Knits, Crochets, Computers, and Pets

Women of Faith

2011-10-31T10:13:00.000-07:00

This year was another truly amazing conference. The God Breeze that blew through me ... don't laugh...

I have been feeling sorry for myself and bewildered and overwhelmed because it has felt like everything around me is falling apart and I have to hold it all together. The middle of Sunday I started in on the "I can't do this - I can't carry my daughter being sick and my husband having a hard time and a baby in January..." And then the Voice said "No, you can't." And again, "No, YOU can't."

Take the "I" out of my life. I can't carry all this, but Jesus can and He wants to. Who do I think I am to think "I" have to do any of this? Am I playing God? What a silly girl!!

Jesus - please take this load off my shoulders and help me to stop being self-centered. I can't do any of this, I have to let You do it.

I will greet every day with a "Yes" - yes Lord, I accept your path for me today. And a "Thank you" - thank you for the blessings You have bestowed on me. And then I will carry around "No" in my toolbox for the rest of the day. If something comes along to sway me or carry me from the Lord's path, it is met with "NO." Thank you, Patsy Clairmont, for that small gem.

Every action you do today matters, even the smallest of them. Keep a smile on your face, meet people's eyes and smile!! Change your perspective - it's not sardines and spam, it's Surf n Turf. Treat people well - life is not fair, grow a sense of humor. So what if someone says something to offend you? Does it really matter? Laugh about it and MOVE ON. Being offended only hurts you. Forgive. Drop the negativity. It's a waste of energy. The offender either is totally unsuspecting or doesn't care, or does care - there is nothing you can do to change his/her actions or opinion. You can't control it, so drop it. Can you forgive a thief? Sure. Would you let him handle your money again? Not likely.

Worrying means you are smart. You are so creative that you can think up a hundred things that might go wrong. But you are also smart enough to calculate the odds. Determine which of them actually might happen. Then determine which of those "mights" you are able to do something about. Prepare for those. The rest is a waste of time and energy.

If God is for you, whom can possibly be against you and win?

Thank you -
Patsy Clairmont
Andy Andrews

There were other speakers equally as great, but those were my two favorites this year.

It's October 2011 ....

2011-10-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

and I have neglected to post anything here, I see.

I noticed this morning (and yesterday) that it is COLD on the way to work. While my wonderful wool coat that I knitted last year keeps my body toasty, I have yet to sew the buttons on. And I have no scarf. This shall be resolved tomorrow.

Work is work - fun as always. Team lunch at sushi was yummy. And I'm trying to wrap my head around which work task I want to handle now. (This is a distracting day - Look - Shiny!!)

Working with some people here is unnerving but I'm slowly learning that so far, no danger. And getting less afraid. After all, I have my right to my choices, and they can have theirs. Flying under the wire so far.

Otherwise, all calm on the Western Front.

You have been made clean

2011-01-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 6:11

"...But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20cor%206:11&version=NIV

My "God Breeze" for Sunday was the realization (again) of God just wiping His Hand over me, like an eraser on a white-board, wiping my sins off. It is amazing to know that we are clean. We didn't have to do it ourselves. We don't have to agonize over every past wrong. We don't have to work for the "hope" of forgiveness. It's done!!!

My past was very different. I remember the "probably you may be concealed in the day of His wrath" scripture so clearly. (Zephaniah 2:2,3) I grew up with fear. "Obedience to God and heeding his warnings will have been the key for survival." Was I obeying enough? Did I heed all the warnings?

An example of the teaching I grew up with:
http://www.perimeno.ca/GreatTribulation.htm

How do I reconcile this feeling of fear with the wonderment of being washed clean? They go together perfectly!!! The scripture passage in its entirety was written to an entire nation. It was written as a call to repentance, as a call to seek God for Judah. God calls us to Him - begs us to accept Him into our hearts. It is only then that He can cleanse us, that he can wipe those sins away, just like chaff. It does not mean that we now have license to just do anything we want to do. (I was also brought up to believe that this is what people thought when they accepted Jesus - example here). It means that Jesus cleanses our hearts - just like blowing chaff away, like cleaning that white-board. As our love for Him grows, as our relationship deepens, we simply don't want to do what is wrong. It isn't obedience out of fear for our lives - it is obedience from love - obedience BECAUSE we HAVE BEEN forgiven, not so we MIGHT be forgiven.

Note the rest of the chapter - the parts that were seldom (if ever) included when I heard Zephaniah 2:2,3 quoted. Verses 6 and 7 and 9 -
The land by the sea will become pastures
   having wells for shepherds
   and pens for flocks.
⁷ That land will belong
   to the remnant of the people of Judah;
   there they will find pasture.
In the evening they will lie down
   in the houses of Ashkelon.
The LORD their God will care for them;
   he will restore their fortunes.^[a]

^{The remnant of my people will plunder them;
   the survivors of my nation will inherit their land}

^{First, taking this chapter into context - it was written to ancient Israel - to a nation that had fallen away from their relationship with God as they knew Him. It was written as a plea to come to relationship with Him. And it was written with the confidence that those who accepted God into relationship with them WILL be cared for.}

I celebrate my relationship with Jesus in my life!!! And I thank Him that I am clean, that I am cared for, that He controls my fortune!!

Pray and Ask for It

2010-12-29T19:21:00.000-08:00

Pray and ask for it.... do those words sound strange to you? Are you more familiar with "God is not a giant vending machine in the sky" and "He already knows what you need" and "What if it isn't His will?"

I read a book:
Does Your Bag Have Holes?

with the chapter title "Pray and Ask For It" .... (page 33 - ok it's not a chapter title exactly).

It put forth the idea that we can ask God for anything. Once we view God as our Father, who wants to bless us, then praying for what we need becomes instinctive. Really, how many of us as little children, thought twice before we ran up and said "Daddy can I have ________?"

Matthew 19:14 states that we are to come to Christ as young children. Young children have no reserves about what they say, what they ask for .... They are straightforward without imagining that you could say no. Fear of asking is learned later in life.

So, today, I prayed and asked for the textbooks and calculator I need for college this quarter. They totaled about $450. Then I had the urge to post on Facebook what I was looking for - within minutes I had the books and calculator I needed, either through a very low cost rental or as a gift, or found at my local library!! Was that a miracle? Did God just hand them to me? Or does He sometimes have very earthly ways of helping you - by popping ideas into your head, as though some unheard voice had whispered in your ear? Whatever it was, I know that my needs were met when I had not thought it possible this morning.

Pray and ask for it!!

2010-12-29T18:42:00.000-08:00

This is hilarious!! And so true!!

December 29

2010-12-29T10:10:00.001-08:00

Having a tough time getting organized this morning - too distracted by the snowflakes outside!!!

Well, maybe cleaning my desk will make enough space for me to be inspired!!!

Here goes again!!

2010-12-27T17:51:00.001-08:00

OK - haven't posted in awhile. Here we go again!!!

Working on New Year's Resolutions.

#1 - the usual "Read the Bible" through. I found some years ago that reading the Bible for myself without outside hinderance - it says so much more and so much differently from what I had been raised to believe. The real God is so loving of ALL of us.

#2 - Get an Emergency Fund back. So tired of living paycheck to paycheck. Time to have some cushion in that bank account.

#3 - Get rid of "toxic" friends. I have to come to terms with the fact that those who were my friends for 30+ years were never real friends. They were conditional and their "friendship" could be taken away in a heartbeat by a lie. No conditional friends for me!! Each person who accepts me for exactly who and what I am - you are welcome. Those who do not - who think I must believe like them or live like them, or have a label like theirs - I love you individually and will be sad to see you go.... but you not a true friend. (This is the hardest one for me!)

June 3rd

2009-06-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

Well, the cash envelopes are much easier to keep track of for budget.... You can't spend over. When the money is done, it's done!!! So, I have stocked up envelopes for:

Gas (except our Sam's Club doesn't take cash.... so we are still using debit for that. I wonder if I could get a prepaid card for it?)
Clothes
Food
Pets

I can't think of any others at the moment. I know there will be ones for Personal and Medical when I have money to put in them. And there should be one for "Home" that we can use for flowers, and just "stuff" that the house needs.

I took my food envelope to the store, spent a bit out of pets, got Father's Day present with cash.... It is very nice! I remember my problem with the envelopes before was getting the right change so I am going to roll even $20s into the envelopes.

Day 28

2009-05-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$3.55	DH Lunch	Food $-311.20

I have ceased bringing the debit card with me to work (or the credit card). It works (for one whole day!). I spent nothing yesterday, ate the bagels I already had at my desk. Apparently DH is not so dedicated.

Of course the scary part is going out without any funds and realizing that the gas tank is on E and I have totally no way to fill it. Of course, the gas budget is overspent as well, so I should not be filling it until tomorrow anyway.

Day 27

2009-05-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$20	Gasoline	Fuel $-93.93
$72.62	Health Club	Gym:$137.38
$19.65	Groceries	Food: $-237.65
$24.49	Gamestop	Redirected from drum lessons:
$40	Prescriptions	Medical FSA Account
$70		Food $-307.65

Day 26

2009-05-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$29.14	Gas for Durango	Gasoline: $-67.27
$31.17	Pig and Rabbit food, bedding and hay	Pets: $-228.52
$13.37	Eating out on our road trip	Food: $-208
$6.66	Gasoline	Gas: $73.93
$13.07	Office Supplies	Allowances:$6.34
$10	Starbucks	Food $-218

Day 23

2009-05-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

Budget

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$6.06	DH Lunch	Food: $-194.63
$32.82	World of Warcraft Accounts	$-0.21

So far, we have overspent our car budget (in gasoline), and our necessity budget in every way to Sunday. Pain points:

Gasoline - we drive everywhere with the expensive car
Electric - our bill has not come down yet for the year and I am wondering if it will now that we are running the big lizard tank and all the additional desktop computers
Clothing - we could have done without the clothing this month.
Food - If Starbucks and Stewart Street Deli see another dime next month, I will scream!!!! I shall not take my debit card to work..... Period..... These two places are eating us alive to the tune of almost a third of our budget.
Pets - this month was unusual in getting the equipment for Thea cat. But honestly, pets run me over every month as well.
Luxury Items - entertainment, birthdays are keeping us in slavery. Is it worth it?

Apprehensive about DH's road trip today. I can't say no ... he should see his friends. But how on earth do we think we are going to pay the extra gas to take the expensive vehicle three hours north? And what do we think we are going to eat? I'm sure we will end up eating out AGAIN. Sigh..... I'm watching the snowball melt into my tears.

Day 22

2009-05-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Working on next month's budget and feeling pretty discouraged. Well, I hope that DH will be able to sort it all out - he's so good at being sensible!!! So far, I have $713 left over after the fixed spending (rent, debts, utilities, and such). And it needs to be divided up 9 ways between:

Gasoline (and I was hoping for enough to go to my niece's wedding
Clothing
Food
Personal Care
Medical (the FSA is about to run out and we have been spending about $250 a month to date this year)
Pets (and we need to save at least $300 before August to fix the cat
Entertainment
Father's Day
Fireworks
Snowball

I'm so afraid we won't even have a snowflake next month, let alone a snowball!! And I've been so good about having something extra for so long - it makes me cry!!! But, there are summer camps to pay for - another $485 before the end of July. And DD wants a cheer outfit to the tune of $300+ next month. Ordinarily I would say they are out of their mind (the school) and she needs to earn the money herself, as this is extra that was to come from allowances. But, apparently, since I pay for another DD's gymnastics and DS's drum lessons, I need to pay for this too. But $300 all at once with no notice? That is what kills me. And I don't even approve of cheer. Gymnastics - youngest DD is amazingly gifted and I have kicked at the idea of lessons for her for 2 years before I finally got it together. And DS wanted drum lessons for I don't know how many years. Slowly, we got him into band at school, and found a drum set at a garage sale, and then he started playing at church, which sparked some real enthusiasm. And I found a Christian teacher whom I hope can be one more influence towards bringing him to Christ. We kicked around the idea all last year and resisted because of $$$ ... but $300 for clothes only? for a sport that involves young women showing far too much of their skin? I mean, even the idea of spending that much money for clothing is immoral. Grumbles....

Spending yesterday - ...

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$20 (?)	Knitting needle to finish lapghan for friend (this is being paid for) - mine broke!!!!	Allowances: $19.41
$66.24	Internet	$ -30.04 (but my job reimburses $30)
$177.53	Car and renters insurance	$-21.13
$606.08	Sallie Mae	I budgeted an extra 50 cents. Ha!

Day 21

2009-05-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$7.92	Starbucks	Food: $-180.44
$4.84	DH Lunch Out	Food: $-185.28
$3.29	DH Lunch Out	Food: $-188.57

Day 20

2009-05-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$16.41	Online Gaming	Gaming $32.61
$80.00	Allowances	Allowances $78.17
$32.58	Medications	FSA Account
$38.76	Bible on iPod	Allowances $39.41

Day 19

2009-05-19T08:11:00.001-07:00

I don't think I spent anything at all yesterday. Yay!!

Proverbs 19: (sorry - missed a few days of commenting, but I did read..)

Verse 3
NIV
A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD.

Message
People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get blamed?

NLT
People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.

Budget:

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$19.35	Life Insurance	Insurances $156.40

Day 18

2009-05-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Budget:

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$165	Summer Camp Deposits	Summer Camps $77
$300	Tithe	Tithe $110
$20	Starbucks for DS, DD, DH, Me	Food $96.48
$169.84	Albertsons	Food $-73.36
$30	Drum Lessons	Lessons $30
$99.08	Safeway	Food $-172.44
$25.55	Gasoline for Aveo	Gasoline $-38.13
$5.73	DH Lunch	Food $-178.17

Days 15 and 16

2009-05-17T07:41:00.001-07:00

Life got a little unexpectedly busy on Friday, so here goes. Budget:

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$15	Doctor co-pay for DS	FSA account
$20	McDonald's	Food: $133.94
$38.25	Partially meds for DS and partly batteries - I'm not sure	FSA account
$20	DS glasses	FSA Account
$10	Violin string for DD	Education savings
$18.03	Shorts and top for DD for cheer	Clothing: $-20.35
$47.85	Gasoline for Durango	Gasoline: $-12.58
$61.30	Last of picture frames for Mother's Day	Gifts: $-170
$31	Movie Tickets for Star Trek	Entertainment: $-85.79
$17.46	DH Lunches and etc	Food $116.48
$25.26	Guinea Pig and Rabbit Food	Pets: $-197.35

Day 14

2009-05-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 14:23

NIV
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Message
Hard work always pays off; mere talk puts no bread on the table.

