New Year and Finances. . .

I am curious how everyone is doing with their financial goals and if anyone is still doing the Dave Ramsey plan I posted about last year.  If you are new to the blog, Dave Ramsey is a financial "guru" that says you should not use credit cards and to pay cash for everything.  The hubby and I have been doing his plan for many years.  I read all of his books and followed Dave for many years before I actually took his class, Financial Peace University.  I have to give a shout out to Beth Cotell for inviting me to the class she was taking.  A huge thank you!!  
There is a lot of free information out there for anyone looking for financial help but, be careful who you take advice from.  You would not want to take advice from a financial person that is broke, right?  Dave Ramsey is a millionaire and has been bankrupt too, so I feel like he has the credibility to teach me what to do and what not to do.  The information I share on this subject is Dave's and I give him all the credit.  I am not being compensated by Dave for writing this either.  I truly believe in what he says and how he approaches money matters.
One of the things that I really like about Dave's approach is, he not only uses a mathematical approach but a biblical approach too.  He incorporates what the Bible has to say about financial matters into his teachings and I love it.  His budget system is the first one that I have seen that put giving at the top over and above anything else.   Giving to others is so important in this day and age of the self-involved and self-centered society that we live in.   The hubbs and I have always given to our Church and other charities even when we did not have very much we still gave.
I am very proud to say that with the help of Dave's plan and his cash envelope system we are debt free and have been for two years, except for our house.  We are paying it down though with great speed and we are also saving for College for the boys too.   There are lots of options to save for college; there is the 529 if you are in North Carolina, Roth IRA, and I know that other states have savings plans for in state tuition.   If you are going to do the 529 and you have two or more kids you only need to do one 529.  Put the account in your oldest child's name and if for some reason that child does not need that money then it can be passed to the younger children and even to the parents if they want to go back to school.    These are all good ways to save for college and let's face it, College is not getting any cheaper.
Please check out Dave at www.daveramsey.com and you can follow him on Facebook too.

More Hotcakes. . .

I love my new devotional book "Hotcakes and Hallelujahs"  today I was reading the part about a new beginning.  The verse that begins this sections is 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are new."  This is so appropriate at the beginning of a new year.  You take stock in your life, what things you would like to change or stop doing all together.  There may even be things that you would like to do more of, like growing your relationship with God.  Spending more time in prayerful conversation with God.
I have to share this with you about my Ethics class I am taking for school.  We were talking about what ethical system drives you.  I picked religion, because that is the basis of my life.  I had a young man question how I could blindly follow something I could not see or touch.  He was attacking my faith, but I did not get offended, he obviously did not know any better and was repeating what ever he had heard from someone else.  Again, I was not offended, I took this as an opportunity to witness to this young man that was obviously confused.  He thought it was insane for someone to "claim" to walk and talk with God.   I shared with him the fact that I carried my two boys in my body and gave birth to them was all the proof I needed to know that God was real and that he was working in my life.  I see God in my everyday life, I journal my prayers for my family and when I go back and look at them I can see exactly where God stepped in and moved us along.  We had an interesting discussion on this subject of religion.  I do not know if I made a difference or not with this fella but he has been added to my prayer list.  I know that God puts people in your life for a reason, whether to teach you a lesson or for you to teach them.  I feel like this fella is the later.
How would you feel if someone said these things to  you?  Would you be offended or would you take the opportunity to witness?  Let me know what you are thinking.

Hurry up and wait. . .

Spent an entire afternoon with the hubbs at the eye doctor the other day.  He has a really bad cataract on one eye and they are finally going to do something about it.   He spends 90% of his work day driving and between car lights and sun light he has a terrible time being able to see.   They gave him his eye test and said, without looking at the cataract that it was not bad enough to perform the surgery.   Now let us just think about all this, just for a moment.  He is sitting in a well lit room and reading an eye chart, that is a far cry from driving down the road with lights and sun glare coming at you.   My hubby is quite prideful at times and he had been squinting and tilting his head so he could read those charts and that is the whole problem.   The doctor looked at the cataract and could not believe he did as well as he did on the eye test because of how bad the cataract is.  The doctor could not get a true reading because of my stubborn hubby.  This is why wives need to go with their husbands to appointments like this.  I told the doctor about what was really going on and he did a little test that simulated night time and car head lights coming at you and my dear hubby could not see a thing.   So thankful for tricky doctors to get around those stubborn husbands.
He had his surgery this morning and did well.  They hope he will not even need his contact in that eye.   We will know more tomorrow at his follow up appointment.  He looked a little odd after the surgery because his pupil was the size of an olive.  

