catching up – a long overdue update on all things:

Ok, i have so much i want to say. It is all a jumbled mess inside my head and i am not even sure where to start or how to get it to make any sense, but here goes.

2011 was the year that I had the least amount of income in my entire adult life. It was also the year that i gave away the most. As in more than half of casey’s salary. This means, even though i didn’t even claim close to half of what we gave away, I got a decent sized unexpected tax return yesterday. I used this to pay off my truck loan in full, and to catch everything else up. Other unexpected blessings: I was gifted with new front tires (mine were showing metal threads and were at risk of blowing at any moment. and i drive a few hundred miles a week with very precious cargo on board). Someone has committed to buying casey’s old truck, and his ‘new’ truck has been already paid in full too. Another powerful testimony builder for me. Do what you are told to do – fulfill your callings and pay your tithing in full – and you will be blessed with everything you need. In one way or another.

December was pretty damn hard. I was not raised in a family with money, nor have I ever had alot of it, personally, but i always had some. Enough for whatever my needs where. In December I didn’t have any.  For the first time in my adult life I didn’t have money to pay my bills, to buy food, or gas, or groceries. This has absolutely nothing to do with overspending on Christmas shopping, either, in case you were wondering. We didn’t. Not even close. Thankfully, we survived the roughest financial month of our lifes and we are so much stronger for it. I learned how important those beans in my food storage were. I learned how much a thoughtful gift from a friend can life your spirits and give you the strength to carry on. I learned that there are circumstances where even prepared people can have nothing – and that i shouldn’t judge anyone. I have held jobs in mainstream corporate america. I have been paid big salaries. I have had medical insurance. I have had savings accounts. I have had investments. I judged everyone who didn’t. How dare you not work hard and prepare your family for the harder times that will undoubtedly come, i thought!?!?  Then, after several months of one crazy unexpected expense on top of another, I no longer had mine and I realized how wrong i was to have judged.

Our new year resolution as a family was to give up eating meat – and we have thus far been successful. I feel better for it, and I am proud of us. I was supposed to have given up sodas in their entirety and, honestly, i haven’t. Casey was supposed to have given up alcohol, and he hasn’t either. We have both re-committed to quitting again. More on our progress later.

i have blogged about our FHE that we have recently started doing, but  they haven’t uploaded yet because of their media content size and my limited internet access. They should be up soon, though. Until then, just know that we are having FHEs weekly now – and that is something big for us!

two more things i want to talk about in separate respective posts is tonight’s Relief Society Enrichment where we had a patriarch come and talk to us and also my upcoming temple trip. For these topics I want to give them the time and attention and respect they deserve… not part of tonights crazy ramble.

oh, and i’m writing a book. its kinda a secret right now. more specifics on that later!

goodnight!

Thank you, my friend.

I haven’t been able to check my mail in about a week, so today when I finally made my way to my ‘local’ post office i found an envelope that contained nothing except a white sheet a paper wrapped around a $100 HEB gift card. This brought me to tears, because as i mentioned here, we haven’t really been able to go grocery shopping recently. The sender didn’t include a name as to who it was sent from, but i am still pretty sure i know who it was. So,to you, my special anonymous friend, just know this: i am VERY thankful for you. I am thankful for your friendship, love and support. For answering my questions and listening to my rambles. For always helping me… in so many ways.

and just writing this tonight has made me cry. again. in such a wonderfully cleansing way.

Book Exchange!

I have just accepted an invite to join in on a children’s book exchange… What a fun way to join in on my penpal project and to get books for your kiddos, too!  if you are interested in becoming part of the one i am hosting please message me with your name and mailing address so that i can send you out an invite.

persistence

i just made one of my past due mortgage payments online, and will make the other before the end of the month… Then i’ll start knocking out the truck payments that fell behind and i’ll be fully caught up. Only another month or so of eating beans. ;)

I only mention that to get to this – no matter what sort of rough patch you go through just know that it is always temporary. You can always work your way through anything.  You can work and pray at the same time. Do not just sit around all day saying that you are waiting on God, or the universe or whatever else you may or may not believe in, to solve your problems. Anything worth doing at all with have its challenges and you will undoubtedly come face to face with the advisory at some point in your journey. To overcome your problems, to conquer your fears, or to achieve anything great in life you MUST work hard. Period. The only difference between being poor and being broke is your mindset. I can easily say that i am broke right now. Hell, i might even reasonably say that i am super-broke right now… but i am NOT poor. My struggles are temporary and serve a purpose. They teach me and make me stronger – physically, emotionally and spiritually. I never finished college, but I have held great jobs for wonderful companies and I have accomplished more at a younger age than the stereotypical American teenager. I am excellent with my finances and I have never set a goal that I wasn’t able to accomplish. i know where I am going, and I know how this all ends… what i do not know is how i will get there. I have had to humble myself and ask for help several times in my life, but, again, that is part of learning and growing. It takes a strong man to admit when he can’t do what he set out to do and when he needs help, does it not? i used to to be too weak to accomplish such a seemingly simple task. Personal growth is pretty damn hard, but incredibly rewarding as well.

