the bug.

The past few days have been miserable around here. Hartley (along with more than half of our extended family) caught a nasty stomach virus. She started vomiting Saturday evening. This was her first experience with it and she was so upset.

 Marshall caught it Sunday, although his symptoms were different. He ached miserably from head to toe.

And then I got it Monday. I never knew I could strain my back muscles from vomiting. But yes, it's possible.

Apparently it's going around, so beware! If your stomach starts gurgling and cramping up.. head straight to the bathroom! Quick!

jump jump!

This girl loves jump-jumps! A jump-jump, according to Hartley, is anything that's inflated. Some neighbors have a inflatable Halloween spider decorating their yard. To Hartley, "it's a jump-jump spider!!!!"

Last Friday, Mill Creek Park (where we Splash it up all summer) hosted a FREE! trick-or-trick event. There were 2 jump-jumps. Hartley spent the majority of her time there. 

 She quickly made 2 new friends and they ignored the "one at a time down the slide" rule. :)

 There were small basketball/soccer goals set up, bowling pins, a fishing station, and a huge pile of hay for the kids to play in. And lots of candy.

 We are continually having to find new places to hide her loot. She's very persistent, especially in the early morning hours! Daddy leaves for work and she quietly finds a stash. She's a sneaky thing!!

 Daddy met us after he got off work! The two of them went on a pizza date while I met up for girl's night out!

 We are attending a Fall Festival tomorrow night, so I've got to get Hartley's costume clean again. I made her peacock shirt and tutu!

She's been enjoying Halloween too much! She actually likes scary stuff!

our debt story

Last summer we bit the bullet and Marshall bought us a new(er) car. We had a few thousand in savings and made a big down payment on a 2007 Trailblazer. 

It was a necessity for us.

We both owned '99 Fords. And Marshall still does. But we had a baby, okay she was 1, but I was constantly fearing that the old T-Rex would break down any minute.

So we did it.

And less than 2 months later we enrolled in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. It could not have been better timing.

Actually, it could have been better had we enrolled in the class before buying a car. :)

We've never written down our story, but in 7 years (at the most) from now, we should be DEBT FREE! And I want to be able to look back and remember how challenging this has been, how much we've grown, how we've changed. And how we managed to do it?!?

THE BEGINNING

When I went to college, I had no idea about budgeting. I was never taught how to budget and manage finances. My mom setup a bank account, there was money in it, I was set. Then I had to buy textbooks. And suddenly I was poor. But that didn't stop me from spending the monthly military assistance I received rather than saving. If it was there, why not?! It was in this time that I learned the value of thrifting. Clearance racks became my best friend. I guess my philosophy was, 'hey this shirt's only $5.. although I have 3 other shirts that are similar, you can't beat the price!' That was my path of destruction.

Marshall's background is very different from mine. And I'm so thankful for that! He's always pushed for saving and avoided stupid/thoughtless purchases. He does indulge from time to time. But he's very careful!

Thus far neither of us had credit card debt, but student loans totaled over $56,000.

DIVING IN

So, you know how I'm a sucker for clearance sales? Our house was clearanced. It was up for foreclosure. That's about as close to clearance prices you can get on a house! Although we got a fairly good deal, on the house I wanted (sorry Marshall), and an incredible rate, we had not been saving up for a down payment. I had been working the past 2 years making a measly $1200/month and Marshall had just started clinicals. We were renting and we didn't like the thought of renting again when we moved to Brooklet. We just had to buy a house. And back then, anybody could get a house!

My mother-in-law and I braved some South Georgia winter weather on the courthouse steps February 5th. I offered up $132,000 when they called out Parcel Lot 31. Just kidding, I was so sick to my stomach I barely remember what they said!

We miss y'all, friends!!

We were buying a house. We were getting the $8,000 first-time home-buyer tax credit. Marshall was graduating and becoming a doctor.

And we did what any young couple would do next-

GET PREGNANT!!

SINKING

Fortunately for us, there's a "seasoning period" when you purchase a foreclosed home. We "bought" our house in February, closed on it in August, and started making payments in October.

