December is here...........Merry Christmas

Cindy the doll house if beautiful!!! Doll houses have always fascinated me. It is something Audrey will always treasure!!

I just finished up one project and to have 3 times as many as I had when I got through! I have a neighbor that does estate sales. She has done them for years and years and her prices are always high so I don't shop her sales. But another neighbor works her sales and her husband called me late this afternoon just after the sale had closed and told me about several things he thought I might be interested in. I ended up buying a secretary, long dresser, chest of drawers, night stand, and king headboard. They were all good mahogany pieces of furniture that someone had shabby chic'd but didn't do a very good job. So I'm going to redo it all! I'll probably just shabby chic them. My consider refinishing the secretary. It's a nice piece of furniture.

Marilyn it doesn't sound like you are comfortable being alone where you live. Maybe you need to get a big dog in addition to Laddy.

Yes there are some pretty areas in Utah. I did like the Bryce area the best. I think because there were more trees and not so desert looking. I took some pictures but nothing like what you took! I was too busy climbing, hanging off the side of a cliff, etc. LOL

Thank you, Cindy. :o) Yes, Al and I are keeping each other young. He is 74 and amazing in all that he can still do. We are getting ready to tackle bringing down 3 big trees on our property that are all dead. Then we (he) will cut them up and split them for firewood. He has a log splitter and all the other equipment to accomplish that task. He cuts down dead trees on our neighbor lady's property, too. She is 81 and has been a widow for many years. Staying young must be in the air around here because this neighbor lady still plays golf and/or tennis 3 or 4 times a week and she keeps her own property (about 16 acres) mowed--with a tractor of course. She, too, is amazing in all that she does.

Charlotte, you really have made a project for yourself! I have no doubt that you are up to the task, though. We will want before and after photos, of course.
I have never been a "scaredy-cat" when it comes to living alone but since we are isolated here and it would take a while for the authorities to get here in case of an emergency, I just decided I needed to be prepared. I'm a former Girl Scout and Girl Scout leader and their motto is "Be Prepared", you know.


That's a good photo of Kathy and Loretta and Kim's wonderful Christmas tree. Wish I could have been there to see all of you in person--and Kim's home decorated for Christmas.

I adapted two ideas from Pinterest and Al and I made a decoration for our front porch. We had everything on hand except the big ornaments and the poinsettias and red berries so it was very inexpensive to make. This is the result:

Love Kim's tree, Kathy Ann and Loretta too--we need more pictures from your lunch !

Marily, I carried a pistol with me when I was divorced, I almost shot a man one night that I knew, but thank God I didn't ! I decided whoever wanted me could just have me rather than go through that feeling again !

Cindy, that dollhouse is amazing! And so are your woodworking skills to craft that bed! Did you buy all the other furniture? I have never known anyone to actually have a playhouse like this ...... so do you also have a miniture family purchased to go in it too?? I know it is something she will treasure! Jessica would have loved something like this when she was little!

Marilyn, sounds like you had a great trip! Glad you are home safely. Love your porch decoration that you made! I think you are being smart by getting a gun and being knowledgeable in how to use it. Although I have always heard for home protection a pump shotgun is one of the best things you can have - the sound of pumping a shotgun to load it is readily identifyable by almost anyone - even if they are high - and they know to get gone! They also realize you don't have to be an expert marksman to hit them with a shotgun..... and in town, it has the advantage of not traveling as far as a rifle or pistol and possibly endangering others. Although, you sure can't take it with you as a concealed carry .... LOL

I appreciate the continued prayers..... I hope we are able to find more info about these job possibilities. The uncertainty sure makes me nervous!

I think I finished my Christmas shopping up..... and I have the tree up but not decorated. If I could just get everything wrapped and the tree finished.....

Genna

I have mixed feelings about concealed hand guns. Several months ago my next door neighbors were sitting in their den early one morning reading the paper. They are both in their late 70's. She noticed a flashlight shining on the deck and finally was able to make her husband understand what was going on without creating a lot of noise. He is hard of hearing and didn't have his hearing aids in. So he goes back and gets his gun and goes outside to see what was going on. Thank goodness he didn't find anything because long story short version he had accidently triggered the alarm when he went out for the paper and didn't know it. The person with the flashlight was a policeman who had come and was walking around the house to make sure everything was alright. That policeman gave him a real talking to about going out with a gun! I don't think he will do that again. He could have accidentally shot the policeman!

