Spring Break!

Spring break has begun and while I have long list of spring cleaning projects, I'm not wasting anytime getting out to enjoy it. Over the weekend, I went to the Memphis Botanic Garden and tip-toed thru the tulips and gazed up into the magnolia trees. This week, a trip to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens for more tulips is in the plan.
And then eventually... the attic and spare room will be cleaned and organized.

I'll post some pictures of my before/after shots of my "To Do List". In the meantime, Happy Spring, Peeps.

Change Is Good

Well...the time was bound to come. Gotta say goodbye to you, Old Man Winter. We loved visiting with you; catching up in front of a cozy fire and sharing cups of hot chocolate. But like a great friend, you know when its time to go. You will never be forgotten and we will remember our coolest memories. We will miss you, dear friend...til next time.

Hello Lady Spring, how excited we are to see you again. Thank you for the flowers you sent to let us know of your arrival (a tad early but we are NOT complaining). Please feel free to stick around for awhile and make yourself at home. We will be out and about enjoying your company as often as the schedules allow.

Let's raise a glass of our favorite spirits and toast to a change in seasons!

Mr. Man

After throwing Mr. Man under the bus earlier this week, I felt is was only fair that I point out how much I appreciate the things he does to help me out.

Since he's been out of work, I've had it pretty easy around the house. The MOST I do is cook dinner and go grocery shopping. He always has the kitchen cleaned up and most times has the house vacuumed before I come home from work. He's completed a few home projects in between computer failings and even shampooed the carpets. All in all, a great stay-at-home husband.

Let's Eat In

I never thought it could be done, but it was. We, Mr. Man and I, ate in every night for a week. A WHOLE WEEK!! I cooked dinner for 6 nights in a row...a MAJOR accomplishment for me. And after much deliberation, we determined that it was the most consecutive nights in our marriage. We never realized how much our lives revolved around socializing and events.

All this came about as we started the Financial Peace University with Dave Ramsey (which coincided with Lent and my giving up eating lunch out for 40 days) . The month of March will truly be a test of our resolve as we made no allowances for eating out or outside entertainment as a way to build our emergency savings quicker. This has already created a tsunami wave in the Hapner House. Ask Mr. Man...I still haven't let go of his "lunch" from February yet and actually yelled at him for spending $9! Then, in our class, I threw him under the money bus! Poor guy. I may be soon singing "All The Single Ladies". (But at least I'll be $9 richer!!)

The irony of all this...? Of the two of us, I am...no, was...the worst when it came to money. I was the first to encourage eating out, meeting friends and spending money I/we didn't have. And I may as well confess, Mr. Man lost his job in October and we've been ok with his severance, unemployment, and my income. But after 5 months, its getting really tight and we really need a Dave plan.

And there ya have it. So, I'll keep cooking (need to dust off the cookbooks) and we'll keep saving (need to dust off the savings account) and hopefully I'll get to stay cuz he "...put a ring on it"!