Um, do you realize how much money we could have been saving in all those months?!? Loads. Loads of money. Student loan payments were not necessary at this point either!

But we were young and foolish. Okay, I was am young. Marshall is old. But we weren't thinking. We weren't exactly spending money we didn't have, we just weren't saving! And then payments became due. We have a hard time remembering where the $8,000 went. That's not good...

And there was a baby.

Gosh, she's so cute. [awkward moments of silence while I stare at her swollen-faced sweetness]

Okay.. so.. let's see where we're at now. Lots of debt. I got a Belk credit card. Marshall had a Cabela's one. We weren't saving.

And then we bought a car! Yay!

We were living the life. New house, new car, new baby. I got a tan that summer, too! Things were looking up after all. :)

SINKING IN
Our church was offering Financial Peace University in September 2011. We had to pay $100 for the enrollment kit. My first thought- what kinda Ponzi scheme was this?!? My other wishful thinking was every week on the way to class. Would this week be the week where they give us our $100 back as a reward for being so faithful to living debt free??

That never happened.

We started budgeting and the cash envelope system. We did great for the few months we were in the class, but then Christmas came and our session ended. And honestly, we slacked off for a few months. It didn't help that we were finally making new friends and enjoying the benefits of going out and socializing. But there was a cost! And mint.com reminded Marshall quite often that we went over our restaurant budget of $0 by $80.

We had to go back to that gazelle intensity. We had to budget better. We had to say "no" to friends.

Source

Unfortunately, we feel like friends don't ask us to do things with us anymore because they've grown tired of our "we can't afford it" excuses.

We struggle so much with bitterness and jealousy these days. I never imagined paying off debt would be this way. I knew we would get tired of eating rice casseroles, but I wasn't prepared for how much this would change us- our actions, our priorities, our relationships. At times I feel so burdened by wanting to become debt free and not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We scrimp and save, trying to make ends meet and still barely make it by sometimes. It's discouraging that we go through this, but there's so many people around us that can afford everything, or at least it seems. We are surrounded by a culture where it doesn't matter if you don't have the money now. It's so tempting to give in. What's one more payment??

But Dave has changed our financial philosophy. We don't want to be in debt. We don't want to be enslaved. We want to be able to tithe happily. We want to be able to bless others financially. And one day, we will! I'm looking forward to the day when we are able to bless a young couple with $10,000.

THE SHORT ROWS
So, here we are. We have less than $700 that we owe on my car. There's still a long way to go on our student loan, but I know it's sooner than later.

This past year has been one of the most challenging, emotional, and depressing years. Not only have we been ridiculously poor, but we've grieved with monthly reminders that we are still not pregnant. There are days and weeks when I feel like I can't make it, when I can't see any good in this. But this is why I'm writing it all down. Because, one day. One day, we will be debt free. And we can look back and see where God was and is and has brought us through.

another video overload

Oh, just a few videos for yoouuuu todaaaay! (as you will see, Hartley thinks she lives in a Disney movie and sings/narrates her life.

She loves playing catch with Marshall.. and she's pretty good at it! (July)

She's been learning about the Toots of the Spirit. Haha. (August)

She knows her ABCs! (August)

And this is all we hear and see these days. Interpretive dancing and singing! I can only understand her singing about her green shirt, something about Marshall's work, her necklace, going to Addie Grace's house, and "I'm gone wear dis haaat!"

She's a ball of energy, this one. 

sense of control

I feel like people think we I am always changing up the decor in our house. I'll be honest- I am. I've decided this is how I try to control my life. And I'm perfectly okay with my disease. I love rearranging furniture, sketching out new ideas, keeping Marshall busy. What's even better about my need to keep changing- I keep it either really cheap or FREE!

Case in point.. number 1... (yes, there are multiple changes today!!)

Our kitchen. We honestly love our kitchen! It's spacious- I feel we have the biggest kitchen amongst friends! There are tons of cabinets, drawers, countertop space, and ROOM!! But there are a few cosmetic things we don't like. We would love to pull up those countertops and put in concrete! We have been pondering what color/stain for the cabinets for a long time now- and we still haven't decided! The flooring could also use some degunkifying (thank you crappy/careless builder). These are all time- and money-consuming projects.. so I thought I would start with some quick and cheap, little Marshall-involvment tasks!

