March Madness--Okie style!!

Look what we did today!






Colton having a blast making after helping to make the snowthing--to unfinished to call it a snowman-lol!

Burying the trains!


Braden not to thrilled about standing next to the snowman!He really wanted to go back to cleaning the snow off of things--lol!

Braden having a good time cleaning the snow off Daddy's truck!!

And you thought it was going to be about basketball--lol!!!


Nope the freakish 8 inch spring snow lead to a day of fun for the boys! Colton could have lived outside if I had let him. I only wish I had the camera ready when he ran out and dove head first into the snow and started to roll around--he was truly in hog heaven!!
Braden on the other hand stopped at the front porch and gave me the look that meant "Mom do I have to go get wet and dirty!" that boy is just like his mommy and don't like the cold one bit!!!

Travel--First stop Houston!

Sorry to take so long to get back to writing down my thoughts feelings and hopes but it's been a busy two weeks and much is going on. I have more posts to complete including our final two lessons on debt relief which are good and now the part of being still and trusting in the Lord takes over.

During our 25 years of marriage John has done some traveling for jobs here and there. Sometimes it's one little job and other times it's many jobs back to back. The traveling jobs tend to come when we need the money the most as they are the greatest profits when you only account for money. But there are other things to consider when it comes to travel than just the high profits and that's the time spent apart and how that effects both the marriage and the kids. For the past 25 years when he did travel I stayed home with the kids and the impact was felt by both them and me. Being a single parent is NOT MY CUP OF TEA!!! ( just ask the kids--lol!!) Plus there is the whole disconnection between John and I that happens no matter how hard you try to stop it. Be gone long enough and the house no longer is "our house" but becomes " my and the kids house" and John begins to feel like a guest in his own house when he would come home for a "visit". You really can't stop that, after all life at home continues to move forward and the one gone is left out of the loop even if you call and tell every single detail of the day to each other.We are HIGHLY a wear of that and take measures to overcome it once it rears it's ugly head. Working on staying connected while being apart is truly the hardest job in the world, and blending back into a "twosome" after spending weeks and months as a "one some" takes dedication and patience that many sadly eventually no longer wish to invest in.

So all that being said you might wonder why I'm really really excited about the changes that are taking place and the first of what I can see will be many travel job opportunities coming our way. WELL LET ME SHARE WITH YOU A REVELATION JOHN AND I HAD PLUS A VISION GOD GAVE ME 3 YEARS AGO!!

The last major "travel" job John did before we adopted took place during our oldest sons senior year. All the "ugly" of being apart seemed to be magnified by the "senioritis" that all my kids have experienced during senior year. "Senioritis" is the term I use for the awful attitude that appears during senior year when my kids all believe they have "arrived" and are now adults fully capable of making ANY AND ALL decisions for themself combined with an attitude that we parents are STUPID AND DON"T KNOW A THING. Of course they are "almost a full adult" and are capable of making MANY decisions for themselves but they still need that final guidance in their life to help lead them or keep them on the path God has for them. The thing about senioritis is that it fully goes away about 6 months after they graduate from high school and they begin to lead the life of an adult and realise that mom and dad weren't so stupid after all and most of the stuff they said about finances,jobs, school and relationships are REALLY INDEED TRUE--lol!!! So John being gone during our first experience of senioritis was very hard on my as I'm not cut out to be a single parent. After about 4 months of living apart while he worked in Arkansas we came to the conclusion that the money wasn't worth the toll on our marriage. I also came to the conclusion that our staying home while John lived in another state was not the plan GOD had ever intended. See in the word of God you always see that when God "calls a man" to another place or higher level for something the man BRINGS THE WIFE AND KIDS WITH HIM! God made children portable for a reason!! It's us that thinks a child needs to be rooted in one place only and US that says the child comes BEFORE THE FAMILY UNIT. The reality is the relationship chain should link as follows --FIRST THE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP TO THE FATHER GOD--Than THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE--THAN THE CHILDREN ARE FRUITS OF THAT RELATIONSHIP. Unfortunately children tend to placed before the marriage and many a wife and husband find themself lost once the kids are gone and they don't know how to function without dedicating their entire time and energy to the kids. So I decide that no more would I ever let myself not be at my husbands side--from here on out the kids and I would go with. For John the difficulties of those four months were such that he chose to NEVER GO OUT OF TOWN AGAIN. That was over 6 years ago and he has steadily turned down some very profitable jobs as he didn't want to live apart and Braden needed the stability of having two parents around as he opened up and began to trust and attach.But God is moving on our behalf and the time has come to take the steps towards not only the call but the vision God revealed about us over 4 years ago.

