Okay, I know I've been neglectful, but I'm hoping you'll be forgiving and realize that it does take quite a bit of time to raise a family with five children. Gee, who'd have thought it? ;)
On a positive note, I am continuing to learn of more great ways to make money and save money. This is, of course, my mission in life. I'll never tire of that, and so I'll always have fodder, I should think, for writing helpful posts for my readers here. The only hard thing is getting the time to sit down and organize my thoughts and information so that you can get the most out of it. I also have to make sure it's not gibberish and the obvious product of a sleep-deprived brain! Haha!
So on that note, I'm still here, and I'm still willing to help those who can use my experiences to better their own lives.
Showing posts with label Life Lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life Lessons. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
If You're "HAMP-Y" and You Know It, Clap Your Hands!!!
We finally did it! We got our modification. It took nearly a year and a half since we first applied, but it's a done deal. We got the signed papers back from the bank last week and the new statement came in the mail with our lowered payment.
A Bank of America service agent told me that they've also put in the order to fix our credit, so that it will show that we've been current (this should be a big boost to our credit scores, which took a big hit when they wrongly reported us as delinquent during our year-long "trial" period).
It's been a long drawn out process, but I'm so happy that we saw it through to the end. I'm sleeping much better at night now. I know my prayers have been heard and I'm so thankful for how this has turned out.
I'd like to caution any of you out there who are trying to modify your mortgages, to watch out for the scammers out there. I know of people in our neighborhood, as well as family members of friends, who have gone to and paid outside sources to help them save their homes, only to watch their homes go into foreclosure when they've been told by the company they hired that everything was fine. Please make sure you check with the Better Business Bureau before paying ANYONE to help you.
Help is out there. You can do it on your own, as we did; or there are companies that can help you for free. For more information on this process, you can read about our experiences and all we've found out here.
God Bless!
A Bank of America service agent told me that they've also put in the order to fix our credit, so that it will show that we've been current (this should be a big boost to our credit scores, which took a big hit when they wrongly reported us as delinquent during our year-long "trial" period).
It's been a long drawn out process, but I'm so happy that we saw it through to the end. I'm sleeping much better at night now. I know my prayers have been heard and I'm so thankful for how this has turned out.
I'd like to caution any of you out there who are trying to modify your mortgages, to watch out for the scammers out there. I know of people in our neighborhood, as well as family members of friends, who have gone to and paid outside sources to help them save their homes, only to watch their homes go into foreclosure when they've been told by the company they hired that everything was fine. Please make sure you check with the Better Business Bureau before paying ANYONE to help you.
Help is out there. You can do it on your own, as we did; or there are companies that can help you for free. For more information on this process, you can read about our experiences and all we've found out here.
God Bless!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Not a HAMP Success Yet
We finally found out what the hold-up on getting our final modification under HAMP was. It wasn't our so-called negotiator who let us know what was happening. It was a new gentleman from the Bank of America Office of the CEO and President. My case got transferred several times within that office and also several times from negotiator to negotiator within the Home Retention Dept. It's been a mess and has given me more than one nightmare--I kid you not.
Anyway, this guy actually seems to care. He gave me his direct number, returns my calls promptly and calls regularly with updates and whatnot. I haven't experienced this yet in the last year of our ordeal applying for the Making Home Affordable Plan which was set up by President Obama to help responsible homeowners to keep their homes. It's been a long, bumpy road and it's really refreshing to get some help from someone who isn't evading my questions (along with not returning my calls and passing our case on to the next person so they can ignore it too).
It's taken over six months to get an answer as to why this isn't all finished yet, but he found one for me, because he kept looking and didn't just give up when our negotiator couldn't give him an answer. Apparently, there was a problem with our signatures. They said that it looks like, for whatever reason, my signature, done with the notary that they sent out to our house, looks like it's been X-ed out. They should've received three signed and notarized copies, so you would think at least one of them would be acceptable, but apparently not.
