Thanksgiving Roundup....all done now.

Thanksgiving this year was fun!  We got up in the morning and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and A Christmas Story!  Both things are integral for my Thanksgiving Day to be just right.  then I tossed a turkey in the oven and peeled some potatoes for later on.  (The night before I made 2 custard pies.  Just a quick note....DO NOT make a custard pie in a deep dish stoneware pie dish.  It ruined one of my pies.)  Then we got all the kids ready and drove to Nauvoo and stopped in at Jeremy's parents' house.  There were people from the Boyer side and the Kelley side there!  We chatted it up for a bit then headed over to my sister Vicki's house to see my fam.  My brother Sam was there too!!1 I didn't know he was coming so it was a very pleasant surprise!  We hung out there for awhile then headed back home for our very own Thanksgiving.  Since we had already snacked quite a bit I just made turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed corn, noodles, rolls and egg nog.  The next day we had a "party" as the kids like to call it.  I made some snacks (sausage cheese dip, cheese and crackers, cheese ball....notice the cheese theme, lol!)  They played games, watched movies and vegged!  We all sat down to watch Cowboys and Aliens together.  Cedric turned to me at one point and was like "that guy looks like someone else"....meaning Harrison Ford!  I told him that he also played Han Solo from Star Wars and Indiana Jones.  He thought that was cool.  I thought Cedric was cool! lol! 
So, I am grateful for a ton of stuff!  Thanksgiving was gave and we all enjoyed each others company! 

Gratitude

This is awesome. I wake up every morning and before I even get out of my bed, I say a quick prayer and always remember to thank God that I woke up and am able to be alive with my kids and husband that day. It truly is a gift. I do need help seeing the beauty around me in the Midwest. I don't find many things here beautiful. But, we do have some of the best sunsets I've seen anywhere I have traveled!

Watch This

Tristan is amazing at origami.  He is always learning new things to fold.  He makes very complicated things that move and everything.  he even had a little origami business at school.  He is gonna flip out when I show him the things that they made with origami in this video! This video shows just how my industries origami could be used in.  It is fascinating.  I can't wait to show Tristan when he gets back from his big black Friday shopping trip! He's been out all night.  Grandma Trapp and Nick are his sidekicks.  They left last night about eight and just called us about an hour ago (it's now 8:30am) from Staples! LOL!  I can't believe he is still up!  Jeremy and I did our thing from home.  They have the same if not more deals online than they do in the stores.  From the comfort of my bed.  Sweet.

Finding Hope

I loved this video. It really isn't about the money you make. It's about family and time spent together. Today I am thankful that my husband has a job that affords us the opportunities to grow as a family. We have him available to us all the time and I don't feel like we have to compete with his work. I love him for that. Happy thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy your family!

I Needed To Hear This Today

Tomorrow Is Thanksgiving!

So, I think I will have Thanksgiving right here at my house for our "little" family.  There are just too many variables elsewhere this year.  And too many sickies in this house.  All day I have gotten nothing accomplished except getting Liam and Asher's hair cut at the salon.  Which they both LOVED by the way!  Or maybe I will cook all this to eat when we get home from other family functions.  If us sickies decide to go out.  The problem we have every year is that we end up with no leftovers....not this year.  Nope. LOL!  I want to make turkey noodles soup afterwards.  And turkey sandwiches. 

I have a turkey and I'm gonna cook it, along with:

pineapple upside down pie

custard pie!!!!

stuffing

mashed potatoes and gravy

egg noodles, very important

sweet potatoes

corn

green bean casserole

Egg Nog Punch

apple cider

cranberry sauce

lil smokies

spinach dip

spicy sausage dip

rolls

cookies
cheese ball, smoked sausage, crackers

Ummmmm, what else sounds good....the kitchen sink?!?  Might as well throw that in there.  And it's nice and shiny all due to the flylady!

The kids are off of school today this year.  Usually the Wednesday before Thanksgiving they have half a day.  I'm so happy they are here though.  I've had my blog Christmas Music playing all day!  Love it! 

The Turkey Diaries

24 Days of Thanksgiving #15

Two again.

1.  I am thankful for my kids.  All 6 of em!  Some people might think we are CRAZY for having that many kids....and they would be right.  But, I wouldn't have it any other way.  Each one of them brings more love in my life and how can that be a bad thing?  The more love I have to provide, the more love I get in return.

2.  I am thankful for God and all he does in my life.  What a blessing it is to be able to pray and have a direct communication!  And what an awesome and loving Heavenly Father to continue to believe in me even at my worst moments!  I'm thankful for the plan of salvation and all it provides me and my family.