I think I would feel safer out where you are Marilyn than in the city now days! Little Rock has gotten terrible and it's not just isolated areas it's all over town and in nice neighborhoods that are considered very safe. A couple was robbed last night at gun point at 6 pm in front of Outback Steakhouse. Very well lit place with lots of people all around! This kind of thing happens several times a week.

My mother grew up in the country and my mother and dad bought a farm just a couple of miles from my grandparents when I was about 3 years old. We only lived there 5 years. My mother was terrified to stay there alone. Of course she had to during the day because my dad worked in town. But in the winter months he knew to pick us up at my grandparents. Late every afternoon we would walk down to my grandparents before it got dark. She finally talked dad into moving into town.

Here is the finished product of my latest project. The color did not turn out true in the photo. I only have 7 more pieces to paint and several chairs and vanity stools to recover the seat on. The first picture is the before (yellow) and the second picture is after.

Cindy I love the dollhouse and I know that Audrey will too!!! Hopefully that will be something to pass down thru the ages!!!

Kim your tree is gorgeous!!! KA & Loretta both look good!!! Miss Yall!!!

Just got back from the gastrologist with Ashley. He believes that it is Gastroparesis. Here is a link to explain it:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001342/#adam_000297.disease.causes

She has to go have a upper GI with contrast done to make sure no blockage. He started her on some meds and we see him back in a month.

Charlotte - your pieces look great!

I agree that I think the cities are more dangerous, but like Marilyn said, when you are isolated and trouble comes, it can take a LONG time to get help there. We were looking at a pistol recently in the gun shop and there was a woman in her 80s there buying a colt 45 revolver!! and she already had a large 45 caliber automatic handgun!! Those guns were as big as she was.................. and it was kinda scary to think that maybe her eyesight might be failing, and possibly her hearing, etc and there she was going to be walking around with a BIG gun! I have lived all my life around guns and I know how to shoot them, and also have to respect them. But the thought of everyone walking around armed (and concealed) is a little scary to me! But, I can certainly relate to Marilyn wanting some protection. I am the same way where I live. I am completely out of sight of my neighbors, and anyone intending to do me harm would know that a neighbor would never hear or see anything. I sure miss my big dog....even though Leigh always says they would just shoot the dog to eliminate the interference, he still made me FEEL safer...... It scares me how bad little rock has gotten - and so much of it never makes the news!!

Jeri, I will do some reading on that link. I am so thankful that they FINALLY think they know what is wrong and can start effectively treating it!! Geez it seems like forever that she has been having problems. Does she still get sick to her stomach all the time?? I hope they are finally able to get her some help!

Charlotte you are amazingly fast and good. Those are incredible. If I didn't already have a chest I would be buying those from you. That size chest is absolutely perfect to use for all your costume jewelry and scarves. You can lay all your sets out together where you can see them without them getting all tangled up. If you put that shelf liner that is no slide or velvet paper things stay put. You can even put some foam covered in fabric to stick pins in or make slots for rings. Big rings and lots of them are the rage these days and that way you can find just what you are looking for. You might demonstrate that with one of them to show how handy it is to see it all at a glance when you open the drawer. I looked all over for a gentlemans chest with thin drawers to do that with but never found one. I finally got two of those long units that hang on the wall with a mirror on the front. Not nearly as good to me.

Gena several pieces of furniture I built from kits. Several I bought ready made on ebay. The bed I built is a twin and I built two to match. I ended up putting one in her house and one in the Victorian. I got one bedcover, pillow ,and bed skirt made today for one of them. only 4 more to go. I don't like the sewing part. I just don't have the patience for sewing anymore especially while I am babysitting Audrey. . I couldn't find any ready made ones so I had to do it. The rugs I just printed on Canvas. The pictures I downsized old pictures and printed them out and framed them. Printed a few old world tapestries on canvas and glued them to the walls. If I wasn't so tired of the whole thing I would paint the outside to look more traditional. Her room is pink, brown and white so it will go when it is all closed up.

