Category Archives: Life

Stressful Month- Water Situation

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September has been a hard month.  It has been a month full of lots of little things going wrong which result in me having to spend all my extra time taking care of the little things and the big things and the normal things and seriously I am just overwhelmed at this point.
In September, we had one freezer die, our refrigerator is acting strange and has been breeding fruit flies that we can’t seem to find where, my car has now been in the shop two weeks including an emergency four hour stop. E has had two visits with his parents that have lasted eight hours or more, Lily moved apartments, Zach had a prank played on him that involved his car and last but not least a water leak.
The house we live in was built in 1976 so it is older and I have lived here for over 30 years so things are going to have to be replaced.  We are responsible for the water line that goes from the water meter to the house and all the lines in the house.  We have already replaced the entire line from the inside of the house to about 5 foot from the meter.  Those last five feet are a pain in the but!
Last Tuesday, Zach noticed a water leak and Matt headed home to check it out and fix it.  We first called the water company because if the leak is on the road side of the meter they are responsible.  I also knew we had replaced most of the line and the connection on our side was replaced less than five years ago when Matt was out of the country for business.   Good news, we thought as the water company came and said yeap it is definitely on our side you are good.  We knew it would be several days before they got to it but was not a big deal.
On Monday as we are driving home, Zach calls and says that the water company has dug on the wrong side of the meter. So I call the company and was informed that it was not a mistake but that the leak of 10 galloons an hour was on my side.  After three very long and unproductive calls, my frustration peaked and my number was given to the “general manager.”  At least this fourth call was productive, the leak was confirmed to have been on my side  for at least a week but the water company acknowledged that several mistakes on their side were made.  Matt, Zach and I spent several hours outside fixing a pin hole leak. Matt originally fixed the leak fairly easily but as soon as he tossed dirt in it another leak started.  I started counting repairs and this stretch had at least 3 previous repairs.   We replaced the stretch of pipe and thought all was good but decided to leave the hole open just in case.  Matt checked and we still had a small drip the next morning.
Part of my productive conversation with the general manager of the water company include forgiveness for the excessive water that had been leaking in the ground because Matt could have and was planning on fixing the leak last week. A second part was they were finally going to change my name from Green to Abbott. I just flat out refused to spend $50 on a name change even after 23 years.  The final part of the agreement was that the general manager was going to come out and make sure that there was not another leak of their side of the meter.
This man kept his word and came out Tuesday morning. He did not find another leak but noticed the drip on our side  and asked if they could repair it.  Sure. Not only did they repair it but the replaced the entire stretch of line including new pipe and fasteners.  This was a small gesture that makes me very thankful and relieves a huge amount of stress from us!

Did I Get the Date Wrong?

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Today is definitely September 5th, but after my day yesterday, it really should have been a Friday the 13th.  This is going to be a real and raw blog and I will go ahead and say if I offend you sorry I don’t mean to point fingers but rather just recorded the events so that in the future I can look back and laugh and say I survived.

E was scheduled a visit with both of his parents, which historically cause a lot of disruptions for us. He was awake around 5:30am with his heart racing and hungry. I decided there was no reason to even attempt to go back to sleep so after calming him I was up for the day. He was moving very slowly and required ALOT of extra prompts just to make it to school.
Kendall is completing an internship at Cooleemee on Friday so she is riding with me and planned to hang out at my office for the afternoon.  We went out to eat in Downtown Mocksville. Imagine my surprise when the car would not crank right after lunch. I also had an emergency light that said CVT. This is the same part that was replaced in June. I called the dealership and was not that I was outside the area they can tow in so I could pay an additional amount to them, attempt to drive the car or call for Nissan roadside assistance.  I decided to take my chance and drive the 30 minutes to the dealership.  When I arrived, I was told they only had one technician and he had just went to lunch.  The expected time was 2 hours. I looked at my watch and decided I should still have enough time to make Zach’s game.  I was waiting patiently until about an hour and half in. I was told that I could not get a loaner car until they decided what was wrong.  A little after two hours I was told that it was the battery but they were not sure what the cost was? And it would be at least another 45 minutes.  I lost it.  I started asking for management, luckily about 15 minutes later we were out the door.

Kendall and I got home with just enough time for me to use the bathroom and head to Zach’s game. Kendall was staying at home to get E after the visit.   The game was over an hour away. We got to the game and realized that E still was not home and no one had contacted me at all.  An hour and half after his visit was scheduled to end, I started texting and calling the four different numbers I had for the DSS office. No answer to either text or calls and not one single line had the after hours on call Social worker number.  Kendall was concerned and I was as well. E arrived an hour and forty-five minutes after his visit. I did receive a text an hour after he was dropped off. I also received a call 2 and half hours after he was dropped off.

