~~October 2016~~Sew, it was the greatest Stitch Experience ever!~~Final Update 3/19/2017!

[Born 2B a Princess]

Hi!!! Congrats on getting close to having another debt paid off. And congratulations to Allison on her promotion. So exciting!

I bought the Dave Ramsey book and took it with me on my trip to Florida...and didn't have a chance to start reading. It was a crazy busy trip...meetings that lasted all day, literally, plus training sessions that lasted all day. And network issues so that what should have taken me an hour to do in the evenings to prep for the next day took three hours or longer. Not much sleep while I was gone, and not nearly enough time to sit on the beach. Plus it was a bit chilly...I did get into my swimsuit and sit on the beach for about an hour one day...and just stared at the ocean and relaxed. The next two days it was pretty chilly and windy in the evenings so I walked a bit but it was too cold to be there for long. That was disappointing. But I could hear the waves from my room and that was glorious. Anyway...bought the book...didn't start reading yet, but I'm going to. Hold me accountable -- make me do it! I'm exhausted today...I don't sleep well away from home, and my cold is coming back. It was so good to get home and sleep in my own bed last night. I think it's going to take me a few days to recuperate from this trip.

I didn't go to one of the parks while I was there, but yesterday I had to drive from the east coast of Florida (Melbourne/Cocoa Beach area) to Tampa to catch my flight home...which meant driving through Orlando...and so I planned a stop at Disney Springs. I was only there for an hour but it was fun. The smells always get to me -- Ghirardelli smells so good! I picked up part of Alyssa's bridal shower gift from me (they're doing a red, gray, black, and white kitchen) -- a beautiful wood rolling pin with a swirling Mickey design carved in it, a cute Mickey glove hot pad, some little red and white polka dotted prep bowls with a Minnie bow on them, and a Disney cookbook that has recipes for a couple of her favorite dishes in it. That was fun. I picked up some little things for the girls at Basin (they love the bath balls, and they have mini ones now), a couple of lip balms (I love their lip balm), and then a blouse for Brie at Tren-D, a skirt for Alyssa at UniQlo, and a t-shirt for Andrew. (I always bring the girls a small gift when I come home from a work trip.) I was good and didn't go into Amorette's Patisserie....I was definitely tempted. Took a quick walk through World of Disney, the Co-op, Tren-D, and the kitchen store, and then it was time to hop in the car and continue on my way. It was fun to be there, even just for an hour.



Yes, giving is a wonderful thing. It brings such happiness and excitement into my life. I love being able to surprise people with just a little something that lets them know they are important to me -- whether that's doing something nice for them, or a little surprise gift. Being able to make someone's day makes my day.

We are in the home stretch to the wedding now. I downloaded the fonts today that were used on the wedding invitations so I can start addressing invitations. (NO way I'm doing all of that by hand!). I need to really buckle down and get the decorations finished, and goodness -- just remembered I need to finalize things with the cake lady... The stress right now is waiting on the bridesmaids dresses to be restocked so I can get those ordered. I really can only give that another two weeks and then we'll have to go with our backup plan....so fingers crossed that the dresses are restocked this week. They should have been in last week.....

Big job decisions being made here...I was offered a job out in Utah which would enable us to be close to both girls (Brie got accepted to her college of choice yesterday, and it's where Alyssa and Andrew are)...plus be with my husband's family. But I was also offered a new job in the office I'm in now... Both are good options...so we're trying to make a final decision in the next week or so. Stress! I don't like stress! But it seems to be my constant companion these days.

 

[branmuffin]

Congratulations on having your Jeep paid off! We were able to pay both our cars off before we left the states, and it is such a good feeling not to have that car payment. Good luck on plowing through your next bill. It is so difficult to do, but it will be so good for your future. I love the puppy pictures! They are so sweet and cuddly- like two giant furry babies! Also Congrats to A on her promotion. I am glad she is in a space of contentment. And I didn't get to say, but congrats to V on getting her driver's license. It sounds like it was a long day to wait, but worth sticking it out. Did you all get hit with that big storm that was headed your way? Hopefully Spring will show its face soon enough.
I was reading about your family history story ( are you doing ancestry.com?). I have wanted to do that for a long time, but couldn't justify the expense. But I do have kind of an interesting related story. So, from 2010-2013, we were stationed in Quantico, VA which is about 30 mi south of DC. We went into DC many times to take advantage of all the free National monuments and museums (I loved living there!). Anyway, one year at Spring Break, Emma went down to TN to spend the week with my parents, and DH & I went to DC on our own. We went to the building where you can walk in and see the Constitution & the Declaration of Independence. When we came out, we went around the building and decided to see what was on the other side. It turns out, the National Archives are on the other side and it is completely open to the public. So, we went in, and we had to register. We got these really cool official looking ID cards with our pictures that say National Archives. You can use them inside the building anytime to use the computers. They are completely hooked into the ancestry.com system. Also if you want to see a document- say the 1850 census for your county- you go upstairs, write it down on a piece of paper and the librarian will bring out the giant book or document it is in and set it down on the table for you. It was the coolest thing. I don't think many people know about it. We stayed in there for probably 3 hours just nerding out on old records! Sorry, that was a long story, but if you ever go to DC, it's something cool that not a lot of people go to. Anyway, I find it fascinating too. Good luck on finding your family tree!

We haven't been up to much here. Emma is in a play next Friday, so she has had several rehearsals this week which keeps her busy. As you saw, Quinn is hobbling around just fine. We go to have her leg re-checked on March 13, and I am really hoping they don't have to re-cast. That will give us about 2 weeks before our Tokyo trip, and time for her to readjust to not having the cast anymore. My goal this week is to try to reorganize some of the spaces in my house. I feel like I have so much clutter everywhere, and I hate it! One room at a time, I guess. I hope you have a good weekend!

