Disappearing debt little by little

Let's talk about debt.

As I said, we still have it. We're still paying off debts to the IRS, the State of California Franchise Tax Board and student loans. And we have a long way to go. That debt weighs heavily on us every day. It's suffocating. And usually when I think about it I feel a mixture of apathy and failure.

*Sigh*

Not very inspiring. Quite the opposite, actually.

So I'm talking to my good friend Darchelle the other day about this debt and she offers another way to look at it. The conversation goes something like this:

Me: (whining) It feels like we'll never be out of debt!

Darchelle: But you have less debt this year than you had last year, right?

Me: Well... yes. (a light bulb goes off) Actually, we haven't accrued any new debt in over two years.

Darchelle: How many people can say that?

And scene.

No new debt
It's true, we haven't accrued any new debt in 2 years.

For the last two years we have been living a cash life.

And it is so rare that we actually acknowledge the triumph in that. We're usually too busy beating ourselves up for the debt we still have. But Darchelle was totally right. We have had less debt each year for the last two years. And if we had managed to hang onto our house, there's no way we could say that. We're moving in the right direction.

It's hard to see the progress because it's not tangible. Because we have nothing to show for our success in chipping away at our debt. That's precisely the point-- having nothing to show. But it's precisely what makes it such a challenging mental game. We're wired to have things to show for success.

Being debt-free... that's not visible. It's not tangible. And it's so slow. We're also wired to want everything now. Now. NOW! Instant gratification. Such a curse.

I mentioned this to Bob the other night. I said, do you realize that we haven't accrued a penny of debt over the last two years? He said that hasn't been the case since he was in college. Or was it earlier? I can't remember now. The point was that it had been a while. Bob got the triumph.

It is a triumph. To go from living most of your life accruing new debt year to year to breaking that trend. Intervening in the upward climb of what we owe. For two solid years. That intangible pile of money owed has shrunk. Maybe not perceptibly. But it has grown, not bigger, but smaller.

We've completely altered the way we live. It's not glamorous, but it's totally aligned with our goal of financial freedom.

Life without credit cards
Because we live a cash life, we have to budget and save before we spend. And once it's gone, it's gone. No more spending.

I haven't had a hair cut in months because there isn't any room for it in our budget. And I've been making do without winter boots in single digit temps in Chicago because we don't have the cash for a new pair. (I'm using thick wool socks in my rain boots for the brief moments I'm outside and it's been working. But I do really want some warm winter boots and curse myself for selling the pair I used to own in the Estate Sale.)

Thankfully, and of most importance, our main NEEDS are taken care of. We have a roof over our heads. We have heat. We have food in the refrigerator.

Hand-me-downs have saved us in regards to Malcolm. Almost everything for Malcolm has pretty much been handed down or gifted to us by the wonderful people in our lives. The rest was purchased at Goodwill and various thrift stores.

We're constantly distinguishing want vs. need. And it gets easier each day. Easier too because we simply don't have the room for wants. We do very well with what we have.

Of course, that doesn't stop us from wanting from time to time. We're human. But it does stop us from spending. And that's key.

Where there is room for improvement: Budgeting.

But for now, I'm going to raise my glass of water in a toast to having less debt this year than last year. And less each year that comes until we work our way all the way down to zero.

Disappearing debt little by little. It's a triumph worthy of celebration.

And thank you, Darchelle, for helping me get that!

Salud!

Dear LITTOF...

One of the things that was so helpful to me in writing LITTOF when we were going through everything was hearing similar stories from readers.

Every time someone shared their parallel story with me it made me realize more and more how we weren't alone. Not that I wished these circumstances on anyone but knowing that someone out there could relate to our struggle made it so much easier.

It also put things in perspective.... helping to put a stop to any potential pity party. One thing was increasingly clear and still is. We aren't alone.

I received another e-mail like this today that I thought I would share and respond to publicly.

Hey there!

