Week 52 of 52: Finishing the Year with a Giveaway.

When I set out to chronicle our debt-free journey and capture the weeks of 2011 in photos, I anticipated a challenge.  One of the biggest?  Having the confidence to put something out there despite wondering if anyone would read it.

Our blog shares glimpses into the journey of Baby Step Two.  Some weeks we were gazelles, some weeks we were turtles, or somewhere in between.  The point is:  if we can do it, anyone can.  Here's our debt-free story:  The Story Behind The Story.

To show our gratitude for what we've learned, we are giving away a free online Financial Peace University (FPU) subscription.  This is a $99 value and is a 16-week online course you can do from the privacy of your own home, anywhere in the world.  FPU was life changing for us, and I hope it will be for someone else too. To learn more about the online FPU, click here.

To enter, just leave a comment below by midnight January 7th.  On January 8th, I will use a random number generator to select one of the comments.  You can enter for yourself, or enter and give away to someone else.  Note:  If you leave an anonymous comment, please include an email address within your comment so I can contact you if you win.

Thank you for your support and encouragement in 2011.  I won't continue the 52 Weird Weeks project in 2012, but we will chisel away at Baby Step Three:  saving our six-month emergency fund and the "next-home" down-payment fund, and hopefully, not the "Oh Well, the Rav-4 Didn't Make It After All" fund.  We don't expect to complete all of this in 2012, but will prayerfully work through these goals.I will continue blogging in 2012 with a new blog.  I've set lofty goals, so more more to come!

Happy Holidays to everyone.  A few scenes from our holidays.

My mother's tree.

 

George enjoying his new shaving kit.

Of course brother's gift is far more fun than anything he was given.

Little man against the big world.  And I leave 2011 wondering if I will ever capture him without a pacifier in mouth.

Week 51 of 52: Actually, I Tell You What

We celebrated George’s fourth birthday last weekend.  We talked about having a party in town with church and childcare friends.  George wanted his cousin Colton to come.  Colton lives in another state, so we celebrated here as a family, then took the show on the road.

Yummy caramel cake from Cecilia’s. Actually wasn’t so yummy until 11 seconds in the microwave, then oh my, oh my.

Watching him play with all the big boy toys was bittersweet.

 

Georgisms:

1. He starts every other sentence with “Actually”. Context: Anything.  He even begins phone conversations with my parents, not with “Hello”, but “Actually…”


2. He will be talking and before he states a new idea, he says, “I tell you what,” I do this too, and I wonder if it's a mountain colloquialism.


3. “The Deal Is…” Context: I'm stating my opinion so listen up. Used only if "I tell you what" didn't sway the audience.


4. “Well, that’ll show us Samuel.” Context: Samuel dropping pacifier on the floor.


Speaking of Samuel, we are seeing more of his personality come out.

Having an "Excuse me Audience, may I have your attention over here, yes, over here on center stage." moment.  I can't imagine where he gets that from (ahem, Walter). 

Feet on table, ala Gregg Gibson style at this age.  I couldn't get the tones right, but alas.

Week 50 of 52: Suck It Up if you want a Smore!!

Yes, I growled those words in a hushed tone to my child this week. One of my finer moments in parenting, indeed.

We visited the Christmas in the Garden display at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens this week. We packed PBJs for the ride, dressed the boys in pajamas under their clothes, and trekked into Atlanta.  Anytime we start a car ride with two toddlers, we tell ourselves, "this better be worth it."  And worth it, it was...

The boys seemed to enjoy it too. Samuel would say, "oooh, oooh" with each new sight.

One of my favorite moments was with George when he spied this frog on the bench.  I'd seen the sculpture before, but never through his eyes.  He lingered with his new friend for a few minutes, and then exclaimed, "Kim, I just had to stop and look because you know, I've never seen a big frog just sitting on a bench."

He also shared my hobby with me - nothing is technically right about this photo... I had my camera on the tripod, and was shooting at 1/3 second, so the lights are blown, and he is blurry of course.  But everything IS right with this photo.  Every time I see it, I will remember his excitement to capture the beauty around us.  Never mind that tonight he deleted every image on his camera because he likes the cool noise it makes while trashing photos.

And in the end, the tantrum was averted with my suck. it. up. threat.  We enjoyed tasty Smores while managing to keep Samuel out of the fire pit.  An observer of his wiggles and near escapes smiled and commented, "He's one who will learn things the hard way."  Hopefully he wasn't prophesying an omen or anything.

We enjoyed it, the kids were enthralled, and we made it safely home, returning with everything we left home with - which is more than I can say for most of our outings.  We may have found a new tradition for our family!

Week 49 of 52: Just a Hunk, a Hunk of Burning Love

That's right folks, meet our elf: Elvis.  He's a handsome little chap, and like the real Elvis, occasionally gets the munchies.  Poor elf, since he ended up at a dietitian's home, he has to improvise from his preferred peanut butter, bacon, and sandwich.