Marilyn you can ask Sandra and Terrye about the gun I take with me when we are traveling. It is a 44 magnum long barrel pistol like Clint Eastwood used in some of his dirty Harry movies. I promise you one look at the pistol and no one is going to think I'm not serious. LOL. I don't carry it on me just in the truck. I used to carry a 38 all the time when I lived way out in the country and traveled pretty isolated roads twice a day with 2 kids. All the young people in our area are on a gun craze these days. All the women are getting certified to carry. I guess it goes in trends. It was the same when I was young. I never got certified because my dad was a policeman and taught me to shoot a pistol really young. I didn't hunt till a lot later in life but I have a healthy respect for what a gun can do. We taught our children to shoot and respect guns at a very early age. My children are doing the same with there children. I have one grandson I worry about that is 4. He has been obsessed with guns for a toddler stage. We keep preaching to him about the dangers of guns. He is not shooting yet. He is getting a bb gun for Christmas but will not be able to shoot it without his dad . That's how we started ours. We made them treat a bb gun as if it were a high powered rifle. That respect served well when it was time for the real guns.
I just found out Jimbo is getting me a new rifle for Christmas. I have been using the one both my grown sons killed all their deer with when they were young. It keeps hanging up after you shoot it once. It isn't going to be just for me since it is a youth model. It will help to have another youth gun with all these children getting older and wanting to hunt. If it wasn't for them I can assure you I would be shooting the old gun for the rest of my hunting days. It is the joke of all the camps that my guys put me on gar holes with a gun that jams up after you shoot it.

Jeri so glad to hear you may have an answer. I will go read about it.

Jeri I read some on the link but not sure I understand all I read but glad to hear they may have an answer!!!

Cindy that little bed is so cute!!! I think working with tiny pieces like that is actually harder than working on a big piece. It is all so tedious!!

I hadn't thought about displaying some pieces in the lingerie chest. I do have pieces of jewelry for sale so I may try that.

I didn't grow up shooting guns so that is something I would not be comfortable with. I do have a couple of the mace type things. They are not the things you buy in the drug store but the kind you have to get at a police supply store. One of them I can attach to my clothes if I think I'm going to be somewhere it would be good to have and the other larger one I keep in my car.

I've never given any thought about being scared driving around the country by myself. Until about 6 years ago I used to drive all over the back roads of east AR and north LA cold calling on farmers. I actually enjoyed the solitude and seeing all the birds, etc. Even drove on a levee to find one guy! He was quite surprised to see me drive up! His wife had told me where he was. Rented a car and drove all over the back roads of Pennsylvania and Maryland by myself not too many years ago. To get to my property in LA I have to drive down a remote road that is now primarily just timberland and I drive down it by myself. There used to be families that lived in the area but most have now moved. My family has never thought anything about it or been concerned about it. You just have to be alert and use some common sense.

I think my concern living in a remote area would not be for my safety but I would be concerned about an ambulance or some kind of help being able to get to me in a medical emergency.

Thanks Yall! She weights 88#'s. We really need to figure it out. It's kinda scary!! He put her on Reglan. There are risks with this med so I'm watching her pretty close.

That medicine sounds pretty scary, but if it helps her it is worth trying I am sure.

She's taken 2 since we got them and is still nauseated.

Jeri, this has been going on over a year hasn't it?? No wonder she is down so small! I pray they are able to find something to give her some relief soon so she can start putting some weight back on. Do they think she will have to be on the Reglan long term? Or just short term while they figure everything out? It does look like it can have some pretty rough side effects - especially for long term use.

Cindy, the bedding is so cute! Do you have to make the mattresses and pillows and everything? I know sewing that small stuff is more time consuming - and so tedious! Jessica always wanted me to make some barbie clothes -but I never thought I had the patience to even try it !!

Charlotte, did you paint the handles and everything on the chests you redid? or replace them? Did you sand the old paint off or just repaint? they sure look nice! I love Cindy's idea about using them for jewelry and scarfs etc!

Charlotte, those chests are beautiful! I would buy them in a flash if I had the space! We got some new bedroom furniture in July that has 3 jewelry drawers in it. The drawers are concealed so you can't really see them or know they are there unless you know they are there. I didn't even discover them for several weeks. :D They sure do come in handy for my many "priceless jewels" ROFL (Most of my jewelry has come from Charlotte--I love the necklaces she makes!)

Cindy, you are making some wonderful pieces for your granddaughters to treasure for years to come!