In any case, we have to sign the same documents with another notary (this time we find our own), and then send them back in and get this finished up so they can stop reporting us as delinquent to the credit bureaus and get our new loan set-up and running in the system. As things look now on our account with them, it's a big mess, despite us jumping through every hoop that's been put in front of us and paying every modified payment on time for the full amount (we even pay the higher amount that I was told by one of the many reps I talked to over there, rather than the one on the paperwork, so there could be no excuse to have our modification canceled).
So, with the help of this new agent in the Office of the President, hopefully we can get this done soon and I can rest easy. We'll be praying for that, anyway.
If you, or anyone you know is going through this, don't give up. Keep fighting. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, it's just not so easy to see or get to at times.
Please be careful of the scammers out there who are preying upon people like us. The best place to go--as hard as the process may be--to save your home is to your very own mortgage company. Please don't pay attention to the mailings from outside companies who are claiming they can help you. We made the mistake of falling for a scheme like that once years ago and it didn't end well, though we came out smarter and stronger for it.
If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Keep that in mind. Help is available for free so beware of anyone offering to help you for a price. Also, there is support for you out there and one of the most informative sites I've found is Loan Safe.
Don't lose faith and remember that everything happens for a reason. God is there for us when we need Him, so don't ever hesitate to pray for strength or guidance. Best of luck to you all!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Summer's upon Us
Well, you can definitely tell that summer is coming. I admit, I've been yearning for it. I feel like I'm in school all over again with all the work that's been coming home with the kids. I thought I'd only have to do that once? Hah! But after tomorrow, I get a break. No more researching on the internet to help dust out those cob webs in my brain when the kids come home with something I just can't remember how to do. I'm pleased though, at how much I did retain from my school years. ;)
I suppose we're not getting much of a break just yet. We've been working like crazy it seems. Our garden is in. We're combating the weed issue we had last year (originating from the field behind us) with some plastic mulch. It's very thin plastic sheeting made especially for gardening purposes and it keeps the the weeds at bay. We bought the black kind so that none of those weeds could survive underneath the sheets. We'll have to cover it with grass clippings or some other barrier as the weather gets hotter though, so that we don't scorch the roots of our plants. Wish us luck!
We had our first serious injury of the season last night, or rather my son did, while doing fun summer-day activities. Poor Tyler fell while rollerblading and broke one of his front teeth. He also knocked it loose--go figure. So we paid an emergency visit to the dentist and he's in for some more dental visits in the future. He's a brave kid and did the first visit without being numbed. I'm not looking forward to seeing that bill, though (think after-hour rates). Yikes! :(
We also finally, for the first time this year, turned our central air unit on last night. We've been opening the windows and using the ceiling fans up til now. We decided, when some neighbors were having some guests over, to close the windows so we could get to bed a bit early after our exhausting day. We got a nasty surprise when the the unit ran continuously for an hour and a half and the temperature stayed the same.
After checking the obvious things, like the fuse box and the breaker on the unit outside, we got out our wallets and called to have it serviced. Unfortunately, $90 later, we found out we need an electrician. Things do get better, right? Haha. Sometimes I'm more optimistic about that than others.
We're still looking for ways to save money, and have managed to cut some of our expenses by selling two of our vehicles and replacing them with one. It's saving us on our insurance, but I have to admit that while we got a good price on it (make sure to do your homework and check out sites like Edmunds before buying anything), it hasn't been trouble free. We got it several thousands below blue book, but have had to put a lot of that back into it for it to get on the road (think tires, ball joints, muffler...). We knew some of the issues going into it, but did have a few unexpected things come up too. But, that's the gamble when you buy whole sale and as-is. Still, we're within the low-book value of it, so I'm trying not to take it too hard.
If you want to know how we paid less than half the blue book price for our truck, I wrote an article for it on HubPages here.
