Resolutions? No...Declarations!

There are only a few hours until the new year is upon us. Many of you are getting dressed up for parties, already at your friend's home where hearty soup is on the stove, or on the way to some cool restaurant that I've only heard...while I sit here in the comfort of the Little Blue Bungalow. I suppose I should give you some wonderful perspective on resolutions or maybe some of the highlights of 2008. But, atlas, I'm feeling a bit uninspired, but I'll do my best.

I, too, should be getting ready to head over to friend's house, but find myself singing to the radio, making biscuits with Fiona, and browsing on the computer. Frankly, I'm shocked another year has come to the close. It seems like just yesterday I was ringing in the new year at Target (previous employer 1998-2001) in 2000 on the Y2 committee since we all seemed the world was going to explode. (What in the world were we thinking?)

After 33 years, I've come to understand that resolutions or "goals" are only achieved if you want to succeed. For me, some of the best goals or resolutions are the ones not made New Years Eve. For instance, mid-May this year I decided enough was enough with my health and joined the YMCA. Kick starting my health mid-year has been a blessing for me...I have more energy, confidence, and everything else has seemed to fall into place in my little world.

And now I don't have to dread January. As I was working out (OK...make that getting my butt kicked!) this morning in a step class, it "hit" me. Tomorrow, I don't have to worry about starting an exercise program, loosing weight, and getting healthy. I'm already doing it! I didn't put it off for another year...I started my goal when I realized I was miserable with me. (Yes...I just wrote that. Being overweight spills into so many aspects of your life. Trust me, I know. I have a long way to go but at least on the up and coming...watch out world as I start running 5Ks this summer!)

You see, resolutions don't have to "magically" start on January 1st. Make them start when you need them and make them count. Don't just make "loose" comments about your ideals for next year with goals you'll never be able to achieve. Make them count or as my pastor, Jeff Knight, said on Sunday make a "declaration". DECLARE that you'll live a healthier lifestyle, be a better mom, reconnect with those that you've lost touch with. Get the idea?

No one could make me loose the weight and start exercising. You have to want it yourself. You can have the best workout partner, trainer, etc...but only if YOU want to make it your goal will you succeed. I think I can officially say I WANT a better life. What do you want?

So...I guess when you see me at the YMCA on January 2nd, don't assume I'm working on my New Years resolution. No. I'm working on my DECLARATION that I started in May 2008. I've got a long way to go, but I'm making strides in the right direction and you are welcome to join me for the run.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Wordless Wednesday

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

"Where art thou garbageman?"

Never in my wildest dreams would I image I would write a post about garbage, but here I am typing away. No...I haven't lost it (well...you be the judge) or have writer's block. I just can't seem to get it off my mind...we have garbage everywhere...I can even see it from my computer as I type this. Lord have mercy!

Honestly, folks I miss the garbage men and women that visit my street weekly. Remember when I said that snow literally paralyzed our city and then we got dumped on for almost two week. Well...I haven't see a garbage truck since then. Goodness no.

It is painful. (especially for this neat freak, OCD girl) I literally have garbage and recycling in every corner of the house. (I'm just THRILLED to share this exciting news with you all!) On the back porch, laundry room, overflowing on the kitchen floor, spare shower (don't even ask!), and out on the street...garbage, recycling everywhere!

Unfortunately, as you know, Christmas is also one of those holidays that creates LOTS of extra waste. In the midst of this season, image sitting on top of your holiday waste, plus three weeks of regular garbage...oh, and don't forget Mr. Keegan's stinky diapers! (Are you just a bit jealous?)

What? Oh...you say, just put it in the garage. Ha...you are so funny, the Little Blue Bungalow doesn't have a garage. (Silly Goose!) So...here we wait in baited anticipation for the garbage men to come blaring down our street. After three weeks I truly appreciate this service that takes away my trash and recycling...I'm never taking it for granted again. To you, garbage men and garbage women I say thanks. Thanks for your dedication and service. Oh...where art thou garbageman? (Sigh.)

Our normal pick-up is on Thursday morning, but with the holiday I'm crossing my fingers to see you Friday morning. (Yes?) I promise we'll be the crazy family in the Little Blue Bungalow waving and smiling this Friday as you come down our street. We miss you!

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Christmas Picture Highlights

Ah...you haven't heard from me in four days...possibly a record! So...for those of you interested in seeing the Little Blue Bungalow in the midst of Christmas morning I'll tempt you with just a few pictures. I'll be back at the computer with a post for you all tomorrow morning. (I know you are just "dying" to know what is on my mind!)