Jeri: I sure hope that this med will prove to be helpful for Ashley. She and you have certainly been through it this past year.

We got about 3/4 of an inch of rain this morning and it was badly needed. We are 12 inches behind in rainfall up here.

You ladies have a good day!

No I read about Reglan last night and it looks like 12 weeks is the longest someone is left on it at a time. If there is a reoccurrence down the road then they may have to use it again. I got the 3rd one down her this AM but she is still nauseated and didn't feel up to school. Her daddy has this problem also and his mom. They have never had it checked out this throughly but are now.

Charlotte your chest look good now that you have re-finished it. I'm with Cindy also they look like jewelry or lingerie chest.

Yes Genna I have to make the mattress , pillow everything. I made another last night it turned out a little better.

This is my Granddaughter Audrey. She will be 3 in Jan. This is the only true cajun we have on either side. Somehow the blonde hair was dominate in all the children and grandchildren. It is hard to tell in these photos but she has the dark complexion and darker hair. My husband is french and dark and so is Ashley's mom. They have 6 blond headed blue eyed grandchildren and we have 4 and this little dark one. Didn't get one till the last grand on both sides.

Hey Jeri Hope things get better everyday. I believe those are lingerie chest that Charlotte refinished and very hard to find.

Love that bedding Cindy! You did a really nice job! Audrey is beautiful! Love that picture of her smelling the roses! She is a little doll..... and I am sure she will treasure that doll house for years to come!

Did Ashley's Dad and his Mom 'outgrow' this problem? or is it something that they have continued to deal with? Maybe it is something genetic about the way their stomach or intestines are formed? I know one family that everyone had 2 appendixes...... and another family that several of their family members had a third basically small non-functioning kidney..... so sometimes there can be really odd genetic deformities that go from one generation to the next. I sure hope they are able to identify what her problem is and get it fixed quickly! I know she is ready to get back to life as normal - and you too!

Like Cindy said it is a lingerie chest. Even has it stamped on the back. Also like she said they are very hard pieces to find. This one is by Dixie furniture and is very well made. Solid wood drawer runners , dust panels between the drawers. Very sturdy.
Genna I don't remove the old finish. I do use a primer by Zinzer that adheres to any surface. I also sometimes wipe the piece down with deglosser before I do anything. I use special flat paint and after it dries good I give it a good coat of wax. On this piece I just used clear wax but on some I will use a combination of dark and clear wax. Using the dark in crevices.
I love the old furniture. They just don't make the same quality furniture now as even 30 years ago.

Cindy: Audrey is adorable! the photo looks as if she does have blue eyes.

Charlotte: what kind of deglosser do you use? Eventually I want to paint all of the old wood trim around here. It has an oak stain on it and looks as if there was a clear finish put on over that. The house was built in 1969 and I think it is the original trim. I want to paint it an off-white.

Marilyn I just use a liquid deglosser. It doesn't matter which brand. It will come in a can and say deglosser on the label. It's considered liquid sandpaper. I painted the paneling in my den 25 or so years ago. Before I did it I went to a good paint store and asked them what to do. They told me to completely wipe it down with liquid deglosser, then use a primer and then my paint. It lasted 20 years before I repainted it. I also painted my kitchen cabinets that many years ago and I've not had any problems with the paint. At that time I used an oil based primer which they recommended. But the Zinzer primer I use is better than the old oil based primers.
It willl adhere to any surface. Some of the 60's 70's era furniture have Formica tops and I can paint over it using the primer first without any problem. I degloss it, then rough it up some with sand paper, then prime, let dry really good, then paint.

Marilyn Audrey does have the lighter eyes but they are unusual colored. The camera really does not capture them very well. The outer rims are dark blue then they fade to a translucent blue grey. I guess the remind me of a cat's eyes. It's like you can see through them.

Charlotte I use deglosser and the Zinssers primer too. 2 great products well worth the time. Marilyn If you are doing large areas only degloss what you will prime that day. The deglosser makes the underpaint open it's pores so that the primer will adhere better. If you do it too much in advance it cures back over.

Here is a close up of her eye color but it still doesn't capture the translucency

She is a beautiful child and I know your photography skills will capture heron many beautiful photographs.
You all are working too hard !!

Thanks for the info Charlotte...... do you prime and paint the handles as well or did you replace them with new ones? I can't tell from the photos. If you don't mind me asking, how much are you asking for the lingerie chests?


