Today, I took the plunge.

I cut back on my cell phone extras – down to the bare minimum now.

And then, the unthinkable.

I got rid of my digital cable and DVR.

Oh, yes, I did.

And I bet I will live to tell the tale.

Money is tight. Money is always tight and I am terribly tired of this state of affairs. But it came to a head a few weeks ago when, still several days away from pay day, I was down to $2.31 in my checking account.

This is bad, bad, bad. I know.

But with enormous student loans, rent, car payment, utlities, and so on, things are often not so pretty around here. I do the best I can and most times am able to keep my head above water. But I had fallen a bit behind with said student loans and the only way to get caught up was to use every cent. I’m still not totally caught up but should be with next pay.

It’s really ridiculous. I have a good job (which I should, considering the student loans!) but I cannot seem to get ahead or get a handle on budgeting. I know there is no way on this earth I could take on a part-time job outside the home but thankfully I do have a lead on something I can do in my “free” time that will make a couple bucks now and again.

And so, it is time to try to cut corners, do what I can, see where I end up!

I just received an email from Petsmart, addressing the Menu Foods pet food recall . What’s so very cool about it is I have their “Perks” card – basically a frequent shopper card – and in the email, it says that their records show I bought some of the recalled brands of pet food in the past and they wanted to alert me to this.

How amazing is that? Thankfully, the kits have been off the recalled brand for some time now and our current brand is not included in the recall but I just think it is so cool that they actually took the time to check customer records and send that email. It’s especially helpful because much of the information about the recall has been confusing and difficult to decipher for many people; an email like this one can really make a difference in a situation like this.

Petsmart, you’ve got a customer for life!

Another fitful night last night.

I am speaking at a conference on Monday – the first time I’ll be doing this. Initially, I had been told there would be about 30 people in my three hour session. As of today, we’re up to 120.

Last night, my dreams were full of ridiculous things – having our room moved into part of a cafeteria and trying to speak over and control the situation in there. Leaving the building for some reason and then being late and unable to find where I was to go.

I’d wake up in between and think, “Are you kidding me? I’m seriously dreaming about this stuff?”

I know it will be fine. I am planning to spend a good portion of my day tomorrow and Sunday preparing for the session. I know that, logically, I will be nervous but I will get through it. I keep trying to convince myself that this is not unlike when we get up for our Workcamp Sunday at church and I talk about the trip and interview the kids and adults who went.

In reality, I know it is different. There is an opportunity here for questions to be asked and answers to not be easily found in the recesses of my mind…but to there goes all the prep time.

There are other stressors put upon me right now too which I’m sure are contributing to my just feeling bone tired. I wish I could figure out how best to healthily cope in times like this. Mostly, I end up feeling frustrated and ready to cry at the drop of a hat (or a comment). One thing I do more in times like this is read – hence the Spring Reading Thing. I started my Max Lucado book last night (and literally cried through the first chapter because it completely hit home) and today went to the bookstore for the first Becky Miller book, then on to the library for The Other Boleyn Girl.

Interestingly, that was a rental. The sign said “1.50 per week” so I rolled up the desk with my card in hand and $3. First, the woman at the desk told me my card was expired. What? I said three times, “I didn’t know library cards expired” before she said, “Oh, well, it’s just a mechanism to check your address and phone number so we can follow up on fines and overdues.” It really isn’t EXPIRED then, is it? Oddness. Anyway, she now renewed me through 2010 but said I could not rent the book for two weeks. I can rent for one, bring it back next Wednesday, and re-rent it.

Where is the sense in that?

Plus, their sign should say there is a one week limit on rentals.

But enough about that. I have books, I will read. I am currently Tivo-ing Grey’s Anatomy, though I truly believe they jumped the shark with Meredith’s drowning. And don’t EVEN talk to me about the George and Izzie thing.

I also have two new movies from Netflix that will occupy my whirling mind – The Holiday (love Jack Black!) and Stranger Than Fiction. I hope the previews were a good indication on these movies – I certainly didn’t feel that way about Click.

Well, for some reason, Norman is wandering about wailing this evening. Not sure what his trouble is, but I guess I should find out!

Please click here & pray for baby Addison

I found this interesting idea over at Embroider the Silence

1. Go to Wikipedia and type in your birthday, month and day only.
2. List 3 events that occurred on that day.
3. List 2 important birthdays.
4. List 1 death.
5. List a holiday or observance. (if any)
6. Tag 5 other bloggers.

Birthday: February 7

Events:

1795 – The 11th amendment to the constitution was passed
1964 – The Beatles arrive for their first visit to the US
1985 – New York, New York becomes the official city anthem of New York City

Two important birthdays:

1867 – Laura Ingalls Wilder
1885 – Sinclair Lewis

One death:

2001 – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

One holiday or observance:

Independence Day in Grenada (1974)

And I tag whomever would like to play!

I don’t know if it was the remnants of the killer headache from yesterday or what but I was cranky today. I don’t think I started out that way but as soon as I opened my email, it began.