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Merry Christmas From Inside the Little Blue Bungalow

Merry Christmas friends and family,

I am sitting here with my mug filled with egg nog, thick slice of pumpkin bread slathered with butter, and my is heart full. It is Christmas morning. The Christ child is born...a time to celebrate with family and friends in the freshly fallen snow (yes we got more!).

As you enjoy the food, fellowship, and packages today I hope you remember the greatest gift of all...the price Jesus paid on the cross for you. You don't have to have a prefect past or know every book in the bible...just a deep desire to have a personal relationship with Jesus. He will carry you through everything...divorce, bankruptcy, job loss, etc...nothing is too great for him. I know personally (he has carried our family through some tough challenges) but having him at the steer made it all that more exciting.

Yes...today is NOT about the food, presents, or just having the day off. It is about the greatest gift being born so many years ago in a common stable. Remember this today and always...the real meaning behind Christmas...Jesus's birth.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Wordless Wednesday

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Another Snow Day

I'm starting to feel like a broken record..."another snow day", but here we sit again...in more snow. We got dumped on again yesterday, adding to the mess of snow we already had without any help or equipment to dig it out. (I think we are up to about 18 inches of snow now!) The University of Washington where Drew works even closed for the day so it really felt like a snow day with Drew home. (This hasn't happened at the U of WA in over fifteen years so this is definitely a BIG deal.)

The entire family took advantage of being stuck at home (for yet another day) and delivered homemade pumpkin bread to our neighbors by cross country skis. The neighborhood was surprised to see us out (in style of course), but they were excited to have some goodies from my kitchen. It was a great chance to check in with everyone and remark on this crazy weather as well as GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. (Ah. Ahem. Sorry folks...just having a bit of cabin fever.)

Honestly, I am shocked at how "home bound" I am feeling. I can't even remember how I handled a whole winter of the white stuff when I was growing up in Iowa. And just when I think it can't get worse, I've heard we are suppose to get more snow in the next couple of days. Goodness. I guess we are going to have a "white Christmas" this year in the Pacific Northwest whether we like it or not.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Christmas Family Traditions

I'm sure many of you have vivid Christmas traditions that you continue with your present day families. Since I was a little girl I remember waking up Christmas morning to a big mug filled with egg nog and pumpkin and zucchini bread on the counter cut into big slices slathered with butter. It was always such a treat since the remaining 364 days of the year we ate cereal (no sugar cereal either folks!).

Though our family's breakfast is more varied now (Sorry Mom, no hard feelings.), we still continue eating pumpkin or zucchini bread Christmas morning as well as a few treats from my husband's past. In addition, my husband reads the Christmas story from the bible just as my father did year after year around our dining room table. I love having these moments of my past become my children's memories.

Over the past three years, we have also created a new family tradition special to just us. Each night before Christmas, I have a large Christmas sack over-filling with wrapped Christmas books for each child to pick as a bed-time story. Getting to open a package each night is such a thrill for the kids even though they know that inside contains a book about winter, snow, and/or Christmas. The excitement and anticipation for bedtime increases each night as we get closer to Christmas and Drew and I get to share a special moment with our kids reflecting on Christ's birth.

The cost has been quite minimal for this project and in less then thirty minutes I can always get the books all wrapped after Thanksgiving. The first year my mom helped me (I was on bed rest with Mr. Keegan) purchase as many books as we could find about Christmas from Goodwill and other second hand stores. We were short a few that first year and borrowed a few great books from our local library. We wrapped them like the others but in a different wrapping paper so we could open them first to return them on time. (My mom would go crazy if she know I ever had a late library book!)

Over the years, I have added to my collection when I found a wonderful Christmas book at a garage sale or local second-hand store usually for less than $.69 a piece. I then store all the Christmas books with my Christmas decorations in anticipation for next years discovery. I know this year I'll have to be out on the hunt again as I soon discovered how much drama it created in my house for the kids to take turns opening a book at night. (Wow...that didn't go over well...Keegan didn't CARE last year!) So...I borrowed a few more Christmas books from the library this year to ensure both Fiona and Keegan each had a book to open and enjoy at night.

I love sharing this tradition with my family each night as we head to bed. I hope that maybe this is one of the traditions my kids will "adopt" into their own family's traditions.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Snow, Snow, Snow

Well, after a couple of more snow storms this week I think I can officially say we've been snowed in at the Little Blue Bungalow. School was canceled for almost the entire week, garbage pick-ups canceled, businesses closed, etc...and the Pacific Northwest came to a screeching halt.

In the past couple of days we managed to get over a foot of snow on the ground. Again, I know my Mid-western friends may be thinking so what, big deal? But, for a region that typically has a maybe an inch total accumulation all season this is HUGE.

