Heartaches and Miracles

For the past 5 years Chris and I have gone through some major life transitions.  I guess I need to start back at the beginning to give you the full span and depth of things.  It all started when we got married, moved to Pasco, I desperately tried to find a teaching position while Chris began to work for a minimum wage job as a grunt in a physical therapy clinic.  After I got hired in Mabton, I commuted for the next year until I decided that it was time to get my Master's.  This is the point where we decided to move to Prosser to make taking my Master's courses easier in that I had less time to travel and more time to study.  It took about 2 years for me to make it through that program, but I came away with a Master's and my Professional Teaching Certification.  It was a pretty brutal time in our lives as well as marriage.  I battled with the stress and running away from God in order to do things my own way.  Chris battled with the everyday grind of a medial job (that he continued to commute to) and getting little to know pay-off or thanks.

Upon me finishing my Master's, we decided that it was Chris' turn next.  His intention since graduating from college in 2006 was to pursue a physical therapy degree.  He applied and was denied acceptance.  We knew it was a likely possiblity, but rejection always stings.  So we began invesitaging other paths that may suit his personality, talents, and passions.  That is when we crossed paths with nutrition, specifically dietetics.  We discovered the program in August, Chris was accepted in September, we moved to Yakima in October, and by January 2011 he had started his program at Central.  God continuously opened door after door without a single glitch throughout that process.  Chris was excited and enthusiastic about this new decision and began to flourish in the program (we're talking 4.0 GPA most quarters). 

In December, Chris began applying for a year-long internship to 2 schools.  One, a distance program in Iowa (that he could complete locally), and another at Central which is completed throughout the lower and upper valley area.  We, and I do mean "we," worked and worked to get his application looking pristine and recruit dietetic preceptors (they are dietitians that you follow throughout your internship).  That was a painstaking process and took WAY more work than we had bargained for.  Dietetic internships are HIGHLY competitive and only about 50% of applicants are accepted, sometimes less.  We finally submitted it in mid-February and had to wait until April 1st to find out whether he had been accepted.  We prayed, fasted and held onto the fact that we had nothing to hold, but to the fact that God is God and we are not! 

On April 1st we received word that although Chris was a on a priority list submitted by a program that he was not "matched" for an internship.  This meant that it would be another year before he could apply again.  I was completely devasted and spent a good portion of that evening in tears.  It just felt like Chris has been on the receiving end of some heartache that did not quite seem fair.  It felt as if a rug got ripped out and I just kept asking, "why?"  After spending 4 out of 5 of years of marriage with one of us in school (at different times) it just felt like we were on the never-ending cycle of never moving beyond this point of life.

After a long talk with my parents, I knew that there was a reason that God had put us in the position.  We clung to him, we cried out to him, we prayed and prayed and prayed.  I think that my prayer-life developed more than it ever has.  Again, knowing that it was out of our control.  We began to desperately apply to what is called, "second round."  It is what some school do when they do not fill all spots (it is really a way for other schools to make sure they only get the top students with the highest GPAs for their programs).  We filled out applications for three more distance programs.

Last Wednesday, as I gazed out a Starbucks' window, I prayed over and over, "Lord, we need a miracle.  Only a miracle will get Chris in."  Within 10 minutes of that prayer, Chris recieved a phone call from Central's program director who said that there was a possible opening and that they thought of Chris for it.  This was not even an option in our minds, as Central's program was full.  Our God is a God of miracles, let me tell ya!  Chris and I went in for a meeting on Thursday and she said she would let him know by Monday if all the logistics had been worked out to make sure the program could really accept him.  We waited and continued to pray throughout the weekend........and today we found out he finally got in!

I prasie the Lord for this process.  He broke us down in so many ways, that there is no way we would have come to Him in the way that we did without the heartache.  Why do we only come to Him when we struggle?  Why can't we cling to Him while on the mountain top?  I cannot even express with words the work that has occured in my heart.  I pray that he continues to grow me and mold me in a way that glorifies Him and that we use the blessings to bless others.  Praise God!

