Summer Squash with Rice

I love the squash and zucchini coming from the garden. Sauteed with a drizzle of olive oil is my favorite, but this was a fun new way to eat it.

Summer Squash with Rice

2-3 cups cooked rice
2 medium squash, quartered then sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
salt
fresh ground pepper
parsley
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Saute squash and onion in olive oil until beginning to brown. I love it carmelized!
Add cooked rice, sour cream, and cheese. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

We ate it alongside a Caprese salad. Great tastes of the season!

Summertime Blues

Why am I feeling the summertime blues?
June was packed with a stomach bug, fevers, croup, strep, paying $600 for a car to pass safety inspection, and buying a $500 washer (which broke during the stomach bug).

July must be better. It must. There is no where to go but up. Unfortunately we learned yesterday that our furnace and central air system was not the best choice for our home and needs a variable speed motor to help our house cool properly and make it so our pipes don't ice up again. $1000. Before this emergency we were going to be done paying off student loans in September. Now I'm not so sure.

But on the up side, we have $1000 in cash to hand over for the fix. And it will be fixed tomorrow morning. Then we need to hurry and save that tiny emergency fund back up for the next emergency. But maybe it could wait a couple of months. Please.

In all honesty, we have done some fun things this summer.

• Family reunion
• Family camp-out (at Grandma's house--so the cooking and facilities were exceptional!)
• Million Dollar Quartet Broadway Show (thanks Dad and Mom)  
• Picnics, Sevens Peak outings, Friends
• And we haven't missed Family Home Evening in a good while!
• A great husband and 4 cute kiddies 

So now it doesn't seem so bad after all. I guess we'll make it.

Ramblings on Money

Spencer and I started our Total Money Makeover last year. Sometimes it feels like it's taking forever, but we are getting close! When I get impatient about it, Spencer has me review what we've accomplished and it always makes me feel better. We really are going to make it. So here we go. Here is my review since I'm in need of a pick-me-up.

January 2011--We had a goal to do something better with our money that year. (Before then it seemed that we would save up, then have an emergency and spend every penny--this was a vicious cycle.) We wanted to be more prepared for the future--for future emergencies and for retirement, college for the kids, mission funds, and fun stuff too.

February 2011--We read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover (thanks to Dad and Mom). We got super pumped up about budgeting and preparing for the future. The whole point is to get out of debt, save for a rainy day, then save like crazy for retirement. "Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else." The reason we got so hooked on that book is because it's principles are the same that are taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the same principles that our grandparents lived by. AVOID DEBT(or get out of it), SAVE FOR A RAINY DAY, BE PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE.

March 2011--We cancelled our credit cards. (Since we don't want any debt, why would we want a credit card to tempt the fates?) We started living a strict budget. We prepared a spreadsheet that helped us plan all of our monthly bills along with other things that needed to be saved up for like car repairs, Christmas, school supplies, soccer lessons, etc. Once a month I would go to the bank and get out CASH for our monthly expenses and the other things that we'd save for. (I always feel like the bank tellers cringe when I walk in with my list of how I want the cash divied up). I put it in a small file with an envelope for each category. When the cash for groceries is gone, no more trips to the grocery store. No borrowing money from the birthday fund or oil change fund. Then every extra dollar gets put against debt. In March our debt consisted of a hospital bill, car loan, and student loans.

Progress--It is 14 months later and we have paid off the hospital bill, car loan, and are getting rid of student loans in September (cross your fingers)!

Next--After our student loans are paid off, we will save up a big EMERGENCY FUND that will cover at least 6 months of basic expenses. That will feel so good!

Proof--I keep a list of the "emergencies" we have paid for during this money makeover period--we were able to pay for these things with CASH and still work on getting out of debt. This is not to boast, but just to show that it is possible. It makes me feel good for what we've accomplished.

• New wheels and tires for the Odyssey $1600
• Tubes for Kate's ears $600
• Garage door repair $185
• New clothes dryer $360
• New dishwasher $350
• Bed and mattress for kids' room $250
• New mattress for Spencer and I $1300
• Laptop repair $180
• Lawn mower $380
• New clothes washer $550

 My favorite things about our money makeover:

• Having mad money/blow money--this keeps us sane. We can live tight on everything else, but Spencer and I each get a small amount of money that is no questions asked. Spencer saves his up, but I usually spend it on a good deal at the grocery store or on redoing something at home. It is so fun to have some money budgeted for us to use however we want!
• I hope we are teaching our kids good things about money! Spencer drills them:
• (Spencer) Are you ever going to get a credit card?
• (kids) NO!
• (Spencer) Are you ever going to get a loan for a car?
• (kids) NO!
• (Spencer) Do we borrow money?
• (kids) NO!
• Security! We are preparing for the future. We want to be able to retire with dignity, travel, and be able to do good things for other people. How good would it feel to be able to be ready to help out our parents or loved ones or friends.