On the up-side, the baby is doing great and I'm having a pretty good pregnancy this time around. Something I'm VERY thankful for. Over-all, my family is healthy. I have great kids and a good, hardworking, loving husband. So I should count my blessings and brave the bad stuff! :)
I hope all is going well with all of you! Remember, you have to experience the bad stuff to really appreciate the good. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
I suppose we're not getting much of a break just yet. We've been working like crazy it seems. Our garden is in. We're combating the weed issue we had last year (originating from the field behind us) with some plastic mulch. It's very thin plastic sheeting made especially for gardening purposes and it keeps the the weeds at bay. We bought the black kind so that none of those weeds could survive underneath the sheets. We'll have to cover it with grass clippings or some other barrier as the weather gets hotter though, so that we don't scorch the roots of our plants. Wish us luck!
We had our first serious injury of the season last night, or rather my son did, while doing fun summer-day activities. Poor Tyler fell while rollerblading and broke one of his front teeth. He also knocked it loose--go figure. So we paid an emergency visit to the dentist and he's in for some more dental visits in the future. He's a brave kid and did the first visit without being numbed. I'm not looking forward to seeing that bill, though (think after-hour rates). Yikes! :(
We also finally, for the first time this year, turned our central air unit on last night. We've been opening the windows and using the ceiling fans up til now. We decided, when some neighbors were having some guests over, to close the windows so we could get to bed a bit early after our exhausting day. We got a nasty surprise when the the unit ran continuously for an hour and a half and the temperature stayed the same.
After checking the obvious things, like the fuse box and the breaker on the unit outside, we got out our wallets and called to have it serviced. Unfortunately, $90 later, we found out we need an electrician. Things do get better, right? Haha. Sometimes I'm more optimistic about that than others.
We're still looking for ways to save money, and have managed to cut some of our expenses by selling two of our vehicles and replacing them with one. It's saving us on our insurance, but I have to admit that while we got a good price on it (make sure to do your homework and check out sites like Edmunds before buying anything), it hasn't been trouble free. We got it several thousands below blue book, but have had to put a lot of that back into it for it to get on the road (think tires, ball joints, muffler...). We knew some of the issues going into it, but did have a few unexpected things come up too. But, that's the gamble when you buy whole sale and as-is. Still, we're within the low-book value of it, so I'm trying not to take it too hard.
If you want to know how we paid less than half the blue book price for our truck, I wrote an article for it on HubPages here.
On the up-side, the baby is doing great and I'm having a pretty good pregnancy this time around. Something I'm VERY thankful for. Over-all, my family is healthy. I have great kids and a good, hardworking, loving husband. So I should count my blessings and brave the bad stuff! :)
I hope all is going well with all of you! Remember, you have to experience the bad stuff to really appreciate the good. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
And then there were Seven!
Hey everyone, I'm so sorry for the long delay between posts, but we've have some big changes taking place here. For one, the addition of another little one in our home. Yup! That's right! The Juggling Homemaker will be juggling one more:) We'll have another beautiful girl in about four months.
We've been making some adjustments here to make things go smoother, and had to jump some hurdles that have popped up in our path. But we have every faith that we will be okay. I'm definitely learning there's some real truth to the saying: "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans!" Haha
I've thought of writing often, but have only been feeling well enough to even think about it for a few weeks now--and that meant lots of catching up on the balls that I dropped for those months I wasn't well ;) Fun times!
Anyway, There's much to talk about, and I'm happy to get right to it!
We've been making some adjustments here to make things go smoother, and had to jump some hurdles that have popped up in our path. But we have every faith that we will be okay. I'm definitely learning there's some real truth to the saying: "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans!" Haha
I've thought of writing often, but have only been feeling well enough to even think about it for a few weeks now--and that meant lots of catching up on the balls that I dropped for those months I wasn't well ;) Fun times!
