We keep trying to find ways to survive, finding out we owe over $5,000.00 in taxes didn't help any though. I have canceled all of our insurance except our home owners and our life insurance and of course the insurance on the vehicles that is required by law. Today I canceled everything on our satellite tv plan down to the base package. We have to keep the Disney channels for Emily :)

Our internet business is slower than it has ever been except for a brief period after 911. When 911 happened it was as if someone had flipped a switch. Up until then we had a pretty steady flow of orders then suddenly nothing for several months.

The shop is still doing okay but it alone isn't enough to keep us above water.

I keep hoping and believing that things will start picking up, once tax season is over and summer gets closer (the music business is traditionally busier during the summer tour season)

It is really hard for me, mentally, to see our savings dwindling.

A Whole New Life

Well, this week I start a new thing. I am unemployed starting April 1. I feel like God is wanting me to write. For the time I have off, or until I absolutely have to take a job, no matter what it pays, I am supposed to write. I have four kids' curriculum projects; my book to my family; my Mercy blog and my personal blog. Pray for me, will you? I'd like to somehow earn some money writing, editing, etc. Thanks, ladies.

I guess I'm not that interested in losing weight. I'm walking/jogging almost every day when the weather cooperates and eating as I please. The scale hasn't budge one way or another. I'm not pushing myself to do anything more right now.

One thing I've noticed is my aerobic tolerance is so much less than it ever has been. I know that has to do with being pregnant and not working out for quite a while, but it's really deteriorated. Walking up the hill by my house is a true task and it's a hill I used to run up in my teens. I think something my surgeon told me might be the cause. He said that being pregnant and all of the stress that adds to the heart along with the stress of the ASD caused me to go into acute heart failure. That would be the reason the first cardiologist thought I needed a heart transplant. Luckily for me my heart was able to recover and no transplant was needed, but I'm wondering if the damage that currently exists is in some part due to all the added stress of pregnancy. Even at 8 months pregnant I could walk up this hill without much of a problem. Now I huff and puff my way up and my lungs feel like they are on fire! I'm very interested to see how things will feel after the surgery.

Oh, and these stretch marks. They suck!

Oprah on Thursday was about shopping (for groceries)wisely, not buying prepackaged foods, buying what you need and not being wasteful, about cooking for your family..

For some reason I am always totally surprised at the number of women who don't know this???

I guess I am just old school but it still surprises me that there are so many young women who can't and don't cook. Both of my married sons have wives that don't cook. My sons do.

There was one woman on Oprah recently with two older teen boys and she admitted that they had not sat down at the dinner table together in TWO years! To me that is just unbelievable.

No wonder there is so much talk on television about bringing back the family dinner...

The no sugar thing didn't work. I lost 2lbs in two weeks which is frustrating and really not worth all that effort. David's sister has convinced me to try the Zone diet. She's been on it for as long as I've known her and even used it to lose baby weight from both of her pregnancies. I was supposed to start it on Monday, but faltered a little. Periods and diets don't seem to mix very well.

It's almost time for the 2009 Championship!

This is one of my most favorite global competitions. It's completely frivolous yet it brings people together from many generations. It also allows people to be comfortable with non-conformity.

Now, if only they'd have a 'Best Granny Whiskers' competition.... I'd take a run at it. Dye my 17 whiskers brilliant aqua and go as best abstract beard.

Have a wonderful day, Phenomenal Women!

Dilema

I'm trying to decide....

Mark's life insurance policy is with AIG. We have been with them for years, ten or more years. This policy is a return-of-premiums policy and under 5 years old, so, if I cancel it now we will lose everything we have paid in on it. But, I keep wondering if it is just stupid to keep paying it. The government says it won't let AIG fail, but who the hell trusts anything "they" say? AIG says that the insurance part of the company is still okay... again, how can you trust what they say?

Will they fail? What in the world would I do if something happened to Mark and his insurance didn't pay off????

Life's a gamble and I don't know which way to bet.