No one is prepared...(not even me...I shoveled the walk with a garden spade...imagine it!) No one owns snow shovels, has an extra supply of salt and sand on their back porch, has a friend with a snowplow that will plow them out after they finish their own sidewalks. In fact, after living in a snow region for almost my entire life I stood outside yesterday with the kids and I got this freaky sense of "what is going on here?".

It was absolutely quiet (well besides the kids making noise eating the snow...the WHITE snow!).

No snow blowers, scraping of shovels hitting the sidewalk, people warming their cars...no sense of urgency. Nope. The snow had come and instead families came outside with cameras and marveled at it. No one rushed off to work, worked on clearing a path, brushed their car off...nothing. And though, I laugh at how the Pacific Northwest handles snow situations...I couldn't help but stand back and be one of them and do nothing.

So for now I'm sitting in the warm little bungalow looking out at how beautiful the lights cast a glow on the snow. If the temperatures don't change the snow will be here just "as is" for a long time since our town doesn't even own a snow plow. (Shock...I know.) Does it matter? Not really...I'm right where I want to be, in the Little Blue Bungalow on an official Pacific Northwest "Snow day".

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Thrifty Tip Thursday: Grocery Shopping

Welcome back to Thrifty Tip Thursday! This week I thought I'd share with you how our family maximizes our grocery budget of $350/month for a family of four in the Pacific Northwest.

Behind our monthly mortgage, our grocery allowance consumes a large portion of our budget. When we first moved to Washington over three years ago I was shocked over food prices and struggled to keep the grocery bill to $500 to $550 a month. (This was just not going to work on our minimal income.)

Over the years, I've worked really hard to minimize our dependence on such a large working food budget and have managed to keep it under $350/month. (A miracle some months...I might add.) So you might wonder...how in the world are you doing this?

One of the biggest things I do is never buy out of impulse. (Yes...discipline is the key.) We do whatever it takes to stick to our budget and dig just a bit deeper into our freezer and creativeness when we reach our budget on the 20th of the month and realize we have ten more days until the first of the month. We never go hungry, but I'll be the first to admit even I wonder what "magical" meal I'm going to come up with on the 29th of the month. (Smile.)

I always go with a list. (A very well-thought out list...I might add.) This list always corresponds with the sale items as well as few minimal needs/staples such as sugar or syrup. Each week the grocery stores send their flyers or weekly ads via mail on Tuesday which will begin on Wednesday for a week's time. (These ads can also be found on the Internet if your region does not send them out via "snail" mail.) On Tuesday afternoons, I (along with Fiona who circles the things she wants...still hasn't quite gotten the concept) spend time circling the items that are a major deal and make my weekly food plan around the sales, not my taste buds.

For example, if bananas are on a screaming deal at $.49/lb instead of the normal $.79-$.88/lb our family will be eating bananas for fruit this week. (whether they like it or not!...just kidding.) If chicken is on sale for $1.49/lb instead of the normal $1.77-$2/lb, I stock up by buying ten or more pounds and freezing by weight (usually 12 oz a meal) when I get home.

It is tricky balance to know your prices, storage availability, and how your family eats but it is well worth it in your grocery receipt. Most stores weekly use "loss leaders" (products selling below actually cost) to attract customers into their stores hoping that you'll be snagged by the $3/12 pack of diet coke that you'll purchase your bread for $.80 more. So stick to your list!! For example, last week I purchased 8 boxes (the limit) of the store brand of mac and cheese for the kids at $.25/box. We weren't out of mac and cheese, but at that price I stocked up. (But, I didn't buy anything not on the list...a huge feat with kids in the grocery store.)

Coupons can also double your action in saving money at the grocery stores. However, I find this isn't always the case for our family as we tend not to buy pre-packaged food(except for mac and cheese) and are not brand loyal. Our grocery items usually consist of fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and fish or chicken and don't correspond with any coupons. This is way it is crucial for my family to follow the weekly ads for the most savings.

Following the store ads does take time and effort. Sometimes I find myself going to two store, but I tend to have more time than money. However, if you aren't into doing all the "thought process" behind the savings there is a website that does just that: thegrocerygame.com I know several friends that have used the site with great success which helped them clip coupons, told them the best deals, and when to stock up on an item. I did use the paid service for the introductory month, but found due to limited storage space here at the Little Blue Bungalow it wasn't something that really helped me and went back to my own savings process.

But probably one of the best investments in food savings is my garden where I blanche and freeze much of our food for the year. My garden as a whole is another Thrifty Tip in itself so I'll save my breathe (OK...words for another day.)

