tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56231520376338306092024-03-13T12:43:34.171-05:00Crockpot Cruise-My Journey to Being Debt FreeI'm a middle-aged woman determined to get out of debt. My husband and I are going through Financial Peace University (again!) through our church. As Dave Ramsey says, this isn't a microwave, it's a slow cooker. Come with me on my journey!KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.comBlogger935125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-72015466114542692632014-08-24T15:19:00.001-05:002014-08-24T15:19:40.309-05:00Well, here I am againI know, I know. It's been a super long time. I have not fallen off the face of the earth, well, not literally anyway.<br />
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What I did do was decide to go back to college to get my master's degree. Between that and working full-time, teaching classes online through a college, and teaching a class at church, I've been burning the candle at both ends. During that time, the blog has taken a back burner.<br />
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However, I am ready to jump back up on the horse and get serious about paying debt off again (especially now that I've added to it!).<br />
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This week, our oldest daughter Serenity is scheduled to have her second baby, a girl this time. We are super excited and can't wait to meet her. Plus we get to spend extra time with our grandson while they're at the hospital.<br />
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I will be closing down my Cruising with Coupons blog at some point in the future. Keeping up with two blogs was never easy for me. In the meantime, I will be transferring some of the more important articles over here.<br />
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Blessings to everyone!<br />
<br />KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-36541980366046430622013-03-20T07:53:00.001-05:002013-03-20T07:53:54.054-05:00Updates of sortsWell, the week that I challenged myself not to eat out, we didn't eat out at all Monday-Friday, but did a couple of times over that weekend. I did all my workouts that week too and did pretty good last week. This week I haven't been feeling well AGAIN (either a cold or the worst allergies EVER) and I didn't work out Monday or Tuesday, but I did this morning. I feel almost human so that's a good sign, right?<br />
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So the challenge to myself for the rest of this week:<br />
1. Do a new workout (Serenity loaned us some workout DVD's)<br />
2. Do a 3 mile workout<br />
3. Work on a budget for April<br />
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<br />KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-41859233023157619312013-03-09T02:00:00.000-06:002013-03-09T02:00:05.925-06:00Spring forward tonight!Don't forget to spring forward tonight, set your clocks forward one hour!<br />
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How does everyone else feel about the time change? I don't like it, I wish they would just leave the time alone, one way or another. Ugh.KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-34475459671918450482013-03-06T07:45:00.000-06:002013-03-06T07:45:29.746-06:00Getting back on trackThe last few weeks have been chaotic and disjointed and add that to the fact I wasn't feeling great, well, we've been way off track. We've eaten out too much. I exercised consistently, but not very enthusiastically and not as much as I had been, and well let's just say financially, we've spent money on things we probably shouldn't have.<br />
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So this week, we are focusing on getting back on track. Tom and I agreed to no eating out. For myself, I set some personal goals:<br />
1. Fill out my food diary consistently<br />
2. Drink at least 8 glasses of water<br />
3. Work out 6 days and two of those days do a 3 mile workout.KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-20984680138519147172013-02-28T12:15:00.001-06:002013-02-28T12:15:42.023-06:00Counting my blessingsYeah, I know, I've been MIA again. If you follow my other blog<a href="http://cruisingwithcoupons.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Cruising with Coupons,</a> you may already know I was down with a super bad head cold last week.<br />
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Last night my sweet husband said to me possibly the most romantic thing ever. He told me "Everyday when I count my blessings, you're number 1 on the list".<br />
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So today that has me thinking about blessings.<br />
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Tom, you're #1 on my list too!<br />
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A few others:<br />
My 4 kids (I always count my son-in-law as a kid now)<br />
Grandbaby that's on the way<br />
Extra days off due to the weather. I had two days off in the last week due to the bad weather. The first one (last Thursday), I was able to sleep all morning and take it easy all day and I think that's what finally got me over the hump on the cold. The second one (Tuesday), I was able to finish up our taxes so that I could get my youngest daughter's FAFSA done.<br />