Before we ever boarded the plane to get Colton I knew deep in my heart that we would be adopting again but John was firm that Colton was it. Once in Korea God firmly planted the seed for another child and I knew beyond a doubt that we would be missing something in our life if we didn't fulfill that seed. So soon after we arrived home I began to pray and ask God to reveal Himself and the direction He had for us as a couple. I got one little phrase to go with the seed for another child and that was "home base". I didn't fully understand that but prayed in earnest for more revelation and realised that "home base" was literally the house we would live in and I KNEW BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT THE HOUSE IN WAGONER WASN"T IT!!!So the seed for moving was planted but the seed for adoption became much stronger and I focused on that in my prayer life. Then in May of 2006 I began to pray in earnest concerning a certain "waiting child" to be matched with a family(not thinking at the time it was US!) and also for the opening of Johns heart to adopt again and one night God gave me a vision that to this day is as vivid as if I was living it right now. I saw myself and two asian boys that were about the same age getting on an airplane to go meet John in Florida, he was there working a job that was going to be 6-8 weeks long and had been there already for 3 weeks. The boys were right around the age for early school years and I couldn't tell if it was age 5 for kindergarten or age 6 for first grade but they were both boys and one was Colton. We stayed at a rented bungalow near a beach and was there for 3 weeks when we needed to return to Oklahoma for some obligation that involved me. In the vision I had a feeling that John and I were also thinking about or fully waiting for a "girl" and I knew this wasn't the first time I had joined him with the "boys" on an out of town job. As John took us back to the airport I remember John and I talking about what we would do if the job went longer than 2 weeks which is what should have been left on the job and it was a normal conversation--one we had had many times already. An interesting note as that I knew the "girl" we were waiting for wasn't KOREAN like the two boys-- even though I couldn't see the face of the other boy I knew he was Korean like Colton. The vision continued only it was at a different time of the year since the scene from Florida was during the summer months. The next scene was during the fall and I saw myself packing my red car full of household supplies and clothes for several months and heading out to the eastern side of the U.S. to join John on a job he had begun. I knew we were heading to somewhere near New York city and the "kids" and I were going to take a week of sightseeing to get there.I also packed school work as I was going to home school the kids during the 3-4 month time we would be away so I assumed they were older than what they were in the Florida scene. I also knew there was another child but I couldn't see who or what it was just that this child didn't need homework and I wasn't bringing baby stuff. The scene ended when I arrived at the place John was and found out we would be living in the heart of a big city in a high rise apartment and I saw we had brought our dog with us. There were two more scenes in the vision one was me and boys arriving home after one of our trips to be with John and having them run up stairs to their room while I flipped through the mail--I could tell the house had "neutral colored walls" and there was peace when we entered the house, but that truly the "coming and going" was actually our real home and this was just our place of refreshing. There wasn't this I'm so glad to be done with that trip attitude and ready to get back to my "real life"--this was our "base of refreshment" but our home was wherever we happened to be at that moment. The last vision was of John and I in our church--I heard what was at the time just our Pastors son say from the pulpit that it was good to have John and Anita home for the next few weeks as we had a church project to get done. The pastors son is now the pastor of the church and so now it makes sense to me why he was on the platform.I knew in this scene that John and I came and went from this place--sometime we were gone for long periods of time and other times we were in Oklahoma for long periods of time but that we were never again fully rooted and staying here forever. The church and the house we lived in was our "home base" and we came and went as God directed. I knew there were times the kids and I were at the church without John as he was away on a job but that if it lasted more than 3 weeks than the kids and I went to him instead of staying here the whole time he was gone. I also knew that some times we went with him for the whole time of a job and other times we joined him off and on but that God used us in ministry and in construction in this type of a lifestyle. And then I just woke up from the vision. Colton was only home for 5 months and was 17 months old at the time I had seen all this.