 

[WDisneyMom]

Hi Dorine! It's been a crazy few weeks but I'm happy to have just caught up on your TR. Conngratulations to A on her promotion, to V on getting her license and to you and Josh on paying off the Jeep! Such exciting news in your family!

Also a sincere thank you to you for all of the positive, encouraging, and kind comments on FB during our Disney vacation last week. We had an amazing time with family and friends and our first 5K and even though it was also an emotional trip, it was healing and peaceful as well. If that makes sense.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend!

 

[DMGeurts]

Trying to catch up on replies this morning... I"ll get the rest tomorrow.

Day 2 of Level 3 was much easier to follow along with since I had a clue what was coming up next. I get what you mean about it being your favorite--I feel like it's over in a flash! and I feel like it has a quicker pace even though the minutes are clearly the same. I feel like I'm challenged a little more, but I can totally take on the challenge, which is a way better feeling than bursting into tears over each exercise like I felt in the beginning!!

We're doing the Polar Plunge this weekend into Lake Michigan (which the water will be cold, but it's supposed to be 55 air temp, so that will make a huge difference!!!) Our little team of 20 or so raised over $11,000 for Special Olympics!! In any case, after the plunge I'm already registered for a few more 5Ks leading up to January 2018 when I will get to do my first runDisney events--all signed up for the 5 and 10K but it's REALLY official now since I booked our resort reservation yesterday. WOO HOO!!!

That's really awesome!!! Are you using ancestry.com to do it or some other method??

Hahaha - yes it does get easier once you aren't tripping on yourself as much. Yah - I still haven't figured out why it's the easiest level for me - I am not sure if it's because a person has built endurance and muscle by then - of if it's just an easier level? Either way - I like easier. LOL

I loved all of the pictures this weekend - it looked like you all had a blast! Great stuff!!!!

And congrats on all of the 5ks and your first RunDisney event... It's still in my dreams too - one day. Oooh - and I missed your resort booking... Where did you decide on?

Yes - currently I am using Ancestry - though I am too cheap to pay for a membership - so I am just doing what I can without one. BFF does have a membership though - and I am building my tree under that... So, if there is something I need to see - she can look at it for me, but I can't see it. It's very strange - though it's working out pretty well. I have some weird stuff in my family... Like TWO brothers with the SAME name - both lived to old age... WHY would you do that???

Have a great week!

How great that you have been able to have this lifestyle of healthy eating and work outs for 5 years

How great that you can research your family and find your roots. It's so much easier doing this research now that much of the information is on the internet. My mother researched her family and my grandmother researched her family together almost 30 years ago. At that time they had to go to The National Archives of Norway to read the Censuses, Parish registers, Real estate registers and old news papers to find out about our family. Today it's so much easier because all of this is on the internet so you can do the research without leaving your house.

My mother found out that one of our relatives whent with Titanic from England over to the USA on 3rd class and survived the shipwreck. Not many people on 3rd class did survive because they were locked up so that 1st class could get of the ship first. But my relative was a sleep in is cabin and heard the impact with the iceberg and he went up on deck and refused to go down to his cabin. That way he wasn't trapped under deck when they started to evacuate the ship. For many years he traveled around the world to tell the story about Titanic.

Thanks! It's been a tough few years!

Exactly - most of the research can be done from home... Rather than physically finding people and waiting for mail to arrive - and word of mouth is often unreliable - even family bibles, where most of this info was once recorded, are inaccurate... Now, at least most of the records are online to be found. It makes the search easier.

WOW!!! That is interesting, and crazy!!! So, glad your ancestor was stubborn!

It's hard to get into scrapbooking. I started with a Disney album that had shapes for pictures. For example, one was the sorcerer's hat and the space for the picture was the brim. It was actually pretty difficult to get the pictures to fit and look nice. Then my daughter got a cricut and our scrapbooking was started. I only have Disney scrapbooks though. Still trying to decide if I want to make scrapbooks or just photo albums for the kids. They have done some scrapbooks too, so I think just albums if I ever hope to get them done, lol. I really want to do pictures of their whole lives and not just Disney. I mainly have Disney papers and stickers so it would be cheaper to just do the photo albums.

It's kind of funny but I started trying to lose weight 5 years ago too and lost 30 pounds. I have gained about 5 pounds back after I quit working. I just started again and could lose 25 more. I've mainly given up snacking at all except for an apple in the afternoon if I'm hungry. It's going pretty well and I've been walking on my treadmill until it's warmer outside. I really hope I can stick with it again. My original goal was 50 pounds so I hope I can make it this time.

I love the pictures of the dogs on the couch with Josh. Max looks kind of sad that he doesn't get to lay on Josh. The last dog we had liked to lie by the couch so he could nudge our hands if we quit petting him. I still miss having a dog sometimes, but it sure is easier to go to Florida and not worry about a pet. It's especially true now that we go for a month.

Congrats on paying off the jeep. It sounds like you're really applying yourselves to getting your debts paid off. I was afraid when I retired that I would spend too much shopping since I would have the time. I've found I don't really go out that much. I used to find so many "deals" that I really didn't need. Now I just occasionally take the grandkids shopping. They're older now and are a little more picky. My granddaughter had picked out some shoes for her morp(9th grade prom), but they were expensive so I told her I would buy them. We face timed on the computer while we were in Florida so we could see her all dressed up. She looked so pretty and was so happy I got her the shoes.

Enjoy the nice warm weather that's coming. I hope to get out and do a little walking.

Your scrap books sound awesome! I admire anyone who can get them done - they tend to be such a huge and time consuming project!

You can do it!!! It's awesome that you've maintained your loss for so long! That is a huge accomplishment in itself!

Hahaha - Max moved on his own free will, right before I snapped the pic... Max tends to get hot quickly - so he only ever cuddles for a short time before he starts to get wiggly - then he sits up like that and pants for a while - then he leaves. LOL He has always been that way.

