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Take Control of Your Bills

Posted on by Kimberly Anne

Take control of your monthly bills and pay the amount that you need to pay, so that each month it is the same. Sound crazy? PG&E will let you pay an average of your bill if you set it up with them. They switch the amount on occasion, which can mean your bill goes up when you don’t expect it to, and then it’s changed to a smaller amount, which you know will put you behind. I found their system very frustrating, not the simplifying of my life that I hoped it would. So I started averaging my bills my own way.

Your gas bill comes in and because it’s wintertime it’s $30 more than last month. Or maybe your electric bill is down by $40 in November because you are no longer using your air conditioner. If only your bill was the same each month. It’s easy to do this. It is best, but not necessary, to start it at the time of the year when your bill is low, to help keep it even. It’s possible to start at any time, just keep in mind that you cannot start out paying less than you owe, so your first few months may have to be at the actual amount due or higher until you reach a month under your average bill amount.

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Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
Cathedral
Exterior

On a recent visit to St. Louis, we stopped at my aunt’s house for a short visit. She recommended a place that I had not heard of before. I was convinced that if she recommended it, it was worth seeing. My husband wasn’t convinced but agreed to go along with me the next day. We aren’t Catholics and I’ve only seen the inside of a few Catholic churches in my lifetime and I didn’t find them very impressive. Those had definitely not been worth going out of my way to see. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, though out of our way, was an astonishing sight. My aunt had explained it, but until you walk through the doors, there is no way for you to imagine the beauty that is everywhere inside.

The exterior of the Cathedral is also impressive. It has a Romanesque style of architecture on the outside, with Byzantine style on the interior. It sits on the corner of Lindell Boulevard and Newstead Avenue in downtown Saint Louis. The Cathedral is a hidden gem in a city with many popular tourist attractions. There are many architectural features that make this building remarkable. It is a large building with three domes, half domes, arches, and barrel-vaulted ceilings.

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9 of My Favorite Things

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
Favorite Things

Remember Mary Poppins singing These are a Few of “My Favorite Things.” Her favorite things included things like raindrops on roses, bright copper kettles, snowflakes on noses, sleigh bells, and warm woolen mittens. Most of these things are sensory. They make a person happy and bring a smile to your face. They are nice things, but a little different from my list of favorite things.

We could make so many lists of things. How about things we cannot live without? My list of the actual things I can’t live without would include clean water, air to breathe, food, clothing, a safe place to live, etc. But those items are pretty much the same for everyone. That is except for people that are living in poverty and do not have access to shoes or clean water or enough food to eat. In a comparison of my life to someone living in poverty, pretty much everything I say I can’t live without is not even on their list of minimum things they would like to have. I am very aware of this and in no way is this meant to make light of them or their situation.

Unlike Mary Poppin’s list of favorite things, my list may not matter to you, but they do to me. Actually, if I had to live without most of these items, I could. But, to maintain happiness, I would have a hard time living without them. I admit they aren’t in order of importance. The ninth item is actually the most important to me. And I will admit it would be extremely hard to live without that one.

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2020 Goals November Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne

November was a month that fell apart on the 4th. That was the day that I went to check on my mom and found her in the house alone, dead from a stroke or heart attack. My life changed instantly. My youngest sister and I are Executors of her will so that took over our lives. We had to empty, clean, and sell her house. That process is ongoing. We have a middle sister who lives farther away who also has been helping. In the process of lifting and carrying things, I made my hairline fracture worse. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. But despite it all, I did make a little progress.

  1. COMPLETED: We did it! We made it back from our trip October 6. So I can now mark off Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri off my map. Visit 3 states I haven’t been to before. I desire to visit every state in the United States in my lifetime.
  2. COMPLETED: I have completed 38 books toward the 30 I plan to read this year. I finally finished the long one I was reading, but that is it. This goal will have to increase next year, or I will have to read longer books. Read 30 books.
  3. COMPLETED: I am continuing physical therapy. However, my physical therapist gave me permission to attempt driving. So on February 19 my husband road along as I drove. We went on the freeway very briefly, mainly driving in town. Since then I have driven several times by myself. This was probably my most important goal since it has given me the freedom that has brightened up my days. Drive by myself.
  4. COMPLETED: I had my BAHA (bone attached hearing aid) surgery on July 22. On August 20 I received the outside portion of my implant. It was with great joy that I realized I could hear my husband speaking to me on the way home from that appointment. I’m still getting used to this, but as time goes on I think I will adapt to it a bit better. I didn’t regain any hearing in my ear, but I have the ability to feel like I am hearing in my left ear.  All options have been pursued.  To have the hearing in my left ear improved to 30% or all options pursued. Another result of my brain tumor surgery.
  5. PROGRESS: We put the grass in the front yard. Sprinklers are in. I’m waiting for the heat to settle down to work in the yard again. We have looked for bushes a few times but haven’t found the ones we want yet. We actually bought a few plants on 10/31. However, the winter garden has taken over my husband’s plans. It must be going to happen in November, before Thanksgiving. Have our front and back yard landscaping completed so we can enjoy them.
  6. COMPLETED: Unfortunately, this has been completed. Since my mom died, I ended up with her car, a newer version of mine. My husband organized things so that I can park it in the garage. Clean up/organize our garage so I can park in the garage.
  7. PROGRESS: The weight roller coaster continues. Honestly, if it were a roller coaster it would be bigger changes. Sadly I have been eating too much. Stress never helps. I am now up a pound for the year. I can’t imagine being successful on this one. Lose 10 lbs.
  8. COMPLETED: It feels great to no longer have any house or car payments. Pay off all debt. This was on my list for last year and I came close, but not quite.
  9. PROGRESS: I have finished one baby quilt. I went fabric shopping again because Joann’s Fabric had a great black Friday sale. There was no actual progress. Begin and finish three baby quilts.
  10. PROGRESS: In emptying out my mom’s house I found a Bible that my mother’s parents and siblings gave to my great grandmother nd a bound book of the family ancestor on mom’s mom’s side. She had told me she had it, but she was unable to find it. I am now in contact with another cousin. We are trying to figure out her upline of relatives. She is adopted and knows her birth father’s name and thanks to 23andMe her great great grandfather, who was my great-grandfather’s brother. I love trying to solve a mystery. This can be so exciting. I have been in contact with a second cousin. This is one of my last things on my mind, hence it is not going quickly. I have started typing up my history on one side. Ancestry: Tie at least 10 more people that are my second or third cousins to my family tree.

November was not very productive. I’m not giving up yet, except possibly on my weight and my ancestry. I don’t think I was really committed to those goals. If you have goals set, don’t give up on yourself either. We have the time to do it if we put in the effort. Commitment is so important when you are trying to accomplish anything. One more months to go!