And for more great Thrifty Tips make sure to check out these blogs: Traci's homemade astringent, Genny's homemade cards, and Anisa's local freebies (Denver area).

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Wordless Wednesday

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes 2008

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest and welcome to the Little Blue Bungalow. The Britten's: Drew, Katie Jean (that's me!), Fiona and Keegan are pleased you've chosen our blog to stop by for a visit during BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes 2008.

As you can quickly tell we have a small home, but never short on comfort, spirit, and hospitality. Our decorations are few, but compliment the simplicity of living in a small mission-style bungalow.

Our Christmas tree is decorated with ornaments from my husband and I's own childhood, themed ornaments: gold balls and various shapes, burgundy hearts, gold paper fans, and topped by an angel (an after Christmas special over 11 years ago!)

Next to our Christmas tree in our living/dining room is a heirloom cabinet displaying some whimsical Santas I've collected over the years. Really, I'm not sure two Santas count as a "collection", but we simply can't overdue it in our tight spaces.

Lastly, is our own version of the Christmas stocking being hung "by the chimney with care". Ironically the fire place was long ago removed so we use the ornate, leaded-glass window to display our Christmas stocking. The stockings were handmade by my Mother-in-law, Bonnie. The top edging of each stocking was created from men's ties recycled from Goodwill stores and a few from my husband's late father, Kent. The Christmas stockings are a cherished additional to our Christmas collection. They are vividly displayed as you step into the Little Blue Bungalow from the front door.



In the kitchen, (no Christmas decorations here, just a Christmas apron) I've got fresh pumpkin bread cooling on the stove and ready to slice and slather with butter. (Yum!) The pumpkins were from my four year old, Fiona's, own garden and were roasted a couple weeks ago for safe keeping. The kitchen is the essence of this hard-working house and prepares and stores away the produce from the gardens. I, Katie Jean, can often be found inside the kitchen working on another creation, prepping produce for storage, or "entertaining" the kids.

We hope you enjoyed your quick glimpse into the Little Blue Bungalow. Feel free to come back often and follow the daily happenings of the Britten's through my own personal, witty writing style. May you all be blessed during the Christmas season and have a wonderful 2009.

If you enjoyed this Christmas tour, please make sure to stop by BooMama's blog (click HERE) and visit other blogs that are apart of the BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes 2008.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Snowed In???

This morning our family woke with wonder and delight to our first (and probably only) "major" snow of the winter season. During the night our world was covered in an impressive three inches of the fluffy, white stuff. Back home in the Midwest, we'd call this a "dusting"...just another winter day, but to the folks in the Northwest they are completely paralyzed by snow.

So as Drew and the kids headed outside to enjoy the snow in the backyard, I fielded phone calls, text messages, and emails of the days events that were suddenly "cancelled" due to the snow and "icy" conditions. (Yes, I know you Midwesterns are shocked!) The first church service at The Rock was cancelled as well as Fiona's Christmas preschool program too since many "neighborhoods were shut in by the snow." Yes, hard to believe, but no one knows how to deal with snow here. Ironically, it seemed as the world had stopped due to these three inches of snow.

Sitting here at my computer, it quickly reminded me of how three inches of snow would never really affect the folks back home in Iowa and other Midwest states. The snow plows, de-icing machines, and good folks would have shoveled their walks before daylight hours approached so daily life would continue as "normal". Yes, nothing really stops the spirit of the Midwest...whether it be snow, floods, or tornadoes. And...if a snow storm truly "snowed" them in, no big deal...time to relax and watch the flakes fly by the window.

Though Washington folks don't get much snow to have extensive experience in these driving conditions or even have one snow plow in town, maybe it is just an "excuse" for the Pacific Northwest to revel in a true "snow day"...to cuddle up on the couch and watch a good movie with family and friends...to stop moving and enjoy the slower pace that God intended on Sunday...Truly a day of rest.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Merry Christmas from The Little Blue Bungalow

Dear Family, Friends, and Fellow Blog Readers,

Greetings from the Little Blue Bungalow...the home of The Britten's: Drew, Katie Jean, Fiona and Keegan. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the first edition of our blogging Christmas letter. We hope you enjoy your paper-less version of our holiday cheer and come back often to read about the daily happenings of the Britten's in the Pacific Northwest right here at my blog, Little Blue Bungalow.

Over three years ago I starting reading blogs of other SAHM's (Stay At Home Moms) to help me ease into the transition of staying home with my two faithful companions, Fiona and Keegan. Throughout those years, Drew encouraged me to start my own blog about the daily happenings of our lives and thus began my own blogging experience on April 2008...Little Blue Bungalow (because...we live in a little blue bungalow in Monroe, WA...if you didn't know.)

