Do I have time to really work

Deb and I have been staining the decks on our house. What we have done looks really good, and if I knew how to put a picture in my blog, I would include it. But it has been fun working together and mom has encouraged me to work on our Barbeque, fix it up and start using it without buying one of those big stainless steel Ques that I've been looking at and pining for. Our Que is big enough for the two of us and that' all I really need.

I've been working in the yard, the decks and need to finish the storage room. I don't really know if I can go back to work. But I want to because I enjoy training people, working together in teams to resolve problems, helping organizations improve their efficiency's and delighting their customers.

If I can just someone to give me call.....


Love
Dad

Financial Woes 2

We have (Deb and I) really tried to live within our means and do food storage and be prepared for anything. Its the job losses that have really cause us pain and I'm working hard to get that resolved.

The goal for this blog: Let everyone know that:
1. Living beneath your means is the best way to live.
2. Save at least 10 percent of your take home pay in a savings program. (if your employer has 401K available max it out to get the max of the companies matching pay).
3. Always pay an honest tithe
4. Don't allow want's to wipe away the needs. Plan and budget for both
5. Go to: www. daveramsey.com

Fred

Financial Woes

I was listening to Dave Ramsey yesterday (xm 165) and people have been calling in worried about the economy. He said the economy wasn't in that bad of shape because millions of dollars were still being spent on movies. Since movies are a "want to" and not a "have to" deal, then I agree with him. My parents lived through the depression by working and living very carefully. My dad wanted to go to the University of Wyoming and went his freshman year. The next year he bought a threshing machine and did custom threshing up and down Prairie Dog Creek in Sheridan County. The farmers had wheat, oats and barley to harvest and sell and he did the harvesting for them. My mom worked doing what ever she could because her mom was a single mom. When mom went to the University of Wyoming as a 16 year old, she cleaned houses and did laundry for her room and board and tuition. My uncle, Ralph Newcomer, wanted to go to the University of Wyoming to be an engineer but worked on the Ranch while my dad went to the U of W. He never did achieve his dream but became a very successful dairyman in the '50's and '60's. My dad always helped Uncle Ralph with milking the cows when he went to Sheridan.

I grew up knowing about the great depression because we lived simply with as self sufficient as we could. We had a big garden and canned and froze our vegetables. We had a cellar to keep our onions, carrots and potatoes in sand over the winter. We had chickens to provide eggs and meat. We sold eggs to people in town to earn a little extra money. We had a milk cow that gave us a calf every year for our beef and we drank the milk, made homemade icecream and mom made cottage cheese (I hated the smell of the rotten milk and to this day can't eat cottage cheese). Mom made my school shirts and pajama's on her little sewing machine. She baked bread on mondays and hung our clothes out to dry on a clothesline. She didn't get a clothes dryer until after we moved to Worland. Dad would hunt deer and elk to supplement our meat supply. We fished in Clear Creek behind our house.

I guess that is why when we had children that we focused on living within our means, developing food storage, having a garden, and canning the vegetables of the garden. When we bought our home in Bloomington, our loan was over 13% and the utilities to heat and cool our home were fairly high. So we had to be careful with our money. We did get a credit card and started to use it foolishly and we have spent the majority of our lives trying to stay out of credit card debt. Clothing could be high ticket items and we chose to go the middle road with our kids. I know they feel like they were unfortunate because they couldn't wear the designer clothes, the top tennis shoes etc. We didn't eat steak because it was too expensive. We went on vacations to visit family and we stopped at all kinds of interesting places so the kids could have fun. We watched movies together on TV, we played baseball and swam in the summer and shoveled walks in the winter.

Your mom and I grew up with not much money to have. I had friends who had money and I couldn't compete with them. Unfortunately, as I have worked, we have had sufficient money to pay the bills, save some, have a decent vehicle to drive, purchase a tent trailer, and help our kids once in a while.

I've learned over the years, that the economy is what makes our country great. It is small businessesand large businesses working together. It is helping people who are down and out that shows the world that we care, it is not giving money to people

During the depression, banks failed, foreclosure's boomed and factory's shut down because there was no money to fund them. The stock market went bust. It was a terrible time for the economy. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and manufacturing ramped up to fight WWII then the economy blossomed because people were needed to work and fight. Money was available to fight the war. Since the "great depression" we've had recessions, which meant that inflation rose. Inflation is when there is too much money in the system and the value of the money decreases. I remember a time in the late '60s and early '70s that inflation had risen a bit and President Nixon imposed wage and price controls to artificially support businesses. In the late '70s I was working in Nuclear Power Plant construction and wages for pipefitters were $26/hour. Stagflation became the word because interest was 16-20% and unemployment was high (about 7-8% I believe) Ronald Reagan coined this term and used it during his campaign in 1980 to defeat Jimmy Carter.

The church has promoted self sufficiency and food storage since the depression era to help members (and the world) be prepared for a rainy day. We have

Eureka

I picked up some books at the BYU Bookstore sale last week and I am reading one about the 100 laws to make any business successful. Amongst the first 10 laws was a little paragraph which explained why I've had so many job losses. People who provide results stayed hired. I didn't focus on results, but doing my job. When I worked for Battelle, they had a goal setting processes that I didn't much care for, so consequently I didn't follow the plan and I got downsized. Other places I have focused on results Iwanted and not what the company wanted. So, if I had my "druthers" I would've like to have stayed employed at Battelle. But like the hymn says, "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord" and Heavenly Father has provided jobs so that other purposes could be served.

