I forgot the best news when I updated yesterday!

It took forever, but I had to wait to hear from the lawyer - I used the "joint savings" (which was only joint because I put away money from the joint account, as the man person never saved. Ever) to pay off almost ALL of the "joint debt" (this was definitely JOINT).

I paid off two medical accounts, a store credit card, and about 4000 towards the Discover. It still carries a balance, as I use it instead of my debit card and then pay off whatever I've put on it, plus whatever else I can towards it. BUT, the balance was pretty much cut in half, AND I won't have any other monthly payments going towards the other two.

I'm really thrilled by this, and I am hoping to be able to pay off the Discover completely within the next year and a half.

I'm not sure how long it will take, as with my current job situation, I'm trying to put aside money for the summer months, when I won't be able to sub or temporary teach. I'm not quite sure WHAT I'll do, as childcare for kid for all day for a full time minimum wage job would be astronomical - but not working means no income at all except for the proofreading secondary job, and that's even more terrifying!

Regardless! Things are PAID OFF!

It's been a little bit since I've been around, but things have been a tiny bit crazy.

I have a new part time special education teaching job that is only for this year, but I'm working three days a week from 8:45 to 2:15 (one day until 3:15), which means I get to drop off and pick up the kid at school most days, which is less money to daycare - about $20 less a week! And I'm getting paid hourly at a teacher wage.

I don't have any benefits, but I didn't have benefits subbing either.

It also means that I can sub Mondays and Fridays if I want to - and sometimes I want to, and sometimes I'd like to set Mondays on fire, but it's nice to have the option to bring in a little more money every week.

The divorce drags on and on, and my lawyer is awesome but expensive. I just want to be DONE.

Voldemort and I are making most of our holiday gifts this year.

Voldemort made

these snowball soaps for their (pronoun switch again!) cousins, and it was super easy and fun. And cheap! We used old lego figures that V doesn't play with anymore to put inside the snowballs.

I'm making dry erase placemats for V and the cousins as well, which I hope they'll like.

The sisters are getting homemade clove lip balm - my SIL loved the Burt's Bees clove balm, but they aren't making that anymore, so I found a recipe and played with it a bit, and I think I got pretty close!

I also have vanilla brewing for the sister who bakes, and I took an extra vanilla bean and decided to make some vanilla sugar while I was at it.

My dad will get cookies, and my sister is getting my mom a crockpot, so I'm going to get her a crockpot cookbook to go with it.

And that's pretty much everybody - there are still some bought things that I'm getting for the kid - and I'm having no luck finding a decent pair of roller skates used, so I might have to go new for those - but mostly, gifts are taken care of!