Bye Bye Mr. Computer and a few pictures

A few pictures of this summer/fall (none of Scott, I just realized, as he took all of them!)

July 2009 Katie wrote this note to us (when she was supposed to be sleeping). It says, "Dear Mom and Dad, I hope that you buy that car." We didn't buy that one, but we did buy one shortly thereafter.
Katie loses her first top tooth!
Scott captured this amazing sunrise from our backyard.
July 2009: Visiting my nephew in the NICU. Welcome to the family, baby Luke!
Our house is protected by superheroes!

Well, we've managed to kill another laptop somehow, so the blog posts will be fewer and farther between. I will only be posting about once a week, as we do not have the money to buy a new computer at this time (and probably won't until I return to work). So at this time, please pray for me as I have my tilt table test tomorrow morning and am on my third round of antibiotics, as well as the Floor family. Troy, the father, has colon cancer at the age of 27. His wife is pregnant with their second child and is due the month he is having surgery (chemo and/or radiation in the mean time). Also, please pray for my discipleship mentor, Judy, as she has stage 4 breast cancer and goes in for another scan soon. One more to mention quickly, Larry (a close friend of Scott's parents) has been told he only has two more months to live, as he is losing his battle with cancer in several organs. My heart is so heavy for all of these families. As I was trying to sleep the other night, I found the following verses and they just brought such comfort to me so I thought I'd share them with you: Psalm 73:2-6, 16-17 "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny." What a comfort to know that I know where my final destiny is and some day ALL of those listed above will be pain-free for eternity. Karin

Wii and Grocery

I'm getting ready to head to Kroger and WOW there are some good deals! I will post them all when I get home, but in case you are getting ready to go shopping, too, make sure you go to shortcuts.com to put e-coupons on your Kroger card, then go to smartsource.com to get printable coupons to go with it.
I also will be heading to the doctor today in hopes of getting a 3rd antibiotic. I just can't seem to kick this sinus infection/ear infections!

From EngineerADebtFreeLife.com:

Nintendo Wii deal + FREE Amazon $25 gift card
Posted by Money Savin' Momma | 9/28/2009 09:25:00 AM | amazon, popular | 0 comments »
Amazon is having a hot deal on the Nintendo Wii right now. They are selling the Wii for $199, PLUS you get a FREE $25 Amazon gift card! This means the price after gift card is really like $175. If you are considering purchasing the Nintendo Wii as a gift this year, you will definitely want to take advantage of this hot offer before it's gone! If you use the FREE Amazon gift cards you get from searching online with Swagbucks and rating websites with iRazoo, the Wii can be totally FREE!


Get the Nintendo Wii for $199 + FREE $25 Amazon gift card

Here are the details from Amazon: Get a $25 gift card with a Nintendo Wii purchase. To qualify, add a Wii console to your cart from September 27, 2009 to October 3, 2009, and you will get a $25 Gift Card in the mail up to 10 business days after your purchase. Must be sold and shipped by Amazon.com

GREAT DEALS!!!

"Oh, the Lord's been good to me and so I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need like the sun and the rain and the apple trees the Lord's been good to me, amen!" Yep, Scott's favorite song from camp applies today; everyday, actually, but especially feeling it today.
1) Walgreens has some spectacular deals! They are clearancing several items to get ready for re-vamping the stores. Some deals I got today:

backpacks~$2.59 each
Cottonelle TP ~4pk $0.89-$0.50 coupon from cottonelle.com/coupons=39 cents!
Walgreens 180 ct facial tissues~$0.50
Aussie products, Herbal Essence products and Bic Soliel razors with coupons and
register rewards CHEAP (don't recall the exact prices)
Domino 5 lb sugar~$0.80 some coupons out there for 50 cents, I didn't have any, but that is still a great deal, especially with holiday baking coming up!
Total spent:$21 for 21 items
Total saved: $52!! Whoo hoo!!

ALSO: go right this minute to www.childrensplace.com if you ever buy clothes for kids! They are having a fall sale, and some of the items are only $0.99! Add coupon code V4989 when you check out for 15% off. I spent $18.83 INCLUDING shipping for 15 items: 2 dresses, 9 shirts and 4 pairs of shorts. Some I plan on keeping and some are for gifts. Remember, Christmas is not too far away! :-) Happy shopping! Karin

CVS Prescription coupon

CVS prescription transfer = $25 gift card! I recently filled all of mine at Target (for the $10 gift cards), so I'll be transferring several next week! Coupon expires 10/4/09.
http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/images/promotions/landingpages/rx/rx09027_triple_adv/coupon.html#

