Have you noticed how many name changes this government modification plan has gone through? HASP, Making Home Affordable Plan, HAMP...blah, blah, blah. Maybe they'll do a better job at getting the plan right, than they have at coming up with the right name. Hah! We can hope! :)
Anyway, I thought I'd update you on our case. We finally got our signed documents returned from Bank of America. These are only the ones we signed for the trial modification at the end of July. It took three months for them to sign and return our copy back to us (acknowledging the agreement, I suppose), but I'm told this is a good sign. We went ahead and continued making the lower trial payment for November, since that is what the HOPE Department told me to do. We'll see what happens from here, but I have hope that all will go well in the end. Call me an eternal optimist!
If you need information or support on how to start your own HAMP process, I highly recommend checking out Loan Safe. I got a lot of tips there that certainly helped to escalate things in our case.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Credit Card Reform for Whom?
I've heard quite a bit of talk in the last year, as I'm sure most of you have, about credit card reform. These new laws were supposed to help protect consumers from shady credit card practices with the excessive charging of fees. These laws are set to go into effect next year.
I'm wondering though, who is this really helping? In this last year, my rates on four of my credit cards have jumped, and the credit lines were decreased. Was this because of me being late on my payments, or charging excessively? No. In fact, most of my cards didn't even have a balance, and I've never paid late. I also pay more than is due most of the time (though that overage amount hasn't been much lately because of my husband's hours being cut at work and our income dropping close to $1000 a month).
I know this isn't happening to us alone. I've heard many stories both online and in person of people getting their credit lines cut (even businesses) and their interest rates rising significantly. I empathized, but hadn't really been affected as much as some, since our rates only jumped half a percentage point at first, which was bearable, if annoying. And while our limits were cut, it didn't really hurt anything, except maybe our credit scores (which would recover eventually).
Still, it made me think. Who was this reform really helping? Certainly not those who have been utilizing their credit and making their payments on time. Certainly not people like me in middle America, who have been slammed by the economy, but have still been responsible in the use of credit and meeting payment obligations in whatever way we can.
There is one card we have been using in this last year to help us get by until Tony's hours improved a bit and we were finally approved to do the Making Home Affordable Plan (also known as HAMP or HASP) trial modification. This card had the lowest interest rate to begin with (at 9.99%) and was initially with Washington Mutual. It helped us when we needed two new sets of tires last winter. It helped us when our cat had a veterinary emergency. It payed the bill with the unexpected medical emergencies that came up in our family. You get the idea. It payed for those extras that we just couldn't come up with when the economy tanked and business went down here.
We haven't used it recently, since Tony is now finally up to 40 hours a week (still well below what we've gotten used to over the last 14 years, but much better than 32 hours a week) and we've been making the lower mortgage payment. Finally, we could see a way to catch up.
That is, until I got the notice from Chase (who took over WAMU). They were changing my interest rate. I'd already received a small rate hike of half a percent at the first of this year, which I took in stride. But this new rate was ridiculous. They changed my fixed rate to a variable rate, effective December 1, 2009. What did that mean for me? Well, starting on Dec 1, my rate would be double what I first had. Double! Can you believe that? I would be paying twice the interest every month! It would effectively be the monthly payment I'm currently making, all for just interest.
So I called them today. I asked them what I could do to prevent this. They said I could refuse the new terms. I asked what that meant for the account. They said I would have to close it. I asked if that meant I had to pay the balance in full, because there was no way I could do that right now. They answered no, that I just would be unable to use the account in the future, but would retain the current interest rate on the current balance until it was paid off. I said, "Close the account."
I hope everyone knows that is an option. I hope no one thinks they have to accept these new terms the credit card companies are imposing on them to make up for what they are losing out on when these new laws go into effect.
But I ask again, are these changes really worth it? I know it hasn't helped me. It's only hurt us. I'm struggling to think of a single person I know who it is going to help. Please, someone enlighten me.
Anyway, if something like this is affecting you or someone you love, please don't be afraid to make that phone call and see what your options are. If you don't understand or agree with the first person you talk to, call back and talk to someone else, or ask to be transferred. Fight for your rights. Take care and God bless!
I'm wondering though, who is this really helping? In this last year, my rates on four of my credit cards have jumped, and the credit lines were decreased. Was this because of me being late on my payments, or charging excessively? No. In fact, most of my cards didn't even have a balance, and I've never paid late. I also pay more than is due most of the time (though that overage amount hasn't been much lately because of my husband's hours being cut at work and our income dropping close to $1000 a month).