So, to sum up today’s rambles… If you are in a tough spot, work your way out. And, as my Sam says, “if you find yourself in the belly of the whale you just gotta pray your way out”. Just remember that you can work and pray at the same time, folks.

Keep on keepin on!

[oh! one of my new years resolutions is a pretty cool one... stay tuned for a sneak peak of my newest project!]

I have a [fun] favor to ask yall…

I would really enjoy an old fashioned pen pal. I’ve mentioned so many times how I love hand written correspondence and receiving fun boxes in the mail and, really, i would just love to hear from YOU.

So, please write me… about anything at all.

Tell me about your day, something inspirational or fun. Just send me a little note, a picture, a recipe, or a book to share… simply anything. i promise i will return the favor!

Sam is 4 & Charlie Grace is almost 19 months – i bet they would like a pen pal too and maybe even my hubby, Casey. Add us to your holiday card list, too. :)

PO BOX 456 Bellville, Texas 77418

…here’s hopeing for a much better year!

I know i am a few days late, but here are the photos of us at midnight on New Years. We have high hopes for 2012… Lets hope we have what it takes to get to where we want to be. Lots of personal goals for growth and we aren’t giving up on anything we have set out to do any time soon! Happy New Year, ya’ll! Lets make it an awesome one!

From the mouths of babes

Sam, age 4, has said two things that melted my heart recently. I just had to share them here!

The other day while driving around he noticed I was frustrated in my thoughts. I still haven’t found a way to catch up on the past due mortage and car payments and even though he was unaware of it at the time i was almost in tears thinking about forclosure as well as – less important but equally upsetting – ruining my perfect credit. We had the radio on and he was playing with his younger sister in the backseat, but when he noticed I was upset he said:

“Mom, when you find yourself in the belly of a whale you just gotta pray your way out!”

Then, last night while driving home from Casey’s bosses house where we had spent the afternoon Sam melted my heart by saying:

“a long, long time ago before i came to earth to live with you i lived in a spirit world and i was just talkin’ to jesus and heavenly father one day and i said i would come to earth but only if they would send charlie one day to live with me, too. I needed a little best friend sister. Im glad she came. I picked her for you, mom.”

2011 in review & our hopes for 2012

As the end of the year approaches i can’t help but reflect on the happenings of the past 12 months. From happiness to hardships – we have experienced it all.

The year started out pretty normal, and we weren’t looking to change a whole lot in our life’s. Sometime in late March or early April, as a result of prayer and fasting, I decided that we needed to give  up everything we owned and move full time into an RV. I can’t help but laugh when I read the post that documented that decision (click here to view that post) because nothing at all has gone the way we planned. In fact, most of my goals have completely changed. Thing is, though, that if we hadn’t have had those goals to begin with the plan that the Lord laid out for us wouldn’t have seemed like anything that we were willing to do. And, furthermore, if we hadn’t gone ahead and done the things that were laid out in our plan we would not be where we are now… A place where we are continuously growing, learning, exploring, changing, and even conquering some of our largest fears. Originally, the plan was to give up all of our unnecessary worldly possessions, lease out our cypress house, empty our savings account to pay cash for a land-lease and a travel trailer and to live off the bare minimum while we saved up what i assumed would be lots of money to build a brand new super-awesome house. Oh my, was I was off! So far we have had unexpected illness, emergency surgeries, broken teeth, flooded RVs and a a few months of homelessness. Geez, did I forget anything? Anyway, in the process of going though all of THAT our minds  have been opened and our hearts have been softened. Remember that house i refused to sell? I think i want to sell it. Remember that super-awesome large home I wanted to build? i realized that i don’t *need* it and that i dont even  really want it. in fact I don’t want the commitment of building anything right now. when i am ready to build i am almost positive it will be small, modest, and ‘off the grid’. remember all that money i thought I would save? it doesn’t exist. in fact, we have blown through the close to $21,000 that I *did* have… and inquired no less than $100,000 in medical debt. probably more than 5x that after all the late fees and charges that are constantly being added. remember the land I was going to buy? the deal fell through and, honestly, i am glad it did. we ended up needing that money for other things this year and, hey, we decided that we aren’t at all interested in building the type of extravagant and luxurious house that type of lot in that type of community would require.

