The holidays are over. What a whirlwind! Life’s been completely nutty around our house.

Over the last month we bought a new car, several pieces of furniture, and all the pieces and parts to complete our home theater. None of that was purchased on credit… well… except for the car, of course. But our car payment is actually lower than it was before and the loan has no interest.

We traded in Zippy, Tammy’s yellow 2003 Mazda 6, which had crested 100k miles and was showing it’s age. We bought a brand new, white 2010 Toyota Corolla S the week before Christmas. I’ve never bought a “real” new car, never thought I would, but we needed something with very low miles and good gas mileage and the used cars we looked at were very nearly the same price as the sale prices on the new cars. I guess the old rule about losing two grand when you sign the title doesn’t always apply. By the way, the new car has been christened “Frosty.”

In the mean time, Daisy, my 2003 Nissan Xterra is now paid off, so all that outgo can now be redirected to savings. (That is, saving up a big down payment for the truck that will replace Daisy when she wears out.)

As for the house, what a difference a month can make! The dining room is done; new table, chairs and rug; and it came in about $300 under budget thanks to holiday sales and some shrewd bargaining. The guest room is done; bed, mattress set, night stand, curtains and blinds; again about $200 under budget. The media room has a Craigslist love seat that’s less than six months old.

Our HD video projector, HD receiver, and 5.1 surround sound speakers are all in transit. I had set myself a $2000 budget for the home theater. When I consulted a local home theater specialty store, they literally laughed at that number. They said they’d never sold a package for less that $4k. (Gulp!) But they were kind enough to give me some advice on what brands and technology to look for. I was able to find the exact products they were pushing and my finished theater will come in at about $1500. Who’s laughing now?!

And finally, our big project over the NYE weekend was decking the garage attic with nine sheets of 3/4 inch plywood. It went up with no real drama. Tammy was a trooper and helped me get it done in half a day. The attic, now fully decked from edge to edge, is huge. We stored all our Christmas decor, winter and summer sporting goods, including 90% of our camping gear, and the attic is less than half full. (I can’t store some of my gear up there because it’s not climate controlled.)

Now we face a new and exciting 2010. (That’s “twenty-ten.”) We’re hosting youth events starting the end of January. I got a role in Stage Right Theater’s dessert theater (which plays every year around Valentine’s day). It’s another murder mystery, this time set around a New York Italian restaurant. That means that I have a new accent to master and I won’t see my wife awake for the first two weeks of February.

Whew! That’s probably not all, but it’s all I have time to share. May your 2010 be blessed and full of God’s love, hope and fulfillment.