Some History, Muffin Tops, and a Money Makeover?

So it's lunchtime at work and this is usually one of the few times I have to do much anything. A lot of you know our family and what makes our life so nuts but for those that don't...a little history. Jimmy used to be an Air Traffic Controller and developed seizures and a nasty illness in the early 2000s. Jimmy had many organs shut down and he developed severe peripheral neuropathy in his feet, legs, back, hands, and arms. The only explanation we have ever been given was a toxic cause. There is no cure for nerve damage so all we can do is try to manage the severe pain caused from it. Jimmy also has Rheumatoid Arthritis which causes additional inflamation and pain. In February 2009 Jimmy was lucky to live after having multiple DVTs (blood clots in the legs) and Pulmonary Emboli (blood clots in the lungs). This further damaged the circulation in his legs and in turn...you guessed it...more pain. Since then Jimmy has been to about every kind of specialist known and has had implantation of a cervical and lumbar stimulator to attempt to block pain signals. He also battles severe swelling in his legs which we are beginning lymphadema therapy for. We are considering a referral to a major research hospital at this time but even that is a challenge as the Tyler is so little and Mehgan is heavily involved in school cheer, competitive cheer and her school band. We refuse to give up hope of help for Jimmy and pray that something turns around as there is so much he would like to do that he isn't able to at this time. Last week he was admitted at the hospital for an infection in his leg only to have our family doctor go against two other doctors and say it wasn't infected. To be honest we don't know who is right. He has referred us to a vein specialist that we will see on November 3rd so yet again we hope that she might have some answers for us. Okay, onto something more positive...

Saturday was my Mom's birthday and today is my Dad's birthday and Jimmy's Mom's birthday. We really like to pack them all into a short amount of time. :) I tried my hand at making cupcakes the other day with less than enough cups to line the muffin tin. It was pretty funny seeing all the huge muffin tops (no, I wasn't wearing tight jeans) and it was even more fun watching Tyler tear into one later that evening. I think all the sugar made him nuts because he refused to nap all day Sunday.  I was going to add a picture but apparently the blog fairy doesn't like me as it won't upload...so I will try again later.

So finally I am really interested in anyone that has done the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University. I received an email at work that they may have the classes here in the near future. I also found out that you can do it online. Jimmy and I have talked a lot lately about really getting a firm control on where our money goes. I don't think there are many people, if they are honest, that haven't struggled with managing money at some point in their lives. It is tough and life is busy but hitting the drive-thru constantly or buying things you already have because you are disorganized and can't find them really puts a drain on your finances. So we are considering taking these classes or doing the online classes and trying to take steps to a more secure financial future.

Ok, let's try those pictures again...




Really Big Muffin Top Cupcakes!!




Why is everyone looking at me????