30 Day Blog Challange, Day 5

Still catching up on the 30 day blog challenge, hosted by Katie at Katie's Journey blog.

Day five is Your Siblings

Kathy on her 40th birthday

As I've said before, I only have one sibling. And she has been my best friend my entire life. Kathy is two years older than me. When we were little, my mom used to call me "me too" because any time Kathy said she wanted to do something or go somewhere, i always said--Me Too!
My sister has always been a huge part of my life. When we were growing up, no matter what was going on in my life, i always knew that my sister was there for me. Even when we were in that "teenage" stage, where no siblings really get along, i wanted to be around her and be part of her life. That was probably annoying to Kathy. She was always the popular one, with lots of friends, and also boyfriends. In fact, most of the friends i had growing up were either my sister's friends first or siblings of my sister's friends. I always looked up to her when we were teenagers...she was the person i most wanted to emulate. She always seemed so sure of herself and knew how to act around all types of people. I was more shy and uncertain, so I thank God that I had a best friend wherever i went. Since we moved around a lot, my friendship with my sister really kept me going.
When we shared a bedroom together, many nights we would lie awake talking about our desire to get married, live near each other, and raise our children together. Which, for a few years, we did. One of the happiest times in my life was when both of our families lived in the same apartment complex, and our children were able to grow up together for a while.
Well, she lives in Florida now :-( and I miss her dreadfully. But, even though there are many miles that separate us now, are relationship is closer than it has ever been before :-) I love my sister, and I thank the Lord that He gave her to me.

Well, i just tried to scan some old pictures of me and Kathy, but once again, i can't figure it our. Since hubby is out tonight and i can't ask him, i'll have to pull a recent picture of me and my sister until i can scan some old ones.

Me and Sissy 2008

Fighting for Daddy's Attention

We love our Dad!

30 Day Blog Challange, Day 4

Day 4-- Your Parents

So, today i'm still catching up with the 30 day blog challenge. If you're interested in seeing our host's blogs and view other people's responses to this challenge, you will find it here. 

My parents. Well, my mom's name is Kim and my dad's name is Rudy. They live in Florida, and i miss them very much. I only get to see them a few times a year. My ultimate goal is to move down to Florida to live near them sometime in the next few years.

Me (left) Mom (middle) Kathy (sister, right)

 

My mom and I have always been very close. Well, when i was a teenager, i did everything i could to gain my independence from both my parents. I really was a very challenging teenager, and, now that i have kids, i really feel bad for everything they had to go through with me. I don't know how my mom did it. I would lose my mind if any of my kids pulled even half the crap i pulled while growing up. However, my mom ever remained a loving, accepting mother throughout all those years. I know that it was her relationship with God and my dad that helped to get her through. I can only say that if i ever have to go through with my kids the things she went through with me, i can only hope i will be able to handle it with as much love and patience as she did. I never doubted her love for me....never. And, now that i am a fully (?)adjusted(?) :-) adult, my mother is one of my closest confidants. In fact, i could probably call her my soul-mate because we are both so very much alike, we rarely need to explain our motives/feelings to each other anymore...because we get each other. I also look up to her because she does so much. Working full time, involved with her church, involved with her drama classes, involved with the prison ministry, her home is beautiful, and she gets up at 4 in the morning almost every day--makes a hot breakfast for her hubby often, and cooks dinner when she gets home--whew, i'm tired just thinking about it! She has been a great role model for me and I thank God very often for giving me my mother. She has done more for me than she probably knows.   

My dad and my daughter

My dad is my hero. We don't spend a whole lot of time talking like my mom and i do, but dad is the strong, silent type. He always worked so hard to provide for us. He is the patriarch of our whole extended family. That's a lot of burden for one man to shoulder, but my dad--he has strong shoulders :-) He leads, not by words, but by example. He is always doing something. I think he sits and relaxes for a total of, like, ten hours a week. He still works out every morning, goes to work all day, comes home and does all those things that men do best around the house/bills/car care/pool care/etc., then maybe relaxes for two hours, goes to sleep, and starts all over again. Now, to me that is amazing, not only because he is near retirement age, but also because he has leukemia--not that you would know that by looking/watching him. He has always been a good husband to my mother, and if they had fights while i was growing up, i never saw them. He is a big brother, an uncle/father figure to various cousins, a grandfather (and a great-grandfather!), a computer guru, the you-name-you-need-it-go-to kind of guy, sometimes i think he could do anything. Like i said--my hero. And i miss him very much. Especially cause we don't talk as much as me and my mom do on the phone, so i love just sitting with him--wherever he is--when i go down to visit. 