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There isn't enough time or space here to share all of my blessings, but I'm curious. Have you counted your blessings lately?KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-66828570409164426632013-02-06T13:01:00.000-06:002013-02-06T13:01:06.810-06:00This week's goalsWith all the drama of hitting the cow, car hunting, etc. I've neglected to post goals the last couple of weeks. So here goes:<br />
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1. Finish getting our taxes ready by the end of this month<br />
2. This week I am working in the kitchen area cleaning.<br />
3. Post a debt update by next week.KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-81254551579183459822013-01-30T06:34:00.000-06:002013-01-30T06:34:08.370-06:00For one year nowToday I want to brag on myself a little lol. One year ago today I started an exercise program. For the first time in my whole life, I have stuck to that exercise program consistently for an entire year!! I've exercised at least 5 days a week almost every week for the last year (I think there was one or two weeks where I might have only exercised for 4 days).<br />
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<br />KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-86662080254891917952013-01-29T06:31:00.002-06:002013-01-29T06:31:53.044-06:00Found a new to us carSo, Saturday morning we went car hunting. The very first car we looked at was a 1997 Buick Park Avenue. We both really liked it, the lady was willing to come down to $1800, and we wanted to buy it right then, but felt like we needed to look around more. So, we did. Well, we ended up contacting the lady on Sunday and buying it. Here it is:<br />
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<br />KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-65866680490791560852013-01-25T12:13:00.002-06:002013-01-25T12:13:57.828-06:00Car HuntingWell, if you haven't heard yet, the car was totaled. I am sad, but not surprised. We got $2500 from the insurance company after they paid off the lien at the bank. We had let our son use it as collateral on a loan a few months ago. So now we are car hunting. I believe with all my heart that God has a car out there for us right now. Just as he provided the Mitsubishi when we needed it , He will provide us a nice car now.<br />
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The Mitsubishi right after we bought it. (see the original post: <a href="http://crockpotcruise.blogspot.com/2009/11/day-675-and-new-to-us-vehicles.html" target="_blank">Our New-to-us vehicles</a>)</div>
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The Mitsubishi after it "met" the cow"</div>
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On that note, if you know of anyone who has a good, reliable car for sale, please let us know!</div>
KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-21113940669161254972013-01-21T13:23:00.002-06:002013-01-21T13:23:50.185-06:00We are so blessedLast night on the way back from church, I hit a cow and really did a number on our car. You know, our only car.So why am I posting today that we are blessed?<br />
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Well, number one, no one was hurt. Not Tom, not the two boys in the back seat, and not me. I was covered from head to toe in glass from the driver's side window shattering and didn't have a cut on me. I am sore, but not unbearably so.<br />
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Number two, before 9:00 last night, 4 people from church had offered us a car to borrow plus our oldest daughter offered to let us borrow hers! The first person that called brought the car right over so Tom had a way to work this morning.<br />
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Number three, we have full coverage insurance. So it will either pay for the repairs or if it's totaled, we'll get the money to find something else. And our deductible on that car was only $250.<br />
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Oh, and if you're wondering about the cow. It walked away. There wasn't even any blood or hair on our car. My son made the comment "Well of course not, Mom. That cow probably weighed more than your car" LOL.<br />
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Am I stressed out? You bet. Am I still shaken up? Yes. Did I dream about cows last night? LOL, yes. But mostly I feel peaceful and blessed. God is good. All.The.Time!<br />
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<br />KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-14063202988611457182013-01-20T08:00:00.000-06:002013-01-20T08:00:06.654-06:00Goal update for this week & goals for next weekEarlier this week I posted about how I think <a href="http://crockpotcruise.blogspot.com/2013/01/goals-are-important.html" target="_blank">goals are important </a>and about my goals for this week.<br />
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Tom and I finally had a brief budget meeting over supper Friday night. I got a menu plan done for the next couple of weeks and my shopping lists made (and shopping done). Other than milk, we should be good to go for a while. If you want to see some of the deals I got, check out my posts over at <a href="http://cruisingwithcoupons.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cruising with Coupons. </a>I worked on the preliminary budget for February and on the bathroom/office. I was down in the back a bit so I didn't get as much done as I had hoped,but I'm making progress.<br />
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My goals for next week:<br />
1. Finish the February budget<br />