Yes - it feels so good to be making so much progress! I was much the same way - but for me, it truly got out of hand within the last year... Too much time in Target filling my cart with needless items - it was time to reign it in and put an immediate stop to it. We have been dedicated to this for 2.5 months - and I am just now getting to the point where I can walk through Target and really not have to ask myself if an item is a need or a want - which is really good progress.

Thanks! I wanted to get out this weekend - I had every intention yesterday - but the sun just never came out... Hopefully this week I can get out there.

I hope you have a great week too, and enjoy the weather!

Yay Dorine! Way to budget and get your Jeep paid off. You are doing awesome with this debt thing. Congrats!
I talked to Tyler today about a vehicle for Ariece. I think a small loan is going his way. The only things they can find in their budget are clunkers. It was a good discussion. They are going to look some more this weekend.

Just a sidenote on your healthy eating. You have motivated me in more ways than you know. I knew I had to go a different route with my arthritis, but you really set my path. I go wandering off that path many times but eventually get back. Its called healthy living for life right? 5 years Dorine - what an accomplishment!

Dorine, you are not boring at all. It is so good to find you here each day my friend and see what all is up. That is so interesting about your family tree. I looked up some stuff when I sent in my DNA. I was curious about my father's parents and it was eye opening. Everyone had told me they were from the Ukraine which turned out to not be true. They were both born in different villages in Poland, which eventually became part of the Ukraine during all of the wars. So, born Polish, died Ukrainan. I am glad your BFF got you started!

I am so excited for a Dorine PTR - who cares if the date is undetermined! You will get there!

Have a wonderful weekend. Not much on my plate except the usual laundry, house cleaning and errands. Life is fun.

Hugs and prayers always.

Thanks! We are really feeling great about this! I am so excited to get this stuff out of our lives for good!

Hopefully Tyler and Aerice are able to find a way to get a reliable vehicle without taking out a loan... Though I do understand - sometimes a person just has to.

Thank you - as you know - I really struggle with myself a lot to keep going... At this point, I think I just do it out of habit - after 5 years, it's definitely ingrained in me. LOL You all keep me going too - and keep me accountable... I am not sure where I would be without that? Thank you for continually motivating me!

It's so interesting isn't it? And kind of fun - just to see who and where you came from. There are so many more twists and turns than I ever imagined! I love learning about it, and love learning about what these people did - even though you can never really know their personalities - you can still track them and their families movements... I was surprised at how nomadic they were. LOL Which I guess, is somewhat normal at that time, since there was so much opportunity and so much land available.

I do have some ideas... My first ever IRL Disney friend is in WDW this week... We were both managers together at Gymboree once upon a time... Her and I were talking about taking a trip together one day. It would be so fun to go with her! We'll see?

I hope you had a great weekend! And a good upcoming week! Hugs Carol!

********************************************************************************************************

Sorry about only doing half of the replies this morning... I got here much later than I had intended.

We had a pretty relaxing weekend...

Friday night - Allison was home for dinner, and V worked... It was nice to catch up with her.

Saturday - we hung around at home - I did a bit of cleaning. A neighbor came over with some treats for us - as Josh goes around town after every snow storm and clears driveways - he just likes to do it... So, often times, neighbors will show up with fresh eggs from their chickens or baked goodies for him. So, we had coffee and visited with her for quite some time. It was nice... as we don't interact with our neighbors much in the winter time.

Saturday evening, we decided to go see a movie... A Dog's Purpose... Um - yah - I cried through most of it. LOL I knew that before we went though - so I was prepared with tissues... Parts I cried because it was sad, other parts I cried because it was happy. If you need a good cry - I highly recommend this movie.

After - we went out for dinner at Culvers - I had coupons. LOL I had a nice salad, still doing well on my "no grains" Lenten promise.

Yesterday - again, we did nothing... Well, Josh spent the day doing our taxes... which is always "fun". We are getting a small refund from both federal and state... Even though we are committed to paying off debt - we both decided that this will go towards new tires for our vehicles... I was saving for them - so combining our refunds with the $$ I was saving, we will have enough. Then I can put all of the $$ we were planning to save, from here forward, to pay off debt. I strongly believe that we need to "learn our lesson" as we go through this journey and we should be paying off our debt with hard work and sacrifice - not "free $$" (not that this is free, but you know what I mean...) We are both content with this decision. Onward and upwards!

And that's about all... My upcoming week is a little busier than it has been recently... V has an appointment this afternoon... I have a hair appointment tomorrow night... I work at Target on Wed... I don't think I have anything going on Thursday... And Friday is grocery shopping day - so I am off of work upstairs. This week will go quickly!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!! I'll try to get back tomorrow to do the rest of the replies! Prayers and pixie dust to all!

D~

 

[anniebean]

You are a braver woman than I. I can't do dog movies, like at all. I'm a blubbering blob by the end and usually have a headache from all the stress/dehydration from crying. My Dog Skip was probably the last dog movie I watched....and I cried like at baby during it.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

We got frustrated with Ancestry.com. My aunt went in and created a tree with information she thought was correct. She got our birthdates wrong, the spelling of some of our names wrong, but it won't let us correct it and she won't or doesn't know how to correct it. It won't let us do another one, because there is already a family tree there. And much of the "family tree" was her guessing. So, nothing based on actual facts.

 

[gopherdame]

We had a nice weekend. My daughter and grandkids usually come over Sat. night as her husband works weekend nights at KARE 11. Culver's is one of our favorite spots to go for dinner. We were a little disappointed when they cut out the chicken dinners. I love their chicken salad too and those were the 2 things I alternated between, depending on how hungry I was. I decided to get the fish dinner for the first time, but I was not impressed. It was just too greasy. My husband got the walleye fish sandwich and he said the same thing.