Wow, just writing this i am reminded again what a blessing i have in the parents the Lord has given to me. The most important of all--They both are living a life that is directed by God, and they have modeled the Christian life to me since i was born. It it wasn't for them, i probably would not have a good relationship with my Creator as i do now. So--thanks again Lord, and mom, and dad--I love you.

30 Day Blog Challange, Day 3

Day 3-Your first love

I think i covered this on the first-day post. The first person (outside my family and, of course, my creator) I fell in love with was Steven, who was my boss at the time. He seriously only saw me as a young kid who worked for him, but i remember just thinking about him all day. I tried to work as many hours with him as i could...i would go in at 6 am just so i could ride with him and spend the day with him....they didn't even need to pay me for all i cared...as long as i could be with Steve. But, the time wasn't right, so i moved 200 miles away. For some reason, when i was 19, and dating someone else i might add, i went to a party at Steve's house...without my then-boyfriend. This time, Steve was interested in me, and i guess i hadn't really forgotten about him as i had thought i did...and the rest is history. We've been part of each other's lives for over 20 years and i truly believe (most of the time, lol) that we were always meant for each other. 
So, that's the story of my first love :-)

30 Day Blog Challange, Day 2

Day 2: Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

Well, that's an easy one. I started this blog to help me focus on the positive things in my life, because i used to have a tendency to only see the negative things. It really has become much more natural for me to focus on the positive things in my life and to always at least try to find the silver lining that does surround all things. I can't always find it, but it feels better to look for the silver lining that to wallow in the storm cloud all day.

"And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28


"Being confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

These are just two things that God says about silver lines and hope in His word...

30 Day Blog Challange, Day 1

I need some inspiration to start writing on my blog again, so when i saw that my friend Debbie was doing a 30 day blog challenge, in which one answers questions and gives information about one's life (that's college speak for ya lol ), i thought i would join in....then I got busy and forgot....and now i remember again. So, they are on their ten day already, but, since some of the entries can be short, i'm gonna try to catch up. I'm not gonna link my posts on the author's blog, but i will tell you now that if you want to join in or see how others answered, you can go to her blog at  this location and read all about it. Now, onto day one:



Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts

Me (on the right) and Erin at a Bon Jovi Concert in March

Well, for those few who follow me, this info may be a bit redundant, but...whatever...at least i'm writing again. So, my name is Michele Lee Furman (Maiden name is Burton), i will be turning the big 4-0 on halloween of this year. Wow, where has the time gone? I live in Delaware with my husband of 19 years and my three birth children and another "adopted" daughter (all teenagers). At this point in my life i have been working on my Associates degree in Human Services since fall of 2007 and i should be done by fall of 2012. I had planned on being done in 2010, but my youngest daughter asked me to home school her, so i cut back on my schooling to stay home and teach her. It was one of my better decisions!! I have been home-schooling Rachel for over 2 years, and she will go back into public high-school next fall. She is looking forward to it, and part of me is too; and part of me will miss this special time with my youngest daughter. I did home-school my other two children for a couple years, and they both streamed back into public school very well. My oldest graduated last year and is attending the same college that i do (in fact, we may actually take a couple courses together next year, lol) and my son is in 11th grade and doing great! Prior to 2007, i spent 15 years raising my kids and being a home maker. I am looking forward to the next phase of my life. Now, on to some interesting facts (if i can think of any)
   
15 interesting facts
1) I was born on Long Island, New York
2) I have moved 22 times--sometimes only staying in one place a few weeks before moving on
3) I longest i have ever stayed in one house is the one i live in now, it's been over 12 years
4) I LOVE BON JOVI  :-) I have seen the band live eight times and plan on seeing them again. That band is my guilty pleasure and i have loved their music since 1986!
5) My sister has been my best friend my whole life.
6) When i was sixteen, i fell in love with my boss, who was 20 and didn't like me. He was the first person i ever really loved, but since he had no feelings for me, nothing happened and i moved away and went on with my life. 5 years later we were married--and have been ever since :-)
7) I was a live-in nanny for over a year with my cousin Beth.
8) Jesus has been in my heart since i was 8, though during my teens i kind of forgot that fact....
9) Jesus forgave me and He is a huge part of my life now....just the way i like it  :-).
10) I don't really have any close girlfriends outside of my family.
11) I am terribly afraid of spiders.
12) I always wanted to live in a small town or on a farm
13) On the other hand, i always thought it would be neat to live in New York City :-)
14) I'm not comfortable in big crowds. (excluding Bon Jovi concerts)
15) I am left handed

Well, that wasn't to bad. I'm gonna do the other days now, until i have to get up and make dinner at least, then i'll try to do some more. 