NLT
Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!

There goes your multiple level marketing, lottery, Ponzi scheme, get-rich-quick business plans!!! Nothing wrong with a business plan, but that is the small tip of the iceberg. It needs wheels to it. If you won't put muscle behind your plans, then it is better to stick it out at the minimum wage job. Even at that, if you are diligent and loyal, you will succeed.

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$1.98	Bagel at Starbucks	Food = $157.38
$10	Domain name from Google	Business, already saved for
$15	DH parking at work	Allowances: $139.49
$3.44	DH lunch	Food $153.94

Week in review:

The items "in the red" are Pets, Entertainment and Birthdays. My percentages last week were off, but we have spent 30% of our monthly income in total, 75% of our "necessities" amount, and almost 50% of our "luxuries" budget.

Day 13

2009-05-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 13:7

NIV
One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

Message
A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.

NLT
Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor.

This verse is puzzling. But it seems to be about priorities. There are many Bible characters who gave up the "pretend riches" of this world and chose to be "pretend poor" while among us. Moses had all the riches and luxuries of an Egyptian palace, all earthly temporary riches. But he ended up being an exile and a shepherd. Today, he is much richer than the Pharoah. Paul had a legal career, all the temporary riches of Roman society ahead of him, but he passed on that to follow Christ.

Let God Be True

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$4.21	7-11 for Mike	$159.36

Day 12

2009-05-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 12:9

NIV
9 Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

Message
Better to be ordinary and work for a living than act important and starve in the process.

NLT
Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.

"Image" versus reality. In the book, "The Millionaire Next Door" these words of Solomon are born out once again. The average American millionaire does NOT drive a flashy car, does not purchase designer new clothing, and does not own a Rolex. They live very simply. Today, the credit and bankruptcy routine makes it so easy to live for an image of success and have nothing in reality. But wise men do not use debt to purchase their means of life. Follow our Lord Jesus' example - he was despised, his "image" was ordinary, and yet where is He now?

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$1.95	Bagel for breakfast	see below for total
$9.93	Drinks and snack for band practice	Food = $163.57

Days 10 and 11

2009-05-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 11:15 -
NLT
There’s danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt; it’s safer not to guarantee another person’s debt.

Message
Whoever makes deals with strangers is sure to get burned; if you keep a cool head, you'll avoid rash bargains.

NIV
He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.

Hate risk!!! If you assume risk that you don't need to, or place yourself into a poor financial position through poor decisions, do you trust God to protect you? How foolish!!! Jesus did not set this example for us. When the Devil asked him to jump off a building, He said "Do not put God to the test." Why? Because he could take the stairs back down. There was no need for that risk - it was simply foolishness.

Before co-signing on another's loan, think of two things... Will they pay it back? If they were able to do so, the bank wouldn't be asking for a co-signer, would they? Can you afford the payments? Because you will be making them. If the person signing the loan with you cannot afford this item, then you are hurting them, aren't you? If you can afford the payments for the item and you really think this friend NEEDS whatever it is, just give it to them from a generous heart. Verses 24 and 25 of this same Proverb:

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Budget - I am my own worst enemy....

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$13.97	Keys for kids	Home maintenance = $47.19
$105.74	Mother's Day Present	Gifts = $-98.39
$7.92	Starbucks for DD and me	Food = $224.93
$79	Women's retreat for DD	Summer Camps = $242
$49.48	Food for Mother's Day party	Food = $175.45
$30	Drum Lesson	Drum Lessons = $60
$20	Haircut for DS	Personal Care = $-2
$40	Gasoline for Durango	$35.27
$10.31	Part for Florian's camera	Birthday = $-108.70

Day 9

2009-05-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Budget:

Spent	On:	Left in Budget
$75 something	Video card for work computer, DVI cables for monitors, and a power strip for DH's TV	Doesn't count - already saved up for in Education fund
$160	Birthday dinner for DS and 4 friends, DH, myself, DD, and her friend	Food $232.85
$70	Movie for DS and friends	Entertainment -$54.79

Ouch. OK - they only turn 15 once and he hasn't any "for real" birthday parties, so seeing his fun is worth it. But I can't do this 7 times a year.

Proverbs 9:7-9

NIV

⁷ "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult;
whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.

⁸ Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

⁹ Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

Message

If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you'll get slapped in the face;
confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins.
So don't waste your time on a scoffer;
all you'll get for your pains is abuse.
But if you correct those who care about life,
that's different—they'll love you for it!
Save your breath for the wise—they'll be wiser for it;
tell good people what you know—they'll profit from it.

NLT

Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
⁸ So don’t bother correcting mockers;
they will only hate you.
But correct the wise,
and they will love you.
⁹ Instruct the wise,
and they will be even wiser.

How a person responds to wisdom is a true reflection of character. There are people with whom you may share the obvious truth and they simply refuse it, preferring the lie because it fits their small world better. With these, it is easy to get discouraged or hurt, because you know the truth and want nothing more than to share it with them, and their ears, hearts, and minds are closed.

People can see a crime committed with their own eyes, know the crime has been done, and yet condemn the victim and uplift the criminal. For what reason? They are neither wise, nor righteous in God's ways. It is only wise to take the few minutes of sharing truth with these until you discern that they simply will not respond. Then, better to move on to those whom are interested in truth and wisdom. Why feed the children who do not wish it, when thousands more are starving?

Day 8

2009-05-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 8:22 - This verse has been a puzzle for me, as I had long used it as a "See, the Trinity can't be right - Christ was created." But if this is the case, then the Bible contradicts itself in so many places, which can't be if it is of God. (Colossians and John are both very clear about Jesus not being a created being, for starters.)

NIV
"The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old;

Message
God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic— before he did anything else.

NLT
The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else.

Of interest is the footnote in NIV: Or The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work

The Hebrew word here translated is qanah, which can be rendered "possessed" or "purchased
.... In fact, it is not at all usual to render this word as "create." Deuteronomy 32:6 is one place and it's footnote even acknowledges the use of the word "bought" as a possible translation. Psalm 139:13 is another that varies between possessed and created. And the question remains "Did God not have wisdom at some time, so He had to create or learn it?" I think not.

Interestingly, the King James bible not once translates qanah to be "create."

2 Samuel 12:3 uses qanah. Did the poor man create the lamb? Proverbs 4:5 - qanah wisdom, qanah understanding. I surely hope I do not need to create wisdom and understanding for myself - all hope is lost... Rather, I need to place wisdom and understanding into position in my life - to establish it. It surely existed long before I was ever acquainted with it. The poor man placed the lamb into position as a pet in his house by purchasing it. Even the English word "create" means more than bringing into existence a new material being. I am "creating" an office today in my home by moving furniture around - by appointing its new place in my home. The room was always there. Today, it has a new purpose or job.

It makes total sense that the Holy Spirit (the one more commonly referred to as female or the bat qal), was placed into the position of "the voice of Wisdom" during the creation. (It does not make sense to call Christ female, as we know Him). Wisdom could not be known by the world before it was created - there was nothing there to know it. But it was "brought forth" or "born" as there came to be creation who could have a reverence for God. At that time, the Holy Spirit could be put in the place of wisdom for us.

More references:
Proverbs 8
Jesus Christ, Creator or Creature?

Budget concerns:

Spent	On	Left in Budget
$7	Crochet hook to work on scarf	Allowances = $162.66
$2.18	At Safeway for I know not what (DH spending)	Allowances = 160.48
$5.99	At Bartells for I know not what (DH Spending)	Allowances = $154.49
$167.85	Weeks groceries	Food = $393.19
$20.13	Fish food	Pets = $-172.09

Day 7

2009-05-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I bought lunch out, again... sigh..... and I bought a book. It seemed that everywhere I turned over the past week, this book kept popping up at me, that I needed to read it. And indeed I do - It is "Boundaries" by Henry Cloud.

Spent	On	Left in Budget
$14.77	Book	Entertainment = $14.21
$7.34 something	Lunch	Food = $561.04

Week in review:
We have gone through fully half of our gasoline budget in one week.
The gas and electric bill was $50 more than budgeted, but it's OK because I budget the same during summer when it should be significantly less.
Phone has $20 extra in it after paying everything
We went over by $2 in clothing already.
Pets, $150 overboard already....

We have gone through $2840.61 for this month, with $5159.39 left, or 35% of this month's income in one week.

Proverbs 7
It was hard to pick a favorite verse out of this one. Probably verse 4:

NIV
Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family.

NLT
Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family.

Message
Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion.

This was interesting due to the reference to wisdom as a woman. This apparently happens often in the Bible. (Proverbs 8) It is called, in Hebrew, the "bat qol" or voice of the daughter of God - representing the Holy Spirit, or the feminine portion of God. This was all part of the Mar's Hill podcast this week (May 3rd).

http://www.marshill.org/userfiles/A%20Treasure%20We%20Don't%20Understand.pdf

Day 6

2009-05-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

Budget.... oh boy....

Spent	On	Left in Budget
$6.66	Coffee and bagel because I was feeling sad	Food = 576.67
$23.12	Gas for the Aveo	Gas = 75.27
$49.65	Vet checkup for the cat that we were going to spay, except she is pregnant already	Pets = -$143.96
$8.63	Cheese and milk for dinner	Food = 568.04
$8	Better food for a pregnant cat	Pets = $-151.96
$15	Bonus allowance for the three children that successfully answered my finance challenge question	Allowances = 169.66
$21.88	Mother's Day present for me of picture frames for my bears	Birthdays = $7.35
$255.72	Gas and Electric Bill	$-50.01
$66.24	Internet	$-.04
$222.96	Phones	$20.82
$2100	Rent	$0

Proverb for today:
Proverbs 6:1, 5

NIV - My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another, ... Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

Message -
Dear friend, if you've gone into hock with your neighbor or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger,
If you've impulsively promised the shirt off your back
and now find yourself shivering out in the cold,
Friend, don't waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess.
You're in that man's clutches!
Go, put on a long face; act desperate.
Don't procrastinate—
there's no time to lose.
Run like a deer from the hunter,
fly like a bird from the trapper!

NLT - My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt
or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger— ... Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.

Gazelles and birds, when caught, become frantic to get away. They don't sit and plan their next vacation while the lion is in their midst. They don't contemplate their next new toy while the cat is in their cage. They are intensely focused on one thing "GET AWAY" ....

Wisdom warns us again cosigning a loan, against debt, against foolish financial risks. If you are in debt, yours or another's that you have signed, are you frantic?

Let God Be True

May 5 - Day 5

2009-05-05T09:43:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we spent:

Nothing? I did buy a bagel from cash I had in pocket already - $3.75 for a Chevy bagel with two cream cheeses. I think DH bought lunch too - likely from cash.

I did forget that Sunday we went to Starbucks in the evening, as we usually do when we pick up DS.

Spent	On	Left in Budget
$11.35	Starbucks coffee for DH, Me, and DS	Food = 583.33

Proverb for today:

Proverbs 5:1,2

NIV

My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
listen well to my words of insight,

² that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.

Message

Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom; listen very closely to the way I see it.
Then you'll acquire a taste for good sense;
what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.

NLT

My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
listen carefully to my wise counsel.
² Then you will show discernment,
and your lips will express what you’ve learned.

Again, I am liking the Message: "you'll acquire a taste for good sense".... How many things in our lives are acquired tastes? Coffee. The first taste of it is "yuck, how can you drink this stuff?" .... but over time, it is definitely acquired. Alcohol. Vegetables. (Especially brussels sprouts and broccoli).

The rest of the chapter really follows. People in general are not born with a taste for morality (v. 3), discipline (v. 12), restraint (v. 16), self-control (v. 23). Babies are born with a knowledge of what feels good, and they want it now. As we mature, we develop care for others, a conscience, we acquire a taste for good sense (hopefully). At that point, the morally repugnant displays on television become just that - tasteless and bitter, disgusting. We don't want to have anything to do with it - it is not even a temptation.

I like the quote "Fornication and adultery are forgotten sins." The increasinly immature world around us glamorizes them, calls them the "good life." But, like McDonald's, the taste is great today, and the heart attack is painful and permanent.

Let God Be True

Monday, May 4 2009

2009-05-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent:

Spent	On:	Left in Budget:
$390	Tithe	$410
$79	Women's Retreat	$321
$45.54	Gasoline for Durango	$98.39

Proverb for today:

Proverbs 4:24

NIV - Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Message - Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.

NLT - Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.

I especially like The Message version in today's verse. Perversity and corrupt talk are rather abstract things to the mind. In fact, I'd have to look them up to tell you what they really are. But "Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth" - that one makes sense. "Careless banter, white lies and gossip" - wow....

It all rather hits home after being associated closely with someone that routinely talk from both sides. One thing is said with you, to your face and another thing is said to someone else. It is all about a desperate plea for acceptance - a fear of rejection. And, I guess, if you have the constant mindset that God accepts and loves you if...... (long checklist of things), then you will always have that hole in your soul and feel the need to fill it. And you could try to fill it with "talk out of both sides of your mouth."

Speech comes from the heart. If the heart is missing something, or is not pure, your speech will reflect this. If your heart is at peace in a relationship with God, it will be very difficult to speak with lies or hurtful things. If your heart is pure, how could impure speech come from your mouth? If your heart is filled with what is good and pure, your speech will be precious.

