Our debt update

So I sat down the other day and went over all our bills and debts. I then added everything up that we still owe, right about $62K in debts still. But the great news is that since July of this year we have paid off about $3,800.00 worth of debts. To some that may not seem like a lot and others that might seems like a great deal of money. But for us, a single income family with two kids and one on the way, that is a big deal. We are so proud of ourselves to have paid that much off in that short amount of time.
I look forward to next July when we have been paying things off for a full year and can see how much we have paid off.

It's true what they say

Before you have kids most can sleep through the night all night long. Once you have kids forget it! Everyone says that you will never have another good nights sleep until the kids are 18. But ya know I think even then I wont have a good nights sleep.
I used to sleep like the dead, but not since I have had kids. The littlest things will wake me up now most of the time. Even if my kids are staying at their grandparents house I still don't get a good nights sleep, I get a little better nights sleep but not great.
I'm a worrier. I worry about everything all the time. I try very hard not to and to pray about everything that I'm worrying about. But I'm only human. So I worry. For some reason my head always starts to think the worst. I can't stand that about myself really. But that's who I am so I deal with it.
Before I had kids I stayed up late, when out with my friends. Went camping and would stay up until the sun was up then go to bed. Now 8pm rolls around and I'm beat, I'm ready for bed.
So yes it's true what they say, when you have kids you will not have another good nights sleep for 18 years. Well I think longer then 18 years but I'm not there yet to be sure.

Need, Want, Give me, Why?

So this year I have been doing a lot more praying and thinking. I have been listening more to the Christian radio station in my area and it's really got me thinking about how much stuff we get every year. How much of that is a need. How much is just a want. I hate how I hear my kids always saying I want this I want that give me this give me that. I try so hard to teach them to be thankful for what they have, and that there are others out there that don't even have the basic of what they truly need to make it day to day.
So I have decided that next year I don't want anything for Christmas. People had already been shopping this year when I decided this. But next year I want anyone who was going to get me a gift to donate that money to someone some where who really needs it. Someone who does not know where their next meal is going to come from, or an origination that will give live animals to those in other countries to feed their families.
We have been blessed in so many ways from God, and we know that he will keep taking care of us know matter what. God also wants us to give to others and I know for me and my family we can give a lot more then we already do.
I don't want my kids growing up thinking that Christmas is about who gets the biggest gift, or who's list is the longest. I want them to want to give to others. To have that warm feeling when you have helped someone out, but do it because it's the right thing to do and because it's something that you want to do.
So what does your family do for the holiday's each year? Is it all about the gifts or is it all about God and his son's birth, and the message of God.

Priceless memories

So Pat and I have been talking about trying to buy his great aunts house over in Idaho. She passed a little over a year ago this year. The house has been on the market for almost two years with no bites on it yet, he keeps telling me how much he would love to own that house and to be able to live in it with all his memories and to pass those on to our kids and possibly pass the house and land onto them as well.
After doing some thinking tonight I have decided I'm jealous, jealous of his memories. Jealous of the fact that he has a house like that to go to and even possibly own someday. See for me I don't have anything like that. I have family, but not close family like he did, they have passed on now. I had a cousin like him growing up that I hung out with, but she no longer speaks to me or anyone outside her family unit. I wish I had some sort of land, property, or house in my family that had those memories to go with it. But sadly I don't, and really that's okay. That's part of the reason I think it would be so great for us to be able to own this house and it's memories for Pat.
So we have to pray, and pray a lot. We both feel that Idaho is where we are meant to be for some reason, some calling I guess you could say. Right now we have no idea how we would make it happen to be able to buy a house like that. It's not in our budget at all. We are a one income family because we both feel it's important enough for one parent to be home and raise the kids. But if God wants us to be able to move into that home then He will make it happen no matter what.
So this I pray, that God guilds us in His ways. Shows us the path that He wants us to take. He has blessed us in so many ways already and shown us so many things. I trust him, I know sometimes I lose my trust for moments but it always comes back. I'm only human. But I do have faith in God that he will guild us and show us what He wants for us in our life here on earth.

Time

While on Facebook tonight I looked at the side bar where they suggest people you may know, and I saw someone that brought back a memory.  That memory bought to mind how I never speak to some people from my past again. How some of those people I used to be so close with, close enough to call them my brother or sister even. Yet now I know nothing of their current life or how they are doing or anything.
I find it so interesting how you feel so close to someone and then a few years down the road nothing. Now I'm not talking about someone you have known for about a year and then you don't talk to any more. I'm talking about people you have grown up with, you have known since grade school, then middle school, high school and still talked with after high school even.
I understand people grow and change and can grow apart. People figure out what they want in life and out of life and you may not always fit into that "new" life style. And that's okay with me. But there are some of those friendships that you lose that hurt to lose. I have some that I wonder well what if I had done something different maybe. Or been a better friend. But then I start to think, most of the people that are no longer in my life have chosen to be distant from me. Weather it's their spouse who for some reason has a problem with me, or we just grew apart I know that their time, their season in my life is over. They spent their time with me, helped me grow as a person, and gave me some wonderful memories to take with me for the rest of my life. But it's time to move on, to grow from what I have learned from them and use it.
So who is no longer in your life that you have memories of, that has made an impact on who you are today?