School? Will we ever go back?

The hubbs had to go in today and he took the truck so, that means the boys and I are here till he gets home.  I am going a little stir crazy.  We have been home since Thursday last week due to snow.  They have been home since Monday last week with vacation and teacher work days.  
I love my boys but, they are at that stage of fussing and fighting with each other at every turn.  They are exhausting!   I am trying to keep them from letting their brains go to mush with the Xbox.  I have two of the hardest headed boys ever.
In only a few weeks I will be the mother of two teenagers.  Yes, Big T will be turning 13.  I am not ready for all of this testosterone.  They have already come to blows a couple of times.   I have sweet Basil to help add some estrogen back in the mix, but she can only help so much.  
Time sure does fly when it comes to the babies growing up.   I will end with a few shots of our snow Puggle.

Snow, Snow and More to Come. . .

I like the snow, I like to watch it snow, I do not drive in the snow unless it is absolutely necessary.  This is a picture outside my house of our bird feeder with all the birds surrounding it.  My hubby loves his birds and always makes sure they have plenty of food.   We are expecting more snow on through tomorrow.  Who knows how much we will end up with.  We are hunkered down for the big one.  I had to laugh this morning, the news lady was telling how to keep your kids entertained while they are stuck at home.  I laughed because I remember when I was little and it snowed, all I wanted to do was go out and play.   Sprat hates the cold and Big T can take it or leave it.  I only came in to eat and get dry clothes and go back out again.  If you need something to do with your kids here is a little thing my friend posted on Facebook.                                                                                                      

Ask you kids these questions without any prompting.                                                                                Here is how mine answered Sprat is 16 and Big T 12

1.  What is something I always say to you?                                                                                

S - Be quiet, Big T-  Be quiet and I love you    

2.  What makes me happy?                                                                                                          

                           S- peace and quiet, Big T- horses                                                                                      3.  What makes you sad?                                                                                                               

            S- when someone passes away, Big T - me arguing 

4.  How do I make you laugh?                                                                                                     

                                S- tell jokes and the fact that I did not get a cell phone till I was 16

Big T - tell jokes and show me cool stuff

5.  What was I like as a child?                                                                                                     

S- a redneck, Big T - nice and followed the rules

6.  How old am I?                                                                                                                          

S- 47, Big T 47  (the only reason they know this is because I just had a BD this past week)

7.  How tall am I?                                                                                                                          

S- 5' 4", Big T- 5' 8"                                                                          

8.  What is my favorite thing to do?                                                                                              

S- watch Roku, Big T- be with us kids                                                       

9.  What do I do when you're not around?                                                                                    

S- read, watch Roku, cook, and study      Big T- go to school and study

10.  What am I really good at?                                                                                                          

S- Cooking and being mom, Big T- riding horses

11.  What is something I am not good at?                                                                                         

S- no clue,  Big T - playing the Xbox

12.  What do I do for a job?                                                                                                                

S- stay at home mom, Big T- house wife                    

13.   What is my favorite food?                                                                                                          

S-  chocolate, Big T- sushi                                                 

14.  What do you enjoy doing with me?                                                                                            

S- going to the movies, Big T - going places                       

I must say I was a little surprised at some of their answers, try it and see how you come out.  I was surprised that my oldest thought I was good at being a mom.  Some days I feel like such a failure when it comes to that so this little task may make you feel better about what you are doing with your kids.  I may have to do this for my husband too, I wonder how his would turn out.    

Beware of Scams. . .

