FPU!

the husband and I will be facilitating a financial peace university class at our church beginning Saturday, February 21st.  it's a 12-week course with a bonus lesson on giving, the cost is about $100 for the books and all materials, and the class will run 1p-3p.  I've already written about it but FPU, instructed via cd by d. ramsey, has had a huge impact on us.  we were still engaged when we began it last spring, and to be on the same financial page and sharing the same information and goals has brought us together and added sweet, shared victories during this first year of marriage.  the class covers the following topics (lifted from the website):

1. Super Saving - In this lesson, Dave explains the Seven Baby Steps that will guide you throughout FPU.  You will also learn the three key reasons why you should save money—and why you must start now!

2. Relating With Money - This lesson will teach spouses how to communicate and work together toward success.  Also, singles will learn the importance of teamwork and parents will find out how to teach their kids about money.

3. Cash Flow Planning - Unlock the secret of developing a monthly spending plan that really works.

4. Dumping Debt - It’s time to debunk the myths that most people believe about debt! In this lesson, Dave Ramsey reveals the truth about the credit lies and gives you a plan for walking out of debt with confidence.

5. Credit Sharks in Suits - What is a credit score, anyway? Join Dave as he unpacks your credit rating and shows you how to handle collectors when they call.

6. Buyer Beware - Dave Ramsey draws on decades of experience to reveal the power and influence that marketing has on your everyday buying decisions. Let the buyer beware!

7. Clause and Effect - In this lesson, Dave walks you through the world of insurance, carefully explaining what you need — and what you need to avoid.

8. That's Not Good Enough! - Discover the seldom-used secrets of buying only big, big bargains—every time!  Before you know it, you’ll be saying “That’s not good enough!”

9. Of Mice and Mutual Funds - Dave breaks through the jargon surrounding long-term investing and empowers you to make your own decisions about your investments!

10. From Fruition to Tuition - Dave walks you through the maze of retirement options and helps you figure out the right path for you.  You will also learn how to plan for college so your kids can graduate debt free!

11. Working in Your Strengths - This lesson will show you how to avoid dead-end or mind-numbing jobs and provide tips for job hunting, writing a résumé, and acing an interview.  Plus, you’ll learn tips for finding extra jobs if you need cash to attack your debt snowball.

12. Real Estate and Mortgages - Dave draws on over 20 years of real estate experience to teach you how to win when buying or selling your home.  Plus, he’ll dissect all of the common mortgage options available today, showing you what to choose—and what to avoid.

13. The Great Misunderstanding - Warning! This lesson will challenge the way you think about money.  Dave will show you how generous giving can completely revolutionize your attitude and improve your finances, business and relationships.

here's a link to a preview of the class that's been posted on YouTube...

Dave's personality isn't for everybody, and some of the things he says can feel pretty confrontational.   I can only say that the content of the lessons are valuable, and we've been blessed by following the program.  We're paying aggressively on our last remaining debt apart from our mortgage, and during the time we've been collectively attacking debt - which is really only since June of last year - we HAVE experienced peace with regard to money, and our charitable giving has actually increased.  Not that there haven't been struggles... doing the budget, especially the first time, wasn't pretty.  :)   

If you know of anyone you think might benefit from this class or you think your family would like to participate, please contact the church office at reception@swcentral.org or 713-667-9417.  or feel free to give me, M, or our friends the Browns a ring if you have any questions about the course.

-m.y.

wonderful lunch.

what a joy to sit across from you, M! so good to learn more about you and hear your stories. I love how you talk about God, your trust in Him and the way you seek His leading. You make me want to know Him more, and I'm happily thankful for our time together today. I'm so excited for you and all that's ahead.

wow. it's getting heated on msnbc.

so much talk of President Obama's stimulus plan.  here's a cnn article outlining the basics of the plan.

