And it’s not even our Anniversary

.Reading time 4 minutes.

When Gene and I were married there was one thing I made him promise he would not do at our wedding.  It was always my pet-peeve when the newly married husband would make some absurd, wild claim that the girl he married was “The best” in the universe.  I mean, it doesn’t make any sense.  How can one person be “the best”?  Sure, maybe a good match for him, I can take that, but no cockiness that says:  “Hey you loser slacker guys out there, you might as well give it up since I have found the hidden prize that you can’t seem to find”.  Long story short that was one thing I asked Gene:  Please do not say anything along the lines of:  “Hey guys, the best one is now taken!” 

So I’m not about to make a wild claim that Gene is the best man in the whole wide world.  That’s just stupid.  There are a lot of areas that one could question our compatibility.  We’re both babies of the family so, we both like to be spoiled and think the other one owes it to us to start with the spoiling already.  But there is one area that I think I have possibly found the perfect match.

Simply stated:   Gracious leader.

He makes the money.  He lets me spend it.

That’s not all.  He is just so so so un-controlling. (Sorry, I can’t think of a better descriptive word)  I cannot remember the last time I’ve come home from shopping and he asked me how much something cost. 

If I would say one day: “I spent $400.00 getting a tattoo today” he would probably blink and say “Well, as long as nobody can see it”.  (That might be a stretch, since he whipped the Little Mermaid stickers off Elena’s bike in one hurry.)

He lets me be myself, which is such a huge relief, and doesn’t try to fashion me into some kind of cookie-cutter Mennonite house wife.

You could think with all the non-accountability I have that I would run crazy, buying here and spending there, and getting wild tattoos.  It tends to work opposite.  I value his work much more if he trusts me to make decisions about the money he worked for.

It’s not just financial either.  I see it in how he relates to others as well.  He always chooses to trust others until they prove otherwise.  And I love that about him.

I remember talking to two ladies a while back, and they were talking about how their husbands managed their finances.  They both mentioned how their husbands poured over the receipts when they got home from a shopping trip, and asked over and over how much stuff cost.  Both of these ladies expressed how glad they were that they had married such frugal men.  I remember thinking:  Oh my word, I cannot relate.   Just because those men look at receipts doesn’t make them control freaks, but for me, Gene’s good natured personality is The Best.  I would not trade it for the world.  Or for a round trip vacation to Cancun, or for unlimited supply of Taco bell’s Chalupas.  Both of which would make nice gifts.

Nope, I’ll keep the best thing for me, the un-controlling leader.

 

And now I’ll leave you with some pictures of Brandt’s latest projects.  His motto is:  My House, The Giant Coloring Book. 

August 08 008

The Door 

August 08 007

The Shower

 

August 08 001

 

 The Chair

Not too bad for one day, huh?

 

Shaky Economic Times part 1

.Reading time 4 minutes.

So how is everyone dealing with the “shaky economic times” these days?  It’s hard to write about.  For obvious reasons no one is going to write: “Well we’re three months behind on rent, and the electricity got shut of yesterday, so I’m posting from the library.” 

One big give-away that people are feeling the pinch though, is the explosion of “frugal living” blogs.  There are tons of them out there.  I love them and I go to moneysavingmom most Sunday afternoons to see what the deals are for the coming week.

 It’s just a little unsettling when your husband mentions different drywall companies that have gone under and small farmers that have sold out.  Hmmm…

So work has been a little scarce for him lately, and I was praying that he would find some jobs.  What do you know, he came home all excited, and Yay! He Had! Work!  Lots of Drywall to Hang! For Several Weeks!

 We had a little dance and jig and praised the Lord that night.  He always provides doesn’t he?
It was short lived (the celebration, not the Lord’s provision) because:

Several hours later, what do you know, he came inside, less excited.  The contractor called and said they can’t afford to sub it out. He’s going to hang the drywall himself.

This just confirmed to me that a little higher up in the food chain, people are doing what they have to do to get by.  Small businesses are feeling it.  Large businesses are feeling it.  Rich people are even feeling it.  I read a report about a Beverly Hills Lady who has not gotten her lips plumped in two months.  I know, wow.

 Really, I’m not a doomsday preacher.  Generally, I’m a realist.  I think the next couple of years are going to stretch us tighter than we’ve ever been stretched before.  When I say we I mean my little family.  I also mean my generation, who so far has had pie in the sky.  And I mean us, as a nation, many of us whom habitually spend more than we make.

Just writing this almost makes me excited.  Almost.   We may be on for a wild ride.  And when this cycle has run its course, (it will eventually) we will be wiser and just better than before.  That’s realistic.

 

*****Ok here are the disclaimers.  I’m not an economist by any stretch.  So all of this “it’s going to get worse before it gets better” is just my own little opinion, and I have not so much as an article to back it up.  I also thought Hillary would win the Democratic nomination, and you know how that turned out.

Here’s what I’m basing it on:  Some guy in the Drywall Industry told Gene that the manufactor told him that it looks like 2010, is going to be the hardest year.  

I mean, that’s almost like Alan Greenspan right?