Death to Our Washing Machine

Life has been pretty busy and crazy with me lately. I just havent been able to sleep and this lack of sleep has been making me really stressed. I find myself getting angry about things that I should not be getting angry about. Last night I almost broke my phone because I was angry that it wouldn't turn on.

I decided to go to sleep early after working out and got to thinking. I have an amazing husband that loves me, a great job with a great boss, great friends that care about me, and we are really close to financial peace, so I have no reason to be so stressed out.

Our washing machine decided to start dieing this week. Steve and I are going to go out tonight and find a new one. Steve thinks it might survive a little bit longer but he doesnt want to wait until it completely dies. He called me today while I was at work (He took a vacation day today) so I checked online what our savings balance is so we know how much we can spend.
We have enough in savings that we could get a pretty decent washing machine, which makes me happy. We also have an extra check in August. For the non-Dave Ramsey grads out there, that means we get paid every other week so there are 2 months during the year when we have 3 paychecks in one month. I love when I see God provide. He planned to have our washing machine die in the month where we have an extra check, so we have the money to pay for it. We originally planned to use the extra check to pay off the final balance of the credit card and Steve wanted a new phone, but we managed to pay off Providian with some extra money last month from Sears. I guess we will just have to see how much money is left from the 3rd check to see whether he gets his new phone or not. :)
Now we can use the third check for the washer and thanks to the 3rd check, we may be able to buy our new washer without touching savings at all, which will be nice.

On the bright side, Steve and I sent in our last payment for our last credit card this week. So now Steve just has to cancel it and cut it up. Now all we have left is Student Loans and my car payment. Let the Debt Snowball roll on.

Frustrated

I'm so glad i had today off work. I didnt get nearly as much done as I wanted to though. I just feel like laying down and sleeping for days. I don't have any energy and I feel so stressed out. I'm tired of living in a cramped apartment with stuff everywhere. I'm tired of always running into stuff because we have no where to store stuff because there is someone in our spare room still. It's been a year and I'm just tired.

Am am I being selfish? Probably but I think I'm entitled to a little selfishness after a year of cleaning up after her and her not paying rent like her agreed to when she moved in.

I'm tired of having to work 50+ hours a week just to make ends meet because our utilities and other bills are going up every month. I'm tired of having to pay an extra $50 a month in rent to Southmore because we brought a roommate with us that wasnt on the original lease application.

The stress is causing me to not sleep well and not sleeping well is making me more stressed. It's a vicious cycle. I have tommorrow off too so maybe tommorrow will be better than today.

Week 2 Recipes: Bistro Chicken Pasta Salad

Prep Time:25 min
Total Time:25 min
Makes:4 main-dish servings

2 cups cooked penne pasta
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 pkg. (4 oz.) ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2 cup prepared GOOD SEASONS Italian Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix for Fat Free Dressing
1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, grilled or broiled, cut into 1/4-inch slices
TOSS all ingredients except chicken.
TOP pasta mixture with chicken. Serve warm or chilled.

Calories 290
Total fat 9 g
Saturated fat 4.5 g
Cholesterol 55 mg
Sodium 660 mg
Carbohydrate 31 g
Dietary fiber 4 g
Sugars 7 g

Protein 24 g
Vitamin A 15 %DV
Vitamin C 20 %DV
Calcium 10 %DV
Iron 10 %DV

Healthy Living Information
Good source of vitamin A or C

Nutrition Bonus
This pasta dish is great as a meal or a side dish. The fresh and sun-dried tomatoes provide an excellent source of vitamin C.

Source->> Check this page out for more great healthy dinner. Yum!!!

Fitness Club vs Financial Peace

It has been a fun adventure with this fitness club. Steve is really determined to win the contest. It has been trying to buy healthy foods and stick to our budget at the same time. Healthy foods are really expensive. I'm trying to find some good healthy recipes that are inexpensive to make. I know Dave Ramsey would be mad at us but we applied for the Mypoints Credit Card for our gas card. We have vowed to pay it off every month and to only us it for gas. We still budge for gas the same, but now we are getting points at mypoints for each dollar of each we buy. We are really close to paying off the last of our credit cards, so that should help our budget a bit. We need our friends to help hold us accountable in this though. If we start to get into trouble and start using it for non-gas we are going to cut it up and cancel it.

Our food and gas budgets have almost doubled in the last few months. Steve has been bring salads everyday for lunch, but the fresh fruits and veggies that we buy for them are expensive. It is frustrating because we want to be eating healthy but we can't keep spending so much on food.