I did our taxes as soon as we got back from Florida. I was surprised to get our refund in 7 days. Usually I do them at the beginning of Feb. so I thought it would take longer this time. It's nice to have a little more to add to our window fund. We could pay part of the loan off now, but since there is no interest we're going to wait until they're installed in April.

My husband just got new tires on his car too. Mine will probably need them before next winter I think. They are such an expense. His car is 11 years old, but has just 50,000 miles since he doesn't drive it much in the winter. His tires were starting to crack so it was time. He kept trying to decide if he wanted a new car, but now has decided to keep it longer. Thank goodness, I don't want a car payment while we're trying to pay off new windows.

I have a dentist appointment to get a crown redone. There is a little decay under the crown and he thinks he can save the tooth. I hope he can as it also had a root canal. If he can't it will have to be pulled. Luckily it's in the back so shouldn't be too noticeable. He says it's hard to tell until he gets the old crown off. Not looking forward to it, but need to get it done before it gets worse. After that my week is free and I hope to start my scrapbook.

Have a great week Dorine!

 

[Terkina]

How nice of Josh to go around town and clear driveways after every snow storm. How great that your neighbors shows that they appreciate by giving him fresh egg from their chickens or baked goodies.

I'm not sure I'm ready to see the movie A Dog's Purpose. I'm so emotional so I know I will cry through the whole movie.

How great that you are doing well on your "no grains".

How great that you are getting a small refund on your taxes so you can pay more debt. It's great that you both agree on how to pay off the debt.

I hope you have a great week

 

[Sweetly]

So glad to hear you paid off the Jeep. What a great feeling that is.

Thank you for sharing the picks of V, and of course all your adventures over the years with the girls.

Happy for Allison to make a dent in her bill. It's a great, but hard lesson to learn and she seems to be doing well.

Nothing new going on here. My daughter was home for break and a friend came home with her. It was nice having them here.

We are under watch for a big snow storm; which is odd because we just had 70 plus degree weather. Go figure!!
As promised So glad to hear you paid off the Jeep. What a great feeling that is.

Thank you for sharing the picks of V, and of course all your adventures over the years with the girls.

Happy for Allison to make a dent in her bill. It's a great, but hard lesson to learn and she seems to be doing well.

Nothing new going on here. My daughter was home for break and a friend came home with her. It was nice having them here.

We are under watch for a big snow storm; which is odd because we just had 70 plus degree weather. Go figure!!

Well I did post my remodel picture here and it got removed. I have no clue what is going on, but I am determined one way or another to be able to show you. LOL!!! Some day soon I hope. At least before it has to be done again.

Have a wonderful day!
​

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

We saw Dog's Purpose a few weeks ago. It wasn't the silent tears streaming down your face type of crying. There was audible sobbing going on in that theater. It was the crying that has your heart hurting. Very good movie. We will probably buy that one, because Jacob wants to see it, but he cried at Tinkerbell and the Neverbeast, so he doesn't want to see it in public.

 

[DMGeurts]

Hi!!! Congrats on getting close to having another debt paid off. And congratulations to Allison on her promotion. So exciting!

I bought the Dave Ramsey book and took it with me on my trip to Florida...and didn't have a chance to start reading. It was a crazy busy trip...meetings that lasted all day, literally, plus training sessions that lasted all day. And network issues so that what should have taken me an hour to do in the evenings to prep for the next day took three hours or longer. Not much sleep while I was gone, and not nearly enough time to sit on the beach. Plus it was a bit chilly...I did get into my swimsuit and sit on the beach for about an hour one day...and just stared at the ocean and relaxed. The next two days it was pretty chilly and windy in the evenings so I walked a bit but it was too cold to be there for long. That was disappointing. But I could hear the waves from my room and that was glorious. Anyway...bought the book...didn't start reading yet, but I'm going to. Hold me accountable -- make me do it! I'm exhausted today...I don't sleep well away from home, and my cold is coming back. It was so good to get home and sleep in my own bed last night. I think it's going to take me a few days to recuperate from this trip.

I didn't go to one of the parks while I was there, but yesterday I had to drive from the east coast of Florida (Melbourne/Cocoa Beach area) to Tampa to catch my flight home...which meant driving through Orlando...and so I planned a stop at Disney Springs. I was only there for an hour but it was fun. The smells always get to me -- Ghirardelli smells so good! I picked up part of Alyssa's bridal shower gift from me (they're doing a red, gray, black, and white kitchen) -- a beautiful wood rolling pin with a swirling Mickey design carved in it, a cute Mickey glove hot pad, some little red and white polka dotted prep bowls with a Minnie bow on them, and a Disney cookbook that has recipes for a couple of her favorite dishes in it. That was fun. I picked up some little things for the girls at Basin (they love the bath balls, and they have mini ones now), a couple of lip balms (I love their lip balm), and then a blouse for Brie at Tren-D, a skirt for Alyssa at UniQlo, and a t-shirt for Andrew. (I always bring the girls a small gift when I come home from a work trip.) I was good and didn't go into Amorette's Patisserie....I was definitely tempted. Took a quick walk through World of Disney, the Co-op, Tren-D, and the kitchen store, and then it was time to hop in the car and continue on my way. It was fun to be there, even just for an hour.

Yes, giving is a wonderful thing. It brings such happiness and excitement into my life. I love being able to surprise people with just a little something that lets them know they are important to me -- whether that's doing something nice for them, or a little surprise gift. Being able to make someone's day makes my day.

We are in the home stretch to the wedding now. I downloaded the fonts today that were used on the wedding invitations so I can start addressing invitations. (NO way I'm doing all of that by hand!). I need to really buckle down and get the decorations finished, and goodness -- just remembered I need to finalize things with the cake lady... The stress right now is waiting on the bridesmaids dresses to be restocked so I can get those ordered. I really can only give that another two weeks and then we'll have to go with our backup plan....so fingers crossed that the dresses are restocked this week. They should have been in last week.....