It's been almost 3 years since that vision and later next week John leaves to go look at a job in HOUSTON--he almost didn't tell me about the job opportunity but once he did I think I shocked him at how excited I was!! I know that this is the beginning of that next phase for us that we will travel --some years a lot and some years not at all but we will do both work and ministry when we go, I have this strong since that the pull for Special Needs orphans will combine with the construction knowledge John has and God will open doors for us to share our heart for the ones "not yet chosen"!!!

I told John I have "friends in Houston" so Suzy if you are reading this we might be coming to Texas in the next month!!!! The fact is I spend so much time on the Internet on adoption sites and forum that the boys and I will not lack for fellowship as I know of plenty adoptive moms around the US and I look forward to seeing some of you in the future face to face as God brings the visions to pass!!!

HUSBAND FUNNY!

I can't resist sharing a super funny to me story that happened between John and I recently. First I should give a tiny bit of background for those who may not know this about me. Something dropped into my heart about the time we decided that adoption was the way we were going to add to our family over 4 years ago. God seems to have pointed and planned all things that have happened in my life for this very drive I now have that at times feels like it is consuming me. I have a deep set passion for orphans and in particular Special Needs orphans. Even prior to the adoption of Colton and Braden my motto in life was and STILL IS THERE IS ROOM AT THE TABLE FOR JUST ONE MORE!!! I daily look and hope to find homes for waiting kids from several of my favorite waiting child listings. My husband does not at this time share the desire to add any more kids to the family but listens to me talk daily about any new updates on my "favorite kids"( I give them all names since they only have numbers next to their photos or bios) so keeping that in mind here is a conversation that took place during the first week of our debt reduction class.....

I was sitting in the office on the computer when John gets home from work and comes in to see what I was up to and ask whats for supper--Annie soon followed and entered after our conversation had began.

ME sitting at the computer: Honey I read over the pages of the debt class since I couldn't go with you on Sunday and I'm so excited to get started.

John: Yea the class was pretty much word for word from the pages so you didn't really miss out on much

Me: Yea it looks like we are in better shape than I first thought since we already have our "BABY FUND" in the bank

John: We don't have a baby fund honey( looking very confused at me while saying it)

Annie: WHAT BABY FUND- WE AREN'T GETTING ANOTHER BABY!.

Me: Yes we do to have a "baby fund" ( being very INSISTENT THAT WE DO!)

Annie : Dad tell Mom WE ARE NOT GETTING ANOTHER BABY!! You guys aren't getting another baby, Tell her Dad!!!

John: WE DON"T HAVE ANY BABY FUND( his eyes starting to bulge out)We aren't adopting Annie

Me:I Know THAT but we DO HAVE A" BABY FUND"--even the papers says we should start out with a "baby fund" in case of an emergency ( I realise at this point he doesn't remember the debt class says to start an emergency fund with only $1,000 and work towards saving the full 3-6 months worth of emergency fund money--the $1,000 is called the "baby fund" since it isn't fully funded yet, and so I have a little fun with John and Annie)

John: But we don't have a BABY FUND

Me: but they told you in class to be prepared as you never know when anything is going to happen so we need a "baby fund"

Annie: WE ARE NOT GETTING ANOTHER BABY!

Me : remember we talked about it and we were going to save some tax money for this purpose.

John: (looking like he is raking his brain trying desperately to remember if we talked about an "adoption fund" and he doesn't remember)

Annie: What country are you talking about? You really aren't getting another baby -is it china or another Korean baby?( panic is setting in on her voice now!)

John: Honey there is NO MONEY and we didn't talk about a baby fund

Me: you didn't spend it did you? the tax money is still in the bank right--we still have a $1,000 for the baby fund?

John: NO I didn't spend it( really looking distressed at this time and slightly ashen too-lol!!!)

Me: THAN WE DO TO HAVE A BABY FUND and we are already ahead of the game and ready to move to the next level

John: THERE IS NO BABY FUND HONEY!!

Me:( not being able to hold the laughter back from the distress that John and Annie are having) IF we still have the $1,000 in the bank than that's our "baby fund" Even Ben( the man running the debt class and dear friend for over 20 years) recommends we have one as you never know when there is a surprise emergency and we should be prepared so we don't go into debt over it, and we said we were going to have a baby fund

John--shakes his head NO<>

Annie: DAD!!( she is gasping now as she thinks her dad and I have talked about having a fund for another adoption or sibling call)

John: I don't remember ever agreeing to a baby fund we ARE NOT ADOPTING!