characteristically, I'm skeptical of it... not of the target items in theory, more the mode of attack.  but then again, it's already been documented that I don't believe throwing a ton of money at a problem necessarily fixes anything.  to paraphrase d. ramsey, money tends to only magnify existing behavior and choices, both good and bad.   I think we've watched this play out since the first government bailout was implemented, an unprecedented move I still believe was a huge mistake and disaster motivated by fear and political pressure.

so many layoffs announced this week.  so many individuals and businesses cutting the excess to try to ride it out.  the media are collectively a depressing chorus.  consumers are accused of not buying enough stuff.  a man in California was laid off, so he killed his wife and children.  

we desperately need some hope.  and a far-seeing eye. and wisdom.  I keep thinking of a J. Knapp song as I write:

All these years to many ahead to think clear.
Some say where's my crystal ball.
Some men play the lottery
Makin bets against the governments economy.
They say I'd rather be rich than be alive at all.

When men in miry circumstances fall.
It won't be hard to tell where they placed their resolve.

Some trust in chariots.
But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
To each his own won't lead you home
And probably never will.
I won't trust in the things I do.
They will not stand. they won't come through.
So I'll trust in the name of the Lord my God
I'll trust in the name..

Picket fences may build our defense.
In domestic wars of leisure suits.
That's OK it doesn't bother me.
You can hold onto your philosophy
Of What's mine is mine, what's yours is yours
But whats the truth?

When the walls do crumble and they fall.
It won't be hard to tell where we place our resolve.

Some trust in chariots.
But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
To each his own won't lead you home
And probably never will.
I won't trust in the things I do.
They will not stand. they won't come through.
So I'll trust in the name of the Lord my God
I'll trust in the name...

- In The Name, J. Knapp

the brown-haired lady on the broadcast just derisively remarked about the 'nonsense' contained in Obama's stimulus bill.  the man defends the bill, and she cuts him off, demanding that he acknowledge that there is, indeed, 'nonsense' in this bill.  he concedes, 'sure, there's some nonsense, but you do what you do to get it passed and try to get that stuff out of it later'. (paraphrase)  that's how the bailout got passed, remember?  that's how things work.

I don't have very good answers.  I believe in simplicity - if you don't have the money to do something, maybe you shouldn't do it. save some money in case of emergency. debt = pressure, so be careful. don't do today what is going to put you and your family at great risk a year from now. desperation makes us do some pretty dumb things sometimes, so try really hard to keep from becoming desperate. I want something good to come out of all of this. I hope our children are taught about money matters, and become critical thinkers with the ability to delay pleasure. I want America to learn it's lessons and come out wiser and solid. I hope our leaders lead us in this path. here are some interesting and thought-provoking audio interviews conducted by Studs Terkel to collect information for his book Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression.  which I've not read yet, but would like to very much.

the bells came over

and we had a totally fun belated birthday dinner for M:










somehow, we inhaled the food before I could get a few pictures, but our menu included chicken piccata (made by M himself), bird's nest pasta w/ homemade tomato sauce, steamed vegetables, and this awesome spinach salad that I can't wait to make again. I cut back on the bacon/bacon grease, used balsamic vinegar instead of cider, and since not everyone loves goat cheese as much as I do I served it crumbled on the side for individual sprinkling, but it was still a totally yummy salad that everyone seemed to really like.

the homemade tomato sauce wasn't on purpose. I had thrown butter and chopped up mushrooms in a pan with some chopped garlic, and discovered that the cupboard was bare of Diablo (devil) Sauce, our current favorite cheap & spicy pasta sauce by Francesco Rinaldi. I'd already been to the store and didn't feel like going again, so I started going through the pantry. into the blender went the following:

1 large can of peeled, crushed tomatoes
dried herbs: basil, thyme, oregano, pizza seasoning
celery salt
fresh ground pepper
red pepper flakes
a splash of red wine vinegar
a baby splash of chili oil
a couple of glugs of extra virgin olive oil

I blended the above together, then added a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley and let that blend a bit. I poured the sauce from the blender into the saucepan with the mushrooms and garlic, and let it simmer for awhile. It was a smoother sauce than we're used to, but I've got to say we really liked it a lot and I hope to keep making it and trying new things.