Let us talk phone sacams.  You probably know the one about the IRS.  They call and it is someone speaking with a harsh accent and they tell you they are with the IRS.  They do not say the Internal Revenue Service, which should be your first clue.  Next, the IRS does not call you about anything.  They send certified or registered letters.  They will never call you and ask for money over the phone.   I must say when I got that call many months ago a shiver went down my spine at the sound of "this is the IRS," that is what they want.  They want to scare you into sending them money.  Please, please, never send anyone money or give out your information over the phone.  These people are criminals and are praying on your fear.  If you are not home and they leave a message it is usually a mechanical sounding voice telling you to call a number or they will send the sheriff  to arrest you.  The IRS does not send your county officials to arrest anyone. 
Now they are calling saying they are Windows and they want to connect to your computer.  I am not sure what they expect to accomplish by getting on my computer other than maybe locking it up and holding it for ransom.   I have heard of this being done too.  They could also steal any pertinent financial information from your computer or even your identity.  These folks made a big mistake calling me this morning at 7am, especially since I was woken up at 5am to be told school was cancelled.   I ripped into this guy but good, he did not have a chance to get a word in.  He said hello and that he was from Windows and that was all it took.  I told him it was 7 am and that it was illegal to call before 9 am and that what he was doing was fraud and I was tracing his call.  I never did let him say what he wanted me to do.  I told him plenty of what I was going to do though.   Windows will not call you to assist you with your computer if you have not called them first. 
Please think before you act on such crazy phone calls, if it feels odd it probably is a scam.  If they say they are with your local government check the number, hang up and call the number that you know to be true.  Your local authorities are aware that these scumbags are out there and they would rather you call to confirm than call to file a report that you have been defrauded.   Please tell your friends, especially elderly family that could fall victim to such fraud.

What to Cook if it Snows?????

With predictions of snow in our immediate future I am thinking what can I fix in the crock pot.  Shocker!   Right?   I do love my crock pot.  I was skimming Pinterst last night to see what yummy things I could put in the Pot.   My hubby picked up a roast early this week and I put it in the freezer for just such a case.   I found a very interesting recipe for a balsamic roast.   There are many crock pot recipes out there for roast, but this one sounded very good to me.  I think the twang of vinegar and the little bit of sweet from the honey will be great.  I have a whole board on Pinterst dedicated to slow cooker recipes and that is where I found this one.  I had pinned it a long time ago.  This recipe is from Robyn Stone at Add a Pinch.  I will let you know how it turns out later this week.  

Here we go . . .

3-4 lb. boneless roast beef (chuck or round)

1 cup of beef broth

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1tbsp Worcestershire

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 cloves of garlic

Place your roast in the pot.  Mix your other ingredients together and pour over your roast.   Cook on high for 4 hours or low 6-8 hours.   When you are ready to eat, remove your roast to a serving dish and shred with two forks.  Then pour  the juice over your roast.  

In past posts I have left things out of my recipes but, I am pretty sure this one is correct.   Check out 

www.addapinch.com    to see other recipes.  

Until we eat again. . .

Birthday Celebrations. . .

Got my wake up serenade from my mom and dad, got a birthday text from my sister(her very sweet card came earlier in the week), got a sweet card from my hubby and my boys, got several Facebook well wishes, and spent the day with boys.   We went to see "Daddy's. Home" staring Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell.   Great movie, lots of bad words and a few precarious adult situations though.   I still loved it.   Wild and unexpected ending.  Is it bad that I took my boys to see Mark Wahlberg when he is my movie star crush?  Oh baby did he look good too!   Oh Yeah!!! 
Ok, back to reality.  My hubby knows I have that little crush on Mark.  He is ok with it. 
Let's talk birthday traditions.  In our house you get to pick your favorite meal.  It can be something I fix or a favorite restaurant. We always do some sort of cake, the birthday persons' choice.   My folks always call and sing too.  I remember one year when I was in high school my mom smuting my face with soot from the fireplace.   This was quite tragic since I was all ready to go to school and had to go back and wash my face and fix it again.  One year my parents pretended to forget my birthday.  I was devastated, they did surprise me with a cake and little get together later after they had let me stew for awhile.   Oh, and I remember one time when my brother turned thirty we tied black ribbon on everything and we all wore black arm bands even the dog had a little black band around her leg.   We fixed a wreath with a lot of "old people" stuff, like Rolaids, tums, gas pills, denture cream and a bumper sticker that said "over the hill."  We put the wreath on his bedroom door.   He tried to pay me back when I turned thirty but he felt sorry for me when he came to see me.  I was in the throws of morning sickness because I was pregnant with Sprat at the time.   He felt I was getting plenty of payback through that.  