Spring Break Project

Spring Break has been interesting.  First of all, I am thankful to even have a Spring Break (sorry to those of you who don't), but it hasn't really felt like much of a break due to some unplanned events (more on that later).  However, I did manage to get in one "project."  About a year ago I created our own headboard.  I have wanted a new bedroom set since we got married, but due to budget restraints, have been unable to afford one.  So, I decided to get creative and make my own!  I made the headboard out of cheap plywood (to get this home we actually had to bungee cord it down on top of our Ford Focus and drive 50mph on the freeway!), fabric, batting, 2" foam, and a staple gun.  Upon finishing the headboard, it turned out a little narrow (I undercalculated how much space the foam would take).  So I added two stairway posts from Lowes which I stained and finished myself.  I wish I had a picture of this headboard, but for some reason cannot find it. 

Over the last year, my tastes have changed and I was ready for a different style.  The beauty of creating your own headboard out of the materials I used is that when I get tired of one style of fabric, I simply replace it!  I also saw a picture on Pinterest of Christmas lights being used as an extra decorative touch behind fabric.  After Christmas I bought some net Christmas lights on clearance.  I also bought new fabric to cover the lights and the headboard.

Here is the finished product!

It was fun and such a great change from the solid dark brown fabric I had on there before!  Much lighter and more spring-like!  Hopefully, in the future I can get more into projects that actually require sewing on the new machine. 

The Adventure of Being Free

Wow, it has been too long since I have last posted a blog.  Hopefully people have not given up on me.  I know my readers are few, but loyal! :)

It seems fitting that it has been "too long" since I have blogged because this blog will show that it has also been too long that I have been chained to an ever-present and ever-so-real addiction.  It is an addiction that my own sin has turned into something incredibly negative and destructive (before you freak out and worry about what I am referring to, hang tight....I am not about to join the crew of drug-addicted celebrities).  My addiction is none other than Facebook.  I know, I know you have probably heard of people who refer to Facebook as an "addiction" that they just can't break.  Mine has turned into more than that, I am sorry to say. 

For the past year or so, I have struggled with comparing my life to others.  It has nagged at me, eaten at me, caused me to be quite a wreck at times (just ask my husband).  As my husband and I near our 5th year anniversary (yay!), there have been, should I say, "expectations" that I have built in my mind.  I expected by now that we would both be gainfully employed, have a house, have at least one baby, and be living the "dream."  Well, I know that God has his own plans, and it has been a deep struggle for me to come to grips with this reality.  I have fought it, tried to manipulate it, held on to my plans with everything that I have (I am a major planner and long term thinker....it is just what I have always been).  Alas, it has only resulted in anger, resentment, and heartache. 

So, what's this have to do with Facebook?  I LOVE every single one of my Facebook friends, don't get me wrong.  Without it, I am sad to say that I would have no idea what is going on with any of my real-life friends (Hello!  Pick up the phone, crazy!  They ARE your friends, are they not?!!).  However, my own selfish pride has turned Facebook into a jealousy-ridden mud puddle.  All I find myself doing is looking at the lastest "Guess what? I'm pregnant!" posts or "Look at our new house!" and getting more angry that I am not in that position.  No offense to my sweet friends who get to experience this joy!  I am definitely not saying they are wrong for posting these things.  I AM!  I am the one who sits here thinking, "When is it MY turn??"  Totally wrong kind of attitude and I am not excusing it.  However, I think that there have got to be ways that I can help myself get over this problem.

I HAVE to start appreciating where I am right now and what God has blessed me with.  I have a sweet, Christian husband, two wonderful and supportive sets of parents, siblings, and beautiful neice and nephews.  We have been blessed to have a job that supports us both while Chris is in school (who has also experienced incredibly success in his courses).  We have two functioning cars, we have our health, we have been able to save some money (only the Lord knows how we were able to manage that......He did it for us!), loyal friends, a great church community, food each week, the ability to pay our bills and stay out of credit troubles.  SO, SO much!  I have so much, but I have watched this ugly, dark cloud take over when I see what I don't have on Facebook.  It is so wrong, I know. 

So for Lent, I have decided to FREE myself of Facebook.  I have chained myself to it.  Any chance I get, I am looking at it, lusting for others' lives, tearing my life apart for not "keeping up" with my friends.  It's just not okay anymore and I need to open my eyes to the wonderful blessings that God has given me.  Even the struggles have been blessings.  I am seeing God use so much dirt in my heart to turn it into good for Him.  I hope that this will be another spot on my heart that he can erase and use for blessings.

