Rick noticed!!!

Rick mentioned the other day that I have been remiss in keeping up my blog and that it had been almost a month since I posted!  So I thought I better repent or my book at the end of the year will not be worth printing!  School is going along and I am taking a math class.  It is a lot about budgeting and learning to have your money work for you.  We have been terrible at this and so we have made some changes that I am very excited about.  Rick and I each have a budget at the beginning of the month and we have to subtract every expense from that number.  We cannot go over the budget.  Now, since I mainly buy the groceries and family items, if I do go over my number he can loan me some of his!  This is strictly a cash/debit card system, no credit cards.  This has made us not spend money willy nilly!  It  has been fun to really try to stick with it and evaluate every purchase.  My goal is to be able to save a lot more than we have been.  Each book we read for class always says pay ourselves 10% of course we have tithing first and then ourselves, but such a great principle.  We had been doing that this year, but controlling spending has always been our achilles heel! We also have put the boys on a similar budget.  They have certain daily chores and certain weekend chores.  They get paid the age that they are.  So this year, they get 13 dollars a week if chores are done.  10% tithing, 10% mission, 10% savings, and then the rest is theirs.  Hopefully they will see the wisdom in always paying themselves too.  Caden is great with his money and never spends it unless absolutely necessary.  Poor Blake does not have two pennies to rub together at any given day.  Here's to hoping that before he leaves our home he will have the principle of budgeting down.   Went to Women's Conference Saturday and it was a lovely day.  When I left, I had the commercial "Milk, It does the body good." go through my mind, but instead I thought of how being with all of those women did my spirit good.  Amazing, faithful, women striving to press forward.  Loved it.  I came away resolved to be kinder, think before I speak, never speak in anger, and show more love.  I also went to a budgeting class and just reaffirmed what we are already striving to do.

Morgan sent Caden a letter in the mail.  She has the tiniest handwriting but it was a beautiful note and made me wonder what Caden had sent.  She said "Thank you for sharing your experience about finding the hand of the Lord in your life.  I love how you can imagine Christ there beside you pleading with you to choose the right." She goes on to say that she used part of his letter at the training  she did at a district meeting.  She said everyone was kind of down and after hearing Caden's letter, they all started sharing experiences of seeing the hand of the Lord in their life.  She said the spirit was so strong and it lifted them all .  I begged him to let me read his email and he finally did.  He sure is an amazing kid!  Thought I would add some pics because blogs are better with pictures!

 Gracie before her hair cut and Gracie after.  I like her both ways but the boys think she is cuter when she is all cut short.

My blonde hair is fighting to come back out.   I need to go get it done again.  This was on my way to women's conference.

Lexi on her way to the Valenine's Day Dance.  You had to wear red if you were available, white if you were in a relationship and pink if it was complicated.  She said she met some interesting guys and by interesting I mean weird!