I am so happy to get your email and see that you will be addressing this topic again. My husband and I have two small children (9 months and 2 1/2 years old) and we began our modification/shortsale/foreclosure (what ever it is going to be) when I was pregnant with our first baby.

We saw the train coming but couldn't dodge it. The Bank wouldn't talk to us until we missed payments and got behind. We played their game, sent all the docs again and again and again.

Got several Modification offers that were ridiculous and didn't help at all. More countless, crazy, no-resolution hours on the phone with the bank than you can imagine....no, I'm sure you CAN imagine!

Well, anyway, right before the bank was to sell, they decided to do a mod trial with HAMP. After 10 months of that and escalation to the corporate resolution team, we were finally told we didn't qualify. Hmmmm.

Well, now we are in contract to short sale our home but who know if they will accept the offer. We may end up in foreclosure and then bankruptcy like you. It's all going to take time to tell.

Meanwhile, we love our home that we have remodeled and made our own. But it is just brick and mortar. We are excited about our future and the lessons we have learned, that we have each other. We consider it the price to pay for this painful education we have received.

BTW, we are following Dave Ramsey's principles to get out of debt and change our legacy. Another podcast I like is: www.reboundpodcast.com A couple emerging from foreclosure too and their very candid experiences along the way. Well, I look forward to seeing your new blog. Where shall I look? Or, will it pop up in my email? Good luck. -Laurie

Dear Laurie,

First of all... I cannot imagine facing foreclosure through not one but two pregnancies! You've been going through this for almost three years now, yes? That's just mind boggling. Yet, it's a reality. Your reality. So, congratulations for maintaining such an amazing attitude in the face of so much unknown.

HAMP. I'm sorry to hear yet another failure in regards to HAMP. I would love to hear from someone that this program actually helped. HAMP was first introduced when we were negotiating our short sale contract and we had such high hopes for it.

LOVE FOR HOME. Oh boy, I can relate. We still miss our house. We still fantasize about it. And we're clear that by now we have totally romanticized it... completely ignoring the flaws and things that drove us crazy (like lack of storage, for example.) Anyway, you are right that it's just bricks and mortar. That's what we kept reminding each other. Home can be created wherever you are. Bob said something to me just before we had to be out of our house that I recently re-read. He said:

"Wherever we go, we'll improve."

That perspective offered me so much comfort. At the time we didn't know where we would be living, but we had confidence that no matter where it was we would make sure to be better. I hope that offers comfort to you as well.

PAINFUL EDUCATION. This phrase you use really struck me. It's so true, isn't it? It is an education. All of it. Especially if you choose to view it that way. And it can be certainly painful. It sounds like in the face of that pain you've created boundless moments of joy as well. I wholeheartedly believe in that. You have each other, as you said, and your two children. And now you're prepared for anything.

SHORT SALE. Well, if you've followed the blog you'll know that we managed to sell the house in a short sale, thereby avoiding foreclosure. I hope the bank does accept your offer and that it all works out. But if not, keep at it. We had one short sale offer totally fall apart before the one the bank accepted.

DAVE RAMSEY. I need to read his book already. So many people have told me to look into him and the difference he makes for people in debt. I'll definitely check it out.

REBOUND PODCAST. Thanks for pointing me in their direction. I can't believe I haven't heard about them yet. I'll definitely be listening.

THE NEW BLOG. You ask where you can find the new blog. Well, right here! At Loveinthetimeofforeclosure.com. And if you received my last post as an e-mail, that means that you're on the e-mail list and you'll keep receiving them every time I post. Thanks for asking!

Good luck to you, Laurie. And thank you so much for reaching out. Thank you for allowing me to publicly share your e-mail. Keep us posted!

Best,

Steph

The re-birth of LITTOF

This doesn't have to be awkward.
I know it's been a while, but I'm still me and you're still you.
Let's talk as though no time has passed. It can be that way, right?
That's the testament of a true friendship. Time goes by but it feels like only yesterday.