for dessert, we had wild blueberry pie with almond crumble topping, which was really great and easy (especially since I cheated and used a store-bought crust. sue me!). a word to the wise - um, you really do need to let it cool, like the recipe says. especially before trying to put candles in it. I'll spare you the story of me throwing away the first batch of candles and furtively fishing wax out of my lovely pie. the topping on this dish comes out really crunchy with just the right amount of sweet, and rather than grab our usual Kroger brand ice cream I splurged on Blue Bell. this was the bomb with a nice cup of decaf:














it was a really wonderful night. we loved having you guys over! extra points and snaps for C, my brother-in-law's girlfriend, for loaning me the third Twilight book! yeah, I've already started it...


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taken when we went to see our 3-D slasher movie the other day:





scary, right?


-m.y.

saturday coffee and the house is quiet.

here is another of my favorite products:



not only is it the best for getting sticker residue off of things, like picture frames and such, but it also works great if you're something of a careless cook or eater and tend to splash oily things on your clothes. I've even tried it AFTER a piece of clothing has been washed and dried and THEN discovered to have spots and stains, and it still works!


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I cut my husband's hair last night. actually, I sort of sheared it all off. when I met mr. b, he was bald and had an earring in each ear. we can't find the earrings.

it was a weird, faintly alarming feeling to see how easily all of his hair fell off and piled up on the floor. I did it in stages... frankly, I thought he looked kinda hot with a mohawk-ish thing goin' on. I had an unexplainable impulse to go crazy and take the razor to my own head, that same sort of thing that happens when I'm somewhere high and I can't help but think of jumping or falling.

let's all be glad that I have all of my hair this morning. I don't think my actual head would be as attractive as mr. b's.


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speaking of mr. b, he's still in bed and I'm looking forward to this day. we're going to see My Bloody Valentine 3-D this afternoon. um, he picked this one. I'm okay with it, though - I can see scary movies if I'm with other people, just not by myself. ever. I have watched The Shining and Seven by myself. it's not pretty. after renting Seven in grad school, I literally moved the couch so that my back was to the wall and I could see every doorway and window and stayed there most of the night keeping vigil, with the phone glued to my hand and a kitchen knife tucked into the cushion beside me. Seven is actually the midnight movie at the River Oaks Theatre this weekend...

there are so many movies we want to see right now! my short list: Slumdog Millionaire, Revolutionary Road, Happy Go Lucky, Gran Torino, Frost/Nixon. maybe The Reader. maybe Benjamin Button. maybe Bride Wars. maybe Valkyrie. my sister-in-law said Marley & Me is wonderful and positive and she really loved it, but we'll see if I can overcome my STRONG aversion to beloved-pet-dies-in-the-end plots. we may rent that one.

other things I would like to do today:

take Chi on a walk. and bathe him. sorry bubba, I know you hate it.
convince mr. b. to go walking/running with me in the park.
dust and vacuum this house. wash our sheets. I want to do this every time I come home after a long-ish trip.
the laundry needs to be put away, too.
begin work on taxes
nap later.
go to my meeting tonight! I've missed it so!
read more of Watchmen.

I also need to swing by an office supply store and pick up more clear sheet protectors for recipes in the book I've been trying to make for a year. we've got so many magazines, torn out recipes, etc.... I want them organized in a handy book, please. otherwise, it just looks like I've got a magazine addiction around here. which is more true than I care to admit.

husband likes pie better than cake, I think, and we're having family birthday dinner for him here next week.... I wonder if he'd like this tasty-looking Warm Apple Buttermilk Custard Pie from health.com:





it looks so good to me.


hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday.


-m.y.

tonight I'll be in my own bed!!!

I am so ready, people. I've been away from home for a week.

here's a happy love song for my husbin today.... I'll see you tonight, mr. bell!

Sleepy Tigers - Xoxo Panda

- m.y.

we were supposed to be working...

but we watched it. thanks, npr.

here's to the peaceful transition of power.







-m.y.