Anyway, There's much to talk about, and I'm happy to get right to it!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A Pricey Lesson, but I'm Thankful
It's amazing how much of a difference one day can make with one's attitude. Last night I was feeling pretty overwhelmed. "If it's not one thing, it's another!" I cried. It all started with an ice cream dessert with my family. We were watching Smallville on DVR (a favorite around here) and decided ice cream sounded good. We had a bunch left over from the multiple birthdays we had going on in the last month, so all we had to do was make a trip to the kitchen. Sounds like a great way to cap off the night, right? Not in this case.
The ice cream was super soft, which was curious, since the freezer was set just above the recommended setting (the only way we can keep up with the ice consumption in our house). So I opened the fridge to see how it was faring. I had noticed that the milk wasn't as cold at dinner, but had figured maybe I'd had it out longer than I'd realized. Nope. Everything in the fridge was definitely not as cold as it should've been. Not even close.
So we pulled the fridge out, moved things around, looked for blockages, tampered with the dials, anything to try and fix this ourselves and avoid an expensive repair or worse--buying a new fridge! We couldn't figure it out. Maybe our four year old fridge really was the lemon we'd started considering it as. After all, the repairman had already been to our house three times for it in the first year and a half. Twice it was for the ice maker and once for when the digital display and the lights had all gone out on it.
For this last year, two out of three lights wouldn't work at all inside (and the third one was temperamental). Maybe this was it. It was fried and we would be stuck shelling out mega-bucks on an expensive service bill or an entirely new appliance! No! Not now! We don't even know what's happening with our loan modification! If our Making Home Affordable application isn't approved, we have at least a few thousand dollars we have to come up with to make up the difference between the lowered trial payments and what our regular mortgage payments are set at. And then there's the late fees! Ugh! Not to mention we would have to still be able to pay that normal amount starting on November 1, too. You can see how any new expenses would not be in our budget, right?
Well, we set the temperature dials at full blast and did the only thing we could do at that time of night: we said our prayers and went to bed.
Once I got the kids off to school today, I called the repairman and was lucky enough to get an appointment for late morning. Turns out, it was all our fault. How, you ask? Well, it was all caused by a canister of raisins and an inconspicuous air inlet. It seems the canister was just the perfect width and height to block the one and only air inlet that regulates the temperature for the fridge. Somehow it had gotten shoved right up against the inlet and caused problems with the sensor.
And the bulbs? Well, it seems whirlpool fridges are a bit picky when it comes to brands. Who'd have thought it? A snobby fridge. It didn't like the energy efficient bulbs we put in there. The repairman replaced them with regular bulbs and I can actually see the whole inside of my fridge! Not necessarily a good thing, though, since now I can more clearly see that it's time for a scrub-down. Haha!
Anyway, it came to just over a hundred dollars with tax. And with that, I also found out why the timer on my oven quit beeping. Seems someone held down the timer button for too long (five seconds) and it turns the beeper off. So, I got three issues fixed because of my canister of Great Value Raisins. Hah! ;)
I choose to look at this in a positive light. Nothing serious was wrong. My fridge, thank heavens, is not on it's way out. And for that matter, neither is my stove. I hadn't realized how stressed I was about both of those seemingly minor problems until they were fixed.
Oh, I just have to tell you that I really have a lot of confidence and respect for the folks at Doyles Appliance Service. Shad Anderson is very professional and isn't going to charge you for unnecessary repairs. He took his time looking for the problem and then made sure I understood what was going on (and he didn't make me feel stupid for what turned out to be customer error). The easiest and most profitable thing for him to do would have been to just order a new control board, thermostat or some other item--since at first, the problems we had seemed to indicate that was the issue.
So if any of you are in or near Davis County (they may even service the Salt Lake area), I would definitely recommend Doyles. I couldn't find a website for them, but their contact information is here: (801) 292-0676, 45 West 200 South, Bountiful, UT.
Many problems can be solved by simply checking the manual, too. If you've misplaced your product manual, check online. I know that Whirlpool has their manuals listed online for free and it's really easy to look them up with the model number. I've saved myself a few calls to the repairman doing this.