So, yes. I'm back.

I know what you're thinking.

Why? Why now? You said you were done with this blog.

True. I did say that. But...

A girl can change her mind, right?

Here's the thing. All this time has given me something. Perspective. And two things happened last week that brought my new perspective into focus.

1. The numbers came out. 2010 was the biggest year for foreclosures. 1 million American homes were repossessed in 2010.

2. A friend who is finding it hard to hold onto their home reached out to me for advice and inspiration.

As I was writing my friend a long message providing what I hoped would be inspiration, it hit me. Just because our foreclosure story is now almost two years behind us doesn't mean that I can't still make a difference for others who are in foreclosure or teetering on the precipice today.

I said that I began this blog to make a difference by sharing our story. And I was passionately committed to that. The truth is, that commitment never ended. I'm still passionate about making a difference for people in financial distress.

Having come through to the other side has me even more passionate about that.

I know I said I didn't want our lives to be defined by foreclosure and that's part of the reason I "retired" LITTOF. But I see now that who we are today is so clearly defined by who we chose to be in the face of foreclosure. I think what I needed was just a long break. To just live. To have a baby and start a new blog and enjoy our new life on an island and gain some distance from the F-word.

I just really want to make a difference!
While responding to my friend in distress, I thought about the millions and millions of Americans in the same situation. I thought about the LITTOF readers that still sometimes e-mail me and ask for advice. And I just kept thinking about how I want to help. Somehow.

I know how easy it is to give into the despair. And I also know how important it is to rise above it. I don't have answers, but I do have a survivor's tale filled with inspiration. And by sharing that, by continuing to share that, I hope to spread some much needed hope.

Blogging with purpose
After retiring LITTOF, I started my new blog, Two Years on an Island. On that blog I wrote about life on a rural and very special island. Being pregnant. Giving birth. Mowing the lawn while seven months pregnant. That was a fun blog to write but ran its course when we moved from the island at the end of August.

Since then I've fiddled with the idea of starting another blog. Just to have a blog. But I don't want to blog just to blog. As a new mom who is still trying to be a playwright and non-fiction writer, I do not have that kind of time. If I'm going to blog, it must be with purpose.

So last week after getting the reality of the increasing scope of the foreclosure crisis and hearing how it's impacting someone I know, I finally got it.

If foreclosure insists on persisting, then I insist on loving. Or something like that.

Bottom line is, I'm not done yet.

All you need is love
This, in American history, is still the time of foreclosure and love is exactly what we need.

The title of this blog came from our personal story. How we managed to be more in love than ever before in the face of foreclosure. How our marriage benefited by how we approached our financial crisis.

But now I see the title as something beyond that. Actually, Bob helped me see it that way. When I told him that I was going to start blogging again at LITTOF and why, he totally got it. And he said:

"Now you can give love to others in foreclosure."

So that's what this is about. Putting love out there in the world via a little blog. Blog post by blog post, that is my intention.

As I said, I don't have answers.

I have only our experience.

And our commitment: to rise above our financial distress. And love above all else. Love as an action. As a commitment. As a way of being.

One last note. The tag line of this blog still applies.

"TWO PEOPLE DEEP IN DEBT, WORKING OUR WAY OUT AND HAPPIER THAN WE EVER HAVE BEEN."

Yes, we are still deep in debt.

Yes, we declared bankruptcy. But the "Big B" doesn't wipe out IRS debts or student loans.

So I will be sharing about that. About what we're doing to get out of debt. I'll share about parenthood through this lens. I will write about our experience in our third home in less than two years. And pretty much whatever else is on my mind. If you've been a follower of this blog, then you know what to expect.

What do I expect from you? Nothing. No expectations.

What would I like? Well, for you to share. Write to me. Ask me your questions, share your stories. Share this blog with someone who is facing foreclosure or worried about ending up there one day. I need your help to spread the love.

