The Simple Woman's Daybook for April 27

FOR TODAY April 27...
Outside my window...It's dark as it is almost 11 pm. Skies are clear. It was HOT today. again.

I am thinking...Two more days until my semester is over. Yay. I have got to finish my final paper on time and study for my 2 tests. I am wondering if i will get all that done by tomorrow night.

I am thankful for...The opportunity to go on the womans retreat this past weekend. I needed it and it was a great time with friends and music (Calling Levi was awesome!!!) and most important GOD.

From the learning rooms...Rachel finished another math workbook today and i forgot to order another. She is advancing through them so quickly and math is now her favorite subject! Science was done on the computer as she is starting her third week on Water, History we are studying the ancient Greeks and myths and legends, Bible is still 1 samuel, english, writing, reading same as usual. So many things i could be doing better.....but that just means there is hope for improvement next year.

From the kitchen...We had dinner tonight at my school because tonight was my induction into the Human Services Honor Society. They had food afterward. It was a nice ceremony and Erin took pictures and a video which i will post another time. All the kids (including Brandon) were there as was Steven. I felt like an old pro because i had done the Phi Theta Kappa. I also got talked into signing up to run for secretary next year. I hope that was not a mistake, but they really needed someone and said it would be a once a month thing. We'll see. My Human Services teacher told Steven that i was a great student. It was good to hear ;)

I am wearing...p.j.s as i am going to bed as soon as i post this

I am creating... a five page paper about why we do the things we do, what we need to do to address those needs, how i will work with future clients to address their needs ect.

I am going...To the library tomorrow so i can work in silence, School on Wednesday, Fall out Boy concert on Friday for Erin (i am bringing my ear plugs!)

I am reading...I finished Red!!! and am now reading White by Ted Dekker which is the third book in the series. I would recommend it to anybody. It is very, very good

I am hoping...That i am doing the right thing.

I am hearing...my new Calling Levi cd. When i can figure out how to post music i want to post a song they sing about the names of God. Excellent!!

Around the house...A mess as usual. But i'm not sweatin' the small stuff ;)

One of my favorite things...sleep

A few plans for the rest of the week:Teach, Learn, Pray, Play, Live and Laugh

Here is picture thought I am sharing...honestly, i am too tired to find a picture and post it. Just close your eyes and picture a beautiful waterfall with mountains in the background and a clear blue sky.......looks nice, huh?
If you want to blog about your day, heres the link http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
Have a great week
Today i am thankful for:
1. A Refreshing Weekend
2. Having friends and knowing we do not struggle alone
3. Safety to the retreat and home

Weekend Retreat, Public Speaking and Bible Studies

It's late Thursday night and i should be in bed asleep, but i am waiting for the dryer to get done so i can pack my clothes for my weekend retreat in the pocono's. I am so excited to have this weekend of fun, friends and focus on God. My daughter, Rachel, said that i should not take my homework with me because i am supposed to be relaxing, but i have 3 hours in the car to get there and 3 hours back. Plus, if i don't get some of my paper done, i will be overwhelmed when i get home. I still have a 5 page paper to write and two final tests to study for by Wednesday. Then, School will be done for me until fall. YAY. Today i registered for two classes in the fall. They will both be night classes so that i will be more available to Rachel during the day. I signed up for Ethics in Counseling and Interviewing skills. They sound pretty neat.

I had to do my oral report last night for Political Science. I was so nervous!!! In my mind, i love the idea of speaking in public. But, once i get up there, i freeze. I really have felt, however, that public speaking is something that the Lord has been leading my to. I don't know why i think that, its just a feeling. But i feel pretty strongly that it is something that i will be doing in the future. So, i am going to have to get over my fear of public speaking. Last night, i just wanted to not get up there and take a 0 for the oral presentation, which is what i used to do in high school. However, i know that would not get me anywhere. We all need to face our fears. So, i wrote a few notes to refer to and prayed, prayed, prayed. The Lord is so good. I asked Him to allow me to go first. It is only a small thing, and it could be a coincidence, But i don't think so. The teacher gave us all random numbers and mine came up to go first. Exactly what i needed. So, i got up there and the teacher was like "oh, michele won't have a problem speaking in front of us, cause she is always talking" . So, i started my speech, which was about a bill which recently passed in the senate that would allow the government to control the tobacco industry. I told the class i chose the article because i am a smoker and i think we should be careful about how much power we hand the government to make our choices for us.I talked about how smoking was illegal in the early 1900's and woman who got caught smoking were arrested and put in jail. I made the point that fast food is dangerous to our bodies also, and how long until it will be illegal to eat a Big-Mac in public. Well, i said alot more than that, but that was the jist of it. I got applause from the class when i was done, and the teacher made a few comments and then told me i did a good job. It felt really good. I only choked up a little in the beginning but after that, it was very easy. Thank God. I know that each time i do this, it will get easier and one day i will be able to talk to a room full of strangers.

