99 and made out of recycled plastic. I thought they were a pretty good deal since I do not sew (very good anyway-actually not good at all!). Also they are bright and pretty.

I already had the hot beverage mug, again bright and pretty (just like me!).

The pink Stanley Thermos has been in my sights for over a year. I just couldn't bring myself to pay $20.oo bucks for it when I had a perfectly fine drab green one at home :( . But then! Target put it on sale for $9.47!!! I got the last one :) .

The silver topped aqua blue water bottle I got for a mere $.50 on clearance at Wal-Mart (I bought a bunch!).

Then I bought that really nifty Diamond print bag to carry all the stuff I haul around with me every day (journal, magazines, crochet, Bible, books). That way I'm always prepared when I have to wait at the bus stop, or music lessons, or for the ferry etc.(that's how we get across the Mississippi). Nope, can't waste a minute.

The hardest aspect of of the challenge is the bags. I forget them! Yesterday when I stopped at Home Depot on the way to Ladies Prison Ministry, I carried all of my items in my arms to the car. Maybe if I do that enough I'll remember my bags!

Three Gifts Challenge

Rhonda in her Down to Earth Blog challenged everyone to change three things to benefit each other and the earth. I've accepted the challenge. Now I have to decide what three things I need to do. Really I do most of the obvious things and some things others consider extreme. For example: Cooking in a solar oven.

Things I do currently: I use cloth napkins, cut up old towels for cleaning, use air conditioning and heat only when necessary (otherwise I use ceiling fans and adjust dress), buy mostly organic and local, minimize car trips, cook in a solar oven, grow my own fruits, nuts, and veggies, use lights sparingly only at night or overcast day, clean with non-chemical cleaners (see clean and green post), buy food with minimal packaging, compost, line dry my clothing. I have removed my carpet and installed porcelain tile. I won't have to replace it if we flood again and it requires nothing but human power to care for it. I draw the line at toilet paper. I buy toilet paper (although I have read on some sites about other options!).

So I've really been thinking about what else I can do. Here are some options.

1. Not use any bags from stores at all. Bring my own.


2. Cut grass bi-weekly instead of weekly in summer(I'll have to see if this is feasible in our area.) Minimize lawn by installing landscaping and gardens.


3. Research solar possibilities for my home. We are going to build a studio for my business adjacent to our home. I believe we could install a solar system to power our home and my business.


4. I'm already getting chickens. I'll use them for pest control instead of poisons. (Does anyone know of an organic way to get rid of red ants? They eat us if we do not control them. I have tried many things. None except poison have worked so far.)


5. Try to stockpile enough groceries for three to four weeks to minimize trips to shop.

Any other suggestions? What are you doing?

Here is a picture of my garden! Look how it's grown. I recently planted bok choy, tom thumb lettuce, arugula, and calendula. I'm going to plant tomatoes, peppers, and celery for transplant.

Budgeting Time

"I'm sorry I just don't have time." The most aggravating thing someone can say back is, "Make time!" Please tell me how to do that. Not possible. Nope! But, you can organize or budget your time (although I admit if you have children under the age of three it is mostly impossible, they are the time dictators). Time seems to slip away like those little plastic tubey things filled with gel. The only way to harness time and put it to work for me is to budget it. I do this with my money and my minutes. M&M's. I imagine little dollars running around and me organizing them and telling them where to go. Sometimes I have to line up the minutes and get them marching in the right direction as well.

After the morning routine of waking the children, dressing them, feeding them and sending them away to either do chores (I also provide them with a list), play or school, I sit down and budget my time. The first thing is to make a list (I have them categorized). List everything except bathroom breaks. I even write down "clean the cat's litter box".

One of my lists looks like this:

Home:

• start laundry
• start dinner
• do dishes
• clean bath
• sweep
• cat litter

Family:

• Find pictures for project

Self and Health:

• Make appt. for spot on nose
• exercise
• take nap

TFA (My business):

• cash check
• check balance
• call ----------
• pick up flowers
• put flowers in water

Garden Club:

• write e-mail
• Call art in bloom

Beautification Committee:

• Call fencing company

Devotion

• Review scriptures from Sunday

Special Projects

• Compare insurance for car
• do pictures
• finish painting bathroom
• organize and clean top pantry

Sometimes I put more than I think I can do in one day. Then prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. Just number them from most important to least- 1, 2, 3 etc.. Do the most important ones first then draw a line through each one as you finish it. I usually finish everything except the special projects. Those are mostly non-pressing. Having everything on paper and in front of you will help you focus. Drawing a line through each item will give you a sense of accomplishment and order.

Sometimes I still say, "Sorry, I just do not have the time." Knowing when to say this is just as important. But don't let time slip away from you because of neglect. You can't get it back. It's absolutely your most valuable commodity. Crack that whip! Get along little minutes, get along!

Easy Steps

The last day of 2007. I can't help it. I'm a compulsive resolution maker, and I do a pretty decent job of keeping the easy ones. So I decided to make all of them easy this year.

Instead of "lose 25 lbs", I'm going to lose 2 lbs per month and by 2009 I'll be my idea weight. That's a boring resolution I know, but I have two others! Do devotion daily (read my Bible and pray) and Stick with my monthly budget. I love Dave Ramsey. He's the only one that ever made finances seem comprehensible to me!

It's certainly not the only things I need to improve or do this year, but I believe if I accomplish these things my life will be better.

I already try daily to improve and refine my daily routines. I do know that this year I would like to find pleasure in day to day chores. I no longer dread them, but I can't really say I enjoy them. Recently I decided to bake all of my bread ($3.99 organic loaf Vs. $.75 homemade organic loaf). I find that I really like to do it. I'm always looking for new easy recipes. I found a really easy no knead loaf. I'll share it in future posts.

So 2008 I'm going to take you in easy steps.