We were actually surprised the game started on time because of lightening in the area  When it started to rain we moved mom into a slighty covered area.  Unfortunately, her scooter decided that it was not going to work either,   Thank goodness we safely made it to the car and waited out the storm.  Matt and I did not get home till almost 11pm and it was right at midnight when Zach came home.  E ended the night crying himself awake x 3.

Yeap it should have been a Friday the 13th.

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Who likes change?  Not many people can say the truly enjoy when things change.  As I have gotten older, I do realize that I tolerate change a little better than some but I still don’t like change.  Here is where the problem arises, over the next few weeks, the last few weeks of summer, lots of changes are happening!

  1. Lily is moving to Orlando Florida, where she is employed full time by Disney World to be a photographer. This is by no means a sudden change but it is a HUGE one. Both Lily and E are struggling with this change and all it means.  First here is the background. When Lily completed her DCP (Disney College Program) in January 2025, she wanted to stay and continue. However, it just was not possible with her financial expenses of school.  So she came home to finish college and began for searching for jobs that would allow her to return to Orlando either at Disney or as a para legal.  In September 2025, Lily completed an interview for a photo pass photographer and was “placed on the bench”. What this means is that for six months if someone quits then she can be offered a job. In March 2026, instead of being removed from the bench she was offered to remain on the bench for another six months. After prayer, she decided to stay on the bench. At the same time she was offered and accepted a summer internship with Egger. This is the same company Matt works for.  In mid June Lily was contacted and offered a full time position.  She accepted the position, raced to Orlando found an apartment and even managed to work out her schedule to be with us for Easton’s birthday. And completed the 10 week internship in good standing. Matt and I will be pulling a u haul trailer with her stuff to her the first of August. The biggest adjustment for everyone but E is that Paul is Lily’s dog and has moved with her.
  2. Lily was occupying the ‘old” master bedroom which has a walk in closet and a half bath attached. Kendall jumped at the chance to move in this bigger room. Zach originally did not want to move rooms because he thought was it would be less than five years before he was moving out on his own. BUT the bigger bed was calling his name. He will be painting and moving as well.
  3. This left us (Matt and I) to decide what to do with Zach’s (3rd) bedroom.  After some discussion, we decided to purchase a set of bunk beds and put in Zach’s old room. This will be for both Braxton and E to sleep in. E will be able to have his own room with space to build Lego’s as well as a closet for his clothes.
  4. Next question, what do we do with nursery/office that E is currently sleeping in? I actually like having my desk in the bedroom closer to the rest of the house as I am not isolated unless I want to be.  We have decided to make the nursery into an closet/ exercise room.

The bright side of all this change is that we are not forced to complete it all at once in just a couple of days. Kendall will move into Lily’s room first including moving her ears and tv.  Then Zach will have to paint and patch the walls of Kendall’s old bedroom. He also is request a new fan.  Finally we will need to purchase install and arrange the furniture  the final bedroom for E. This will also gain ALOT of our privacy back because we will have a master bedroom suite again!

 

My current plan is to show you as the changes happen!  But change will be slow as E and I will be out of town for 13 days in August!

Monday Menu Planning

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2 full weeks!  That is all we have left until the end of school!  I am using a week of parental leave at the end of the year so that both E and I will be finished at the same time.  I do anticipate that the next two weeks will be non-stop chaos but hey this is life!   I am not sure how much longer I will actually be meal planning ahead of time and not decided what sounds good each morning!  I like to be able to change things up on a whim during the summer to make sure we are using what we have and also what good deals I can find.  Sad find of the week, we are down to 5 pints and 1 quart of salsa!

Breakfast- Saturday- I had bacon, eggs and toast. Matt had a BLT Sunday-French toast Monday-breakfast bowls using 24 eggs so I have enough for breakfast all week and then some! .   Tuesday, Wednesday,  Thursday   and Friday– find it (oatmeal, omelets, cereal and milk, sausage, pop-tarts ,cereal bars, pancakes and eggs).

Lunch- Saturday- Nachos with left over meat from last week   Sunday-Panda Panda   Monday- BLT’s Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday- I went ahead and made up another salad and we are eating leftovers for sure. Friday- definitely eating out!