I've been eyeing drum shades for months now. But I couldn't imagine spending.. umm.. almost $600!

Source Shades of Light

So I did what any cheapo thrifter would do- make my own drum shade! My mother-in-law had given me a Hobby Lobby gift card for my birthday, so I knew exactly where I would get my supplies. All I needed was an embroidery hoop! I already owned some linen-y fabric, hot glue gun, and a sewing machine/thread. I was good to go! I scoured the internet for tutorials, but no luck. I used common sense to measure and attach everything together. Twine is holding the shade on the chandelier part. This project was FREE with my gift card, and I used a mere $8! Three dollars for an embroidery hoop (half off) and $5 for a huge bundle of twine. (Although the lights do NOT touch the shade/fabric nor the twine, I do not leave this light on when we aren't home, in case of fire)

We purchased some stools for our kitchen shortly after moving in. They were your mundane white legs with orange-wood tops. I gave them a few coats of a soft blue-green paint ($5 for mis-tint gallon at Lowe's) and Marshall sanded and stained the top darker. After some poly they looked brand new! Why didn't we do this sooner??

I originally wanted to use the drum shade for the dining room, but the chandelier is much wider and I couldn't find any hoops larger than 24 inches. 

So I went Pottery Barn on this one.

Source Pottery Barn

Our existing chandelier was exposing white bases, so I wrapped some twine (from that huge $5 bundle) around each. It was one of the quickest updates ever! 

Our only problem is that Hartley likes to stare at them when she eats. I know, I think they are pretty too!

Lastly, the supposed couch that I slip-covered. This was a lengthy project and the most costly. We purchased 2 drop cloths from Lowe's, totaling a little over $30. But SO cheap, considering the couch was free! I was pushed to finish it because of company we had over the weekend. I'm so glad I did- I found Hartley's comb tucked down in it!

It's provided so much more seating in our odd/long living room. Hartley and her lapdog Sassy especially enjoy it in the mornings!

Hope you enjoyed this briefly elaborated update on various projects around here- who knows what I'll get Marshall into next!

a much needed weekend!

The "Athenians," as we like to call them, came to visit us this weekend! You might know them as the Gurleys and Bates! We are always excited to visit with them, but especially when we are ALL together! Can I get any more exclamation points in 3 sentences!?

It had only been a few months since we saw them last- back in March. But that's a lot of growing up for Hartley and Hudson! Hudson will be 3 next week and since we won't be able to go to his party (yes, he desperately wanted us to be there!) we had a little one for him. Don't mind that half the cake had already been eaten. It was a "C" for Cake!

We went to our new favorite restaurant "Isabellas" and introduced the beast of philly cheesesteaks! Check Erika's blog for the picture and her spin on the weekend!

As always, lots of food and laughter. We only wish Erika would have felt better! And the Dawgs would have played better.

Someone will be turning the big 3-0 in December! Hopefully we can get up to Athens then and celebrate.. and not wait forever before we see our friends again.

And lastly, Hudson's birthday present. Hartley keeps asking for Daddy to make a steps-stool for her birthday, too!

We miss y'all, Athenians! Maybe next time we'll take more pictures- together! Haha.

for Hudson

We decided to make a video for our friend, Hudson, because we are so excited to see him soon!

Unfortunately, he might need to wait until they're married to watch..

I'm a winner, baby.

Guess who won the Goodwill Fashionista contest..

Me! Me! Me!

I was treated to a lovely makeover this morning. Followed by a photoshoot with Hartley.

She stayed with her Mema while I was becoming a model. After dropping her off she was telling me, "You need to go for your makeup. You need to go somewhere!" All because she was wanting a cookie and knew Mema would let her have it once I left. :) She's a sneaky thing.

Our faces will grace the cover of a local magazine in October. I'm only hoping they got a good shot of the two of us; Hartley was NOT cooperating...

