Thanksgiving 2018

There are so many things for which to be grateful...
1. Jesus~Not only Jesus, but His love for me. He could have left me in my sin and shame, but He saw more in me than anyone ever could. He died for me•He gave His life so I could live.That’s love.  💕
2. John~He loves me 🌸 I’ve disappointed and let him down time and time again, but he never gives up on me. ♥️
3. My family~All of them. Those before and those behind.
4. My home~I walk in here everyday and still feel like I’m dreaming. I’m not Alice in Wonderland, but I kinda feel like I’m falling. There are things that are different and things that are not. This is a picture of The Shop and House-the shouse is the small door and two windows on the left.

5. My job~teaching. I’d like to say it’s my passion. I can’t. I’m thankful because it helps pay my bills and provides much needed insurance, but my passion is no longer in teaching. I love the kids. I love trying to expand their point-of-view; I’m just out of ideas. I have lost the ability to help them connect. Maybe I am no longer connected myself. I sound ungrateful, for this I apologize.
6. The Bible~I think everyday about how God spoke to us. How He could have left us to our own devices, but He gave us step by step instructions from the beginning of time to the end of time as well as our own personal tour guide, the Holy Spirit (can I get an Amen?!?).

Thanksgiving is next Thursday. One week from today. I have so much more to be thankful for, but those 6 things are all I’m listing today.

Praise God for life, love, and peace.

New-New-New

I promised about 18 years ago that I would not move. Or rather my next move would be to the cemetery that is up the road. Well, I lied. Not intentionally, mind you, but I did. Evenso, we have not changed our address.

Let me back up...

Kelly decided that he is not a farmer.
Kelly received an offer for a dream job.
Kelly took the job.
John had to think of what to do now that the generational farm dream “poofed”.
John and Kami now have two homes-his and hers??? Not exactly.
Jennifer proposed an idea that included living on the farm where she would like to raise their babies.
Kimberly, Kelly’s wife, just finished the first part of the nursing program. The second part starts in August 2018. She opted to not accept an alternative school option that would likely add an additional year to her program.
...there you have the trigger...
Kelly is living with his incredibly generous in-laws in Lincoln.
Kim is with him for the summer.
John and Kami moved into K&K’s house, “shouse,” as it is technically called (since it shares a roof and wall with the shop).
Jennifer and Josh, Jude and Journee are in the process of moving into the “big house.”
Kim will move into J&J’s house in Norfolk to complete her final year to receive her RN, closer to Kelly and her program requirements.
...there you have the solution...
Kelly letting go of his home.
Kim coming to terms with living apart from Kelly for weeks at a time.
Jennifer establishing a new home, an hour from the bustle of convenience.
Josh commuting and hour or spending time away from his family, and living a farm life he may never have expected.
Jude starting public school.
Journee dancing her way into a new bedroom.
John carrying boxes and furniture with s tractor.
Kami living the dream of parting with everything she does not want to have in a new home and finding it fun to whittle from a home larger than the garage to a garage larger than a home.
...there you have the transition...

And another- 7 January 2018

I had all but forgotten about my pledge to write weekly in 2017. I fell off of the #nobuy2017 wagon in about May. I just completely forgot what I wasn’t supposed to do. 🙃 But my big purchases were really experiences and books (📚 my nemesis). I did have to buy school clothes, but those were necessary. I am not a professional dressing person. I have no desire to have a wardrobe. I just want to be comfortable, clothed and warm/cool.

I have minimized more. I’ve parted company with stuff that has been stuck back in the closet. I have passed things on (Jennifer wanted the Little House books 😁). And I whittled down the Christmas decorations that held no meaning. I guess if you are going to stay in my home, you better have meaning! There will be more purging as the year passes. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

I have also whittled down debt. I am not completely in the clear, but in a few months bye-bye credit card debt.  I think the biggest challenge now is living within my means. Saving for experiences and reading the books I already own (taking advantage of the beautiful library 📚)!

As far as John, we are in a comfortable place. We have 31 years together and will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in Mexico. We are so excited. I know that one holiday away will not set the stage for the next 30 years, but it will be an amazing springboard.

Looks what I found! 👀 1/15/2017

Well, 'weekly' appears to be an unwise proclamation.😶

So... two weeks later, I'm doing great. I did make one huge purchase, but I am thinking it will be paid for in 225 days since we use about a gallon of water a day and I buy every gallon of water we drink, and I carry out one empty gallon water jug each day. I never intended to make that a 2017 purchase, but we did not get it ordered before the crazy holiday days. So, since I consider it to be a replacement purchase, I think I'm good.

I am not stressed at all about not buying. I have seen books I'd like, but I know that I have a million... ok, about 2000 to read now. Also, I do get samples sent to my kindle, and if in a year I'm still wanting... 📚

As far as John-time, he has made that difficult as a daily occurrence, but I am trying to be more there when I'm there.  He has begun trucking, which made him gone three nights in the last week and that will happen again this next week. This may become regular. I'm not sure yet how I feel about it, quite honestly. I just pray God brings him home when he's done.

Minimizing- I have done it. Not all is gone, but I whittled down my books, magazines, and paper. If you were to walk into my home, you might laugh at my idea of minimalism. But, I know what it was and what it is. My goal of minimizing finances is getting closer too. I'm not sure how, but I paid 2/3rds of one credit card. Next month with the same amount, I will be able to pay off two, and chunk off of one. 🙀👍🏼 I stepped back into *no sugar* after the slippery Christmas slope, so I'll minimize feeling yucky again, and I've given away the cheese. That sounds funny, but I was eating cheeses because I was tolerating the stuffy nose side effect, but since John is on the Whole 30, I can get away with 🕴🏽🎩🧀✨

Holy Guacamole!

Ok, so I say that a lot-but I found that my other “go-to” saying is Holy Cow, and sonewhere between the beginning of Exodus and the end, holy cows were strictly forbidden. All of that to bring you to this-my intention in 2017  was to write weekly, and I broke that resolution in 6 days!

So here I am 13 months later to update.
#1. I did not make the weekly update.
#2. I did not make it through the year with no purchases.
#3. I continued to minimize even though I did not stop spending $.
#4. I have grown in my love towards my husband.

2017 ended up being quite an amazing year. I traveled a lot to see family. That had to be the best part of my summer. And I also gave up the classes I was pursuing. But that gave me hours to spend with Jesus in prayer and study. I do believe I have come to the time in my life that I’m living to embrace.

Now, here I am 6 weeks into 2018 with only one resolution: Continue to Minimize. So, to continue minimizing, I consider every purchase I’m going to make. If it is in my possession then it best be consumable.
Buy a book, read it.
Buy food, eat it.
Buy clothing, wear it out.
If it serves no purpose, tell it good-bye.

Until next time