Retro Saturday

Wow, it's Saturday again! Yay, I'm ready for this month to be over, it's been dragging.

Today I am choosing Laura Branigan-Self Control. I used to sit around and listen to her cassette tape in my room when I was a pre-teen. I knew every song on it! So sad that she passed away, may she rest in peace.

Laura Branigan - Self Control

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Retro Saturday

My pick for today is The Metro by Berlin. I'm not sure why, but I LOVE this song!!! It always puts me in a good mood. Enjoy!

Retro Saturday....Spinning

I've had an extremely rough week. I feel like I've been spun around and around all week long. So, I thought this song would be fitting for me today. I actually think I might feel a little better if I could just spin around for awhile. Maybe I need to let loose and go dancing....that sounds like a great idea! Go visit Kim and see her song for today.

Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Right Round

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Retro Saturday

Kim, started posting Retro Saturday again, so I felt the need to join in. Today, I chose Hazy Shade of Winter by The Bangles.

Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter

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Two years....

We've been logged into China for 2 years today! We never thought that we would still be waiting for our daughter to come home two years after turning in our paperwork to China. I know that she is worth waiting for much longer than this, so it's fine. I just want to love her and take care of her. It hurts my heart to think that she could be in an orphanage. She could also be with a foster family. Either way, my wish is for her to have someone there for her when she cries or needs something. I want AG to know how much we looked forward to her arrival, but I don't want her to feel any kind of burden b/c of the amount of time that we waited. I sometimes feel that I could be contributing to that when I complain about the time frames. I hope that we can let her know how loved and wanted she was from the moment we signed the application. We aren't the only ones who are anxiously anticipating her arrival. Both sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, tons of friends are also checking in every month to see when we think we might be getting her referral.

“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
-Romans 8:25

"All children come from God - for some the journey home just takes longer"~ Unknown

New Year Referrals...

That's 5 days worth of LID's for this month, leaving only 16 LID's before our date. So, that means if they do 5 days each month, we've got about 3 or 4 more months to go before our referral for AG gets here. I'm looking SO forward to the day that I can say we have a daughter!

Financial Shape in 2008

I have been searching the internet for blogs that are frugal minded and will help with tips to staying on a budget. I came across Crystal, at Money Saving Mom a few weeks ago. She is hosting a challenge to get in Financial Shape in 2008.

B and I decided that we would start living only on what he brings home each month beginnning Jan 1 to see how we make it. As long as we can get by, I will quit my job once we bring AG home later this Spring. I am bound and determined to make this budget thing work for us, as I want to be able to stay at home with our daughter once we get home from China. This is the one true goal that I have this year. On a side, I had also applied to go back to school and get my Master's in Social Work, but I am having second and third thoughts on starting that in August. Mainly b/c that would mean that I would have to put AG in some type of daycare setting for a few days and I really just want to be able to stay home and enjoy her for a little while before having to do that-so that may be put on hold until 2009. We'll see.

The challenge is to post your budget, but I'm too private to do that so, I'm just going to make my committment to stick to this budget public to help keep me accountable.

I did make some calls yesterday and reduced a few of our monthly costs. We started with cable reduction. I don't watch HBO or Showtime, so why should we pay an extra $23/month for something that we can certainly live without? We're not anymore! Then, I researched and found that I can raise my deductibles on my car insurance and reduce my monthly insurance payments by about $13 each month. I know that it may not sound like much, but when you add things together it can really add up. So, my total savings from yesterday was $36/month. That, my friends, is what we will budget for entertainment. That would get us one movie night out and a couple of rented movies each month.

B ordered all 3 Dave Ramsey books: Total Money Makeover, Financial Peace, and More Than Enough. He's started reading the 1st one, Total Money Makeover. I'm so glad that we are both committed to making this work. It's not a long term change, but one that we feel is VERY important. I can't wait to stay home with our little girl!!

Happy 2008!!!!!!!!!

Awesome Graphics at pYzam.com

I am SO ready to get going in 2008, good riddance to 2007!!!!