Let God Be True

Day 3

2009-05-03T07:20:00.001-07:00

OK - yesterday was not budget stellarness:

Spent	On:	Left in Budget:
$100.38	Cat litter pan and carrier for new kitty from Freecycle	Pets $(-46.38)
$20	Lawn mowing	Home maintenance $100
$38.84	Dust mop for floors and cleaner	Home Maintenance $61.16
$6.75	Dry cleaner for cross stitch getting framed for my birthday	Birthday $29.23
$30	Drum Lessons	Drum Lessons $90
$48	Pet Food, Litter, Scratcher	Pets ($-94.31)
$20	Laundry soap, dryer sheets, two cold drinks	Food $627.66
$38.30	Shoes for myself and daughter	Clothing $-2.32
$15.48	McDonalds for DH and I	Food $594.68
$6	Movie tickets	Entertainment $29.98
$17.50	Popcorn and drinks (yikes)	Food $590.16
$21.89	Guitar strings for DH	Allowances $184.36

Day 2

2009-05-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

Why read Proverbs? For the same reason people read "The Millionaire Next Door" or watch the lives of celebrities or read biographies of successful people. Have you ever driven through a well-established neighborhood and say "I wonder how they got that? What do I need to do to get that house, those cars, that comfort in life?" Did you want to run up, knock on their door, and say "How did you get here?"

Proverbs is the answer to that question. Solomon had the comfortable life. He had enough to help others, enough to ensure that he ate, cared for his family well, and left a legacy. And he wrote a book inspired by God on how to get there.

Proverb for today:
Proverbs 2:20-22
NLT:
²⁰ Follow the steps of good men instead,
and stay on the paths of the righteous.
²¹ For only the godly will live in the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it.
²² But the wicked will be removed from the land,
and the treacherous will be uprooted.

NIV:

²⁰ Thus you will walk in the ways of good men
and keep to the paths of the righteous.

²¹ For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;

²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

Message:

^20-22 So—join the company of good men and women,
keep your feet on the tried-and-true paths.
It's the men who walk straight who will settle this land,
the women with integrity who will last here.
The corrupt will lose their lives;
the dishonest will be gone for good.

It takes self-denial and discipline to walk God's way. It isn't the "normal" way. But it is the way to ultimate success. Those that want "normal" and want the good life now lack the faith to wait They want pleasure and possessions now, but they miss out on the successful life in the end. Those who are not firmly rooted in God's way of life are of short lifespan - their roots are not deep and they place themselves in line for the fire of the weed pile.
Studies on Proverbs

The purpose of Proverbs, the positive reason for gaining Godly wisdom, is to follow the choices and habits of great men. While great man may set foot upon the path of sin, they don't choose to stay there. They get off, turn around, set foot back on God's way. Wicked men simply start on the path and lack the desire and faith to get off. The Bible is full of examples of each.
Let God Be True

As I read these Proverbs, I could hear them in the Bible of a cult that I knew. And the verses were almost ruined for me, as I could only hear them from a view of works-based salvation. "You have to dig, you have to struggle, you have to work to remain on the path so God will like you, so you can gain the reward." As I learn the futility of works-based religion, hearing this becomes more repulsive to my ear. But the Bible should not be so.

These verses mean so much more .... Jesus walks beside and inside us if we receive Him. He is with us everywhere, holding our hand, guiding us through the dangers of the path. There are places He cannot and will not go. If you set your foot inside an adult video store, seeking the pleasures of "now", He will not go with you. He is waiting outside for you to place your foot back on the righteous path, even reaching out his hand to help you hop back on. He still loves you, He is waiting, but he cannot follow you into that wicked place. Salvation is not works-based, but relationship-based. In the end, the earth will be filled with God dwelling among us (Revelation 21). Those who do not want this will not be required to remain.

Day 1

2009-05-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today, spent:

Spent:	On:	Left in budget
$75	Debt Snowball	Snowball = $1314.09
$6.13	Beads for lace scarf I am making for a Christmas present	Christmas = $29.95
$55	Doctor Co-pay and meds	Reimbursed from DH FSA Account
$9.34	Lunch because I didn't pack and succumbed to coworker suggestion	Allowances = $206.25

Proverb for today:
Proverbs 1:32 -

(NIV) For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
(Message) Don't you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots?
Carelessness kills; complacency is murder.
(NLT) For simpletons turn away from me—to death.
Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.

http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/01_32.htm

The Ants

2009-04-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 30:25 - Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer.

Whenever people tend to forget Godly economics, disaster looms. It is so simple, and yet we see all around us today the results of ignoring God's economic plan. Foreclosures, business failures, bankruptcy - it could all have been saved.

Godly economics; pay God first (tithe and giving to help others), pay yourself second (save consistently), and LIVE ON THE REST. Did you make $10 yesterday and $15 today? If you start living by God's plan today, will you really miss that $3? Can you live on the $12 you made today? Since you lived on the $10 yesterday, of course you can!!! And then you can put that $1.50 you saved to work for you. You need capital (money) to take advantage of opportunities.

Economic success is possible:
Diligence - Work hard to maximize your income.
Discipline - Pay the Lord first, pay yourself second, no matter what
Sacrifice - Do without a few toys and wants
Consistency - Do these things without interruption; lather, rinse, repeat
Time - Allows your savings to grow.

Budget Time

2009-04-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

So, our rent effectively just went up by $600 a month. Ouchie!!!

DH and I redid the zero based budget and it rather scares me, but here it be. We shall see how it goes for May, day by day. Wherein lie the successes? Wherein lies the room for improvement? We are a large family (7 at home).

*Budget for May*	$8,000 planned income		Left
Transportation
	Gasoline	$143.93
	Insurance (Cars, Life, Renters)	$175.75
	Car Tabs (Sinking Fund)	$15.32
	Car Maintenance (Sinking Fund)	$21.31
	Put away for car replacement (Sinking Fund)	$168.04
	Total Transportation	$424.35	$7576.07

Housing
	Rent	$2100
	Garbage	$36.29
	Gas / Electric	$205.62
	Internet	$36.20
	Phones	$131.28
	Water	$61.70
	Maintenance	$120
	Bank Fees	$13.85
	Total Housing	$2704.91	$4871.13

Life's Necessities
	Clothing	$35.98
	Tithe	$800
	Food	$647.66
	Haircuts, Personal Care	$18
	Pets	$53.97
	Total Necessities	$1555.61	$3315.52

Debt Minimums
	Sallie Mae	$606.58
	Federal Perkins Loan	$217
	Total Debt Minimums	$823.58	$2491.94

Luxuries
	Entertainment	$35.98
	WoW and CoV accounts	$49.02
	Birthdays	$35.98
	Christmas	$35.98
	Kids Commissions and blow money for us	$215.89
	Gymnastics	$80
	Health Club	$130
	Drum Lessons	$120
	Summer Camps	$400
	Total Luxuries	$1082.85	$1409.09

Debt Snowball
	Perkins Loan	$1389.09
	Total Debt Snowball	$13899.09	$-0-

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T15:46:00.003-07:00

Provisions for the week are laid in. I am tired. All the adults in our home developed pneumonia at once and boy, does it make it hard to be home CEO!!!!

My turtle is going the wrong way!!!

2009-03-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Argh... my debt turtle is going the wrong way.... not because of getting any more into debt but because I finally got around to getting a handle on the Federal Tax Lien / Perkins Loan. There is a program called rehabilitation and I got it set up with the collection agency. Long story and I do not trust them at all... I will post more later regarding how it works (or doesn't). But that added $7K to our debt, except we had paid $2K, so really the friendly turtle crawled backwards only $5K. It's still gonna be gone in 2010.

Ode to a Purple Coat

2009-03-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

I saw the coat in Walmart in 2003. It was a purple coat with a fur-lined hood and it wanted to go home with me.... I wanted the coat. I begged for it, but my spouse said "no, we can't afford a coat." That would have been fine, except he had plenty of money to spend on booze and whatever other things HE wanted. It made me sad. The coat faithfully stayed on the rack of Walmart for weeks. I walked past it slowly and sorrowfully on the way to get groceries or cat food or supplies for the business.

My 9 year old son watched mom watch the purple coat. He saved up his money from working for dad and he bought the coat for mom. It has been mom's daily coat for 6 years now. It is loved. It is tattered. It has been washed and is still dirty from years of life and love. It has been to funerals, to baby showers, to weddings.

It is time for a new coat. I will still treasure this coat deeply as a precious gift from a small boy who loves his mother. Who considered his mother as higher that his own wants and needs. But I must sadly place this coat in the Goodwill bag (after I take a picture of it for memory) and obtain a new one.

The High Price of Groceries

2009-01-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

I see a lot about the rising price of food and how people just aren't getting enough food stamps, and we should give them more. And I don't understand.

I just walked into Albertsons this morning.

I placed in my cart:

3 dozen eggs
2 gallons of milk
7 packages of Ziploc bags - varied sizes
3 packages of Ziploc containers - varied sizes
10 pounds of ground beef
4 pounds of frozen shrimp
1 bag of onions
3 pounds of apples
2 pounds of carrots

I went through the checkout stand and I paid ..... drum roll please .... $1.34

The bottom of my checkout tape says: Subtotal: -.46 cents, Tax 1.80, total $1.34

Coupons Tendered: 110.06

14 pounds of meat in my freezer, at least 6 pounds of fresh fruit / veggies, plenty of fresh dairy .... and Ziplocs to boot (which I wash and reuse until they fall apart or some delinquent family member fails to return them).

"Coupons won't do me any good because I don't use packaged food?" I don't see any packaged food up there, do you?
"Coupons take too much time and I work." Let's see - I make $24 an hour working and I made $110 for 1/2 hour of coupon clipping - $220 a hour. I think I can find the time!!!

"It is embarrassing to use coupons" - why yes, it is. There is great toe tapping from the 15 people in line behind you at the register as the clerk scans in coupon after coupon and hand-calculates the savings on the Fred Meyer coupons that Albertsons takes. There are glares from the store manager who has to come unlock the till to let you check out because your savings were "too high."

The look on the face of the well-heeled lady behind you as you push your $1.34 cart away and she whips out the over-charged Visa to pay for her small $12 deli lunch to go with her $5 Starbucks ... priceless.

Having the grumpy store manager come personally to ring you up because she is sure you are doing something wrong.... having her say "well, we are paying you to take these cookies" ... and being able to smile back.... because they are but it's perfectly legit (store sale + manufacturer coupon) .... priceless.

New Year - New Finances

2009-01-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

Well, 2009 is time to get a financial checkup for the start of the new year.

Debt = Sallie Mae and a mysterious Perkins Loan that helps itself to our taxes each year.

Pulled credit report for me and found the ex's car repo gone to collections and on my report. ARRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH. Also some Children's BOMC that I have never heard of. Step one: chase them down and ask who the heck they are and why they think they should get money from me? Step two: get the offending car loan off my account before it gets worse. I didn't want the van, knew it was a stupid thing to do, didn't get a voice in the STUPID decision to repossess it and don't really want to pay someone else's STUPID TAX.

Husband's credit report:
Experian only has one inaccuracy and that one might be OK - SOL is up on it by my books - has a few more months by theirs. Whichever.... They wouldn't work with me, so they are out of luck.

Transunion on the other hand.....
15 inaccuracies.
-- 3 accounts paid in full with me in possession of canceled checks and not showing as such on report. Violation of HIPAA on that one = filing a formal complaint against the offending medical center.

-- 10 accounts that we don't owe and that have not validated

-- 2 accounts showing charge off or settled for less when we didn't owe it in the first place

More letters for me.....

The last date for all these is end of 2012 anyways.

Lots has come off the report .... which is good news

I chased down the mysterious Perkins Loan at the Fed and they will send me the entire file as well as the number for a company to make Pioneer Credit cooperate with the Rehabilitation request. They refused to send me the papers or anything.

Adjusted our insurance policies as well - turns out we had a bunch of double coverage. $40 a month savings there... yay.... and I dropped the deductibles to $50 collision and $0 comprehensive to boot. Whee...

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

2009-01-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for work. I didn't want to go to work today, but then the leads were calling desperately for other people to work day shift. I pointed out that it would be same today as it was yesterday - two people on coverage. Apparently, one of the two people does not do regular day shift work. I have to admit yesterday was pretty hectic.

So, waiting on young ladies to get ready for school (who will still slug-a-bed as of two minutes ago and they need to leave in 10).

I started my first knit bookmark, but can't figure out what material they are using. It says cotton yarn, but cotton yarn on size 2.5 needles? I don't think that is right.

We instituted allowance contracts last night. I can tell already, it is still going to be rough figuring out if people did what they should. Dinner was ready when we got home though!!! Whee!!!! Youngest daughter was in charge of cooking, but older brother and sister kicked in and helped. Cheeseburger pie (one of the Bisquick meals) was pretty good. Thank you kids! (Menu from Menus for Moms).

I am reading "The Spanking Room" by William Colburn. It is more typical than the last Jehovah's Witness healing book. I hate to think that I ever parented as described in the book, or that I was parented as such. But, truth be told, probably this was the case. Jehovah's Witnesses are run by fear. One of the biggest phrases that we heard constantly was "Fear Jehovah." Now, it was explained that this meant "fear to displease Him because you love Him" but still.... Fear God? Doesn't this speak of terror to a child heart?

Children were to sit quietly and be attentive during all meetings. If they squeaked they were to be disciplined. I remember being so frustrated during book study (the smaller meeting without microphones) because how do you keep an infant / toddler completely still for an hour? And if he made any noise, I was supposed to take him out which meant that I did not get any of the meeting. But if I didn't go, then I was "weak" and my husband could not advance in the church because he didn't "preside over his household in a fine manner." Even for the bigger meetings, I mostly sat in the "spanking room" as the author of the book put it, where at least the meeting parts were piped in via microphone. Toys were not allowed, so us moms took to wearing lots of necklaces that baby could take off and play with.

I made magnet puzzles of Bible pictures as my son got older so that he was not really playing with something unrelated but he would remain quiet. I would also study ahead and try to make coloring pages and games of material that would be related to what we were learning so he would actually learn and not be bored and be quiet. But I go disciplined for this (mostly by my husband) because I was "running ahead of the Society." He got the elders to stop me.

Well, time to go - the belated ladies are ready. We shall hope they did some of their chores. It would appear that middle daughter did not do them at all and is now grumbling heartily. The entire "I woke up late" routine. And not reacting well to "well, I guess you will pay grandma or me to do them." Sigh. Is there a cure for this one? Youngest daughter has quietly gone about feeding her animals, her bed is made (mostly) and her area is somewhat clean - she has been decluttering and has a ton of stuff to go to Goodwill or Freecycle sitting in it. I think we will Freecycle it, as that way she gets to see the people she is blessing with it.