When my hubby turned thirty I threw him a surprise party.  I had everything planned, I had everyone at the house, their cars were parked up the road and his friend had taken him elsewhere so we could prepare.  We waited and waited and finally I called his friend and asked why they had not come home.  He said the hubbs was watching a game on TV and would not leave.  I had a house full of people and food and no guest of honor.   I told his friend to tell him that he had to get back because he and his wife needed to head home.   When he finally did come home he came in through the garage and would not come up stairs.  I had to make him come up telling him he had to take the garbage out.   I would like to try to surprise him again for his fiftieth but I do not know if I can pull that off again.  He was surprised and he loved having everyone there.  

I would love to hear from everyone about your birthday traditions.  Stay strong and remember Breathe . . .

Thank Goodness it is Friday!!!!!

 I have never been one to wish for time to go by but geezzz, I am glad it is Friday!  Sprat will finish his exams today and both boys will have a couple of days off next week to get ready for the new semester.    In a month I will be the mother of two teens, I am not sure I am old enough to handle this kind of responsibility.   Big T will be thirteen, ughhh and he is already starting morph into that some what ugly persona of the teenager.  You will always love your kids but there are times that you will not like them very much.  I think those times could be summed up in their teen years.   I love my children with all of my heart and would do most anything for them, with in reason, but they do know how to test me to my end.  I think the teen years are mother natures' way of preparing us for our kids leaving home for college.  I know I tested my parents' patience during my teen years.  It took me twenty-two years to realize my parents were always right.   My kids may be forty before they realize the hubby and I know more than they do.   The gem of the week from Sprat is, "I am not studying before the test, that is called cramming and I don't cram."  I tied to explain that cramming is studying like crazy before a test because you have not studied all semester.  I told him studying before the test after you have been studying all semester is called review.  He did not buy it.  I hope he does well on his exams, he has done well so far.   Stay tuned for more teen drama. . .

BBQ in the Crock Pot. . .

Ok, send everyone out of the room while you read this post.  I am going to share with you a super secret recipe for the best ever BBQ.  Ok, it is not that big of a secret, it is actually very simple and easy.  This is my hubbys' recipe and I am not sure where he got it but, it is scratched on the back of an envelope and hangs on our fridge for easy access when we need it.   This makes the best BBQ in the world.  It is easy, no fuss, no muss and requires almost no work.
Here we go:

3-4 lbs. boneless pork ribs
1 cup of cider vinegar
3 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp salt
3-4 cranks of black pepper
2-3 dashes of Texas Pete

Lay your ribs in the pot then cover with vinegar and then sprinkle with remaining ingredients.

Cover and cook in your crock pot on high for 5-6 hours then low for 3 hours
An hour before you are ready to eat, take out the Ribs and chop them up.  Return them to the pot for another hour or so on low.  Serve on a bun with slaw or how ever you like your BBQ.

As our temperatures drop I will probably be sharing more crock pot recipes because that is what I like to fix when it is cold outside.   This kids are having pizza tonight and the hubbs and I are having the best ever BBQ.   We never pass up on 2 large pizzas for $15.
Until we eat again. . .

Ooops!!!!
I forgot to add after you chop up the bbq you pour off the juice.  Take a 1/4 to a 1/2  a cup of ketchup add to 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of the juice and 1 Tbsp of Worcestershire and mix.  Throw this on top of the chopped meat and cook low for about another hour. 
Sorry, I always forget something don't ya know.

What Will I be When I Grow Up????