Glasses

Tristan has been having headaches for awhile now.  I finally got him an eye appointment yesterday.  The doc says that he is near sighted in one eye and far sighted in the other.  Weirdo! lol!  Anyway, one eye is definitely worse than the other.  So we were up last night choosing glasses!  Jeremy and I both wear glasses.  We have been going through www.zennioptical.com for some time now.  They are awesome!  Those who know me well, know that I am PICKY when it comes to certain things.  One is my glasses.  These are not cheapo, craptasitic glasses.  They range in price from 6.95 to 35ish.  They take about 3 weeks to get here because they are coming from China.  You can't beat the value! Why go spend 2 or 3 hundred dollars for one pair of glasses when you can spend $30 and get 2 or 3 pairs of glasses?!!?  And yes, we can see out of them.  Believe me, I can complain with the best of em, and I'm not complaining! LOL! 
So, Tristan picked out a few pairs.  We even uploaded a picture of him so we could "try them on" before buying!  We're gonna get him 2 or 3 pairs for the inevitable break or losing that will occur.  I feel much better about losing a pair of $10 glasses than $300 glasses!  And we're getting him a couple of different styles too!  Can't wait to see how he looks! 

My Brother

My brother, Matt, and his wife, Kathy, and their three kids, Josh, Jordan, and Madison all moved to Doha, Qatar recently.  We miss them so much but are excited for all the opportunities that have!  Anyway, I just added their blog to my blog list again....I still haven't tracked down all my old list.  Also, my brother, Russ, is in the process of starting a blog that I am helping with with more of a political tone.  It is awesome!  I love my family so much!  They do the coolest things! 
And for those of you that don't know your geography, Qatar is located in the Persian Gulf.  It's absolutely beautiful!

It's That Time of Year!

I LOVE this time of year!  Last night we put our tree up!  Now, some people will say "Hey, wait a minute, it's not even Thanksgiving yet!"  To that I say "SO WHAT!"  Crap almighty,what a bunch of misers!  This time of year makes me FEEL GOOD!  How is that a bad thing again???  There are posts on facebook about people capitalizing on Christmas and it keeps creeping into Thanksgiving.  To me the two holidays go hand in hand. It's the end of a year, be thankful for what you have and what you have accomplished, share with and serve others, celebrate Christ's birth, look forward to the New year, celebrate it, and start fresh!  It's like the last 6 weeks of the year are reserved for all this celebrating and thankfulness because the rest of the year we are focused on other things!  A six week party!  I'm so in!  Now am I Right? YES, I'm RIGHT.

24 Days of Thanksgiving #14

Today I am thankful for My baby girl and her extreme fondness for shoes.  She LOVES them!  I can't wait to go shopping with her when she is a little older!  I had a bunch of shoes that I had bought on clearance or from a yard sale that I had picked up along the way when I found out I was having a girl.  She is just now starting to wear them!  She will put them on and point her toes and bend over and just stare at them.  I love it!  She is going to have quite the shoe collection! lol!

Bragging......Again

My husband is the best shopper around! No joke. That man will do all the necessary research to get the best product at the best deal possible.  It really bugs me when people treat him badly or don't appreciate all the effort he puts into things.  He puts a lot of thought into everything he does too.  Some people are just born jerkfaces and never grow out of it.  I don't think jerkface is a word but, I sure like it!  I think I will do something extra nice for him today....like baking him cookies.  I haven't done that in awhile because of my whole weight loss thing (up to 63 pounds! woot!).
Anyway, we have been trying to have more one on one time with the kids.  So, that means having Grandmas watch the others while we focus on just one.  It has been AWESOME!  The only downside is that we haven't had a date with just him and I in a while.  That will have to change.

24 Days of Thanksgiving #13

Two things again.

Thankful for Fizz Tabs.

Thankful for self-disipline.

True Story

Today in the shower, I was shaving my arm pits.  The hair on my head is very long.  It was hanging down around the back of my arm and somehow I shaved a big hunk of it off!  WTF?!!?  Seriously.

Jeremy and Tristan's Birthdays!......Finally!

 I just found the pictures of when we went to Chicago to celebrate Jeremy and Tristan's birthday weekend.  It was just the three of us and we had a ton of fun!  We went up there originally with the plan of going to the Cubs/Cardinals game.  WE are a Cubs family...as in Jeremy, me, Cedric, Asher, and the babies.  Tristan and Liam are traitors and like the Cardinals for reasons that they themselves don't understand.  Poor kids ;)   Also that weekend was a HUGE air show.  Everything about got crapped on though because we woke up that morning to a horrible thunderstorm.  So we went to the Field Museum.

