...on budgeting

As I am here in my indoor/outdoor rocker sitting beside my Duraflame fire reading all about the Janome HT2008 and various comparisons. My thoughts drift to cash.

The great thing about living by a budget is the fact I know where all of my money is going every month. It doesn't just seem to 'disappear'.

The stinky thing about living by a budget is sticking to it.

The fact I can't just buy something immediately when I decide I should is not easy at all. This is particularly true of appliances and such...yet as I was in Target today I realised it is just the same for DVDs or books or even wall hooks upon which to hang my lovely aprons.

Every dollar has a name and 'borrowing' dollars from other allocated sources can turn around and bite the budgetee in the booty.

So, I window shop. I make lists. I do with what I have.

Funny thing is: given a bit of time, I realise I really don't 'want' everything I think I do. I also quite rarely need any of those things.

(though, it would be quite nice to have a shiny new sewing machine though, wouldn't it???)

Birch Bay

I was able to spend the weekend in Birch Bay. My friend Ruth has a time share and invited me up with a couple of other girls. It was a good time! The photo above is picture from our balcony at sunset one night.

We walked a lot. This is a photo of the girls: Megan, Ruth and Robin. Here we are walking along the tidal flat. The sand was really soft and silty. There was lots of slimy stuff, too.

This is a photo of the sand.
I like it :)

Here are just a few photos of the area...We walked up and down the beach in the mornings and did things at the resort through the days as well as exploring around the little beach town. Sunday night we went to Birch Bay State Park for the sunset...and took a little walk around there before it started to sprinkle little raindrops. The photo of what looks like a small river is from a footbridge there.

Lots and lots of water!!!

Overall...it was a beautiful weekend. I love that through creation God reminds me of his majesty...that through the vastness of the ocean...the beauty of the sunsets...all the pretty flowers...the power of changing weather--I know God is bigger than I can fathom.
He is sovereign.
My life is His...may I trust Him.

...here...

Here I am in Woodinville...in my little condo...getting a little dozey...thinking about being 'here'.

This photo is of my (very) adorable niece, Megan. It was taken when I was last visiting Arizona. She rather liked this little hooded floaty thing--as long as it was not floating! Here, she is firmly planted on the steps, laughing at either her mamma or one of her aunties, I'm not sure! ;)

I guess I wonder sometimes about how it all works out.

I'm here...and most everyone I care about is somewhere else. How I longed to be far from the desert and the blazing sun that resides there. How happy I am to be in the PacNW, where the sun is frequently tucked in with some wonderful clouds; creating not an oven-like scenario, but one of muted warmth that I enjoy quite a lot.

I went to Portland, OR for the first time this weekend and enjoyed it there very much! I was also reminded of how I love a roadtrip. As I drove about admiring the countryside, I had a chance to think about being 'here' and feeling 'far'. I think I am actually quite blessed. I live somewhere I enjoy. I am able to travel more and more. I love to have guests...so many sites to see and unique things here in the Puget Sound.

Though it's tough to say goodbye to friends and family, in many ways I have the best of many things. How I love that God's plans are bigger than mine--resting in Him...and trusting--that is a fantastic adventure. How I am grateful for our God...sovereign and good!