So last night Elvis settled for Cheerios and dried cranberries.  George was thrilled to find him in the cereal bowl, but did ask, "How did he do that? Did you do that?"  I decided next time I won't lie to him, but just remind him the story says if we touch him he loses his magic.

 

My favorite lines from George's letter to Santa (as dictated to me):

Samuel has been grouchy, and George has been good.

Please bring me a backhoe and a new elf.  Please bring Samuel um, um, a piece of paper. (First thing he saw.)

Then I asked, don't you want Santa to bring Samuel something?

Please bring Samuel AND ME a four wheeler.

Please get mama and daddy two bikes and a couch. Wait a minute, if the couch falls off the bike, it will make a hard sound and a big hole."   

Trust me, if I made this up, it would make more sense.

Week 48 of 52: Tallying It UP

I had a rough idea of what I’d spent this year on my photography hobby.  Oh, rough idea indeed.  I recently tallied up every little thing I had purchased.

When I finished, even I was surprised.  No wonder people go in to the photography business to support their habit!  I told Walt I should write a blog post about my purchases, but wasn’t sure how to make it interesting.

He said, “Just tell the raw numbers, THAT will get attention.”

I said, “No, context is important.  I didn't just buy, I sold a ton of stuff this year – all my old photography gear, baby items, and things we no longer used.”  (Including several things of his which he never noticed.  Solid proof he wasn't using them!)

He said, “Write about how you won a camera bag, then didn’t like it, sold it, then bought and sold how many camera bags this year?  Seven?” 

I rolled my eyes and told him, “I can't write an entire post just about camera bags.”

  He said, “Of course you can, write about this week’s dilemma – how you managed to get TWO camera bags in the "sell out in minutes" sale and can’t decide which you like best.  And how I will listen to you say do I sell this one, or that one, do I send one back , or do I keep them both? for the next week.”

I scowled and said, “How's that relevant?”

He said, “I don’t know, but do you really have to write a blog post in the middle of the SEC Championship game?”

So 2012 will begin with a camera bag (or two) I like (for now), and a promise to better plan my “fun” money throughout the year. 

And maybe just maybe, I will promise to share pre-purchase discussions with Walt while he is still listening, instead of 20 minutes into conversation when he has begun nodding to whatever I say. But for now, the 2012 SEC Championship game seems like the perfect time to talk about the future of these two camera bags.

This Week In Photos:
We went to the Pink Pig to celebrate George's birthday and the holiday season.  For my photography friends, the interior lights were overwhelmingly pink (surprise, surprise) so I didn't fight the color casts.  Part of the atmosphere!

 

We enjoyed the scenery and the boys seemed to as well.

A good friend met us there, so we even have some shots of us all together...

I was intrigued by the photos of the original Pink Pig, and wondered how many of my Georgia friends rode the original?

Week 47 of 52: Chattering Delights

Traveling this week, so a quick image with no musings.  George fascinated by the talking turkey.  One of many chattering figures his grandmother has bought to entertain grandchildren. 

Week 46 of 52 - Where has 2011 gone?

Only 6 weeks left of 2011 and with the holidays, it will seem like 6 days.

As I reflect on the last 46 weeks, I recall our goal of accomplishing Baby Step 2 of Dave Ramsey’s plan.  By God’s grace, we finished this in July.  We paused for celebration and vacation, and then began cranking into Baby Step 3:  3-6 months of expenses in the bank.

I must confess, I’ve needed a jump start, so Walt suggested a new sign – SAVING FOR EVERYTHING and we color in a letter every time we save a certain amount.  I’m such a kid; I’m surprised he didn’t buy smiley face stickers.   Of course, another sign on the wall delays painting the bedroom walls…possibly his ulterior motive?

As we chip away at this goal, distractions are inevitable. One of the TVs has broken, the couch cushions have ink pen marks, and our little table is elbow-to-elbow crowded.   We are trying our best to ignore these things.  Heck, with 2 boys, I might as well hone my “ruined furniture” ignoring skills for the next decade.

My aging laptop is the one distraction I cannot ignore.   The hard drive and memory are pushing their limits, and when I edit, it spins in circles and sends me a love note:  “not responding, not responding, not responding”.  I hold my breath, hoping today isn’t the final crash.  So we will pause a month, replace, and move on.  

Anyone who knows me isn’t surprised I’ve invested countless hours deciding… Mac or PC… laptop or desktop… buy used to save a little now, or buy new to avoid re-visiting for a few years.  And anyone who knows Walt knows he would have made the decision in 5 minutes by running to Wal-Mart and grabbing the weekly special.  So if anyone loves or hates their computer, do tell, because Walt is beyond tired of talking about it.