A smelly blessing

So last weekend our 95 Honda Accord died on us. We had it towed home that night and started talking about what we should do. We decided that it was time to get another car. I called my Birth Grandma who I knew had had a car for sale a few months ago to see if she still had the car. She did. She had offered to just give it to us but I did not feel right about that. I knew that they had put some money into the car to get it running good again. So they offered to trade my shotgun for the car. So that's what we did.
The only thing wrong with the car is it leaks water on the inside. The floor boards are flooded when it's raining or has been raining. So the car stinks, and stinks bad. Well after doing some looking around on the car, sucking up the water with a shop vac and then hosing it down I was able to narrow down the area of where the water was coming in at. So then I turned to the internet and found some more information on that car and that it's a common problem for the Chevy Corsica's. So Pat spent most of the day ripping up the carpet inside the car to get to the water leak. Then we sealed under the windshield where we think the leak is coming from.
Tomorrow will be the big test. We will drive the car in the rain (well hopefully it's raining outside but it's Oregon so probably at some point will rain). If not then we will just hose it down and see if we get any more water inside. At least the carpet is gone so we will see any water coming in a lot faster now.
The car still stinks a little but once the leak is 100% fixed then I will get in there and do a good deep scrub on it and make it smell oh so much better.
This car only has 103K miles on it, the Honda had 213K miles. Pat drives about 110 miles a day round trip for work. Is this car perfect, no. Would I like a nicer, better looking car that smelled good. Sure. But this car is a blessing to us. This car will help us in so many ways in the long run. We are planning on getting a mini van after the first of the year with our tax return with the new baby on the way. This car is helping to pay for that van. We are able to see the Honda and use the money from that to help pay for the van.

Blessings

So this weekend on our way home from Tigard our Honda died on us on the Interstate. So we called AAA and waited for our tow truck. Got the Honda home and started thinking about what we will need to do since this is Pats car that he drives to work every day. We can't afford for him to drive the truck to work more then just every once in a while.
So I called my Birth Grandma who I knew had a car for sale a little while back, I did not know if she had sold it yet or not. She still had the car and was willing to just give it to us. I was not comfortable with that since I knew they had put money into the car. So they offered to trade my shotgun for the car. So we brought the car home and found out is had a dead battery, no big deal, so went down to the auto parts store and got a new battery for it. We also talked with someone who works there and is a Honda guy and asked about our Honda. He was pretty sure it's a relay for the fuel system so we bought that part and will put it on today or tomorrow.
We are going to sell the Honda once we get it up and running again. We will use that money to put towards our new van that we will be getting after the first of the year with our tax return. I can't wait to get our new van and have all that room for all three kids and the dog with room to pack our stuff when we got on small trips.
Right now we normally travel in the Honda and with two car seats, me, Pat, and the dog. Then add all our stuff on top of all that, there is not much room left for leg room or anything else. So the van will be nice to stretch out a little.
The new to us car is such a blessing to us. We know that God is providing for us in every way possible. We may not always see it but he really is. I do admit I have moments of doubt. I try not to but I'm only human. I try and pray and ask for help when I have doubt. I try and talk with Pat to help me have better faith when I have doubt.
I know that God will provide in all we do and always be there for us no matter what we are going through. I also know that God will never give us more then we can handle.

Winter is here

So we are still getting the trailer ready for winter time around here. Each step we have taken to keep it warmer and more efficient seems to be working. Our propane keeps lasting about a day longer each week every time we have done something.
I have one window sealed up and I will be working on the rest during the next few coming days (it's a pain in the butt). But I can tell it's working because after sitting next to the one window that is sealed up I no longer feel cold or feel the draft coming from it.
Next is to get the wood put up around the bottom of the trailer. We have run into a few speed bumps with this one. Right now our current speed bump is that Pat is sick so he can't be outside in the wet and cold cutting the wood. he took tomorrow off to try and rest to get better. So hopefully we will be able to get that part done soon.
So far we have gotten a new better space heater
closed up all the windows nice and tight
working on sealing the windows
got the dry air condensation trays
and getting wood under the trailer (working on it)
we also plan on getting the spray foam to put around water hoses under sinks and around the toilet where drafts could be coming in from under the trailer.