2. Work in the office and our bedroom cleaning and de-cluttering.<br />
3. Eat at home all week.<br />
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<br />KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-28362751459732870192013-01-15T13:44:00.002-06:002013-01-15T13:44:49.414-06:00Goals are importantToday I've been thinking about goals and how important they are. They can help keep us focused and encourage us. Without goals, I tend to get overwhelmed and spin my wheels.<br />
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Last Friday I set the goal to make a menu for this week and to do a budget for the rest of this month. I am happy to report that I have done both. Tom and I still need to go over the budget, my goal is to do that tonight. My meals were so well planned that we didn't even eat out once over the weekend! My goals for this week (to be done by Friday)<br />
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1. Have the budget meeting with Tom.<br />
2. Prepared a preliminary budget for February<br />
3. Plan menus and shopping list for next two weeks.<br />
4. I have been working on my house. My focus this week is the bathroom and the office. I will continue working in these areas.<br />
<br />KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-33891584048874385312013-01-14T07:01:00.000-06:002013-01-14T07:01:00.603-06:005 year blogiversary!Well, it all started 5 years ago today with this post:<br />
<a href="http://crockpotcruise.blogspot.com/2008/01/day-one-introduction-and-goals.html" target="_blank">Day One-introduction and goals</a><br />
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Hard to believe I've been doing this for 5 years! I'm not as good at writing here as I once was, but I'm trying. <br />
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We've gone through a lot in those 5 years. Graduated two more kids from high school, Graduated a kid from college. Married a kid off. Graduated myself from college. Went through 15 months of Tom working 32 hour weeks. Tom had shoulder surgery, I had tracheal re-section surgery. Through it all we've become discouraged and depressed, but we've kept trying. We haven't given up. That's all we can do right? Keep trying.<br />
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Hope that all my friends and family out there have a blessed week. I am praying for each of you and ask for prayers for us as we continue into this journey. Eventually one day I WILL be posting on here that all of our debt is paid off!KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-38084158676697913752013-01-11T07:37:00.000-06:002013-01-11T07:37:17.552-06:00And life happensLast Saturday, Tom woke up running a high fever, coughing, chills, aches, and generally feeling like poo. We ended up gong to the ER on Sunday only to be told that since the flu is a virus, they couldn't really do anything. They did give him a prescription for some cough medicine. He stayed home Monday (his fever finally broke late Sunday) and has been able to work the rest of the week, although he's been pretty run down. So far (thanks to mega-prayers, I am sure), I have stayed healthy other than fighting a cold (but no fever, aches, etc). I am grateful for that since it was a busy week; I had somewhere to go Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights.<br />
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So all that to say, I haven't had much time to think/work on goals this week. But I am setting some now for the weekend.<br />
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By Monday, I will have:<br />
made a budget for the rest of this month<br />
made a menu for next week<br />
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KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-40113388487746902752013-01-05T10:08:00.002-06:002013-01-05T10:08:22.302-06:00What are your goals for the new year?What are your goals for the new year? I know New Year's resolutions are a big thing right now. I generally try to set goals for myself each year. Last year I wanted to get healthier and I've done that (and still working on it).<br />
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This year, I plan to:<br />
Continue working on getting healthier<br />
Work on paying off our debt<br />
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Those are my two big goals for the year. Over the next few days, I plan to write more details about how I want to meet these goals.KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-89092321653302167112013-01-04T07:27:00.002-06:002013-01-04T13:45:53.677-06:00First Place 4 HealthA lot of people have asked me about how I've lost so much weight. So I wanted to write about that today. Last year, on January 30th, I started working out. Since then I've worked out 5-6 days a week most weeks. In March, after feeling like the working out had become a habit, I decided it was time to work on my eating habits. I knew I needed help with that and I began praying about it, asking God to lead me to the program that would help me. A few years ago, a friend had told me about a program called First Place and had sent me some books and tapes about it. I read the books but at the time wasn't ready for it. But now I kept feeling the Holy Spirit nudging me towards it. I resisted. I kept looking for other programs, other ideas. But God didn't give up on me, He kept nudging me. So, I talked to our pastor about the program. He'd heard of it and thought it was a good idea to start a class. I talked to a friend of mine in church who unbeknownst to me had been praying for a program to help her lose weight. So in June, we started a First Place 4 Health program at church. We completed our second session in December. As a group, we've lost over 300 pounds in our church.<br />
