Basics

I lost my blogger info; so I haven't been keeping track. Very typical of me. I start something, with great intentions of making it fabulous; and then I get caught up in the everyday and forget about it.

It's 2009. What a crazy world we live in! The economy is compared often to that of The Great Depression in the 1930's. We are blessed, though, because we've been able to maintain a very comfortable life despite the economic blow. Our family is still making it. Joshua is working with his dad; he makes a varied paycheck per week, but it's always enough. (our Anderson's Roof Repair business was officially out of our hands in June 2008)

We still live in our comfortable 3 bedroom 1.5 bath 1100 sq ft. home. It's tiny, and it has it's quirks (such as no central heat or central air). I'm thankful for this house, though. As small, and cluttered as it is; this house has saved us from the bondage of renting and ultimately, this house will have been a great investment since we've already made $45k in equity. Not bad.. not bad at all.

Our vehicles are all 11 years old (a 98 Dodge Truck, 98 Toyota Camry, and a 98 Toyota Sienna) It's hilarious, the Camry was purchased while I was pregnant with Kyla, and it has over 200k miles on it. It is missing 3 of the 4 outer door handles, and comes complete with numerous "unique" qualities, but it's still going strong. WE called that car our gift from God car. It's been miraculously low maintenance. The Sienna is a good vehicle. Point A to Point B to transport this 5 member family, and I'm so thankful for it! Joshua's truck, it's basically a yard ornament right now. We need to sell it, because it was previously used for work, but haven't yet. What is the deal with 1998? Great year for car making because we've got some sturdy ones. The best thing about our hunks of metal is that they are paid for and have been for quite some time now.

God is taking care of us in such miraculous ways. He has allowed us to live a simple, minimum amount of financial obligations life, and has prepared us for these tough economic times by allowing us to go through periods of famin. During the times of famin, we learned that no matter what; God is going to provide. He will always show up. Always! There was never a time that our power was shut off, or that we were hungry. There were never times that we weren't able to pay our bills (eventually). We always had clothes to wear; God gave us this beautiful wisdom during those harsh times. Money is still a stressful thing. It's a vital part of our world. You have to have it! But God's grace has allowed us to be ok with the simple things. And, honestly, we're not JUST ok with simplicity- we love it!