Heartache

This will be short as I feel sick to my stomach just to write this. It looks like the cancer is back. Several areas of concern in the lungs showed up on the CT scan today. The doctor and surgeon feel confident that it is indeed cancer. Jacob will be having surgery on Friday to take several biopsies of the areas. We should know immediately then whether it is indeed cancer or not (which we have been told to prepare for). The surgery can hopefully be done with a scope but if not his chest will have to be opened for the operation. Jacob will be in the hospital for several days to recover from the surgery. Treatment plans do not look good for a second recurrence and decisions will have to be made.

We are in shock but holding on tight to our faith. We ask you for prayers for our peace and knowledge on how to proceed and for Jacob's comfort in the coming days.

Today

*Joe and I made a big batch of Raisin Bran Muffins this morning. The rest of the batter should last us all week. A perfect breakfast with a glass of milk and a banana.

*Jacob's 6 month CT scan is tomorrow. I won't lie, I'm nervous. It was at 6 months last time that he was found to have relapsed. I'm putting my trust in God and am asking for prayers of peace for us the next 24 hours and for awesome scan results.

*Today is a long day of errands, speech for the boys, and trying to catch up on school work. I'm becoming unhappy with our curriculum choice this year (especially the History) so am switching some things up and hope the next few months are easier when it comes to teaching.

*I'm loving the sunshine outside! My curtains are open and the sun (and warmth!) is pouring in.

Simple Savings

Yesterday a friend posted this idea on her Facebook page. I think that it is an excellent idea for those who want to add to their savings account, but especially for those who don't already have a savings account.

It's a 52 week challenge (year long) where every week you put that corresponding amount into your savings account. For example, this is week one so you deposit $1 (EASY!) and the last week is week 52 so you deposit $52. By the end of 52 weeks you will have $1,378.00 saved! I urge all of you who don't already have a savings account to try this.

As my friend pointed out, it may be difficult to deposit so much the last month (this will be over $200 in December, which is also one of the most expensive months) so she suggested going backwards...starting at week 52 and working down. That is what I will do, especially since my goal was to put an extra $50 in savings each week this month.

I'm fairly happy with our savings account at the moment, but have a large hospital bill coming up (even with co-pays it is expensive having a baby!), have a car repair bill coming up as something is wrong with our van and I'm hoping it's just the muffler, and we need to get a new desktop computer bundle (does anyone know of a good deal going on right now?). So by adding this extra amount to savings it will help cushion those blows.

For those who have no savings at all, or a very small one, this $1,378 in an account will be a huge relief to you. Do not touch it for ANYTHING short of a true emergency though. You can not build up a savings if you dig into it every time you run short on funds and "need" to go out to eat, or buy that top that you want, etc. Pretend that it isn't even there. Add your money weekly and walk away. At the end of the year you will have a nice little emergency fund and then you can start all over again next year, dipping into it only if you have to. Your sense of security having a back up like this will bring you so much peace.

Tip: Put your money in savings the day you get paid, do not wait until the end of the week to see if you have enough left to stick in savings. You always want to "pay yourself first" and once that money is in savings you can work around it. Having that money sitting in your checking account is just an invitation to spend.

Box of Goodies!

I think my favorite subscription box thus far is the Goodies Co. subscription box. Why? It's just $7 a month (yes, that includes shipping!) and is filled with fun food! We loved our first box last month and were looking forward to this month; which did not disappoint!

When we get a subscription box in the mail we all gather around to open it and each choose something out that we want to try. I also like these sample sizes as I can stick a surprise in hubby's lunch as well.

This month included:

*Two Sun Cups (one mint and one sunbutter) which are delicious!

*Effie's Homemade Oatcake

*World Table Chocolate Caramel Cookie Thins (Delicious and a big sized package!)

*Bare Fruit Cinnamon Apple Chips (sound yummy!)

*Rocky Mountain Popcorn Cinnamon Sugar (will save for a movie!)

*EatSmart Naturals Garden Veggie Crisps

All of these are new to us foods that we can't wait to sample. Goodies Co. does has a wait list but I was selected after just 2 weeks. For $7 a month you can't go wrong on this. Would be an excellent subscription to send to a college student!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. No referral links are included.

My Sisters The Saints by Colleen Carroll Campbell

The first chapters of My Sisters The Saints by Colleen Carroll Campbell drew me in. I loved reading about the lives of the saints and how the feminism of today is less empowering to women because it strips away what truly makes a woman different.

Reading Colleen's own struggles in life and how she leaned on God was empowering but something seemed to dwindle toward the middle of the book. The lives of the saints begin to read more like a text book and Colleen's story seemed to get jumbled up. I can't quite pinpoint why the book lost me towards the middle except that it seemed to become dull.

By the end of the book I was once again interested in her story and the lives of the saints that she weaved into the book. It was interesting reading the story of a woman on the path to understand her own faith better and to learn about the six saints and their own lives who helped her to do so. I just wish that parts of it had been more interesting, like the beginning of the book.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. All opinions are my own.

Healthy Handsoap

One of my goals for this new year is to make most of our health and beauty products and continue making more cleaning products. Some people go all crazy and throw out everything commercially made and make all their products right then and there. That is a sure way to get burnt out and also not the best way to test recipes that you like. I still get some sample subscription boxes and have lots of commercial bought products still but as things run out I am making do with making my own (which also ties into my budget goal this week!).

In November I made my homemade toner and I'm surprised to say that I am still on the first bottle so my price goes down closer to 5 cents a bottle! I use it daily and like what it does for my skin.

Today we ran out of pump hand soap. I could use bar soap which I have plenty of but the kids tend to leave it in the sink and mess with it so I always prefer pump soap by the bathroom sink. I pulled out my handy dandy Dr. Bronners liquid castile soap and poured some into an old foaming hand soap dispenser (I love the foaming dispensers when it comes to castile soap). I filled it half full with the soap and filled the rest with water (this is a very concentrated soap so you could do even 1/3 soap and 2/3 water). A little goes a long way and this bottle should last us along while. I bought this 16 oz. bottle of Bronner's over a year ago and use it several ways and still have some left! I use this brand in several different scents which are great for different uses.

Easy, natural hand soap which is good for the budget and the earth. And I saved about $2 so far this week by making do with homemade handsoap rather than buying a refill at the store. :)
 

A New Year

A new year marks the beginning of my month long challenge with Carla at Half Dozen Daily and her goals for us this week is:
 
"Financial Goal Week One: Instead of buying something you need this week, find a way to "make do". Do you grab a coffee each day on the way to work? can you brew at home & use a travel mug? Run out of an ingredient for a recipe? Can you find a substitution? There are many ways to "make do" each & every day... track how much you would have spent."

I'll have to be creative this week as there are many days where I don't spend any money on anything so I'll have to see just how I make do with things things this week. I'll work on a list daily to see what I come up with!

Decluttering Goal Week One: What "thing" clutters up your home the most? Is it clothes? Toys? Books/magazines? Kitchen Stuff? Knick-Knacks? Find a way to get rid of some of these items! Be sure to snap a pic of your declutter!

It used to be clothes all the way but I've done an excellent job recently downsizing our wardrobes. I think both the clothing and books and toys could still be downsized more. Will snap a picture at the end of the week of everything in my donation bag.