In a sense, my daily photo capturing and writing in my blog is a year-long "Christmas Letter" with a lot more detail (some more than you care to know I'm sure...but hey you don't HAVE to read it all.) It has been a great blessing to share with you the smiles on my family's faces, produce from the garden, home improvement projects (some not all completed), Fiona's first day of preschool, Thursday Thrifty Tip, our 10th wedding anniversary trip, and so much more through pictures. In addition, no pictures can be complete without a few words from me, Katie Jean, on what Fiona actually "said" or what Keegan "did"...that is except, Wordless Wednesday when I just post a random picture of the family in the most recent activity.

I hope you enjoy "hearing" the stories of our family's crazy, fun life as much as I love telling them in my own personal, witty style. I love being able to share with you our daily life, routines, and new adventures and know you are laughing, gasping, or smiling in front of your own computer when you see my posts. As my readership continues to grow, I marvel at what many of you find interesting....our family. Many of you I've never met (though I'd love to), as I have readers in many countries and US states. However, I want to thank you for your comments and support as I continue to blog, and I hope many of you clicking here for the very first time come back and visit The Little Blue Bungalow.

In closing, I would love to leave you all with a Britten's Best Pictures Link 2008 for your viewing pleasure. (Please click HERE.) Pictures truly say a 1,000 words, but I'm sure I could say more so I'll try to end here. (I know some of you are laughing...but for goodness sakes...I certainly don't want a Minnesota good-bye and all.)

May all your dreams and wishes come true in 2009 and we hope you remember the real reason for the Christmas season.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean and the rest of the Britten's

Thrifty Tip Thursday: Understand Your Insurance Benefits

We had a busy day here at the Little Blue Bungalow and spent some "valuable" time receiving some routine, but valuable health care. Mr. Keegan had his first dental appointment today (SO darn cute! I wish I had thought to bring my camera as Big sister Fiona assisted his appointment.) as well as his two year old well-baby check-up at our local clinic.

Today we scored big...in addition to receiving top notch routine care at his appointments Keegan got a new toothbrush, tooth paste, small prize (a rubber duckie if you must know), immunizations, stickers, flu shots (me too..., but not Fiona...too much drama...remember...click here.)

Our total cost today...$0.

After working in the dental industry as a Financial Coordinator for three years before taking on my role as SAHM (Stay at Home Mommy), I know how beneficial it can be utilizing and understanding your insurance benefits. So many times, I witnessed first-hand how patients didn't understand or utilize their benefits to their advantage. Did you know.. that most dental insurances have a yearly maximum...meaning they will pay out only so much for each patient each year? So instead of maxing your benefits out if you require a lot of work you could spread it over two years...appointments in November 2008 and January 2009.

Instead of taking advantage of the two free teeth cleanings, exam, and x-rays their particular dental insurance provided patients with amazing benefits skipped the dentist all together. Is that you? Unfortunately, many times they avoided a "small" problem and let it progress to a "major" problem requiring costly root canals, crowns, or removal. What a shame! If they would have done the free "maintenance" checks they'd continue on relatively healthy and saved themselves tons of money in the process.

Do you know your benefits? Have you ever read your insurance benefit book for medical and dental? Seriously folks. READ THEM! Employers want you at work and not sick. (Ah. Hum. This is part of the reason they provide them, ya know?) I know not everybody LOVES going to the dentist for their teeth cleaning or particularly standing on the scale for their yearly physical (if you do...I want to talk to you...you are strange to me), but you are MISSING OUT on a benefit...your life, YOUR HEALTH.

What costs will you incur if you don't take the small effort to take care of your health? Honestly, no one can answer that one, but yourself.

I know if I hadn't taken the time to read my medical booklet last year I wouldn't have gotten an eye check-up (which I desperately needed!) because we didn't have much "wiggle" room in our budget. Instead, I found out I had a benefit to have my eyes examined once a year for FREE. My insurance also provided a $250 benefit towards the purchase of new eye glasses or contacts at an approved facility. (A huge savings for my family and knowing this I could adequately prepare and budget money for glasses.)

Obviously, my family plays a premium each month to receive these benefits, but at a such a small fraction of what it would cost me to pay for private insurance. Take advantage of your medical and dental benefits...drag your books tonight for a little late night reading. (You may get a look or two from your spouse or room mate, but you'll pocket book will thank you!

For another great tip on turning your yard waste to "black gold" make sure to read Traci's Thrifty Tip.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean