Lock Screens

I downloaded these lock screens at some point and I really love them but I know I got them from another blogger that made new ones monthly. I can’t remember her blog so I’m uploading them again to try to find them online somehow.

Mvelope Budgeting

Yesterday, Facebook reminded me of this post on my timeline:

And you know what? I WAS crazy!  Here's why: Google Sheets did NOT work.  It was a good idea and all, but it was just too cumbersome and unpractical for what I wanted to do to keep track of my finances.  And so, after several months of trying to keep up with the spreadsheet to do a version of "virtual envelope budgeting", and one very long stretch of not balancing my register (resulting in a 10-hour project to bring it all back up to date), I said, "There's got to be a better way!"

And that's when I found Mvelopes.

Usually when I find a new tool that I think is going to be very useful I go and blab about it right away to everybody with tons of excitement.  Half the time the tool ends up being a flop--just like the Google Sheets option.  This time I gave it some time.  But after a month of using Mvelopes, this app has not failed me.

When I went looking for a new way to keep track of my finances, I was looking for three main features:

1. The app had to make it easy to separate out my finances into mini savings accounts--envelopes--to keep track of how much my budget would allow me to spend on what.
2. The app had to be quick and easy to use while on the go so I wouldn't get so far behind again.
3. The app had to be easy to connect to my credit card.  I buy almost everything on the card and pay it off right away.  Gotta earn those Cabelas points!

After reading some reviews, I decided to try Mvelopes.  I've used Mvelopes for a month now, and without fail it has met all of my requirements and more.  The app is all about helping you budget envelope-style, so that one was perfect right away.  It is also so easy to use. 



(Screenshot longer than actual screen--will have to scroll to see full image on phone)

Once you have all your envelopes set up to keep track of where you can spend all your money, you'll be entering transactions as you buy so that you can keep those balances up to date.  I love this screen where you enter your transactions because it takes about 10 seconds to plug it all in.  And see that part that says "Receipt"?? You can actually take a picture of your receipt so if you want details on what you bought later, you can just pull it up!

And don't worry, if you forget to enter a transaction right after, no problem.  If you connect the app to your online banking systems so that it pulls your transactions into the app as your account is updated, you'll see those transactions in the app each day.  All you have to do is some swiping, either to match up a transaction you have already recorded, or to assign a transaction you didn't record to an envelope so you can update your balances.  I love this feature!

So, that's requirements 1 and 2 from above covered.  And covered really well.  Now for the part where I integrate my credit card.  This is the only part where I would take a point off.  Mvelopes actually does integrate credit cards into its program, and it does make it easy to keep track of those transactions.  My only trouble was that when you first set it up, it's not obvious how that is going to work.  If you buy something with your credit card and you go to record it in the app, Mvelopes has you choose your credit card as the "account" in the record screen (see above).  It takes that money and it puts it in an envelope marked "Money for".  This way, the money is designated for your credit card so you know you have it available to pay the credit card.  Maybe I was just making it too complicated in my head, but I had to wait to see a live transaction from my credit card company come through to really understand how it was going to work.  The other little thing is that I try to pay off transactions every few days by transaction instead of just paying the balance on my statement at the end of the month.  So I had to tweak my methods a little to be able to keep track of that.  Mvelopes has a nice feature where you can tag a transaction and then the system will pull transactions by tags into reports for you if you want.  This feature is only available on the desktop view though, so I can only catch up on paying my credit card on a computer.  Still, I am very happy with the fact that the credit card integration exists and works well overall.

The last big feature that I really love about this program wasn't even on my list, but makes my life so much easier: saved budgets.  This is a feature where you can tell Mvelopes what you plan to put in each envelope when you get paid and save those numbers.  Then when you get paid, you just go in, and with a few taps, Mvelopes will disburse your money into your envelopes!  The really neat part about that is that you can set it up for whatever timeline of pay-periods you have: weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, or anything else. 

Mvelopes accounts can also be accessed by different devices through the app or a browser at the same time.  This means you and your spouse can see the same information if you both sign into the account with the same sign-in. 

Mvelopes basic is free.  You get 25 envelopes.  For most people, the basic account will be sufficient.  I ended up getting the premium account (at a modest price) because I found it easier to plan when each of my bills was in a separate envelope.

Long story short, this is a DEFINITELY a program/app you need to check out if you like to envelope budget without using cash.

Crafts with Drinking Straws

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

9x 13 pan greased with some coconut oil

2 small to medium  head of cauliflower, cooked and chopped into macaroni size pieces, and then drained.

In a bowl mix

2 c ups of ricotta

2 c ups of cottage cheese

1 cup of sour cream

2 eggs

3/4 of one good size bag of sharp cheddar shredded

sea salt

garlic powder or one clove smashed and chopped

mix it well, then add the cauliflower, get it into your baking pan - top with a good amount of the cheddar cheese

bake at least 30 minutes - or until the top is brown and crusty crispy

you can top with a little sauce

service with a light salad

it's rich so the side should be light

best served hot out of the oven -- it is AMAZING crazy good

closest to baked ziti I've come so far

Recipe by Fran Litz

Children's Ministry Survey Numbers

Below are charts of the responses I got from the wonderful people in my Children's Ministry Facebook groups who were kind enough to answer my short survey.  I organized the responses in ways that were helpful to me, and I hope this information helps you all too.  Each chart is interactive so you can get exact numbers. Hover your mouse, (or tap with your finger on a mobile device) to see exact numbers.

New Normal

MRI and Judy during Angiogram

On the evening of November 19th (yes, mere hours after I wrote my last post), I experienced two seizures, the second of which occurred in the ER and forced the doctors to intubate and sedate me.  The result was that my memory of that evening through the morning of November 22nd (and most of the rest of Nov 22nd) has been completely lost.  After many tests, the doctors determined that my seizures were caused by something called a cavernous malformation (CM).  A CM (as pictured above) is a mass of blood vessels that has probably been in my brain since before I was born.  This mass has slowly bled into itself and grown all of my life.  What caused the seizures was that some of the blood actually bled out into my brain.  The flow of the blood is so slow that the CM is not considered by the doctors to be very volatile.  They have prescribed anti-seizure medication which should hold future seizures at bay even if more bleeding happens.  The CM may someday grow to a size that needs to be operated on, but for now the doctors are convinced that surgery is far too dangerous to cause the benefits to outweigh the risks.

The past several weeks have been a roller-coaster of doctors visits and emotions.  My initial reaction to the problem was: "Take it out--fix it--and let me go on with my life".  This, however, is not an option.  Even if the CM were to be removed, there is still a relatively high chance that I would continue to have to take anti-seizure medications for the rest of my life.  Any scar tissue from the removal of the CM could cause seizures.  This is a scary prospect too since anti-seizure medications can have their own set of medical risks and discomfort.  For now, God seems to be protecting me from the worst of the possible side-effects of my current medication, but this could change over time.  And even so, some of the side-effects are there: a feeling of a mental fog, and some anxiety.  These side-effects have definitely changed how I see my world and function in it.  I am also unable to drive (by law) until the end of February.

And yet, God began redeeming this traumatic experience right from the beginning.  Ever since the moment that the news of my situation was shared with our church family, they have rallied around us in ways that have been immeasurably helpful and loving.  Also, the doctors here in Casper encouraged us to get a second opinion.  We traveled to Ohio where my family lives since two of the best hospitals in the nation for neurology are located within miles of my family.  This allowed for us to celebrate Christmas and New Year's with my family.  In fact, my dad's side of the family--all 22 of us--were able to gather for the first time in almost 10  years.  Most specially, I was able to see my maternal grandmother. Even in her confusion, I am convinced she recognized me and we were both blessed by this visit.

Judy with Grandma Turnbull & Judy with cousin Megan making pretzels

God continues to redeem our situation, but it has been a journey of learning how to live in our "New Normal".  Many of you are already praying for me and my husband during this journey and we thank you deeply for your prayers.  We know that God is in the business of healing.  I am sure that he has already begun that process emotionally, and we look forward to seeing his hand on my physical condition as well.  Thank you again for your love.

Fear and Love

I have always been a talker, and I feel like I've learned to articulate myself and communicate my thoughts relatively well over the years. However, in light of the events in Paris, Syria, and now the U.S. in the past couple weeks, I find myself struggling to put words to my thoughts and emotions.  Some issues seem black and white.  The question of whether to respond to those in need usually is.  But there are so many layers to the discussion involving Syrian refugees that I feel it is important to acknowledge that this is NOT a cut and dry process.

I believe that the main reason that this discussion has become so difficult is because of the dichotomy of fear.  We all know that fear can be a healthy emotion sometimes.  It is fear that sets off the warning bell to keep us from being burnt by a hot surface, or electrocuting ourselves, or getting hit by a car when crossing the street.  It is fear that is leading many in our country now to say, "Keep them out.  If we can't be sure what their intentions are towards us and our innocents, we can't take that risk".

But fear can also cross a line and become the problem.  Scripture warns us against this kind of fear so many times that it is said that "Do not fear" is the most repeated command in the Bible.  Whether that is specifically true or not doesn't matter--what does matter is that God knows that we, as humans have a propensity to fear.  So, like most things that can be good, he warns us against the extreme--the point at which fear paralyzes us from the actions of love.

Love is an amazing thing.  It is one of the few things in this world that cannot be pushed into a "bad" extreme.  You can never have "too much" love.  And love does amazing things.  It gives us the power to forgive.  The second greatest commandment of the Old Testament calls us to love our neighbors.  Jesus showed us that our neighbor is more than just the person that lives next door to us (Luke 10:25-37).  Jesus also took it a step further and told us to love our enemies.

So the question remains: how do we walk the fine line of allowing fear to help protect us from danger, while at the same time loving our enemies? 

I think this is a question that we all have to answer individually for ourselves.  But as we walk through the process of answering this question, let us ask God to give us "a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7)