Am I happy that this lesson cost me money? No, but it could've been worse! And who knows? Maybe my lesson can help one of you out there with your appliances. God Bless!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Going Where it Takes Me
I'm sorry for the delay in my posts. Life has been, well, hard lately. My mom is still having a hard time. Her good days are very good, and I have hope that she's finding her footing. Her bad days are devastating and I've found I have to distance myself emotionally from her on those days to be able to function for my own family. Mental illness is no picnic.
My little sister was in the hospital for a few days, too. They found two blood clots on her lungs and are not sure what's causing them. They've put her on a medication to break them up and prevent them from returning. I've been praying for her and hope that she'll make a full recovery.
Hubby has gone back to working on Mondays, for the time being (for the rest of the summer, we hope), but he's not allowed any overtime, and without that, I don't know how we're going to catch up. I have to have faith that things will work out some how.
Countrywide/Bank of America is still stringing me along. The ARM refinance they offered me under the Making Home Affordable Refinance program was offered in ignorance of the fact that if you're already in a fixed loan, you can't be refinanced into an ARM. I had to tell them this information when I went to Freddie Mac's website to get more information on the program. Isn't it crazy that I know more about how these programs work that the mortgage company?
We went ahead and sent them all our information all over again a few weeks ago for the HASP, or Making Home Affordable Modification and were assigned a negotiator. He called me once on June 22, left a message for me to call him back using the Hardship number I already had, but left no extension. When I called back, they basically said there was no way for me to reach him directly, that they would email him and let him know I wanted him to call me again, but that was the best they could do. They also told me that he would probably try to call me again at some future date, and that if he was unable to reach me again, it could cancel our application. So I guess I'm suppose to stay next to the phone and hold my breath. Hah!
I haven't heard from Bill Gephardt since that first embarrassing phone call several weeks ago. LOL. He did tell me there were no guarantees that he could do anything, but that he would see what he could find out on all this. Keep your fingers crossed:)
So life has kept me on my toes. I'm fairly certain that whenever it feels like I'll catch my breath, something is waiting in the wings to come knock it out of me again. Some days I'm just fine with this, and just go with the flow. On those days, I look around me, thank God for the many blessings in my life, smile, and go along with whatever comes my way.
I wish I could say I was always this good. I'd be a better person for it, if I could manage it. But alas, I'm not there yet. On the bad days, I mutter, maybe even let out a curse, and just feel like my world is caving in. On those days I forget the blessings I have and ask God, "can I not be happy? Can't I just take it easy for a little while? Does everything have to go wrong at once?" Actually, that's probably the nice version of what I say on those down days. Haha.
I have to remind myself that without adversity, I can't grow. I'd be content to stay where I am, in my comfort zone, and learn nothing. I heard yesterday something that will stay with me:
I can't tell you how many times I've told my children, when they were grumbling about something hard they had to do, that they would be thankful for it someday--because they'll be able to take that experience they've learned from and it will make things easier later. The very same principle applies to us.
Trials make us stronger. So reminding myself of that, maybe I'll have more of those good days, and complain less on the bad ones. It can happen, right? ;)
My little sister was in the hospital for a few days, too. They found two blood clots on her lungs and are not sure what's causing them. They've put her on a medication to break them up and prevent them from returning. I've been praying for her and hope that she'll make a full recovery.
Hubby has gone back to working on Mondays, for the time being (for the rest of the summer, we hope), but he's not allowed any overtime, and without that, I don't know how we're going to catch up. I have to have faith that things will work out some how.
Countrywide/Bank of America is still stringing me along. The ARM refinance they offered me under the Making Home Affordable Refinance program was offered in ignorance of the fact that if you're already in a fixed loan, you can't be refinanced into an ARM. I had to tell them this information when I went to Freddie Mac's website to get more information on the program. Isn't it crazy that I know more about how these programs work that the mortgage company?