I always like to just let people know of my crankiness from the get-go, trying then to not let it pervade everything else. I tried to focus on a few unique projects I’ve got going this week – a presentation tomorrow, some deadlines later in the week, a presentation next Monday to the largest group I’ve ever spoken in front of, plus the normal projects, church stuff, etc. I ended up staying a little bit later than usual and then running some errands on my way home.

Now I am sitting here, alternating between the need to do some things around the house, the desire to learn more about something so I can start a part-time gig at it, and getting into bed and watching a DVD.

The DVD will probably win.

Speaking of DVDs, last night I finally watched “The Illusionist”. It was a fine film – I highly recommend it. Despite my innate desire to figure everything out, I was surprised in the end. Not totally 100% surprised but a very good part surprised.

And because I have completely random, eclectic taste…tonight’s movie will be “Click”*. (I guess that decides it – I’m not doing anything productive tonight!)

I need to put “Blood Diamond” and “The Queen” in my queue. Any other suggestions? I heard “The Prestige” is very good.

*UPDATED: Ok, maybe it is my cranky mood but I could really have done without seeing this one….

In an effort to work on my new habit, here’s my menu plan for this week. It got a little altered today because I came home not feeling well but hopefully the rest of the week will work out!

Monday – bread & cheese
Tuesday – Italian chicken in the crockpot
Wednesday – take out
Thursday – Pecan-crusted pork chops (this one is a Dream Dinner)

Friday – pasta w/artichoke and parmesan sauce (and this sauce is Tastefully Simple)

Saturday – leftovers!
Sunday – pulled pork in the crockpot

I was hiding out and slightly napping while watching “Emma”. The doorbell rang.

And I was afraid. My slothfulness* had been discovered!

I slowly went to the door, hair askew. The neighbor was there and she said…

I FOUND SOMEONE WITH A PLOW.

Glory be!

Her cousin apparently has a backhoe and came over and did our driveway. Meanwhile, the landlord’s kids chopped away at the ice on the sidewalk closest to the street and the neighbor’s boyfriend (who drove here this morning from a neighboring state where he had NO SNOW) helped chop the ice off a path to my door.

I cannot tell you the joy that fills my heart at this development.

I’m so joyful to be free from our (somewhat) landlockedness…I may just go get my driver’s license picture taken.

Yeehaw!

Updated: Slothfulness, indeed. The sloth is over here! : )

Ah, finally the weekend has arrived. We had a whole day of sleet/snow yesterday and it is completely impossible to shovel this morning so I am hiding out watching tv and surfing the web instead (and hoping that the upstairs neighbor will not try to shovel it and make me feel guilty!)

As for my habits, I was doing well with the vitamins but did not take them yesterday. I’ve been taking them later and later, sometimes at dinner or bedtime…and am wondering if that is the problem with my sleep. So today I will take them earlier and see what happens. I will say that I feel better than usual lately, especially in terms of energy…and I’m sure it’s the vitamins, so that is a positive!

On the new habit from last week – drinking more water – I’ve done slightly better but I am not anywhere near where I should be with that. But a habit is not made in a week!! I’ve found I’m more likely to drink water in a bottle for some reason, so I bought some on sale at Target yesterday. I can always refill them, I guess, if it works for me!

I’ve been tossing around what my new habit should be for this week. I have a couple things in mind but in some ways I think I need to “prepare” for starting them, if that makes any sense. (Maybe I am thinking too much about this.) So instead, for this week, I’ll bring up one that I’ve worked on intermittently but never consistently enough to make it a habit – menu planning. I know a lot of bloggers participate in Menu Plan Monday, sharing recipes and staying accountable, so I may give that a shot. I know it’s not thrilling content for the blog but then, how often is my content thrilling? My goal is not to be a thrill-a-minute but instead to be real and normal and everyday. And this is certainly everyday stuff!

Anyway, Dream Dinners has helped me a great deal. I used to buy groceries and then, on the way home from work, decide I wanted something completely different that I of course didn’t have a home, despite the grocery shopping. So I would stop at the store for whatever had caught my fancy that day or by something already prepared. Food in my fridge would go to waste because I needed to give in to my dinner “whim”. I guess because of the cost of Dream Dinners, I’ve made a point to eat at least two or three a week and have been doing better with that. But I think laying out a menu plan would be helpful in many ways…and so it shall be done!

Is it Friday yet?

I’ve been having a terrible time sleeping again. I was up for no apparent reason Saturday night at 3:30 AM and then again Sunday at 4:30 (though this one was from the neighbors upstairs – but that’s another story). I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe too much floating around my subconscious.

I’m looking forward to the weekend. I want to finish up my work in my office and take care of organizing all my scrapbooking stuff. Then Saturday night, we’re showing “Facing the Giants” to the congregation – we need this message right now, so desperately. I know many people are trying to stay positive and upbeat with the challenges we are facing but sometimes it’s hard. I think it’s really important to try to stay inspired and to focus on God’s hand in all this. If the movie impacts others the way it impacted me, I think we’ll be moving in the right direction.