Next Monday i am getting inducted into the Human Services Honor Society. Pretty neat stuff. I absolutely love college and would encourage anybody who is stuck in a rut to take a class or two because it really has made me see who i am and what i can do. I am nervous to go out into the work world, but i won't have to face that for a couple more years, and i fully believe that by that time, i will be more prepared in my mind and heart to face my fear of the unknown. It is my desire to graduate and then move to Florida to start my career. We will see what God has in mind for us.

I have been going to a Bible study on Thursday nights on the book "Lies that Woman Believe" it is a really great book, and i am really enjoying getting connected to some of the ladies from my church while we study this book together. I bought the book "Lies that Young Woman Believe" for me and Erin to do together, but we always forget. I really, really want to get that on our schedule so that we do it together once a week. We have done a couple lessons, and we both enjoyed the time and study together, but if you know me, you know that the only consistant thing about me is my inconsistencies. I need to stick to a schedule.
Well, that is it for me tonight. The dryer is done, its after midnight and i think i will pack tomorrow instead. I still have a couple of e-mails to send out (hi, sissy) and then i am going to bed.
Tonight i am thankful for:
1. Time spent cuddling and talking with my 16 year old daughter right before bedtime
2. Time spent talking, laughing and sharing thoughts, joys and fears with the ladies in Bible study
3. God's Word and how it speaks to us each personally

An Update

Once again it has been a while since i have posted. Not much has happened this past week. We all had off of school and that was really nice. Good Friday was a rainy day as usual. We went to church with the whole family, except for Rachel. It was her birthday and she chose to sleep over a friends house that night. We had planned to go to spa and get her and her sister pampered for the day, but the spa was closed and she did not want to postpone celebrating her birthday, so Erin and I took Rachel to the mall and bought her a build-a-bear and a nice make-up kit and a tiara. Then Rachel went over her "big sister" Tiffany's house and spent the night so they could go fishing in the morning. We had her birthday dinner and cake Saturday night instead of Friday. She chose tacos and shrimp, her two favorites. So, that is how Rachel spent her 12th birthday. Happy Birthday, my baby!! I can not believe you are so grown up. I love you. I wish i knew how to scan pictures so i could put one of her baby pictures on here, but that is learning for another day. For now, this is Rachel doing her school work.

So, if you read two posts back, you know what happened the Saturday before Easter. On Easter morning we had Brandon and Ryan sleep over the night before, so instead of easter baskets, we got a huge bowl of cany and labeled cups with each kid's name so they could all get some candy. Then, we all got dressed up, except Erin who had to work, and went to church. Erin and Jessica had gone to Good Friday service with us so it was not terrible that she had to miss Easter service. It was so nice to go to church with Matt and Brandon and Ryan along with me, Rachel and Steve. We had a buffet breakfast and then a very nice service. It was nice being surrounded by teenage guys and hearing their sweet singing. Ryan said he like the service so much and he loved my church because everybody looked so happy. He said he wanted to go back again. I would love that, then maybe Matt would go too. I would love to have my whole family in church with me like we used to, but it is usually just me and Rachel. Matt and Steve plan on playing soft ball with the church men starting next week, so i am happy about that. Maybe they both can make some connections in the church, and i used to love going to the games and hanging out with the other wives and mothers. It will be nice.

The week after Easter went very quickly. I didn't do much, but i got alot of cleaning done and got to make dinner every night and just relax and focus on the house-wife part of my life, which needed some attention. I also am almost finished with my book. I did not, however, do the school work i planned on doing, nor did i gather a plan of action for Rachel's school. I am not behind, nor and i ahead. But, i am ready for my last two weeks of college this semester. I have that oral report to do, one more big paper to write and two final tests to study for, and then i am done. It is almost time for me to choose next years classes already, and i am still not sure how many i will take. Probably two night classes. I may apply for a scholarship for next year so i don't have to get another loan, but the money really comes in handy when Christmas and birthdays come up, so I may just get the loan. I will have to pay it back some day, but not until after i graduate and get a job.