I know this isn't happening to us alone. I've heard many stories both online and in person of people getting their credit lines cut (even businesses) and their interest rates rising significantly. I empathized, but hadn't really been affected as much as some, since our rates only jumped half a percentage point at first, which was bearable, if annoying. And while our limits were cut, it didn't really hurt anything, except maybe our credit scores (which would recover eventually).
Still, it made me think. Who was this reform really helping? Certainly not those who have been utilizing their credit and making their payments on time. Certainly not people like me in middle America, who have been slammed by the economy, but have still been responsible in the use of credit and meeting payment obligations in whatever way we can.
There is one card we have been using in this last year to help us get by until Tony's hours improved a bit and we were finally approved to do the Making Home Affordable Plan (also known as HAMP or HASP) trial modification. This card had the lowest interest rate to begin with (at 9.99%) and was initially with Washington Mutual. It helped us when we needed two new sets of tires last winter. It helped us when our cat had a veterinary emergency. It payed the bill with the unexpected medical emergencies that came up in our family. You get the idea. It payed for those extras that we just couldn't come up with when the economy tanked and business went down here.
We haven't used it recently, since Tony is now finally up to 40 hours a week (still well below what we've gotten used to over the last 14 years, but much better than 32 hours a week) and we've been making the lower mortgage payment. Finally, we could see a way to catch up.
That is, until I got the notice from Chase (who took over WAMU). They were changing my interest rate. I'd already received a small rate hike of half a percent at the first of this year, which I took in stride. But this new rate was ridiculous. They changed my fixed rate to a variable rate, effective December 1, 2009. What did that mean for me? Well, starting on Dec 1, my rate would be double what I first had. Double! Can you believe that? I would be paying twice the interest every month! It would effectively be the monthly payment I'm currently making, all for just interest.
So I called them today. I asked them what I could do to prevent this. They said I could refuse the new terms. I asked what that meant for the account. They said I would have to close it. I asked if that meant I had to pay the balance in full, because there was no way I could do that right now. They answered no, that I just would be unable to use the account in the future, but would retain the current interest rate on the current balance until it was paid off. I said, "Close the account."
I hope everyone knows that is an option. I hope no one thinks they have to accept these new terms the credit card companies are imposing on them to make up for what they are losing out on when these new laws go into effect.
But I ask again, are these changes really worth it? I know it hasn't helped me. It's only hurt us. I'm struggling to think of a single person I know who it is going to help. Please, someone enlighten me.
Anyway, if something like this is affecting you or someone you love, please don't be afraid to make that phone call and see what your options are. If you don't understand or agree with the first person you talk to, call back and talk to someone else, or ask to be transferred. Fight for your rights. Take care and God bless!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Loan Negotiator's Response
I very quickly received a response from our loan negotiator from Bank of America in regards to the email I shared with you earlier. And here it is:
That's the very number I called and told him about. It's the HOPE Department. They too, didn't offer me much information, only said for me to keep making the trial payments until I hear otherwise. Feel like banging your head against a wall with me, anyone? Hah!
Hello Nellie,
Unfortunately I don’t have the answer you are looking for.
However you can call 1.877.221.0825 they may have your answer
Thanks
That's the very number I called and told him about. It's the HOPE Department. They too, didn't offer me much information, only said for me to keep making the trial payments until I hear otherwise. Feel like banging your head against a wall with me, anyone? Hah!
Making Home Affordable Update
So I decided to call the HOPE department today, to see if they could enlighten me on what we can expect now that we've made our last trial payment on the Making Home Affordable 90 day trial modification. I had attempted to reach my loan negotiator, but wasn't so lucky in succeeding in that endeavor. I know they're swamped, so I'm not going to take that personally--yet;)
Anyway, they had no new information for me. They don't know when they'll have anything to tell me. I was assured our application doesn't have any negative notes and that they have all they need from me at this time. I'm trying to be reassured by this, but we all know I've heard that before. If you're new to our story, you can catch up here.
I was also told that I should continue making the lowered trial payment until I hear something back from them. That is a relief, since there was no way I was going to be able to make our regular monthly mortgage payment on November 1, anyway. Something that wasn't helped with my pricey lesson yesterday. Haha!
Here's the letter I emailed to my negotiator today:
Hopefully I hear something back from him soon. In the meantime, I've been going to Loan Safe periodically to see how others there are faring. If you haven't checked that site out yet, you really should. I couldn't have gotten even this far without them. Lots of valuable information there!