Tomorrow I have an "interview" with Carbon Fiber Technologies which is on the other side of the golf course from our house. I've been cultivating a position with them for 3 months. I don't know if it will be a direct hire position or a consulting position but I'm hoping it will provide some financial benefit for the long future.

Love,
Dad

Name Spelling

I read Trev's email and immediately mispelled his daughter's name, but I appreciated his willingness to change it to my spelling. When Sam started dating Cathy, I wrote it down as Kathy and it took me two Christmases to get it right. When Corlet had Cheri, my mom couldn't spell it write for years. So I guess I come by it honestly. Since I'm on names, I should share the history and potential changes for my own kids names.

Trevor Lane-- I thought Trevor was a unique name in 1975. In retrospect the name "Lane" came from a name I heard at BYU, but we should have named him Trevor Leonard in honor of hs maternal grandfather.

Samuel John--named after his maternal great grandfather. He was such a rounder, drinker etc that we switch the names. His name was John Samuel and we did the switch.

Ryan Jay--It just sounded good. We started to figure a name when driving to the hospital for delivery. While Deb was in labor with Ryan, the TV stations were showing about a coup in Nicaragua trying to overthrow "El Jefe Supremo de las Fuerzas Armadas de Nicaragua" General Somoza. I served several months of my mission in Nicaragua. (This will another blog in the future.)

Randall Fredrick. His middle name is named after me, but I took the "e" out between Fred and Rick. The reason: I was never sure what my formal name was until I was married. I though by doing this for Randy he wouldn't have to worry about that. Again, the Randall sounded good fo him. Also, the name Fredrick or Frederick means "peaceful ruler" and has been a Newcomer name for many generations. I do hope that it goes foreward in the future.

Lacey Renee. She was a surprise for us and Deb and I went through all kinds of names trying to find one that would fit her absolutely perfectly. I still remember some of the names we wanted to give her: Tara Christine, Trina, Anna Corlet. I still love her name though and wouldn't have had any other name.

Derrick Douglas. Middle named for his Uncle Doug. First name came from a guy I worked with at the Clinton Power Plant in Illinois who I admired because he was a man who was focused and pushed and got things done. However, he was a Derek and I didn't want to get that exact same spelling.

So there is a quick explanation of our kids' names.

What's in a name? Identification, personality, memorials.

Edwin Vance Newcomer was a three generation name in our Newcomer line and unfortunately it didn't care into the fourth generation.

PS: My very first girlfriend (3rd grade) was name Debbie (Deborah) so when I met my wife, it was an easy sell.

Love,
Frederick (named after great grandfather Frederick Fectic Newcomer) Mohlman (named after my mothers birth sirname)Newcomer

Important Dates

Today is July 20, 2008 and this has become a wonderful day for our family. For most of you who read these blogs, July 20, 1969 was when man landed on the moon for the first time. I watched it happen on black and white TV while living in Buffalo Wyoming. Today, Trevor and Ellen welcomed their first child into the world and our ninth grandchild. We are so excited for them. To be on the sidelines and watch our children and their spouses invoke the miracle of childbirth is really a humbling experience. I mean when these kids were little and running around with droopy diapers, and taking up all your time I couldn't see that they would grow up to be such wonderful men and a beautiful woman. I love each of our daughters' in law and our son in law.

Other important dates for me: August 15, 1938 was when my parents, Edwin Vance Newcomer and Wilma Adele Donaldson were married at a ranch house in Banner, Wyoming. Of course my birthdate of September 14, 1952 is important to me. March 23, 1953 is the birth date of my sweetheart wife. April 18, 1972 was when I received my endowment in the Provo Temple. June 10, 1972 was when I reported to the Mission Home in Salt Lake City. May 20, 1975 was the date that Debbie and I were sealed together in the Idaho Falls Temple. December 19, 1975 was when Trevor Lane Newcomer was born. He was quickly followed by Samuel John Newcomer on March 2, 1977. A short time later Ryan Jay Newcomer came into the world on a hot August day, the 23rd in 1978. Randall Fredrick Newcomer joined the crew on February 26, 1980. January 20, 1981 was the date that Ronald Reagan became the President of the United States. He helped turn our country from misery to prosperity by promoting less government, reduced taxes, strengthening our military and letting people govern their own lives. This is a recipe that will always strengthen our country.

Lacey Renee Newcomer Costner was born on a cloudy day in Illinois, the 25th of October in 1984. Derrick Douglas Newcomer became the caboose of the Fred and Debbie train when we arrived on October 15, 1987.

Since then life has moved on and as our children got married and have had children I find it hard to remember extra birthdates, and anniversaries. It's not that I don't think you are important, but those are dates that you are responsible for to help me remember.

I've been blessed beyond measure and I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who tutors and counsels and humbles me on a regular basis. But the arrival of little one's make these days really special.

Thanks to all: Trevor and Ellen and Railey; Sam and Cathy; Ryan, Ellissa, Reese, Loli, Ellie and Sherman; Randy, Rebecca, Kaylee, Dallin, Ephraim, Eva and the other one; Lacey, Ryan and Hailey; and Derrick.