Graduation Week Part 2 --Finally--

So, i keep putting off writing on my blog because i don't quite remeber all the details of Erin's graduation week. But, i figure i need to just start writing again and maybe it will come to me.
As a recap, my last blog left you in suspense as to how the week went after i picked up my sister and Erica from the airport. That was a Tuesday night (well, actually early Wednesday morning). So, we got home from the airport around  2 a.m. and pretty much went right to bed. Erin and Jess had spent the night at a friend's  house, so Kat slept in Erin's room that first night and the Rachel and Erica slept in Rachel's room. It was so nice to wake up the next morning (Wednesday) and have my sister in my house with me! I don't remember if my in-laws came over for breakfast, but eventually they came over to hang out with us, as did my parents. It was nice being all together. We decided to make a big pan of ziti and salad for us all to eat before the graduation ceremony that evening. Erin was in and out during the day, getting ready for her night (for quite a while i must say), and had a great attitude, even though i knew she was nervous. She had practiced her salutatorian speech that morning at the Bob Carpenter Center and said that she was ready. I think I was more nervous than she! We all had dinner together and than my parents went back to their hotel to get ready, we all got ready, and off to graduation ceremony we went. Thank God i listened to my hubby when he said we needed to get their early. The seats were filling up very quickly....and we had almost 15 people to find seats for. Finally we all got seated (in the front ;-)) and waited for the class of 2010 to come in. As soon as the seniors started coming in, i got all teared up. I watched as Erin made her way up to the stage, as she got a seat of honor for being salutatorian. You can imagine how proud of her i was-and am. The ceremony went well, Erin's speech was GREAT, and she got her diploma. She looked so great up there, she sounded so sure of herself-- and i have been told by more than one person that her speech was wonderful. After the ceremony, some of us came back to the house to celebrate with cupcakes, ice cream, and a home made cheese cake that i had made. I got the recipe from my friend Debbie's daughter Rachel's blog. It was so rich and delicious. Thanks for the recipe Rachel :-) it was a big hit.
Wow, see how much i actually remember now that i'm writing this down, lol. Here are some pictures on Grad night:

Erin and Jess after graduation with my parents

Erin before graduation with her friends

Erin giving her salutatorian speech

Erin and Matt

Erin and her proud parents

Erin's Graduation Party Cake

Erin on stage with the valedictorian and officers of the senior class

Thursday, me, Steve, Erin, Jess, Ryan, Matt, Kathy and Erica went to the hotel that my in-laws were staying at to take a swim in the pool. That was fun and noisy! Than we came back home to see my parents for a bit and had home made Chicken soup for dinner.
Friday i took Kathy to her friend's house and then went to my friend Courtney's house (where we were having Erin's graduation party the next day) to get the house ready for the party. There was a lot to do and it was hot, so i was pretty much exhausted and cranky for the rest of the evening. I said goodbye to my in-laws, who were flying back home, and pretty much just hung out with my sister for the rest of the evening.


Saturday was the party, and it was a pretty good day. I'm not much of a party planner, and generally do not like hosting parties, so it wasn't my favorite day. Thankfully, my hubby knows that i don't like hosting parties and he really did most of the work that day. All in all, Erin had a good time...and that is what it was all about. After the party there, we came home and invited about eight of the kids to stay and hang out at our house, where i was much more comfortable anyway. So, that was relaxing and fun. I got to hang out with my sister for a while and i really enjoyed that. I didn't really get to spend any time with my parents, which i did not enjoy, but it really couldn't be helped, there was just too much going on.
Sunday, my parents and my sister went back to Florida :-( and everything pretty much went back to normal.
So, that was graduation week. All in all, it was a great week spent with family and friends and fun. Now, Erin is done with high school and is starting her first college class next week. We have hit a couple little snags with trying to figure out her financial aid for college, but hopefully it will all work out. If it doesn't, i will probably blog about it and complain, lol.

Other than that, our summer has gone pretty well. We (me, Erin, Matt and Rachel) went to Florida for two weeks to have a proper visit with family. I wish it could have been three weeks like it has been for the past couple of years, but Erin and Matt could only take off 2 weeks from work. I am hoping to go back in December to visit my new grand-nephew (who is due in September) AND my new grand-niece (who is due in December). School starts back on the 24th of August for me and the 31st of August for Rachel and Matt. Right now i am still trying to wade through curriculum choices for Rachel's last year of homeschooling before she goes into high school. I am really nervous that i won't prepare her enough for her to be comfortable with high school work. There are so many choices out there for curriculum and i don't want to make the wrong choice. This year we are focusing on reading comprehension and writing skills....lots of writing skills. Because, in my opinion, if you can read well, comprehend what you read well, and write well, than you can do well in any subject, except for math--which will be pre-algebra this year (i think). Science will probably be general science, and history will be American history. I am trying to keep to our school district's sequence for science and history so that she will be prepared in ninth grade. So, i need to have her reading and writing curriculum chosen no later than this time next week, and i guess i'm gonna have to buy her next Saxxon math book soon, i have my eye on e-bay :-)
That's about it for now...hopefully i will be more diligent writing on here in the near future.
Today i am thankful for:
1. The opportunity to have another year home with Rachel...because after that, i will probably be working and she will be in high school...so i just want to enjoy her for the whole year!
2. Erin's willingness to give college a chance and her mature, grown up, responsible actions.
3. Matt's desire to go to college, no matter what it takes, and the hard work ethic that he has.

