Tuesday, April 08, 2008

living The Life, pictures from easter

last night david and i cut up our credit cards and it felt so liberating. a few days ago my dear friend amanda said "if we can't afford it with cash, we Can't Afford It" and that really resonated with me. i don't believe in debt, at least not in the compulsive non-necessary/emergency way. rampant debt ruins lives, addictive spending spoils a persons soul, and i just feel as a christian i know i am called to be set apart from that. david and i do not have much debt outside of his school loans but here and now i am standing against accruing any more. again i will say that FOR ME, debt & credit cards are not right. FOR ME they are lumped under the umbrella of socially acceptable moral compromises like war & poverty. immediately my dad said "but what if you have an emergency and need them?" and that certainly is a good thing to think about. really though i can think of twice in my entire adult life where we needed to be bailed out by a credit card (once where i was in spain and ran out of money and also when david broke his tooth). every other purchase has been want-based. not budgeting in advance for the holidays isn't a need. wanting to go out to eat isn't a need. a new couch certainly isn't a need. i guess david and i are just at a place in our lives where we are constantly being blessed with new ideas and new definitions, or at least challenged with new ideas and definitions, one of which is "what do i need?" the answer is very little. but in a gimme gimme world it's terribly hard to hold up your hand and say when out of self restraint and not out of satisfaction or lack of resources. so to answer the question posed about emergencies, we're going to rely more on God's grace and provisions. gee isn't that the life we're called to live anyways?

anways olive kicked and squirmed and rolled all night long. at one point i woke to find her sleeping across my body, another time practically on top of david's head. i took this as an indication of an impending sickness and sure enough today there were two explosive poo diapers. this is how i found her on the couch





my mother in law picked out olive's dress & augustine's outfit. they were fantastic!


theyre making the same face


new shoes in her easter basket a la my dad.


olive and i with the lilac bush i planted over her placenta. i plan on taking a photo with her in front of it every year near her birthday to show how both of them are growing and changing. also i just found out last night that the bush directly behind my south facing window is a lilac bush. i cannot wait to partake of it's aroma all spring. oh & olive will be one in 4 days


i hear auggie exclaim "It's nose picking time!" and turn around to see this.

16 comments:

saylor days said...

good stuff. colin and i have never had credit cards! great pictures as per usual.

saylor days said...

oh my gosh it posted 3 times and i can't figure out how to delete it.and now your gona be like whoa i got 4 comments.but no.its just me.*sheepish*

Anonymous said...

hey jenny, My husband loves Dave Ramsey, he's a Christian money 'guru', he's on the radio and what not. well we use his budget system, and steps to saving money, and we use the envelope system for our monthly expenses. one of the first things he recommends is an "emergency savings fund" that you build up to 3 months of your normal income, and then don't touch it unless its a true emergency, so you don't depend on credit cards.
all this is to say you should google him and check out what he's got to say about debt.
its interesting!

Olive said...

sarah - what a great idea. ill mention him to david

Anonymous said...

I'm happy to hear about the credit cards... Jamie and I are TOTALLY against carrying any debt and haven't had any for over 3 years now.

EarlGirl said...

We love Dave Ramsey, too. We have such peace now and no money stress. We wouldn't be in this place without his wisdom.

Anonymous said...

Honk- Love the one of you and Bug by the lilac bush. Easter was such a good time. We can't wait for the big birthday party at the park. Brienne and I love you all so much. Bubby

Olive said...

bub/brienne/michelle/anyone else who might read this and come to the party - i peeped the park today and take note: no bathrooms or water fountains!

ryan. said...

kudos to you for cutting up the credit cards!

MJN said...

There is something real sweet about kids in gingham outfits!

And credit cars scare me, I'm 22 and I've yet to open one I think I've watched too many loved ones fall into an unspeakable hole.

kasandora said...

I totally agree with your stance on credit. I have been debt free for 3 years and it feels so amazing to not be tied down by bills (living in tokyo, I am exempt from needing a car (car payment), and my apartment is so small that buying much unneeded stuff for it isn't all that tempting.) I think choosing to *opt out* of the system that holds people in bondage for no reason other than instant gratification is the best thing one can do for themselves. You rock...and your kids are so so so so so soooooo cute...

Anonymous said...

Hello! I've been lurking for a while but wanted to say "yay" to you about your credit cards. Andrew and I rented a documentary called Maxed Out and it left us absolutly nauseous. And then you posted this!

I've been meaning to intrduce myself since I saw your (beautiful) home birth video; being invited to share in such an event makes me feel honoured. :o)

I'm at www.simplicity.vox.com if you're in a surfing mood.

~allison

saltycanvas said...

Hi Jenny !

I applied for a student credit card through my bank several months ago. I work full time and go to school fulltime, and have been paying my rent and bills steadily. Interestingly, I was declined. I asked why, and they said it was because I had no credit. Needless to say, I took it as a sign and will never apply for another one. It will be one less thing to worrk about also. My life-partner (James- I don't like the term "boyfriend") has had one, but I told him I refused to marry someone who expects me to incur their debts (it sounds so mean when typed...) Anyways, my point is that I don't think it is right for me to be responsible for his debt when it is something that I, personally, do not believe in. He has cut up his card and is working to pay it all off. In the end, it will be very liberating for him and we will both feel good about paying for things up front and, like you said, if we cannot afford it, we are not meant to have it.

What I am getting at is, good for you! And just remember, student debt may not seem like bad debt, but it really is good : )

As I type this, I am listening to Christmas music... time to clean up my iTunes !

Laura

Radiantsun said...

I LOOOVE argyle and I love how your kids match! I wish I had olive's shoes in my size! You guys are such an adorable family.

saylor days said...

thanks for letting me know about the no bathroom at park! i'll have to squat behind a bush, no biggie.

Zombie said...

I could not agree more, also those are beautiful children