Creative Counterpart

I haven’t gotten around to blogging this week. On Tuesday we decided to switch out T.V. and internet service over to Windstream. We were becoming disappointed in our cable internet, and found much better packages and prices with Windstream. Then on Wednesday we celebrated The Lord’s Supper as a family. We had bread, sparkling grape juice (wine), salmon, and roasted asparagus and my husband and I took communion together. It was a very good and memorable dinner.

I’ve also been busy researching and loading my mind with information about rebuilding my husband’s credit and establishing credit for myself. We applied for a secured visa credit card at our bank. We should have it in a week or so. I also applied for a platinum visa card at Bank of America online to see if I could qualify. I have never applied for an unsecured card myself. If I don’t get approved we are going to get another secured visa credit card from Bank of America that will “graduate” to an unsecured visa in 9 months. It appears that as of right now, neither my husband or I have enough credit history on our reports to calculate a FICO credit score, so I am not quite sure yet where we will stand with the cards reporting 6 months down the road.

On Saturday my husband took me shopping for an outfit to wear for Resurrection Sunday. My regular church clothes have become too tight for my expanding pregnant belly. Today we have enjoyed our Resurrection Sunday so far. Hoping that everyone else has had a lovely celebration of our risen Lord, also.

Today, my husband was kind enough to take me shopping for an outfit to wear to church tomorrow. My regular church clothes have become too tight for my ever-expanding pregnant belly, and I was in desperate need of at least one nice outfit that fit. I must say, maternity shopping is a nightmare where I live. Most department stores have discontinued their maternity clothing, and if they do carry it the sizes only go to up to X-Large (which would probably fit me at my non-pregnant size.) I soon found that my options were limited to plus size clothing, stretchy waist pants/skirts, and the longest and roomiest shirts I could find. After walking through the entire mall, I finally found a decent baby doll top that might just fit me for a few more months in the plus size section of Yonkers. Then I found a stretchy waist denim skirt at CJ Banks that should also fit me until about the last month of my pregnancy.

After realizing that my maternity shopping would most likely be limited during this pregnancy, I began looking around online. I came across Nothing Bare Clothing, which offers undergarments made to look like layered tees. They even make a maternity “hipster”, which is a wonderful idea for those shirts that will be too short in the last few months of pregnancy. Their “mini” is the top undergarment that is great for some modesty under those low cut v-neck shirts.

I am contemplating whether to order some or not. I have been wondering if there is a way I could sew my own. I know I could, but I am not sure how well I could get them to turn out. hmmmmm……

When my husband and I married our credit situation was not good. I had absolutely no credit and still don’t. My husband had very poor credit with outstanding debts. For years we wallowed in the fact that we couldn’t buy a home or move forward with many of our dreams as a new couple. It wasn’t until the past year that we have gotten serious about cleaning up my husband’s credit and building good credit for the both of us. We have set several short term goals to accomplish in order to fulfill our long term goals. After much research and learning through experience I have found that cleaning up your credit and have a better credit score comes in many different steps for many different people. I am hoping to outline the basics here of cleaning up your credit report and making your report and score look better to lenders. I hope to address the issue of getting out of credit card debt and other types of debt later.

Clean up your Credit Report

Your first step in cleaning up your credit report is to obtain a copy of your credit report from all 3 major credit bureaus (contact information at the bottom of this post). You are entitled to 1 free credit report from each bureau every 12 months. Once you receive each credit report, take the time to sit down and go over every negative item on your report. If there are any errors on your report (such as late payments when you weren’t late), write a letter to the CRA (Credit Reporting Agency) in question and ask that the error(s) be removed. The CRA has 30 days to investigate; they’ll write to the creditor and ask them to verify the payment info. If they don’t, the CRA will remove the negative info from your file. You may also dispute an item if the debt is older than 7 years (10 years for bankruptcy).

Your next step in cleaning up your credit report is to pay all of your delinquent debts. It will not remove them completely from your report, but a late payment is not nearly as bad as an unpaid debt. This step can be long and tedious. In our case, I found that some of my husbands unpaid debts had been sold to so many collection agencies that we couldn’t even find out who to pay the debt to. In this case I went ahead and disputed the item on his credit report. We’ll see what happens.

Establish Good Credit

If you don’t have a credit card, get one. It will help you build credit. Just use it to buy your groceries, and pay it off in full every month. The best option for those with bad credit I have found to be a Secured Credit Card. If your bank says you don’t qualify for a credit card, then ask for a secured credit card. This means you put money into an account (often a savings account) and you can charge no more than the amount in the account. It sounds like a Visa check card on a checking account, but the difference is that this is a “real” credit card and shows up on credit reports to help you build credit. (Some secured cards don’t help you build credit, so make sure you ask your banker if their secured card will.) There are many scams online offering secured credit cards. These often have astronomical fees and charges. Your best bet is to inquire at your local bank or another major bank chain. Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and other major bank chains (as well as local bank chains) often have excellent options for a secured credit card. If you don’t mind having a credit card through a different bank, shop around. You may be able to find the same kind of card with a lower interest rate and lower annual fee elsewhere.