Feel free to share any information or stories of your own here, too. Also, if you have any questions, ask away. If I have the answers, I'll let you know. If I don't, I'll try to point you in the right direction:)
Anyway, they had no new information for me. They don't know when they'll have anything to tell me. I was assured our application doesn't have any negative notes and that they have all they need from me at this time. I'm trying to be reassured by this, but we all know I've heard that before. If you're new to our story, you can catch up here.
I was also told that I should continue making the lowered trial payment until I hear something back from them. That is a relief, since there was no way I was going to be able to make our regular monthly mortgage payment on November 1, anyway. Something that wasn't helped with my pricey lesson yesterday. Haha!
Here's the letter I emailed to my negotiator today:
I left a voice mail yesterday, but haven't heard back yet, so I thought I'd try email. We've now made our third trial modification payment for Making Home Affordable. That payment was made toward the end of September, and was due October 1. Since this time, all of our payments have come out of the suspense account and were applied to the mortgage interest, principle and late fees. None of it has gone to our escrow account and now it is extremely short of what is needed to pay our taxes next month.
Also, I still haven't received any kind of package, notice or info on what is going to happen with our loan now. Every time I check the website the information changes and the date gets pushed back. As of today, there's no date listed at all. Does this mean I continue to make the trial payments until I hear something, even if we're outside of the 90 days? One person on the HOPE team told me to do just that.
It's nearly the end of October and I have to say that I'd thought I'd know something by now. We've made all payments as agreed, we've sent all required documentation multiple times and have done everything required of us. Can you tell me what we can expect now and what is happening with our account?
What happens if, at the end of all this, for whatever reason we get denied? Do we suddenly have to come up with thousands of dollars for the difference between the trial payment and what our actual mortgage payments are, including late fees? That really would be a nightmare for us.
We are responsible, upright people and are willing to do what it takes to keep our home. We do not want a free ride, we just want a chance. We didn't ask for our income to be cut, as I'm sure you understand. We want to meet our obligations and are doing everything on our end to try to make that happen. This program can make that possible for us. We just aren't sure if we're being jerked around (pardon the expression, but it's the only way I can explain our fears) and we'll end up in a worse mess than when we applied for this program for help.
God Bless,
Nellie Butler
Hopefully I hear something back from him soon. In the meantime, I've been going to Loan Safe periodically to see how others there are faring. If you haven't checked that site out yet, you really should. I couldn't have gotten even this far without them. Lots of valuable information there!
Feel free to share any information or stories of your own here, too. Also, if you have any questions, ask away. If I have the answers, I'll let you know. If I don't, I'll try to point you in the right direction:)
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!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
I'm Inlove with my Bread Machine
No, really! We met about 11 years ago and while I was intimidated by its advanced technical skills at first, after a few years I was hooked. I make Italian Herb Bread, Old Fashioned White bread (the family wasn't impressed with the wheat recipes), roll dough, pizza dough, and now.....bread bowls!
I have a Broccoli Cheddar soup recipe that I've finally got down (though having said that, I do still reserve the right to tinker with it at a later date if I want to). And what goes better with Broccoli Cheddar soup than eating it in a bread bowl? Nothing, I say!
I've only had one problem with that: I can't find any decent bread bowls at any of the stores around here! They're all soft and flaky on the outside, and that doesn't make for the best soup bowl.
So I decided to do something about it. Why couldn't I make my own? I can make just about anything else I've set my mind to. This shouldn't be too difficult, right? So I did a search on the internet (using my swagbucks toolbar--which I love since I get to earn free stuff doing what I already do anyway!). I found this article detailing how to make homemade bread bowls from frozen bread dough. I thought, why can't I just use my French Bread recipe and run it in the dough cycle instead of the bread cycle and then follow the directions from the point of shaping the thawed bread dough. So that's exactly what I'm doing now. So far, so good. Keep your fingers crossed that it works for me! I'll have to update you, but I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work. I know my way around dough;)
I'll share my recipes for tonight's dinner here for those of you who are interested:
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
5 cubes chicken bouillon
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp garlic
4 cups water
2 cups half and half or whipping cream
24 oz chopped broccoli
5 diced potatoes
¼ cup butter/margarine
½ cup onion
¼ cup flour
4 cups cheddar cheese
Season salt (to taste)
Mrs. Dash original seasoning (to taste)
Boil water, bouillon cubes, Worcestershire, cream, garlic, seasoning and potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender. Add Broccoli.
Melt butter in pan. Add onion and cook until tender. Slowly add flour to make paste. Add mixture to soup slowly, mixing well to avoid clumping. Add cheese and mix well. Do not boil.