Steve won this week in the Biggest Loser contest. I'm so proud of him. I didn't do as good this week. I dont think I was as motivated this week. I figured out a good way to gain or not lose weight is to get really frustrated and stressed out. This month has been really busy and I have working alot at Sears too, so the apartment was really messy and I felt I was always washing dishes. Laundry was piling up too. I also was at my wits with our roommate. I'm so tired her not washing her dishes, not paying rent, "borrowing" our food, etc. I'm trying to let it bother me though because I know she is trying to find a better job and an apartment. We are trying to be supportive and encouraging, but it's been a year. The reason she moved in with us was because she was going to be homeless and we were giving her the opportunity to save up for her wedding. She was also going to pay rent and help us with expenses because we had just lost those hours at the YWCA which equated to $500 in monthly income lost. Well, a year later she still has no money in the bank and she owes us almost $1000 in rent. It's frustrating. Don't get me wrong, I like helping people but I'm tired of supporting her and cleaning up after her.

Fitness Update

Life has been pretty busy this week. July is always the busiest month of the year for me at work since our Fiscal Year ends on June 30th. I have to get all the last fiscal year's data reports done and get ready for the next Fiscal Year.

Our fitness group is going well so far. Greg won the first week with a loss of 10 pounds. Way to go, Greg!!! Tabby said Greg is determined to win, so now we have to be more determined. Our group lost a total of 33 pounds with an average of 3.4 pounds each. I wonder if we should give our group a name. hmm? I'll have to run that by the group.

I have been trying to make a point to go to Fitness USA at least twice a week. On Monday, my training changed my workout routine. She changed me from using the machines to using free weights. I actually feel like I have been making progress on my shoulder's physical therapy. My shoulders dont hurt on a constant basis as often as they used to. I feel a bit stronger too.

Steve said yesterday that he wants to grill ribs and make some fresh bread for the party on Labor Day. The Labor is suppossed to celebrate the successes of the group, so I guess we should make sure someone brings some veggies and fruit to go with the ribs and bread. YUM!!!

Biggest Loser and Healthy Snacks: Banana Bread

My friends and I have started a Biggest Loser Contest. It should be a fun competition. I'm usually pretty competitive. :0) Steve and I have been getting up early morning since we started and walking around the block before work. Well, except for yesterday, I stayed in bed and he walked by himself because I didnt feel good. I did walk today though. I got a Workout Video called Sweating in the Spirit from the Library on Tuesday. It's like Sweating to the Oldies but to Gospel Music. It was really hard. I didnt realize what bad shape I was in and apparently I'm not very coordinated. I had trouble keeping up with the moves. Maybe if I do it enough I'll get better.

Our group has decided it would be to create a cookbook or collection of healthy recipes.
Here is the first installment. I found this website when I was searching online.
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Healthy-Snacks-Banana-Bread/Detail.aspx <--Here is where I found it

Healthy Snacks: Banana Bread
By: Mackenzie Schieck
Just like the bananas themselves, kids come in bunches when the smell of banana bread is in the air. No monkeyin' around--banana bread is a healthy snack that's sweet, just the way kids like it--but it won't have them swinging from the trees (just the way parents like it).

Need a Snack?
This quick bread packs a healthy potassium punch and is easy to make. Just a handful of simple items to mix together, and talk about a last-minute treat--what other baked good is actually better when the main ingredient has been sitting around for awhile?
Ways to serve it up:
* Bake a loaf fresh for the week, then slice as you go.
* Bake several loaves and freeze, pulling them out as needed. (Muffins and quick breads can be frozen for up to three months.)
* Slice loaves and freeze servings individually (wrap each in cellophane, then in a resealable plastic bag). Kids can grab one from the freezer in the morning for a snack if they are going straight from school to an after-school activity.

Lower Fat Banana Bread II
Submitted by: KatieRated: 4 out of 5 by 149 members
Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 1 Hour
Ready In: 1 Hour 15 MinutesYields: 12 servings
"Tender and flavorful banana bread with a minimum of fat."

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
2/3 cup white sugar
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup nonfat milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a bread pan with non-stick cooking spray, and lightly dust with flour.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in bananas, applesauce, milk, oil and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture, mixing just until blended. Fold in walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated pan until golden and a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn bread out onto a wire rack and let cool.

I Love These Girls!

I had the privilege of babysitting these 2 adorable girls a few weeks ago. Kariana was a little shutter bug that day. She kept wanting to the video her doing funny things, so I did. I am posting these so her mom can see how adorable her girls are. She already knows but now you all can know too.

4th of July Fun

I went to see a Silver Hawks game this Thursday and see some Fireworks with my parents for the 4th of July. The game was pretty good. I hadnt been to a game yet this season.

For the 4th of July, Steve and I both had the day off from the YWCA but we had to work at Sears.

After work, Steve and I went to my parents for a cookout and we shot some fireworks off on the driveway. Every year it amazes me how many people shoot off fireworks in my parent's neighborhood which is full of trees and there is never a fire.

I took a video of fireworks that were after the game because Steve wasnt able to be there. He had to work. :0(

4th of July 2008