For more information on establishing, rebuilding, and improving credit visit these links:

Rebuild your Credit

Debt Validation

Settling your Debts

Building a Better Credit Report

 3 Major Credit Bureaus

Equifax: 1-800-685-1111 (general) or 1-800-525-6285 (fraud); PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374; www.equifax.com

Experian: 1-888-397-3742 (general and fraud); PO Box 2002, Allen TX 75013, www.experian.com

TransUnion: 1-800-888-4213 (general) or 1-800-680-7289 (fraud); PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022; www.transunion.com

So…. I have decided. I need a banner promptly so that I may give them to all of my friends and blogging buddies to put on their blogs. I am not sure yet who would want to do that, but I thought it was a nice idea since that seems to be the trend these days. The problem is that I am lacking creative ability at the moment. I really wanted to make my own, as not to burden anyone else.. but it’s just not working very well at the moment. Let me know if you have any ideas or if you can help *sigh*.

I did attempt one… let me know if it’s a total flop. I really don’t think it represents my blog well, but maybe I am wrong. It seems too…. i dunno…. hip and cool, when my blog is more calm?

There may very well be…

AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water

Last week I wrote a quick email to Answers in Genesis, hoping to receive an answer. It was a question in regards to what a “day” is in Genesis and about ‘The Great Debate’ series. I finally got a reply and was very happy with it. Just read it and you will understand .

My Email:

This question is in regards to “The Great Debate” video series online. I have been following along up until the latest debate, session 3. In the entire debate, they are talking about not knowing what a day is because god didn’t define what a day was until the 4th day, but the bible (at least mine!) says that God seperated the light from the darkness and called the light day and the darkness night on the first day! Why are they still debating what a day is if the bible says this? It my opinion God was only furthering what day and night were on the 4th day by making signs for us here on earth to know what is a day or night. But is it not true that God created and layed out the foundation for what a day is on the first day?

Response from Answers in Genesis:

Dear Vanessa,

Thank you for contacting Answers in Genesis.

God outlined what a day was from the very first day of creation. We know that from the context of Genesis 1:3-5. Dr. Hugh Ross and theologian Walter Kaiser compromise with the Scriptures on the issue of the days of creation, and Ken and Jason were trying to show them what Genesis 1 truly means in regard to a day.

Ken has written an excellent, in-depth booklet about the meaning of the word “day” in Genesis 1 and I encourage you to read it if you haven’t thus far. It is reproduced on our website and the link is:

http://www.answersingenesis.org/radio/pdf/six_days_booklet.pdf

I pray this helps. God bless as you partner with us this year to help us impact the culture, one life at a time!

If you would like to order any of our materials during the month of March, here is a discount code to get them at a better price: 08AD254MAR . Please note that this offer is only available in our U.S. bookstore.

If you use the discount code, you will receive a 10% discount. This offer expires at the end of March 2008, and cannot be used with any other offer, with magazine subscriptions, or with AiG’s online courses.

Kind Regards in Christ,

Donna O’Daniel, M.Sc.
Correspondence Representative
Answers in Genesis
P.O. Box 510
Hebron, KY 41048

Answers in Genesis is a non-profit, Christ centered, non-denominational ministry dedicated to upholding the authority of Scripture from the very first verse! The information contained in this e-mail message is proprietary, privileged and confidential, and is intended for the use of the addressee and no one else. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by e-mail and delete all copies of the message.

And now it’s time for my contribution to kick off The Ultimate Blog Party ‘08. It seems the goal of this party is to meet new bloggers and have some fun, so let’s get started!

My name is Vanessa and I am a wife to my blogging husband Adam and my toddler Gregory. We also have one little blessing being knit together in my womb who is expected to join us in August! I am a stay at home mother who seeks to put Christ first in my life, followed closely by my family.

Grab a cup of tea and stay awhile! My blogging ranges greatly from my personal joys and experiences, to my struggles and pains. I will also blog about anything I am passionate about including creation science, homeschooling, cooking and crafts, the Christian life, frugality, home economics, and anything else that seems to inspire me.

Did I mention I live in Nebraska? And here is a video that says it all:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttPE_l2Y5LU]

And here some strange videos to kick off our party!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCEDjEp60aE]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjatRkpSa5U]

1 Corinthians 15:53-57

For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 3:16-17

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Nancy at Homemade Blessings has tagged me to share 7 random facts about me, so here we go -

1. When eating red enchiladas for dinner, my favorite accompanying drink is chocolate milk. I just love enchiladas and chocolate milk!
2. My birthday is July 7th. When I was a kid my family would all go to the July 4th festival and play the cake walk. We would get 4 or more people playing the cake walk, and it wouldn’t take us long to win a cake. Then, I would get to pick out a cake for my birthday. I loved that!
3. When I am eating candy like M&Ms, I always have to have an even number of pieces so that each side of my mouth gets an equal amount. If I don’t have 2 I will bite the piece in half and divide it up.
4. I really enjoy learning about medieval times and often ooh and ah over medieval maidens’ dresses. My latest interest in history has been the use of a “wet nurse” in which families of high status (especially royalty) would hire a woman to nurse their children.
5. I not-so-secretly long to live on a farm again with animals, a barn, a garden, and such.
6. My sister and I would get so excited just to get new underwear and socks in our stockings at Christmas. It was also a family tradition to fill them with nuts, apples, and oranges, which we would thoroughly enjoy during the next few days.
7. I have always known my calling in life was to be a mother. Since I was a very small girl I have known that is what God made me to be!

Okay, there’s my interesting list! Now I need to tag 7 more people, so I tag -

1. Deldobuss
2. Blessed Motherhood
3. Keeping The Home
4. Life In A Shoe
5. Mama Archer
6. Raising Arrows
7. Lines From The Vine

Here are the rules -

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.