Big job decisions being made here...I was offered a job out in Utah which would enable us to be close to both girls (Brie got accepted to her college of choice yesterday, and it's where Alyssa and Andrew are)...plus be with my husband's family. But I was also offered a new job in the office I'm in now... Both are good options...so we're trying to make a final decision in the next week or so. Stress! I don't like stress! But it seems to be my constant companion these days.

Thanks! It is so exciting! I love seeing these numbers come down, and I am excited to see what progress we can make in the coming months!

Yes - your trip did sound like a whirlwind! But oh so fun - yay for going to Disney Springs, it sounds like you were able to grab some really cute and useful things for everyone!

Giving is just the best - isn't it!

Yay for all of the final items for the wedding to be completed! I remember, back in the day, I hand addressed all of our envelopes... My MIL was supposed to help me - as she does beautiful calligraphy - sadly that didn't work out... So, I just did them myself and they were fine - I doubt anyone remembers how my envelopes were addressed. So exciting though - and stressful to get it all done! You are so wonderfully organized though - I am certain everything will come together perfectly! You can bet - when my day comes, I'll be messaging you for all of your wisdom!

Ooooh - that is so exciting!!! A new job + being closer to the girls!!! That is such a big decision... I hope that you are both able to find some sort of happy medium that works for your family! I'll be thinking of you and sending pixie dust your way!

Congratulations on having your Jeep paid off! We were able to pay both our cars off before we left the states, and it is such a good feeling not to have that car payment. Good luck on plowing through your next bill. It is so difficult to do, but it will be so good for your future. I love the puppy pictures! They are so sweet and cuddly- like two giant furry babies! Also Congrats to A on her promotion. I am glad she is in a space of contentment. And I didn't get to say, but congrats to V on getting her driver's license. It sounds like it was a long day to wait, but worth sticking it out. Did you all get hit with that big storm that was headed your way? Hopefully Spring will show its face soon enough.
I was reading about your family history story ( are you doing ancestry.com?). I have wanted to do that for a long time, but couldn't justify the expense. But I do have kind of an interesting related story. So, from 2010-2013, we were stationed in Quantico, VA which is about 30 mi south of DC. We went into DC many times to take advantage of all the free National monuments and museums (I loved living there!). Anyway, one year at Spring Break, Emma went down to TN to spend the week with my parents, and DH & I went to DC on our own. We went to the building where you can walk in and see the Constitution & the Declaration of Independence. When we came out, we went around the building and decided to see what was on the other side. It turns out, the National Archives are on the other side and it is completely open to the public. So, we went in, and we had to register. We got these really cool official looking ID cards with our pictures that say National Archives. You can use them inside the building anytime to use the computers. They are completely hooked into the ancestry.com system. Also if you want to see a document- say the 1850 census for your county- you go upstairs, write it down on a piece of paper and the librarian will bring out the giant book or document it is in and set it down on the table for you. It was the coolest thing. I don't think many people know about it. We stayed in there for probably 3 hours just nerding out on old records! Sorry, that was a long story, but if you ever go to DC, it's something cool that not a lot of people go to. Anyway, I find it fascinating too. Good luck on finding your family tree!

We haven't been up to much here. Emma is in a play next Friday, so she has had several rehearsals this week which keeps her busy. As you saw, Quinn is hobbling around just fine. We go to have her leg re-checked on March 13, and I am really hoping they don't have to re-cast. That will give us about 2 weeks before our Tokyo trip, and time for her to readjust to not having the cast anymore. My goal this week is to try to reorganize some of the spaces in my house. I feel like I have so much clutter everywhere, and I hate it! One room at a time, I guess. I hope you have a good weekend!

It's an awesome feeling to get these bills out of our lives! It's been a little difficult not to spend like normal - but as the days go on, it becomes more natural and somewhat fun - I find it sort of a game to see how little I can spend. LOL

We didn't get much of the storm that we were supposed to get - we were just on the northern edge of it - had it gone more north - we would have had bigger issues... As it is though - we got just enough snow to make it inconvenient for the day... It's been melted and gone for days now - this time of year, the snow doesn't stay long.

We do dream of going to DC one day - I know that it's on Josh's wish list and mine too! I'll be sure to ask for advice when we do decide to plan that trip - it's going to be years away though, we have a few other trips on our agenda first. Sifting through old records and archives though does sound like a lOT Of fun and something I'd totally geek out on.

I hope everything goes OK with Quinn's cast check - and she doesn't have to be recasted. 2 weeks will be plenty of time for her to readjust - I remember V being back to normal in a few days - with exception to baths - that took a little longer.

Good luck with the organization! I will be working on some of that today - my MIL is coming for dinner tonight... and I found it good timing to take down the last of my winter decor and bring our the spring stuff - so I am going to work on that for a little bit this afternoon.

Hi Dorine! It's been a crazy few weeks but I'm happy to have just caught up on your TR. Conngratulations to A on her promotion, to V on getting her license and to you and Josh on paying off the Jeep! Such exciting news in your family!

Also a sincere thank you to you for all of the positive, encouraging, and kind comments on FB during our Disney vacation last week. We had an amazing time with family and friends and our first 5K and even though it was also an emotional trip, it was healing and peaceful as well. If that makes sense.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Thanks for stopping by to catch up - I know how hard it is to catch up here after being gone... I am terribly behind everywhere on the Dis (as usual) and fear there is no hope to catch up.

I so enjoyed seeing all of your pictures in my FB feed - I know it was an emotional trip for all of you - but it was also a beautiful trip with many more happy memories to be added.

Thank you - same to you!