 We got to see Sue the T-Rex!  And we shrunk down to a quarter of an inch tall and looked at the world underground!  It was pretty cool.  We also looked at the whale exhibit and some crazy guard lady yelled at me for now reason.  (why do I attract all the crazies?!?!)

 Jeremy and Tristan with Sue the T-REX!

 When we walked out of the Field Museum the storm was clearing so it looked like the air show and the baseball game were back on! woot!  We watched a little of the air show from the road and went to Wrigley for tickets.  We realized beforehand how stupid we were not to get tickets but we figured if we couldn't get any,t hen we would go to the air show.  We ended up with standing room only which actually turned out not too bad because lots of people end up not showing up with their tickets and you can sit in their seats anyway! lol!

 Tristan was praying that the Cardinals could eek out a win but the Cubbies blew them out of the water! LOL!  Jeremy thought it was great!

It was a great weekend.  Very relaxing and we all enjoyed ourselves.  I love when we get to spend one on one time with the kids.

24 Days of Thanksgiving #12

I have to do two again today.......

Real quick sidenote though.  Every day that I write one of these up, I want to be thankful for a different family member.  I have SO MANY GREAT PEOPLE IN MY FAMILY!  Both immediate and on both sides.  I want to make each person feel special though and I'm afraid to leave anyone out.  And I don't want to be thankful for family every day on here but, that is what I am most thankful for all the time...is my family.  I can't believe how awesome they are!  Also, everyday, I have to stop myself from talking about my husband too much....because he such a SUPER DUPER guy!  I don't want to annoy people with my praise of him but just so you all know....you should all be jealous! LOL! For reals. He's my soul mate. End side note.

Today, I am thankful for my space heaters.  Our boiler went out in the basement and we are still figuring out what to do to fix it.  There are so many options and we want to make the right decision.  Its a weighty one to make.  In the meantime, thank you little space heaters for chugging along!

Also thankful for crock pots!  Some times you have to just throw some crap in a pot and walk away!

24 Days of Thanksgiving #11

Today I am thankful that it is sunny and bright!  It really gets me motivated!  And it makes fall so much prettier.  I do not like when everything is cold and gray.  And everything is dead.  SOOOOO....yay for colors and life and everything good!  haha! 
Also thankful that underneath that nasty carpet in the living room is a beautiful hardwood floor!  Whatever possessed someone to cover that up is beyond me!

Cullen Loves Dr. Suess

These are Cullen's obsession right now.  I've come to the conclusion that he loves Dr. Suess.....he loves the books too!  Every day he asks for "Elephant", which is Horton Hears A Who.  An elephant has always been his favorite animal too.  I don't know why, but, he loves elephants.  And he thinks the Grinch is hilarious!   This kid has great taste in literature and movies don't ya think?  I do! 

24 Days of Thanksgiving #10

I am thankful for the first Thanksgiving.
Without which, I wouldn't be thankful for anything.

(that is a joke.)

Toilet Talk

I have been working with Cullen in tiny little baby steps, implanting the idea of going to the bathroom in the toilet.  Cullen is going to be another very stubborn little guy just like Liam.  Why do my traits have to rub off on my children!?!? Anyway, this morning he told me that he pooped and needed a new diaper.  (well, not in those words, but in Cullen's words)  So, I checked and he had not pooped yet.  I said you should be a big boy like daddy and go poop in the toilet.  He actually grabbed my hand and walked with me to the bathroom door!!!  Sweet!  This is a BIG step! haha!  When we got the bathroom door open, he changed his mind though.  But, my constant rambling about being a big boy that pees in the toilet is finally making a dent! woot!

This Guy Says It Perfectly

The Lie – Renting is throwing money away

Although I am currently debt free I do not own a home, have no immediate plans to buy one, and have been renting an apartment for nearly 3 years now.
You may remember a past discussion on the topic of renting before buying a home, and while there are many factors involved in the renting vs. mortgage debate, today let’s hone in on one common misconception that often drives people into the arms of mortgage lenders:

“Renting is just throwing money away”

Well intentioned friends like to remind hapless renters like myself how much we have “thrown away” in rents over the past several years.  They are also quick to point out that had we only bought (a.k.a. mortgaged our lives for) a home, some of our rents paid would now be counted toward our net worth calculation as equity.  In reality this is misleading at best.  Actually, avoiding a mortgage has provided us an opportunity to build more equity while renting.  To prove my point let’s compare a hypothetical mortgage against my current rental housing situation.