Truth--the only reason we've been able to accomplish all this is because God has blessed us. We have committed to try to live within our means and He has helped it become possible.

Kate Funnies 2012

"MINE MINE MINE" (age 1)

"3, 6, 9..." (age 1)

Kameron Funnies 2010-2012

"Oh, man!" (age 2)

"Scooby-Doo, where are you?" (age 2)

"A, B, C, D, E, F, G, 9." (age 2)

"I'm 2 old." (age 2)

Mom: "Did you eat all the bacon?" (age 30)
Kameron: "No, I ate the bacons." (age 2)

"Don't worry Mom, I don't spill things." (age 2)

"Cinnamon rolls make me happy." (age 2)

"Please help me with my math." (age 2)

"If I see a bad guy, I'll rip up his shoes and throw them in the trash can." (age 2)

"Scooby-Doo is strong and my daddy is strong." (age 3)

Kyle Funnies 2010-2012

"I'm as clean as a bubble." (age 3)

"I'm allergic to forks, I really am." (age 3)

"I'm going to go crunch my numbers before bed." (age 3)

"I was going to break out in goosebumps." (age 3)

"What's for breakfast?" (cereal) "That doesn't sound very exciting." (age 3)

"Mom made a patch of breadsticks." (age 4)

"A gopher came through the vent. I ate it." (age 4)

"What does Jesus eat for breakfast?" (age 4)

"My leg pit hurts." (age 4)

"I sure am handy with my feet." (age 4)

"When I have kids I won't put soap in their mouths when they say naughty words." (age 4)

"My heart's going to break out in goosebumps." (age 4)

"This is my bedtime feast." (age 4)

"In the old days there was no electricity. There was no power. Only Jesus had power." (age 4)

"We shouldn't say bad things like 'hey, I'm smokin'.' " (age 4)

"If Jesus asked us to move to the South Pole, we'd sure do it." (age 4)

"They shouldn't litter. Littering is bad. We should have a council." (age 4)

"Let's play duck, duck, human." (age 4)

"I'm teaching Sister Seguine about compost." (age 4)

"Vultures are the most dangerous birds. We should stay away from them." (age 5)

"Kung Fu Panda is my favorite movie ever and I haven't even seen it yet." (age 5)

"My new shoes came with a good luck guarantee." (age 5)

(Doing sand art in a bottle) "If you mix it up you can call it modern art." (age 5)

"Can I have some more teeter-totters?" (age 5)

Kaden Funnies 2010 - 2012

"I'm just pretty sorry, not all the way sorry." (age 5)

"Two nights with broccoli--yea!" (age 6)

"You can climb on my back to get the Christmas decorations down." (age 6)

"Santa Claus wears a tutu." (age 6)

"Let's play Duck, Duck, Goose. I'll be the one who ducks and gooses everyone. I'm the gooseman." (age 6)

"When I die, I'll be good for Heavenly Father." (age 6)

"When I grow up and have kids and a wife, I'm going to be really nice. Sometimes I'll give my kids timeouts and mostly I won't. And when my kids say please, we'll have donuts every week." (age 6)

"Do unto others as they've done unto you." (age 6)

"Sometimes when I see spiders it gives me the freaks." (age 6)

Kaden: "Our brains control our bodies, but what controls our brains?" (age 6)
Dad: "Our spirits. It stops there." (age 31)

(Kaden and I were talking about paying off student loans...)
"Why are you paying for it when you're not even going there?" (age 6)

"When I grow up I think I'll be Kyle's high school teacher." (age 6)

"I'm getting goosebumps and they're sad ones." (age 6)

"I am going to be filthy and rich." (age 7)

Kyle: "Did you know that smart phones are even smarter than people?" (age 5)
Kaden: "But smart phones don't know how old Santa is." (age 7)

Kaden: "I'm going to build myself a burial chamber for when I die." (age 7)
Kyle: "No, you should live in your burial chamber." (age 5)

Killian Funnies

I talk to my mom on the phone. A lot. And I often tell her my kid said the funniest thing... I tell her about it. Then she asks me, "Did you write it down?" Well, I always mean to, but it is just one of those things that never happens. So a couple of years ago Spencer and I started keeping a little notebook in the kitchen and we TRY to remember to write those goofy things down. And it is so fun to re-read them! We've also made a couple of photo books with the funny quotes and family photos--that's as close to scrapbooking I get. The kids love looking through them and so do we!