Me: (Can't contain the laughter any more and have to let them off the hook!)I KNOW THAT! I have been talking about the "baby emergency fund" Ben talks about --it's called the baby fund because it is only $1,000 and not the full 3-6 months of living expense and we DO HAVE IT RIGHT?!

John: (weak from thinking we were talking about adoption and he had somehow been snared into starting an adoption fund) Yea we got that, I need to go lay down

Me; falling off my chair laughing and Praying silently to God--Did you see how fast he thought I was talking about a baby God, maybe another kid is more on his mind than he is willing to admit! I know when it's time you can move his heart and make it happen so I'm not worried!

Getting out of debt lesson # 2

Where did the week go? I had planed on posting this by Tuesday and here it is almost the weekend and I'm just getting around to it. Lets you know how I'm doing on being more organized-lol!

So the second lesson last Sunday was on debt myths and on getting your debt snowball rolling. the four key steps to debt reduction are as follows.

# 1 Create and maintain a working budget. Make adjustments as necessary (DONE!)

#2 Get current and STAY current on debt payments ( working on this, mostly for the medical bills)

#3 Save an emergency fund of $1,000 ( DONE THANKS TO THE TAX RETURN!!)

#4 Start attacking the debt. Use the Debt Snowball form. ( may be able to PAY OFF ONE CREDIT CARD IN FULL BY THE END OF NEXT MONTH!!!!!!)


May favorite myths where things both John and I KNEW and once walked in the truth at one time but somehow over the years allowed ourselves to be "suduced" into the world's thinking and sucked us into this cycle of debt. I'll post a few ---some we are guilty of and some we have never done but know others who have

MYTH --You need a credit card to build your credit. The truth is you can get almost any type of loan without having had a credit card. We got plenty of car loans before we ever got our first credit card. Our daughter Ashton and her husband Daniel also got a house mortgage without having a credit card.

MYTH--Rent to own can help lower income people get ahead. The truth is the rent to own industry is the biggest scam of all as you wind up paying out over 1,800% in interest on average. The biggest example is a standard washer and dryer set that you can get for $500---at a rent to own center you would "pay" only $20 a week for the set but most contracts are for 90 WEEKS which in the end makes them cost you $1,800---very few people ever do the math and figure out EXACTLY what the end cost of "renting to own something is"

MYTH --- Car payments are a way of life and you will always have one We have been sucked into this myth over and over. I can't tell you how many cars I have had as it never failed that just about the time the current car I had was due to payoff we went and got another one. All but two of my cars have been "used" so we figured we were getting a good deal as someone else had already taken the "hit" on it when it was new but the fact is financing a car is still debt no matter if it's new or used

Myth buying a new car saves you money because you get a warranty. The truth is a new car loses 60% of it's value in the first 4 years that means a new car that costs $28,000 will lose $17,000 of value during the first 4 years. YOU COULD REBUILD A CAR TWICE FOR $17,000!!! We have totally gotten in over our heads concerning cars by trading "up" when we had a car that needed a repair. The fact is a PAYED for car is cheaper than a car you are still paying on and most will NOT cost you the same to repair in the next 6 years than you would be spending in car payments ( the average new car is financed now for 6 full years!!)

Myth leasing a car is a good way to go The fact is leasing a car is in many ways the same as RENT TO OWN and go back and see that myth for the full facts! Many lease places convince you to "lease another car" as soon as your current lease is up, and so you continue to make a car payment without ever really owning a car! And because you are leasing a BRAND new car you are paying the depreciation on that car for the dealer--they in turn sell it for a profit after you return it or sell it to you after you have already payed out the 60% value loss.


Some of my favorite parts about the class are what I call the "nuggets of truth" or fact statements. Highlights of my favorite are as follow:
Debt is a means to obtain the "I want its" before we can afford them.
The best way to build wealth is to become and stay debt-free!
It's easy to become wealthy if you don't have any payments!
Extreme situations require extreme solutions. Do whatever it takes to get your debt snowball rolling,sell something:have a garage sale---WHAT EVER YOU NEED TO DO TO INCREASE THE INCOME AND OR REDUCE SPENDING DO IT!!!

