We’re busy getting the outside cleaned up in preparation of the “Arctic front” the meteorologists keep telling us about. Leaves picked up, deck furniture and chiminea put away, as well as the bikes and terra cotta pots. We also got the snowblower set in it’s usual spot next to my van in the garage. I’m sure there will still be a few little tasks that we’ll need to do even after the weather turns but for the most part, we’ll be done!

Today has been beautiful in the upper 50’s, although the wind is starting to really pick up now. Likely blowing in that cold front.

I am planning to do some art at the beginning of the week. I have started a painting…a landscape. Not sure how it’s going to turn out. If I like it enough to keep, I’ll be sure to share it here.

Tomorrow is filled with our chili feast with a few of the neighbor families.

• 8 adults
• 15 kids
• 4 pots of chili
• 2 pans of corn bread
• adult beverages
• PB&J for the non-chili kids
• brownies
• treats
• Football on the TV

Sounds like a good time right! Hopefully I can remember to snap a couple of shots of the festivities tomorrow.

Should we all just stop paying the mortgage?

If you have not read this article, you need to.

I don’t normally rant but I can’t let this go by without comment.

I hate the fact that we were responsible when we purchased this house 5+ years ago. We had a decent down payment from the sale of our previous home (which we skimped and saved and even borrowed from our 401k to make a down payment for 11 years ago) and qualified for a much larger mortgage but we chose not to overextend ourselves.
We thought about all the scenarios that would make buying beyond our comfort zone wrong; taxes going up, job layoff, injury, etc.
We looked at a couple of REALLY nice new homes that would have been SO AWESOME to live in but in the end….WE WERE RESPONSIBLE.
We made good choices and now we are being punished. We’re paying for these people who decided that they needed a “McMansion” in the new subdivision carved out of the farmer’s fields that he had to sell because farming just didn’t pay the bills anymore.
We were responsible and didn’t take out a home equity loan to remodel even though we have equity….we were responsible!
We didn’t make ourselves “house poor”.
We pay our bills on time, we don’t go and buy the latest and greatest this to hit that market. We don’t go out to eat. We don’t go to the movies. We haven’t had a vacation out of the state in 10 years. We’re careful with our money.
But now I wonder, why? Why should we have skimped and saved and denied ourselves all the luxuries our credit would have allowed?