Graduation Week Part 1

Well, it's been more than a while since i posted anything on my blog. I would really like to be more diligent with writing on here. Since my semester is over now I will get back to writing, but  i didn't want to write anything for a while there because i wrote so many papers, proposals, and assessments during this last semester. I needed a break. And, since i had been planning Erin's graduation parties and planning for family to come, i had zero time and desire to write anything. But....now school is over, graduation is done, and family that was visiting are all back home. So, it's back to normal around here (whatever that is, lol).

My semester ended in May and I wound up on the Dean's list again ;-).( My GPA is now 3.9). I also gave up my position as President of the Human Services Honor Society, thank God. But, i took the office position of Historian...which is really nothing more than a glorified picture taker. At least i am still an officer, but this way i have, like, zero responsibility. The next semester i will be taking only two classes so that i can focus on Rachel. Since it will be her last year of homeschooling before she will go off to high-school, I feel that i need more time devoted for her and less for me. Once she goes to high-school, i will finish my school full-time and then, hopefully, get a job in the Human Services field. I think i have a year of school and a half-year of internships before i can graduate. Well, enough about me....Erin will be joining me at Del Tech next semester for her first year of college. I can't wait for her to experience college life. I think she will really enjoy the experience.

For those who don't know, Erin graduated high school on June 9th as the salutatorian of her class. We are beyond proud of her! We wanted as much family and friends around her as possible at this special time in her life, so we invited like 15 extra people to come to the graduation ceremony and then had a party for her the following Saturday. My in-laws were scheduled to arrive on Tues morning from Southern Florida and my parents and sister and niece were scheduled to arrive on Tues evening from North-Western Forida. So, the week before they were all scheduled to arrive.....the cleaning began, lol. The house needed to be spring-cleaned anyway, but my parents and in-laws had not been to my house in years and i really wanted to impress them....and wash away like two years of un-spring-cleaned dirt in certain areas. Everything got washed, including the ceilings, which took me like six hours one day. Finally, everything got done (except the window sills, i forgot about them) and the house looked great. I was ready to entertain! My in-laws arrived on time, so i spent the first part of Tuesday with them. It was really nice to see them, since we had not really seen each other for a couple of years. Our last couple of visits were not that great (mostly my fault) and i had some apologizing to do...which I did...and was promptly forgiven :-) So, I truly did enjoy my in-laws, and i'm truly looking forward to more good visits.

My parent's and sister's plane was delayed so they did not arrive until almost 1 a.m. That was not too pleasant, especially since we got a flat tire on the way to get them from the airport, which is an hour away! We were on the side of the highway at midnight, trucks were wizzing past at what seemed like 100 miles an hour, and all i could picture was one of the truck drivers dozing off and swerving off the road and hitting my van while Steve was trying to change the tire! Rachel and I hopped over the guardrail to try to stay safe while we watched Steve start to jack up the van to put the donut back on. The van was almost jacked all the way up and then *bam* the jack breaks and the van comes crashing down! Thank God we are members of AAA and they came and changed our tire only 13 minutes after we called. By the time we got to the airport, it was sooooo late that Dad and Mom already had gotten their rental car and drove off to Uncle Denny's house and Kathy and Erica were waiting outside for us. It was so great to see them, it felt like forever, but it had been almost a whole year since i've seen them. We got them in the van and me and my sister just started talking and talking and pretty much didn't stop until i brought them back to the airport five days later, lol. I didn't get to see my parents until the next day when they came over for dinner before the graduation. It was so great to see them! My only regret is that i really did not get to spend  that much time with my parents :-( but it really couldn't be helped.

Well, i'm tired so i will blog about the rest of the graduation/family week tomorrow. Good night...and i promise, i''ll be back soon and much more often. Till then:
Tonight i am thankful for:
1. My sister, who is my best friend
2. My parents, who i don't get to see near enough
3. My Erin, who always works hard to be the person she wants to be, even when the going gets tough!! I'm so proud of the young woman she has become! Thank you my darling daughter for a wonderful week.