Going CF

About four years ago John and I went through our Wagoner house and replaced all the light bulbs with CF ones (compact fluorescence) and the savings were amazing. Even though we didn't really have that many lights we saw about a $20-30 difference in our electric bill depending on the time of year. When we moved to BA we took the bulbs with us to the new rental. Since we had no electric history on the rental we didn't know what the savings would be, after all it was a band new house compared to our 30 year old house back in Wagoner.. Fortunately the builder had kept the electric history to show potential buyers and for the months we had lived there they had paid the previous year about $100 for electricity to keep the house cooled and the lights on for showing. Well our first bill for living in that house with the CF bulbs in all the fixtures was ONLY $90!! There is no telling how much a family would be saving since they didn't use the electricity the same as when you live in the house.

When we moved from the first rental into our current rental we didn't bring the bulbs with us as we left them as a gift to the new owner of the house. Our new rental has so many fixtures and the lighting here is so awesome I cringed at the thought of the cost to buy CF bulbs for them. But the funny thing is GOD is always there looking for ways to bless us and most of all HE knows our needs and desires, so I wasn't at all suprised when John called from Lowes one day to ask how many bulbs I thought we needed. There was a a case of CF bulbs on sale!!!!. They were in boxes of 6 for only $6.35 a BOX!! I told him to buy as many as he could afford to because we had TONS OF LIGHTS and I didn't have time at that moment to actually count or estimate how many we needed. Last night we took the 5 boxes and replaced 30 but still need MORE!! The average wattage of the bulbs we took out was 100 watts The new CF ones only use 13 WATTS. I am looking forward to seeing how much a difference the new ones will make on the electric bill. In the end we will have put in over 48 new CF bulbs in the house plus we plan on replacing the can lights with CF cans. I will post what the saving are as soon as we get the new bill--it may take a full two months though to see the actual savings as I think we are going to hit the electirc bill in the middle of the cycle.

Now I need to figure out what to do with 48 100watt bulbs?!! Anyone need some lights that will cost you LOADS OF MONEY TO USE?--lol!!

Budget numbers are in!

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to posting about the budget but we sorta became wii maniacs--lol!! It has been fun and worth the money spent as we are getting up and moving but most of all bonding together as a family.

If you don't have time to read what I'm sure is going to be HUGE LONG POST than let me give a quick short summary.

The word for our budget is SOBERING, EYE OPENING, REALITY CHECK! Those are what you see when you only look with your natural man eye. But thank God we are not just "natural man" but are also spiritual beings and so when you take into consideration that God plays a very vital roll in our life and is looking for ways to show us He is in control and not to worry than the word for our budget becomes AWESOME, INSPIRING, MIRACLE POTENTIAL, WONDER WORKING OPPORTUNITY!!!

The short version is this we bring home(through being self employed) enough to put together a skeletal budget that includes paying the minimum on all but one credit card and some towards the THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS worth of medical bills. One credit card will be getting a small amount of "extra" to start off our debt snowball.

the basics of basics is what is on the budget, TITHING, RENT, UTILITIES, CAR PAYMENT, GAS FOR THE CAR, INSURANCE FOR THE CAR, MEDICATION FOR ANNIE, CREDIT CARDS, MEDICAL BILLS, GROCERY, AND A SMALL AMOUNT FOR RECREATION ($50 a month for recreation to pay for anything the boys need for T-Ball, zoo renewal, and pool membership) We did increase the food budget as we went through it because John felt that trying to keep it to $160 every two weeks was going to be to hard as we didn't allow for irregular things like razors, shampoo and things along that line that we only buy once a month so now our grocery budget is set at $200 for every two weeks. Things we wanted on the list that we can not do right now are clothing,dental,car repairs gifts including a Christmas budget,blow money.

We can pay everything on this budget and not get behind but we also will not be getting ahead either.God has always made up the difference in the areas we can not budget for and some of the categories we really have no "needs" in right now. EVERYONE in the house is set for spring and summer in the clothing department including shoes. We would love to go to the dentist but there is a free dental place in Tulsa if we have an emergency right now , any car repairs will have to come from the $1,000 emergency fund which we do have right now, and, birthday and Christmas will have to come from bonus money John can withdrawal from the company.