The Truth – Renting cost vs. mortgage cost

According to Bankrate.com borrowers in Laredo, TX with credit scores over 700 can borrow $165,000 on a 30 yr fixed note for about 5% – if they put 20% down.  I don’t know a lot of first time, prospective mortgage slaves with $33,000 in their pocket.  Heck, many may be hard pressed even to have credit scores of 700 or higher.  So we will go with the default numbers in Bankrate’s payment calculator: $165,000, for 30 years, at 7%, with no down payment.  That is enough to buy a house about twice the size of my current apartment in the same neighborhood.
I currently pay $700 for a 626 sq ft, 1 bedroom apartment in a gated community, with a pool and a gym.  We are trading up to a larger house in this example, because that is what most people do.  Few go looking for a 600 sq ft house, as they usually leave apartments for more space.  Feel free to run these numbers with a more expensive apartment or cheaper house; the results should be similar.
Here is a snippet of the Amortization Schedule (click image to see the full amortization schedule.)

Our imagined loan results in monthly payments of $1,097.75.  At the first payment, only $135.25 goes toward principal. After one year of payments the equity, according to amortization schedule, would be $1,676.09 not $13,173.  As you can see… that’s not a whole lot of equity.
We THREW AWAY almost $12,000 in the first year with a mortgage; my apartment only costs $8,400!
Also, by the time the loan is paid off, $230,189.68 has been thrown away in interest paid to the bank.  That is more than the price of the house!  Mortgages steal from your future standard of living. Sure… you will get into a house sooner, but think of all the things you could buy with $230,000 if your house was already paid for!

The Solution – Build more equity while renting

The snippet amortization schedule above shows the initial & final payments on our imagined loan.  It also shows the turning point where the money I through away on interest is less than the money through away on rent.  Notice it is 15 years in the future.  That means I could rent for 15 years before buying a house and still come out money ahead, and maybe save enough to buy a home with cash.
The loan payment is $397.75 more than my current rent.  Instead of making the larger payment to a bank, I continue to pay my rent and put the difference into an ING Direct savings account labeled “Personal Equity.”  At the end of one year, I will have $4,773.  That is more than double the equity I would have with a mortgage, and it is also a liquid asset in MY bank account… accessible without having to sell my home or qualify for a HELOC loan.  You build your personal equity faster as you save money, I like to think of this as mortgage pre-payment. 
My own personal equity grows by $875 with every paycheck.  I will have $22,000 by the end of the year.  I am also looking for a cheaper apartment, and probably will spend less than $165,000 on a house.  If I maintain my current standard of living, as my income increases so will my savings.  Eventually I will be able to buy a house with cash in the time it takes most people to pay off a car.

Final Details

You might notice I didn’t account for the mortgage interest tax deduction.  I wanted to keep the math simple, so I also left out costs for home maintenance, property taxes, or private mortgage insurance that more than offset the tax break.  These forgotten expenses will only add to the savings a renter can accumulate while those paying mortgage continue to pay, pay, pay.
For this to work you will need to secure housing below your means while you save to afford something better a few years down the road. This concept of sacrificing now to benefit later is a fundamental building block of sound personal finance.  Renting indefinitely without saving will never get you into a house, but paying a mortgage guarantees that you throw away money on interest.
There will always be a few areas with no available rental housing, but most people should be able to find a decent rental while they save for a home.  However, most people choose a mortgage over renting because they refuse to live below/within their means for a few years… never realizing how much it actually costs them in the long run.

What Do You Think?

I encourage you to visit Bankrate.com and try out their amortization calculator with prices from your area.  If you rent, take note of the difference between your current rent amount and a mortgage payment.  How much personal equity could you build in a year?  If you already own a home, try the pre-payment calculator to see if you can pay that bugger off early.

----note from Colista.  I just reread this and realized I didn't say who this "guy" was.  He is a writer on a blog called Debt Advantage

What the????

Awhile back I went to find something to put next to my Dad's grave.  I didn't have much luck.  What I did find, I decided to snap a picture and text it to Jeremy because I was dumbstruck.  A praying rabbit and squirrel???? With wings!?!?!? What are these things for?  Angel squirrels are praying for you!?!?  I'm blown away.  Religious bunnies with the power of flight!?!?  Was I supposed to put this next to my Dad's grave as if to say, Don't worry, Dad, the angel bunnies are praying for you!  Bahahahaha!  I just don't get it.  I wonder if the same people who buy these statues also think there is no possibility of life elsewhere in the universe?  That's right.  Praying angel bunnies are MUCH more believable!

I Really Miss My Camera

 Liam being silly!

 Aunt Vanessa, Tristin N., Owen

 Liam opening gifts.

I need to steal some pics from Trisha!  Post em, Trisha! lol!  These are from my phone which I can never seem to hold still enough for any decent pictures to come out.  This is Huck's Harbor Waterpark for Liam's Birthday.