My Two Concerts

Well, the Bon Jovi concerts were both great, but the first one was absolutely awesome! The only thing that could have made it better was if i had my hubby with me. But, being inside the circle (aka, in the "pit"), was the best. I could not believe how great my seats were when i first got there. There were only three rows in front of me, and directly behind me was the the back half of the the stage that the boys would come onto for about 5 songs during the concert. David Bryan, the keyboard player, was like right in front of me, albeit i was staring directly at his backside :-). I mean, i was leaning on the stage! It was incredible! And, on the way back to the main stage, Mr. Jon Bon Jovi SHOOK MY HAND!! Oh man, i thought i would faint! Absolutely incredible. For the next night, Erin had won 2 tickets to the concert, so i got to share my love of Jovi with my eldest. The seats were ALL the way in the back, up in the "nose-bleeds", so it was a little scary at first, but we got into it and i got to watch Tico work his magic on the drums for the first time ever, so that was all good. Now, i see that they are dropping floor seats for the shows at the new Giants Stadium in May, but those seats are like 400 dollars a pop, so i don't think i'll be making that concert. I would like to go to that one with Steve, even in the "nose-bleed" section, I mean going to Giants Stadium to see Jovi is a dream to me, but, finances are tight and we got a lot of things going on, with Erin's graduation, party, and summer travel to think about, not to mention the never-ending medical bills, i may have to wait for next tour. Until then, here are some pictures from my two concerts this tour:

 This is my view of the stage right behind me:

This is how close Jon was to me, too bad the picture is a bit fuzzy:

And this is David:

and Richie:

And Richie and Jon:

And these are the only pictures of the second concert of me and Erin:

It was a great two days!
Have a good week.

The simple woman's daybook for March 22, 2010 (with a Jovi Twist)

FOR TODAY March 22, 2010

Outside my window...Dark and cloudy, it rained all day but it has been getting warm, sunny and beautiful lately.

I am thinking...I am loved by God.....I've had a lot of things going on personally and emotionally that are not pleasant to deal with, and I can just feel the Lord working in those areas of my life that I felt were overwhelming.

I am thankful for...Erin winning Bon Jovi tickets for Wednesday night!!! I had already been so excited because i bought tickets for Tuesday's (tomorrow) show when ticketmaster dropped the price for floor seats and i got 4th row. WOW. Than, when a local radio station was giving away tickets for the next night's show to the 94th caller, i had the girls help me call over and over and over and Erin won them. YaY! Now Erin will be going with me on Wednesday and I get to see two shows when i didn't even think i would even see one, and i get to share my obsession with my daughter. So, yeah, i'm thankful for that.

From the learning rooms...Still doing Roman history, earth science, math, spelling, english and so on with Rach. Will be teaching Rachel how to do a research paper soon. This is a light school week for both of us. I have just one assignment due this week and one meeting on Thursday. Plus, i am missing class on Wednesday, but....priorities and all. (Bon Jovi comes first ;)

From the kitchen...Left overs tonight. Steve made meatball subs last night, mmmm one of our favorites. The crock pot will be going full steam this week.

I am wearing...peach capri's, blue tank, white overshirt, socks. Yeah, peach and blue? I would never go out like this, but this is my pj's.

I am creating...Nothing at the moment. Soon i will be creating a history research paper, a social policy group proposal, an agenda for tua meetings and an outline for the group class i will have to lead. But, that's next week....this week has been reserved for........Jovi.

I am going...Yup, you guessed it, to two Jovi concerts, Tues and Wed. Then on Thursday i have a group meeting in the afternoon and school at night and Friday it's bible study and friend time, and Sunday is for church. Sounds like a great week to me!

I am reading...My history books for class and research, a Ted Dekker book that i don't remember the title of right now, oh and i just remembered i have GOT to read my group class book because i have a HUGE test on Thursday night, so i guess i will have to study for that.

I am hoping...That I will not get lost or nervous driving into and out of the city twice this week, and that i will study enough to do well on that test.

I am hearing...The TV is on, but no one is watching it. Other than that i only hear the keys of my laptop clicking since everybody else is sleeping.

Around the house...I cleaned up a bit this afternoon, and, as noted in a different post, i actually did take a brush to the carpet when my vacuum cleaner once again refused to work, but i am looking forward to spring cleaning very soon.