I am so excited because this weekend i am going on the woman's retreat with my church. It has been a long time since i have done that and i am looking foward to some alone time with a couple of my friends and some peaceful worship time with God. It will difinately be refreshing!!

Well, that's about it. Just an update. Tomorrow is school for me, thursday i am going to bylers to get some snacks for the house and for my weekend trip, Friday i will pack, go pick Deb up and then meet at the church so we can go to the retreat. Yay.

Tonight i am thankful for:

1. financial blessings and the fact that we could afford the cost to fix my brakes.

2. beautiful weather

3. the library and other free resources for home-schooling

Simple Womans Daybook for the Week of April 12

It's a couple of days late, but i wanted to do it anyway:)

For today, April 15 2009

Outside my window...Another cloudy, rainy day. I am ready for some consistent warm, spring days

I am thinking...Alot. about what i have to acomplish in the next week, about my in-laws, about my hubby's health, about my daughter's schooling, about my other teen-age kids. Alot

I am thankful for...the time off from school i have had, my hubby and how hard he works, my family and friends.

From the learning rooms...Rachel is taking a mini-spring break. This week she is just doing english, math and science to catch up. We started a new science class on the computer about water because it was free and we had nothing else planned for science. That is one area where i am still looking for the right curriculum. I am looking foward to this summer when i will have enough time to pull together some things to make it easier to teach subjects like history and science.

For my schooling, i have a final paper to do this week on Theories in Counseling, work on my oral report (ANOTHER one) for Political Science and i need to attend a town counsel meeting for P.S.

From the kitchen...Not much going on there lately. I made a yummy egg bake last night for dinner with eggs, hashbrowns, broccolli, ham and cheese. It was good. Lately, we just try to make ALOT for dinner since we usually have at least 1 or 2 extra kids in the house at dinner time.

I am wearing...Still in my p.j.s I need to get dressed, it is 1:00 in the afternoon!

I am creating...a research paper for theories. That's about all i have time for this week.

I am going...to drop my car off to get fixed tonight and that's about it for this week. Next weekend i will be going on the Woman's retreat with some friends from my church. Looking foward to a time of catching up with friends, fun, laughter and quiet time with God

I am reading...Still reading Red by Ted Dekker. It has never taken me so long to finish a book, but, i have never been this busy before. Sunday i did sit down to read, but wound of falling asleep for over an hour. Can't wait for summer to come so i can read.

I am hoping...To start a garden with Rachel in the next few days if it will EVER STOP RAINING

I am hearing...Stanley's nails on the floor clicking as he walks over to me, Rachel talking as she works in her english book, Erin singing along with her "music"

Around the house...messy as usual. I need to clean the bathroom and my bedroom and mop the floors.

One of my favorite things...A clean house and happy obedient children who know how to get along

A few plans for the rest of the week:Work on my papers, clean the house

Here is picture thought I am sharing...of my mom's house in sunny, warm florida with the family together

If you want to blog about your day, follow this link to the simple womans daybook http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

today i am thankful for:

1. Music

2. Extra time this week

3. Health Insurance

Matt's Bad Day and A Praise to God

It has been a long week and i don't really have time to blog about the whole thing, but overall, it all turned out pretty good. Matt's party was a smashing success. I got most of my work done, except for a small mix up in which i did one assignment that was not due till next week and forgot to do one that was due this week. So, i lost a couple points for lateness, but i got some extra credit, so i hope it really won't make a difference. The oral project could have gone better, but it was not a complete wipe-out. I had planned on getting up there and talking and just using my note cards for reference, but when i got up there i became extremely nervous and i couldn't take a deep breath, and i couldn't look at anybody, so i just read my note card verbatim. The good news (if i look at it that way) is that i get to do it again when i do my article critique and we are not even allowed to make note cards.......I keep telling the kids that practice makes perfect......so, i guess i'm getting alot of practice to get over my fear of public speaking.

I do have a praise to blog about, which is why I got on to blog tonight. I just had to tell someone, but it was too late to call anybody, so here i am. Today, Matt was hanging out with two of his friends and they went over another friends house. At about 730 i get a frantic phone call from Brandon (my adopted son-i will blog about him later) saying that they had just gotten "jumped" by six guys, Matt had gotten punched and thrown to the ground, and they were running down the street to get away from the bullies, but they were being chased by the 6 guys in a car! I was stunned for a second and said "what is going on" poor brandon was so panicked he said they were running to Burger King to be safe. I had no idea what was going on, but i assumed the worst. By now, Steven heard me on the phone and was running to get his shoes on. I told brandon that dad was on his way and gave the phone to Steve. Steve ran out the door in such a panic, he missed the last step of the deck and fell to the ground on his bad knee. By this time, the girls heard the comotion and were crying. Then they saw Daddy fall down the steps and they started screaming. I was running around trying to find shoes and help steve and tell the girls it would be ok. We were all in a state of panic. I helped Steve get up and he said he was fine and ran for the car. I started to go with him, but the girls were sooo upset and crying in a panic that i decided to stay with them. At first, after steve left and the girls crying and me shaking and in tears, I did not know what to do. MY SON. So, i did the only thing i could. I gathered the girls together and we held hands and prayed. I told the girls that the Bible sais that where 2 or 3 are joined together, God is there. So at first i couldn't even say anything because i thought i was gonna burst into sobs for fear. After a moment of silence, I asked God to send his Mighty Angels around the boys and keep them safe until Steve could get there. I told God i trusted Him with my son and no matter what, I knew that God had his best interest and He held the life of my son in His hand. It almost felt like I was releasing my son into His hands. Which is pretty much what i was doing. But, at that moment, i calmed down and just knew that no matter what happened to Matt, it would be ok because Matt belongs to God.
Well, after we finished praying, the girls were still upset and we felt like we had to do something, so we drove up to Burger King just so we could see if Matt was ok. You can imagine my relief when i saw the three boys standing in the parking lot with Steve. Nobody was really hurt, just scared and cold and hungry. Matt had gotten hit on his head above his ear and his throat was a little red where the boy had grabbed it and shoved him down. But the boys were ok. They had done the right thing and walked away (well, ran away) and called mom. Steve had called the police and once they arrived, i went home so as not to get in the way.
All i wanted to do was wrap my arms around those boys and give them all a big hug. They said that they did not do anything to instigate the fight and i believe them. We have all learned some valuable lessons from this, one of them being that my kids will not be walking alone in that development again. I felt so guilty because Matt had asked me to pick them up about 10 minutes before this happend, but i said no cause it was still light out and the walk would do them good. But, now I am just praising God for his protection and comfort and help with placing my kids in His hands.
So, now i am tired and am ready for bed. Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and all the boys (Matt, Brandon and Ryan) are coming to church with us. Brandon went with us for Good Friday and it made me light in heart to hear him singing songs of love to Jesus. These are really good boys and i am so happy that Matt has friends that not only have his back when push comes to shove (Ryan stood between Matt and the bully while Brandon called me) but are also sweet, loving boys that want to be with us so much, they are willing to dress up and go to church with us.
So, tonight, i am thankful for:
1. God's protection over the boys
2. God's comfort for me
3. The patience of God as i learn over and over and over how to hand him control of those things that i clutch so tightly.

As a prayer request, i would ask anybody who reads this to pray for Steve because he came down really hard on that knee, which is the same knee he hurt in his accident many years ago and just hurt recently by hyperextending it. It was just starting to get better, and now it really, really hurts him again.
I would also ask for prayer for the girls, that they get over the trauma of tonight and can feel peace about it soon. It was very scary for them to think of their brother as badly hurt and then watching their father fall down the steps.

So, just know that we are all fine now, but i wanted to share this story and this praise on this Easter Weekend.
Thank You Father for sending your Son to become sin for us so that He could be a Bridge between us and a Holy God. I love you.