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First Place 4 Health is a Bible-based weight loss program started at a church in Texas in the 1980's. It is based on the Bible verse from Mark 12:30 that says:<i> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Charis SIL, charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First Place 4 Health teaches you how to put Christ first in all 4 areas of your life: mentally (your mind), physically (your strength), emotionally (your heart), and spiritually (your soul). We learn about eating healthy, exercising, and how to put Christ first in our lives. There is an excellent Bible study to go with the class and the group support is wonderful. We pray for, support, and help each other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Charis SIL, charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We will be starting a new session next week. There are Sunday night and Wednesday night classes. Sunday night class orientation is Sunday, January 6th. Wednesday night is January 9th. if you think you might be interested, I encourage you to come to one of the orientation meetings to learn more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Charis SIL, charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Classes are at our church, Bethel Hawley Baptist Church, 7 miles north and 1 mile east of Nash. If you want to come and need directions, just let me know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Charis SIL, charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.firstplace4health.com/" target="_blank">First Place 4 health website</a></span>KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-82511378052463693382013-01-03T12:21:00.003-06:002013-01-03T12:21:33.617-06:00The HolidaysI don't think I ever realize how hard the holidays are for me until they're over and I feel that weight lifted off of me. 2012 was full of ups (celebrating our 20th anniversary, Serenity getting married) and downs (our car conking out, Serenity losing her job, other family stuff). But that's life, right? Gotta pick up and move on. So I'm ready to get back on track and live frugally and tackle this debt again. Not sure where to start, so it's back to Dave Ramsey's baby steps. That means starting with getting $1000 in an emergency fund. So I'll be brainstorming some ways to do that. Any and all ideas appreciated!<br />
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I close today with this reminder:<br />
God is good all the time. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-51482155748479223392013-01-02T08:47:00.000-06:002013-01-02T08:47:04.220-06:00A New Year and New ME!Hello out there everyone! Hope that each of you had a wonderful and blessed holiday. I enjoyed some time off as well as some time with family and am back to work and into routine today. Wanted to share this picture with you, I bought some actual jeans at the thrift store on Saturday! I cannot tell you how long it's been since I've worn actual jeans!<br />
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<br />KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-45046327475162217102012-12-12T12:32:00.000-06:002012-12-12T12:32:03.077-06:0012-12-12So today, Tom and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. It seems like just yesterday we went on our first date, but I also can barely remember what life was like before I knew him. When Tom married me, I was a package deal with two children Josh and Serenity, ages 3 and 4. He accepted them as his own, adopted them less than a year later, and we had Natasha to complete our family. He has been the best father and husband that anyone could ask for and has consistently shown his love for me. I love him and like him even more than I did on the day we got married twenty years ago and can't wait for the next twenty years (plus many more, hopefully).KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-60926304207433766012012-12-04T13:56:00.004-06:002012-12-04T13:56:55.604-06:00Just call me...Well, I have big, big, big news! My oldest daughter and her husband are going to have a baby. I am going to be a grandmother! I am so excited! Now I have to decide what I want to be called because I think I am way too cool and hip to just be Grandma, LOL.<br />
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Well, Christmas is even closer than it was the last time I posted a blog here on October 25th! Wow. It's 3 weeks from today. Are you ready? I'm getting there, but I'm not done yet. It's hard to get in the spirit.<br />
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<br />KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-27894082127130479442012-10-25T06:40:00.003-05:002012-10-25T06:40:37.568-05:00Bi-Polar Weather and EEK! Christmas!Well, I was worried the wind wouldn't blow today, but thank goodness, it is. LOL. Okay, that was sarcastic. But this weather, wow. Upper 80's for several days, now we're plummeting back into winter. Come on, how about some fall somewhere in here?<br />