Cindy, she does have unusual eyes.... she is so pretty.

Jeri, is the medicine helping Ashley?? Hope she is feeling better!

Cindy, I see what you mean about Audrey's eyes--they are beautiful! I can see the dark blue rims around the outside edge. She is definitely going to capture some guy's heart when she is older! :)

Charlotte and Cindy: thanks for the tips on the deglosser and the zinzer primer. The counter tops in the kitchen of this house are the original Formica from 1969. They are the white with the gold flecks in it that most of us are familiar with. :o~ I'm thinking I can paint it after deglossing and priming with the Zinzer. What do you think?

Also, the backsplash is white ceramic tile. After all these years it still looks pretty good but I would like to do something to it to spruce it up, too, because the grout is looking dingy. Cleaning and scrubbing it doesn't seem to help it. I would really like to have a granite counter top and a new backsplash but that isn't in our budget because we are going to have to have the roof replaced very soon. Older homes seem to require constant maintenance and/or "sprucing up", don't they? I have been spoiled because the last two homes that Buddy and I had were both new.
However, this house is paid for and I am thankful we don't have a house payment. The house came with Al attached to it--ROFL--so I will gladly take it because having Al is worth any inconvenience caused by remodeling. (Can you see the little love hearts floating around my head? big smile here :D)

Yall I gave Ashley her 5th pill last night around 6:00PM by 9:00 PM her neck muscles stiffened up and her mouth was acting funny. Her tongue was so thick I couldn't understand her talking. I immediately gave her a benadryl and neither one of us got much sleep. I called the Dr's office and they are calling in something different. Her mouth and tongue are back to normal but her neck is still deformed looking. Worst, still, her stomach is hurting her bad. I should have known, not to even try something that dangerous. We go Tue. for the scan with contrast. I pray this all ends soon. The last 2 weeks have been awful for her and she has missed school that she can't afford to miss. I guess we will deal with that after we get her well.

Cindy Audrey is a beautiful child! My son was the opposite in reverse of Audrey. Every one in my family and my ex husbands family had dark hair and everyone in my ex husbands family also had dark brown almost black eyes and dark olive skin. My mother had beautiful dark blue eyes. Neither me nor my brother got them. But Jeff turned out to be a blond with mother's blue eyes! But he didn't like being different! If you would ask him the color of his hair he would say black and if you asked the color of his eyes he would say brown. His boys by the way also got mother's blue eyes.

Marilyn the name of the Zinsser primer I use is Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Plus, primer for all projects. Cindy is right about just deglossing what you plan to paint. When I painted my den umpten years ago, I did it in sections so I would have such a mess. I would move the furniture on one wall and paint it totally - primer, top coat, trim - then move the furniture back and move to another section.

No I don't think you can paint your formica using the primer and then paint. It wouldn't hold up to the kind of use a kitchen cabinet takes and I'm not sure it would be food safe. They do however make paint now that is specifically designed to refurbish kitchen cabinets. It's a couple of steps process and is much more expensive than regular paint but still cheaper than replacing the whole counter top. They make a special grout cleaner you may need to use for the ceramic tile. Something you would buy at Home Depot. Then after the grout has been cleaned good it needs to be resealed with grout sealer. Very easy to do. You can also spray bleach directly on to the grout and some times that will help.

My house was built in 1970 and was not that old when we moved into it. But any house if you live in it long enough always has things that need to be done. There is nothing but the bathroom fixtures and bathroom tile that are original to when I moved in. Actually by fixtures I mean commodes and bathtub. All the facets, etc. have all been replaced probably more than once! Bathroom sinks and my kitchen sink has even been replaced. But I don't want to trade my house for a new one. I'm like Al, I like my house and it suits me!

Genna the lingerie chests are $289 each. I took all the hardware off before I painted it. The hardware had been painted originally and rubbed to show some of the brass through. I repainted all of it and did the same thing. I do usually paint the hardware. Here is another piece I did. It's not in a pretty setting! LOL I took this picture in the workshop just after I finished it. There is a lot of florescent light in there and the color didn't come out good. But this shows what I'm talking about using dark wax. This was painted a cream color and then I put dark wax on with a stiff stencil brush all over the piece and then wiped a lot of it off. You can't see it good in the picture but you can just see the brush strokes of the wax. It looks like paint but it is wax. I also then exposed some of the wood with sand paper. I actually just use my electric sander. The crevices in the back of the hutch and the louvers in the top also have wax in the grooves. I painted the old hardware but also rubbed some of the paint off in spots with steel wool.