One of my favorite things...um, having really good seats at a Bon Jovi concert :-)

A few plans for the rest of the week: other than the things already described, I have a pre-op doctors appt. tomorrow and on Friday i am going with Steve to his ENT doctor so that we can discuss getting him another sleep study, which i am sooooo excited about. I have been wanting him to get another one done for years, and now he has decided to do it. More about those doctor visits later.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

 

 What other picture could it have been, lol? From the last concert i went to. I'm gonna get some great pictures this time for being so close.
Have a great week!
 If you want to blog about your week, visit here and follow her:


http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

The Simple Woman's Daybook for March 9, 2010

FOR TODAY March 9th 2010

Outside my window...Dark and quiet, but today was a beautiful day with 65 degree temps. Windows open, warm breezes!

I am thinking...I need to go to bed soon, I have a lot to do tomorrow

I am thankful for...Armingers, the place that i bought our 3rd car. They really take care of me down there. My check engine light came on and in order to find out what is wrong and fix it they needed to keep my car for a day or two, so they gave me a loaner car...just like that! I am so thankful that i have a place to buy and fix my cars that i trust to be honest and take care of me. If you live in DE and need a used car, go there!

From the learning rooms...Same old stuff. Rachel is doing earth science in Bob Jones (which we do not like, but we paid for the course, so we need to finish it out) Math is Saxon 7/6 and is her best subject, though i do need to correct her work to make sure she is on the right track. Haven't really done much for history, still talking about ancient Rome. From my learning rooms; i need to finish my Needs Assessment tomorrow and also i need to come up with a topic for a  psycho-educational group that i need to develop and run, but i don't know what to do it on.

I am creating...The written portion of my needs assessment, which should be done tomorrow. A proposal for the Needs Assessment and a Proposal for my psycho-educational group, once i come up with a good topic. Any ideas? It needs to be something i know enough about to teach a group and interesting enough to be talked about for a few minutes within the group setting and by the group members. UGH

I am going...To school tomorrow night, to pick up my car Thursday, to do a fundraiser for TUA Thursday then school Thursday night, nothing Friday since my minor surgery was rescheduled due to insurance reasons. Maybe woman's breakfast at church on Saturday and then church on Sunday, but i'm still debating that.

I am reading...My pre-civil war history textbook, group text book, social policy text book, some of the Bible here and there, some of my bible study book on prayer and a LOT of articles on teen-age depression, which is what i'm doing my needs assessment on.

I am hoping...That my car is not going to cost me anything, that the budgeting mistake that I made today will not bite me in the butt next month, that I will get used to not having any TV to help me fall asleep at night, that the weather will stay warm.

I am hearing...Steve watching something on his computer

Around the house...All is pretty quiet since it is just about everybody's bedtime. House is fairly clean, but a bit dusty, which i didn't really notice until all the doors and window shades were open to let in the warm air :-) and it needs to be vacuumed, but i have the worst luck with vacuums. I thought i fixed the one that we bought only one year ago. I changed the belt, the filter and the hepa thingy, but it still smells like it is burning and is not sucking stuff up. I will NOT buy another vacuum! If i have to, i will pick up each and every hair off the floor myself before i buy another vacuum, lol.

One of my favorite things...I found out that i can watch tv shows that i have missed for free on the internet (why were we paying 70 a month for satellite?) One of my favorite things are-- free things!!

A few plans for the rest of the week: School, home-school, homework, cleaning, cooking, laundry......

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...A picture of me, Steve, Erin and Jess, our new adopted daughter, taken at a Christmas party.

  If you want to blog about your week, go here http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/  and join in.
Today I am thankful for:
1. Having a  mechanic I can trust
2. The fact that this semester is already half way over :-)
3. My mother, who is also my friend