My classes are now in full gear and Sprat is taking finals for this session.  We are getting our knowledge on, for a good start to 2016.    After visiting with the family over Christmas and talking with my nieces about their future plans, I wonder what my kids will do when they grow up.  I even wonder what I will do when I grow up.   I knew my strengths when I was in high school, I was much better in science than any other class.  I knew when I went to school I would major in a science but I still did not know what I would do when I graduated.   I had hoped to go to Pharmacy school but that did not work out.  I am glad it did not because had I gone to Pharmacy school I would not have met my dear hubby.  We met on my first job out of college in a lab.  God does have a plan for us and nobody will ever convince me otherwise.   I would not change anything in my life at all.  I just wonder what God has in store for my boys.   Right now I do not see anything specific that they are gravitating to more than anything else.  With me it was pretty clear but with these boys, they are so complex and convoluted.   Big T talks about wanting to go to NC State all the time.   Sprat has never talked about a particular college except for the University of Miami.   He did say he would never go to Appalachian State because it was too cold.  He really is his fathers' son, they both hate cold weather.   Big T talks about going into the military too, that kinda scares me especially with this world the way it is.  He wants to fly a helicopter, I am not sure where this comes from but, he has a dream.  I cover these boys in prayer every day to find their passion.  If you do something you love, it never feels like work.

"Hotcakes and Hallelujahs"

"Hotcakes and "Hallelujahs" is a devotional book I got for Christmas.  It has 90 devotions and 30 easy and yummy recipes.   I started this on Saturday morning.  I have glanced over the recipes and I hope to try those too.  I must admit I am not a first thing in the morning cook.   I find it difficult to even eat first thing in the morning.  I generally  drink my breakfast or I wait till mid morning when I can sit down and eat.  Since I was little I have not been able to face food first thing in the morning.   Growing up I always drank a protein drink for breakfast.   My mom sold Shaklee vitamins and they had the best vanilla protein shake powder.  I have not used Shaklee for a long time.  
I did not mean go off topic so far there.  Back to the hotcakes.  The first devotion talks about being positive and how negative thoughts can effect our bodies physically. I believe that God is working in my life and that he puts things and people in my life for a reason.  This devotion also talked about depression, which many young people are dealing with.   I believe this was the reason God put this book in my hands this past week.  Children are bombarded with negative talk these days, they see it on television and hear it in school from teachers and other adults that are supposed to be there to encourage them.  I am thinking about the young man that took his life at Sprats' school.
   I will be sharing more about this book, you can bet on that. 

Sprat is getting ready for finals this week so I am trying to keep everyone grounded in their school work.  Here is to the start of another wild week at our house.                                                            

Warning... I am on my Soap box today. . . Political. . .

Ok,  I do not normally get political here but, I am going to weigh in on the whole gun control thing.  Guns are inanimate objects and the only thing that can control them is a human being.  We need criminal control!   We need to do away with the death penalty and put the money used to prosecute death penalty cases toward hiring and training more police officers, more police officers on the beat will cut down on crime.    According to Fox News, Duke University did a study and found that North Carolina could save $11 million a year if they substituted life in prison for the pursuit of the death penalty.   That $11 million would go a long way, if used appropriately, to help control crime.  Criminals are not afraid of going to jail because they know they will not be there long.  This is a sad state that our whole country is in right now.   

As for gun control, I am not against the "criminal" background checks that are required those are necessary but I do not believe our government should be snooping into medical records.   Let us be realistic and think how criminals and terrorists, for that matter, get their guns.   Do they go to the store and buy them like an average person would?  Nope.  They steal them or have someone else buy them. The whole concept of being a criminal is that they do not follow the rules.  If taking guns away from law abiding citizens would cut down on crime I would be all for it but, the truth of the matter is that when you take guns away from the average citizen you make them a target.  My husband always says "locked doors keep an honest man honest."   Laws are only as good as the people that follow them.   It strikes me very funny that these politicians are all about disarming the public yet they remain surrounded by armed guards.   I am quite suspicious of anyone that stands behind an armed guard or gate and demands that I surrender my weapons.  Is my family any less worthy than theirs?  

Do your research folks.  You do not have to believe me I encourage you to read and figure it out for yourself.  

Back to School and the Boys. . .