I am onto another adventure!  I have asked Chris to change my password on Facebook to something that I won't guess, so there is no chance of getting on Facebook (yep, it's that serious).  It is my own form of accountability, as I have tried to rid myself of it before and caved.  So here's to more blogs coming in 2012 (I will have a lot more time now)!

Finding My Baking Confidence

I have made several recent attempts to become more domestic.  It is not my natural personality, but from crafting to weekly cleaning and chores, I have tried to find my inner "Suzie Homemaker."  In the past, I have really been horrible about this.....but I will take the liberty of blaming it on commuting, completing my Master's and Professional Certificate.  Valid reasons, I think.  However, now that my husband is busy with homework I have to find other things to occupy my time.  This is where my previous post stemmed from and is why I have taken the plunge into baking and cooking weekly. 

I have very little confidence in both of these areas because it is new and somewhat scary, as my husband has very selective dietary objectives and I have a naturally unhealthy default setting.  With some recent health issues that I have encountered, I have taken it upon myself to consume large amounts of fruits and vegetables and really clean-up my diet.  It has been a great success, but I don't want it to become a boring ritual with no zest or flavor.  Eating healthy does NOT have to be boring.  My husband's future profession centers on making all recipes healthy and to accomodate everyone's tastes, while also improving their diet.  This along with the Fall season has fueled my inner domestic "diva" to attempt some new things in the kitchen.

The first attempt was caramel apples.  Every year I think about them.......dream about them, but after several bad experiences in the past, I figured I just didn't have the gift for making them.  This year, however, after following the recipe on the back of the caramel bag they turned out great.  We even made enough for Chris to take to one of his classes as an incentive for participation in a presentation he was giving on Halloween.  Worked out perfect!

Not bad.  And pretty tasty, too!


Today, again being so inspired by Fall, I decided to google "low fat fall recipes."  I was surprised how much is out there.  I finally came across a recipe that was for reduced fat pumpkin cheesecake.  I decided to just take a risk and go for basically fat free cheesecake (I mean, c'mon....cheesecake nutrition facts are SCARY!) and I think it worked out great!  The taste was amazing and was exactly what I was hoping for!  The recipe is as follows:

Crush 1/2 cup of ginger snap cookies and pour in the bottom of a 7 in. round pan.  Spray with butter flavored cooking spray and cook at 350 for 10 minutes.

Mix together in mixing bowl with electric mixer:
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. sugar
2- 8oz. blocks of fat free cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix until well blended.  Slowly add in 1/2 c. egg substitute until well mixed.  Pour over cookie crumb crust and bake for 40-45 minutes or until set.

I topped it off with fat free cool whip.  Super easy and it did not disappoint!

So bottom line, I have become really excited about finding new recipes and shooting for making them as healthy as possible.  It is a lot of fun when you have success and the lack of guilt after you eat it is just as exciting!  I already have chocolate peppermint meringues, chocolate peppermint cheesecake, and low fat truffles on the menu for December (seasonal cooking is a major inspiration to me).  We will see what happens!

Be Bold, Be Creative, Be Patient.......Be Surprised!

I recently took up a new hobby.  "Hobbies" are something that never really interested me.  In the past, when I have been asked about hobbies that interest me I would say, "watching movies" (you can even see this in my "About Me" portion to the right).  Just not my thing.  Don't have the patience and don't have the time.  My husband's family is a gifted and very Martha Stewart-esque group.  They could turn something as simple as shoelaces into a gorgeous and festive bow adorning a gift with sparkle and dazzle that wow the masses.  I, on the other hand, would be perfectly satisfied with wrapping a gift in a paper bag and duct tape (carefully hidden of course) and skip the bow, because frankly, who has time to mess with those darn things?  However, because I have been trying to use my budget-savvy tricks to help alleviate some of the financial stress of Christmas, I decided to be bold and try my patience at something new and make some gifts (see previous post).  I wish I could tell you what this hobby is, but because certain readers of this blog may be receiving some of these gifts, I cannot disclose it at this time.  Stay tuned until after Christmas for pictures!  However, my story can still continue, just substitute any hobby of your choice into the rest of my story (you might find yourself so inspired by the hobby you subbed in that you may just go out and start it yourself!). 

