cash and dave ramsey

Can you imagine what it would be like to just use cash? Keith and I have been fortunate in that we have never had a lot of debt. I would say we were the average American family-1 car loan, maybe a small student loan, and maybe a little on the credit card. About a year ago I discovered Dave Ramsey. You can tune into him on AM radio and he also comes on the Fox Business Network at 7pmCST. It gives me such joy to look back a year later and see that the only payment we make is a mortgage payment and hopefully not for long! If you're going into this Christmas season with a big weight on your shoulders I highly suggest finding out where you can take his "Financial Peace University" class and following these baby steps:

1. $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund
2. Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
3. 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
4. Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
5. College funding for children
6. Pay off home early
7. Build wealth and give!
Invest in mutual funds and real estate

"Debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has replaced the BMW as the new status symbol of choice." Dave Ramsey

trail of lights

We took Caroline to the Trail of Lights on Sunday. Somehow I've managed to pick opening night to go for the last 2 years! I'm glad we went on opening night though, despite the crowds, because there was a parade of which included bag pipes, Santa, Will Wynn (Austin mayor) and of course magnificent clydesdales.
Caroline's favorite part was standing in the center of the big lighted Christmas tree and spinning around to make herself dizzy. Oh, and of course eating her first funnel cake. Here she is with a full mouth.

fredericksburg

Last weekend we pulled it together and managed to drive out to Fredericksburg for the day on Saturday. Fredericksburg was the birthplace of Admiral Nimitz and is home to The National Museum of the Pacific War. December 7th was last weekend and it is also the day of Pearl Harbor. Keith's grandfather, we call him "paw-paw", is a Pearl Harbor survivor. Although we only went for one day it was nice to honor paw paw and visit with the family.

Pops and Caroline looking at WWII planes


Who popped in there!

Took this one for you mom

beatrix potter

I watched the most delightful movie today while Caroline was napping, called "Miss Potter." It's the wonderful story of Beatrix Potter, the most famous children's author of all time. She was most known for "Peter Rabbit." I love old English movies, especially ones that are heartwarming and wholesome. If you're looking for a good flick let this one be your next.

moose and deer

When Keith goes out of town we really try to make sure he says goodnight to Caroline before bedtime. He's been gone to the ranch on a hunting trip for a couple of days now. This was the content of their conversation the other night:

Keith: "Hi, Caroline how are you?"

Caroline: "Bring home deer daddy."

I eventually get the phone back and proceed to put her into bed and we have a little conversation:

Lauren: "Caroline, do you know where daddy is?"

Caroline: "hunting trip"

Lauren: "What is daddy hunting?"

Caroline: "Moose and deer."

Keith is obviously not hunting moose, however, I'm sure he wishes he was. I think she is picking up on the moose from when he takes her to Sportsmans Warehouse she see all the mounts on the walls.

Then, this morning I thought I'd revisit our conversation:

Lauren: "Caroline, what is daddy hunting?"

Caroline: "Moose, deer, and elk."

Again, I'm sure Keith wishes he was hunting moose and elk.

Keith is on his way home right now with 3 doe in the back of the truck. I know Caroline is expecting to be able to see them because as you can tell she's been talking about it all week. I'm not sure however how I feel about her seeing the deer dead...this is to be determined(if I let her look.)

**PS**For all the animal right activists out there---we do actually eat the deer!

what a wonderful husband...

After weeks of not having a camera and going crazy Keith surprised me with a digital SLR that I have been wanting for so long. The funny thing is about 3 weeks ago I dropped my camera, we sent it in to Canon, and they want over $120 to fix it. We paid around $200 for it, so it didn't make sense to fix it. I'm sure Keith thinks I dropped it on purpose so I could get a new camera. :)

Yesterday we decided to take Caroline to the Cedar Rock Railroad. I mainly needed a good excuse to get out of the house and experiment with my new camera. I can already tell I'm going to have lots of fun with this! There's no doubt I have a lot to learn. Anyhow, the train ride is about 1.5 miles and it was just the right amount of time for a little toddler. I think she had a great time.

On a side note, please pray for us. As most of you know Caroline had croup last week. Last night we went to a birthday party for a little friend from playgroup, came home, gave her a bath, and then off to bed. At around 10pm she was up with a 103temp! This morning we stayed home from church, yet again, because she has a temp of 100. We'll have a day of rest today and then hopefully she'll back to herself tomorrow.

Enjoy the pics! xoxo.

i love my neti pot

Ever so often when I find something I think is awesome I really feel it is my job to let you guys know. I am mainly speaking to my fellow allergy sufferers this time. If you don't have allergies...well I don't like you. :)
Most of the time when I have allergies or a cold my nose clogs up and I literally cannot breathe through my nose. It's very uncomfortable....especially at night. I found this neti pot. You can actually buy it at Walgreens. It's very awkward the first time you use it. You take the little pot filled with water and a salt mixture into one of your nostrils and water comes out the other side...I know sounds weird.
Why have I never heard of these before? It is really a miracle for me. I can actually breathe. So as the cold/allergy season approaches try out the neti pot. I don't think it could take the place of medication, but it could definitely be a substitute for a nasal spray.