Time to run!!!

Saturday Sunday Jan 4 2009

2009-01-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

Didn't post yesterday but here goes.

We are having a difference of opinion regarding children and allowances, the husband and I. I think we are both getting at the same thing, but in different directions so the difference of opinion is unnecessary. He thinks the children should earn allowance via chores and we pay so much per chore, and that kids are liabilities and non-contributors. I think children are entitled to a share of the family income and resources because they are part of the family and that they should do chores because they are part of the family and need to be contributors. Basically, our family income is because they keep things going at home while we are at work.

So, in my way, they each get 1% of the family income. When they decline to do their chores, someone else has to do it, so they need to pay that person to do so. When the living room is not picked up when I come home and I get to do it, daughter in charge of living room pays me. That is pretty much how it works in life - if we don't feel like mowing the lawn, we pay someone.

I think husband is getting at the same thing from the other end. So, what the disagreement is I don't really get.

Daughter Number three's birthday sweater is almost done and I think it came out very cute so far. My color pattern knitting is too tight I think and I need to practice at that. I hope that it evens out in the blocking process. I've never blocked anything before.... Daughter Number one is begging for a sweater now too. I'd like to play around more with the color patterns - this could be fun!!!!

Also contemplating moving the main server and my lab workstation up here and putting all our routers on the same subnet so the server is the DHCP server, rather than the router. I need time though. And time to study - January 27 and my Net+ is fast approaching. Yikes!!!! And the kid's computer needs to be set up and all the games and stuff installed. I think I shall put a minion to work on that. Perhaps my evil young male apprentice. Would this be an "extra allowance" situation? Since it would be my job and I don't have time to do it. But the computer is for them.... and I am really stretching it to pull out that 4% from the budget for allowances.

Well, that was my 15 min. Time for gaming and curl up in the living room to work some more on the pink sweater. Oh, and it's snowing again.... Haven't we had enough of that?

Friday, January 2

2009-01-02T05:11:00.001-08:00

I finished the dearest little soap sack last night and into the Christmas present stash it goes.

Did pretty well at my self-control goal yesterday and I cleaned the tub this morning.

Now to face today. Probably a plain old work day ... bus down the hill, transfer to the work bus and into work. I am doing the physical exam for life insurance today. No idea what to expect there.

Nothing much to say... I am going to have to become the budget Nazi again - we have slacked off for the Christmas season, but I want those debts GONE!!! I can put my son's remaining $500 from grandpa in his ESA today and pull our credit reports for the new year.

Speaking of which, I checked my Mvelopes day before yesterday and Enterprise put a charge on my CC!!!! I called them and they had no clue why they would do such a thing. I'm reporting it as fraud and now have to chase down the car insurance companies to see who didn't pay what, or if Enterprise really did screw up. CCs are not worth it, for all the hassle they cause. I'm ready for this one to go away. It has no balance and no reason not to disappear it. I just kept it because I could get it and it is halfway decent, which spells some hope for my credit. Not that I believe in a "I love debt" score because I don't.... Debt is dumb and enslaving. It is like the original sin in that it provides instant gratification that is not earned - like Eve grabbing at that fruit in hopes of gaining something that did not belong to her, she did not earn it, but she wanted it NOW. Life just does not work like that - we are told time and time again, but us brilliant humans do not listen.

The joy of knitting is something about creation. I imagine it is a trait instilled by our Creator as we are reflections of Him. There is a thrill in seeing something take shape from your own hands - something of use or beauty.

K - that was random!! But I guess that is what this is all about. Almost time for me to tug on my shoes and coat and hat and paddle the 1/3 mile off to the bus stop while DH stays in the nice warm bed asleep. Heh. Talk about not fair!!!!

Virtue Thursday

2009-01-01T11:23:00.001-08:00

OK... so I know what I'm working on - there are so many, I figured I better just start with Number 1 and go from there.

Self-control.... oh boy... I know a ton of places I need this, but I also know my distractible self who will attempt 1,000 of them in the first day and fail a little bit at all. I have picked two things I don't like and here goes. One I am not posting - it's between me and God. The other is:

Cleaning the tub every day. I hate cleaning the tub. The whole bending over, getting on the knees thing that makes my chest hurt ... But I shall do this every day for a week. I know that my inner brat will need some fun out of it .... (whom I now name McKinley - because she is a good reflection of me - yep.. she won't read this so I'm safe... - the adorable, lovable, in your face brat who says "ya gotta love me" .... hee hee, and then goes off and does as she pleases in spite of everything you say and try to do.) So, how to make it fun for McKinley? I just put one of my pretty crochet dishcloths under the can of bath salts that was leaving rust stains. I shall look at the "pretty" and smile.

FW

2009-01-01T09:32:00.001-08:00

Just a note to self for New Year. Falling down on the wife front again - I think because I got too comfy and stopped trying so hard.

Resolve to pick up Fascinating Womanhood and begin again - especially since my group appears to be starting the book over.

Reading assignments (copied from my Yahoo group reminder):

Title: January's Reading Assignment...

Repeats: This event repeats every year.
Notes: The Introduction, The Ideal Woman from a Man's Point of View, Celestial Love, and What This Book Can Do for You. Whew! By the time you finish reading, you'll have an excellent, inspiring overview of Fascinating Womanhood.

And the weekly reminder:
Title: Virtue Thursday

Date: Thursday January 1, 2009
Time: All Day
Repeats: This event repeats every week.
Notes: To live the precepts of Fascinating Womanhood, we must control ourselves and have humility, and loyalty is a most desirable trait in a wife. With that in mind, please choose one of the virtues in the Angelic Character chapter and work on it starting today for the next week.

I can work on this stuff. Started to say I'm bad at it, but that's not the right point of view is it? I find it somewhat difficult because of the extra energy it entails. But DH is apparently struggling with me and my behavior, so I shall resolve to try, try again.

I will post my chosen virtue after I re-read the chapter (today).

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

up to 1985 New Year's I got to.... I don't think I want to remember the next years just yet.

Sipping Chai and pondering life as I slept in to the glorious time of 8AM. Shouldn't I already be at work? Oh yeah, I get a DAY OFF. In fact, I got two of those this week. Amazing... My other day off was spent having breakfast, cleaning fish tank, a little Elizabeth Zimmerman watching and working on a sweater sleeve. Then I took mom to her doctor who turned out to be a nice old chatty grandpa guy. He wrote her some new prescriptions for stronger inhalers and told her to get a humidifier for the house, which I think will help my constant bleeding nose because its too dry as well.

Then we popped over to Fred Meyer where her prescriptions live. She found a working cart thing - the kind you drive. I have no idea what you call them. We turned in prescriptions and went to get her bits of groceries she likes apart from the family food. I found humidifiers for each of us. And rain boots - the pretty polka dotted kind that I won't mind wearing the next time it snows / slushes. And Christmas sweaters at 75% off - for next year. I do love Christmas!!! I missed so many that I have to make up for the lost ones - all 31 of them. (I think I had one as a baby and then none until three years ago.)

(Whee.. I just saw day one of my Monthly Dishcloth KAL come through.... distracted.)

Let's see. After Fred Meyer, we popped over to the yarn store here that I had not yet been in. Heaven!!! I only got a small roll of thread for the next Bookmark I am going to knit, but then mom found yarn that was the perfect color for me to make her a Moebius scarf or a sweater (not enough for a sweater I fear, but that is what she really wants). Of course we had to get that. And they have Barbara Walker's Treasury books which I really want. They are a perfect compliment to the Zimmerman "pattern" books. I didn't get them though. Mom's prescriptions were only $170 - she was expecting like $500, but her insurance (the one she canceled) actually kicked in and did pretty well by her.)

Ran around to the grocery store there to deposit DH's FSA check and mom got some veggies that FM didn't have. The snow delayed trucks so badly that FM was still trying to sell bad produce at full prices. Mom got her stuff and I went over to Rite Aid to get her Celadrin on BOGO sale.

With these accomplishments under our belt, then off to Sam's Club for DH's prescriptions - all $100 worth. And I found a calendar that I was hoping someone would get me for Christmas, but they didn't, so I got it for myself.

Then up the hill to the pet store to buy the very last of their crickets, some bedding and bird food.

Home to clean two guinea pig / rabbit cages. Mom chaperoned the pigs and the rabbit in the kitchen (one boy pig and two lady pigs = MORE PIGS.) I cleaned the cages and swept / mopped the floor.

Finished my Zimmerman video for a few more minutes and then made dinner. Ate dinner with DH and mom. Finished reading Zechariah (Bible). Interesting stuff - that. A lot of it was in the Left Behind books which I intend to re-read this new year.

Then, we watched X-Files and finished sleeve number 1.

See, my days off are busy!!!!

Well, there went my 15 minutes - I am now popping over to find my new dishcloth KAL and CO.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008-12-31T06:14:00.000-08:00

The end of a year. The beginning of a new.

How have the past years been?

1973... Me was 8 months old and remembers nothing.

1974... I think I had a Christmas that year and I got a stuffed raccoon. This is partially known from pictures and because I still have the raccoon somewhere, I think. His tail got ripped and I stitched it back on in clumsy kid fashion. His name is Ranger Rick.

1975... No more Christmases. I don't remember much else. We must have moved to the brick house that year - one that I recall as having a huge yard that I could wander in with some scary bits. There was a huge dark grove of trees where my dad buried our dogs when they died and I was afraid of that. Then there was the fruit orchard with pie cherries. I actually liked them, but I guess you weren't supposed to eat them - only in pies. The blueberry bog yielded plenty of snacks. And the big island separated from the rest of the yard by circular driveway where I could wander with my dog. (I think the new dog came later). And, of course, the swing daddy built for me

1976 - 1979 ... nothing to separate these years one from another.

1980 ... I think it was this New Year's that we moved. The brick house got broken into and mom got scared and we moved overnight to a really creepy house in the city, but it was by grandma and grandpa and I got to stay with grandma who spoiled me and exhausted me, while mom moved. Later that year, we moved into a real house in the city - not far away - a huge Yellow thing where I got two whole rooms all to myself.

1980 - 1984 ... nothing really to differentiate one from another. Homeschooling, very few friends, beginning knitting, wanting to be a veterinarian (James Herriot books). I learned about computers in this house, and we had two organs that I loved to play. Grandma said I was behind the door when they handed out any kind of musical ability, but that did not keep me from loving to mess around and try to teach myself. I finished 8th grade in this house, I think.

1985 ... We moved to the country because my dad retired. The house was WAY SMALLER. I got a small bedroom into which I fit my entire life, and my own bathroom. Finished high school here. My parents bought me my very own piano and I got lessons in French and Piano from a lady. Then I went to public high school after I graduated for awhile. It was fun and not fun. Learning was fun, knowledge bowl was fun, kids were not fun. (Except my geek squad).

Well, there went my 15 minutes... Time to paddle off to work for me. The sweater sleeve is coming today because we are driving and because it is the second sleeve (finished the first one last night) and when it's done the whole thing goes together and looks like a sweater!!!! (I hope, I hope, I hope).

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

2008-12-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

Knitting.....

My new hobby. It is not very new. I first picked up needles back when I was 9. The five and dime store (as mom called it) had a "Learn to Knit" kit that I begged for and received. The contents were bright green acrylic yarn and instructions for a square pot holder. I have no idea why I wanted to knit. My mother and maternal grandmother did not do such things. One of my adoptive grandmothers - Mrs. V. - knitted, but I do not remember if she introduced me to this mystery before this or afterward. I do know that I loved crafts. Mom had friends that did fabric painting and embroidery and since I was five or six, my little hands itched to get into it. We went to Creative Circle parties and I learned latch hook and embroidery at them. So maybe knitting followed that.

Anyway, upstairs with my knitting kit I trotted and curled up in my room. We had just gotten Bible tapes of Revelation reading, so on those went and I valiantly struck forth. As I recall the pot holder looked pretty funky, but it was kinda square at least. And knitting was born. The yarn of course became a tangled mess.

Then, Mrs. V. Dad's friend in the Navy was her son. And apparently, my mother also dated her son in high school. Coincidence. The boy died in the war, but my dad had promised to look after her, so we visited her home often. She was Roman Catholic, Greek, knitted, and watched soap operas. I would sit and stare in fascination at her knitting and I think she showed me some things. I can't remember more than just staring in wonder. Eventually, she went in nursing home, but I kept visiting her as a teen and when she passed, I was given all her knitting needles and stuff.

I don't remember a whole lot of knitting after that. Life got busy but I kept my love of crafts. I made a pink Aran sweater for a friend in my early 20s - an awful thing of pink acrylic red heart, but the stitch pattern actually came through pretty well. The pattern was in the Beatrix Potter book that I got from Goodwill. It seemed that as life got worse my knitting got harder and tighter. I dropped to crochet and made quite a few afghans, but never could manage clothing. The few sweaters I made were never worn by their recipients.

Now I'm back at it. I can't believe how much it has matured since I started. The stitches are more relaxed and automatic. I'm hoping the sweater I'm making will get worn. I joined a dishcloth knit-a-long that includes some pretty challenging stitches. Learning them is tough, but once you get it, it's like riding a bicycle .... off you go and never look back!!! I even got Fair Isle halfway under control. (Never could knit with two colors before). And I made socks!!! Those mysteriously difficult things called socks that every knitter prides herself on. And they looked like socks when I was done. Wheee....

Rainy Days and Mondays

2008-12-29T05:09:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not down. Just that I heard one of my favorite Carpenter's tunes on X-Files last night. And it's Monday, and I have to go to work (ugh). I like work fine, but with no days off except for Sunday recently, I am getting tired. Oh well, slogging on through and looking forward to when we get enough intelligent people and the pace can slow down.