You are a braver woman than I. I can't do dog movies, like at all. I'm a blubbering blob by the end and usually have a headache from all the stress/dehydration from crying. My Dog Skip was probably the last dog movie I watched....and I cried like at baby during it.

Yah - I think I am getting to that point too... LOL It was so sad... Yet so happy... and so emotional. Excellent movie though and I sure look at my dogs a bit differently.

We got frustrated with Ancestry.com. My aunt went in and created a tree with information she thought was correct. She got our birthdates wrong, the spelling of some of our names wrong, but it won't let us correct it and she won't or doesn't know how to correct it. It won't let us do another one, because there is already a family tree there. And much of the "family tree" was her guessing. So, nothing based on actual facts.

Yikes!!! Yes - it is so easy to get things wrong on there... I wonder why it won't let you correct it??? I have had many things wrong and I just click on the edit button and I can change things around fairly easy - I don't have a paid account. However - if it's HER tree, under her account, then there is nothing that you can do to fix her tree - she has to change it. Hopefully you are able to figure it out soon.

We had a nice weekend. My daughter and grandkids usually come over Sat. night as her husband works weekend nights at KARE 11. Culver's is one of our favorite spots to go for dinner. We were a little disappointed when they cut out the chicken dinners. I love their chicken salad too and those were the 2 things I alternated between, depending on how hungry I was. I decided to get the fish dinner for the first time, but I was not impressed. It was just too greasy. My husband got the walleye fish sandwich and he said the same thing.

I did our taxes as soon as we got back from Florida. I was surprised to get our refund in 7 days. Usually I do them at the beginning of Feb. so I thought it would take longer this time. It's nice to have a little more to add to our window fund. We could pay part of the loan off now, but since there is no interest we're going to wait until they're installed in April.

My husband just got new tires on his car too. Mine will probably need them before next winter I think. They are such an expense. His car is 11 years old, but has just 50,000 miles since he doesn't drive it much in the winter. His tires were starting to crack so it was time. He kept trying to decide if he wanted a new car, but now has decided to keep it longer. Thank goodness, I don't want a car payment while we're trying to pay off new windows.

I have a dentist appointment to get a crown redone. There is a little decay under the crown and he thinks he can save the tooth. I hope he can as it also had a root canal. If he can't it will have to be pulled. Luckily it's in the back so shouldn't be too noticeable. He says it's hard to tell until he gets the old crown off. Not looking forward to it, but need to get it done before it gets worse. After that my week is free and I hope to start my scrapbook.

Have a great week Dorine!

I was thinking of you the other day - I hope you didn't get hit with those storms! I know you live somewhere up in that general area.

I can't eat the fish at Culvers - I agree - it's just too greasy. A lot of their stuff is too greasy - to be honest.

Awesome for the addition of funds to your windows!

I agree - tires are soooo expensive!

Hopefully you are able to get your tooth fixed without too much work needing to be done.

Thanks - same to you!

How nice of Josh to go around town and clear driveways after every snow storm. How great that your neighbors shows that they appreciate by giving him fresh egg from their chickens or baked goodies.

I'm not sure I'm ready to see the movie A Dog's Purpose. I'm so emotional so I know I will cry through the whole movie.

How great that you are doing well on your "no grains".

How great that you are getting a small refund on your taxes so you can pay more debt. It's great that you both agree on how to pay off the debt.

I hope you have a great week

Yes - we have great neighbors! And man, can they cook! LOL Good stuff!

Yes - it's an emotional movie... If you don't like to cry - I don't recommend it.

Doing great on the no grains! It feels good!

We are excited to make more progress on our debt!

Thanks - same to you!

So glad to hear you paid off the Jeep. What a great feeling that is.

Thank you for sharing the picks of V, and of course all your adventures over the years with the girls.

Happy for Allison to make a dent in her bill. It's a great, but hard lesson to learn and she seems to be doing well.

Nothing new going on here. My daughter was home for break and a friend came home with her. It was nice having them here.

We are under watch for a big snow storm; which is odd because we just had 70 plus degree weather. Go figure!!
As promised So glad to hear you paid off the Jeep. What a great feeling that is.

Thank you for sharing the picks of V, and of course all your adventures over the years with the girls.

Happy for Allison to make a dent in her bill. It's a great, but hard lesson to learn and she seems to be doing well.

Nothing new going on here. My daughter was home for break and a friend came home with her. It was nice having them here.

We are under watch for a big snow storm; which is odd because we just had 70 plus degree weather. Go figure!!

Well I did post my remodel picture here and it got removed. I have no clue what is going on, but I am determined one way or another to be able to show you. LOL!!! Some day soon I hope. At least before it has to be done again.

Have a wonderful day!
​

It's so wonderful to see our numbers going down! And looking ahead to see them GONE! Can't wait!

I am glad you are enjoying all of the photos from trips past.

It is a hard lesson for her - and she is doing wonderful - I am so proud of her!

I am glad you were able to spend time with your daughter and her friend.

Sounds a lot like our weather lately... It swings so much at this time of year.

Hmmm... I wonder why it was removed? Bummed that I missed it!

Thanks! Same to you!

We saw Dog's Purpose a few weeks ago. It wasn't the silent tears streaming down your face type of crying. There was audible sobbing going on in that theater. It was the crying that has your heart hurting. Very good movie. We will probably buy that one, because Jacob wants to see it, but he cried at Tinkerbell and the Neverbeast, so he doesn't want to see it in public.

Well - we were only in a theater with 5 other people - so no audible crying - but I can almost guarantee that there wasn't a dry eye in the house. I don't blame Jacob for not wanting to see it in public... It's a good movie to rent and see in the privacy of your own home.

**********************************************************************************************************

It's been a crazy few days - as usual here...