You can write me here: loveinthetimeofforeclosure@gmail.com

What do I intend? To make a difference. To provide a little inspiration. A little light in the darkness. Maybe even some humor. But most of all I want to get you to believe that it is possible to be happy, in fact happier than ever, even in the face of foreclosure.

Love,

Steph

Welcome to Love in the Time of Foreclosure

Hi! My name is Stephanie Walker and I began this blog in January of 2009 while my husband and I were fighting to keep our house out of foreclosure and our marriage above the madness.

We succeeded at both. Hooray!

Our house sold in a short sale on June 30, 2009 and our marriage is better than ever. In fact, we're expecting our first child in July!

Where do we live now? Rent-free in a 1910 farmhouse on a remote and beautiful little island in Washington State.

How the heck did that happen?! Well, our entire journey is here. The ups the downs and everything in between. I invite you to start from the beginning. The first post "Drowning in debt, Losing our house, Happier than ever" can be read here.

Or you could check out some of the most popular posts:

F is for foreclosure

5 Ideas for Rent-Free Living

The Freeing-up sale: We came, we sold, we have nothing but this blog post to show... and it feels fantastic!

The Big News: A Whale of an Opportunity

B is for...

Or how about reading some of my favorite posts such as...

A Guy's Guy (written by Bob for the male perspective)

How to be happy. Now.

The Sixty Dollar Lobster

How we AVOIDED foreclosure

For a time, the blog was located over at ChicagoNow. And there are lots of posts over there. That's where I blogged about our bankruptcy as well as the first three months in the house on the island.

If you want to know about our life on the island, you'll want to visit my NEW blog Two Years on an Island. I hope you'll take a gander.

And by the way, I love hearing from readers! I began this blog hoping to connect with others going through the same thing. If that's you, I especially would love to hear from you.

You can e-mail me at: loveinthetimeofforeclosure at gmail.com

Thank you so much for visiting!

News: My new blog and the L.A. Times

Hi LITTOF readers!

I just wanted to let you know that I have started a new blog! It's called "Two Years on an Island" and is located here. I'll be writing about life on the island and our experiences here while paying down our debt and preparing to be first-time parents.

There is a new post today about how our mechanic flew us from Seattle to Friday Harbor on Saturday in his Cessna. Seriously, this happened. This place is filled with amazing people and stories and I'll be sharing them on the new blog. I hope you'll check it out and keep in touch.

Next bit of news is that we were on the FRONT PAGE of last Thursday's Los Angeles Times! It is a story about short sales and they use our experience as an example. They also mention "Love in the Time of Foreclosure." To read the story, click here.

As always, thank you for reading!

BIG news on the anniversary of LITTOF

Well, hello there!

I did say that although I'm moving on from this blog to what's next that I would post news and updates here, didn't I? Well, today is definitely a big news day announcement.

Today, January 6, happens to be the one-year anniversary of the creation of Love in the Time of Foreclosure. One whole year. It's amazing to me. A year ago we were living in our house in L.A. fighting foreclosure and now we live rent-free in a 1910 farmhouse on San Juan Island - an island I had never actually heard of before. A lot has transpired. To be sure.

I didn't realize that today was the anniversary of my first LITTOF post until very late in the day. We had our mind on other things. Bigger life things. And we felt that having shared the grittiest details of our lives on LITTOF over the last year, it just makes sense to share the latest and biggest news of all.

Our big news:



Yep. We're pregnant!

That is the stick I peed on back in November. On the 26th, to be exact. (Yes, I saved the pregnancy test.) Bob has more intuition than I do, apparently, because he knew I was pregnant. Days before I took the test he was saying, "I think you're pregnant." I thought I was having indigestion.

I peed on the stick and saw the two lines almost immediately. Then questioned.

Wait, is that second line really there or am I seeing things? What? Seriously. It's there, isn't it?! Bob!!! Bob, come in here! You have to see this!

