::Random thoughts

It's been such a journey!

A journey of learning, a journey of growth.  This moment I was often thinking about, a moment when I would sit down, open my laptop and write my heart out is actually happening right now!  It feels so good to let my fingers tap the ideas whirling in my mind. 

It's been a journey friend, a journey of love, hope, difficulty, and joy.  I can't lie about it.  Many things have happened since the last time I was here.  As I look at the blue sky and put my thoughts together I can only think about how much I have grown over the years.  I've learned so many things.  Tried so many new things and met so many wonderful people.

Life is difficult sometimes and I agree it can get very difficult but we're all in this together friend.  We were all created for a reason and a purpose and all in all we always grow through it. 

It feels so good to be here.  I hope to have a chance to write again very soon with better material for you to fill your heart with but right now I just want to say "hello" and "cheers".  Until then my friend, I want you to think about his...

We were all given a lemon.  What are you going to do with it?  What are you going to do today to help other people and be a source of blessing to them? 

Blessings,

Nancy

.:Debt free living, a trip and a heart that is stuck:.

How can I start this?  So many months, almost a year now, since I`ve wrote something on this blog!

You see, my mother tongue is French, and I love writing in French, so I have a French family blog and I usually write on that one.  

I don`t know why, but there is something about the English language that let me express more my feeling.  It was for that reason that I`ve started The Blessings in our Lives` blog a year ago.

I love writing.  I love putting in words how I feel.

We`ve been well, all of our family.  Aaron is now in university and Keila and James in school.  

What have been occupying our days this last year?

Haïti & paying off our debts!

Since last September, Ken has been travelling quite a lot to Haïti for his work.  He trains the teachers at a new vocational school.  

When we can, we hop in with him and go!

Awwwe!  I can`t explain to you how my heart is stuck!  It`s stuck, stuck, and stuck!  How can I get rid of that feeling of wanting to go back again, and again, and again??  Those children, those smiles :-)

I bet you`re asking how I can get there since we are on a debt free mission?

Well, it goes like this... Ken`s work pay for his trips and that is normal.  I pay for my trips and the kids trips by working very hard at my small Norwex business and by making and selling bread.  Yes!! That`s it!  

Since Ken`s salary was already destined to pay our debts, I decided I will work out a way to bring myself to that place and bring my kids with me.  

This is call a goal,  a focus for me.  Because it`s hard, sometimes it`s hard to work from home at a direct sales business.  But, did I told you my heart was stuck?  This is the reason why I`m doing this.  Because I want to go back.. back to those poor people, back to be a help to them, back to help them find a way...

That`s it for now, Have a great weekend everyone!  God bless!

Nancy

.:What about debt free living...?:.

 

 

There is one thing I would like to write about today... One thing that has touched our life a great deal in the last two years.  One thing that I am passionate about...One thing that people don`t really often talk about but something I think should be talk about more because there are so many people affected by it...  That thing is DEBT.

Last 2008, Ken`s job position has been cut off.  The year after, our family income was cut in half.  He then decided to go to university and for the next 2 year, we lived as university students with a family of 5.

It was tough... especially to change the lifestyle we where used to have. 

As you can imagine, with a family of 5 there was a lot of "emergencies" and guess what... our normal thought was that we had no choice than to use the credit card and to repay it when we could...  But that didn`t work out...

On March 2012, for Ken`s birthday, I bought  the book The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.   After reading it together we decided  that we wanted to become debt free.

This was a huge step for us and this meant a lot of sacrifices, but the Bible verse "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender" really gripped our heart and we knew that this is what we wanted and needed to do.

The first step was to cut our credit cards...which we happily did... Second was to do a budget plan and put $1000 aside for the emergencies, and 3 was to attack those debt with intensity which we DID!

Together we sat down and we did a budget.  I have to say that we had to do this several time until we did it right but it was worth it.  This meant deciding how much we had to put aside for the Lord, groceries, clothes etc. every pay.  We started to use the Envelope system and pay cash for everything.   That meant that when the clothing envelope was empty, we had to wait until the next pay to buy an item...

  All the little extra we had, we dump it on the debts. When we had our income tax refund, we didn`t buy a new couch with it... we dumped it on the debts...

 

 It meant that if we earned a little bit of extra money, we didn`t went to the restaurant with it.. No!  We dumped it on the debts...  and when Ken worked very hard and brought in extra money, we didn`t plan a vacation with it... No!  We dumped it on the debts.  It means driving an old car and putting money aside to buy one cash.  It means saying no to Tim Horton`s coffee every day... If you can understand this saying....  We said NO to wants and YES to needs.  Because there is a difference between wants and needs.

We started to pay the little amounts first and then attacked the big ones.  When one amount was paid, we put the extra money from that payment on the next amount.  It kind of did like a snowball effect.

Guess what...?  After a while, slowly but surely, this huge mountain called debt started to melt...  One goal was met and then another one...  When one goal was met, we put that extra money on the next one and on and on...

We lived and are still living on a very tight budget and it is sometimes hard, but with God`s help, we can now say that we are very close to our goal of being debt free except our home mortgage. This means no car loan, no student debts, no credit cards debts...We are so excited!!  Paying off the mortgage will be included in our next goal which is baby step 4,5 & 6 in the Dave Ramsey`s method.

The reason why I decided to write about this today is because sometimes, I am wondering if there is other families in the same situations...  Other families that are struggling with having more months at the end of the pay.  We want to encourage you and tell you that with the help of God, there is a way out.  For this you will have to to say No to "wants" and get intense.   There is a lot of other families on the same path to freedom.  We are here to testify that it works and we would be very happy to help you if ever you need someone to talk.

Get started with Dave Ramsey`s Budgeting Money Makeover  here. 
Get coaching everyday  Here
The book is sold  Here (We bought it at Chapters)

Blessings,

Nancy

 

.:Packing a box:.

 

Two weeks ago, our friends came here to help us pack a box for the Philipines.  I was so amazed at how many things they could fit in that box :-)

 They put stuff in the shoes, put the clothes in rolls, push and moved stuff around...

 Put Teddy in a bag...

And vaccum sealed it :-)

 

We needed a heavy man to put pressure on it while they tape the box and, Aaron was the best candidate for that :-)  So happy that my big boy has been feeling better for the last 4 weeks!

 

 (I'm still trying to find a way to get those last pictures bigger...)

 

Hope you're all having a great week!

Blessings,

Nancy

.:Little man:.

We have company today!!
A busy smiling little man
Who puts a smile on everybody's face :-)

 

 

 

Hope you're all having a great day!
Blessings,
Nancy

.:Cooking with MY GIRL:.

Keila had no school today so, me and her have been cooking all day!
She did 24 loaves of bread and together we did 36 dipped pretzel sticks.
And... I have to say... those pretzel sticks are sooo tempting!!!
Deliciously delicious :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a long day but a wonderful day because I LOVE spending time with my girl!

Blessings,
Nancy

.:Good morning:.

In case you're wondering where I am....

I'm busy

HERE

Please pray for us.

And, if you need a verse today...this is one of my favorite...

 

Blessings,

Nancy