A Little Bit of Everything

What a week! So much to catch everyone up on:
After spending 5 days planted on the couch, I was ready to get out and about on Tuesday. In fact, I was so ready that I totally over-did it. You would think after 6 months of continually overdoing it and then paying for it that I would learn my lesson. Apparently not! Ryan and I went to visit my brother's wife, Jenny, and their four boys. I tell you, those four boys just bring me so much joy!! Any day I can see them is a good day. They are all so very different from each other, yet I just love them all. I am so blessed to be their aunt. Moving on, after that I took Ryan to the eye doctor for his first check-up. He was a little scared, but did a great job. Best of all, he doesn't need glasses! He is a bit color-blind, which was a surprise as we don't know anyone on either side who has that, but so far it doesn't seem to hinder him at all. After that, we met up with Katie and Scott at his parents' house for dinner. I was tuckered out by that time, but it was worth it. I am very fortunate to actually like my in-laws and enjoy spending time with them! As my reward for doing to much Tuesday, I had trouble breathing and hardly slept that night. Since I wasn't sleeping and didn't feel like watching TV, I spent the hours praying for several families who are dealing with cancer, job situations, our pastor and his family, and just thanking God for His protection and provision for our entire family.
Wednesday, I went back to my cardiac EP, Dr. Devecchi. In case I haven't mentioned it before, I think he is really great. He is thinking that perhaps my IST is being caused by my blood pressure dropping quickly when I stand up, which would cause the heart to beat rapidly to compensate. Next Thursday, I will do a tilt-table test to see if that is the case or not. There are some other tests he'd like to run but I have to get rid of this infection before we can do that. Unfortunately, the second antibiotic is not working and I am waiting to hear back from my family dr. for a stronger one. Wednesday also brought a pleasant surprise from a friend: dinner and clothes for Katie to borrow! I'm not sure she realizes what a HUGE blessing that was! Scott has two tests this week, so that gave him extra time to study.
Many of you have sent me great ideas for trimming our budget, for which I am very thankful! Jenny mentioned a great blog that she reads for saving money, so I thought I'd share that with you all as well. It is www.hip2save.blogspot.com I've looked it over and it looks like a great one! Oh, and have you seen the latest Kroger ad? I see some great bargains heading my way on Monday! Don't forget to use shortcuts.com along with your printed coupons for extra savings! Have a great weekend! Karin
PS Katie lost her first top tooth this week! If I can get our computer and camera to be friends, I will post a picture.

Swag bucks link

Whoops! Almost forgot, you can also join swagbucks here:

http://swagbucks.com/refer/krmom

A few more money tips

Ooh, I am so excited to share these few tips with all of you! First, if you have a Kroger near you and you use coupons, listen up! A long time ago, I remember using coupons that go on your Kroger card and I was wondering if they still did that. Sure enough, they do! Not only can you put e-coupons on your card, but you can use them WITH paper coupons! I tried it yesterday, not knowing if they would let me, but sure enough they did and I bought $100 worth of groceries for $50! It has been a long time since I've saved 50%, especially since we started eating healthier. You can find those e-coupons at shortcuts.com (they allow other shopper cards as well, so if you don't shop at Kroger, check the website and see if your store participates). You can find printable coupons at smartsource.com and redplum.com to go with many of those e-coupons (Kroger triples coupons under $0.50, which is how I got so many things for free). Also, I am going to start making my own laundry soap soon. From what I've heard, it is very easy and only $0.75 for 2 gallons. Gotta like that!
A few people have asked about Swagbucks, so I will go into a little more detail. It is very simple to use. Basically, you get paid swagbucks for doing your internet searches at swagbucks.com (they use google and ask.com so the search engines are very thorough). You also get paid when you enter swag codes they are hidden in their blog, swidget (the thing at the top of my blog), or toolbar, as well as when people sign up under you. For example, if Susie Q. signs up through my referral link, every time she gets a swag buck for a search, so will I. Yippee! They have all kinds of prizes you can "purchase" but personally I am going to use mine to buy amazon.com gift certificates. A $5 one costs 45 swagbucks, and I've earned that many in just 2-3 weeks with no referrals. Very easy! I often check www.engineeradebtfreelife.com to see if a swag code is out, as they always keep track and there is one or two codes posted each day (in addition to the swag bucks I earn for my searches). So yes, it does work and it is very very easy! If you are interested, click the "sign up" button on the Swag Bucks box.
I also highly recommend reading any book by Ellie Kay. She is a fantastic Christian author who writes books about saving money. She has 6 teenagers, but manages to live off of one military salary, amazing! I am going to re-read a few books to help us trim the budget. Thanks to Ellie, I haven't paid more than a few cents for deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste or cleaning supplies since Katie was a baby!
Tomorrow is my second appointment with the cardiac EP, so please pray that he has some great ideas. The new med doesn't have the side effects the other one did, but it doesn't seem to be working any better either. Thanks and happy saving!