Went grocery shopping last night with DH. It was the first shopping in awhile and I didn't have a decent list. The Grocery Game takes the holiday week off and it appears that Albertsons did not hold their sales over although Safeway did. I also bought stuff that was not on the list (bad, bad, bad girl). Inspiring items like Chai Tea - ever ponder how food brings memories? Chai Tea.... I used to get it on the way to work with my friend Betty and savored the smell. Then it was too expensive and I figured out how to make it and bring it to work. Did you know it takes Cardamom? At $20 a bottle. But you don't use a lot. And I got potstickers. Something I don't get when the kids are home because I would have to buy 2 or 3 bags at $10 each. Yummm.....

I also noted that I have a fear of running out of stuff stemming from the days when the grocery store was not a place I got to go. We ran out of corn during the snow. Just corn. We have a houseful of food. Well, we now have about a dozen cans of corn (69 and 50 cents respectively) and a half-dozen bags of frozen corn. Never shall it be said that my kitchen does not have corn. I know this bit of irrationality comes from the days when I was given no grocery money, was taken grocery shopping maybe once in three months and then told that I couldn't go again because "I cost too much." Things like canned vegetables, pickles to go with peanut butter, chai tea, all was forboden.

And I bought a new broom. I think you are supposed to start the New Year with a new broom? I know the girls have been bugging me for one for awhile - the old one was falling apart. Just the luxury of buying a broom and knowing that it was MY broom - not going off anywhere else but that I will know it will remain securely in its corner by the refrigerator to be used when needed. Yes - that is a luxury!!!!

Well, time to head for the bus for work. I hope my feet don't get too wet paddling through the remnants of slush and snow and mush. I am being a very good girl and bringing my own bagel and cream for breakfast and bringing lunch and I might even eat the lunch I brought. Sausage for dinner is all defrosted and in the refrigerator - I shall make the casserole on the bag of the BOGO hash browns I bought.

I am also contemplating whether to take the sweater sleeve I am knitting for Daughter number 3 with me on the bus or the Red Heart Afghan for DS. The Red Heart Afghan is cool, but kind of "rough and tough" knitting while the sweater is a thing of glory. I think the afghan wins - I don't mind if it gets a little rain and will be crushed if the sweater meets with elements.

OK - there was my 15 and off with me!!!

Sunday December whatever

2008-12-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

I am terrible at keeping this updated, so I am going to try something.... 15 minutes (ala Flylady) every morning .... yep....

My 15 today - it is 8:02 by the iHome clock by my bed and we should be getting up for church here soon. Snow has become yucky slush that sinks your feet in up past the shoe and gets the socks and pants legs all comfortably (NOT) wet and frozen. Yelch!!!!

Did a couple things this AM ... Found pet bedding for our menagerie on Amazon and got 6 50 Liter packs at what I hope are some savings. Tired of running out and running to the pet store to spend a fortune every week. Why not have it shipping home? $160 for 6 packs that should last for 3 months? 2 cages ... changed once a week ... 10 liters a cage ought to do it, so 20 a week = 40 per month. I just bought 600 divide by 40 = 15 weeks. About $10 a week. For three guinea pigs and one bunny. (Who now lives in the house even though I had resolved not to have any more house animals. Sigh...)

Found the Joy Berry book I had so long ago on "Earn Your Allowance" that I have pondered getting back. Kids ought to have some sort of allowance. Can you imagine turning young adults out to the real world with no money skills? That book had an allowance scheme that made sense..... (I hope it was that one). It was a percentage of family income, which I liked and also if one did not do one's chores, then they have to pay someone else to do them, since they have to be done anyway. Makes perfect sense to me - if you don't want to mow the lawn then you have to pay the gardener, right? The joy I find is keeping track of it all. Who did what chore (or didn't)? Did they really do it or give it a lick and a promise? Or lie?

Going behind and checking becomes very overwhelming to me. I get up at the crack of dawn and all I can manage is dressing, taking out food for dinner, checking on the menagerie of pets, and paddling to the bus stop by 5:30AM. When I get home at 6:30/7:00PM, it is time to make it through the gauntlet of natives who have something important to share about their day, or who want something (all at once), and then off to make dinner, eat dinner, clean up and I am ready to collapse. My mom helps a lot, but I need to add in paddling around the house and making sure people DID what they were SUPPOSED to do. And some things I do not do for them if they don't do it ... like wash clothes and sheets and towels.

You would think teens would want to head off in clean clothes each day? Apparently not - I can't tell that they do their laundry on any regular basis. Everyone has a day of the week to wash their clothes after school and I expect them to be dried, folded and put away in their dressers. It is too hard a concept? Consequences is wearing dirty clothes to school, which they appear to do. It reflects badly on the parents, but there is only so much of us to go around. I also would think that having a nice clean towel after shower and clean sheets would be important, but getting them to even make a bed and hang up a towel is a foreign concept.

Is everyone's kids so unconcerned with neatness and order? Who knows..... There is only so much I can worry about before my head pops off. And I suppose they will grow up and head off to their own homes where they will wash clothes and hang up towels and ponder over their children in their own turn.

Anyway, I made it through my 15, so time to shower and off to church for the Christmas play with Miss Pink Princess. (Rest of the natives are away).

Education

2008-09-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

Reflections upon my desire for an education:

I'm not sure what an "education" is exactly. Is it a piece of paper granted by an institution that costs dearly and looks pretty on one's resume, only to be glanced at briefly during hiring time? Or is it a never-ending quest for more information? More puzzle pieces to how the great universe works? How it all clicks together? Or is it the piece of paper that says an individual is interested in how it all works?

I do know that I want one of these "educations." Why? I don't know.... Because I loved learning. I loved school. (Well, not always.) I love the process of putting the puzzle of life together and saying "Oh!! That is how that works." It makes life meaningful outside of individual existence.

There... I just said a whole bunch of nothing...

What I do have in my possession to further this quest:

Saxon Algebra 1/2 - kiddie Algebra for the person (me) who has already passed Algebra 2 in college with a 4.0 - but I found last time I struggled through the first lessons I had some trouble.
Calculus - The Teaching Company - thanks mom!!!

Physics - The Teaching Company - tried Physics in high school and ending up turning the course back for some inane "health" course because I could not do it. Of course, that was when I was 12 and without a teacher.

Chemistry - The Teaching Company - I passed this class in high school. I am missing the first DVD.

Writing Strands - from kiddie version up through beginning college

Latin I - DVD and all

Well Educated Mind (from library) - tried to paddle through the first book - Don Quixote and never really have time. There are so many other "junk food" books that are ever so more interesting.

I need a schedule so I can utilize the time of my "days off" (hahaha) to pursue this knowledge. However, I can draw up grand schemes on paper with the best of them. Executing is another tale. Expecting too much of myself as usual, I fall flat on my face when the going gets tough. I am the hare of Aesop's tale.

Progress

2008-09-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

OK - progress maybe...

Had to stop the debt snowball to make up the emergency fund because I finally broke down and put the $500 into car repair. It has a passenger side mirror not held on by duct tape now!!!

Emergency fund is back in place.

We made it through the majority of school fees - even the flute and the annoyingly expensive calculator and the thumb drives. I'm not sure how we made it, but we did.

One of the debts I tried to validate some months ago finally came back with someone else's debt completely. They sent us her SSN, her DOB, her bank account info and her medical records. Scary!!! Anyway, I'm not so much into paying her debts - I feel sad - she has medical debts from some pretty obvious domestic injuries, inability to buy food and utility bills.

I paid off a medical debt today, part of DH's library fines (sigh ... stupid tax), and noted that another medical debt accepted payment in full (cashed check). Yay...

I have taken up knitting again - inexpensive and yet dear Christmas presents. (Although yarn - good yarn - can be pricey). We will be back to riding the bus all week again next week which should save on gas. Food budget is holding out.

Think we might weather this storm.

First Snowball Gone

2008-08-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

My first debt in snowball is GONE!!!! This is so cool.... And 2 weeks ahead of schedule. (Well, gone as soon as they cash the last check I sent them).

Moving on to the next - paying my mom back for the rental loan to move into the house - $1900 left on that. Goal is to pay that off by December.

Today's agenda:

1) got the Regence EOBs for the full time period that DH had them. Matching up the medical collections for that time frame and figuring out that a bunch of this stuff never even got sent through insurance. Hmmm.... Writing to the medical center and asking for the claim numbers for each date of service. (Oh, and that medical center is trying to round up all these "bosses" to meet with my husband personally over our HIPAA letter - think we might have them running scared.) (Except I forgot that folder this morning, so I have the Google Spreadsheet with Regence stuff and then I will have to match up later today)

2) Need to write to another original creditor (different medical center) to figure out why insurance did not pay on those bills. (Already sorted out the half that was not even my husband's from that set). Two of them are from earlier insurance, and it looks like the insurance paid some of the bill. One of them I can verify owing from the Regence list, so I will pay that to OC in full with HIPAA letter.

Next one bites the dust

2008-08-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Paying another original medical creditor in full today.

The veterinary bill collection agency never did reply after two chances, so I must assume that they simply don't want my money. Therefore, the money has been redirected to the next creditor. They go to the bottom of the list and we move on.

Also, making an offer to another creditor that is just about at the end of the Statute of Limitations.

Easy Way to Get Rid of Debt = NOT MINE

2008-08-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

So, one of the major collection agencies on the report came back finally with all of their validations. (I only asked for two so far, but they kicked in with everything.)

Half of them are the DH's ex-spouse. Hmmm.... are we paying that? I think not. I have very kindly informed this agency that they may collect these debts from the proper party. I also dug up divorce papers and note that another debt on the report is very clearly and deliberately marked in the divorce paper as hers. Wrote to that agency and to Equifax to tell that one goodbye.

I also wrote to the two insurance companies DH had and requested Explanation of Benefits for all of these medical collection dates of service / creditors. I have no idea if the insurance companies will come through, but it surely does not hurt to try. As I learned this week, DH's last ER stay came with a co-pay (OK) which I paid in full and they sent to collections AFTER they cashed my check (NOT OK). A phone call and they backed down on that. Also, another bill came through saying that we owed $76 because we didn't have a referral. Since when did you need a referral for work done in the ER? I called the doctor, who explained that this happens sometimes and I needed to call the insurance. I called the insurance and the lady very nicely said she would take care of it. She would call our PCP and request the appropriate form. You have to keep on top of these insurance / medical bills. Nobody will look out for your money except you.

So, 6 debts total and $2000 down, as they are not our bills...... Not bad....

New News

2008-07-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

So...

The veterinary collection place came back with lawsuit papers (that they served to my minor child) - suddenly $60 of debt has become $3,000. (They think). This is AFTER I offered to pay the original debt in full as long as they give me in writing that this is the accepted amount and they will not come after me for any more.

I have responded with legal papers in kind (at least the $18,000 lawyer bill taught me a few things) which I will serve via certified mail (since they offer me only a PO Box for location). I also included a letter which tells them "I guess you don't want my money after all. Let me know if you change your mind within 5 days, or I will go on to work with people who do." (OK - not in those words exactly).

The dental debt that I paid the provider in full for came back, so the debt has been sold to the collection agency. I am offering the original money only to this collections and let's see if THEY want my money.

And one of the larger collection groups has not validated within their 30 days, so am sending them a "remove this from my report" letter as well as certified letters to the credit agencies saying that we don't owe this debt and the creditor has no records to prove it - do they possibly have records to prove? Last time I tried that, the debts were stricken.

So...

1 lawsuit
1 non-validation
1 let's try to pay you letter

With the "lawsuit" I wonder how many people see these legalese looking papers and freeze? If you don't respond to them at all, the judgment is automatic for whatever the collection agency says it is. How often do they get away with that crap?

Good News and Bad News

2008-07-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

Good news - U of P finally sent me my money back (http://www.thedebtgame.com/2008/05/score-69.html)

I honestly did not think they were going to. Happy day!!! I am throwing that at the veterinary collection, as soon as I get their reply back that they will accept pay for delete. There is also enough left to start saving for one of the medical bills that validated from the HIPAA letter.

Bad news - got my lawyer bill from after the trial. Total = 19883.67. Score now went to -84

Oh well, can't be helped......

Today

2008-07-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

My titles are so imaginative!!!

Today:

sending a HIPAA letter plus payment in full to one collection (not including interest). This payment was not so much in budget, but it is $40 so I think I can scrape it up.
second collection agency did not provide any information about their bill except for original creditor, so HIPAA letter to this original creditor saying "what was this for exactly?" NOTE: this creditor (the local hospital) is the same one holding about 75% of our bills
sending a "pay for delete" letter to another collection (the veterinary bill one) which I am still saving cash for.

Overtime

2008-07-07T13:36:00.001-07:00

So, got called in work overtime today since a co-worker experienced an injury last night.

OT = 4 hours = $144 less taxes and deductions = $100 more dollars thrown at HG snowball on 7/31. Which means still paid off by the end of August, but with considerably less out of that last paycheck.

Today

2008-07-05T12:35:00.001-07:00

Step one for today:

Send validation letter to yet another creditor. 11 to go, although only 2 more creditors are unique. The rest are repeats (same collection agency, several debts), so if I'm lucky they will voluntarily validate before I ask. (One did so.)

One doctor office replied to my HIPAA letter that they are investigating. I will file this letter.

Got a green card back on the collection agency that did not validate.

Another HIPAA creditor replied back with validation information (similar to the one listed already), so they will get added to the snowball list.

Other basic filing and done.

I need a new filing system - one file folder is not going to do it for very much longer.

Scores to date:

2 creditors did not validate within the 30 days.
1 creditor covering 15 accounts did validate and I am referring to the original creditors at this time to validate that insurance did or did not cover the medical services rendered.
Of that group, one validated and has been paid in full - check cashed.
1 more validated and is now in the snowball list to be paid.
6 of this group is with a single original creditor and are being investigated.
7 have yet to respond and are outside of the 10 days given them to do so.
1 creditor responded that the bill had been removed from our credit report as it has been returned to the original creditor.
1 creditor validated and is added to the debt snowball.

1 paid in full, 2 in the snowball list, 2 apparently don't want any money.

A Pretty Little Debt

2008-07-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

So, how do we get into debt? What makes us end up in this little game? Well, here is the story of one pretty little debt……

Something endangered my physical safety at my apartment (details left out). Therefore, this entailed a restraining order and relocating immediately. But I still had to pay rent on the apartment while I gave notice. I stayed with friends for awhile, but their home was crowded and I’m no freeloader. We did the apartment search and I found a two bedroom in a security gated complex that was somewhat affordable. It was a stretch for me (I was barely making the rent in slumville previously) but my fiancé was helping, so we moved.