We went ahead and sent them all our information all over again a few weeks ago for the HASP, or Making Home Affordable Modification and were assigned a negotiator. He called me once on June 22, left a message for me to call him back using the Hardship number I already had, but left no extension. When I called back, they basically said there was no way for me to reach him directly, that they would email him and let him know I wanted him to call me again, but that was the best they could do. They also told me that he would probably try to call me again at some future date, and that if he was unable to reach me again, it could cancel our application. So I guess I'm suppose to stay next to the phone and hold my breath. Hah!
I haven't heard from Bill Gephardt since that first embarrassing phone call several weeks ago. LOL. He did tell me there were no guarantees that he could do anything, but that he would see what he could find out on all this. Keep your fingers crossed:)
So life has kept me on my toes. I'm fairly certain that whenever it feels like I'll catch my breath, something is waiting in the wings to come knock it out of me again. Some days I'm just fine with this, and just go with the flow. On those days, I look around me, thank God for the many blessings in my life, smile, and go along with whatever comes my way.
I wish I could say I was always this good. I'd be a better person for it, if I could manage it. But alas, I'm not there yet. On the bad days, I mutter, maybe even let out a curse, and just feel like my world is caving in. On those days I forget the blessings I have and ask God, "can I not be happy? Can't I just take it easy for a little while? Does everything have to go wrong at once?" Actually, that's probably the nice version of what I say on those down days. Haha.
I have to remind myself that without adversity, I can't grow. I'd be content to stay where I am, in my comfort zone, and learn nothing. I heard yesterday something that will stay with me:
The very existence of adversity proves God's love for us.What? I thought at first. How can that be? Why would He want anything bad to happen to us? But that was the wrong way to look at it.
I can't tell you how many times I've told my children, when they were grumbling about something hard they had to do, that they would be thankful for it someday--because they'll be able to take that experience they've learned from and it will make things easier later. The very same principle applies to us.
Trials make us stronger. So reminding myself of that, maybe I'll have more of those good days, and complain less on the bad ones. It can happen, right? ;)
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Venting...
It seems these days are full of ups and downs. There are moments when I look at what I have--namely my husband and children--and my heart just feels full, to the point it's ready to burst with emotion. Then there are the moments when all the bad stuff weighs so heavy on my shoulders that I'm sure I'm going to collapse from it all.
I suppose that's what life is about. I just have to take the good with the bad. As do we all.
Yesterday we went to Sears to pick up some parts for our lawnmower, tiller and weed eater. No, they didn't all break at once (knock on wood!), they were just maintenance parts that we'd put off for quite a while and we couldn't wait any longer if we wanted to have them working for us in a few years from now.
While we were there, a gentleman came in to pick up his lawnmower, and for whatever reason, it wasn't there, the work wasn't done on it and he was beyond frustrated. He'd come all the way down there, and waited in a very long line, only to find out he'd done it for nothing.
The clerk who was helping us was called upon several times for this customer, who wanted his mower right then and wanted it fixed (understandable). It wasn't the clerk's fault that it wasn't fixed, he just happened to be the one at the store who knew the most about this customer's situation. Because of this familiarity, he got cornered on his way to the backroom to get our parts. The confrontation escalated and their shouting match could be heard throughout the tiny parts store.
I didn't know who to feel worse for, the clerk or the customer. Both were just trying to get their jobs done. Neither were having things go their way. Both ended up feeling upset by the way things were turning out.
I left feeling down for two reasons: one being because the parts we left with cost twice what we were expecting (of course), and the other because of the heavy atmosphere I'd just left. It was obvious to me that both men had a right to feel upset and yet neither was at fault for their situations. How do you fix something like that? How do you make someone feel better?
I know some of you are wondering why I let someone else's troubles get to me at all. Good point. I wonder that myself. If I figure it out, I'll let you know. Haha.