A bit of a curve ball to our budget this morning - we woke up to a cold house - our furnace had gone out sometime during the night. Why does it always happen during the night? So, my apologies that my replies are a bit short this morning - my finger tips are cold. LOL Josh is trying to fix it (exactly what he loves to do first thing in the morning) - though we may have to dip into our emergency fund and call the furnace guy out... Which would be a bummer - but that is what it's there for. We'll see... Fingers crossed that he can fix it himself and we won't need to call anyone.

Otherwise - I've just been working... Working out... Eating (no grains)... Pretty boring stuff.

Tomorrow is grocery shopping day - I have my list ready to go and menus planned.

It's my goal to get my last update done here this weekend - sorry I didn't get it done last weekend - no excuse, except for laziness. LOL

Have a great day everyone! Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all!

D~

 

[missjackiemcg]

Otherwise - I've just been working... Working out... Eating (no grains)... Pretty boring stuff.

Good for you still on the no grains!!! You have better willpower than I!! The polar plunge (and my overindulging!!) took me out of commission with my exercise AND good eating for a couple of days, but today I am back on the wagon I also went out and got 2 lb. handweights because the 5 lb ones I was trying to use were really dangerous to my wall and floor when I was trying to do jumping jacks...LOL

 

[Terkina]

Crossing my fingers Josh is able to repair the furnace. I'm glad to hear you have emergency money so you can pay for a furnace guy if needed.

Nothing exciting happening here.

 

[Texan]

Hey there Dorine! Happy to be here following along. So sorry to hear about the furnace. Is it a gas furnace? Hopefully it is an easy fix.

I am interested in your no grain approach for Lent. I have one addiction that is grains that I am really going to have to be more focused on and that is pita chips. I eat them every day. With hummus. I really need to start cutting them out and see if I feel better. What grains did you have in your diet that you cut out?

Hope you had a good dinner with your MIL.

So Disney related, I would like to see some more pics! Looking forward to your weekend posts.

Hugs and prayers always!

 

[Clio]

Hopefully Josh can fix your furnace and you don't have to call the repair man. That can get expensive.
It's been quiet around here. We did have some wicked winds blow through here yesterday. Luckily I didn't have any damage.
I've been on days all week covering for someone that's on vacation. It's going to be hard to go back to my midshifts and only a couple of days a week.
Try and stay warm
Liz

 

[debedo]

Hope the furnace is an easy fix but you are correct with the emergency fund, that's what it's there for but I find it so hard to take the money out ! I know ...i know ....
Lovely weather we are having up here... First the tornado warning then an inch of snow What is it with this Minnesota weather!!
I hope your new PTR will keep us all updated regarding your budget, love hearing the progress and it is a huge motivation for me too sooooo thank you very much!!

 

[andera42]

Oh sorry about the furnace, hope it's a manageable fix. I'm still tracking my spending and I am being more mindful about spending and of course we have had a few life things happening,. New mattress, fixing my broken wedding ring, but at least I found the diamond. Such is life.

 

[DMGeurts]

Good for you still on the no grains!!! You have better willpower than I!! The polar plunge (and my overindulging!!) took me out of commission with my exercise AND good eating for a couple of days, but today I am back on the wagon I also went out and got 2 lb. handweights because the 5 lb ones I was trying to use were really dangerous to my wall and floor when I was trying to do jumping jacks...LOL

Yes - still doing well on the no grains... Not spectacular, but OK. LOL Read as: I had some lasagna the other night. :/

Your polar plunge looked so awesome and fun!

Hahahaha - I do the 30DS with 6lb weights - and that is some scary stuff right there! I hold on for dear life! The last thing I need is for one of my weights to go flying through the window. LOL

Crossing my fingers Josh is able to repair the furnace. I'm glad to hear you have emergency money so you can pay for a furnace guy if needed.

Nothing exciting happening here.

Furnace is repaired (by Josh) and the house is warm!

Nothing exciting here either...

Hey there Dorine! Happy to be here following along. So sorry to hear about the furnace. Is it a gas furnace? Hopefully it is an easy fix.

I am interested in your no grain approach for Lent. I have one addiction that is grains that I am really going to have to be more focused on and that is pita chips. I eat them every day. With hummus. I really need to start cutting them out and see if I feel better. What grains did you have in your diet that you cut out?

Hope you had a good dinner with your MIL.

So Disney related, I would like to see some more pics! Looking forward to your weekend posts.

Hugs and prayers always!

Yes - it's a gas furnace... Josh was able to fix it... Every year, it seems, we have a valve that likes to stick.... I don't exactly enjoy hearing him down there banging on the furnace... Lots of squeezing my eyes shut/making the sign of the Cross/Hail Marys...

Ahhh... It's hard giving up things. I wish I could say I was perfect - but I had lasagna the other night when MIL was over... After putting so much effort into making that - I had no ambition to make something else for myself. I felt every bite of guilt for knowingly eating it. I feel like there is so much more guilt when God is involved. In the same respect - concentrating on just ONE thing for such a short time, makes giving it up a bit easier... I am not eliminating anything else during this time - though naturally, I am eating less dairy - which is good too.

It was very nice to catch up with MIL... It's always good to see her and hear what she has been up to. We are hoping to get out to visit her sometime after our debt is paid off - as she has lived there for 6 years already and we have never once visited her. Yet - I've gone to WDW 6 times... I don't feel great about that.

Hoping to do a final update this weekend... I have to get some pictures uploaded - so we'll see if Photobucket cooperates?

Sending you hugs and prayers too Carol!!!

Hopefully Josh can fix your furnace and you don't have to call the repair man. That can get expensive.
It's been quiet around here. We did have some wicked winds blow through here yesterday. Luckily I didn't have any damage.
I've been on days all week covering for someone that's on vacation. It's going to be hard to go back to my midshifts and only a couple of days a week.
Try and stay warm
Liz

Yup - furnace is fixed, and it's nice and cozy in our house again.