24 Days of Thanksgiving #10

Wow, so much to be thankful for!  I have to do three today to make up for days I've missed.


#1 I am thankful that I got to go Christmas shopping with my sister in laws and mother in law in Iowa City yesterday!  We got a ton done and had way too much fun!

#2 I am thankful Frank Darabont made the first season of The Walking Dead so dang memorable and awesome for me.  Because new the new director is RUINING THE WHOLE FREAKING THING!!!!  I seriously want to start a petition to AMC and let them know just how stupid they are for firing an obvious genius!

#3 I am thankful for books and the ability to speed read.  One of my greatest passions in the life is reading.  Something that I have instilled in my children as well, I hope.

A Recap

We have had a busy few days around here.  Every day is busy but, even more so.  On Thursday, it was Liam's 7th birthday!  I will post pictures of that when I steal some from family/download the crappy ones from my phone.  The Pzazz was running a Fall special with room rates at $49 per night!  That is unheard of!  It worked out because the kids were off of school the next day for Veterans Day.  So, when the boys got out of school on Thursday we packed up and drove to Burlington to stay there.  The Pzazz is attached to Catfish Bend Casino, Fun City, and Huck's Harbor.  We took the kids to Huck's Harbor (the indoor waterpark).  We got the kids in for free with the room rate....but they were also having a special that night of $1 admission to the waterpark!  Awesome!  We swam, ordered pizza hut, ate cake, and opened presents.  Fun was had by all!  On Friday we were going to wake up and go swimming again but, after the night of sleep(or lack thereof) we had, we decided to go home bright and early.  Jeremy and Eden snuck out of the room about 6:00 and got us some donuts and milk!  So, we ate there in the room, got dressed, loaded the car and left.
I had an appointment in Burlington at noon at the oral surgeon to get my tooth extracted.  Originally, we were going to save gas by going to my appointment before heading home.  But, instead we took everyone home first and I drove back to Burlington with just Liam for a little birthday shopping and my dreaded appointment.  We went to Walmart where Liam went promptly to the Lego aisle.  He picked out two lego sets and saved the rest of his money for a new savings account at the bank!  Then we went to the hospital for the oral surgeon.  Waited for over an hour in a crowded office, sitting next to a crazy man!  It was a trip!  Then Went back to the room where I'm pretty sure they had installed a refrigeration device instead of a heating system!  For real.  I think things in the room were on the verge of forming ice crystals! ha!
I had to put on my brave face because Liam was there but I was REALLY nervous!  I've never been fond of the dentist and the oral surgeon is always that much worse!  It was really intense and I heard awful sounds of cracking teeth that I never want to hear again!  AGH! Poor Liam kept his eyes glued to the television the whole time!  They had turned on Spongebob for him.  The pain was awful.  It still hurts today (three days later).  I came home and took vicodin and was loopy for awhile.

24 Days of Thanksgiving #9

Today I am thankful for vicodin and it's pain dulling capabilities.  A trip to the oral surgeon for me today.  It hurts.  A lot.

24 Days of Thanksgiving #8

I am thankful that seven years ago today I gave birth to me little Liam-pie.  He is so darn special.  today he went into the bathroom to do his hair for school.  When he came out he said "Mom, do I look like Wolverine?"  He had his hair combed down around his face as much as he could so that he had "sideburns" like Wolverine.  I told him, of course he looked like Wolverine!  That kid is awesome!

24 Days of Thanksgiving #7

 

I am thankful for down comforters.

Words To Live By

Nothing says I LOVE YOU like a Clean toilet to throw up in when you are sick! – FlyLady

24 Days of Thanksgiving #6

I am thankful for Cullen's laugh and his sweet little voice.  I don't hear it as much as I used to as he is three now and is well into the crazies.  But, when I do hear it, it is wonderful!   Also thankful for  egg nog!  It's in the stores now and I totally plan on packing on a couple pounds of just egg nog weight!

More Hahas

Little Haha

24 Days of Thanksgiving #5

Today I am thankful for my TRUE friends. 

Very thankful indeed.  

And thankful for my fake friends so I know what TRUE friends really are.

24 Days of Thanksgiving #4

I didn't get to post yesterday.  I wasn't on the computer yesterday at all  except for a little bit in the morning  and I was using Publisher 2010.  Anyway, here goes. I will two again today.

1.  I am thankful for toilet paper.  For real.  Think about it.  What would you do without toilet paper?  I don't want to think about it.

2.  I am thankful for the laughter of my children.  They all have their own unique laughs that are like music to my ears.  And of course their beautiful smiles to go with it....love it!