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So, a friend posted on Facebook today, it's only 2 months until Christmas. What have YOU done to get ready? Me? I've bought a few things, but still have a long ways to go. Need help organizing for Christmas? Check out <a href="http://www.flylady.net/" target="_blank">Flylady,</a> she has a great Holiday Control Journal. Whatever you do, make a plan! It makes Christmas so much easier to deal with. So in addition to the goals I posted yesterday, I am setting a goal for myself to have a Christmas list made by next Friday (November 2nd).<br />
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Have a happy and blessed day! And put some rocks in your pocket so you don't blow away!KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-70087968674807582482012-10-24T22:16:00.001-05:002012-10-24T22:16:39.092-05:00Not enough hours in the dayIt just seems there are not enough hours in the day to get all the things done I want to get done. So I'm going to set myself some goals and see if it helps:<br />
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1. By next Monday, I will update our debt total. It's creeping along and we're making a bit of progress.<br />
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2. I worked in my office last weekend. I will finish getting it cleaned up by the end of next week.<br />
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Okay, those are both pretty big goals so I'm going to leave it at that for now. Hope you are all having a wonderful and blessed week!KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-88833363756816144212012-10-18T08:33:00.001-05:002012-10-18T08:33:52.095-05:00Health update-what a difference a year makesA few weeks ago, Tom's employer had their annual health screening. They "encourage" us to do the screening by giving us a $500 discount on our health insurance deductible for the next year. There were big differences in mine from a year ago.<br />
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Last year I weighted 292, this year I weighed 250. Two years ago I weighed 313! I've lost about 5 or 6 more pounds since the screening too. :)<br />
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Last year my Hemoglobin A1C was 9.1, this year it was 6.8. If you don't know, that's a number that gives an average of your blood sugar over the last 2-3 months. This is even including the fact that I have drastically reduced my insulin dosage. Last year, the doctor had prescribed me to take 60-70 units twice a day; now I'm taking 15 units twice a day (and may need to reduce it a bit more).<br />
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Last year my fasting blood glucose that morning was 226, this year it was 122.<br />
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Last year my cholesterol was over 200, this year it was 187.<br />
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Tom had huge differences in his too. He'd lost 30 pounds since last year and his A1C had gone from a 6.6 to a 5.8.<br />
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I am so proud of both of us, we are making huge improvements in our health and lifestyle and it is showing! God is good!<br />
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<br />KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-35898624399513193942012-10-17T06:33:00.001-05:002012-10-17T06:33:47.830-05:00Smart phone app/Website review: My Fitness PalJust a few weeks ago, I finally got a smart phone. It was time for my upgrade and most of the free/cheap phones were smart phones, so I just bit the bullet and did it. Anyway, I'd been hearing people talk about <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/" target="_blank">My Fitness Pal,</a> which is a website as well as a smart phone app, but I had never checked it out. Well, I added it to my phone about 3 weeks ago and I LOVE it! It makes it so easy to track your food and your exercise and watch your caloric intake. And although the smart phone app makes it super easy, you can also just use the website. If you are trying to lose weight or get healthier in anyway, I highly recommend My Fitness Pal. And if you join, add me as a friend, I'm under my name TracyHinton.KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623152037633830609.post-53931309632452131102012-09-27T05:00:00.000-05:002012-09-27T05:00:03.209-05:00Some weights liftedWell, some of the things that have been on our shoulders over the last few weeks were finally lifted somewhat last week. I do ask for continued prayers for our family and appreciate all the prayers that have already come.<br />
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One of the things that I can share about is our house insurance ordeal. In mid-August, we got a letter from our home insurance that they were not renewing us. It said to call to see if our agent had "other options" for us. So I called and was told if we would switch our car insurance to them, they wouldn't drop us. Now, I don't like being told what to do, but even more than that, I don't like feeling like I'm being blackmailed. To top it off, the car insurance was going to be 3-4 times what we are currently paying. So I started looking for other options on house insurance. One of the places I called was our car insurance agent (I've had my car insurance with the same agency since I was a teenager). We finally got word last Friday that we would be able to get our house insurance through them. It is only about $30 more a month than what we were paying and we'll get a discount on our car insurance so it will come very close to coming out even. That was a huge weight lifted. I am rather fond of having house insurance!KiddoKare1http://www.blogger.com/profile/04265882412870133474noreply@blogger.com2