That's the short version!!!! The long of it follows----

God truly is the only way we will be getting out of debt anytime soon. The word tells us to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding". We will do our part by living within the budget numbers we established and looking for ways to slash some of the utility bills along with grocery savings so we can put more from our own means towards the debt snowball. BUT MOST OF ALL WE WILL BE SEEKING GODS ADVICE AND WISDOM ON HOW TO MOVE FORWARD. The word is clear that we are God's sheep and He is our Shepard, we hear HIS voice a strangers we will not follow and HE will lead and guide us on the path He has for us.

God is already giving us directions to move to help in the budget. One of the most important one is to seek out new health insurance with prescription coverage. Annies meds are $450 PER MONTH and that alone is the amount keeping us from doing more on the debt reduction. we have a lead through our pastor about a company that provides health coverage to SELF EMPLOYED PEOPLE that would cover pre-existing and give prescription coverage!! Once we get the number and see if we can switch over I'll share the name as I don't want to give out false hope if it turns out there is a waiting period on the pre-existings. God is also given us some leadings on what to do with our Wagoner house concerning refinancing. We are going to ask for financial council and pray some more before we move forward and will let you know once we have clarity.

God can and does daily provide miracles for those who are seeking them THROUGH HIS WORD. God is not moved by "NEEDS" but by faith and so through faith in HIS WORD we expect our miracle to come. NO MONEY WILL NOT START RAINING FROM HEAVEN. But favor and opportunities will. By listening to God through out the day I know I will have the chance for money savings. God says He has made us the head and not the tail,above and not beneath. When others are only hoping for things I fully expect God to show me how to get it! He says in His word that He will give wisdom to those that ask and so daily John and I ask for God's wisdom both for our home and for our business. When other businesses are struggling I expect ours to prosper. Why because the WORD SAYS THAT EVERYTHING WE SET OUR HANDS TO WILL PROSPER!!! and I'm standing on that word. We are tithers and God says in his word concerning those that tithe TO PROVE HIM NOW THAT THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN WILL BE OPEN AND HE WILL POUR US OUT A BLESSING WE CAN NOT CONTAIN. In our budget we did allow for some "giving over and above the tithe" It isn't as much as we wanted but it is seed for sowing. God has a plan of sowing and reaping. We will sow blessings in offerings and reap back blessings,favor and most of all more seed to sow.

If we were to only look at what we could do in our own power than John and I both would be defeated before we even began, but we have a history with GOD and HIS PROVISIONS for us and so there is no fear nor depression concerning our state at this time. One of the greatest things is to remember what GOD has done and remind your self of it. For us God has already provide THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN BLESSINGS IN ONE MOMENT and I'd like to share as a memorial those with you. See I know that in a simple moment God could provide thousands of dollars to wipe out our debt as He has already in times past provided THOUSAND of dollars in money and provision.
The first has to do with Johns business. Since the very beginning of our marriage John had a dream of running his own company. For years he served faithful to one man in his construction company and it looked like this man was going to be the "source" of Johns dream coming true as he always told John when he retired he would turn over his company to him. BUT GOD HAD OTHER PLANS. As it turned out this man was not the source of his dream but a step towards it. See the man FIRED JOHN and it was the greatest thing to happen to us. God provided us $25,000 within the first week John got fired from SOMEONE. See God's provision ALWAYS COMES THROUGH THE HANDS OF MAN. GOD CAN"T RAIN MONEY FROM HEAVEN BUT HE CAN MOVE THE HEART OF SOMEONE TO PROVIDE IT FOR YOU. We went from John being fired on a Friday to having $25,000 to start a business and TWO jobs to start working by the following FRIDAY.!!! We have never looked back and our work has been blessed. Any lack we have had is because of US not seeking GOD"s advice or simply NOT FOLLOWING IT ONCE WE GOT IT! But here we stand NINE FULL YEARS LATER John still working his own business--and that is a miracle as most small businesses don't last more than 5-6 years. God continues to bless us through this work.