As for this week’s photos, our life group visited a lake retreat near Monticello, GA.  It was rumored to be a getaway for Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood!  I couldn’t resist checking out an aging cabin on the property.

Note how the fireplace is leaning as compared to the chimney outside.

When Walt saw the photos, he commented:  You went in that cabin? 

Me:  Yes

Walt:  Where was Samuel?

Me:  On my back.

Walt:  So you took him in that cabin with the holes in the floor to take photos?  

Me:  Yes.

Walt:  You do realize they are getting ready to tear it down because it’s not stable?

Me:  Um, no, can't say as I did.

 But alas, a glimpse into something we won’t see again.

Week 45 of 52 - The Stories They Would Tell

I wonder about each one…

Who bought it, and how many times did it change hands?

How did it find its way here and how much time has passed?

Who did it carry to earn a week’s wages?

 

Did an owner ever place a wager on my Chevy against your old Ford down that straightaway?

Did cheers erupt and wedding bells ever chime as it pulled away from a church?

Did it ever carry whiskey out of a holler?

Was a sick child ever tenderly held as a mother prayed they would make it in time?

Owners long gone, likely passed on from this earth.  The things we leave behind, and the stories these old trucks could tell.

Week 44 of 52 - Super Heroes to the Rescue!

We bought the costumes weeks ago. At the time, I thought, wow, he will wear it one time, I could have bought an outfit for that price.  Then I recalled last year, when he wouldn't wear his mask, and wondered, did I make a mistake splurging for the "deluxe" version with cape and mask? Little did I know, he would wear it almost daily - costume, mask, and cape.

He wore it while watching a 1968 Batman episode on Youtube, literally dozens of times.

He wore it while eating a popsicle - he even let me put a towel over him to catch the drips.

And he wore it while playing with his little brother.  "Mom, dress Samuel up, make him be Wobin."  They ran and chased each other, finding something they could play together.

The costume is picked and grass-stained for tomorrow, but I will never forget this season of Batman.  It was worth every penny.

This last photo is one of my favorites of the year.  George was posing on the ramp, and without any warning, Samuel slides down the ramp, right into George's legs as the shutter clicks.

It symbolizes much of their relationship - George careful and deliberate in his actions, even at play, and Samuel crashing right through his days.  I believe their differences will help shape them each into better people.  It's our job to make sure they don't wipe each other out in the process.

Week 43 of 52 - Children's Photography Workshop

Tiring week with a teething toddler and a ghost TV turning itself on and off in the middle of the night.  We're keeping the toddler of course, but the malfunctioning TV ended up on the curb. 

My image for this week is from a children's photography workshop I attended last week.  Can you believe this beautiful model is only 12?  I enjoyed having subjects who didn't run from the camera for a change.

Week 42 of 52 - Pumpkins!

We visited a pumpkin patch at a local church over the weekend.  I attempted to capture the season while we picked out pumpkins.

Most of our moments went something like this:  Here comes mom with the camera – RUN!

Other mothers see their child stumble and pick them up.  Moms with cameras see a non-moving toddler on the ground, do a quick visual sweep for absence of blood or tears, and hit that shutter button FAST!

So yeah, maybe I did say, "Mommy won't buy you a pumpkin unless you look at me for 2 seconds."

After we bought the pumpkins, we compared notes on our previous pumpkin carving skills and finding none between us, we did the only thing left to do  – head to Wal-Mart.   

We bought stuff we thought we needed but didn't, so learn from our mistakes: 

• Electric pumpkin carving knife - $5.87  USELESS.
  Would barely move through the pumpkin. George also had a sixth sense for finding it on every counter so we tossed it before the $5.87 knife could yield a $150 emergency room visit.

• Pumpkin Carving Kit ~ $3.87  A BIT USEFUL. 
  We used the little serrated knives and scoops.  All of the picks to trace the stencils broke off. So he used a tiny flathead screwdriver to tap out the pattern which worked well. 

• Stencil Book $1.47 USELESS. 
  We bought an extra book to have enough non-ghoulish stencils.  I ended up googling "funny pumpkin carving patterns" and finding these patterns!   This link gives printing instructions too.

What this sweet moment doesn't capture:  Walt trying to hear the Georgia game on the radio while saying 982 times, “No George, you can’t use the knife to carve the pumpkin. George, don’t cry, just let Daddy carve the pumpkin.  Yes George, when you are older, you can carve the pumpkin.  Get out of the floor and let your mother take a picture . ”

If we had it to do over, we would've bought him a little pumpkin to decorate with markers so he could participate more in that aspect.

Turns out Walt is quite the pumpkin carver.  He was disappointed he lost a tooth on Big Tooth Magee, but he did much better than I could have done.  (Sadly, I suffer from “I can't cut straight lines without left-handed scissors” craft-time baggage from childhood.)  We had fun and hopefully started a new tradition for our little guys.