I quickly found out that security gates really mean nothing in a high-crime area (and you get high crime when you move into “affordable.”) The upstairs neighbor screamed and swore at us the first night in front of my child. He got into a fight with kids in the parking lot another night and we called the cops. He beat his girlfriend upstairs and I started going into flashback mode. He was angry and ripped the stair railing out. The security gates almost never worked because the drug dealers would get their SUVs and pull the gates out just enough to bend them so they wouldn’t function. I came home one night to chase a drug deal out of my parking spot so I could park. One day I came home to my building completely surrounded by police.

In the midst of all this, I was dealing with my own restraining order against my attacker and various other associated life trauma, so I was not as vociferous with the landlords as I could have been. They were complained to a few times (verbally) and really didn’t seem to care. My fiance and I were getting married and combining households (two adults, five kids between us) in 6 months anyway. I was freaked about staying there and found a wonderful rental house about a block away, so we decided to go ahead and get married sooner, rent it and just get established. I felt so much better with a whole family at home!!!!! (Not to mention the husband who firmly believes in his right to bear arms.)

I was unaware of the Renter’s law that said I could break a lease if I had a restraining order and was in fear of my life. So, I just broke the lease and figured I had to lump it. I tried to make payments to the apartment management company. They returned my checks, saying they had to have the amount ($1K) in full or not at all. Meanwhile, we also had to scrape together the first, last and damage for the house we rented. Neither one of us were particularly flush with cash. So, the lease fees got turned over to a collection agency.

I made small payments to the collection agency every month, but those don’t even come close to adding up to the huge amounts of fees and interest that the agency is adding on. Hence, a lovely debt……. How did I get it?

I was stupid!!!!! I could have paid more money per month for the same apartment without a lease, but I felt maxed out with the amount I was paying and it seemed perfectly reasonable to lease as we were getting married in 6 months. I should have known my landlord / tenant law and let them know in writing about the restraining order and my complaints about safety (in writing, registered mail, certified).

Is it OK to be stupid? Sure. We are all stupid at one time or another. What is not OK is to stay that way. There is a way out. The important thing is to put one foot in front of the other, head the right direction and just keep walking. Hence, the Debt Game. There will be days when we draw the “Go Directly to Jail. Do Not Pass GO, Do Not Collect $200” cards. There will be days with “Get Out of Jail Free” cards. But you just keep rolling.

Another one bites the dust

2008-07-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

So, the one that I paid in full last Saturday.... They cashed the check (original creditor), so I guess we are good..... Yay!!!! Next one to save up for is one that validated.

Principal on this one (a veterinary bill) is $67.88 and interest at 12% for 4 years they are charging at 34.54. That seems high.... Total asking is: $102.42. I don't think HIPAA works for animals, but I wonder if the original creditor would take payment? The validation letter indicates that the original creditor is still in communication over this, so it isn't sold.

Still working on Medical Debt

2008-06-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Number 1)

Validate yet another account. Standard stuff - send the letter asking for verification, include the pertinent details from credit reports.

Number 2)
Send letter to debt collector who didn't bother to respond to the validation letter with a letter telling them that I sent them a letter (including copies of the certified receipts, and the letter) which they received (green signature card) and did not reply to - therefore verify and delete as quickly as possible. (Certified letter to Equifax asking for the same sent about the same time). I think after this, the bill goes on my "ignore for now" list.

Number 3)
HIPAA letters to original creditor explaining that these bills were not submitted to insurance, who should have paid so please strike all record of this from our credit. Same as the letters I sent last week, but these are the ones that went with DH's previous insurance. I didn't try to tackle them all at once last week.

Number 4)
HIPAA letter and payment in full (sans interest) to the one creditor who responded to last week's HIPAA letters. I probably should go with a bank check, but I don't know when those clear without a lot of extra legwork that I don't have time for. DH could have done it, but I just want it done now, so sending a regular check. I am sending it to the original creditor, not the collection agency - payable only to the original creditor. Not what they want, but we will see what happens. I don't know if they will require the interest payment, but why pay more than needed? The worst that can happen is they either refuse the payment altogether, take the payment and tell me we owe more in interest, or take the payment and be happy.

Response from that creditor went along these lines:

We are in receipt of your recent letter regarding this account. As a courtesy, I wanted to respond to your concerns regarding the balance due.

Please note that on the dates above, our physicians (performed xxxxx services to you at xxxx Hospital). Those dates were billed to (name of insurance) on (dates) respectively. (Insurance) paid promptly on both claims, leaving a small co-pay amount on each claim.

Statements were sent to you on (dates). After receiving no response, we sent a letter on (date), advising of the past due status of your account, and stating our intent to forward the account to our collection agency unless receiving payment or contact. You did not respond.

After waiting more than 10 days, we sent a follow up statement on (date). On (date about two weeks later) we made another attempt to contact you, this time by telephone. We left messages at your home and work numbers. You did receive at least one of those messages, and returned our call later that day. During that call, you verified your home address, and provided us a cell phone number. You were again advised of the status of your account and promised to call our office the following day to make arrangements for payment.

We waited for your call until (about a week later date) and at that time sent one more statement to advise of the balance due. On (date), having received no contact, we forwarded the account to our collection agency.

M, you can see from the record that we made every attempt to give you an opportunity to take care of your co-pay amounts voluntarily. We utilize the services of our collection agency only when we have made every effort to notify and work with our patients. In your case, a review of your file indicates that we did just that.

Information about the balance due was forwarded to our business partner (collection agency name), in full compliance with HIPAA regulations. You will need to contact them directly with regards to payment of this balance, and with any concerns about their report to any and all credit agencies.

I checked with (collection agency) today and was advised that you have not paid the balance due. That balance includes your co-payment due after insurance for both dates of service. I am advised that you have asked (collection agency) to cease contact and will advise that although they will honor that request, it does not mean that the balance will not remain due and payable. We would certainly appreciate it if you would contact them and make arrangments for payment of this long outstanding balance.

(with a cc to the collection agency)

Another agency responded that they no longer hold the debt I inquired about and I should refer back to the original creditor, that they had removed their information from DH's credit report. I have a letter from another creditor that looks like the bill was sold to yet another collector, but this one falls to the bottom of my list for now. Only 5 collectors total left to contact.

Current Financial Goal

2008-06-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

I am working on detailed goals and figure to start with the immediate and progress to future. Here goes....

Goal: Pay off bill to HG by the end of August.

How to reach goal (using the holiday pay from 7/4 that I will get and the extra food money because we aren't feeding kids for a month, as they are off at camp and/or off at respective other parental units' homes):

On the HIPAA Letters

2008-06-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

I got one letter back so far from one medical agency. I shall have to post full text of these letters at some point here...

Anyway, they were very detailed in the fact that insurance did promptly cover the bill with the exception of a couple co-pays and they had a list of attempts to contact my husband for payment and what he said. Therefore, the bill is still owing and it appears that it is not sold to the collection agency as the original creditor is still communicating on it. Of course, they want me to make payment arrangements with the collection agency. However, my next strategy is to send them payment in full via money order with a notice that this pays in full and per HIPAA, please strike this from our credit report. I have the money on hand to pay the entire amount, including the 12% interest.

This one should bite the dust on Monday in this case.

Medical Debt and HIPAA

2008-06-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

HIPAA laws and debt

Apparently, per HIPAA laws there is no permissible business purpose in divulging protected health information to anyone on an account once there is no longer any payment due. As in - if you don't owe money on a medical account, then it cannot be reported on your credit any longer.

Upon receiving a list of medical bills from one Credit Collection agency, my husband said that all of those bills should have been covered by insurance. I have the insurance card for one of those employers / policies. So, I am sending off the letter to the original creditors showing that these bills were covered by insurance, we don't owe anything and they have 10 days to strike all mention of us from the collection agency.

If this works in full, total gain stands to be $2172.09.

Also, two of the medical bills that I requested validation from have not responded within the 30 days at all, so I have written to Equifax requesting validation. Total gain from that action should be $68.

It's been a month and....

2008-06-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

5 debts sent off for validation, with only 1 response.

1 has not responded in thirty days, so next letter goes out with "You have not validated this - remove from my credit report or I sue."

2 have responded with appropriate information. I am making an offer letter today and this creditor actually holds 15 of our collection accounts, so maybe get rid of that one all at once?

1 sent validation to my in-laws home and not ours, so I'm not counting that one...

What did I do for my debt today?

2008-05-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

I wrote another validation letter to the next creditor on the list from husband's credit report. This one we owe several debts to, so this should unleash fun...

I wrote a settlement letter to a collector offering a lump sum settlement (money I have in my debt envelope now) in exchange for them removing it from my credit and calling it good. Lump sum in hand is better than possible pennies later.

Settlement letter and information came from:

Solve Your Money Troubles: Get Debt Collectors Off Your Back & Regain Financial Freedom (11 th edition)

Score -69

2008-05-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

Debt Game Score: -69 (up four points.... yay!!!)

And results of validation from University of Phoenix (after much persistence):

"Your balance was written off and is no longer owed to the University. The remaining credit that is on your account of $5.01 processed on April 7th, $113.43 processed on May 6th, and $5.01 processed on May 7th totaling $123.45 is in process of being returned to you."

Currently, I am working down my husband's credit report and sending validation letters to each (one per week). The first one was mailed yesterday.

Process:
Step one, validation via certified mail.
Step two, wait thirty days.
Step three, if no response, send second attempt. If response, make settlement offer.

University of Phoenix

2008-05-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

Debt for this month is University of Phoenix.

First step is validating. They sent me an email back in February wanting exorbitant payments, to which I replied that I was paying what I could, but could not pay as much as they demanded.

When I logged into my account this morning to check balance, there are mysterious entries showing that I have a credit balance, so I have sent an email off to check on this. They did send me a collection notice from somewhere in February, right in the middle of our moving. I sent off the validation letter via certified mail, but have received no reply (3 months).

Meanwhile, putting money into my debt envelope for this and waiting for validation / settlement information.

30 day goal: $700 paid on it, with a balance of $400
60 day goal: Paid in full
90 day goal: Move on to Summit with a settlement in hand

Score: 1 point gain

(Yes, I was working on settling the lease, but I want a settlement agreement in writing before I pay it. More on that later.)

Plan for the year

2008-04-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

OK, so maybe I'm too ambitious, but here is the year's plan.

Student loans are in deferment until April 2009. Therefore, I will try to get rid of everything else before next year. There is no way to get rid of everything, so....

Medical debt is probably the least innocuous on the credit, so let's skip that for now.
This leaves:

University of Phoenix
His lawyer
My lawyer
Lease

First one to attack is the lease. It is in collections and I just got official word from the original creditor that they are not interested in the account. This means that the collection guy just bought the debt, paid the creditor pennies on the dollar, and is now trying to get a bazillion dollars from me. Trying is a key word there.... Goal: settle for much less and a clean credit record. Anticipated score: gain one point for a -72 and spend $360 or less.

Gas Saving

2008-04-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

So, instead of starting up the family car to drive "around the corner" and pick up child from after-school chorus environment, I walked....

Turns out I ended up walking not only my own child, but three more home. It wasn't so bad - my legs are complaining today somewhat, but we found a new playground in the process, laughed at the kids playing sweet and sour, and had a generally nice time. (Sweet and sour is when they wave enthusiastically at passing cars and get the drivers to respond.)

Fixed enough salmon for two dinners, and then walked up to meet the husband coming off the bus. There was a mother duck on the way with six baby ducklings. They were so cute. I would have totally missed them in a car. Then the kids followed me up to the bus stop and jumped on daddy.

Dinner was salmon, leftover potatoes added to the rest of my bag of red potatoes, fried rice made from leftover rice, leftover cooked veggies, a couple eggs and some leftover beef broth, and the rest of the fresh broccoli in the fridge. I have enough salmon flaked up to make into salmon patties tomorrow. Cost of salmon was $30 so I probably won't do that often. Although $15 a meal for 8 is not really bad.

So far, just trying to make it within budget, and so far, so good.

Entertainment

2008-04-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

We went to this amazing video store this weekend without even leaving the house!!!

It's called .... the .... LIBRARY!!!

Overdrive Media partners with the library and lets us download whole DVDs to watch right at home. No rental fee, no late fees, and not even the gas to drive anywhere. Check for your library here:

http://search.overdrive.com/

I also went shopping using the Grocery Game lists this morning and spent less than my $100 grocery budget for the week's groceries - not bad. It really does seem to work.

God Makes A Way

2008-04-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

2 Kings 4
The Widow's Oil
1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves."

2 Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?"
"Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil."

3 Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side."

5 She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one."
But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing.

7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."

Bible Gateway

The Debt Game - Score -73

2008-04-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

So, I am starting this blog anew. In reviewing our financial situation, I find that we are in the same spot as millions of others - IN DEBT. And we are determined to be out of debt. That sounds bleak and scary and hard and all kinds of bad words. In fact, in sounds like when mom used to tell us to go "clean your room." Downright depressing....

But.... why not make it a game? Mary Poppins did that for my room. Why not for debt? Games are fun. I ran across www.thegrocerygame.com this week. All that extra work of clipping coupons and trying to save a dime turned into a game. And you know you won when

"The checker pushes the final total button, the register beeps, and the computer locks up. (This happens when the computer sees a savings amount or percentage that it thinks is too high.) The manager must insert his key so that the checker can finish the transaction."

Our game score this fine Saturday morning of April 19, 2008 is -73. We win when it is a positive number.

In order to win this game, we have made a family budget that fits with what we make. With doing this, we found that there are some lifestyle changes that need to happen.

Change (this week) was to stop driving to the Park & Ride. It didn't seem like much but it was 4 miles each way. Monthly cost for a Chevrolet Aveo at $3.50/gallon for gasoline for just that drive = $80. Our employers provide us with bus passes and we can catch the bus 2/5th of a mile away from our home. It takes maybe another 1/2 hour each workday. I enjoy hearing the birds sing in the morning on the way to the bus stop and the walk probably does us good too. 1.2 miles a week for me, 2 miles for hubby.

