GreatLakesGirl

I meant to write that the pest company heated my in-laws house to 400 degrees to get rid of the bugs. Ick all around!

My brother-in-law did an overnight sleep study and brought home bedbugs. His wife is DH’s sister and she told me she was ready to burn down their house. They had to evacuate and take oil paintings and candles with them (so they didn’t melt) and stay in a hotel, because the pest people heated the interior of the house to 104 degrees or so to kill all the bugs. Makes my skin crawl to think about it.

Who are you asking?

Phew, glad Murphy moved on since he was camped at our house in March. But I'm sorry he's taken up residence with you.

p.s. last week we received a new, clear title to DH’s car from the DMV—just a couple weeks after paying off the balance 19 months early!

Exactly! It wasn’t until I created a budget on an Excel spreadsheet with columns for budget & actual for each month that we made real headway. I could enter our expenditures every day and play with debt payments to see how quickly I could pay them off. (I put the debt totals at the bottom and linked them to the payments in the budget.)

Congratulations!

How's your progress on the painting and decluttering going?

I'm sure it is events like this that make you happy you have an emergency fund for your rental properties.

Mom, thanks for the great update. I'm very happy for both of you.

Congratulations!

That's why I update our budget every single day. It's easy to go astray.

A part-time job in retirement would be great for your husband. Does he have a hobby that he could make money at? Golfer--work at a golf store in a golf course's pro shop is one example.

DH and I have never done a road trip unless you count us driving from Portland to the Oregon coast and then up to Seattle. But after he retires--when we're not bound by work vacations--this is just the kind of trip I'd like to take. I loved reading about your adventures. Thanks for sharing.

My mom was a stay-at-home mom and we didn't go to school under kindergarten (granted this was in the '50s and '60s). She always said being home with us when we were young was the happiest time of her life. It is wonderful to hear how you moms still love that life.

My brother and former sister-in-law ran a graphics arts business from home. When my niece was born they continued to do so without any problems. It was only when she became a toddler and was running around and into everything that the woman across the street babysat for my niece during business hours. I have no doubt that your plans will work for you. You have a flexible job and a motivated spirit. That is all you need. Your baby is very lucky to have mama who can be home. Enjoy every minute. I'm so happy for you.

Congratulations. All sounds wonderful.

Oh no! Mother Nature can be a beast sometimes.

Fall is a great time to plant trees. So is spring.

You summed it up nicely: Husbands are predictable but weird. LOL

Good luck with all these changes. I hope your husband's health gets back to a normal level. If you have a smart phone, check out the Lose It app. They have nutritional info on whole foods, including fruit, glass of milk, etc., as well as brand names. If you don't have a smart phone, you should be able to add it to your computer.

Remember the lessons of "The Christmas Carol." Counting our money is all well and good, but don't forget to use some of it to live and enjoy your life. We had a friend die recently and another diagnosed with cancer. Neither had gotten to enjoy retirement yet. Yes, keep on working on getting out of debt and putting money away for your golden years. But there is more to life. None of us knows how much time we have on this planet. So don't let the years go by without taking some time for vacations and going out for dinner once in awhile, or whatever else might make you happy.

Exactly!

Gelly, I must have the post about you no longer being pregnant. I am so sorry. Have you consulted with a fertility doctor? Or do you want to wait until things are more stable at home?

What a scare you had with the carbon monoxide. I'm glad that you were able to figure it out while you still had a chance. Phew! So happy that's fixed. I would love to see you and the six kids show up in court and have anyone try to rule against this jerk not giving you the money he owes you.