The next day I went to the clinic on the island to be sure. They had me pee in a cup. The news was the same. I'm pregnant. Wow. Whoa. Shit. Wow. Oh my... Okay. Okay.

We've had some time for it to sink in. I'm now eleven and a half weeks along and today for the first time, we heard our baby's heart beat! I cried. Actually, I first laughed. Then cried. "Wow," I said to Bob and our midwife, "There really is something in there!"

My symptoms have included:

Extreme exhaustion
Nausea
Aversion to foods
Extreme exhaustion
Depression
Super power sense of smell
Nausea
Mood swings
Nausea
Inability to focus

I never knew the first trimester was so hard. I'd heard of the morning sickness that lasts all day (which I thankfully don't have) but was not prepared for the biological sluggishness and nausea.

This does explain my difficult December. And according to anyone who has ever been pregnant, I should expect a burst of energy very soon. I'm SO looking forward to that.

The knowledge of our pregnancy definitely played a hand in my choice to "retire" LITTOF. Our life has gone from being all about a house to all about a baby. And that is a wonderful thing.

When we discovered that I was indeed pregnant, Bob kept saying, "The island is special." We figure we were here for only a week or two before it happened. Much faster than we'd ever imagined. The island is special.

It's a strange thing having a baby here on San Juan Island. For one thing, there's no hospital. There's a clinic, but no hospital. There are doctors but no Obstetricians. There is one that makes monthly visits from Anacortes and there is a midwife on Orcas that makes visits to Friday Harbor. I spoke to a few women in the "Run Ladies Run" group who raved about the Midwife. I ultimately chose her. She delivers at Island Hospital in Anacortes so we won't be doing a home birth. They don't do that here because it's too risky being so far away from a hospital.

One of the first things we were told to do was purchase Life Flight Insurance. It cost us $75 for the entire year for the whole family. So we have that in case I need to be flown to the hospital. But July is apparently a good time to have a baby here because there are more ferries running.

The news of our pregnancy also contributed to my feeling unhappy about being here. I was immediately concerned about having a baby so far away from our entire family. On an island! It fueled my anxiety.

But now I'm choosing to look at it as though we were meant to be here. That this is the perfect place to be to have a baby. And how wonderful that we have a house with enough rooms to reserve one for a nursery! And still have room for guests. My mom is planning on staying for a month when the baby arrives. Bob's mom is already planning her visit. So we won't be alone. Far from it.

So, in answer to the question "What's Next?" Well, parenthood is next.

We've said goodbye to foreclosure and hello to parenthood.

And that's our big news!

Now, please excuse me but I must change into a looser pair of pants.

You can always e-mail me

I just wanted to let everyone know that just because I won't be blogging here anymore, doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you. Over the last year I have heard from many readers in similar situations as us and it's been wonderful to be able to share experiences.

If you're facing foreclosure and don't know where to turn... or just would love to vent to someone who knows what you're going through, feel free to e-mail me!

loveinthetimeofforeclosure@gmail.com

I'm here to listen.

The future of LITTOF in 2010

Please note that this post was written in the early hours of 2010 and published on the ChicagoNow site. I'm re-posting it here in case anyone missed the news...

Happy New Year, everyone!

It's just over an hour into the new year and already I feel better.

2009 wasn't an easy year. For us it was mostly defined by losing our house and declaring bankruptcy.... and the subsequent readjustment to a new life. And though that was overwhelmingly challenging, the truth is that it wasn't all bad.

Here are some of the highlights:

We broke our attachment to material possessions
We grew closer as a couple
We were gifted with a beautiful home for two years on an island in the Pacific Northwest
I finished writing a new full-length play
We discovered the depths of our resilience
We saw parts of this country we'd never seen before
We reconnected with old friends and made some new friends too

But the biggest thing to impact my life in 2009 was this blog. I began writing it in 2009. January 9, 2009 to be exact. Here is that first post.

