Worth Reading...

This article is from beingfrutal.net. I thought it was great and wanted to share it here.

"I may be dating myself here, but I used to love the show Little House on the Prairie as a kid. Little did I know that I would learn a lot about finances and debt by watching. Here are a few of the things I picked up.

1. Do what you have to do, and be proud of it. I remember the episode entitled, The Richest Man in Walnut Grove, where the Ingalls family ran up a debt at Oleson’s Mercantile. Charles was expecting a nice paycheck from the sawmill, but the money didn’t come in. To pay off his debt, he worked digging ditches. The kids at school made fun of Laura, because they said Charles smelled bad from working so hard. Charles told Laura that it was true. He did smell bad. But he was working to provide for his family, and that was something for which he should be proud. You should always be proud of the effort you put into paying off your debts. Even if you’re mowing lawns on Saturdays to raise extra money, the effort is worthwhile and something to be proud of.

2. Don’t bank on money that you don’t have yet. If Charles wouldn’t have spent his paycheck before it was in his hands, he never would have been in debt to the Olesons in the first place. Never spend what you don’t yet have. My husband and I fell into this trap earlier this year. We knew we had some inheritance money coming, so we charged a new computer on a 0% card. We just knew we could pay it off before the interest hit. Unfortunately, my husband lost his job in that time period, and we needed to use the inheritance money for basic expenses. We’re still paying on the credit card.

3. Every little bit adds up. When the Ingalls family was working to pay off their debt, they focused their efforts and put every last resource into paying their bill. Charles dug ditches. Mary quit school for a while to earn money by sewing. Laura did Mary’s chores, so Mary would have more time to work. Caroline did the farm work, so Charles could work multiple jobs. Everyone pitched in. They pooled their resources and worked together as a family until the debt was paid. When your family pulls together, you will be able to pay your debt more quickly. Family morale also remains high when your family is working together toward a common goal.

4. Your whole family benefits when the debt is paid. The Ingalls family paid their debt at the Mercantile together as a family. You could see the pride on their faces. They had worked together. It wasn’t easy, but they got the job done. They had accomplished their goal. When your family works together toward a goal and succeeds, it builds family unity. It also instills strong values in your children. Hypothetically, I’ll bet Mary, Laura, and Carrie never forgot the feeling of paying for the purchases they made that day in cash. The same thing is true of families today. If you make taking care of your finances a priority, and your children see it and are part of the process, they will learn. They will be far less likely to make the same financial mistakes that you have.

At the end of the episode, after seeing the proud looks on the Ingalls’ faces as they paid their bill, Nels Oleson took Charles aside and said, “I think you’re the richest man in Walnut Grove”. Charles replied, “I know I am.” Family and values are much more important than anything money can buy. Wealth does not come from the things you can afford to buy. It comes from who you are and what you stand for."

Memorial Day Parade!

I probably posted something like this last year. But I love the Memorial Day Parade the best of all! Maybe it's because hubby was in the Air Force for 20 years. Or maybe it's because we still have friends serving in foreign lands. Or maybe it's just being in the presence of small-town America and seeing them pay tribute to their heros. People were lined up and down both sides of the street for several miles.
Local school children marched in the parade carrying flags and flowers to place on the graves at the National Cemetary.


Local bands marched as well.
So, did daughter's drill team.


There were Veterans from the different wars. Some walking, some riding in vehicles, some in wheelchairs or on cots. All with a humble look of pride on their faces. And with their memories etched in each line of their face.



So, with a grateful heart, I say Thank You to our Veterans! Thank you for your service and sacrifice. Thank you to your wives and children who kept the homefires burning while you were away. Thank you to the Commander-in-Chief for leading our troops. And Thank you to the Lord for allowing us the privilege of living in the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Does Money Grow on Trees?

No. But maybe on rose bushes! This is a bouquet of roses my aunt made for Amber for her 16th birthday! Each rose is made of 5 bills folded to create the petals.
The petals are then wired and wrapped with floral tape to create a long stem rose. Ingenious!

Summer Apron Swap

This is the apron I made for the Sassy Summer Apron Swap. I hope the recipient likes it. Cause I do! I had fun making it and learned a few new techniques along the way. Like how to sew ric-rack and how to sew binding properly.

This is the total package I'm sending to her. The apron and required dish towel, a cupcake book and a cupcake decorating kit and cupcake papers. I also have to include the required summer time beverage recipe.

More Birthdays/Sweet 16

Last night was my darling daughter's Sweet 16 Birthday Party! Isn't she beautiful???

As I was saying, isn't she beautiful????

