by Hope
Lots going on this next month…Princess turns 17, both girls graduate, my parents and maybe my brothers come to visit and I might be buy a house. Maybe.
But there’s a lot that has not happened due to my being ill. For one, our garden is not planted and our flower beds are a mess. Frankly, I’m just getting the house back in order after being down for the count for most of the last 6 weeks.
And you will learn in a later post that there’s been a great deal of work going on at our house the last couple of weeks so we our carport is full of wood, shelves and more.
I look at all this “stuff” both in and out of my house and then think of the things that should be done. And I am overwhelmed a bit.
While the kids have really stepped up to help, they are busy. And I just can’t require any more of them.
And I guess the final component to this is that now that my mind is fog free, I recognize that while we didn’t over spend, I did spend a bit frivolously the last couple of weeks. While I have no regrets about the car loan or prom, I need to get back on track.
May Challenge
My May challenge is to get my yard into shape by reusing and repurposing what we have around. I can split plants, use wood for borders and trim existing plants and bushes. There are seeds from last year to sow. I just move a little slower these days.
As I’m writing this, I have a toilet, a medicine cabinet and a sink sitting in my front yard. We are those people right now. For the record, I will not be re-using these items. But do plan to give them away as they are no longer needed in our house.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