Of Kids, Cars, Classes and Church

Wow, it's been a while since i posted anything. My cousin called me last night and reminded me that i have not posted for a while and we don't ALL face-book (thanks for the call, Beth, and the reminder. I really enjoyed chatting with you).
Well, it's been a busy, snowy month. I finished my 16 page research paper on the analysis of the federal government vs.  California state's policy regarding the medicinal use of marijuana. Interesting, but since it had to be done in 3 weeks, it was a huge topic to tackle. I got a 95. Yay! I will say that this is my most unpleasant semester yet. I do not like my two classes that i have on campus. My on-line history class is not so bad, but it can be time-consuming. But, grade-wise i'm doing ok. I tried to resign my presidency from TUA, but my adviser would not accept it. So, i decided to stick it out until spring. It wouldn't be so bad if i had more involvement from the members, but only one or two at a time want anything to do with it. We have some things coming up that will most likely be time-consuming for me--like the induction ceremony for new members, the changing of the bylaws, and an upcoming conference that i am actually looking forward to. After this semester, i will still be involved, but NOT as an officer.
My most exciting news is that i got a new car. I am sooooooo happy. And i did it all by myself. Well, except for the signing of the paperwork, which my husband had to do because he has the job. But, i went to where we bought our other cars because he has helped us in the past and i semi trust him. I told him what i needed, how much we had to spend, and picked a car that i liked. I sat for hours while the paperwork and financing stuff got done. I test drove the car and fell in love with it. Thank God the financing came through. So, I called Steve, he came down to sign the papers the next day, and I drove away in my 2005 fire-engine red Chevy Cobalt. It only has 54000 miles on it and it drives really nice. They also fixed Erin's car, which was squealing often and loudly, and fixed her door handle so she can now open it from the outside. I felt very productive by the end of the week. And now i have the freedom to go wherever i want or need without having to check with my teen-aged daughter first. Thank you God!
The kids have all been doing well. Jessica, Erin's best friend, has been living with us for a few months. She is a very sweet girl and i have loved her like a daughter for 2 years and enjoy having her here. She is good company for both Erin and Rachel and is a pleasure to me. Erin is gearing up to graduate in the spring and is still debating college. She knows that it is in her future's best interest to go, but she really wants to be done with school. Nevertheless, we filled out her FAFSA last night and will be starting to apply to the local college soon. She is eligible for the SEED scholarship, which enables all seniors with at least a 2.5 GPA to get their associates degree for free. That is a great opportunity that I hope she takes. If not, she will very shortly be introduced to what life can be like only making minimum wage.
Matt chose not to play basketball, but decided to go out for the school play. He is a singer/dancer in the musical White Christmas and has been working hard for weeks. This week is the last week before the first performance and is appropriately called hell week because he is at practice until at least midnight and then gets up for school at 6. Add to that the fact that he also has a part time job and homework and you will see why he is not always in a jovial mood lately. I am really looking forward to watching to play on opening night (this Friday) and can't wait to see him in his costumes dancing across the stage.
Rachel is still improving with her work in school at home. I do worry that she does not have enough outside stimulation and social opportunities, but now that i have a car, we can get involved again with the home schooling network. She will remain home for one more year and then go to high school. I pray that i am doing enough to prepare her for that time, but i always feel that i am not doing enough in this area of my life. Definitely room for improvement.
Last night the town of Middletown  decided that it would be a good idea to work on the electricity from the hours of 12 and 4 in the morning. So, I went to go pick Matt up at midnight and, as i was driving home, the whole town went black! The house was dark and quiet for hours and i could not sleep because i was nervous that something would happen during the blackout while i was sleeping (like a robber or something). So, i stayed awake on the couch with a flashlight and some candles and a book and some music from my mp3 player. Steve was at work. The power finally came on close to 4 in the a.m., so i went to sleep. I got up at 10, so i am a little tired today. And i have to sit through a very boring social policy class tonight where most of the time is spent listening to the students banter back and forth about things that are not really relevant.
I have been playing with my hair lately trying to get it to look a certain way, which was a bad idea because now i have to wear a pony tail for a few weeks until it grows back out because i cut it a little wrong. Oh well, you live and you learn. I won't be doing that again.
Oh, and we had our cable turned off in order to try to save some money (that bill was like 70 dollars a month) so it has been a little more quiet around here than normal. I kind of like it because it forces some of us to get off our behinds and do something productive (mostly me, he-he).
So, that's about all the news for now, except that Bon Jovi is on tour right now and i am dying to go to the philly concerts, but the tickets are just toooo much this time around :( I hate being financially responsible sometimes. But, i could either have front row seats at one 2 1/2 hour concert or a car. I wisely chose the car, but my heart still wants those seats, lol.
Hopefully life will settle down for me and I can start getting out of the house more often and socialize more than i have been. It's been a little lonely lately, but my friend Debbie already invited me back to Bible Study and an afternoon at her house, the only drawback being that i have to get up at like 7 am (sorry mom that is early for me) But it will be worth it. I also plan on getting myself back into church, and am looking forward to working on my walk with the Lord, which also needs a little shove in the right direction. What a relief that God waits for us. I miss talking with Him and reading His word, which has nothing to do with my lack of church going, but sometimes for me the two tend to go together. Drop one, drop the other, and the next thing i know my relationship with the Lord is not was it was meant to be. Get up, brush off, try again ;) I can do that. I am at my best when I am strong in my relationship with Him.
That's about it, i will try to post more often. Have a great week.
Today i am thankful for:
1. My car
2. Sleep
3. Friends
not necessarily in that order, lol.