Happy Easter

A Lesson Learned

Good morning! It is a beautiful Sunday morning here in Delaware. The birds are singing, the sky is blue and it will be about 65 today. Perfect. Yesturday was supposed to be Matthews birthday party but we woke up to a windy, windy day with 50 mile an hour gusts which made it feel very cold and kept knocking the volleyball net down. So, Matt got in touch with all his friends and told them that the party was changed until tomorrow. Everybody was fine with it, although half of them still showed up around 5 and stayed till 10 anyway. It was a fun evening filled with much teenage laughter and antics and i am looking foward to doing it again tonight.
I have gotten the smaller of my two school projects done and an halfway through the big case study for theories. I probably would have finished it last night, but even though i worked on it for about 6 hours, how much work can get done with a house full of teenagers? It's all good though, i would rather have them all wanting to come to my house than my children wanting to be somewhere else. In this day and age, it is rare for the kids to see a family with a mom and a dad together, and not only that but with a dad who goes outside to play basketball with the boys when he comes home for work!! I think it is great that my hubby can come home from a long, hard day and go outside to play with the boys. I have been blessed with a great family and i love sharing it with any teen or preteen who wants to come over and hang out. As of right now, i have a couple of "adoptive" kids, who i really love, who come to me with their problems and lives who i can love on and try to show the love of God. There is no college paper that is worth more than that. I need to get my priorities straight and i believe the Lord helped me with that yesturday. I don't have to turn out perfect college papers at the expense of my children, biological or adoptive.
So, even though i am skipping church to try to get my paper done before the party starts today, i have learned a lesson and feel alot better and more relaxed. I do love church and do not like to miss it, but i think it will be ok for just this week.
So, today i am working on the rest of my case study, spiffying up the house, getting the food together, enjoying watching my precious son celebrate his 15th birthday and doing whatever i can do for the rest of the day to help make it a great day for him. oops he just ripped his shirt so i have to run to Walmart to get him another(he needs them anayway and this way it will be clean). So, off to start my crazy day and to remember the things that are most important, and that is not me nor the things I need to do. It is those around me and how i do the things that need to get done with the right attitude.
Today i am thankful for:
1. My adoptive chilren who remind me who i am supposed to be.
2. The Lord, who teaches lessons when i am not even looking
3. My husband, who goes out of his way to play with his kids.

Next Week

Tonight i feel very overwhelmed about all the things i need to do in the next week. I probably feel way more overwhelmed than i need to, but i am such a bubble head and am VERY bad with time management. It seems like i am always doing things, but never getting anything completed. I try to stay on task, but i usually get sidetracked with something else that needs my attention at the moment and then it all piles up on me. I knew that i had to have my political article critique done by next week, but i put it off. I knew that i had to attend and evaluate a town council meeting by next week, but i put it off. I knew that i had to do a case study for Theories class, but i put it off because i had two big tests to study for and i wanted to concentrate on that first--and now that is also due next week. To top it off, my theories teacher just added another assignment due next week and my Pol. Sci. teacher only gave us two weeks to come up with a 20-30 minute oral presentation on the first amendment--along with a poster board-also due next week. Of course, that is just school. All that would HAVE to fall right smack in the middle of my two children's birthday's (which are 4 days apart) AND my darling son wants a big birthday party for the first time in like 10 years, which i now have to shop and clean for. So, of course that is happening THIS weekend. Then there is the smaller things like a semi-clean house, making the family dinner, shopping for food. AND, let's not forget that i spend at least 4 hours a day schooling my youngest and about another 2 connecting with my other two when they come home from school and need help with schoolwork, social problems, and other teen-age things. The brakes need to get looked at, the dog needs to go back to the vet, the bills are just about done getting paid, but i need to spend some more time battling a phone bill with charges i did not authorize and getting the check book in order. All this in the next 6 days.

My husband asked me today, as he watched me trying to sort everything out, "is there anything i can do to help?" Have i not been telling him how he can help out for the past 17 years? If it hasn't happend up till now, it sho' aint gonna happen all of the sudden this week. I think his asking at this point is just lip service. But i digress.

On a lighter side--well, more positive, but it definately does not make my load any lighter--this afternoon at school, my human services teacher handed me an official inventation to become a part of the Human Services Organization Honor Society. AND he wants me to be an officer!! Man, i have been wanting to be in that organization since i started school, and it is by invitation only... Now, will i wear the HSO honor tassle on my graduation robe or my Phi Theta Kappa honor tassle, or both. He-He, such quandries :) But, seriously, i would love to do it, but i don't know if i can make that kind of commitment without pulling my hair out while smoke comes out of my ears. I could join the honor society and not get involved, just so i can have it on my resume, but that doesn't seem like the right thing to do. I told my teacher i would have to think about it. He told me to hurry, the application is due.............wait for it..............yep, you got it......next week.

So, i have now gotten all this out of my head and onto my blog and can attempt to go to sleep. Have i told you how much i can't wait for summer? I can't wait till summer.


Tonight i am thankful for:

1. The internet which is chock full of information at my fingertips
2. My dog Stanley, cause he listens to me vent and licks my face.
3. The Bible-and the way the Lord uses it to speak to my heart and show me(and everyone else) his love and mercy and omnipotence. And it is a great history book too!