The Goodwill

I love me some Goodwill. I'm sure people think I'm crazy because I shop there once a week.. but I think others are crazy for paying full price for clothes! Or furniture. Or shoes.

I could go on.

But I'll spare you with some pictures..

There's an annual contest around here. It's called the Goodwill Fashionista. You pretty much show off your best outfits from Goodwill. Unfortunately you have to provide proof of purchase.. so half my Goodwill wardrobe is probably off limits.

Hartley is also entered in the contest via me. :)

Aside from my jeans and camisole, these are all straight up Goodwill findings! A Liz Lange maternity top (maybe one day I'll wear it..), handbag and mustard flats (they were NWT = new with tags).

I might wear this outfit on Sunday- red with white polka dot blouse, ties/stretches at the waist. Some black wedges and a handbag.

I recently bragged on FB about a sweater dress I found at The Will. It was NWT (remember, Momma, New With Tags). Regularly priced $100!! I got it for $2!! It's a large petite, but I've got sewing skillz (and temporary clothespins in the back). Paired with the same wedges and turquoise bag from the other outfits.

We'll see if I win- 1st place prize includes a $100 gift to Goodwill AND a makeover. Because obviously, if you shop at The Will, you're too poor to afford one on your own. :)

The Goodwill employees get to choose the winner. Maybe some will recognize me. Haha.

where has all the blogging gone?

Marshall made a comment that my blog posts have decreased the past 2 years a lot. There were apparently a lot in 2010, it went down about half in 2011. And this year.. well, you get the idea. Hartley just keeps us so busy!

But don't worry, I take pictures still. :)

So.. PHOTODUMP!! Not to be confused with pantydumps. Yeah. Two pantydumps in the past 2 days.

By the way, pantydumps involve a 2.5 year old "forgetting" to use the potty when she has to poopoo. And leaving a trail of poop down a hallway on the way to rinse out her panties..

Earlier this month, Hartley's Columbus cousins came for a brief visit. We took them to Splash and they loved it!

We had a photoshoot.. unfortunately Hartley was in her "I don't want to take pictures right now" mood.  She gets that way sometimes.. but then other times..

She loves posing! She had her second dentist appointment. She did great!! We prepared her a lot- dentists are doctors that take care of teeth, they clean your teeth, make sure they're healthy, etc. AND- if you listen to the dentist and let him look at your teeth, then you'll get a slush from Sonic. Yup. Worked wonders.

We cuddled with Sassy on the couch a lot.

And appreciated the pictures with Sassy after she went missing on my birthday.

I turned 27. And somebody found Sassy a few days later. :)

We went to GSU's Sweetheart Circle with Addie Grace and Kristy. Originally we were going to visit the museum.. but it was closed for renovations. So we took pictures!!

And Hartley was kind enough to pose. :)

We're glad she's such a cutie, otherwise we might return her to the hospital (somedays).

Our September schedule is packed full of birthdays, a conference, yardsale, on-callness, and special visits! All on top of volunteering and church stuff!

We'll probably catch up with you in October, hah! KISSES from Hartley!

all you need is LIGHT

We are slowly nearing the completion of our hall bathroom redecorating.

Earlier this year it looked like this.

 Oyster Shell walls. Tiny mirror. Make-do pinterest craft.

 Then I convinced Marshall to help me paint stripes.

And add a board and batten wainscoting. He topped the wainscoting with some of the reclaimed barnwood, too. Perfect shelving, I might add.

Marshall was giving Hartley a bath.. not.. you know..

But something was still missing. As an early birthday present, Momma let me pick out a new light fixture. One that would actually lighten up the room- and boy does it do a good job now!

I'm still deciding if I like the current mirror. It's a good length, but I'm not sure if I like the oak or the way it leans back because of the wainscoting ledge. And it's also really dirty! Picture frames are also changeable, I just wanted something up!

Eventually Marshall will build some shelving to go next to the sink, using the barnwood again. And I'm still pondering about some clearance paint I picked up a while ago for the darker stripes.. Always thinking of changing something up!