French Bread Dough
1¼ cups+3 tbs water (room temperature)
1 tbs butter/margarine
1 tbs olive, vegetable or canola oil
4 cups flour
1 ½ tbs sugar
1 ¾ teaspoon salt
2 tsp active dry yeast
(Use the link to the bread bowl article to finish)
I have a Broccoli Cheddar soup recipe that I've finally got down (though having said that, I do still reserve the right to tinker with it at a later date if I want to). And what goes better with Broccoli Cheddar soup than eating it in a bread bowl? Nothing, I say!
I've only had one problem with that: I can't find any decent bread bowls at any of the stores around here! They're all soft and flaky on the outside, and that doesn't make for the best soup bowl.
So I decided to do something about it. Why couldn't I make my own? I can make just about anything else I've set my mind to. This shouldn't be too difficult, right? So I did a search on the internet (using my swagbucks toolbar--which I love since I get to earn free stuff doing what I already do anyway!). I found this article detailing how to make homemade bread bowls from frozen bread dough. I thought, why can't I just use my French Bread recipe and run it in the dough cycle instead of the bread cycle and then follow the directions from the point of shaping the thawed bread dough. So that's exactly what I'm doing now. So far, so good. Keep your fingers crossed that it works for me! I'll have to update you, but I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work. I know my way around dough;)
I'll share my recipes for tonight's dinner here for those of you who are interested:
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
5 cubes chicken bouillon
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp garlic
4 cups water
2 cups half and half or whipping cream
24 oz chopped broccoli
5 diced potatoes
¼ cup butter/margarine
½ cup onion
¼ cup flour
4 cups cheddar cheese
Season salt (to taste)
Mrs. Dash original seasoning (to taste)
Boil water, bouillon cubes, Worcestershire, cream, garlic, seasoning and potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender. Add Broccoli.
Melt butter in pan. Add onion and cook until tender. Slowly add flour to make paste. Add mixture to soup slowly, mixing well to avoid clumping. Add cheese and mix well. Do not boil.
French Bread Dough
1¼ cups+3 tbs water (room temperature)
1 tbs butter/margarine
1 tbs olive, vegetable or canola oil
4 cups flour
1 ½ tbs sugar
1 ¾ teaspoon salt
2 tsp active dry yeast
(Use the link to the bread bowl article to finish)
Updates and an Apology
Hey, all! I know it's been way too long since I last wrote, but I haven't had much time for writing lately. I'm sorry to leave anyone hanging here and wondering what's been happening with our loan modification. I've been meaning to write for ages, as much has been happening on that end, but everyday life has been getting in the way:)
We were finally approved for the trial modification some time in June. Why didn't I write about it then? Well, because I didn't know about it. I found out about it in mid-july, but was told days before the signed paperwork (which I'd never received) was supposed to be sent back in via Fed-Ex. The only reason I found out was because the mortgage payment I made for July was never applied and I got a notice that it was late. So I called them and asked what what was happening with the payment I'd sent.
First, I was told that I'd made no such payment. Then, at my insistence, and with my bank as proof that an automatic withdrawal had been made on July 13 (not technically late since it was within the grace period), they did some digging and found my payment.
They said, "Oh, it's been put in a suspense account, since you're being set up on the Making Home Affordable Trial Modification." Really?
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes, that's what it shows here. The paperwork is due on [such-and-such a date] or the modification will be canceled."
"What paperwork?" I asked.
"The paperwork you were sent on June 26." Hmmmmmm.........Well, this was over two weeks from that date, and it was sent via Fed Ex, so I definitely should've seen it by this time.
That started the beginning of a nightmare. It took until the end of July to get the new paperwork, after they had to first determine to their satisfaction that I hadn't received the first packet (it turns out it was never sent due to a computer glitch). During this time, I was also told conflicting information:
"Yes, this is the Making Home Affordable Plan."
and "No, this is just a special forbearance plan until we can qualify you for the Making Home Affordable Plan."
and "No, you will not be reported as late to the credit bureaus as long as you're making your trial payments."
and "Yes, you will be reported as late because you're not making your full payments."
I managed to stay calm, reach my loan negotiator who eventually cleared everything up (It was the MHA trial modification and we would not be reported as late--though I did have to call them to remind them of that fact when they did reported us late anyway. But they did fix it quickly). Long story short, we have now completed the trial payments. What happens now? Good question.