Dinner- Saturday- Chicken Alfredo with bow tie pasta  Sunday- Everyone had left-overs  Monday-The favorite Leftovers again, I really need to clean out more of the fridge!  Tuesday- Spaghetti. Wednesday-Chicken nuggets and french fries Thursday- Cheese quesadilla and Mexican rice    Friday- Pizza

Five things Friday

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  1. Fun Fact of the day that explains how busy my life really is. The last time I posted a 5 things Friday was March 20th, almost two months ago
  2. We are currently still in a significant drought. We did get some rain a week ago but we are quickly using up all of our rain barrel water. I am hoping that we can keep enough water to support the gold fish and algae eaters that we purchased and put into two of the rain barrels. My current plan is to use regular water in addition to Epsom salt to the barrel for the tomatoes. We don’t have enough to fill from rain barrels so hopefully the Epsom salt will be beneficial.
  3. Kendall graduated from Davidson Davie Community College yesterday. This marks the beginning of the end of the year. Next week both Zach and Kendall go to school but the following week, neither are required. E and I have a full week after they finish but that is only three weeks till Summer Break begins!
  4. Matt and I are scheduling lots of fun trips this summer.  I will get to visit Disney World for close to two weeks!  We also have a beach trip planned to Myrtie Beach as well.
  5. I am hoping to have some extra time this summer to rest and recharge!  We have been doing some extra cleaning both inside and out. Last year, I paid a maid for the first and last cleaning but I don’t think that will be necessary this year!

Seven Things Saturday

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  1. I had every intention to post a five things Friday yesterday but it just did not happen.  So I decided to change it up and post seven things today.  One of the reason that I was not able to post was that Kendall and I spent the entire afternoon at Catawba College where she was interviewed for a full ride scholarship. Although we will not know about the scholarship until March this visit helped to solidify her decision that she would like to attend Catawba next fall.
  2. We are preparing for a major ice storm and some really cold weather over the next couple of days. The current temperature is 25 at 5pm, feels like 14.The temperature is not expected to be above 40 until a week from Monday. We are predicted to reach between 1/4 and an inch of ice. The overall hope is that we do not lose electricity and get to stay nice and warm. Or the kids hope for all snow to play in.
  3. Because of the weather, our church has already cancelled activities for tomorrow. Both the school districts have sent home remote activities. If the weather remains close to the predictions, we all may be home for the next week together.
  4. We have done some things to prepare without going overboard. I took Mom to the grocery store on Wednesday night as we had a swim meet on Friday. We have created an access point at the front of the house which would allow us to run a generator to run space heaters for keeping at least part of the house warm. Chickens have been fed heavily with good bedding and water is full. We will keep a check on the water for the next couple of days.  All warm items and flashlights have been assembled. We have spent lots of time charging things.  Lots of things have talked about and planned. And we currently have load number 5 in the washer. My plan is to wash a sixth load tonight and wash probably 2 additional loads tomorrow. The worst thing that could happen is that we have all clothes clean.
  5. One of our garden beds broke with the bottom falling to the ground. Unfortunately, this was the bed that I planted garlic in. Matt and I braved the cold and moved 21 garlic bulbs. I hope this will mean we get some garlic in the summer but who knows.
  6. I did have a chance to go through my seeds.  I am actually not planning to buy any seeds this spring. I am going to buy some basil plants and some flowers but that should be it.   I will have to buy more dirt as we are adding a green stalk planter. The other big expense will be a watering system to go over the top and connect to the sprinkler.
  7. Food is always  a big deal, I made a huge breakfast bowl for lunch, Lily made sushi bowls for dinner and I have made breadsticks and Chicken gnocchi soup for dinner.

Christmas Reflections

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This Christmas has definitely had a different feel.  Some things are positive and some are negative and some I just know but can’t give a name.

One of the things that has been on my mind is the fact that my “littles” are not going to be at home for many more Christmas celebration. I wanted to soak in every minute and just enjoy this season of life. We started by visiting Disney at the beginning of December. It was awesome and many core memories were made.  I really enjoyed hanging out with the kids with less distractions!  Christmas Day was really laid back for us as all three kids had a cold/virus.

We lost a member of our church to a tragic accident the Saturday before Christmas, this was very unexpected and hard for everyone. I can not even begin to imagine the grief felt by his wife and three kids.

We had to replace our HVAC system, the Friday before Christmas which has some financial implications.  One of which is that we have been eating at home for the past two Sundays.  This has saved us money but we have enjoyed spending time with friends during home meals.

I am excited about the new storage areas that we have and I can’t wait to pack up Christmas in a more organized manner and get things back together in the house.

We are definitely preparing for our pantry challenge. I was able to get an additional casserole in the freezer on Friday. I also canned 5 quarts and 17 pints of turkey broth.  I also got one extra meal of soup in the freezer as well.  We need to finish up a ton of left-overs this week as well.

There is a very personal situation going on that  has “stolen my joy”.

Christmas 2025 was different.