2008-03-20T10:29:00.001-07:00

OK - to survive this month:

On hand (by stealing from savings) = 602.94
Expected income on Friday: 1006.45
Total: 1609.39

Required outgo:
Tithe: $100 - $1509.39
Savings: $60 - $1449.39 (skip for once)
Debt: $100 - $1349.39 (skip)
Rent: $425 - $924.39
Credit Card: $600 - $324.39 (pay only $300)
Insurance: $182 - $142.39
Gas bill: $195 - $negative 52.61
Car payment: $174 - (negative 226.61)

Expected income on 3/31 (Monday after next) - $1470
On hand - $1243.39

Required outgo:
Tithe: $150 ($1093.39)
Debt: $150 ($943.39) skip again
Rent: $425 ($518.39)
Gas - $195 ($323.39) pay only $95
Car - $170 ($153.39)
Comcast - $82.25 ($71.14) pay only half
Water - $86.97 (-$15.83) pay only half
Credit Card - $60 (-$75.83) skip
GAL - $78 (-153.83) pay later
Savings repayment -$100 (-253.83)

Given that we need at least $200 a week for food and another $100 for gas, I need to conjure up $855.

So, to try again:
On hand (by stealing from savings) = 602.94
Expected income on Friday: 1006.45
Total: 1609.39

Required outgo:
Tithe: $100 - $1509.39
Rent: $425 - $1084.39
Credit Card: $600 - $784.39 (pay only $300)
Insurance: $182 - $602.39
Gas bill: $195 - $407.39
Car payment: $174 - $233.39

Expected income on 3/31 (Monday after next) - $1470
On hand - $1703.39

Required outgo:
Tithe: $150 ($1553.39)
Rent: $425 ($1128.39)
Gas - $195 ($1033.39) pay only $95
Car - $170 ($863.39)
Comcast - $82.25 ($821.39) pay only half
Water - $86.97 ($778.39) pay only half
Savings repayment -$100 ($678.39)

Money again

2008-03-17T11:32:00.001-07:00

The never ending battle of making ends meet - never mind getting some overlap in there...

Plan / goal / must-do = live on 70% of intake...

$6,000 / mo = 4,200

$600 = savings (include 401K)
$600 = tithe
$600 = debt payments

so.... can we do it for April?

March is already so screwed up I totally despair. For once in my life, I am paying utilities bills some days late. Bugs me.... But pay them we must. Got too many groceries this week - what with Easter dinner and all. And then I need to go shopping for the Easter bunny too.... on a credit card that needs to be paid off by the end of the month. Sigh.....

yay for dressers

2008-02-20T11:43:00.001-08:00

So, my dresser is where it belongs now, suitably filled with clothing and my shoes were found. Yay for husbands!!!! Hugs...

Anything else earth-shaking? I got a new fish yesterday:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_fighting_fish

I see that I need to turn up the heater and I can't have goldfish with him. He gets oxygen from the air, so having the tank lid on maybe bad??? And he eats broccoli, they say. hmmm...

Anything else - nothing much. Monday worked around the house and struggled with servers coming back online. Finally used ICS, which is its own can of worms. Got it working on Tuesday.

Today.. back to work.

Feb

2008-02-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

OK - found a suitably large house (finally) and got moved. I won't say all moved, 'cuz my dresser is in the garage still and my clothes in boxes and I feel distinctly discombobulated. (having self-possession upset; thrown into confusion)

Gosh - have not posted in forever....

So... still struggling with fear and flashbacks - better, but tough. I think it is harder when I am in pain. Pain tends to bring it all back. Even just pain from being sick - not inflicted. I don't know. I hate myself for feeling it. But the alternative is not to feel anything, which is not healthy either.

I think I finally feel totally accepted for the first time in my life. I think my mom actually likes me!!!!! And my husband (of course). It is a nice feeling.

Reading through my project - up to Ruth. These books give you a human sense of people in the Bible. God used plain ordinary messed-up humans for His purposes. How powerful is that?

Trying to make ends meet still. And get through bills. It is easier, but not easy.

Well, I try to post some each day - k? I get distracted. My current distraction is BeliefNet - keep thinking some of these people are savable:
http://community.beliefnet.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=270
http://community.beliefnet.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=165
only God knows.

Also - new Sunday School book - The Power of a Praying Parent. I wonder why JWs didn't teach prayer? Sure, they say they do.... but with statements like:

An audience with a king is a restricted privilege. So is prayer to the King of eternity.

But an individual who is insincere about studying the Scriptures, does not know the divine requirements for prayer, and has not yet displayed an attitude pleasing to God cannot be said to fear Jehovah, have faith, or be earnestly seeking him. Such a person is not in position to offer prayers acceptable to God.

They ought to ask themselves whether they still have the wonderful privilege of prayer. Apparently not, only baptized believers have an unrestricted privilege of approaching the King Eternal in prayer.

So, according to this, the person who is seeking God but not yet baptized, can't pray.... The alcoholic who is struggling with his affliction, can't pray. I guess the tax collector in Jesus' time is out of the picture - he wasn't baptized, or if he was, he would have been disfellowshipped. (Luke 18:13)

Well, work today is quiet and I need to clean my desk. Grrr... don't wanna!!!! What is on desk?

a cell phone - goes in pocket
Power of a praying parent book - was going to finish the workbook today sometime
scratch paper - put in drawer
a linux book - studying for certs that I am afraid to take the test for
a docking station - oh yeah, sync up laptop - oh wait - Robert borrowed back his power cord
a paper plate from Valentines cupcakes
3 breathe easy tea packages - good stuff
3 pens
a pager list
roll of toilet paper for drippy nose
paper for renewing vehicle tabs - done
paper that shows where my dentist tried to charge dentistry to my vision policy and it was denied (did he miss the day of anatomy where they showed the difference between eyes and teeth?)
workbook and journal for sunday school book
priority incident timeline and summary training
study notes from that linux book
my safeway.com order that i have revised to death to be able to afford it $323.90 for a week's worth of groceries
more scratch paper
a flow chart for work
a notebook
an infospace mouse pad
an origami flower
a vitamin water bottle and four lids to such
my voip phone
pictures
business cards
coffee cup
remote to the tv
cell phone for SOC
directions to the girl scout cookie pickup that i forgot to give hubby
that darn safeway order again
a printout on how to setup a goldfish tank
letter to GAL
my bear
blistex
hairbrush
water bottle cap

there, desk clean... and i think service just went down in the UK... and I can't find the TSG... so... oh well, all fixed, I think...

I'm cold...

Haven't been here in awhile

2008-01-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

Yeah - I haven't been here in awhile huh?

Finished Revelation, but just by reading - forget the study - time ran out with my mom moving in and everything. (Yes, she moved in - her apartment flooded - water is attracted to her, what can I say - after her trailer went downriver last year November and this year November she woke up to ankle deep in water.)

Had to find a new place with more room so she could stop sleeping on the couch - what a place to put a grandma!!! Two cats died - one of them mine and he died yesterday - tears.... He was a good kitty but 16 is as old as they get on average. Trying to remember the good times and not shed tears when he is not at the top of the stairs to greet me.

We move in Feb 1 and guess when they decided to go to trial over the custody? Yep - Feb 1. Grrrr.....

Well, I pledge to post here more often, really.....

Sardis

2007-11-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

Verse	JW	Christian
1"To the angel^[a] of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits^[b]of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.	Jesus identifies himself with Jehovah's holy spirit operating in fullness. This he is able to handle any situation. Sardis members have relapsed into apathy.	Sardis means “escaping ones” and provides a description of the Reformation church. However, the Reformation churches became state churches. This eliminates the need for personal acceptance of Jesus Christ and an emphasis on the individual's relationship with God. They also did not sufficiently change many of the customs and teachings of the Roman church. They preferred to trust the State in a time of economic need instead of God. Although the Reformation church began well, they did not complete their work of reforming the church.
2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.	Their congregational lamp is flickering because of lack of works of faith.	Our Lord counseled five things: 1) Be watchful. They lacked instruction in rophecy. 2) Strengthen the doctrinal teachings.
3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.	Soon after 1914, Jesus came to inspect and judge those who would be his followers. In 1918, Christendom was embroiled in bloodshed, and Jws were in a time of spiritual drowsiness. However, there were many still preaching. Up to this hour, each one needs to stay alert and fight against drifting into spiritual sleep. The WT today keeps its members awake with district conventions and the WT magazine. Each Christian must ask “Are our deeds fully performed before our God? Personally cultivate self-sacrifice and humility as we try to walk before Jehovah.	3) remember the days of blessing and depend on God rather than the state church. 4) Hold fast to doctrines already taught. 5) Repent – have a submissive heart to Christ. Keep on the watch – the Reformation church has become part of the World Council of Churches – aiding and abetting the Antichrist's program.
4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.	When professed Christians were absorbed in false religion, there must always have been a few individuals who tried to do Jehovah's will. Imagine the joy of the “faithful few” who were still alive at the start of 1914. They were finally separated from spiritually dead Christendom and were gathered into a righteous congregation.	There were individuals who were faithful and did not sully their garments with the world.
5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.	Those who are faithful and do not sully their Christian identity, attain a wonderful hope. After the establishment of the kingdom in 1914, they are resurrected to spirit life and are arrayed as conquerors. The book of life refers to the record of Jehovah's servants who come in line to receive everlasting life.	This represents the security with which a believer is held against the day of judgment. Blotting out can occur: 1) for sinning against God 2) for not being an overcomer, not being born again and putting one's trust in Jesus. 3) for taking away the words of prophect.
6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Pergamum

2007-11-17T23:31:00.000-08:00

Verse	JW	Christian
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.	Jesus is executioner and judge, both for those who persecute his disciples and those inside the church who practice idolatry, immorality, lying, dishonesty, and who fail to care for the needy.	Throne of Satan is taken somewhat more literally. The indulged church age = Satan changed his attack from outright persecution to an era of tolerance which involved paganism being introduced into the truth. The name Pergamum can mean “marriage” - the Church now became married to governmental authority and accepted and declined in spiritual blessing and power. Church began to cast off the hope for Christ's kingdom and to say that Christ's 1,000 year reign was then – that Christ would come AFTER the 1,000 years.. To make this fit, they began suggesting that Israel had been cast off forever and that the promises to Israel now applied to the church. Sharp, two-edged sword refers to word of God. Christ uses the Word of God to sanctify His church, to clean it, to bring it joy, and to bring it peace.
13I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.	Idolatry in Pergamum showed that Satan's “throne” was firmly asserted in that city. Christians did not bow down to him in nationalistic worship. Antipas martyrdom was from his not worshiping the Roman emperor. Jehovah's Witnesses practice neutrality. Examples of persecution from flag salute in US, swastika in Germany, Shinto emperor in Japan. More examples of youth who were persecuted because of not saluting the flag or joining the military. Interestingly, I can find no mention that Antipas was martyred for emperor worship.	Satan's new tactic was one of indulgence and “elevation” or “marriage” of Church and State. The church during this time did hold fast His name by remaining doctrinally true. During this time, Arius and his followers began denying the personal deity of Christ, causing the conflict at Nicea. But because the church held fast to Christ's name, the church did not teach anything but the personal deity of Christ for over a thousand years.
14Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.	Balak = immorality and idolatry. We must guard against such. Offenders disfellowshipped from the Christian congregation, mostly for sexual immorality, have numbered into the tens of thousands. Idol worship = abusing Christian freedom and offending the consciences of others. We must be careful not to stumble others, avoiding modern idolatry such as worshiping TV stars, movies, sports or our bellies.	Although their theological doctrine remained correct, their practical doctrines were radically evil. The church did not remain separated from paganism. Idolatry crept in.
15Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.	Nicolaitans = apostates	Nicolaitians = strong clery. Laymen given no voice in church affairs, but required to obey blindly the decrees of clergy.
16Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.	Apostates may criticize the way Jehovah is having his work done, claim that it is not necessary to go door to door, concoct their own ideas about the Memorial, blood, holidays and tobacco. Apostate propaganda = poison, must disfellowship these. Their basis is envy, hatred.	Unless we are willing to repent of our sins or violations of the Word, we will be judged by that same Word.
17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.	Anointed (144,000) get to eat hidden manna, which means they get to enter the Most Holy (where it was stored) which is heaven. White pebble = Jesus adjudges the 144,000 innocent, pure and clean. Also acts as a ticket to enter heaven. While the “great crowd” - everyone not of the 144,000, do not receive manna or a pebble - “you may, if you endure, come out of the great tribulation to have a part in the joyful work of restoring Paradise on earth.” Sharing in this will be resurrected one from pre-Christian times (remember, all the Christians between 33 CE and 1914 are considered part of the 144,000). The new name has to do with the privilege the 144,000 have of being united with Christ in heaven.	Manna = food from God – spiritual food. This feeding was not a church function, but the Israelites had to put forth the effort to individually go and gather the manna. No matter what distractions, God's children must look only to Him to supply their needs. White stone stands for acquittal of sins to the child of God who has called on Him for forgiveness and salvation. Romans 5:1.