I decided it was time for trip to Michaels.  I thought I would try to ignore all my urges to do something quick and easy and get a book that actually is for beginners and explains things in detail, with lots of pictures of course (visual learner).  I bought the bare minimum as far as materials go so that I could just test it out and see how it would go.  Upon arriving home, I actually spent quality time reading the instructional book and familiarized myself with the terminology used in the field of this new hobby.  I surprised myself at how well I read through it prior to starting my first "project."  It went exceptionally well.  Almost too well.  I feel like I have become an "expert" in a matter of hours.  This is completely untrue since I did one of the easiest projects in the book, but hey, the confidence is invaluable!  What I created turned out great and I can't wait to do more!

Anyway, my moral is.....never underestimate your abilities, given a little time and patience.  I actually find myself getting excited throughout the day, knowing that I get to come home and try some new "projects" with my fun, new hobby!  So move over "movies!"  A new hobby may be pushing you out of 1st place on the ol' hobby list (okay, I may be speaking WAY too soon!  Plus, who am I kidding?  Movies getting knocked out of 1st place??  I don't think so.)  But I urge you to get a little adventurous and try out a new hobby yourself!   

Budgeting: An Everyday Adventure (really!)

Last year, my husband decided to go back to school for a second Bachelor’s degree in nutrition.  We knew that this would require him to quit working if he wanted to get through school in a timely manner.  As we carefully calculated the budget, we knew things would be tight, but manageable.  Fast forward 10 months past the financial frustration, anxiety, and borderline hysteria and we have arrived at a decision that living as a married couple on a single income (a teacher’s salary, no less) has made life different.  I say “different” because I have decided that it has merely been a time of changing our priorities, close budget monitoring, and getting a bit creative.  I have come to find my new-found lifestyle to be actually quite fun, although at times challenging. 

I decided to write about the many different budget “savvy” tips that I have discovered along the way.  Not that these ways haven’t been discovered before and different methods fit different people, but it is something that actually brings me a lot of enjoyment and I wanted to pass that same pleasure on to others.  Take them for what they are, just ideas (you just might want to pace yourself, as I am never short of words and I have lots of things to share).

Groceries

This is a huge area of our monthly budget and has taken very careful calculations to figure out how much we can afford to spend in this area each month.  I have recently started becoming an avid “couponer.”  Nowhere near the coupon marathoners you see on shows like Extreme Couponing, but I try to find as many that fit in with our weekly menus as I can in newspapers, coupons.com, and at our grocery store of choice online, fredmeyer.com.  We make the coupons fit our nutritional needs (obviously this is an area of importance to my husband), not the other way around as many of the extreme couponers do.  If we were to do this, we may see an increase in our medical bills and our weight, as often the best deals are not the healthiest of food choices.  One more thing that we have discovered is that the saying, “I wish I could eat healthy, but I just can’t afford it,” is completely a myth.  Finding decently priced produce in most grocery stores is not a chore and in fact that seems to be where we save most money rather than buying frozen or processed meals. 

Laundry

Recently I ran out of dryer sheets.  This was a very upsetting discovery after quite a long shopping trip that day and in no mood to run back to the store.  I decided to get “crafty” and look up homemade dryer sheet options (who would think such a thing exists?  It does.).  The internet has been my very close acquaintance through the last few months in assisting me in finding ways to use household products to conserve on spending.  Back to the dryer sheet, I found a suggestion of taking a wet washcloth, saturating it with 1 teaspoon of hair conditioner, toss it into the dryer with the wet laundry and you will open your dryer to nice, soft clothes with no static!  I was quite impressed.  Bye, bye dryer sheets!  I will be using the internet for more “homemade” recipes and remedies in the future.