This message was edited Dec 5, 2012 5:29 PM

Jeri we did a cross post. That's terrible! I'm glad you were able to get the swelling down. Yes the important thing is getting her well and then the school issue.

That is neat Charlotte!

Jeri, wow that is scary with Ashley..... I would have probably been headed to the ER with her afraid that her breathing would be impaired with the throat swelling. Glad that the benedryl worked and that she is better. I don't know about Louisiana, but Arkansas has some type of law that you have to be allowed to make up the school work if you have a serious medical illness. When Alex was burned, they were required by law to bring him some assignments in the hospital - but IF he didn't feel like working on them he didn't have to. Then, once we got home, he was out of school for over a month - and a teacher had to come to the house to give him his assignments and basically tutor him on any questions that he had. This is some type of program that they have in place to keep kids from being so far behind when they come back to school. I know kids who were pregnant in HS - and if they missed school after having the baby they got this type of assignment and tutoring until returning to school. I would call the school principal and possibly the school counselor to see what type of options you have. Alex didnt have to work all day to keep up with his assignments - kinda like kids who are home schooled because so much of the school day is wasted....so he was able to keep up with almost all of his assignments and when he went back he wasn't way behind. Praying for her! I just can't imagine how tired she must be of being nauseated. I had my gall bladder problems while pregnant with Kyle - and it was weeks before anyone found out what was wrong, and months before they could do surgery because I was in my first trimester. I would spend hours getting sick to my stomach every day and couldn't keep anything down - and I was so tired of it - and felt so weak and run down. I can't imagine how she has any energy as long as this has been going on!!

Jeri: what an awful experience for Ashley and for you! That must of been frightening for both of you! I do hope the doctors can find something that will help her! Big hugs to both of you!

Thanks Marilyn!!!! The Dr. called in a prescription for Baclofen 10 mg. which from what I can find on the internet is equal to flexuril. I guess it relaxes those muscles so they will work.

Jeri Keeping Ashley in my prayers. I know this is frightening. Also praying for your continued strength. Hope you are feeling better. La does have the home schooling for an illness. When Josh broke his femur at 11 and was in a body cast they started his schooling his first week in the hospital so he would not get behind. The teacher came to our home twice a week.

Thanks for that info Cindy. I may have to check into it. She got on my computer today and printed out some of her assignments but she only managed to finish 1/2 of 1 sheet of World Geography. She is pretty weak. The Dr. said she can eat anything but watch the acidic foods, carbonated or fruit drinks. I've tried to keep her on softer foods. She is tired of the same bland foods. But he told me today that she can eat a salad, light on the cheese.

Just stopping in to say hello and wish everyone a happy holiday season...

Glad to hear that they do have that type of program in LA too....... it might be some type of federal mandate instead of state...... We usually aren't 'progressive' in Arkansas unless it is mandated by somebody! :) Hopefully that scan Tuesday will get some much needed answers!

Christmas shopping almost done!!! Yea for internet shopping! I have all the gifts for all the grandkids! That's the most important thing. What the boys want is not always the same amount so I just give cash to round it all up to the same amount.

Yep, this is the first time EVER that I have been finished so early..... and I have several wrapped already, and the tree up with lights only so far. I hope to get the tree finished this weekend with Jessi home and then get the gifts under it!! We will have my family get together on the 23 - so at least it will be ready a couple of weeks in advance! There have been some years i have been wrapping gifts the day they were coming!

Hi, Trish! Pop in any time!

I've finished all my Christmas shopping too---we have 25 immediate family folks (including married couples) to give to so they are all getting gift cards! ROFL With Al's family and mine, there are a lot of kids, grandkids, etc. and it is just too hard to try to please teens these days--they are sooooo picky--thus the gift cards. The married grandkids are just as hard to buy for and they will get gift cards, too. Voila! shopping done! :D I would really prefer to give something more personal but it is just to difficult to shop for that many people and try to figure out what they need or want.
(This coming year I am going to start putting money back every month so we won't get hit so hard next December.)