I was told I should be hearing from someone to come to our house with the final paperwork for us to go over and sign for the real modification deal. So far, nothing yet. I'll let you know what happens when we find out. I'm really hoping it's not going to be another ordeal. It seems to take forever to straighten the people from Bank of America out. It's frustrating, to say the least, and I wonder if anybody there really knows what they're doing. I've sent and re-sent the same documents multiple times, and talked to so many people I've lost count. But I'm not giving up. I'll keep doing whatever it takes. I'm no quitter!
In case you didn't already know, Making Home Affordable is the same thing as HASP, but they've changed the name. Who knows? Maybe they've changed it again! Haha, who can keep up anymore? If you aren't already familiar with what's been happening in our case so far, you can read my previous posts here.
We were finally approved for the trial modification some time in June. Why didn't I write about it then? Well, because I didn't know about it. I found out about it in mid-july, but was told days before the signed paperwork (which I'd never received) was supposed to be sent back in via Fed-Ex. The only reason I found out was because the mortgage payment I made for July was never applied and I got a notice that it was late. So I called them and asked what what was happening with the payment I'd sent.
First, I was told that I'd made no such payment. Then, at my insistence, and with my bank as proof that an automatic withdrawal had been made on July 13 (not technically late since it was within the grace period), they did some digging and found my payment.
They said, "Oh, it's been put in a suspense account, since you're being set up on the Making Home Affordable Trial Modification." Really?
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes, that's what it shows here. The paperwork is due on [such-and-such a date] or the modification will be canceled."
"What paperwork?" I asked.
"The paperwork you were sent on June 26." Hmmmmmm.........Well, this was over two weeks from that date, and it was sent via Fed Ex, so I definitely should've seen it by this time.
That started the beginning of a nightmare. It took until the end of July to get the new paperwork, after they had to first determine to their satisfaction that I hadn't received the first packet (it turns out it was never sent due to a computer glitch). During this time, I was also told conflicting information:
"Yes, this is the Making Home Affordable Plan."
and "No, this is just a special forbearance plan until we can qualify you for the Making Home Affordable Plan."
and "No, you will not be reported as late to the credit bureaus as long as you're making your trial payments."
and "Yes, you will be reported as late because you're not making your full payments."
I managed to stay calm, reach my loan negotiator who eventually cleared everything up (It was the MHA trial modification and we would not be reported as late--though I did have to call them to remind them of that fact when they did reported us late anyway. But they did fix it quickly). Long story short, we have now completed the trial payments. What happens now? Good question.
I was told I should be hearing from someone to come to our house with the final paperwork for us to go over and sign for the real modification deal. So far, nothing yet. I'll let you know what happens when we find out. I'm really hoping it's not going to be another ordeal. It seems to take forever to straighten the people from Bank of America out. It's frustrating, to say the least, and I wonder if anybody there really knows what they're doing. I've sent and re-sent the same documents multiple times, and talked to so many people I've lost count. But I'm not giving up. I'll keep doing whatever it takes. I'm no quitter!
In case you didn't already know, Making Home Affordable is the same thing as HASP, but they've changed the name. Who knows? Maybe they've changed it again! Haha, who can keep up anymore? If you aren't already familiar with what's been happening in our case so far, you can read my previous posts here.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Great Outdoors!
Sunday we returned from our five day camping trip and I have to say we had a great time. We went with our good friends, the Masons, and stayed in the Uintas. We didn't stay in a designated campground (which saved money), but it was a great spot with a ready-to-use fire pit and even a perfect spot to do all our dutch oven cooking.
I do have to confess that we didn't go tent camping. We hauled our 37-year-old prowler trailer up there. The fresh water tank sprung a leak, unfortunately, and the second battery proved to be a dud, but we had plenty of other water we'd brought along (plus they have places for refilling your water up there) and several flashlights to light our way.
We went hiking and fishing, took a tour of the fish hatchery, cooked by fire and dutch oven, ate smores and had a blast! I have to say that it was good to get away. Tony's work at the school hasn't kept him as busy as we'd hoped. He's starting to get sent home again. It was great to get away and forget all that for a few days. It was a sanity-saver to think about something else for a while.
The views up there are just breath-taking. The peace you feel as you take in the scenery tends to remind a person of God's existence. I would definitely recommend the great outdoors as a prescription when you're feeling down and out. It's given me a boost and now I feel like I can continue trekking along, come what may!
Crash Course in Canning
My hubby came home with four ready-to-burst grocery bags of apricots from his dad. While I love apricots, and some would say we're a good-sized family, I have to say that there was no way we could eat all of those before they started rotting. I set them all on the counter while I contemplated on what to do.
