The trees are pruned/down and the stumps are out.  The windows and door are in.  The roofers are here right now.  The company in charge of the eavestroughing sent us an invoice for the wrong amount.   Talked to a friend today about how to handle that.  She suggested photocopying the contract where it shows that amount paid and subtract it from the total bill, sending them a letter with the payment explaining what I've done.  Paul and I have decided to sit down and review the contracts tonight, to see how much is actually owing on them.  Hopefully the work on the house will be done this week.  The dust will settle financially by the end of the month.  And then I can get onto my fall activities.

I've been fitting in more exercise this week.  It's finally a decent temperature - not too hot, not too cold.  I've been doing a lot of walking. 

I've been enjoying cooking for Paul again.  It's nice to know every night can be special and not rushed because of the demands of children...no matter what their age.  They're wonderful, but they can be tiring!

I've been listening to Dave Ramsey "Financial Peace University" CDs the last few days.  I'm taking notes.  Paul and I do a lot of this stuff already, but as with most couples, we could use a tune-up.  Dave makes it fun.  I have to be brutally honest and say Paul doesn't.  But we will both learn from this.  For I'm sure I haven't been the easiest person to deal with over finances either!  Seems one or the other of us is dragging the other kicking and screaming on the road to what we think is financial freedom...only to find it doesn't work when you have stubborn mule twice your size or determination on the other end of the rope.  We listened to the first DR CD a couple nights ago and had a good chuckle. 

Since then I've listened to the second CD three times alone, trying to figure out the areas Paul and I have fallen down in when it comes to budgeting.  I think the answer is that we rely too much on Quicken.  It's all on the computer, so what's the problem?  Plus, we use Quicken averages for our monthly budget, which we've discovered just plain doesn't make sense.  A lot of the adjusting we have to do, we do in our heads, meaning we forget things a lot of the time...spending money for savings on other 'necessities'.  Anyone who's heard DR knows the story!  Anyway, I'm hoping to continue on sorting things out in this area.

I've been getting a lot done on money making projects.  I'm still working on a rug for someone.  He wants it to hang on the wall.  It's a heavy rug.  I hope my system works.  I've been knitting, quilting, cutting out fleece hats to sew...just generally getting caught up on things.  Spring and fall are my favourite seasons for getting things done!  I'm making the most of them this year.

I've been pricing out what I pay for acupuncture against my friends, and phoning a few places to double check to see if I'm getting a fair price.  I may have to drop it due to the cost.

I've been freezing grapes lately.  Froze 20 bananas for the next while.  I have tomatoes ripening on the counter.  And pears ripening in the cupboard.  I'm looking forward to some canning tomorrow, and possibly some freezing of tomatoes.

I've been enjoying baking in the cooler weather.  Today was blueberry lemon muffins and biscuits.  I made some Curried Pumpkin Soup for supper tonight to go with the biscuits.  I replaced the skim milk with rice milk.

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Curried Pumpkin Soup
"Lighthearted Everyday Cooking" Anne Lindsay

4 Servings    

 1 tablespoon  olive oil
  1/2 cup  onion -- finely chopped
  1 clove  garlic -- minced
  1/2 pound  mushroom -- sliced
  2 tablespoons  flour, all-purpose
  nutmeg -- freshly ground
  1 teaspoon  curry powder
  2 cups  chicken stock
  2 cups  pumpkin puree
  1 tablespoon  honey
  2 cups  skim milk

In large pan, saute onion, garlic and mushrooms in oil 8-10 min., till soft.  Add flour and curry powder.  Cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring till well blended.  Gradually add stock, whisking till smooth. Stir in pumpkin and honey; season to taste with nutmeg.  Cook over low heat 15 min., stirring occasionally.  Freeze at this point if freezing.  If not, add milk and heat through.

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So I guess you could say we are still working on Money Makeover challenges...slowly.  I am very reluctant to commit to any money making ventures that involve me committing a lot of time outside the house.  I simply need to pace myself and give myself lots of down time so I don't stress out.  Still, I do need to work on earning a little extra pocket cash, just to feel a bit more secure about my ability to survive if anything happened to Paul.