She'll always be daddy's little girl.
Lots of family...
The two grandma's and friends... and more friends!A weird present from her brother....
and the ensuing thrashing.
Her unconventional cake. Mini cheesecakes with white chocolate dipped strawberries and blackberries. The evening ended with the teenagers coming back to our house to watch movies. It was a great ending for a great evening.

Birthdays!

My baby boy became a teenager a couple weeks ago. He had a surprise party with a paintball theme.

His sister smooshed cake in his face and then painted his face with icing so he'd have that camoflauge look.
He'd been saving for a paintball gun for a long time, so daddy and I chipped in the rest to get him a gun and some basic starter gear.
Everyone else gave him accessories or paintballs as gifts! Our yard was polka-dotted for a few days afterwards.

Reason for Admission to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 1864-1889

Here are just a few reasons a person might be admitted to the hospital:

asthma
bad company
bad habits
bad whiskey
cold
desertion by husband
disappointed love
dog bite
domestic affliction
egotism
fall from horse
feebleness of intellect
gastritis
greediness
grief
imaginary female trouble
indigestion
kicked in the head by a horse
laziness
marriage of a son
novel reading
over study of religion
parents were cousins
shooting of daughter
women trouble

Would you have been admitted????

Field Trip!

The kids and I took a field trip with our homeschool group to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, formerly known as the Weston State Hospital.

This is the main entrance. I love the curved archways.

This is a view from one of the rooms the nurses would have lived in.
This is a pencil drawing of some of the patients from the 1850's.

This is original stencil work on the ceiling of the first floor.
A gurney.
Each section of the hospital looked the same. Long hallways with doors on either side.
The rooms were almost all identical each with a window to allow sunlight...supposedly to have curative effects on the patients.
A couple of the rooms had these big eye bolts. Here they would chain the most violent of patients.
Here's a link to the museum's web site. Be sure to read about the history of the building. It's all very interesting.

HISTORY AND HERITAGE TRAVEL IN WEST VIRGINIA TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM

Had to See it to Believe it!

A kids' baseball game under the lights on a spring-time Saturday night is a beautiful thing.

Until!

Until a brand new umpire makes multiple bad calls.

Until the crowd erupts in protest.

Until a kid gets hurt on the field.

Until an ambulance shows up.

Until a neighbor won't let the ambulance cut through her backyard (field) to get to the kid.

Until a coach (a state trooper) talks to the neighbor.

Until the kid is loaded up and taken away.

Until the same neighbor screams at the ambulance as it drives away.

Until we don't get home until 11 p.m. because of delay of game.

Extreme Living Room Make-Over

Here are some pics of my MIL's living room. I did a make-over on it while she was out of town last week. She knew I was going to do it. But she didn't know what I was going to do. She loves it! And I loved doing it for her!

BEFORE:AFTER:

The Family WallPaint, wallpaper border, a faux finish, some new accessories and rearranging the furniture was all it took to give this room a warm, cozy feel.

Chickens on the Move

Last weekend we made a small penned area in the yard for the chickens to play in. It was their first time on the ground and out in the sunshine. They loved it! Unfortunately, they're still too young to stay outside yet.




But they did stay in their new henhouse for the first time last night. Frank sectioned off a part for them...put down bedding, added a small perch, some food and water and ta-da! It's the Henhouse Hilton!

Here's a couple pics of two of the roos (at least we think they're the roos)

Frank the Fashionista????

Not quite! But wardrobe has become an issue as of late. For twenty years he was told what to wear---BDUs. At times he had a choice between the regular BDUs or desert BDUs. And occasionally, he'd wear his dress blues. But either way, he was told what to wear.

At his first civilian job, clothing wasn't an issue...blue jeans and t-shirts...easy enough for a Maintenance Supervisor.

But NOW! Now he's in an office environment. My blue-collar baby has turned into a white-collar workhorse.

We've had to buy a whole new wardrobe to include shoes in brown and black, a reversible belt (brown/black), kahki pants in various colors and polo shirts in mostly dark colors to "hide any coffee stains". And of course, dress socks to go with the dress shoes and pants.

It's so funny to hear him asking me if his belt/shoes/socks match his pants! And this morning when I gave him one of his new outfits to wear, he promptly informed me he couldn't wear that today because he had just worn it Monday (even though it had been washed)!

I gave him a hard time about it but I'm really enjoying seeing him take an interest in his clothes.

One of his favorite songs is ZZ Tops "Sharp Dressed Man". Guess I have my own Sharp Dressed Man now. And I'm loving every minute of it!