At the beginning of the year my husband refused to let me go to the temple. Now i have his permission. He also said he would never get baptized. Now he says he will… when he is 82. I was against the idea of unschooling. Now, i realize how it is a much better fit for our family (instead of traditional homeschooling). I was obsessed with the idea of buying up lots of cheap homes and renting them out for profit. Now, I want to open my own organic produce market with a juice bar. I could go on and on, but I won’t. My point is that I firmly beleive that the Lord led us down this particular path to teach us something and to say we have learned alot thus far would be an understatement! We have learned what feels like a lifetime full of lessons, and really, its has only been 6 months since we moved out of our home. It has been a very humbling experience.

I have so much to say, really, but i’ll have to stop there.

As for 2012  – Casey has decided that our family will go on a meat-fast. We will still eat eggs and cheeses, but we won’t be eating any kind of ‘flesh’. We will also be eating primarily organic and raw food, but we will not be limited to that. If we want to roast veggies, or something we will.  We are not committing to eating only raw food at this point. Casey has also committed to not drinking any beer/liquor/wine or the like for the entire year, while I have committed to no longer drinking diet dr. pepper and monster energy drinks. Berkey water will be our primary drink, along with fresh unpasteurized vegan juices, smoothies and the occasional carbonated apple or mandrin orange juice. I think making these sacrifices -where we are cleansing our bodies from our addictions- will help us to grow alot too. An addiction is an addiction is an addiction. You can be addicted to bad food and drink choices, and I am. Casey isn’t without addiction, either, and he plans on conquering them, too. I am excited to move forward with healthier habits, and I know Casey is too.

My other resolution is a repeat of last year (as documented here): Watch my words. Judge less. Forgive more. Love. Love. Love.

i have lots more things that i am resolving to do this coming year, but i’ll save those for tomorrow’s post. ;)

And then there is these guys. I wanna just love them and enjoy every moment that I can with them. They pretty much rock.

New lower price! Will accept barters & trades! FOR SALE: 1981 Ford F150

Asking $2400 OBO in cash, or we will consider your barter/trade offers.

http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2773948312.html

FOR SALE: 1981 Ford F150

Casey and i are selling his truck. Willing to take cash or firearms, ammo, or tools as a trade. Price is neg. He is getting a truck from work that is big enough to tow our RV and has a backseat for the kids – we cant pass that up nor do we have the space needed to hold on to an extra vehicle. It has current stickers good till the end of next year and is his current daily driver. We could really use the extra money so if you know of anyone who is interested please let me know! We have a clean and clear Texas title in our hot little hands, so worries there. He has written a very honest ad with all the details… please read on to take a gander.

I am selling my 1981 Ford F-150 Custom. This is currently my daily driver, I am only selling it because I am purchasing a newer vehicle  (with a backseat for my kids) and don’t have room for this one.

Single cab, long bed, Inline 6 300 cubic inch engine, Single barrel carburetor, four speed manual transmission, I assume it has over 200,000 miles on it, the odometer has rolled over on me since I’ve had it, and I’m sure it’s not the first time, but not 100% sure either way

The good:

Top half of motor has been rebuilt within last year, new push rods, head gasket, etc
Front brake lines recently replaced
Registration Good until 09/12
Inspection Good until 11/12
New tires all around purchased in the last year (still have nubbies on the outside)
Spare Tire
Installed aftermarket stereo
Battery is just over a year old
New starter
New flywheel

The bad:

Has some body rust/dents
Needs a new windshield
Reverse lights do not work (not needed for inspection)
Interior is rough
Rear tank is missing (was going to replace it, but haven’t had the time)
Could use new shocks/springs
Does not like cold starts, have to let it warm up about twenty minutes in the winter before driving

The ugly:

Leaks oil, needs new gasket (have the gasket to include)
Rear drum brakes are leaking, need to check brake fluid level every couple days
No a/c (does have heat though)
It’s a 30 year old truck that has all the problems you would associate with a 30 year old vehicle

With all that said it has been a very reliable vehicle, I really hate to give it up, but I found a deal I couldn’t pass up. Feel free to email any questions.

Price is negotiable and I am willing to consider cash and trade for firearms, tools, etc.

Will have more pictures soon.