Writing this blog has truly made an enormous impact on my life. As a result, I feel like I have grown as a writer. I've met amazing people through the blog and was able to process some pretty crazy emotions and experiences. As a writer, it is through writing that I grow as a person. It is because of the blog that we have this place to live and that I have more confidence in myself as a writer than ever before.

It's been such a journey. When I began writing it, I had no expectation of anyone reading it outside of my family and friends. I thought perhaps it could help others going through the same thing, but wasn't sure that it would actually reach anyone. My only goal was to write as openly and honestly as possible about our situation.

I'm so grateful to each and every one of you for reading, sharing and commenting on this blog. You've given me strength and self-assurance. I've loved corresponding with readers who write in for advice or just to share that you might be going through the same thing. Thank you for your advice and your support. Thank you for letting me know when it has made a difference for you. Being able to make a difference has been the biggest gift of Love in the Time of Foreclosure.

My realization & the big announcement
Last summer when we closed on the sale of our house, a LITTOF reader joked about what we would call the blog now that we avoided foreclosure. At that point it was obvious to me that I would continue writing, though as our story wasn't over yet and I saw the title of the blog to contain a larger context. Love in the Time of Foreclosure applied not only to our personal story but to the story that Americans were facing throughout the country. This being "the time of foreclosure."

But that comment has been stuck in my head lately. We personally did avoid foreclosure. We are no longer in foreclosure. That story is over. And I don't want to keep living it over and over and over again.

You might have noticed that my blog posts have been fewer and farther between of late. Some of that has to do with the month of December. I was largely unmotivated to do anything. But I had a lot of resistance towards blogging and I wasn't sure why. Until I realized that I'm just ready to move on.

I'm ready for the next chapter. The one that doesn't include foreclosure. By continuing Love in the Time of Foreclosure, I feel like I'm continuing to live back in that time. That very challenging time. And I'm ready to let it go.

What am I saying?

I'm saying this: My first post of 2010 is also my last. At least here. 

Wait. What?

This blog on ChicagoNow will remain in the archives so that old posts can be accessed, but I won't be writing new posts.

What?! Yep. It's true.

I will be keeping the original blogspot site active. It is there that I will post any news updates and possibly occasional articles while I figure out what is next.

But why?

Because it's time. It's a new year. A new decade. And I'm ready to let go. I don't want my life to be forever tied to our foreclosure story. It's just time for me to move on. For us to move on. The foreclosure isn't our entire story... only a small part.

In the spirit of full disclosure and 'telling one on myself', the writer in me has loved having a steady audience and readership for the first time in my life. That has, frankly, made it hard to objectively assess my commitment to the blog. I haven't wanted to let go for fear that I would somehow disappear. That my success as a writer is tied to this blog and this blog alone. As a result I've been clinging to the blog like a security blanket. And that just doesn't work for me.

Last summer we had to let go of our house and most of our possessions. Now it's time to let go of the blog. In order to clear the way for what's next.

And what is next?

Well, I'm not sure yet. I'm still designing 2010. What I know for sure is that 2010 will be amazing. Today we went bowling. I didn't break 100 on the first two games. I flipped a switch in the third. And I stepped up to the line and said, "I'm gonna bowl a strike now." I was completely sure of that. And I did. I bowled a strike. You gotta get, I hadn't bowled one strike in twenty-four frames. And then, just like that I did. That's how 2010 is going to be. Like stepping up to bowling a strike and actually bowling a strike. It's going to kick 2009's ass! I'm sure of it.

This post wouldn't be complete without acknowledging you. Here goes. I'm grateful...

-I'm grateful to ChicagoNow for including Love in the Time of Foreclosure on their site and for welcoming me into the family. I'm grateful to my friend Eileen for suggesting LITTOF to ChicagoNow in the first place.

-I'm grateful to Bob for being my editor and reading almost every post before it went live.

