So Far....(and a Giveaway of sorts)

this winter we've been spared the worst of the weather here in our little piece of KY.

Last night resulted in a bit of ice and about 1.5" of snow.  Sunday is shaping up to bring more (as of yet undetermined amount) and some seriously, seriously cold temps (-30 windchill...in KY?  Weirdness).  We're as ready for it as we can be, so no worries.  I might even thaw out one of the 4 (yes, 4) big turkeys in the fridge and roast it up so we can have all the turkey goodness (leftovers, soup, etc) that we missed out on Thanksgiving due to celebrating elsewhere.  Sounds like a plan!

The funny thing is, where we are in KY, doesn't usually get to bad this early in winter (that I remember)...normally it's mid-January before we see any serious threats/action.  Dang that global warming...oh, excuse me...climate change.  Sure, we had ice and snow my Senior year of High School (and the year following) that knocked out electric for a bit...but overall this year seems colder earlier to me...and with more snow.  But like I said, we aren't overly worried as we have alternative heat/cooking sources and plenty of supplies to see us through.

Good thing too as we discovered that, despite being fairly heavily traveled, the road that runs by our house is not one to get "taken care of" as quickly as we thought.  Bonus to that is that it's been fairly quiet today...surprisingly.  But then you would think not too many folks would want to be out in the middle of a lake fishing with such crazy low temps and windchills....you would think.  Still, there were several vehicles playing to and fro on the road to the marina today.  A road with a huge downgrade that is shaped like an S with a sheer rock face on one side and a 90ft cliff on the other...covered with snow and spots of ice.  Dedicated fisher-folk or idiots?  Your call.

Tomorrow is supposed to be semi-nice though, so I will finally get around to taking all the holiday decor down to the basement along with a few unpacked boxes that contain items not vitally important to our survival.  I'm determined to downsize and clear out that spare room but have decided that taking everything to the basement so the room is cleared and usable is more important right now.  The plan is to bring up a box or two every couple of days, go through it and ready the stuff that isn't staying for donation.  Tanker will then drop it off on his once a week trek to the City for class.

Here's where it gets fun....for you.

Is there something home-related that you've always wanted that you've never gotten because you couldn't justify the expense or make yourself buy it?  If so, comment below with what it is....if it appears in one of the boxes, I'll mail it to you...free of charge. 

This of course means I'll be emailing you at some point if I've got it so that I can get your address for shipping, so don't be surprised if in 3 months you randomly hear from me.  There ya go...spread the word.  Seriously...you have NO idea how many boxes remain in that room and the sort of stuff that is in them (ahem...entire sets of silverware, candle holders, glasses, kitchen gadgetry, etc.).  So the more the merrier!

ETA:  If you don't feel comfortable posting a need/want in the comments, email your wishlist to me at phoenixflats AT gmail.com

(P.S.  Don't forget...click an ad if you would...the one below this post works.  You don't have to actually look at it or buy anything...just click.  Danke!)

Ugh....Just Ugh!

I swear, going over the budget and working out the numbers is going to be the death of me.  Why in the world I ever thought a career in Finance would work out is beyond me.

Math R hard.

I hates it.

It is not my precious...it's a filthy little hobbits.

Okay...geek-freak out complete.

The good news is that I've pretty well got everything worked out.  Thankfully.  Or I would have eventually found myself offering up a child sacrifice to Mammon.

Oh and the gofundme is gone.  We will do it all on our own.  It is our responsibility to deal with.

Also a decision that was made after seeing how a friend in "desperate" need whined about how though the need that was not a need but a want was met, it was not met fast enough to suit.  This hurt because I assisted in meeting some of the "need" and did a pass on items for my own spawns' holiday to do so (it was only two books worth but still).  It also brought to light (because it finally happened in a way that hurt) that we overlook our own needs so often that it puts us in a bind, like now.  A fiver or ten spot here and there adds up...and after looking over the financials from last year, I realized how many of those went elsewhere and not to our dwindling savings.

Not this year.

No, we won't be going full selfish mode.  But we will do a double check on where we stand before we offer help from now on.  There will be deep thought put into monetary donations from this point on.

That being said....next week a trip into town with several bags of outgrown but entirely serviceable clothing will be made so that they may find their way into the donation bin.  There will, hopefully, be several boxes of kitchenware and the likes as well.

The purge is underway.

(P.S.  Click an ad if you would please....you don't have to buy anything...you don't even have to look if you don't want...but your click might, just might, help my adsense account reach the minimum for the first time EVER.)