The Joys of Homeownership

I had it planned. It was on the calender to call on June 1 to make the appointment. That would be 18 months since the last one. I wasn't going to get caught again and have to have an emergency service call. Nope. Nuhuh. *snort* yeah, right!

The sewer system in this house hates me. Christmas Eve 2008, I had a plumber here, reaming out the line on an emergent basis. Can't exactly have the sewer backing up in the house over a holiday and not be able to use the toilet! At that time, it had been a little over 2 years since I had the sewers reamed out for tree roots, and I thought I'd catch it "early" and have it done at 18 months the next time. Unfortunately, Saturday night it started backing up as I was doing laundry. At least I caught it before it started to flood, but still.... On a Saturday night?? Come on! So I called the plumber again for ANOTHER emergency call. $135 literally down the drain. *sigh* Just how I wanted to spend my Saturday night, in the basement, talking basketball with the plumber as he snaked the pipe.

I now have it marked on the calendar for March 1, 2011, to call and get the line taken care of. I really don't want to have to do this on an emergent basis again!

Everything Times Two

Oh, the joys of twins! 95% of what they do, they do together. Youth retreat? Fee x2. Camp? Fee x2. Driving permits? Fee x2. Class rings? Cost x2. I've known this time was coming, when expenses would rise faster than my income, but it hit home this past week. Class ring information came home last Wednesday and information on 2 youth retreats arrived a few days later. Total cost? Around $450. I gave the kids a budget on their rings, and if they went over, they had to cover that overage. DS chose a less expensive ring than the $328 one he really wanted, but DD covered the extra $35 out of her pocket. DS is going to both retreats; DD only wants to go to one. Next up? Camp and then temporary driving permits. DS should have his camp fee covered since he didn't go to the convention earlier this year, but I'm thinking I will need to cover at least half of DD's camp fee. And I suppose I should check into how much permits will cost so I can plan for it, too. Next year will bring driving school and increasd insurance and who knows what else. Just another huge reason to get out of debt ASAP!

Combat Pay Please

I do medical transcription both for native English dictators and those who speak English as a second language. Most people think it's the latter who would be the hardest to listen and transcribe, but honestly, it's usually the former! Bad grammar, speaking softly, speaking 90 miles an hour, eating, talking to the staff and dictating at the same time...don't these professionals realize they are dictating a legal document? One that could be presented in a court of law some day? I just spent 2+ hours trying to decifer a letter from an American dictator, and it was near torture. For a good transcriptionist, typing something verbatim (exactly as dictated) from a doctor who apparently failed basic grammar is like fingernails on a blackboard. I would have been happy to have had complete sentences that actually made sense, but alas, it wasn't to be. Para (within) or peri (in between)? To which Dr. Smith would you like a copy sent? Are you sure the patient had a baby 3 years after you said she had a hysterectomy? It's times like these when I'm glad I'm just a number at the bottom of the report and not a full name. lol When the kids are grown and out of the house, I would love to travel and teach doctors how to dictate properly. But until then, some doctors deserve combat pay, and it would definitely be appreciated!

Tropicana Night

We've been in a rut. We have our favorites for lunch and dinner and haven't been straying much for those few recipes. It's gotten boring. We've also been lax on including fruits and vegetables in our diet. So I'm making a focused effort to try new recipes and foods. We can't expand our culinary horizons if we don't actually try things! The other night I made Honey Lime Chicken, and boy, was it good! The recipe was from All You magazine and quite easy - combine 1/2 c. honey, 1/4 c. soy sauce and the juice from 3 limes, or 6 T juice. Marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I did 4) for an hour and then bake at 375 for 40 minutes. A salad on the side and mango chunks for dessert, and we had a really good tropical dinner. Even DD liked the mango, which really surprised me. I'm planning to try one new recipe a week, and one new fruit and one new vegetable per shopping trip. As a cook, it's such a good feeling to try something new and it becomes an instant hit. As a mom, it's a double good feeling when your kids find something new and healthy that they like!

Debt Payoff Plans

Now that Mr. Mastercard is down to a level where a payoff is in sight, I'm trying to plan how to do that without cutting things so close that I have to tip into savings orm *gasp*, dig out Mr. Visa. I had figured that by cutting things bareboned, I could get it paid off in 2 months, but I think a more realistic figure is 3 months. If it's done in 2, awesome! Otherwise, I'll be happy with 3. We have no birthdays or other gift-giving occasions aside from Easter until the end of October. (Actually the kids have Mother's Day and Father's Day, but that comes out of their budget.) I have a few things already for Easter and can likely finish out the baskets in under $10. I have my tire rebate still coming back, and that will go directly to the Mastercard, along with the check I have sitting here from Ebates from Christmas shopping. That will decrease the balance by $100!

I've also decided that I need a reward when this is done, something to movitvate me. Nothing much, but something. And I need a new purse. :-) Really, the straps on the one I have are cracked and and ripping, and I need a new new purse! I've looked at Goodwill and Salvation Army but haven't found anything I'm happy with. My favorite purse store is Kohl's, and if my payoff is on time, I should be able to coordinate paying off the Mastercard with the Mother's Day sales on purses. That would be nice!

So that is the plan right now. Hopefully it will work out.