I suppose this economy has a lot of us on edge. So many people are feeling the pinch and that means there's more of us out there needing to vent before we explode. It's stressful to worry about finances, while at the same time your everyday life continues with family dramas, friend troubles, sick kids and everything else. We're still expected to function during this and get our duties done. It's too bad we can't just push pause on all those other things and just tackle each problem/task individually, right?
My mom has been in the hospital for the last week. She's going through a very difficult time in her life right now. I can't really say, "Sorry, Mom, can't deal with this just now. I've got lots of other stuff stressing me out, so can you put this off for later?" Hah! Yeah, that'd go over well. I'd disown myself!
Life can be hard. You've heard it before, you've experienced it and know it to be true. And yes, we all need to vent so we don't walk around like a shaken soda, waiting to explode on some poor, unsuspecting person who pulls the tab at the wrong time.
Find a way to decompress. I've found that writing helps me. Praying does, too. Find what works for you and go with it. Life's hard, but you can do it;-)
I suppose that's what life is about. I just have to take the good with the bad. As do we all.
Yesterday we went to Sears to pick up some parts for our lawnmower, tiller and weed eater. No, they didn't all break at once (knock on wood!), they were just maintenance parts that we'd put off for quite a while and we couldn't wait any longer if we wanted to have them working for us in a few years from now.
While we were there, a gentleman came in to pick up his lawnmower, and for whatever reason, it wasn't there, the work wasn't done on it and he was beyond frustrated. He'd come all the way down there, and waited in a very long line, only to find out he'd done it for nothing.
The clerk who was helping us was called upon several times for this customer, who wanted his mower right then and wanted it fixed (understandable). It wasn't the clerk's fault that it wasn't fixed, he just happened to be the one at the store who knew the most about this customer's situation. Because of this familiarity, he got cornered on his way to the backroom to get our parts. The confrontation escalated and their shouting match could be heard throughout the tiny parts store.
I didn't know who to feel worse for, the clerk or the customer. Both were just trying to get their jobs done. Neither were having things go their way. Both ended up feeling upset by the way things were turning out.
I left feeling down for two reasons: one being because the parts we left with cost twice what we were expecting (of course), and the other because of the heavy atmosphere I'd just left. It was obvious to me that both men had a right to feel upset and yet neither was at fault for their situations. How do you fix something like that? How do you make someone feel better?
I know some of you are wondering why I let someone else's troubles get to me at all. Good point. I wonder that myself. If I figure it out, I'll let you know. Haha.
I suppose this economy has a lot of us on edge. So many people are feeling the pinch and that means there's more of us out there needing to vent before we explode. It's stressful to worry about finances, while at the same time your everyday life continues with family dramas, friend troubles, sick kids and everything else. We're still expected to function during this and get our duties done. It's too bad we can't just push pause on all those other things and just tackle each problem/task individually, right?
My mom has been in the hospital for the last week. She's going through a very difficult time in her life right now. I can't really say, "Sorry, Mom, can't deal with this just now. I've got lots of other stuff stressing me out, so can you put this off for later?" Hah! Yeah, that'd go over well. I'd disown myself!
Life can be hard. You've heard it before, you've experienced it and know it to be true. And yes, we all need to vent so we don't walk around like a shaken soda, waiting to explode on some poor, unsuspecting person who pulls the tab at the wrong time.
Find a way to decompress. I've found that writing helps me. Praying does, too. Find what works for you and go with it. Life's hard, but you can do it;-)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Lesson Learned
I had planned to write everyday, no matter what. I underestimated the curve balls life can throw, and how that can definitely influence motivation. At least I'm learning to be more flexible, right?
We've been busy figuring out some big projects we've got coming up, besides our garden I mean. Oh, did I mention we had to start over on most of our seedlings? I believe I told you they grew a lot faster than we'd expected. They outgrew their containers and we didn't know what to do with them, as it is still too early to take them outside--we can't do that for another two or so weeks. Then, hubby didn't read the section where it says to get your new plants used to the outdoors gradually. He set them outside for the day, while we were doing yard work. Only the bell peppers survived. Haha!