Revelation Chapter 2 Smyrna

2007-11-14T19:00:00.001-08:00

Verse	JW	Christian
8"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.	Jesus was first to be resurrected to immortality and will directly resurrect anointed ones. This is a comfort to those who are directly persecuted for faithfulness.	Unique characteristic of Christians is that they worship a living God – not a dead one, as in Bhudda and such.
9I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.	Jesus views fleshly Jews as a synagogue of Satan.	Jesus brings wealth now and in life to come. He gives joy, peace, happiness, contentment, and eternal accomplishment. Only the Christian is rich in those things which are truly important. (2 Cor 6:10). False Jews – (Rom 2:29) Submission of the heart is God's desire for men,not legalism. Synagogue of Satan teaches two basic heresies... a false doctrine of Christ, confused about his deity mixing law and grace, saying that salvation is dependent on more than belief in Christ.
10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.	Ten = completeness. Anointed will be completely tested and gain immortal life	The church saw ten periods of persecution: (ten emperors listed from Nero to Diocletian). It has been estimated that 5 million Christians were martyred during this time. (Since the Jws say that all Christians before 1935 were of the 144,000 class, this poses a problem.) We will reign with Christ for 1,000 years in direct proportion to the wealth we have laid up in heaven with Christ now. 2 Cor 3:9-20 and Luke 19:11-27.
11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.	Anointed conquerors get immortal life that cannot be touched. Fulfillment of this congregation is now given: Since 1879, Jws have been sharing Christian truths. During WWI they were persecuted. In 1918, they received persecution comparable to that of the Christians in Smyrna. Rutherford and associates were sent to prison by a Catholic judge. In WWII, they were banned by Hitler. They have been banned and persecuted by many countries since. They are now experiencing the tens days persecution.	The child of God has Christ's personal promise that he cannot be harmed by the second death. (Rev 20:14) The Bible's term death means when man is forever separated from God instead of united with God as was His intention. Fulfillment of this church: A.D. 100-312, Satan was allowed to persecute the Christian church, but the more he persecuted it, the more they came back to their first love. (See Ephesus). Satan learned that blanket persecution is not an effective weapon. The cessation of this persecution actually turned out to be a master stroke of Satan, as seen in the next church.

Revelation Chapter 2 Ephesus

2007-11-13T20:39:00.001-08:00

Verse	JW	Christian
To the angel^[a] of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:	Jesus is watching over elders in congregations today and from time to time he “adjusts congregational arrangements so that the light can shine more brightly.”	Christ and His power has always been available to the church.
2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.	Definition of false apostles: a) see good in all conflicting sectarian religions b) claim that God does not have an organization c) deny the Jesus received Kingdom power in 1914 These ridiculers do not want to preach, so they spread lying reports about Jws on television. Because of this they are disfellowshipped.	No act of service is too small Ephesians 2:8-10 - 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Salvation by grace and from that salvation we go on to good works, which God has ordained. False apostles – Romans 16:17 - 17I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. The ecclesiastical sickness of ecumania – a one-world church regardless of one's faith – we should test men to see if they are of God – if their teachings are not consistent with and faithful to the word of God, they should be rejected. Examine what men mean by the words they employ, as well as the words themselves.
3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.		A consistent church, courageously presenting the Gospel.
4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.	“We could allow attachment to our secular work, the desire to make a lot of money, or the pursuit of pleasure to become the big thing in our lives.” This love we express in service to God and also by obedience.	The Ephesians lost that spontaneous sparkle of their love for Him.. Many Christians' love turn into a routine walk whereby they take for granted the grace of God. We must return to a day to day intimate relationship with Christ.
5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.	If they did not repent, they would lose the privilege of beaming forth the truth.	a) recall earlier faithfulness – take spiritual inventory b) turn back to a vital relationship with Christ c) The Christian who is unwilling to yield all his talents and capabilities to Christ has a love problem. If our love for Christ Jesus is what it should be, no task is too great, no sacrifice too much.
But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.	Christians had no love for Jehovah and removed his name from Greek manuscripts of the Bible. They came to be dominated by a selfish clergy class. They are riddled with anti-God doctrines, congregations are ignorant of the Bible. However, anointed Jehovah's Witnesses emerged , survived through some who tried to idolize C.T. Russell, and from 1919 onward they shared in fulfillment of prophecy. This is shown by the fact that there are 4 times as many songs honoring Jehovah than Jesus in their new 1984 songbook.	Nicolationism – clergy setup, causes the local church to become enslaved by one man or a small group of men whose spiritual life can determine the spiritual success of the church. This is dangerous as each person is dependent on an abiding relationship with Jesus to maintain spirituality. It also causes the church to look to men for the solution to their problems, rather than to the Holy Spirit.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.	The anointed 144,000 cannot eat from the Paradise on earth, as they won't be on earth. Therefore, they will live eternally symbolized by their eating of the tree of life. The earthly Witnesses will enter an earthly Paradise where they will find healing from the leaves of trees planted alongside the river.	a) those without ears = those not born again from Holy Spirit. b) those who are dull of hearing = those not will to be directed by Spirit. c) Spiritual minded Christians who are willing to hear what the Spirit says. Overcomers = 1 John 5:4,5 - for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Overcoming the world is the experience that takes place in the life of the individual who puts his faith in Jesus Christ.

Revelation Chapter 1 - comparitive study (JWs and LaHaye)

2007-11-12T20:28:00.000-08:00

Verse	JW	Christian
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,	Revelation given to 144,000 Angel = “channel of communication” which is Governing Body.	Revelation or unveiling of Jesus Christ. Revelation really from God.
who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.	Governing Body (John class) understands prophecy and tells it to others.
3Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.	Salvation depends on observing these words.	Revelation a source of happiness for all.
John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,	Seven congregations = all congregations of anointed Jws today. Him = Jehovah seven spirits = active force (Holy spirit)	This book has its origin in the Trinity – him was is, who was and who is to come connotes the eternity of God. Trinity shares in the dispensing of Grace: God the father - “him who was, is and is to come” God the spirit - “seven spirits” God the son - “Jesus Christ” Seven ministries of Holy Spirit = Isaiah 11:2 the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD
5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,	Jesus = great witness to God's godship. Became king in 1914. 144,000 are declared righteous through Jesus' sacrifice.	Jesus is in control of the world, as seen when he keeps any one man from controlling the world – Napoleon, Hitler, etc. All who receive Jesus by faith are cleansed.
6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.	144,000 only.	We are all to work as priests of God today, intercedeing on behalf of those who need Christ with prayer. We will rule and reign with Christ.
7Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.	He comes by “turning attention” to the nations. He will not be seen physically. The ones who pierced him are really those who persecute Jehovah's Witnesses.	Every eye, including those now in Hades, will see Jesus. (Matthew 24:64) But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ,^[a] the Son of God." 64"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Jesus is coming again to judge the world, and basis of judgment is whether they have received him as savior.
8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."	God's interest is in “bringing to conclusion, for all eternity, the issue of Godship.”
9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.	John appreciated being used as channel of communication, just as the Governing Body is the channel of communication today. Angels protect Jehovah's Witnesses as they get the only spiritual food around the world today.	History of church replete with many who chose death rather than faithlessness to the Word
10On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,	Lord's Day = from 1914 until last member of 144,000 dies.	Lord's day – coming of Christ through establishment of millennial kingdom
11which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."	Jesus is on hand to judge the world and the anointed congregation and others.	Seven churchs = seven divisions of church history, seven types of churches today, or seven characteristics that can exist in churches today.
12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,		Christ is the light of the world, and he uses the churches to convey this light. Let Christ shine through us!
13and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man,"^[b]dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.	Jesus present with judgment powers	Son of man = manlike in appearance robe = priestly robes girdle = strength and authority
14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.	White hair = wisdom fiery eyes = expresses indignation	White hair = ancient of days, righteouseness fiery eyes = indignation over churches not being as they should be
15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.	Feet = preaching. Waters = impressive	In that day, all the voices of the world will be stilled, overpowered by the voice of Christ (like many waters)
16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.	Jesus pronounces judgment.	Two edged sword = judgement sun reminds us of transfiguration
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.	This is Jesus, but he is not claiming equality with God. Isa 44:6 uses this for God, but without a definite article in Hebrew, but John uses definite article, so it must be a title here instead of describing Godship.	I am the first and the last = Christ's eternity, he will always be in control.
8I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.	He was resurrected by God personally and has ability to resurrect dead.	We worship a living, resurrected Christ. He can save forever. He has the keys of Hades , we need not fear death. We do not fear visiting prison when accompanied by the warden with the keys which will let us go home when we wish. Prisoners fear prison because they are not accompanied by the keys
19"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.
20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels^[c] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.	Stars = human elders in congregations because God would not write scrolls to angels. Same as overseers today reading letters from the Governing Body to congregations. Long dissertation on “apostasty of churches” here and how Jesus came in 1914 and 3.5 years later picked Jehovah's Witnesses are the only ones doing his will.	Churches could have guardian angels, who cannot supersede the will of humans (hence churches can fail if they do not follow the leading of their angel). Or it could be referring to pastors

Verse

Christian

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Revelation given to 144,000

Angel = “channel of communication” which is Governing Body.

Revelation or unveiling of Jesus Christ. Revelation really from God.

who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Governing Body (John class) understands prophecy and tells it to others.

3Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Salvation depends on observing these words.

Revelation a source of happiness for all.

John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,

Seven congregations = all congregations of anointed Jws today.

Him = Jehovah

seven spirits = active force (Holy spirit)

This book has its origin in the Trinity – him was is, who was and who is to come connotes the eternity of God.

Trinity shares in the dispensing of Grace:

God the father - “him who was, is and is to come”

God the spirit - “seven spirits”

God the son - “Jesus Christ”

Seven ministries of Holy Spirit = Isaiah 11:2

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD

5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

Jesus = great witness to God's godship. Became king in 1914.

144,000 are declared righteous through Jesus' sacrifice.

Jesus is in control of the world, as seen when he keeps any one man from controlling the world – Napoleon, Hitler, etc.

All who receive Jesus by faith are cleansed.

6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

144,000 only.

We are all to work as priests of God today, intercedeing on behalf of those who need Christ with prayer.

We will rule and reign with Christ.

7Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

He comes by “turning attention” to the nations. He will not be seen physically. The ones who pierced him are really those who persecute Jehovah's Witnesses.

Every eye, including those now in Hades, will see Jesus. (Matthew 24:64)

But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ,^[a] the Son of God."

64"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Jesus is coming again to judge the world, and basis of judgment is whether they have received him as savior.

8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

God's interest is in “bringing to conclusion, for all eternity, the issue of Godship.”

9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

John appreciated being used as channel of communication, just as the Governing Body is the channel of communication today. Angels protect Jehovah's Witnesses as they get the only spiritual food around the world today.

History of church replete with many who chose death rather than faithlessness to the Word

10On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,

Lord's Day = from 1914 until last member of 144,000 dies.

Lord's day – coming of Christ through establishment of millennial kingdom

11which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."

Jesus is on hand to judge the world and the anointed congregation and others.

Seven churchs = seven divisions of church history, seven types of churches today, or seven characteristics that can exist in churches today.

12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,

Christ is the light of the world, and he uses the churches to convey this light. Let Christ shine through us!

13and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man,"^[b]dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

Jesus present with judgment powers

Son of man = manlike in appearance

robe = priestly robes

girdle = strength and authority

14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.

White hair = wisdom

fiery eyes = expresses indignation

White hair = ancient of days, righteouseness

fiery eyes = indignation over churches not being as they should be

15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.

Feet = preaching.

Waters = impressive

In that day, all the voices of the world will be stilled, overpowered by the voice of Christ (like many waters)

16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

Jesus pronounces judgment.

Two edged sword = judgement

sun reminds us of transfiguration

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.

This is Jesus, but he is not claiming equality with God.

Isa 44:6 uses this for God, but without a definite article in Hebrew, but John uses definite article, so it must be a title here instead of describing Godship.

I am the first and the last = Christ's eternity, he will always be in control.

8I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

He was resurrected by God personally and has ability to resurrect dead.

We worship a living, resurrected Christ. He can save forever.

He has the keys of Hades , we need not fear death. We do not fear visiting prison when accompanied by the warden with the keys which will let us go home when we wish. Prisoners fear prison because they are not accompanied by the keys

19"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.

20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels^[c] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Stars = human elders in congregations because God would not write scrolls to angels. Same as overseers today reading letters from the Governing Body to congregations. Long dissertation on “apostasty of churches” here and how Jesus came in 1914 and 3.5 years later picked Jehovah's Witnesses are the only ones doing his will.

Churches could have guardian angels, who cannot supersede the will of humans (hence churches can fail if they do not follow the leading of their angel). Or it could be referring to pastors

1 Timothy 3:16

2007-10-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. - King James

16 Indeed, the sacred secret of this godly devotion is admittedly great: ‘He was made manifest in flesh, was declared righteous in spirit, appeared to angels, was preached about among nations, was believed upon in [the] world, was received up in glory.’ - New World Translation

kai omologoumenwv mega estin (5748) to thv eusebeiav musthrion; Ov efanerwqh (5681) en sarki, edikaiwqh (5681) en pneumati, wfqh (5681) aggeloiv, ekhruxqh (5681) en eqnesin, episteuqh (5681) en kosmw, anelhmfqh (5681) en doch. - Greek Interlinear

Now, there is a lot of flap about whether the word in original was 'ho" or "theos" and such. But the whole thing in context = mystery of godliness.... God (He) was made manifest in flesh. And there you have it.... Try as some might to twist God's word to fit their ideas, it just won't work...

Troops

2007-09-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

I am sure we will have some slight rebellion in the troops as I just cleaned out the mountain of clutter they have been struggling with. Four hours and I don't know how many garbage sacks later.... You can't clean clutter. You can't organize clutter. And there will be no arguments surrounding inappropriate clothing that they don't have. Aw, for peace and order....

Priorities

2007-09-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well, it all comes down to my expectations... One (of many) is to be a decent wife /mom. The women I have admired in that regard have shiningly clean homes, well decorated and comfortable. One never expects to find coffee grounds on their floor, or an ounce of unwelcomed dirt inside or outside. Something like the woman of Proverbs 31. Three meals a day smelling good on the table. Well dressed clean children who have a mom to cheer at their games, shop with them, help with homework. Mom who is involved in prayer group and PTSA, who makes cookies for church, and crocheted dishclothes and blankets. Whose husband is always well pressed and proud of her and well fed. (Well, not TOO well fed - lol). Who can count on her to help him succeed in whatever he chooses to do.

Yeah, well instead, I am barely keeping up with the necessities and my room is a mess. sigh... laundry is not done (two days past due) and my kitchen floor is uncomfortable. The kids rooms are unsightly. And by the time I come home at night, I barely have time to feed them let alone anything else.

I know this can be done - I have friends who did it. Just to find the secret.

MOTH schedule

2007-09-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

From Managers of Their Homes a schedule, starting with me:

Mom

4:00

4:30

5:00

Get Up

Dress

Swish and Swipe

5:30

Wake Kids

Empty dishwasher

Make breakfast

Pray, read bible