Clothes Shopping

I love shopping for clothes and accessories!  It is not only a joy, but an obsession.  However, this was one of the first things to go when my husband said goodbye to his job.  On the rare occasions that I do shop, I have found it to be quite an intriguing “game” to shop at places like Ross (yes, I said Ross.  I hate to admit it, but when I am feeling like braving the crowds and the screaming children, I will man-up and take a stroll through Ross) and TJ Maxx.  I am now what I have coined “a bargain only shopper.”  I never buy clothes unless they are on sale or reduced.  Clothes are already completely overpriced in the first place.  Places like Ross and TJ Maxx are the places where the less desirable or damaged clothing trickles down to, but let me tell you I have found some pretty affordable and cute outfits from these places.  So much so, that when I did my annual back-to-school shopping that I did (yes, this is a childhood tradition that has carried on……hey, I’m a teacher.  I have to!)  I found better deals and cuter clothes than at Kohls, which is now “top of the line” for me.  My end count was 6 different outfits for around $100 (not bad when you think about spending $40-$50 on most pairs of decent brand name jeans in many retail stores).  I don’t even step foot in places like Macy’s.  That is just opening a floodgate that my wallet just can’t handle right now.  It’s easier to stay away, and I am none the wiser!

Sales

Whenever I see the words “Clearance” or “Sale” on a rack or table, I am there scoping it out.  I don’t ever buy something just for the sake of the deal, but if it is something that my husband or I need, or that I can give as a birthday or Christmas gift, I am all over it!  I’m always thinking ahead for gifts.

Christmas planning

My husband and I have been known to start Christmas shopping in September or October most years.  We also have many family birthdays at the end of the year to think about as well.  We start planning early because it helps us spread the cost of Christmas gifts out over several months, rather than hitting us hard all at once.  In past years, we have calculated how much we wanted to spend on each person and that established our budget.  This year, we have decided to take an alternative route, as our budget is tighter and I must say that I am really excited about it.  Our goal this year is to make as many “homemade” gifts as possible.  Not only is this a major money saver (if done carefully), but it has a lot of heart and meaning, in my opinion.  Plus, it gives me something to do over the next several months while my husband does homework every evening and I get a lot of alone time.  Martha Stewart (for as cranky as I believe she is) really has some great ideas and I have been researching other “crafty” gifts.

Make and take simple lunches

My husband and I never buy lunch at work or school; mostly for nutritional reasons, but also to help save money.  We have discovered that by taking the same things in our lunches we only have to buy one set of items and share it (such as lunchmeat, bread, carrots, fruit snacks, etc.) versus what we used to do in that I had my own specific tastes and my husband had his.  This caused us to buy two different sets of items and doubled our lunch menu costs.  Sure, I had to get over some of my finicky, high demand tastes, but we make it work.

Meal planning

I plan our meals out for each month, by the week.  Since there are only two of us in our house, it is rather easy to cook for a whole week and in the winter months the crockpot is like air to me.  I use it because I can cook large quantities of food in the pot.  I always make enough on Sundays to make sure that we have enough food to get us to at least Friday.  That way, we can just walk through the door in the evenings and reheat our meal.  Plus, we don’t have to buy groceries for a different meal each night. 

Spa Day

Okay, let’s face it.  Just because I’m poor doesn’t mean that I don’t like to treat myself with a little “spa day” treat.  But the question is, how do you do this when there is NO flexibility in the budget for such things.  Well, hello internet!  There is a world unknown out there from generous women who have posted their homemade recipes for such things.  One I discovered was how to make a homemade facial scrub:

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

And scrub like any face scrub.

Easy, right?  I also discovered how to make homemade bath salts out of some Epsom salt and essential oils.  Want a facial mask that is naturally healing for your skin and good for your pores?  Try some grated potato, turmeric, and lemon juice.  Or maybe some oatmeal, lemon juice, honey, and sea salt.  Paint your own nails, and if you are really lucky you can make a deal with your husband to rub his feet if he rubs yours!  And there you have an entire day of relaxation for practically no cost!

Coffee
Yep, I have a problem.  I am addicted to coffee.  It stems back to my time working at Starbucks.  To save on the cost of supporting Starbucks' completely overinflated prices, we just opt to make it ourselves.  It does help that we have an espresso machine from our wedding that is still in commission.  Not that we don't treat ourselves once in a while, but it is actually fun to assemble our own coffee beverage to our own taste.

Well, that was probably WAY more information than anyone needs to know about my budget-friendly discoveries, but I find it pretty exhilarating when I feel like I am beating the economy!  There is a sense of pride and accomplishment when I find the next best thing for a great value. 

So there you have it.  The joy of the budgeting adventure!  It’s the simple things in life.