Money savers of the world, unite!

Next week we will get our first long-term disability check. We are so thankful that God has provided this income for us, but we are also wondering how this is going to work. We will be living off 66% of one income, so we need to cut an additional $1000 per month. At first, it was very overwhelming. We've looked at the budget, eliminated all the extras we can find, but are still short by $100-200/month. In other words, help us get creative! What money saving tricks or tips do you do that you can share? Just as a heads-up, we don't have cable or long-distance, we re-financed our mortgage at 5% earlier this year, we've changed our home and auto insurance to reduce it, our dial-up internet is free, I'm using Swagbucks to pay for Christmas and birthday gifts, our grocery budget is $50 (yes, we can still eat healthy foods with that) and we've already cut out all $$ for clothing and entertainment. So we need ideas that go beyond all of that. Any ideas you can send our way are most appreciated! Thank you!!

On Friday, I went back to my family doctor for a re-check of my upper respiratory infection. I was feeling pretty good until Thursday, and was thinking about cancelling it. Thursday, I woke up with a sore throat and by the evening my left ear hurt, so I didn't cancel the appointment. Good thing I didn't, as I have a double ear infection, sinus infection and pluerisy in my left lung. We are trying a different, stronger antibiotic to try and kick all of this. I've stayed away from Scott and the kids as much as possible and so far they are all still healthy. Ryan really enjoyed his first week at preschool and can't wait to go to the fire station for a field trip in a few weeks. He has homework this year, so he really likes that (I think he feels like a big boy now that he can do his homework while Katie and daddy do theirs!). The whole first grade at Katie's school went to Merry Lea Environmental Center on Friday, which was a big hit! They made apple cider, roasted hot dogs and marshmellows and learned about pioneer life. They even got to play with wooden toys that "Daddy and Uncle Daddy made in the shed when they aren't working the farm!" Not sure who Uncle Daddy is, but we heard a lot about him last night!
I can't remember if I blogged about this already, but I did get denied again on my -short-term disability. It sounds like we can appeal again, so we are waiting on the official letter of denial as it states what exactly the problem is. Enjoy your weekend, from the couch it looks like a pretty one out there!
PS I'm going to attempt to upload a picture. It's an old one, but we are having trouble with our camera software.

Blockbuster Trial

Anyone who knows me knows I love free things. I was on one of my favorite websites today, www.engineeradebtfreelife.com and found out about a 6 week free trial of Blockbuster Access (similar to Netflix, but you can get movies at the store as well). I'm all over free movies! I just signed up for mine, and if you are interested, go to the Blockbuster site and enter groupon as the promo code or get the full scoop at www.engineeradebtfreelife.com That website is also where I douns out about Swagbucks and making my own laundry soap. I'm a big fan!

I've avoided blogging the last few days because we have dial-up and I'm trying to keep the phone line open. I am still working on the short-term disability thing and have now included the agent who sold me the policy and his office, so I feel like I need to keep the line open in case someone somewhere has an update.
The cardiac EP switched my beta-blocker last week, and the changes have been good! I didn't realize how many issues I was having that were related to the medication. By Thursday morning, I wasn't quite as tired, and finally felt like my mind was clear and focused. My heart still races, but I don't have as many side effects so I am very thankful for that. I have had severe headaches every day since switching meds, so please pray that they go away as my body adjusts to the new Rx.
I've really spent some time in the last week reflecting on all of the blessings God has given us. Sometimes I am simply overwhelmed by His goodness! I don't know if I can even put it all into words, but I am going to try. His provision for us has come in so many ways, from strangers, friends and family alike. First of all, He has given me such a peace through this entire process. Yes, there have been times when I feel overwhelmed, afraid or anxious, but for the most part I've felt His hand guiding me and his loving arms holding me amidst the storm. Then there is the food...I think we've had around 40 delicious meals given to us since March! We've also had donations of meat and chicken (I never thought I'd be so happy to get a package of hamburger!), which we've stopped buying to reduce our grocery costs. Gift cards and Kohl's coupons were matched up to complete most of our Christmas shopping (yes, I've started and am 75% done!!) We've even been blessed financially, both through coupons that "just happened" to match up with the Kroger ad so we were able to stock up on cereal, etc. without going over our $50/week budget, and checks to help with Ryan's preschool cost and Scott's books. I say these things not to be boastful, but to share with you how God has provided for us. So if you wonder how we are getting by, now you know that it is not us but God who is taking care of this family. For that, we are truly thankful!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Today, I found out that I am APPROVED for long-term disability! Praise God! That is a huge weight off of our shoulders. That basically means that I will get 2/3rds of my salary each month. Whew! It has been so difficult dealing with the short-term disability company (my appeal has still not gone through yet for that), that I expected this to be a much harder ordeal. I think God knew that I couldn't deal with two difficult insurance companies at the same time! Ha!