The other super natural THOUSANDS of dollars worth of blessing came because of a HORSE. About 2 and a half years ago I was going to the post office in Wagoner and on my way home I drove past a "resale" shop that lines up on main street in Wagoner and I looked over and saw a spring hippy horse. I said out loud to God "God I would LOVE TO GET ONE OF THOSE HIPPY HORSES FOR THE BOYS BUT DON"T HAVE THE MONEY RIGHT NOW. It would make a great Christmas present even if I can't get it right now ( it was turning fall at the time), and since YOU are the one that "gave me my boys" I know that YOU will provide for them as no FATHER gives a gift to His child that he doesn't also provide for so RIGHT NOW I RECEIVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE A HIPPY HORSE FOR THE BOYS. I then simply drove home without finding out how much the resale shop wanted for the horse. Two days later I went to our churches Wednesday night service and had a woman at church ask if I'd like a HIPPY HORSE FOR THE BOYS!! She said she was clearing out her boys toys and didn't need it any more. I said Yes and told her I had just prayed for a horse for them and we both laughed. Then she said to have John bring the truck on Saturday night prayer and they would bring it to us. As she was leaving she asked if we could also use some clothes and we said yes and she said BRING THE CAR TOO as she had a lot to give us so we did. Now I want to say is all I did was pray for a horse and remind God HE had blessed us with the boys and I knew that HE would ALWAYS provide for them. SO on Saturday we showed up with two vehicles and got not only a hippy horse but the entire back of the truck FILLED TO OVER FLOWING WITH TOYS PLUS ! 9 SPACE BAGS FULL OF CLOTHES!!! She had given us all the clothes form NEWBORN to size 5 as I had said I knew a lady that could use the baby boy clothes. Since my boys were both in size 2 clothes at the time I starting sorting through those. I have a dining room table that extends to 7 foot and laid out clothes from size 2 to size 3 before I ran out of room--- I had 7 foot long but 2 feet TALL worth of clothes setting on the dining room table and more bags to open!! I kept all I wanted and gave away a box that was 3 foot squared on size 2 clothes alone. Just with what I could put out on the table I had well over $5,000 worth of clothes and still more to use for later. I gave away over $3,000 worth of baby clothes and size 2 that I didn't need. These clothes were all gymboree, old navy, baby gap, and boutique clothing store clothes. Almost everything came with a matching hat and socks. My boys are still wearing the clothes 2.5 years later!! Like I said we are set for spring and summer for everyone in the house!! The only thing I truly needed was some more size 3 t-shirts and pants for Braden as Colton was VERY HARD on clothes when he wore that size( the boys are now one size apart after being the exact size for almost 2 years!) AND AGAIN GOD PROVIDED THEM FROM ANOTHER FRIEND JUST TWO WEEKS AGO!!!! Now that doesn't include all the toys we got either!! There were tonka trucks that have batteries and do fancy stuff that cost over $50 brand new and we got 3 of them plus about another $2,000 worth of toys ALL WITH BATTERIES THAT WORKED!!! The grand total from that night was somewhere between $10,000-$15,000 In toys and clothing if purchased new from the stores where she had gotten them!! And God did it all because I asked for a horse and reminded HIM HE WOULD PROVIDE FOR THE GIFT HE HAD GIVEN US!! I don't think I'm ever going to get rid of that horse as every time I see it I think of what GOD has already done!!!!

See I know GOD CAN GIVE US A MIRACLE and that is what getting out of debt will be--HE IS FAITH TO PROVIDE AND WE ARE FAITHFUL TO RECEIVE!!!! IN A MOMENT OF TIME GOD CAN DO FOR US WHAT WE CAN NOT DO FOR OUR SELF!!! We will faithfully do our part but we are also standing on the word and expect a miracle!!!

Smells like SPRING!!!!

OH this morning was one of those days I so look forward to as it had in it the first real smells of spring in the air. Many people have a favorite time of the year and for me it's the start of EVERY SEASON with spring and fall being my favorite. I know many people just have one time of the year that is their all time favorite but for me it's the start of each and every season. Being in Oklahoma means we do at least get the start of a new season unlike other areas of the US where the weather is the same most of the time or they really only have about 3 seasons as one is really short.

Spring in Oklahoma isn't like other areas of the US as we don't really have "cool days" . We get a few cool days and rain shower but here spring is mostly HOT ONE DAY and BACK TO THE 40's or 50"s the next. So today when I woke up and could open the windows at 8:30 in the morning and smell the fresh slightly cool with a promise of warm air I was in heaven!! By three this afternoon though we have the air conditioner on--lol!!

There is something about the renewal of all things dead in spring that makes you just want to be closer to God. As things bloom and blossom I'm reminded that God and His promises are new every morning and no matter how dark and dried up life can seem at times renewal does come!!

