Our weekend plans were snuffed out when we were hit with about 14 inches of snow, very odd for our part of Massahuchusetts. We are along the Southeastern coast, and almost always get yucky, slushy rain. This time, instead, we were hit with large quantities of the fluffy stuff. Very pretty, unless you have to drive in it, or shovel it. There were three foot snow drifts in some areas of our yard. It will be interesting to see if our little Karl enjoys playing in the snow. We've got his snow suit all set up and ready to go!
After one final run for supplies, we spent the weekend indoors watching movies and drinking hot chocolate. Really is there any other way to spend that kind of a weekend? Well, ok, if I weren't pregnant, there would probably be a little creme de minthe in the hot chocolate. I was also able to get a lot of holiday knitting done, two matching wool hats with ear flaps, and a fair isle scarf.
I have two more knitted items to go, some last minute holiday baking, and about 10 cards to address, and I'm officially done with holiday preps!
Today, I was able to record another episode of the companion podcast. Episode #4 deals with setting goals for 2010. As I type this blog update, I'm waiting for the podcast to upload. I had made arrangements to use a relative's internet connection to speed up uploading large files like a podcast, but I am stuck homebound for a bit. I actually had to record much of the podcast while resting on my left side due to a pregnancy-related health issue. I have had to remain off my feet for most of the day, and was not able to get the podcast uploaded any sooner. I'm hoping, even with our slower than slow connection, that it will be updated by at least midnight!
Where there is a will, there is a way!
Live better, a little every day.
I'm sorry you're not feeling well but hopefully you'll be back on your feet soon. Too bad I'm in the midwest, when I used to work as a massage therapist one of my specialties was prenatal massage. :)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the latest podcast. I'm having trouble deciding on priorities. We have a huge amount of credit card debt to pay off, so whenever there's a little extra money in the budget I'm torn between spending it on some needed prepping supplies or putting it toward the debt.
Sherri
That's something! I'm certified for Prenatal Massage as well. What I wouldn't give for a properly trained MT in prenatal close by! I don't even have someone in the immediate area to refer people to. I've been sending them about 40 minutes away.
ReplyDeleteNot that I know your personal situation, but I'd go with paying off the debt. There are ways to sneak in your other preps. For instance, buying two of something that has long term storage capacity to put in your food storage is easy. Each week, just pick two or three things. For instance, pasta, oatmeal, beans, and canned tuna/chicken all keep a long time and are dirt cheap. If you add an extra box/bag of each to your grocery list, you're really not going to notice it much in the final bill. Obviously, there are plenty of other things you can add, but you get the idea. I'd have suggesting gardening, if it weren't the middle of winter outside.
Of all the disasters that could happen, the one that sticks out to me as the most probable, is another blow to the economy. The two best things you can do is 1) pay off your debt, and 2) buy extra food. If the dollar is devalued further, it will only cost you more to pay off your debt, and cost more for food.
After giving it a lot of thought I agree that debt reduction should be the first priority but I also want to increase our food security, and fortunately I have a way to do both. We are going to be getting a HUGE income tax refund this year (one time event, usually I try to let Uncle Sam hold on to as little of my money as possible). The vast majority of it will go towards paying off our debt but I'm going take 10% and use it to expand the garden, make some necessary repairs to our chicken coop so I can get chickens again, and get a couple of beehives started.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the economic recovery is going to be in a straight line. I believe there will be several dips along the way, although I hope the worst of it is over. I think that all the meddling being done in Washington is going to have unintended consequences that will hit areas of the economy which previously weren't all that troubled by the previous downturn.