An Update

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks, and it's time to post an update. I did wind up wearing the red dress to the party. We had a very nice night. We had a hotel room in Philly that was on the 20th floor and had a great view that overlooked the water. The boat that the party was on was within walking distance of the hotel, in fact we could see it from the window. We got to the hotel around 3 and were able to relax and get ready for the party. We took a cab to the party so that my hair would not get messed up, he-he,  and because i had on very pretty new shoes that looked better than they felt. It cost like 5 dollars with tip to go down one block, lol. We got on the boat and met up with some of Steve's co-workers and bosses. It was a very nice setting and food and drinks were good. I did get Steve on the dance floor a couple times, but only for slow dances and "the twist". The water was calm, so we barely felt the boat move, thank God, because i was afraid of getting sea-sick. We had a nice night and walked back to the hotel when the party was over.

I started my 6th semester in college two weeks ago. I decided to take 3 classes this semester so i can finish up and start working sooner. I'm not sure if that was such a good idea, because one of the classes, Social Policy and Programming, is extremely demanding!! We have an 8-10 page research paper due in less than 3 weeks and at the same time need to work in a group to come up with a Needs Assessment and Proposal for an unmet need in Kent County. This involves much work and getting my group together to work on it is already proving to be a daunting task because of our scheduling conflicts and mostly because of my lack of transportation. In fact, my lack of having my own car is really making things very difficult for me. I am resigning my position as president for TUA, partly because I just can't get the car enough to be consistently running meetings or be dependable. The other reason is because i find that nobody else is doing any work, and i am not so good at delegating responsibilities. Anyway, with 3 demanding classes and schooling Rachel and duties of taking care of house and kids, my plate is pretty full. And, as of now, i have not even picked the topic for my big research paper and my group has barely nailed down the need that we will assess, nor what we will propose to do about it. So, i have a lot of work to do and not a whole lot of time, which seems to be the theme for me when i am in school. I really need a car, so if you are one who prays, pray that God will provide. We have a lot of things coming up that require some financial juggling as it is, so it will take some creative juggling to meet those needs and get a car. But, i really miss my independence. I'm sure I'll get one when the time is right. I'm just impatient. They say that "all good things come to those who wait". Now, i'm not sure who "they" are, but i have found that, sooner or later, things work out if i just wait, so that's what i'm gonna do. Until then, I am thankful for:

1. The 1/2 of car that i do own :)
2. That Steve has a semi-decent car that gets him to work and back
3. The opportunity i have to stay home with/for my kids while they need me.

Which Dress is Best?

So, a while ago i told my sister that i got a couple of dresses for Steve's company holiday party and i couldn't decide which one to wear. So here they are with and without their jackets. Let me know which one you like better, please, because i like them both and i'm still not sure which one to wear. I am leaning towards the red one, but it is a bit low cut. I'll probably keep the jackets on, but if it gets hot and i feel relaxed enough, i may go sleeveless. Thanks for helping me and being kind :-)

 

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!!!!
A whole new year and a whole new decade!!
Last year was a great year for me, as was 2008 and part of 2007. But the rest of the past decade was not good at all. At. All. But, i have a very, very strong feeling that this decade is going to be the best decade for me. For the first 6 years of 2000, i was very, very depressed. It became a lifestyle for me, and i thought that would just be the way my life would be for the rest of my life. After going through a particularly horrible experience, i realized that most of the problems in my life were actually caused by the way that I reacted to certain situations. And so i made a conscious effort to change the way in which i reacted to those difficult situations. I decided that no one has to live my life but me, and that i was the only one who was standing in my way of becoming the person whom i wanted to be. It took a looooong time, but I faked it for about 4 or 5 months, and than slowly, reacting appropriately to unpleasant situations became the norm. It is not always easy, but now it always works out better than it used to. And that is not because the unpleasant situations have in any way changed. But i have. And the way that i react to them has. For me, it wasn't about needing medicine to make it all better. It was about focusing on being the person i wanted to be, no matter what else was going on around me. And that's what i have done. So...
This decade is gonna be the best one yet. I have heard that the 40's are way better than the 20's and 30's and i'm ready for it :) I will be graduating college in about 2 years and hopefully i will be getting a job in my field. However, i am prepared for the possibility that i may not be able to get a job in my field while living in the State of DE, and i'm mostly fine working at the local drugstore or something for a while until the time is right. Hopefully, sometime soon, withing the first half of this decade, we will be moving to Florida. That would be sweet. But, i also need to prepare myself for the possibility that God may not have that planned for us. I hope He does, but i have lived my life using my own desires and discretion long enough. It is time for me to find out what God desires for my life. That way, i know it will be the best life possible. Because He planned it all out for me before i was born, and i know that He knows best. It's all a matter of trust. That is something that i struggle with, but i'm learning.
I can't wait to see what He has in store.

Today i am thankful:
1. That God waits for us and gives us second and third (etc) chances
2. That we get to start over every day if we need to. That it's never too late to start over to be the person we were meant to be.
3. That we don't have to be perfect.
I hope everyone has a blessed new year.