We were leaving for a five day camping trip in four short days and had much preparation to do there, but I couldn't just ignore this bounty bestowed upon us, could I? I was tempted though--that is, until I woke up the next day, moved the bags out of the way so I could make breakfast and saw that they were already beginning to spoil. I got out all my books, gave my good friend and neighbor a call and made a decision. I was going to learn how to can, and I was going to learn FAST!
My friend and I did two double batches of canned jam, 4 batches of freezer jam and two batches of canned apricots in syrup and even some homemade fruit roll-ups. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, and thanks to my mother-in-law for giving me lots of jars years ago (in hopes that I would use them, I'm sure) and to my grandma Artheta who gave me her canning bath a few years ago (also in hopes of me learning this great skill) and also to my mom who gave me a dehydrator over a year ago (lots of people wanting me to preserve!) I didn't have much to buy (lids, seals and pectin--I already had tons of sugar in my food storage). Two days of canning later and I have a quite a bit to show for it :)
If you're interested in canning, check out this site to learn the benefits, acquire the know-how and get some recipes. I'll definitely be doing this again! It's a great way to build food storage and to save money!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
But Mom!
I've decided to do something this summer that I haven't really done before, or at least not planned out well enough to stick to. This year, though, I'm prepared and I'm determined. This year, much to my children's chagrin, I'm making it work. What am I talking about? Summer school!
I'm not talking about the school summer school programs, or those others out there that you have to pay for. I'm talking home schooling in the summer time. I have the workbooks (care of Sam's Club, Costco, Dollar General, Ross) and I have the internet to fill in any gaps. I also am making sure that I set aside the time and make it realistic. I mean, the kids have to have some fun this summer, right?
So the plan is that I get them at the kitchen table, with their worksheets already put together for them, three days a week for one to two hours. It's actually working out pretty well. My four year old loves it. Haha Now if only she can rub off on my 11 year old. At least he's cooperating :)
I got some great books I can work out of with them for dirt cheap. Most of them came from the dollar store, but I also found some of the big, all inclusive ones for a good deal at those other stores I mentioned above.
There are also some fantastic educational websites I've found with some great resources and where I can find and print out worksheets for free:
Sites for Teachers
Worksheets 4 Teachers
Math Fact Cafe
TLS Books
We've also been making weekly trips to the library. They've got a great summer reading program going on and the kids have already won prizes in their drawings.
The whole reason I'm doing this is that I found that the kids were having some areas they were struggling in on their end of level tests. I want to send them back more prepared and confident. I think it will make for a better school year.
And on that note, I'm going to be reviewing a Multiplication CD shortly. It was sent to me a while ago by a friend, and I'm using it to help my 9 year old with her times tables. I'll let you all know how it works and how you can get it in an upcoming post. I'm also thinking of doing a giveaway for it. But I'm getting ahead of myself now. LOL. More on that soon!
Enjoy your summer!
I'm not talking about the school summer school programs, or those others out there that you have to pay for. I'm talking home schooling in the summer time. I have the workbooks (care of Sam's Club, Costco, Dollar General, Ross) and I have the internet to fill in any gaps. I also am making sure that I set aside the time and make it realistic. I mean, the kids have to have some fun this summer, right?
So the plan is that I get them at the kitchen table, with their worksheets already put together for them, three days a week for one to two hours. It's actually working out pretty well. My four year old loves it. Haha Now if only she can rub off on my 11 year old. At least he's cooperating :)
I got some great books I can work out of with them for dirt cheap. Most of them came from the dollar store, but I also found some of the big, all inclusive ones for a good deal at those other stores I mentioned above.
There are also some fantastic educational websites I've found with some great resources and where I can find and print out worksheets for free:
Sites for Teachers
Worksheets 4 Teachers
Math Fact Cafe
TLS Books
We've also been making weekly trips to the library. They've got a great summer reading program going on and the kids have already won prizes in their drawings.
The whole reason I'm doing this is that I found that the kids were having some areas they were struggling in on their end of level tests. I want to send them back more prepared and confident. I think it will make for a better school year.
And on that note, I'm going to be reviewing a Multiplication CD shortly. It was sent to me a while ago by a friend, and I'm using it to help my 9 year old with her times tables. I'll let you all know how it works and how you can get it in an upcoming post. I'm also thinking of doing a giveaway for it. But I'm getting ahead of myself now. LOL. More on that soon!
Enjoy your summer!
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