I can laugh because they were so inexpensive. Now we know we don't need even close to the 7 weeks we planted ahead. A few weeks seems to be sufficient for our growing conditions. So we went and bought new seeds, put them back in our closet under the fluorescent lights, and now that they're all sprouted we'll gradually get them adjusted to the outdoors. Lesson learned!
Speaking of learning from trial and error, we've decided that we're learning a lot from these experiences. We've learned so much from the hard times we're experiencing now--things that we never would have even tried to find out about if life hadn't thrown a few bumps in our path.
Come to think of it, I think that I've learned the best lessons in life during hard times. Go figure. We always dread these difficult times because we're worried we won't get through them, or at least not come out of them intact. I wonder how many of us realize how much we actually gain from so many of those trials. I know they've made me stronger and I'm a better person because of them.
It's not always easy for me to admit that. There have certainly been times when I've been sure that someone "up there" must be out to get me and I've begged for some peace. Yes, even recently I've asked that God not put any more on my plate, as it seems to be overflowing just now. But in the end, I know I'll come out of this stronger. I'll come out of this smarter.
Does that mean I'm winning every battle? No (though I sometimes wish). But I'm not leaving any of these experiences empty handed. If nothing else, I'm learning to be a better gardener, a more creative manager of finances, a competent letter writer, and a pretty good negotiator;-)
I think you'll find that you've gained some knowledge from all of your hard times too. Just be sure that you do learn from them and don't repeat mistakes. Then you can say "Lesson Learned." I heard this simple phrase from a dear friend of mine and, believe it or not, there's some satisfaction in being able to say it at the end of it all.
We've been busy figuring out some big projects we've got coming up, besides our garden I mean. Oh, did I mention we had to start over on most of our seedlings? I believe I told you they grew a lot faster than we'd expected. They outgrew their containers and we didn't know what to do with them, as it is still too early to take them outside--we can't do that for another two or so weeks. Then, hubby didn't read the section where it says to get your new plants used to the outdoors gradually. He set them outside for the day, while we were doing yard work. Only the bell peppers survived. Haha!
I can laugh because they were so inexpensive. Now we know we don't need even close to the 7 weeks we planted ahead. A few weeks seems to be sufficient for our growing conditions. So we went and bought new seeds, put them back in our closet under the fluorescent lights, and now that they're all sprouted we'll gradually get them adjusted to the outdoors. Lesson learned!
Speaking of learning from trial and error, we've decided that we're learning a lot from these experiences. We've learned so much from the hard times we're experiencing now--things that we never would have even tried to find out about if life hadn't thrown a few bumps in our path.
Come to think of it, I think that I've learned the best lessons in life during hard times. Go figure. We always dread these difficult times because we're worried we won't get through them, or at least not come out of them intact. I wonder how many of us realize how much we actually gain from so many of those trials. I know they've made me stronger and I'm a better person because of them.
It's not always easy for me to admit that. There have certainly been times when I've been sure that someone "up there" must be out to get me and I've begged for some peace. Yes, even recently I've asked that God not put any more on my plate, as it seems to be overflowing just now. But in the end, I know I'll come out of this stronger. I'll come out of this smarter.
Does that mean I'm winning every battle? No (though I sometimes wish). But I'm not leaving any of these experiences empty handed. If nothing else, I'm learning to be a better gardener, a more creative manager of finances, a competent letter writer, and a pretty good negotiator;-)
I think you'll find that you've gained some knowledge from all of your hard times too. Just be sure that you do learn from them and don't repeat mistakes. Then you can say "Lesson Learned." I heard this simple phrase from a dear friend of mine and, believe it or not, there's some satisfaction in being able to say it at the end of it all.
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