-I'm grateful to my mom for agreeing to write articles on the blog as The Real Estate Mom.

-I'm grateful to the community of LITTOF readers. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share our story and for the fact that it has made a difference for some people out there.

-I'm grateful to Ron on Orcas and Joy on San Juan Island for welcoming us so kindly to the San Juan Islands and for always looking out for us! Thanks for the lamp and the coffee, Joy. And thanks for helping us with the table, Ron!

-I'm grateful to LITTOF reader Judith @theluxpod for sending us yummy chocolate from London and having to disguise the package as "used socks."

-I'm grateful to LITTOF reader Jennifer @loonyladybug for sending us an awesome road trip CD.

-I'm grateful to the owners of this house (!!) who reached out to us and offered us a place to live. You guys have shown us such generosity and trust that we are overwhelmed at times.

-I'm grateful to friend and talented playwright/screenwriter Jennifer Maisel @jennifermaisel for naming the blog. Yep, she's the brains behind the name. It began with the less creative name of simply Steph and Bob. So, thank you Jennifer! For that (and more.)

-I'm grateful to Greg Pincus @gregpincus for his invaluable mentoring!

-I'm grateful to everyone who shared the blog. To everyone who commented and took an interest in our story.

-I'm grateful to so many of you who told me you sent our blog to Oprah or NPR or NBC because you thought it was a great story that should be seen on a wider scale. Your faith in us always made a difference.

-I'm grateful to those of you who said that this should be a book! Or a movie! Maybe one day it will.

-Oh- I'm grateful to Apartment Therapy and CurbedLA for posting about our huge estate sale because I think that really helped spread the word. (Man, that feels like soooo long ago.)

-I'm grateful to the LITTOF reader who bought our white dishes in L.A. (I hope you're enjoying them.)

-I'm grateful to The Story for having us on. That was a lot of fun and really therapeutic, actually.


-I'm grateful to my amazing family and wonderful friends who never once told me I was insane to be sharing so frankly in such a public forum.

This is starting to feel like an Oscar acceptance speech. This is where I look quickly at the monitor and say, "It's saying wrap it up. Uh, um... uh....I'm just so grateful. Thank you."

So that's it. It's been fun.

To catch any future updates, you could sign up for the RSS feed or the e-mail list at the Blogger site. Just look at the right hand column for those options.

Thank you. For more than you'll know.

And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Steph

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, LITTOF readers!

Today my mom and Tom (stepdad) arrive for an eleven day visit! I'm so excited!

Today's post on Love in the Time of Foreclosure at ChicagoNow is a letter to Secret Santa. Check it out to discover the unexpected gift Bob and I received this yesterday. Click here to read.

I hope that wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you're happy. I know I am. Happy and grateful. And full of sugar.

Merry Christmas!

Steph

LITTOF on "Design Your Life"

This summer I discovered the wonderful blog Makeunder My Life - Designing a life with intention by Chicago jewelry designer, Jess Constable. You might remember my post about her Weekly Exfoliations where she passes on or repurposes at least one item a week from her life that she no longer needs, uses or loves. Her spirit inspired me right away. And I had the pleasure of meeting her at a gathering for Chicago bloggers called ChiBLOGo.

All of this is to say that when Jess asked me to do this week's Design Your Life post, I was thrilled! What is the Design Your Life series?

Design Your Life
Every Thursday guest bloggers from all walks of life share their intentions and tangible, actionable ways they design their life accordingly.


You can read my 'Design Your Life' post on Jess' blog here:
Design Your Life: Steph in the time of foreclosure

If you like it, leave a comment (I'd love to hear what you think of my intentions for life) or share it with a friend, please. Thank you!!

(Shopping tip for the holidays: If you're looking for jewelry for anyone on your list, be sure to check out Jess' jewelry line Jess LC. It's beautiful and really well-priced. Seriously, check it out.)