Back to school. . .  My classes are getting ready to start back and I am excited.  Juvenile Justice and Ethics and the Community this is going to be a great semester.  Be looking for lots of posts with regard to my classes.  I already know there will be lots on the juvenile side, especially since I have two in my house and there are so many out there doing things that could affect their future and they do not even know it.  Case and point are those that like to send so called "sexy" pictures to others.  Check back with me later for that post, I am still working on it.
Lots of things going on this week as the kids deal with their stress and try to get ready for their final exams next week.   Trying to get everyone to eat a little better this year, not necessarily for weight loss but just for better nutrition.  The hubbs has diabetes and he has to be the healthiest diabetic in the world, per his physician and our insurance agent.   With that said, his diabetes is genetic and so I do worry about the boys and the possibility that they could develop it as well.  I found an old cook book that has some really good recipes that are high in good protein.  I want to share this one because it can be made ahead and cooked later.  Here we go:
Egg Casserole
1 large loaf of bread cubed
6oz of American cheese (I am going to use cheddar)
4 oz non fat Swiss cheese ( I do not use non fat cheese)
2 1/2 cups skim milk
5 green onions sliced
20 egg whites ( I use 5 eggs, 5 egg whites)
1/2 lb turkey or ham cut into bite sized pieces (I do not use this)
sliced mushrooms 1 jar or 4 oz fresh (I do not like jar mushrooms)

Melt the cheese and a cup of the milk together over medium low heat.  Mix remaining milk with the eggs.
Combine the bread, onions, meat and mushrooms in a large bowl.   Put the bread mixture in a 9X13 non-stick or glass pan.  Pour the egg mixture over then cover and refrigerate or bake at 325 for 1 hour or until the middle is set.  Serve with picante sauce or Texas Pete.  This can be refrigerated over night.

Stay tuned. . .

Hard Talks Ahead. . .

Today I found out that one of Sprats' classmates committed suicide last night.  I am very sad for this family and for this young man's friends.  We wonder why things like this happen and there is no rhyme or reason to it.  As a parent my heart is breaking.   I found out from a friend and then Sprat told me when I picked him up from school today.  He was upset that the school had not said anything about it.  They are usually good about offering kids time to talk with a counselor when ever there is a sudden death of a student. 
  The hubbs had a colleague whose son had killed himself several years ago and my hubby and I decided at that time we should talk with the boys about this.  Needless to say, this is an on going conversation.    Sprat knew "the talk" was coming. 
Parents, I cannot say enough that depression is real and is serious.   I encourage you all to have "the talk" with your kids too.   You may be saying to yourself; my kids are fine, we talk all the time, my kids know how I feel about them and so on.  Does that sound familiar?   I said the same thing too, until my husbands colleagues' son.  This young man was a junior in high school, an all star athlete, and a straight A student.  He shot himself, and this family did not own a gun.   We talked at length with our kids about peer pressure and how there was nothing too big and too bad that we could not face it together.   Yes, my kids know I love them but they need to hear it and often.  Kids need to be reassured that they are loved and that you as their parents will be there no matter what.   

I will hug  my kids a little tighter tonight before they go to bed.   Being a parent is hard work, being a kid in a house where they barely see their parents is even harder.   I am frequently called over protective and maybe I am but my kids are my priority above all else.   My time with them is fleeting and it is my job to protect them from things I know to be bad for them.   If that makes me overprotective, then so be it.   Hug those kiddos!!!

Holiday Recovery. . .

How many of you feel like you need a week or more to recover from all the Holiday hoopla?   I love Christmas and Thanksgiving but, it can really wear a person out.  I love decorating but it is a major chore to take everything down.  It makes me sad too. When we had an artificial tree I would leave it up till mid January.  I guess that is why we started getting real trees again.  My hubby hated when I would leave the tree up that long.  I saw on Facebook the other day a picture of a tree decorated and wrapped in cellophane and I thought that would be an awesome way to store an artificial tree if you had the room.  
We had a fabulous Christmas visiting with family.   Very thankful and blessed everyone is in good health.  My mom gave me the funniest calendar. (See the cover below).  I think this will be my mantra for the kids and myself  for 2016. Why be normal and boring, be unique and stir things up a bit.   I have always encouraged them not to follow the crowd.  I think I may have to stress this even more this year.   One quote from the calendar rings so true, "God doesn't want an orchestra of identical instruments all playing the same tune."   I tell my boys all the time that God made them unique and they should strive to keep and cultivate that uniqueness. 
I gave up on resolutions a long time  ago.  In my old age I decided to be the best me I can be and be better than I was the day before.  What is your goal for 2016?  I would love to hear from you.  
I say good bye to 2015 and any mistakes I made and hello to 2016, a fresh start.