Random Thoughts

Once again my husband is off trying to rid the world of car troubles! He is always helping one poor soul or another. The latest had 3 vehicles break down within a week of each other. With only one car and a large family, the man hasn't been getting home before midnight each night because he has so many places to pick up family members. I love that Joey is so giving of his time and energy. That is one quality that drew me to him in the first place. He does everything in his power to make everyone else's life easier and he never expects payment in return. That would be completely out of his nature. I do miss him sometimes (ok, a lot) though. It has been a good month since we've had time to have a good, long conversation. Maybe I'll corner him tonight...


I grew up in a very frugal household and I was taught to be the same way. I started helping pay for my school clothes and supplies when I began babysitting at age 9. By 14 I was paying for all of my own stuff including entertainment, field trips, clothes, etc. I never received a gift that cost more than $20. While my friends were excited to get cars and stereos for Christmas, I was equally excited to get a calculator. Something sensible and practical. That's just the way we grew up. Because of this, I almost died when Joey and I splurged and spend an obnoxious amount of money on Taylor's birthday present this year. We bought him a motorcycle. A brand new, right off the lot motorcycle. I'm still cringing! There are lots of reasons why I finally gave in. At the top of the list is: I love Taylor and he loves riding and I want to give him all the opportunities there are for him in the world. Closely followed by: Riding is Joey's one great passion and he was never given the opportunity to develop the great talent he has for riding. He told me one summer when he was 12 he worked for weeks for the neighbor to buy his own beat up motorcycle. Then he spent all winter getting it to run. When Spring rolled around and he could finally ride it, his parents took it away and never gave it back. Joey has passed that passion on to all of our kids.

Another lesson I learned from my mother (unintentionally taught, I'm sure) is that mothers always put themselves last. I don't remember my mother ever buying anything for herself until my late teens. Then she only bought from her leftover grocery money. Which means she scrimped on the groceries if she really needed something. I don't think it was my Dad's fault. He was in control of the money but, I think he would have given her anything she needed if she ever expressed a desire for them. She always thought the money could be used better somewhere else. I'm exactly the same way. The only thing I buy just for me is books. I get those at Bethel for 25 cents or less apiece and probably will never buy a new book again. So even though I am SO EXCITED to go to this scrapbook convention, I keep thinking about the money involved. This is the first chance I've taken to develop any kind of talent or hobby besides reading. I'm excited to be doing something completely for me, but I feel selfish also. I could be putting the money I'm spending on one debt or another. So the question is: Which is going to help my family more? Me developing into a complete person or becoming financially stable? I can't decide...

Any ideas on how to wean my child from the pacifier and finally get him to sleep all night? That is the other issue I'm working on. Nothing that worked on the other kids is working on him. I can't get him to walk either.

I woke up the other day to fog. I love Fall weather. It reminds me of the pumpkin patch, the fair, and that Holidays are right around the corner. I start remembering waiting at the bus stop with friends, just goofing around. As much as I thought I hated that time, waiting at the bus stop was like a recess before school.