Financial Changes- Life Happens

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I feel like I had finally decided on a course/plan of action for next year in regards to Finances and was actually going to make a post and state some goals.  Good thing is that I did not get quite that far… because life happens!  This time it is in the form of our HVAC unit.
Let’s start with the background:  I noticed in November that the house just did not seem warm so I ended up increasing the temperature for a couple of days without much thought.  The day after Veteran’s Day, I noticed that our energy consumption was the second highest I had ever seen. We called and got it checked out the next week.
Here is a picture of what we saw…
We had to run the fan over it for 24 hours to discover that a “reversing value” was bad. The anticipated cost was $1500 so we went ahead and had the part ordered. A part arrived this past week and on Wednesday they came to install it.  Unfortunately a freon leak was discovered.  After another hour of trying to find the leak and realizing that we were shipped the wrong part.  We were given the decision to make as we continue with the repair knowing it would add another $1000 to find and repair the leak or purchase a new system.  Several factors were presented including our system is currently 18 years old with a life expectancy of 15 years.  Another consideration was that there was no warranty or guarantee with the repair.  In fact we were told that it was very likely that the repair would not fix the problem and in the best possible case we may get another year out of the system as old as it is.
New systems are not cheap to the tune of $8700!  This was a very tough decision to make.  I am not  one to purchase a new anything in case. After thought and prayer. We decided to go with a new system.
After the decision was made, I did some additional research and discovered that we have spent less than $500 on our system since installation.  Matt also discovered that the new system is supposed to be much more energy efficient as well. The new system will come with a 10 year warranty that will be monitored and covered by the same company we have used since the beginning.
The system is actually supposed to be installed on Friday!
Next came determining how to pay for this expense.  I talked about refinancing the house in this post.  During this process we had decided to put some money back in our Money Market account for future expenses.   The bulk of the cost will come from there. The remaining amount is going to be from our budgeted expenses. My plan was to attempt to pay off several credit cards in 2026. This has now changed, we are going to cover this expense and attempt to pay off the interest free account before it expires.    This will be a stretch but one I am going to face head on and attempt to meet.
In reality this means that for the short run we are going to make only minimum payment on all the credit cards (OUCH).  I am going to focus on also reducing our monthly expenses as well, especially in regards to food and other non essential  spending.
   I am planning a couple of posts in the next two weeks with concrete numbers and ideas. Hang around for the journey!

Friday Financial Update

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So this is the much promised post about the big financial change that we have made.  I have hinted at this post on several occasions but did not want to share until everything was complete and final. The reason for this post is very personal, I want to be able to read this in the future, see my rationale and also determine if it worked or not.

We have refinanced the house and rolled the HELOC into it. First the facts, this is a 15 year mortgage with an interest rate of 6.25%. the anticipated maturity date is December 2040. Our age would be 68.

Next, why we choose to re-finance at this time. There are two main reasons that we looked at refinancing now. The first of which is that we or at least I have started to seriously look at and begin to plan for retirement. My top priority going into retirement is to be debt-free. I do not want to have any payments such as mortgage or car. The auto part is really something that I can’t control as much as the mortgage/HELCO.  I knew going in the HELOC was 30 years and my initial plan was to begin making double payments when we pay off the Tahoe in October 26.  The second reason for considering and seriously looking at a re-fi now is that the HELCO was an adjustable rate.  I don’t recall reading this so maybe I missed it. I realized this (my mistake) because the HELCO was a fixed rate for 12 months and then became adjustable. My realization occurred with the notice that it would increase to over 7%.

The problem…. our mortgage was refinanced during COVID at a rate of 2.75%. This has been the one down side and thing that made the decision to re-fi difficulty for me. But when you compare the fact that the HELCO was already high and had the possibility of going even higher then even math said we should re-fi.

We ended up including some cash out when we decided to re-finance in order to reduce our overall debit load and to make paying everything much easier and quicker.  As I mentioned above the interest rate is 6.25% which is less than any credit card at this point.  We will begin making payments on January 1 2026 and begin to make an extra  principal only payment November 2026 which should reduce our term to 8 years or 2034 and our age to 62.

5 Things Friday

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1. The school year is in full swing and I am busy. One of the main reasons I am busy is the major overhaul project of rebuilding/making useable the metal building at the end of our driveway. We took down the entire structure which was a metal tube frame and are working on rebuilding.  I am hopefully that by this time next week, the project will be complete and I have been taking pictures to share at the end.
2. Zach’s JV football team is currently 2-0. Yesterday, his game was cancelled because of storms. Unfortunately, we had driven an hour, and sat in the parking lot an hour before it was cancelled.
3. Zach was able to get his driver’s license this week.  Our driveway is getting crowded. But it is nice to not have to drive someone everywhere every day. I am excited and looking forward to this new chapter/season of life.
4. I am happy to report that all my meal preparation over the summer is working.   We are also working hard to use up items before purchasing. I was able to reduce our grocery budget for August by $300 and plan to reduce more in $400.
5. We have planned Kendall’s graduation cruise. This is an item she has talked about for several years.  We will be cruising in April.  I hope it will be all she wants!