February happenings

Man I can't believe February is almost over. Where does the time go? It's not like we did anything spectacular or were completely booked that time seemed to fly...

maybe it's because I'm so busy enjoying fun filled enrichment activities with my kids  that I haven't noticed the time...bahahahahah FAT CHANCE!!! I WISH!!! *i honestly try but still have a ways to go lol...I'll post more on the kids in another post.

Anyways...Here's a bit of our February...

Aljay and Art

Aljay's been spending more time on his art-- trying to find a balance between work, working out (yes he's back into gym mode again), family, and art. He's been able to complete a couple of sketchings and one and a half paintings.  

I'm so proud of him for really taking his time and not taking the lazy way and rushing through his art (as he's done in the past). There is a noticeable difference in the quality of his work which has motivated and inspired him. 

It has been kind of daunting for us because... 

(1) Aljay doesn't know how people will respond to his art

(2) He's never done a gallery/showcase/art display or sold his art.

(3) I try to help in any way to help Aljay in any way so that he can focus solely on his artwork...but what do I know? oh yeah...nuttin....so I'm constantly researching, learning, and trying to learn how to sell, promote, price, get the best pricing for art supplies, and all that. 

Luckily, we have a great family that supports us. 

Uncle Mia (Palemia) has been so kind and generous in supporting Aljay. Despite the distance between our homes, he continues to help Aljay in any way he can- getting Aljay paint supplies, driving far to bring items Aljay needs (the fue, to'oto'o, and other stuff from Uncle Henna), and always offering words of encouragement. 

We are so grateful for our supportive family, the ones here in Utah as well as the ones far away. Their support and simple words of encouragement builds our confidence as we venture into something new. And I say 'our' because it's just as daunting for Aljay as it is for me...moreso him...but I've supported him in endeavours that haven't worked before LOL but this time...we both feel strongly about this and have good feeling about it.

I would post pics, but Aljay doesn't want to post anything till he has a completed collection. 

Guess I gotta respect the artists' wishes. lol

Super Model Status

or something like that....lol

Aljay is back in the gym YAAYY!! And I don't mean it in a "yeah cuz he needs to lose weight"  way. I'm happy when he goes to the gym cause he always comes back feeling better, feeling motivated, and just happier. 

During the latter part of January he strained the muscles in his lower back but continued to work with the pain. About a week and a half ago the pain had become so bad that he was sent home early from work and told to rest. He took Thursday-Monday off to rest and recover. During that time he went to the gym and sat in the hot tub and did a bit of cardio to relax and exercise his back muscles. He continued his routine (hot tub and cardio) while returning to work and boy has it made all the difference. 

He's motivated to get back to "super model status" and has included healthy eating to his regime. It also helps (tremendously) that Uncle Mia got him some pre-workout stuff to help him along. And knowing Aljay, he's not going to waste any of it. So he's been consistent with going to the gym and eating healthy to maximize the results. 

Since our gym has childcare, I am able to be a supportive wife and go to the gym with him. (*acking!! cuz yeah I've only been once with him so far lol)....But when I did go/do start going, I can head straight to the cinema room, and watch a movie while walking nice and slooowwlly on the treadmill cuz I CAN!!! Thank you baby bump. All while I  watch Aljay huffing and puffing away on the step master or cycle. lol

Yay for fulfilling a resolution, getting healthier, and happier. 

Blessings

When Aljay wasn't able to work for those couple of days, he was really worried about our finances and having enough to make it through the month. He contemplated just going to work and numbing his pain with meds. I didn't like the idea of him working and prolonging his recovery. I assured him that we had enough to get through the month and everything financially will be okay...tight...but okay. It just so happened that the week that Aljay was off was right before the week that our bigger bills were due. But we paid tithing and fasted (Aljay did on my behalf) and put our faith in the Lord. 

I made necessary cuts in our budget, pulled enough money from our emergency fund to cover bills and expenses, and planned frugal meals. So yes it was a college student meal plan that included saimin, peanut butter jelly sandwiches, beans and eggs (thanks to WIC), pancakes, and oatmeal for every day.  

I could see the look of stress and worry in Aljay's face. As the sole provider for our family I knew the possibility of his wife and kids not having food to eat weighed heavily on his mind. He mentioned to me that he was contemplating talking to our Bishop for help. I tried my best to reassure him that I had budgeted well enough that we were going to be okay, but I didn't stop him from wanting to talk to Bishop. To make things worse, our water bill came in and there was a $50 charge that wasn't supposed to be on the bill. Even though a simple phone call could've changed the total amount due, it still bothered Aljay and added to his worries. 

When payday arrived I checked our account online and my makas almost popped out of my sockets.  Aljay's check came in at $175.00...definitely NOT enough to cover the weekly expenses. But that's not what made my eyes bulge. Our federal tax return had been deposited! And I had just filed them less than two weeks before. I wasn't expecting our return to come in until the end of February.  What a blessing! Heavenly Father knew our needs and answered our prayers!

I was sooo happy to deliver the news to Aljay. I called him at work and told him the good news that our tax return was in, the water bill was taken care of, and that we will be fine. 

Blessing I tell yah. The funny thing is, we had enough money to cover our needs and expenses. I even managed to pull a little extra so that we can do something small as a family for Valentines.  Although the tax return wasn't even used for any of the bills during the week of our "heavy" bills, the biggest blessing was knowing that Aljay was comforted and reassured. 

Cutting our Debts

It's always a good feeling when you're able to eliminate debt!!! We planned to use our tax return to help eliminate our debt. 

First thing paid off-- that blarrrdy FURNACE!!! We were making payments every week and had about 7 weeks of payments left! And now we can cross it off our list!!! Hallelujah!!!

Second thing to be paid off-- CAR!!!! I haven't done it yet....but I can say with confidence that February is the last month we will be making a payment on our car!!! Ammeeenn!!!

Third thing to be paid off-- MARCH MORTGAGE!!!! (It's not exactly bad debt, but still debt non the less)  Since our income had been tight during February I wasn't able to pull enough out of each pay check to cover for March's mortgage payment and having to pull money from our savings was going to cut me in the gut. But thanks to Uncle Sam and the IRS we will be able to pay our March mortgage without touching our savings or emergency fund. Feeling good!!!

So although we won't get to go shopping for things on our wishlist or start our home renovation projects, we are just as excited about getting one step closer to a debt-free life!

February you've been good to us so far. 

Thank you Heavenly Father.