Gifting

Do you have a neighbor that is close to the family and requires a gift a little bigger than the normal "Neighbor Gift"? It makes life just a little more stressful! Should we get him a beer stein? Some Backwoods cigars? We have another friend from our Air Force days that makes homemade Moonshine! Mind you, we've never tasted it---but it smells like fermented apples!

I'm sure he'll end up with the usual dinner and a movie gift card...but I always try to be just a little more creative than that!

Husband Woes

Speaking of insurance...I would like to take this opportunity to send my husband a HUGE "I told you so!!!!" I'm not sure I've gotten it out of my system...but it will have to do! I just wrote about working on getting an insurance quote and something I didn't want to do--but that the husband wanted to do...has finally come back to bite us in the butt! Last year, there were several siding and roofing companies coming around giving free quotes on hail damage on our house. I was opposed to all of it. Our house was fine! No one comes over to see it--and unless the roof is caving in on me....I don't need a new one. But not my husband. They got him...hook, line, sinker! Last fall we had all of our siding replaced...and they've never come back to re-hang my shutters!! But I digress!!! Now hear I am looking into new insurance companies---and low and behold---every quote is at least $50 more per month because of our claim last year. Now---I couldn't afford the $60 a month it was before...how on earth will we afford the additional $50? But hey...the house looks great...if you ever come over to see it! Oh, and don't mind the fact that we are the only house in the neighborhood without shutters!!! grrrrrrrrr

Life Insurance

Am I silly to be looking into wholesale life insurance? Honestly, as long as it gets the job done in the end---should I care how much of a bargain it was to get? I've been up to my ears in insurance paperwork for the past week. Medicare is pure craziness!!! I've been looking into policies for my husband and I, not millions, we're old! Just enough to help defray the costs of our final preparations. How's that for speaking all politically correct! I'm just trying to cut the amount that my children have to pay when I die....there---a little dose of reality for ya...but there it is!

Christmas Gift Ideas

Oh how I wish we had gotten our kids rain barrels for Christmas! It has rained NON-STOP for the past week or two for them. Imagine the water savings that could have taken place, had we only been prepared! Live and learn right.

We are spending this Christmas apart for the first time ever! It's odd to be celebrating Christmas at the same time--but in different places. But like I've always said--the holiday will be whatever day we get to spend together, even if it isn't the same day as the calendar!

Protection

Do you ever feel like you live in a really bad place? I mean, we live in an amazing place. Our neighborhood is beautiful, and safe and new. But it feels like someone is always trying to take something that doesn't belong to them! We have two neighbors on either side of us, and both have been victims of identity theft. How is that? I mean, we do our best in regards to identity theft protection. We shred almost everything that comes to us in the mail, but what if someone took something out of our mail before it reaches our house? I'm sure there is a lot more that we could do to protect ourselves. I just hope our kids taking some of the same measures.