Meh.

Source: demotivationals4u.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Last week I came down with what I think is the flu and I’m still battling it. Over the years, I’ve been lucky to not have to deal with being sick and taking days off but not this fall. Sorry for the lack of coherent thoughts…I haven’t had many in the last seven days.

Home Improvement

{via}

This morning we had consultants from our local energy provider come by our home and give us tips on how to use less electricity. It’s a win for both the environment and our bottom line as we’re trying to learn how to be more conservative with our energy usage in efforts to cut down on our power bill.

If this service is provided in your area, I strongly suggest that you sign up for it. Their suggestions were to change our insulation, have our chimneys closed and suggested how to fix our door so air won’t escape so easily. They also provided a kit with new light bulbs and a new shower head completely free.

Some things we can fix pretty easily and others (like the insulation) will come in time but it was nice to be educated on how we could save money in the future.

Ann



Thanks Ann! I'll miss you.

 I found out this morning that my friend Ann had passed away over the weekend from brain cancer. She was diagnosed in 2009 and was doing great until a few weeks ago when she fell as well as losing her eyesight in a 48 hour span. Even though we knew that her passing was going to be the end result, it doesn’t make her death any bit easier.
Ann was like a Mother to me when I first moved to this small town in 2005. She took a liking to me (for some reason) on the first day that I entered her gift store and we became instant friends from the first day we met. Together, we’ve worked on numerous fundraisers and I could always count on her creative style to make sure my events had all the great little details to make the memorable. Even for our wedding, she gifted Mr. M and me this massive candle tree for us to decorate the patio with because she knew we couldn’t afford it. She never looked down on me because I was younger but instead became a mentor to me over the last six years.


I can’t believe she’s gone. While the world has lost one fabulous woman, I know heaven has gained someone very special.

2 and $1,000

The bad: In efforts to stay accountable with the 32 in 90 challenge, I’m sad to say I gained two pounds. Not earth shattering but it is a step backwards.

{via}

The good: Most likely those two pounds are due to all the taste eating I was doing for a local recipe contest which I won! Grand prize - $1,000 gift card to Walmart!! Mr. M found it via the Internet and it was hosted on Facebook. When I realized two days before the contest ended that only 20 (20!) people had entered, I thought it couldn’t hurt to try. So I sent my recipe in along with a photo of the dinner. They posted it on Facebook and the judging was done by the amount of likes you received. A few e-mails to family, friends and sorority sisters and my little recipe found itself in first place. I think Mr. M is more excited about it than I am but we are using the gift card as our grocery money for the next 8 months. It was all in God’s work. Last week, I was so upset that we were halting our snowball due to a new roof and he provided. We’re getting back on track to attack this debt!

Why I love Tom Hanks

{via}

I heard this story on the radio today (Yes– almost a month after it happens. Our Radio DJs haven’t truly discovered the Internet around here. God Bless them...every one.) that Tom Hanks refunded a couple $25 for their movie tickets to Larry Crowne after they told the superstar that they didn’t like it.


Now that’s customer service.

Tyrannosaurus Debt

I heart School House Rocks.

32 in 90

{via}

A few days ago while listening to Dave Ramsey; he said something that stuck with me about setting a goal and trying to achieve it. Even if you don’t make it by your set deadline, don’t beat yourself up over it as long as you made an efficient attempt at it. I’m paraphrasing here but I did set a goal to lose 32 pounds by Thanksgiving. I started this little journey last week and thankfully lost 3 pounds.

To motivate me more, I have a wipe board with the number that I need to lose in our bedroom so I see the number every day. The idea is that it will keep me accountable since the number is in print. We use the same board for our debt so all the ugly numbers are in one place.

On the anger moment from a few days ago, I am still struggling with that emotion. I’ll wake up to work out and suddenly become enraged by something small on the way home.

God help my poor husband.

In trying to get a handle on this bitter monster that I’ve become, I attended a free yoga class hosted by our library. During the class, the teacher told us to count to three and release what ever was bothering us at the time. It reminded me of the Steve and Carl scene from Family Matters. I can’t find the video that will allow me to embed it on this blog but you can view it here.

Say it with me: 3, 2, 1…1, 2, 3…what the heck is bothering me?