Tomorrow is suppose to be another great day and we are spending it at the zoo to help celebrate the life of a dear friend of the boys and gift he is to his family (HAPPY BIRTHDAY EARLY RYAN!!!) and we are looking forward to the warmth and sunshine. Next week looks like the clouds and cold can return but not for long as spring is itching to stay around and we look forward to it!!

Wii splurge!

We got wii'd on Tuesday!! It's been one of the funnest things we have invested in in a very long time. And I'm not feeling guilty at all. For those who are wondering HOW OR WHY we would go and spend $450 on a gaming system when we are trying to get out of debt I'll share a little insight.

Getting out of DEBT is like going on a diet when you are obese. If you put yourself on a fad diet that restricts all the things you love and deprives you of some pleasures than you set yourself up for failure. The same thing applies to getting out of debt. I know you can surf the web and find tons of blogs from people doing radical debt reductions by living on the barest of essentials and they are having success and don't mind doing it but that is not for us. Yes we plan on applying as much as we can to paying off the debts we have incurred and are slashing our budget in every way possible to do that but we are also not leaving out some fun. Like a diet , if you deny the things you love eventually you will fall off the diet and have a benge--some can go on a benge and get right back on tract and others go on the benge and give up. Either way you never learn the real lesson and that is it's ok to enjoy yourself IN MODERATION. There is also this little thing called STRIFE that tends to rear its' little head when money is concerned. If you really want to have a good fight with your spouse just bring up money!!-lol!! It is vitally important when you begin to dig out from debt that you watch and guard yourself from strife. If you don't plan for some fun than you will have NO FUN and once fun and joy are out the window things go down hill fast.We know this road to debt freedom is not a short one but it doesn't have to be a weary one either---it is totally ok to have some fun while you walk that path to financial freedom!!

Since we have already cut out major things like satellite tv or cable and are cutting out the netflix we choose to use a little of the tax refund for a one time splurge on something we could use and enjoy EVERYDAY. The reason the wii was chosen as our splurge was two fold. One it can be used by everyone and promotes family unity as we are all together playing along and second it has the benefit of aiding us in our quest to be healthy!! Now there may be some out there laughing about that last statement but let me tell you 30 minutes of wii fit games and you will know in the morning you had a fabulous workout! In fact the one thing I wanted the most was for John and I to focus on our health together and in the 24 hours we have had the system he and I have spent more time exercising together than we have done in the past five years. I SAY TOGETHER as I have already been working out but NOW I CAN WITH MY HUSBAND and have a great time also. This alone was worth EVERY DIME SPENT!!!!

we won't be buying any new games for a while and will rent some from the gaming store first to see if it's worth our money so there is no wasteful spending on a game that no one likes or enjoys. The system comes with enough games that are fun and will keep us busy for a while anyway so no need to rush out and start spending any more.

Other things we are doing for entertainment for the rest of the year that we have no guilt in spending money for are the renewal of our zoo pass as that provided a wonderful and very rewarding playdates for the boys and I this past year. I will be keeping my eye out for when they do the membership drive as last year during three days in April they offered memberships for half off. Ours cost $65 and so getting it for $30 is may goal this year. We are also planning on getting a pool membership from our local community. We have fabulous pools here in our town with great kiddy pools and I plan on going with the boys as often as possible to help burn off there energy during the summer months. Since the pools do have some evening hours John will be able to join us for some family fun after a long day at work. The house we left in Wagoner had an in ground pool so we are use to being able to spend the summer in the water--the cost of the membership is LESS than what the chemicals used on the pool at the other house so this year will actually be a bigger blessing to us financially because we aren't spending so much on the chemicals and extra electric for the pool pump not to mention the water you have to keep adding because it evaporates!!

And our last "entertainment" money is for the boys T-BALL. We hope to know what team we are on and will be starting practice soon!

By allowing some recreation in our budget our hopes are to not become discouraged during our "DEBT DIET" so to speak. There are ways to have entertainment for totally free and I don't have a problem with doing any of those, RENTING DVD"S FROM THE LIBRARY IS FREE, GOING TO THE PARK IS FREE, MOST LAKES ARE FREE TO SWIM IN. We may include all of these in our life also but I wanted anyone who is following our venture into the land of more than enough to know you can spend some money on yourself and not feel guilty about it.