Ohhh we had those winds too - it was TERRIBLE!!! It was *almost* dangerous to walk outside, debris flying everywhere! So glad that is over! LOL

Hopefully your week goes quick... Are you enjoying the morning shifts?

Thanks! Same to you!

Hope the furnace is an easy fix but you are correct with the emergency fund, that's what it's there for but I find it so hard to take the money out ! I know ...i know ....
Lovely weather we are having up here... First the tornado warning then an inch of snow What is it with this Minnesota weather!!
I hope your new PTR will keep us all updated regarding your budget, love hearing the progress and it is a huge motivation for me too sooooo thank you very much!!

It was easy - for me anyways... Just lots of praying. Josh is the one who did the hard stuff!

It's seriously crazy!!! I hope you didn't get any damage from the tornado?

It will - I'll keep you all updated on everything in my life, as usual. Yesterday was pay day - so we made some huge progress! I'll update below.

Stay warm - spring is coming - I just know it!

Oh sorry about the furnace, hope it's a manageable fix. I'm still tracking my spending and I am being more mindful about spending and of course we have had a few life things happening,. New mattress, fixing my broken wedding ring, but at least I found the diamond. Such is life.

The furnace is fixed... Josh was able to do it himself - so we didn't have to touch the emergency fund at all.

Yay!!! Good for you!!! That is awesome! I hate when necessary things take away from paying off stuff - though you are headed in the right direction!!!

*********************************************************************************************************

OK - first things first - for those that don't read all of my individual replies... The furnace is fixed! Josh was able to fix it on his own and we didn't have to call anyone! Murphy avoided!

I am trying to remember what I've done over the last few days... Not much...

Working... Working out... Eating and avoiding grains... Paying bills... Boring stuff!



So, the other day - I switched purses for spring... I have a lot of different bags - as you can probably imagine... And I like to change them out whenever the urge strikes. Well, I decided to go back to my Vera Bradley Midnight with Mickey Hipster from last summer... I took it out of storage, it felt a little heavy, as it turns out - I didn't clean it out before I packed it away (typically I do)... This was such an AWAKENING for me, and it literally made me cry... It was a very sad thing, to see how bad my spending truly had become over the last year or so. This photo is so hard for me to share... Me... The person who INSISTS on paying CASH for all of our trips - yet my other spending was OUT OF CONTROL. Looking back - it kind of snuck up on me... Even though all of our bills have always been paid - it's spending like this that kept us from making headway on other debt for so long. I take full responsibility for this.

Now that I don't ever go to Target anymore... Or Starbucks... Or anywhere really... I literally have 4 receipts in my purse bi-weekly - all of them from grocery shopping... 2 for Target (1 Super Target and 1 from my store), 1 from Aldi and 1 from Kwik Trip. LOL This is my life. And bonus - my purse is ALWAYS clean!

On Tuesday - I had my hair appointment - the only thing I've kept for myself in our budget... Though, I've totally cut everything unnecessary from it, and instead of having the "full treatment" every other appointment, I am doing it every 2 appointments - which is a good savings. Next time, I will have to save up - as my hair is getting too long and I cannot stand it this long. I am truly having fun though - seeing just how much I/we can stand to cut our of our lives.

Ummm... What else?

Oh - we received the lien release from the Jeep the other day - so the red beast is officially OURS! Awesome feeling!!!

Yesterday was pay day - so we made another LARGE payment towards debt! This one should be paid off within 2 weeks!

The girls have been busy too...

Allison is still working a lot - which is good. She had a big store walk the other day - with her District Manager and also her DM's boss... Unbeknownst to Allison until it happened - they were also joined by the Vice-President of Caribou! Allison was super excited to meet this person (she never said if this person was male or female... and I didn't ask) - the visit went extremely well! I am very proud of her - to be her age, with very little experience and to be able to pull off a visit like that.

Victoria is also doing well - she made the honor roll last semester! Which is awesome! It's been almost a year since she has made it. I am very proud of her - she has had a tough year, and really pulled everything together nicely! And - of course, she is still amazing us with her drawing talents... Her latest...

As usual - no plans for this weekend... A bit of reading... A bit of facebooking... A bit of cleaning... A bit of napping. All free! LOL

I hope to upload some pics to get my next and final update done here... And that's about all!

I hope you all have a marvelous weekend! Sending prayers and Pixie Dust out to all of you!

D~

 

[Clio]

I'm glad Josh was able to fix your furnace. It's good that he's so handy.
It sounds like Alison is doing really well at work. She must like the challenge.
That picture V. drew is amazing. She is really talented. Congrats to her for making the honor roll.
All those receipt remind me of my old purse but I usually pay cash or use my debit card. I had a lot of credit card debit atone time and it took a long time to pay it off. Now, I hate using credit cards but sometimes it can't be avoided.
I do like working days but unfortunately I don't get as many as I'd like. It's usually one or 2 a week. I work mostly mids like 11-8 or 10-7. Once in a while I get to close on Saturday night which I hate.
Tomorrow we were supposed to go to a half way done tiny house party at my brother's. His youngest daughter and her boy friend have been building one in his back yard. He has about threes acres out in Amish country which is the next county over from us. It's supposed to be really cold so I'm guessing we won't be going.
Enjoy your weekend.
Liz

 

[rdkeim]

As always, enjoying your posts. You have a way of writing about everyday stuff and make it sound interesting so keep it coming! One of my spending pet peeves is the cost of Hallmark cards. Yesterday I needed 4 cards and went to the Hallmark store - $20 for 4 cards. I think the price of cards is ridiculous! Most people don't save them anymore and they end up in the trash. I just couldn't do it and went to Dollar Tree and bought some decent ones for $2.18. I'm 50% Scottish so maybe being frugal comes naturally There are things I splurge on (Disney, hair) but feel like I make up for it in other places. Anyway, glad you're making good progress on your debt!