Tomorrow night is the Ladies' Game Night at church, and I am so looking forward to spending some time with my friends. I get very lonely some days, since I am used to being around lots of people all day. My two youngest nephews are being dedicated this weekend as well, so I am looking forward to a fun weekend if my body can keep up!

Salt, Salt, and more Salt

Today was a busy day at our house! It started early for me at 8:40 (hey, that's really early for me these days!) with a conversation with our head pastor, Ron. We had a great conversation and he is getting me in touch with another church member who has had a successful ablation. Though I'm not too keen on that idea, at least he's been where I am and possibly has had similar experiences. Then came a conversation with Parkview's patient advocate, at my request, regarding my experience back in March. She was very nice and is on the case addressing my misdiagnosis and all the other mistakes that happened. I also spoke with the director at FW Cardiology about the same thing, and that went really well, too. Like I told both of them, the purpose of bringing up all that happened is not to rant and rave, but to make them aware of what happened so that it doesn't happen to anyone else.
After my busy start, I got ready and headed to see Dr. Devecchi, the cardiac electrophysiologist. He was very nice, knowledgeable and spent about 35-45 minutes with me. He is going to get my papers from Parkview and the Holter test results from Indy and look over them before my next appointment in two weeks. In the mean time, he switched my beta-blocker to one that will hopefully work better and not have so many side effects, like the memory, concentration and fatigue problems I've been experiencing. The other biggie is I need to add much more salt into my diet. Shocker! I never thought I'd hear a doctor say that! Basically, I am drinking plenty of water, yet am constantly thirsty and dehydrated because I don't have enough salt to hold that water in. That causes my blood pressure to go down, which my heart tries to compensate for, and my heart rate goes up even more. So now I am supposed to add salt to everything I eat and drink things like Gatorade, Propel, etc.
Dr. Devecchi and I also talked about the number of health issues I've had over the past four years, and there is a possibility that I may have a problem with my nervous system. We are not yet to the point where we are going to do any testing, but it is something we may address in the future.
Overall, I was very pleased with my visit with him, and feel like he knows what he is doing. He is also going to talk to some cardiac EP friends of his on the east coast and see if anyone is doing research for IST. He and I both agree that I am too young for an ablation/pacemaker, so I feel comfortable keeping him as a doctor.
The rest of the day was a blur of a fabulous lunch with my discpleship mentor, Judy, and taking Katie to the dr. for a 103 fever. Busy busy! Thank you for continuing to pray for our family. Scott's classes are pretty tough this semester and we have not yet heard back about long-term disability, so those are at the top of our prayer list right now.

The week is ending better than it started, hooray! I think we are all starting to feel better, and yesterday I met a few of our neighbors. One of them is also a Christian, and she and I really hit it off. We went walking together this morning, which is something I am supposed to be doing three times each week. It is much more motivating and fun when you have someone to walk with! We are planning on doing it again this week. Also, I spoke with someone from long-term disability and I should know if I qualify next Wednesday! That is much sooner than I expected, so I am thankful.
Before our long weekend begins, I thought I'd share my favorite verse and a half. Each Christmas, my mom picks out a verse for each of us. A few years back, this was what she picked for me, and I re-found it in my Bible last week. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Zephaniah 3:16b-17 "Cheer up oh Zion! Don't be afraid! For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With His love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song." Ahhh, don't you feel less stressed already?! Have a restful weekend!

Rough week

The entire household is having a rough start to the week, thanks to upper respiratory infections Scott and I both picked up. Ryan has been perfectly healthy, but lonely, as Scott and I both lay on the couches, miserable. Katie got away with a mild cold, so we are thankful! I went to my family practice today to get an antibiotic, and the dr and I were talking at length about IST. She made a very interesting comment when I mentioned my appointment next week with the cardiac electrophysiologist. She said, "You mean you didn't see any of the cardiac EPs in the FW Cardiology group?" Come to find out, there are THREE cardiac EPs in that group, so if I had been correctly diagnosed when I was at the hospital, I could have seen one then, making us six months further along in this process. She also mentioned that she remembered learning about IST in med school, but in her 11 years of practice, this is the first case she's come across. Oh well, I suppose God already knew there were 3 cardiac EPs in that group, and if He'd wanted me to see one of them, he would've worked that out back in March. I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine!