The Silver Lining

Yearly Goals 2012--Goal Setting for the Year

2012-01-01T20:54:00.000-05:00

My friend Debbie started doing this last year and it helped her to stay on target with her goals. So, this year, i am going to try to post some goals that i would like to accomplish this year and try to post a monthly update to stay accountable. Since i have never done this, i may take some of these goals off this list or add some new ones on as the months go on. Since i am NOT usually a person who stays on track with anything, including goals, i am hoping that this will help me to do better.

Personal Goals:

spiritual

Read the Bible every day--my church did a read through the Bible in a year last year and used Walk Through the Bible guides. I didn't do it, but i have all the guides. So, i really want to make this goal a priority by following the guides for everyday reading.

Spend time every day talking to God and listening to Him. I really want to get to know Him more and learn to hear His voice better.

Read my bible study book and answer the questions before the day our Bible study meets--we meet the first and third Friday of the month, and i haven't been reading the book or answering the questions that much. So I want to have this done from now on. We are reading God's Priorities for Today's Women at the moment. Friday is Bible-study day and i haven't the chapter yet.

Health and Fitness

Excercise 3-4 times a week. Either go for a walk for 20-30 minutes if the weather is nice or do one of the excercise DVD's that i have for at least 20 minutes if the weather is not nice.

Eat at least 3 small meals a day at least 3-4 times a week. I tend to only eat one meal a day and then kind of graze the rest of the day. But my energy is always so low, so i would like to eat more consistently throughout the day. Six small servings would be best, but i don't want to push it, so i'll start with three.

Eat more fruits and vegetables during the week. I don't want to say every day because that is not realistic right now. I will start with just eating some during the week and try to add more as the months go on.

Drink 32-48 oz of water each day. I think i come close to this, but i'm not sure. I will need to keep track of how much i am drinking and adjust accordingly.

Buy a scale and keep track of my weight--I don't ususally do this, but i think i should. I haven't owned a scale in years, but there is a good one on sale that measures weight, BMI, and hydaration levels so i'm gonna get that.

Smoke less. For now i am gonna keep track of how much i smoke for a month. After this month, i will work on cutting that number down for the next month.

Educational

College start back up for me on the 9th. I have two classes this semester...Macroeconomics and Anatomy and Physiology. So, my goal is to keep up with my work instead of procrastinating and stressing out because i have to do all the work in one night. My goal is to work on school work 4 times a week.

I was supposed to have an internship this semester, but I didn't give myself enough time to check out enough intern sites...which is why i have these two more classes instead of an internship like i was supposed to. So, this goal is to work on finding a GOOD internship for the fall semester. To do that, i want to spend 1 day a week checking out sites and putting my name in at the appropriate angencies.

Personal/leisure

Spend less time watching TV. This is a big weakness for me and a time-sucker too! So, this month, i want to make a goal to only watch 4 shows a day...which may sound like alot, but for me it isn't.

Blog more often. I started this blog to keep track of our lives and my thoughts/feelings/activities. I want to blog at least one time a week for this month, and hope to increase that later.

Get involved at my church. I don't really know where to involve myself, but it is a goal to get involved somewhere. This month i want to find a way to plug in to one thing other than sunday service.

Find a place to volunteer that is Human Services related. This will help me to get out of the house, keep busy, help others, AND pad my resume :-) This month i want to find a couple places that interest me and find out how to volunteer there.

Household/Chores:

Plan dinner 3-4 times a week and shop ahead at the beginning of the week. We tend to not really think about dinner until the afternoon and then have to go out and get something because the meat is frozen or we don't have all the ingredients. Steve makes dinnner a couple times a week, so i will plan only for 3 or 4 nights for now.

On Monday through Friday, work on at least one room a day to deep clean. I always straighten up the house, but deep cleaning is not done enough. I want to make a schedule for what room will get done each day and post that sometime this week.

Family/Relationship:

Take each child out to lunch/coffee each month. I usually try to do this anyway, but now i'm hoping to do it more consistently. I believe that Erin is next, than Rai, than Matt.

Have a date night with hubby at least once a month. My parents sent us gift cards for dinner and a movie, so this month we will do that.

Keep in touch with family who live far away. I am not consistent with this. I want to touch base with my parents, sister, and cousins at least once this month.

So, i think that's about it. I'm kind of intimidated by the length of this list, given that i don't normally plan anything and just do things "spur of the moment". But, i am gonna try because there is so much that i want to get done and i don't usually "have time" to do the things i wanted to do. There actually is enough time in my day to do all the things i want to, but i usually spend my time doing other things intead (read: computer, tv). I hope that this year i will be a productive, helpful, joyful, Christ-like, women who can get off her butt and be useful to others! Wish me luck.

30 Days of Thankfulness days 3 and 4

2011-11-05T01:21:00.000-04:00

Told ya i would forget to post something every day :-) Not because i'm not thankful, lol, just because i am very forgetful AND very busy right now.

So, anyway, today i got to spend a whole day...from 8 am to 6 pm...with my oldest daughter. I don't get to spend a whole lot of special time with her anymore, so when we made plans to go shopping today, i was very happy to have her all to myself.

Erin and her yournger sister Rai

Erin is the oldest of my three kids. Because of that, she is the one who her dad and i kind of "practiced" on in order to get parenting right. Not really like that, but you know what i mean.

Erin is kind and generous and sweet. She is easy to talk to, and likes to talk alot. She is funny and bright and charming. She is way more organized that i could ever hope to be, and there is a big part of her who reminds me of my older sister, who she is named after. I have watched Erin go through some stormy times and get frustrated and depressed, but she always manages to bounce back. I love this child of mine so much and am so thankful that the Lord gave her to me. She is a joy to me and i am so proud of the woman she is becoming.

Today i am thankful that i have been blessed with Erin and that she still loves spending time with her mom :-)

30 Days of Thankfulness, Day 1 &2

2011-11-02T11:10:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time since i've written anything, but my friend's daughter is hosting a "30 days of thankfulness" challenge on Facebook, and , since my blog is focused on seeking the silver lining in all things, i figured joining this challenge would help me to do just that. Since i'm joining a day late, i will use this post for both days 1 and 2. Hopefully i will remember to post something every day or two duriing this challenge :-)

I have been really out of it lately. Like, really down in the dumps, poor me, kind of down. It was really getting on my nerves that i couldn't talk myself out of this dumpy feeling like i usually can. I gave into the feeling for a while, which is NEVER a good thing to do. But, i didn't know how to control the feeling or the situation that was bringing me down.
Then it dawned on me last night--I don't have to control it.....in fact, i can't. Duh, How could i forget that whenever I try to control a situation, or my feelings, i utterly fail. I make a mess out of it. I wind up acting like the kind of person i do not want to be. So, what can i do? I can put my focus back where it belongs....on the Lord! Read His word! And, talk to my Creator and my Savior. He has all the Answers. Even if the answer is just "wait it out and have faith", which is not always easy.

So, today, i am thankful for the Hope that i have in Jesus Christ. He helps me remember that this life and the trials that come with it are just practice. Real life begins the moment we wake up in Heaven, in His presence. Thank God that I have an instruction manual on how to get through hard times! Thank God that i have a Heavenly Father who is always with me and will never forget me...even when i forget how to follow His instructions and forget i can lean on Him. Problems will always be with me...always. It will never be perfect here in this life. Someone will always hurt me. So, thank God that i have hope in the Lord! And, most important for me right now, I am thankful that i am loved, and loved unconditionally, by the One who created the whole universe...and me. He has a plan for me...I know that his plan is perfect for me...i don't know what it is, but i have hope because i believe that nomatter what is going on now, it will all work together for good...because i love the Lord.

Romans 8:28 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.

I am thankful for Hope.

Daybook for the week of September 18, 2011

2011-09-19T23:38:00.002-04:00

______________________________

FOR TODAY September 19, 2011

Outside my window...Dark and chilly. It's been nice and chilly here lately. Not too cold, not too hot. We had the windows open for a couple days, but today it was too warm. I am looking forward to consistent chilly days--not cold days, but chilly enough for long sleeves and/or a jacket.

I am thinking... that since my gym membership is over, i really want to start jogging in the morning or evening to get back into shape. I hope i have the motivation to do this.

I am thankful...That Rachel really, really likes high school...still, after almost a month, she still like it. This makes me so happy for her. AND, Matt loves it too! It is so nice to see them both enjoying their days. They both got involved with the fall play...Matt got a lead part and will be playing the part of Hook and Mr. Darling (Peter Pan) and Rachel made it in as an indian (which is not easy as a freshman). I love their excitement :-)

From the learning rooms...Well, this no longer applies to homeschooling (which i am actually glad about), but for my college classes it does. I have a Spanish class, which i can not stand (the reason why i will leave for another post) and a Technical Writing class, which i knew i would not like because it is a very hard class that requires a LOT of writing...the kind of writing where i have to make sure that every single word and every single sentence and every single paragraph are all perfect. Starting in October, i will also add a Human Communications class for eight weeks. This is a sixteen week course that is smooshed into eight weeks, so i'm pretty sure that i will be very busy for the rest of the semester once this class starts. But, all in all, i am ok with the classes i have and am happy to say that they are the last classes i have to take! Next semester is my internship and then i will be graduating...which i can say i'm a little nervous about (but i'll save that for another post).

In the kitchen...Last night i made a banging chicken soup with matzo balls that were nowhere near as good as my mother-in-law's, but were good enough. Today i didn't cook (unless you can count cheese fries and raw broccoli as cooking) because only rai and i were home for dinner and that is what she wanted. Tomorrow is a school day and i may throw something in the crock-pot...i am still on a mission to put something in that crock-pot that rai does not hate, lol.

I am wearing...p.j's. Today was a lazy day that pretty much included me changing from one pair of pj's into another pair. That was the extent of my excersise for the day. Tomorrow, i will get back to exercising, lol.

I am creating...um...let's see...i guess the only thing i am creating is a couple of hopefully perfect tech writing papers. And a tidy house. A couple good dinners. That's about all i can think of...i am not very creative.

I am going...to the doctor with Erin tomorrow to help her get some answers about some back and joint pain she has been struggling with. Then i am going to run some errands and go to school. I don't really know if i'm going anywhere for the rest of the week...shopping maybe :-)

I am wondering...what i should do with the rest of my boring week, lol.

I am reading...English Tech book for school and a book titled "Uglies" for leisure. It's a young adult fiction that i took off Erin's book-shelf one day, and it's actually a pretty good book. Once i pay my fines at the library, lol, i will pick up some Ted Dekker books to read.

I am hoping...that i really will be motivated enough to get up early and start a jogging program.

I am looking forward to...going to school tomorrow....i really do look forward to getting out and having some Michele-time once a week (twice, once my other class starts). Oh, i just remembered, i have an honor society meeting on Thursday, so that's something else i can do this week :-)

I am hearing...actually, the house is quiet. The fan is on, but i hear the crickets outside. And Rai is humming while she gets ready for bed.

Around the house...Didn't really do any house projects this week, BUT, i did fix Erin's bike. It took a couple of days and two trips to the bike shop--once for advice and then to get them to take the back tire off the bike because i had stripped the nut and had the tube replaced. But the rest of it was all me. I fixed the front tire, put air in it, broke the brakes while trying to put the front tire back on (that i didn't realize i had broken until the front tire WAS back on, lol) took the tire back off, fixed the brakes i had broken, put the tire back on...and WHALA--just like that-- the bike was fixed. yeah, it may have taken me two days to do a job that would have taken Steve like twenty minutes, but i learned something and fixed something..and that felt good :-) I don't like having to wait for someone else to do something, so i am trying to learn to do things on my own...it may take a while, but at least it's getting done, lol.

I am pondering...nothing, lol

One of my favorite things...being self-sufficient

A few plans for the rest of the week: see above

Here is picture thought I am sharing... I missed my Neice's wedding because it was just too expensive to travel for the third time this summer. I cried when i saw the pictures because i really, really wanted to be there and support my cousin Beth and her beautiful daughter. She made a lovely bride, which did not surprise me. She has turned into one wonderful young lady who i'm sure will make a lovely wife. So, here is my picture thought this week...wish i could have been there:

Jen and Wes

My cousins Beth and Mike--Bride's parents

My daddy dancing with the bride

My sister and brother-in-law

My mom and dad

Daybook for the Week of July 31, 2011

2011-08-01T00:13:00.001-04:00

FOR TODAY July 31, 2011
Outside my window...dark, starry, warm, summer night :-) It was a very warm day with a slight breeze here and there. I spent the day washing my car inside and out. It looks great and i actually enjoyed the warm day. It took me two hours (it was very dirty, especially the inside) and by the time i was done, i was drenched in sweat!

I am thinking... I can't believe that summer is more than half-way over. I'm not ready for it to end yet.

I am thankful...that i still have three more weeks of summer left before the school year starts again.

From the learning rooms...well, rai and i need to brush up this week on some things that she may have forgotten over the summer because she has an entrance test to take on august ninth that we need to prepare for...i pray that she does well so there are no problems with her high school entrance. Once that is done, all the home-school books can be sold or given away :( maybe we can sell them for enough money to buy the Kitchen Aide machine that Steve and I would like to have ;) or for the Wii fit that i would like to have :0) Either way, it is an end of an era, one that i do not regret but am ready to say good-bye to.

In the kitchen...i haven't done much cooking since i came home on Wednesday from our three week vacation in florida. The pantry and fridge were empty, so i had to do some shopping...i made meat sauce today for dinner and crab-cakes and shrimp for dinner the other night. I do want to do some baking so we have some muchies in the house :-)

I am wearing...black jeans, brown tank top, black belt...time to get the jammies on soon.

I am creating...nothing...but i do want to start creating scrap-books from the old pictures i have of the kids growing-up years...maybe i should start that little project while i still have three weeks of summer left...time flies, however, and i never get the things done that i plan on doing...

I am going...tomorrowi am taking matt to the eye doctor and then i am taking the kids to see the new Harry Potter movie. Tuesday i have a doctors appointment, after that, i'm not sure if i actually have anywhere else to go....i do want to go to BB's ( a grocery store in PA that has great prices) sometime this week.

I am wondering...if my financial aid for this semester of college has come in yet, and if it will cover all my classes. I'm also wondering if i should switch some of my classes around because i accidentally reserved a vacation rental for Steve and I in Atlantic City for our 25th anniversary on the same days as my first week of classes...duh..

I am reading...Insomnia, by Stephen King...which i have been reading off and on for over a month..i'm thinking about getting some new Ted Dekker books out of the library for some more interesting summer reading...oh, speaking of summer reading, i have to go to the book store to purchase the summer reading book that my kids are supposed to be reading this summer...i really should get it to them before school starts, lol...maybe we will bring back read-aloud-together nights for the next couple weeks so they both can read (or listen to) the book together. Who ever heard of the book "Marcello in the Real World"? I did go to three different book stores in Florida and none of them had the book in stock!

I am hoping...That i will be able to get a nice, part-time job soon...one that will allow me to be home when the kids are home and still give me enough time to do well in school...i am really looking forward to entering the work-world again :) AND bringing home some "bacon" lol

I am looking forward to...contributing to the finances of the family!

I am hearing...the t.v. ...as usual at this time of night, the fan, erin talking to her boyfriend.

Around the house...spent the past couple of days doing some semi-deep cleaning. I still need to finish the spring-cleaning, lol. Windows need to get done, walls need to be wiped down, doors should be scrubbed, floors should be mopped, laundry room needs a big scrubbing and organizing, bathroom needs to get painted, my bedroom needs a deep clean--I better get a move on it! After spending weeks at my mom's VERY clean house, i have an urge to get mine to look the same...thanks mommy! lol

I am pondering...um...let's see....let me think...*stares of into space for a bit*....nothing, ha-ha-ha :-) *thinks a bit more*.....Oh, yeah, i have been pondering about finding a new church to go to in my area...my old one is just not my "fit" anymore, and, after spending weeks at my mom and dad's house, i have an urge to find a church that i will want to attend every week...not one i only go to out of guilt, but one i look forward to going to again....thanks daddy! lol

One of my favorite things...Sundays used to be one of my favorite things...and i really do want to get back to that...having a church family that feels like family, getting involved, worshipping the Lord, hearing the word of God...really is one of my favorite things. Unfortunately, one of my least favorite things is change, and new things, and being the "new kid on the block". I need to get over it and just take a step. wow, i guess i really have been pondering :-)

A few plans for the rest of the week: Enjoying summer, getting spring cleaning done, doing projects i have put off (?), sitting in the sun and reading a book...ect.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... Scenes from Florida, Family, and Fun:

All the cousins (except for Jayden, who didn't want to pose, lol)

My great-nephew, Breyon (10 months) loves riding on the vacuum :)

Neice-Brittney, Great-nephew-Jayden 4, Neice-Kimberly

Great-neice-Kyleigh Grace, 7 months, and Matt 17, who is a big softie for the babies :-)

Great-neice, Kyleigh Grace, 7 months

Matt and my dad, who is teaching Matt about gun safety :-)

My three crazy kids, having fun in the pool at Grammi and Pop-pop's house!

more pool fun

Erin-19 and Neice Kim, 22...beautiful ladies!

if you want to blog about your week, please join our host at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Weekly Wrap Up: The One Where it Started Feeling Like Summer

2011-07-02T20:48:00.000-04:00

Yet another week come and gone.
And yet again, i can't really remember what we did. Which, in this case, is good. That means that summer vacation has started and there wasn't much to do.

Rachel's dance recital was on Friday and Saturday last week. The whole family sat in the audience on opening night :-), which was great cause it's hard to get us all together lately. Rachel did great and we were very proud of her. In fact, a lady we didn't know came up to her after the show and told Rai that she was very impressed with the way Rai danced and that she should keep it up! Rachel looked wonderful and, in my opinion, has a natural talent on stage.
Saturday night was my night to help out backstage. We had to be there at 3:30 and didn't get done until after ten. It was a long night, but i enjoyed talking to another mom and being there with my daughter for her last night. She will not be joining that Dance Studio again, for reasons i won't get into here, but i hope she will be able to sign up for the various plays that her new High School will be putting on. She is a natural :-)

Sunday i had a nice day out with Erin, we went shopping at the mall, i bought her birthday gift that she picked out, and we had fun trying on some clothes. Then she had to go to work Sunday night. She is a night person, so she works the night shift and sleeps in--well, in my opinion, she doesn't sleep enough, but she is young and has more energy than i do.

I believe that Matt had the car on Monday so he could go to work and i could relax. He has been working a lot this summer so far, which will help him save for a car and a trip to Europe that he is taking next year. We told him that we would pay for half as a gift for his 18th bday and for graduation, but we could only afford (i hope, lol) to pay for half, so he needs to use his car money to pay the other half, and now needs to save more for a car....until then, he is using mine :-)

Wednesday Rai and I went to visit my friend Debbie. We had a nice lunch together and then me and Deb went up to have some kid-free "girl time" while the kids stayed downstairs and enjoyed each others company.

Thursday and Friday were such beautiful weather days, so i sat in a chair outside and listened to music and read a book. I loved it! Sooo relaxing, and i got some nice color too. Now, when i go to Florida next week (yay!!), i will have a base tan.

Like i said, the rest of the week is kind of fuzzy. I did the normal things like housework, laundry, and cooking. I read some more of one of the books i am trying to finish. I watched some tv. Boring, but relaxing.

All in all, in was a good week.
If you want to blog about what you did this week, you can join our host here: http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/2011/07/weekly-wrap-up-one-that-was-rather.html

Five Question Friday

2011-07-02T20:14:00.000-04:00

1. If you had the opportunity to bungee jump, would you?

No way, lol. I'm all for excitement...but not the kind that could end with me dead. In fact, i'm not really into this kind of excitement anymore at all...last year when we went to Six Flags, i had no desire at all to go on the "death-defying" roller coasters--which didn't look like they defied death at all...not my type of thing anymore.

2. Would you rather go to the movie theater or to the drive-in?

I like them both. Though i haven't been to a drive-in since i was a teen, it reminds me of summer nights. I like the idea of drive-ins, but i probably would choose a theater if i had the choice. Better sound, no bugs. For the ambiance, however, i would choose drive-in if it were just me and the hubby.

3. Do you have your groceries delivered?

um, they deliver? Cool. Nope, never had them delivered, but if it didn't cost any extra, i would consider it...it would help me to cut back on those not-so-necessary items that i buy because they look/smell good. Or on those days where i don't have use of my car and the pantry is getting low.

4. Eyebrows: Do you wax, thread, pluck, or stay au naturel?

I'm all about saving money, but after a few years of trying to shape my own eyebrows, i took the plunge and got them waxed. Now, i get them waxed every couple of months and just "clean up" the edges in between. Thank God for eyebrow pencil, because sometimes i "clean up" waaayy to much and wind up with too-thin brows :-)

5. Would the people you went to high school with be surprised by your life today?

That's a good question. I would say that, yes, the people i went to high school with would be surprised by my life today. Considering i was a derelict in high school and didn't even finish because of a few very bad choices on my end, my school peers would be surprised that i am in a stable marriage with three pretty outstanding, well-behaved teens (who, thank God, did not follow in my terrible-teen footsteps)

This is a five question friday link up. If you want to join the host, go here: http://fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/2011/07/five-question-friday-7111.html

Simple Woman's Day Book for the Week of June 26, 2011

2011-06-26T23:29:00.000-04:00

FOR THIS WEEK--June 26

Outside my window...Dark, kind of cloudy, a bit windy...it was a pretty nice day today

I am thinking...I need to get a tan before i go down to Florida, maybe i will lay out in the sun a couple days this week so i won't look so pasty white...now that my "spray tan" has worn off, lol.

I am thankful...That my children's extra-curricular activities are pretty much done for the rest of the summer and i can enjoy some long, lazy days reading, watching a movie, or even doing some more spring cleaning...let summer begin!

From the learning rooms...see above...school is out for summer :-)

In the kitchen...um...Steve made dinner tonight since i was busy with Erin all day, i don't think anybody made dinner yesturday since i was busy with Rachel, we got pizza the night before since i was busy with Rachel, and the other nights i cooked--twice a tried new recipes, and they both tasted yummy. One was pork and apples and carrotts and maple syrup of all things, and the other was beanless chili using cut up beef instead of chopped meat, and i thought that was great :-) I do love experimenting!

I am wearing...blue jeans, blue sleeveless shirt, blue hat, white socks--soon will be wearing pj's...almost bedtime :-)

I am creating...nothing this week i don't think

I am going...i may be going to visit my friend debbie this week, but other than that, i am going NOWHERE for the first time since the kids got out of school, i have a full week with nothing planned.

I am wondering...why my gym card no longer works...which reminds me, i do have to go to the gym a few times this week, that is, if i can get my key card to work.

I am reading...A Praying Life, Desperation, and a few College guides to prepare to guide Matt and help him get done the things he needs to get done to apply for College

I am hoping...this week goes fast so that our Florida trip will be here!

I am looking forward to...Seeing my friend Deb, our 4th of July bbq--we are having some of Steve's work friends come over and Erin's boyfriend and Matt's girlfriend...we don't get a lot of visiters so i'm looking forward to it, and of course, Our Florida Trip

I am hearing...The Tv is on...the fan is whirring, Rachel was talking to me...everyone else is sleeping

Around the house...A bit of a mess since i have been so busy lately, i need to get on that.

I am pondering...a LOT of things that are too weighty for this blog

One of my favorite things...stepping on the scale and seeing a five pound weight loss...Go Me!!! My first goal weight has been achieved...two more goals to reach!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Matt at Boys State--Speaker of the House

Rai in her Dance Costume

Weekly Wrap Up: The One That Brought Our Homeschool Jouney to an End

2011-06-06T12:46:00.000-04:00

Wow, i can't believe that the week is over all ready! Seems like just yesturday was monday.

This week was bitter sweet because it was my very last week home-schooling my youngest daughter before she goes off to high school next year. Bitter because i will miss her and sweet because i am looking forward to focusing on finishing my schooling and getting a job!!

Saturday last week, i went to a graduation party for my good friend Chelsea, who graduated college this year. I will miss having classes with her. It's hard to believe that she is only 21, she and i get along really well and i relate to her alot, which either means i have a young soul or she has an old one,lol.

Sunday, i don't think i did anything but sat around all day. Which in theory i love, but when i actually do it, i feel pretty crappy. I did order a washing machine from lowes, since ours was on the brink of dying. I watched t.v pretty much all day and Matt took my car out with him all day as he had to work all day and then had a graduation party to go to....most of his drama friends are graduating this year, so next year is gonna be a bit different for him.

Monday me Steve and Rachel went out to buy Steve a new grill, since his broke over about two years ago, and we wanted to bbq today. While we were out looking, I got a call from Erin, who was home sleeping, that the Lowes delivery truck was there to deliver the washing machine i had just ordered the night before online. Which was weird cause they didn't call me to set up a delivery time. Either way, i love my new washer!! it is so quiet and it has a bunch of different cool setting that i still need to play with.

Tuesday me and rai did some homescool work and went shopping for groceries. Matt had an extra practice for a show he was helping to put on for Dr. Marchio, who is the superintendent of our schooldistrict, who is retiring this year, so he took the car this afternnon

Wednesday was just another home-school day wrapping up our last week of stuff to do while matt took the car again for a last all-day practice for the Dr. Marchio retirement show.

Thursday Rai and I had an appointment with her next year's guidance counselor about what classes she will take next year in high school and such.

Friday was our very last day home schooling and rai finsished her last research paper...which i have to say was a great paper. She has come sooooo far since i took her home 2 and 1/2 years ago. I am so proud of both her and me...we have accomplished alot together!!

Satuday, today, Matt went early this morning to take his second round of SAT's and i hope he did as good as he wanted to this time around.

He will be done with school on Monday after he takes his finals. Then he will be done with his junior year and will be a senior next year....wow.

Well, that's about all i remember for this week. I'm sure much more happened, but my memory escapes me at the moment. I hope you have a great week!

if you want to blog about your week, join the host of this meme here: http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/

5 Question Friday

2011-06-03T23:30:00.000-04:00

1. If you had to choose, how would you prefer to choose to spend money...on landscaping or a pool?
Well, since i currently live in a neighborhood that does not allow pools any bigger than those little baby pools, i would definitely spend money of landscaping. In fact, we have done bits of landscaping here and there over the years--flowers and lights up the walkway, a beautiful pond with a fountain by the front windows--but nobody took care of the upkeep, so everything died and the pond and fountain got ruined. So, in hindsight, along with the money spent on landscape, i would save some to pay a landscaper once a month to care for said landscape.

2. Death penalty, yea or nay?
That would be a big no. IMO, no one has the right to take another one's life, except for our Creator. I do believe real criminals should be punished by a very long jail sentence, but i don't believe that death should be considered part of that punishment.

3. What is the worst thing your kid has gotten into when you turned you back/blogged/showered/blinked?

My kids are all teens now, so it's been a while since i had to keep an eye on them, but i the worst thing i can remember is Matt getting his head stuck inbetween the banisters in my mom-in-law's house when he was about 2. Wow, did i panic about that one! Thank God for cool-headed grandmothers! She somehow got his head out of there while i ran around in a panic! I am sure that Rachel got into a lot of trouble too, since she used to be known as "the little tornado" by everybody who knew her well :-)

4. How often do you REALLY go to the dentist?
Not often enough...for sure. Up until a year ago, the kids didn't even go regularly, and had the cavities to prove it. But, we got them back on track, filled most of the cavities, and got them on a cleaning schedule.
Me, i have not seen a dentist for probably about five years...at least. Yuck, i know that's not good. Once the kids are all done with their teeth problems, i will make an appt to start taking care of mine. Even though we have insurance, it still is way out of our budget to spend the amount of money the dentist charges us. I don't know what we would do without insurance! Well, yes i do actually, since that is why the kids went so long between visits...lack of insurance. I really, really hate how much it costs just to keep our bodies healthy...and don't even get me started about how much it costs if one of us gets sick!! UGH

5. What is your favorite animal?
Definitely dogs. I love horses too, but dogs can stay in your house and ride in your car and sleep on your bed...not so with horses, lol.
wow, i don't know why my typed letter all of the sudden changed and got lighter and smaller, lol.

If you want to participate in 5 question friday, go here:

http://fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/

Weekly Wrap Up: The One Where I Started the Spring Cleaning

2011-05-27T21:37:00.001-04:00

Weekly wrap up for week of May 22

This week went so fast, i can barely even remember what we all did. Since my school is done until the fall, i have more time to do all the things i've been putting off for a while. But, since Rai still has home school until the end of this week, my time was still not my own.

Last Saturday, Me, Steve, Erin and Rai went to the outlets in Perryville Md (Matt decided it would be more fun to hang out with his girlfriend than to shop) mainly to find Steve a good, comfy pair of sneakers that would not break the bank. We managed to get him a great pair that is designed to keep pressure off the heel, which is perfect for him, since he stilll struggles with heel pain since his surgery last summer. The sneakers were originally 120 dollars, but with outlet prices and coupons i spent over an hour searching for the night before, they came to 35 dollars plus tax....:-) We looked for a pair of sandals for him, but didn't have much luck with that.

Monday was school for Rai and Matt. While Rai did schoolwork, i worked on starting the spring cleaning. I don't remember what i worked on that day though. I do know that i went to the gym both Sunday and Monday, which i felt really good about. The more i go the better i feel. Rachel and Matt also go with me most of the times, so we keep each other company.

Tuesday Rachel had dance in the morning and we did school and i cleaned...again. I'm not sure what else. We didn't go to the gym today, but Matt stayed after school until 8 p.m. to practice for a drama production that the school is putting on to say goodbye to their retiring Superintedent.

Wednesday was school for Rai and Matt again, and i spend a couple hours scrubbing the kitchen cabinets, inside and out. The cabinets i have don't reach all the way to the ceiling, so they collect a lot of dust and grime...and i must say it's been quite a while since i cleaned the tops of them. I just read on another woman's blog to put wax paper on the tops of the cabinets, so when it collects dust next time i won't have to scrub it, i can just change the paper...great idea :-) Oh, yeah, i did go to the gym around 8p.m., which worked out pretty well, cause it wasn't so crowed, and i actually slept better than i usually do.

Thursday...you guessed it, school again, but it was the last school day of the week, so it went quickly. 4 more days and we will be done... phew. It's been a long year! Right now Rai and I are just really wrapping up each class, making sure i have taught enough for Rachel to be on target for high school. We are now doing maybe thirty minutes for each class, sometimes less. We usually are done by 2. Matt is busy taking final tests and finishing his Junior year as well as he can. Rai had an eye doctor appt on Thursday and learned how to put contacts in and take them out. She is soooo excited to have contacts! Me and Rai went to the gym at 8 again.

Today is Friday and i mostly ran errands while Steve, Matt and Erin worked and Rai finally got to sleep in. Took Matt to work at 6:45 a.m., came home and put make-up on and did my hair, went to get some blood tests done that i have been putting off for 2 months. Then i went down to Dover to turn in some paper work for Financial Aid for my college classes next fall, picked up Erin's new license plates for her new car, went to Best Buy for a couple things, Came home, picked up Rai, went to walmart to get something for dinner (pizza--walmart pizza is the best), came home, made dinner, took a shower, and got on the computer. So, at least i remember what i did for one day! No gym today.

Tomorrow i am going to relax in the morning, do some cleaning probably and then go to my girlfriends house to help her celebrate her graduation from college. I will miss taking classes with her! Steve is making dinner, so all i have to do when i come home is go to the gym.

Sunday i will most likely do nothing...except maybe go to the gym. I may go to church, but given my recent history, i doubt it.

That's my week.
This weekly wrap-up is hosted by: http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/

Five Question Friday

2011-05-27T20:54:00.000-04:00

1. Do you apologize to your kids?

absolutely...and often. Maybe more often than is necessary, but i'm not sure. If i mess up, as in be cranky or judgemental, or if i turn on my "i'm your mother so i know better than you" voice and refuse to let my oldest daughter get a word in edgewise, i apologize. Motherhood is messy and i mess up a lot...so yeah, i do apologize.

2. What color are your nails right now?

My finger nails are clear, because they need to be shaped and longish before i bother to color them.

My toe nails are blue :-) to celebrate flip-flop season.

3. When you were growing up, how difficult was it for you to stay home from school sick? (As in, did you have to vomit or just say "I don't feel good".)

I honestly don't remember, but i would lean more towards having to have a fever before i was allowed to stay home. Unfortunately, by the time i was in high school, if i wanted a day off, i would just cut my classes and hope my parents didn't find out....which most of the time they didn't.

4. When is the last time you bought a new comforter for your bed?

Wow, it's been quite a while. Say, 5 or 6 years. And since it was of pretty cheap quality, is has not stood the test of time and has a very looooong verticle rip in it. I went to throw it out the other day, but hubby complained that it was comfortable, so now, when i bother to make the bed, i cover the ripped comforter with a bed spead.

5. Favorite website(s)?

Well, i'm on facebook a lot.
And blogger..

and yahoo for email..

but i don't think i have a favorite other than that.

If you want to join 5 question friday, go here... http://fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/

The Simple Woman's Daybook for the Week of 5/23/2011

2011-05-25T00:53:00.000-04:00

FOR TODAY May 24, 2011
Outside my window...A clear, dark night. It was very warm today, in the mid-eighties, and a bit muggy. It's been a cool, rainy spring and we have not had more than a day or two of that "spring" weather that i love (low seventies, warm and sunny), and now it looks like summer weather is here.

I am thinking...I need to go to bed.

I am thankful for...My children...Erin-who is so mature and solid and generous and loving and original...Rachel--who is so sweet and personable and kind and also mature...Matt--who is so funny and refreshing and strong and independent...i have been so blessed with these precious children!

From the learning rooms...We have 2 more days this week and 4 days next week until we are done with school for the year...and forever, since Rai is going to public high school next year. We are finishing up with all of the subjects and just making sure that we have covered as much as possible. History is covering the 1940's to the 2000's, science is learning the senses, math is just polishing up loose ends, English is finishing the reading comprehension and editing books, and one final research paper. That's the bulk of it. I really, really am looking forward to this summer break!!

From the kitchen...Um,....tonight we had "whatever night" which is each of us having whatever we want, lol. Yesturday was choice night, which is almost like "whatever" night, except i give the family a choice of three things i am willing to cook that include whatever ingredients we happen to have in the pantry. Tomorrow is steak night. Our food budget has gotten way out of control, and we need to scale back for the rest of the week to meet the rest of our budget. But, the food is there, just not the kid's favorites. And the kitchen is clean...YaY!

I am wearing...Black jean capri's, lime green tank top, belt, socks....need to get into pj's soon.

I am creating...nothing, i don't think. I did create a lesson plan for the rest of the year today, for the second time, since i lost the first one i did yesturday :-)

I am going...Well, since we have met our budget for spending this month, i am going nowhere, lol. I gave the car to Matt tomorrow so he can drive to school, since he needs to be there till 7pm. This keeps me from those spontaneous trips to the store, lol.

I am reading...Various magazines that have been piling up while i was in school, which i now have time to read :-)...I also got another book on my e-reader to start reading.

I am hoping...That i will able to correctly tread the line between parenting and mentoring my adult daughter. Now that she is an adult, certain expectations by her and me need to be reassessed, reexamined, and dealt with. I pray i deal with them in a way that benefits my darling first born's future and our relationship.

I am hearing...The t.v. is on, but everybody else is sleeping....which is what i'm gonna be doing very shortly.

Around the house...Been starting some small Spring Cleaning projects, so the house is tidy...but still needs some deep cleaning.

One of my favorite things...quiet time by myself...sometimes i just don't get enough of this and start to get cranky.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Rachel has an eye doctor appt on Thursday, she should be getting her contacts soon...she is soooo excited!! and i am excited for her. I'm not really sure what else i''ll be doing this week...just wrapping up homeschool and doing spring cleaning projects and enjoying time at home with the family. :-)

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... My beautiful babies

Matt during Hairspray production

Erin and Rai on my birthday

Have a great week!!

Go here http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ if you want to blog about your week.

An Update for May

2011-05-14T23:15:00.000-04:00

Since i bugged my dad to update his blog, i guess i should update mine. I keep thinking of all these great things i want to blog about, but than forget to do it when i get some time to just sit on my computer. Which, i must admit, i have alot more of (time) recently since my school's semester just ended. Thank God. Now, i just have to focus on getting Rachel done with 8th grade. We have three more weeks of homeschooling and then the summer off. Next year, Rachel will be going to public high school, so i will have more time to focus on finishing my college career and starting my working career. Both she and i are excited about next year, and maybe a little nervous too. I will miss having her at home with me and teaching her all her subjects. But i also am looking forward to a new start for both of us. She will need to have an entrance test in August, which i am not thrilled about, but she should do fine. I tested her using the FCAT state assessment tests, and she tested on level for her grade. I just pray that she will test well and be able to pick the classes she wants for high school and be able to get into the drama program.

Erin and Matt are doing well in their perspective work/schooling. Erin is now working full time and McDonalds and was offered a promotion as a shift manager. She is not sure she wants to take it, but it is nice that the offer was made. Matt is in the last couple of weeks of his junior year and is working to get his grades up. He hit a bit of a slump this semester and will need to work alot on school work to pass well, but hopefully he will do well. He also works hard at his job and his extra-curricular activities (drama, production plays, and Boys State, which is a group that teaches him how to get involved in the world of politics--which he recently found out he likes :-)) He is a busy boy....i mean young man :)

Steve's store is in the middle of a re-build, so he is bouncing around at the moment helping out where he is needed. He is doing very well getting noticed by the higher-ups in his company and i am very proud of him.

The kids and i are looking forward to a three week visit to my family in Florida in July. We all miss them very much and really enjoy our time with them.

The weather here has been pretty beautiful lately. Mid seventies, blue skies....i love it. Tomorrow, we are supposed to go to a big "field-day" like event for McDonalds, but it is supposed to rain, so i'm not sure if we will or not. Hopefully it won't rain. If it doesn't, me, steve, and rai will have a fun day together.

Well, i guess that's about it for now. Hopefully i will remember to hop on here more often. Until then, 3 things i am thankful for today are:
1. My father. It's his birthday today and i've been thinking about him alot today. He is such a wonderful role-model who lives out his love for God and obedience to Christ in his daily life and i am sooo proud to be his daughter. I hope one day that people will look to me the way they do to my dad. I love him very much.
2. Warm weather. It was so cold for so long, it is so great to feel warmth on my skin
3. The gym...i lost three pounds and have been working out and it feels great

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2011-04-20T23:05:00.000-04:00

Just something to get me back on my blog!!

1. What are your plans for Easter day/weekend?

I'm hoping to go to Good Friday service on Friday evening. Saturday, i will probably go shopping and do homework...college classes are almost over and it's crunch time. Sunday, we will go to church, hopefully the whole family, and then have dinner together after that. All of our family is living in another state, so it's pretty quiet around here come holiday time :-(

2. Besides Jesus, what one person from the Bible would you most like to meet and why?

I would love to meet David because God called him "the man after Mine own heart." He was a Sheppard and a king and also a sinner who was still chosen by God. I would like to hang out with him for a while and pick up some tips on getting really close to God.

3. What is one modern day convenience you didn't have as a child that was easy to live without?

Satellite TV. We did so much more when there was not 200 channels of soul-sucking-time-wasters to watch. I have a love-hate relationship with television because i do love to relax in front of a good program or movie, but some of us spend too much time in front of the TV when we could be doing so much more.

4. Are you more right brained or left brained? If you're not sure what that means there is an interesting little quiz here.

http://www.wherecreativitygoestoschool.com/vancouver/left_right/rb_test.htm

My Results: I am more Right Brained:
Left Brain 49% Right Brain 51%
You are more right-brained than left-brained. The right side of your brain controls the left side of your body. In addition to being known as right-brained, you are also known as a creative thinker who uses feeling and intuition to gather information. You retain this information through the use of images and patterns. You are able to visualize the "whole" picture first, and then work backwards to put the pieces together to create the "whole" picture. Your thought process can appear quite illogical and meandering. The problem-solving techniques that you use involve free association, which is often very innovative and creative. The routes taken to arrive at your conclusions are completely opposite to what a left-brained person would be accustomed. You probably find it easy to express yourself using art, dance, or music. Some occupations usually held by a right-brained person are forest ranger, athlete, beautician, actor/actress, craftsman, and artist.

Your Left Brain Percentages:

50% Symbolic (Your most dominant characteristic)
38% Logical
31% Sequential
22% Linear
20% Reality-based
7% Verbal (Your least dominant characteristic)

Your Right Brain Percentages:
45% Random (Your most dominant characteristic)
40% Fantasy-oriented
25% Nonverbal
20% Intuitive
19% Concrete
18% Holistic (Your least dominant characteristic)

Interesting.

5. What is one thing you intended to do today but didn't?

Well, the only thing i can think of is that I intended to make a cell phone call while stopped at a red light...but i picked up my phone, put it to my ear, and looked to my left...and saw a police car right next to me with a grumpy looking police man staring at me with a frown on his face (it is now illegal in DE to use our cell phone's while driving). So i smiled, put down the phone, and drove on my way. :-) The only other thing i can think of is wash my car, but i ran out of daylight. Next warm day, that is what i intend to do.

6. Cadbury Creme Eggs or Reeses Peanut Butter?
Resses Peanut Butter all the way!!

7. Who was your favorite cartoon character when you were a child?
Um, i don't remember as a young child actually watching cartoons, but i did love Sesame Street. I loved watching the Smurfs when i was a bit older ( like around 15, lol) I also loved the cartoon He-Man that i used to watch with a little guy i used to baby-sit for.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

It was such a beautiful day today, it felt so good to be outside. I am really looking forward to summer this year. I hate hot and humid weather, but it's been sooo cold for such a long time that i can't wait for it to be hot for a while. Plus, summer is my favorite time of year because i get to go to Florida for three weeks to visit my family (parents, sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews) I can't wait!!!

If you want to join Wednesday Hodgepodge you can join us here

The Simple Woman's Daybook for the Week of 3/21/2011

2011-03-23T22:41:00.000-04:00

A day or two late, but i needed some direction to write on the blog today sooo....

FOR TODAY March 23, 2011

Outside my window...Dark, cold (again) just finished a thunder and lightning storm....still around 35-40 degrees...can't wait for warmth and sun

I am thinking...I have alot on my mind and i'm thinking about too much to actually separate one or two things to put right here.

I am thankful for...My children and the relationship i have with them and the love they have for me.

From the learning rooms...Started our new Bible program last week, but didn't do any this week. It's an apologetics course on world view, and looks very interesting, i just need extra time to work it into our schedule. History--we are up to the Civil War, Science--Just finished up DNA and are now doing studies on cells, English--Grammer, Reading comp, and a reading packet on The Red Badge of Courage, i need to add some writing.
I just found out today that Rai will probably have to take a test before she enters public high school, which we are both nervous about. Her because she hates tests, and me because if she doesn't do well than i will feel like i failed her.
From my learning rooms, i just took a test for Drug and Alcohol, on which i did well, I love my Human Services class and am learning alot, i just wish the classes did not take me away from teaching Rai her classes. Then there is spanish, which i absolutely abhor. I really don't think i'm going to pass that. Not exaggerating either :-(

From the kitchen...Keeping it clean, lol. Cooking about three times a week, maybe four. Steve cooks once a week, most times. I'm more happy about the fact that it has been staying clean because i resolved that it would, and it has (for four days now)

I am wearing...Jeans, tank top, long jacket shirt, slippers, bathrobe.

I am creating...An online calender that i can put all my responsibilities on to keep track of everything that needs to get done. Being computer illiterate, it will take some time to set it up correctly.

I am going...Nowhere tomorrow, my friend Debbie's Friday, hopefully church on Sunday. Other than that, i'm not sure. I am currently sharing my car with Matt, so he usually takes it on the weekends...he will hopefully be buying his own within a month.

I am reading...The Song of Susannah, by Stephen King, which is book six of the Dark Tower series. This is King's "version " of Tolkien's Fellowhip of the Ring trilogy. I just found out that soon there will be a movie based on these books, and i'm looking forward to seeing it.

I am hoping...Honestly, that i can drop Spanish before i have to make a fool of myself during the final, which is a listening test--there is no way i can pass that.

I am hearing...The t.v. in the background and the dishwasher running in the kitchen.

Around the house...Pretty clean. I have once again subscribed to the Fly Lady website, which is a free system of reminders, schedules, and encouragements on keeping a schedule to keep your house clean (the first step being to shine your sink and keep it that way, which is why the kitchen has been clean for a couple of days).

One of my favorite things...a clean house :-)

A few plans for the rest of the week: Thursdays are usually my day to do whatever i want (after Rai is done with school of course) so i usually just read, or watch a movie or two, or play on the computer or go shopping. It's like my saturday. Friday i usually deep clean the house, but since i've been working to keep it clean, it won't take that long. I need to dust and vacuum and work on my bedroom. That is, after i come back from my friend Debbie's house. Saturday and Sunday i will probablly work on school work, mine and Rai's.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... because i am thankful for my kids and can't wait for summer, this is one of my kids (and my nieces) taken during one of our summer vacations in Florida:

Here is where you should go if you want to blog about your week:
http://www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

2011-03-13T01:17:00.000-05:00

6WS

SO PROUD OF MHS HAIRSPRAY KIDS

The Simple Woman's Daybook for the Week of 2/28/2011

2011-03-01T01:28:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY--February 28, 2011

Outside my window...Dark and rainy. It was finally on the warmer side today...i think. The temp was 57 degrees, but it RAINED all day. Nasty weather that is only good for laying on the couch with a book...but, alas, no such luck.
Mondays are my looooong days.
I am thinking...I should really go to sleep, it's about 1 a.m. and i have to get up at 8. I have a very busy day tomorrow and need all the energy i can get!

I am thankful for...so many things. On the top of my mind right now is being thankful that i can stay home and be available for my kids...well, not every day, but enough that i am usually here (except mondays, lol)

From the learning rooms...Finally started a new semester of American history with Rai today. We will be covering the Civil War for a while. Still waiting on the Bible curriculum to come in and the Grammar to come in...other than that, Reading comprehension, General Science (starting DNA this week) and Algebraic sentences for math. For me, i am still struggling in Spanish, but my other classes are fine. I think i need to complete a case study for Drug and Alcohol and also a diagnostic assessment for Human Services. Lots of work to do...

From the kitchen...I just finished making 2 pans of macaroni and cheese and 2 pans of brownies. I will be serving them to some of the 150 kids who are involved with the Hairspray production that Matt's school is putting on. This is Tech week, known to the kids as "Hell Week" because they don't get home from practice until after midnight for the next few nights....so the mom's feed them dinner, and my night is tomorrow :-)

I am wearing...P.J's

I am creating...um, nothing....unless the diagnostic assessment i'm donig counts?

I am going...to Rachel's dance class tomorrow a.m., then to take matt to the dentist, then to serve the kids the load of mac and cheese i made tonight. Wednesday is school, gym, back to serve dinner again at the high school (five pounds of baked potatoes, lol) and then to watch the first dress rehearsal of Hairspray after dinner is served (i'm sooo excited).

I am reading...Almost done reading The Waste Lands, by Steven King. Also reading various school books for my and Rai's school.

I am hoping...To remember to get all my work done this week.

I am hearing...Matt doing his science project (at 1 in the morning!) and Bon Jovi music coming from my phone.

Around the house...A bit messy...but not terrible. It will be, though, if i don't get on top of it tomorrow. Laundry needs to get done, floors vacuumed, clutter put back in it's rightful places.

One of my favorite things...Bon Jovi concerts!!! Thank God Matt's play is this week, or i would be sooo tempted to buy tickets for the show on Wednesday....this week is the last time Bon Jovi will be in my area for a few years, and i really would love to go....but, Matt's play is more important...AND about 160 dollars cheaper ;-)

A few plans for the rest of the week: Dentist tomorrow, high school dinner, high school play, dance, gym, my school, eye doctor for me on Thursday (i'm hoping to get glasses) Church on Sunday?

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Fondly remembering my GREAT seats at last year's concert!

Have a Great Week!

If you want to blog about your week, join our host for this meme at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

What's Up

2011-02-25T00:25:00.000-05:00

Last year around this time was about the last time that i actually diligently wrote on my blog about what goes on in my and my family's life. Since this is supposed to be a place where my Florida family can keep up with what goes on over here in Delaware, and since this is also a kind of journal for me to keep track of what goes on in my life (because of my memory problems, i won't remember it unless it's documented), i really am going to try to write on here at the very least once a week. I spent some time going over some of my old blogs and it was nice to remember some things that i had already forgotten.

So, what's up lately with the Furman family?
Well, Steve is doing very well in his job. His store is closing down next month to get a total rebuild, so he will be busy giving other stores the benefit of his expertise. His boss has already told him that he will be up for promotion sooner rather than later. He is involved in a few committees, which enables him to get his name out there to be seen by the big-wigs. And we are hoping that he will very soon get a company car ( we pray that this will happen sooner rather than later-no car payment, no gas to buy, no insurance, what a relief that would be for our finances...pray, pray, pray). I am extremely proud of my hubby and the hard work he does both at his work and as a dad and husband. Now, if i could just get him to pick his clothes up off the floor! jk, that's the least of it. He is a hard worker and i love him very much and appreciate his drive to be the best he can be.

I started my sixth semester of college about 5 weeks ago and am looking forward to actually getting a job in which i can use all the skills i have been learning. Actually, i am very nervous about entering the work world again after the 15 year hiatus i have taken in order to raise the kids. But i know that once the newness wears off, i will love it. This semester i am taking three classes, and i have decided (i think) to add the four classes and one extra internship i need in order to graduate with two separate degrees--one in Human Services and one in Drug and Alcohol Counseling--because it will help me to get a better job. Two of the classes for the second degree are VERY difficult, so i'm not 100 percent positive that i will actually do it, but i probably will. The past four years have been all about me doing things that are outside of my comfort zone, and this is just one more time i will have to stretch myself.
I have a class with Erin this semester (Spanish 1) which is great because i get to spend an evening with my daughter, but yucky because it is a very hard class. I am in the last year of home-schooling Rachel and, as of right now, we are in a bit of a mid-year rut. But, we are adding some new curriculum for Bible and Grammar and Writing in a week, and we are starting a new schedule next week, so hopefully that will give us a fresh start.
Rachel and i joined a gym last month, but have only been averaging 2-3x a week attendance, so we need to do better in that area too....summer is coming soon!

Erin began her college career last summer and is doing well in her classes. I will say that she does NOT like college, which is surprising to me because i thought she would. But, she continues to try hard to do well while she decides what she wants to do with her life. Big decisions! It must be very hard on her, but i am very proud of the way she handles both herself and the decisions she has to make. She may not finish college, and i'm ok with that, but she is fearful that her family will be disappointed in her decision. Hopefully she will realize that her decisions will not disappoint us at all. I am proud of the woman she has become, no matter what she decides. I just want her to be happy. And if happy for her is a full time job in an entry-level position, i'm good with that.

Matt is doing well in his Junior year of school. He is still majorly involved with the drama department and is presently working very hard to put on a production of Hairspray next week. He is so busy, i hardly get to see him for more that an hour or two every couple of days. He goes to school at 7, goes to practice till 7pm and then does his homework until he can't keep his eyes open any longer. On top of that, he works all day on the weekends to save up for a car, which i think he will be buying next month. Last semester he had a part in a couple of school productions and two parts in the local theater's production of Annie. I think he was great in all of his parts. He continues to improve his acting/singing/dancing every time i see him perform and i am overwhelmingly proud of him.

Rachel continues to grow both academically and personally, and i'm not being a parrot when i say that i am very proud of her also! She is an independent worker, has a very good attitude, and is a joy to teach (most of the time ;-)). She is looking forward to going to public high school and it is my fervent prayer that she will make lots of friends and do well in her studies. She also plans on joining the drama tract in the school, where her brother will be a senior, and i am looking forward to watching her perform as well.

So that's us in a looooong nut shell.
Hopefully, now that i'm all caught up with who is doing what, it will be easier for me to document the goings' on in our lives.

Tonight i am thankful for:
1. A mother who is there for me, even when Bones is on (insider) ;-)
2. Weekends to catch up on things i should have done during the week
3. New beginnings and the opportunity to learn from mistakes.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2011-02-23T21:51:00.000-05:00

1. Did you know there is a national day of pretty much everything in the universe? Feb 23rd happens to be National Inconvenience Yourself Day...when was the last time you were inconvenienced?
--This is a hard one. The last time i've inconvenienced myself? or the last time i've been inconvenienced in general? I don't generally inconvenience myself (usually if i don't want to do something, i just don't do it; or i find a way to make myself want to do it) nor do i think of others' requests as an inconvenience to me. Sometimes when i have to do something for my kids when i'm busy with something else, i feel inconvenienced. But mostly i just do it without thought of inconvenience.

2. When a room in your house needs painting, who does the job?
--The last time the two large common rooms in the house needed to be painted, i paid Matt and his friend to to it (cheap labor, lol). Before that, Steve was the painter of the house. I don't remember the last time i actually painted a wall. The bathroom is getting redone soon, i wonder who will be painting that? Stay tuned to find out :-)

3.Are you friends with your cousins?
--Absolutely! Well, at least with the cousins who are my age. I have been very close to two of my cousins throughout my life. My cousin Beth, who is only 5 months younger than me, and i have always been close. I lived with her when i was a young adult, we raised a couple of our kids at the same time, spent hours on the phone together when we were young mothers, and still have a good relationship. I am sad that i don't get to see her or talk to her as much as we used to, but we live a thousand miles apart now. Whenever i visit, though, we have a great time together.
My cousin Shannon, who is 4 years younger than me, and i have also been very close when i was younger. I lived with her and her mom when i was an older teen and really enjoyed (most of the time, lol) having a younger sister. In fact, we refer to each other as "cisters"--a cross between cousin and sister--and i still consider her to be like a younger sister to me. She also lives far away from me, so i don't get to see her near enough, but she calls me now and than and we catch up over the phone.
I have 5 younger cousins, who i hardly get to see. But i'm sure we would get along really great if we saw each other more often. I am face-book-friends with two of them and i need to try harder to connect with them.
I love family!

3.Do you use an alarm clock-if yes, is it an actual alarm, music or something else?
Funny question...yes, i use an alarm clock on most days, except Saturday. It's actually a very loud, annoying voice that screams through my phone saying "COME ON GET UP! IT'S TIME TO GET UP! GET OUT OF BED, COME ON GET UP! All while a horn blares like a fire alarm. It definitely helps me get up quickly! I am a terrible morning person. It's takes me a while to get motivated to start my day, since i sleep so badly, i never feel like it's enough when it's time to wake up.

4.What do you put ketchup on?
--I could put it on almost anything. Meat, side dishes, eggs...

5. What smells make you nostalgic?
--Suntan lotion, pipe tobacco, motor oil, cigarette smoke, baby bath, the smell of a home-cooked meal.
6.Did you hear about the high school English teacher recently suspended for some things she wrote on her personal blog? You can read the story here but in a nutshell she vented a lot of frustration onto her blog. She didn't mention individual students by name but she did make some harsh comments about kids in general and their parents.
What are your thoughts-if you're a parent is your child's teacher online and are you a 'friend' or 'follower' there? If you're a teacher are you on facebook and do you accept or friend students there? How about their parents?
--I am a parent of children who are in public school and a teacher of one my children for home school. I think the teacher was maybe harsh in the words she chose in her frustration, but perfectly within her rights to say what she said. She didn't use any names or break any privacy rules. She voiced her opinion and frustration on her personal blog. I think it's ridiculous that she got suspended for that. I have a cousin who works as a teacher, and i sense his frustration with the school system and some of the kids in his classroom. But i also know that he enjoys teaching. The kids in public schools can rant and rave against their teachers, not just on social media, but directly to their teacher's faces...and nothing happens to them. Should a teacher get suspended for venting her frustration without naming names? I don't think so. And according to the comments on the news story, 92 percent of the readers agree that she should not have gotten in trouble.
8. Insert your own random thought here
This has been a long post, but my random thought is this: i spent a lot of time reading some of my old posts from when this blog was new, and i really want to start blogging about what is going on in my life again...if for nothing else than for my own personal journaling and to keep in touch with my family. Whom i miss terribly.

If you want to join this meme for hodgepodge Wednesdays, you can join our host here: http://joyce-fromthissideofthepond.blogspot.com/2011/02/conveniently-its-wednesday-hodgepodge.html

The Simple Woman's Daybook for the Week of 2/21/2011

2011-02-23T00:17:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY February 22, 2011

Outside my window...Dark and cold...snow on the ground yet again!!

I am thinking...I can't believe the kids had ANOTHER snow day!

I am thankful for...a wonderful night with my husband tonight...he called me for no reason today and asked me out on a date...awwww, so sweet. I love getting along great with my hubby :-)

From the learning rooms...Rachel follows Matt's school calender, when he has a snow day, so does she. So, we are a bit behind, and tomorrow i need to go to school, so we have ALOT of work to do in history, science and grammer this week.

From the kitchen...I was going to roast a pork loin tonight, but went out to dinner instead...so i'll be roasting the pork tomorrow instead. Not sure about dinner for the rest of the week though.

I am wearing...two shirts, jeans, two pairs of socks and a big fluffy bathrobe...it's cold in here tonight! Heater is set to 63 degrees in order to save on heating costs!

I am creating...the only thing i'm creating at the moment is an assessment and diagnosis paper for my Techniques of Behavioral Change class.

I am going...Class tomorrow, was supposed to stay for an evening meeting, but we are so behind in home-school i just can't do it :-( That will be 3 TUA meetings i have missed, i'm thinking they may kick me out of the society soon, jk. Next year i can participate more. For the rest of the week, i don't think i'm going anywhere in particular.

I am reading...Drug and Alcohol book for school, Case Management book for school, The Wastelands by Steven King for fun, and the book of Numbers from the Bible for our church read-through-the-bible challenge (when i remember :-( )

I am hoping...To be more consistent with my Bible reading this week, to get all my homework done on time, to comprehend my Spanish assignment this week, as i left class early this week, to actually DO all the things on my to-do list this week.

I am hearing..the tv is on for background noise, Rai getting ready for bed, Erin walking around, Matt puttering around in his room--wow, it's after midnight on a school-night and we are all still awake...i think we will all be a bunch of sleepy-heads tomorrow.

Around the house...bought a new area rug for the living room...it's a bit darker and much bigger than the other one we had, i like it. Did a bit of cleaning and laundry today, but the floors need to be mopped and the bathroom cleaned. The Master bathroom needs to get done, we still need to put in the new toilet, paint the walls, and install the new sink/cabinet/mirror combo....maybe during spring break? Can't wait till it's done. Also hoping to get a new king size bed in our bedroom, so we will have to move the furniture around to fit it all in.

One of my favorite things...Shopping!!

A few plans for the rest of the week: study, homework, teach, learn, clean, cook, shop, taxi kids around, and other mommy, wifey, and homeschoolly things :-) Also, talk to MY mommy tomorrow maybe...it's been quite a while since we had a nice chat, and i miss her big-time!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...love my hubby....and looking forward to beach weather!

Have a great week!

If you want to blog about your week, join our host at: http://www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

5 Question Friday

2011-02-18T21:12:00.001-05:00

In the spirit of trying to get back into blogging on my blog, i decided to try and participate on a few memes during the week (which are like ideas or questions that are shared from blog to blog). This one is from a blog i follow called "My Little Life"

5 Question Friday:

1. Have you worn the same outfit more than one day in a row?
Um, yes, actually i have. But only if i put the outfit on for only an hour or two the day before and than took it off to get into p.j.s. Sometimes i will wear an outfit to church on Sunday, take it off to change into sweats, and than put it on again for school the next day...i don't really have a lot of nice clothes, so i have to recycle, lol. The exception to this is undergarments. those i only wear once.

2. If you had to choose any LARGE city to live in, which would it be?
Probably New York City. But in the nicer area. It would be interesting to live in a city, i think, but i would probably get claustrophobic because of all the people and buildings being squished into a smallish island. Nice to visit....but not sure about living there for a long time.

3. Fly or drive with the kids on vacation?
I've done both. On most long vacations, we fly because it takes too long and is too hard on the car to drive two thousand miles. But, we did drive down to Florida once, and it was a very good memory. I don't like flying, it makes me nervous. But i do like getting there quickly. However, if i had a nice, big car that was dependable and comfortable enough for the four of us, i would definitely drive again.

4. What is your idea of "spring cleaning"?
To me, spring cleaning is that once or twice a year deep cleaning that takes almost a whole day for each room of the house. EVERYTHING gets washed, from the ceilings to the floors. I don't like doing it (well, actually sometimes i do kind of enjoy it for a few hours) but i LOVE the way the house looks and smells when i'm done. I am so much happier when the house is clean :-) I'll be spring cleaning during spring break this year, i think.

5. What is the best book you have ever read?
That's a hard one, because i have read sooo many books in my lifetime! In my opinion, a good book is one that i don't want to stop reading and think about even when i'm not reading it during the day. I love getting so immersed in the story that it feels like i'm actually watching a movie. A lot of Steven King books have been like that for me, mostly the Gunslinger series, which i am actually reading again right now :-) Ted Dekker books are like that for me also, as are some of Beverly Lewis books. However, at the moment, i can not think of just one book that was better than the rest
If you want to join this 5 question friday meme, hop on over to the My Little Life blog at http://fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/

The Simple Woman’s Daybook for February 15 ‘11

2011-02-15T00:20:00.001-05:00

FOR TODAY February 14, 2011

Outside my window...Clear, night sky. It was so windy today, it blew all the clouds away. But, the temperature was in the upper 40’s, so that was a relief.

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

I am thankful for... The time i get to spend with my oldest daughter every Monday night, as we share a college class together. We meet for dinner before class every week, do some shopping and than learn new Spanish words and grammar rules together. Though it’s my most unpleasant class academically, it is a great day with my first-born

From the learning rooms...Rachel is halfway through her pre-algebra math course and is doing well. For American History we finishing the first semester book this week, which brings us to the end of the Jacksonian period. Soon we will be covering the Civil War. For English, she has been doing reading comp. and editing for grammar, but i would like to add more writing practice. For Science, she is doing a unit on fossils and uniformitariunism vs. catastrophism (sounds fun, huh?) Still need to get a new Bible program. As for my learning…well, more on that later.

From the kitchen...Steve has been doing a lot of cooking lately, so i haven’t cooked much, but tomorrow i will be making……something, i just don’t know what yet :-)

I am wearing...blue jeans, black and gray tank-top with gray jacket over it, blue hat (too windy to have a good hair day today). Looking forward to getting jammies on.

I am creating...um, not much…i guess I've been creating a cleaner home, respectful, loving, intelligent children, a happy husband, and a smarter mind….that will have to do for now ;-)

I am going...let’s see, dance, doctor, gym tomorrow; school and meeting on Wednesday; dentist, maybe my friends house, and gym on Thursday; nowhere? on Friday and Saturday, and church on Sunday.

I am reading...for pleasure: the Gunslinger by Steven King. For my school: Drug and Alcohol Addictions textbook, Case Management textbook, and Spanish textbook. For Rai’s school: American History and Science textbooks, i forget their titles right now.

I am hoping...That i will get all my home and school work done this week on time and with a smile on my face and joy in my heart

I am hearing...the tv is on, some murder mystery that i am not watching is on, the bathroom sink is running, one of the girls is getting ready for bed.

Around the house...Both the guys are sleeping, all the girls are awake…but we get up later than they do. Oh, and also the Christmas decorations, which are boxed up, need to be taken out of my living room and put back into the shed

One of my favorite things...my new computer

A few plans for the rest of the week: i think i covered this above, lol

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...Can’t do this yet, because my new computer does not have any of my pictures uploaded onto it yet. In fact, i can add this to the above question….this week i have plans to move pictures and documents and music from my old computer to my new one.

If you want to blog about your day, join our host at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ and blog away!

Some Thoughts About Love

2011-02-14T09:52:00.003-05:00

…And now these three remain: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love…
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.—I Corinthians 13

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.—John 3

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends”--Jesus

Today I am thankful for:
1. The fact that the Creator of the Universe not only knows me, but loves me personally!!
2. The Bible: our instruction manual for a better life—and it’s no secret, it is truth—there is something wonderful in knowing that no matter what is going on in my life, God has written instructions about how to deal with it and how to come out of it BETTER for it on the other end!
3. The love i get from my family!!

Welcome Back

2011-02-12T21:54:00.000-05:00

I just got a new laptop and am trying out the new settings. Since i can now actually use my laptop on the go and “on my lap,” i am hoping to start back up with writing on my blog, since i still have lots to say and not a lot of people to say it to. So, this is just a test post. Be back soon.
Today i am thankful for:
1. My new laptop
2. My generous husband
3. Free time

30 Day Blog Challange, Day 5

2010-10-27T20:34:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-21T20:47:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-21T17:19:00.001-04:00

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

2010-10-21T16:58:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-21T16:34:00.001-04:00

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--

2010-08-07T17:00:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-17T22:37:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-17T16:07:00.000-04:00

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)

2010-03-22T23:51:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-09T23:32:00.000-05:00

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

2010-03-03T14:42:00.001-05:00

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

2010-01-23T15:22:00.000-05:00

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?

2010-01-12T21:25:00.000-05:00

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!!

2010-01-03T16:17:00.000-05:00

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.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for December 14 (yes it's a new one)

2009-12-14T22:21:00.001-05:00

I know it's been almost a whole month, but since it is monday, here is my new Daybook post. Hopefully, with the Christmas break, i will have more time to post more stuff during the rest of this month and next also.

FOR TODAY
December 14, 2009

Outside my window...A Cold Clear Night

I am thinking...How much more shopping i need to do for Christmas and I'm not yet done decorating the house, with only 10 days left until Christmas, i'm wondering if I should just decorate less this year. Our tree is beautiful, though.

I am thankful for...My husband and how great we have been getting along lately. This is how it is supposed to be :-)

From the learning rooms...Rachel is finally doing grade-level math! It's not easy for her, but she is trying hard and i'm proud of her. She is on Winter break for a month from her science class, so i'm thinking about starting history. Now, i just have to figure out how to go through over 1000 years of history in 6 months (she needs to do American History next year, so she needs to go from year 4 a.d. to about 1400 before then) On the college front, both my classes are done. I got an A in Ethics, but i'm not yet sure what I got in Counseling because the grades are not yet up. Hope i got an A, but it was a very difficult class. I registered for 3 classes for next semester (Pre-Civil War American History, Social Policy and Programming{blech}, and Group Therapy{as in, how to lead group therapy}) and i'm looking foward to two of them. Hopefully 3 classes will not be too overwhelming with all the other things i have to do, but i guess we'll see.

From the kitchen...I made spagetti tonight because i forgot to defrost any meat, which is typical for me. I stayed up until after 2:30 last night (well, this morning) making fudge for Steve's co-workers and supervisors, and they were all thrilled. I made 6 batches of 3 different kinds. I think they all came out great!

I am wearing...Grey sweatpants, black long sleeve turtle neck, socks and slippers.

I am creating... A history lesson plan for the next 5 months, and more fudge for Steve's crew for Thursday.

I am going...To bed soon ;) Shopping tomorrow to try to finish Christmas lists, An eight o'clock meeting tomorrow at Matt's school with the PRINCIPLE about some "sour grapes" between my sweet little boy ;-)
and his yucky science teacher.

I am reading...I don't know the title, but it is a book about the holocaust. I should be reading my Bible study book about prayer, but i am soooo behind, i don't even know where to begin. I guess over break i'll need to read all the parts i am missing and then try to jump back into it and get my behind to Bible Study

I am hoping...That the meeting tomorrow will go well and that Steven and I will act appropriatly and God honoring.

I am hearing...The T.V. is on The Sing Off, the kids are playing with the dog, Steven and Erin and Jess are putting the bunk beds together. Oh, did i forget to mention that we have a new addition to our family? Jess is Erin's best friend and she will be staying with us for a while. She is a sweet young lady and she already feels like she is part of the family.

Around the house...As above, t.v. is on, hubby is putting furniture together, the dog is sitting next to me on the couch, Matt is sitting here next to me and the dog, actually watching The Sing Off, Rachel is roaming around the house helping Daddy and watching t.v. with Mommy and playing with the dog with Matt. The tree is up and beautiful, the house is a bit of a mess-- which is a bit embarrasing, because we had an unexpected visitor today and the house was not as presentable as it should have been. We don't get many visitors, so i don't keep the house as clean as i used to when we had family living here, but i would like to be more diligent in this area.

One of my favorite things...I love the Christmas Season AND the Reason for the season

A few plans for the rest of the week: As usual, cleaning, laundry, schooling, cooking, mommying, smiling, laughing.........

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... Here are my 3 teenagers, Erin, Matt and Jess--from two summers ago, but it's the most recent one I have with all three of them.

Have a great week, and hopefullly i will post again soon.

If you want to blog about your day, join our host at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ .

The Simple Woman's Daybook for November 16

2009-11-17T00:28:00.000-05:00

Well, i haven't posted anything in quite a while, and since my sister doesn't want to see Bon Jovi anymore ;), I figured i would do my Monday Simple Woman's day book post. For those of you who have been waiting with baited breath for some new posts from me, I've just been uber busy and distracted, but i'll get back to it soon. Have a good week

FOR TODAY
November 16th, 2009

Outside my window...Pitch black, as it is almost midnight, but during the day it has been warm and sunny for a couple of days, which is great cause it rained forever. I do like it to be a bit cooler, though

I am thinking...I really need to go to sleep, i have a lot to do tomorrow.

I am thankful for...The Holiday season, it's my favorite time of year

From the learning rooms...Oh, boy, i could be doing so much better. Rachel is doing well in math and grammar, but is struggling in science and writing. After this semester, i plan on doing better in this area of my life, since her education is in my hands right now, and I know that i'm not doing as much as i should be. For my learning, Tape 2 has been turned it for my interviewing and counseling class. Again, i think i sounded dumb and fake and i hated every minute of it, but it is necessary and i am learning a lot, i just have performance anxiety and i need to get over it :-)

From the kitchen...I think Steve is making pot roast tomorrow. Tonight we had cereal, since Steve was working, Steve cooked dinner last night, and before that, i made a roast beef for the first time in years, and overcooked it (now you know why steve does the cooking when he has a day off--not one of my finer homemaking skills)

I am wearing...Blue jeans, t-shirt, slippers and bathrobe

I am creating...An agenda for Wednesday's TUA meeting, A study guide for Chapter 11 in Rachel's science book, A 5 page paper for my ethics class, and a Treatment Plan for my Counseling class.

I am going...To school tomorrow, a meeting for TUA and school wednesday, an all clubs meeting thursday, maybe bible study on Thursday night if i got the date right, if not it will be next thursday and i'll go to ANOTHER meeting for PTK instead this thursday, and hopefully, i'll get to go to church on Sunday (with Erin, since she is off)

I am reading...Motivational Interviewing (for school), and Night by Elie Weisel

I am hoping...To get my paper and homework done on time, that Rachel will do well on her Science test this week, that Matt will make the basketball team this week, that Steve's bonus will come in before it's too late to use it for Christmas shopping, in which case it will be a very lean christmas, that my doctors appointment coming up on Dec. 7th will be a good report, That Erin's school will be able to fix the car's door handle, which no longer opens from the outside, that the dog will just wake up one morning and STOP scratching himself. That's about it for now, lol

I am hearing...The t.v. on the history channel, recording a show about WWII for NEXT year's history lesson (that's me, always thinking ahead, he-he)

Around the house...Still looking clean from this weekends cleaning spree, yay!

One of my favorite things...Sitting here at night, while all of the kids are asleep as i get some quiet time to myself

A few plans for the rest of the week: Do everything with a smile on my face and hope in my heart, make some memories with the kids, do better with home school, stay positive and seek the silver lining :-]

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Sorry, i just spend almost 20 minutes trying to upload a picture and it's not working. So, if you need a picture, scroll down to my last post, cause i was only gonna repost a jovi picture, just to get on Kathy's nerves, lol.

So, if you want to blog about your day, go to http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ and join the hostess. Until i post again, Have a great day!

Bon Jovi!!!

2009-10-24T17:11:00.003-04:00

Rachel and Steve waiting on line to see Bon Jovi

Me and Rachel waiting on line to see Bon Jovi:

Me and Steve waiting on line to see Bon Jovi:

Well, for those of you who don't know, I won tickets to a "private" mini-concert to see see Bon Jovi outside the New Giant Stadium. The stadium has not been built yet, so the concert was to be held outside, in the parking lot. I had found out from the Bon Jovi fan club that tickets to this mini- concert were being given away for free, one just had to enter the contest via e-mail and wait to see if your name was picked. So i entered, of course, and waited. I went to school on Tuesday night, not able to pay attention much because all i could think about was, Lord, please let me win these tickets. For those of you who don't know, Bon Jovi is a passion of mine, has been since i was 15. I would do just about anything to be able to see them, so you can imagine my excitement when i had a chance to see the boys for free. So i waited and waited and waited with baited breath, and then had to go to school, even though i knew the winners would be announced while i was at school. So, I had Rachel watching my e-mail for me with strict instructions to call me if she found out i had one of the "winning" e-mails. I kept checking my phone all throughout class! As i was leaving class for the night, Steven called and told me i had won!!! Yay!!! So, he printed out our tickets. Steven was supposed to work the day of the concert, but he wanted to go, so he switched shifts with someone just so he could go with me. The concert was Thursday afternoon, so Steven worked the overnight Wednesday shift. Rachel also wanted to go and was so excited when i told her she would be going with us. So, Steve worked over night on Wednesday night to early Thursday morning, and Rachel and I woke up at 4 am on Thursday morning so that we could meet Steve at his store at 6, have some breakfast, and drive to New Jersey. Rachel and i had slept maybe 3 hours and Steve did not sleep at all, cause he was working, but we were all just happy to be able to go. We drove for about 2 hours and got to the stadium about 9 am. And then we waited on line. For 3 hours. Some people had been on line since midnight the night before, and it sounds bad, but i don't blame them. I would definitely stand on line all night if it meant i could get front row seats. But, by the time we got on the line, there were probably like 3 or 4 hundred people in front of us. Which wasn't really that bad, since the concert was for like 5000 people. Once they opened the gate, we found that the closest we could get was about 8 rows of people behind the front. Which is not that bad. Rachel was introduced to the "wonderful" facts of General Admission---standing on line for 3 hours and getting squooshed when everybody tries to get as close as possible to the stage. Thank God Steve was there, he is such a big guy, I had no fear whatsoever that we would get squooshed. But, my back was killing me. When the guys finally took the stage, it was an overwhelming feeling for me. I have been to Bon Jovi concerts before, but this was the first time i was so close with my hubby with me and i also never was able to share the Jovi experience with any of my kids. I was so filled with emotion, i cried for two straight songs. Not like sobbing, but i definitely had to keep wiping my eyes!! I just love this band so much, I can't really explain it. Their music is inspiring and their voices bring me to new levels of appreciation for the band. They only sang 6 songs, but that was enough for me!!

This is a picture of the workers who are building the new stadium and how they stopped working to listen to the band:

This is Richie Sambora. He is the guitar player and shares vocals with Jon. When he harmonizes with jon, it sounds like magic.He has two solo albums out, and we are all waiting for another one, his voice is full of soul and beauty. He looked so great, so happy to be there. His life had started to spiral out of control during the last album and tour ( for the Lost Highway album), but he is now doing better than ever and i could not take my eyes of of him. He just looked happier than i had ever seen him:

This is the key board player, David Bryan. He always has a smile for the crowd. He is so talented, he has written a musical that is now on Broadway called Memphis, which has gotten very good reviews. He has a great voice and is brilliant on the keys. Just incredible:

Another one of Richie giving us his all. He sounded great:

Of course, this is Jon. He sounded great, he looked great. Need i say more:

The drummer behind Richie is Tico, and he is the best. His arms never stop moving. He is the calm voice of reason and the oldest of the band members. He is an Artist who has some paintings in the art museums of New York and is an avid golfer. The last picture is just to give an idea of how many people were in front of us. To bad i didn't turn around to take a picture. There were thousands behind us. If you want to see some of the concert, you can go to www.bonjovi.com and click on media. It was great!!
I would have loved for them to sing for the usual two and a half hours, but we knew that it would only last for about 45 minutes, and that's ok, i love this band so much i probably would have gone if they only sang two songs. Their next album is coming out Nov. 10th and i can't wait. Tonight on showtime, they are releasing the brand new documentary about the band and i'm looking forward to watching it. The band starts touring next Feb. and will be in my area in March and in May they are opening the new Giants stadium. Tickets are on sale starting Monday, and my birthday is coming up ;). Feel free to add to my Jovi fund, he-he. They say that Disney World is the happiest place on earth. Not for me, for me, the happiest place is a Jovi concert!! This year, the fan club is offering great seats and VIP packages and trips. Unfortunately they are extremely pricey, but one day i WILL get front row seats, I just know it. Looking forward to what the band has in store for us fans!!!
Today i am thankful for:
1. My husband, who lost a whole night of sleep, just so he can see me enjoy myself
2. Getting Free tickets to see my favorite band
3. Being able to share my passion with my family

My Mind Says Go, My Body Says No

2009-10-19T18:05:00.004-04:00

Well, my busy week is over, and has been for a couple of days, except now i have been in bed for 2 days with a headache, body aches, sore chest, cough and fatigue!! How rotten! Plus, Matt has been sick since Thursday. Erin and I went to the Gala on Saturday night to volunteer and it was going good for a while. We got there around 4:30 and got acclimated to what we would need to be doing. It was all very fancy!! The room was set up like a reception for 500 rich people, except all around the borders of the room were like 20 different restaurant "booths" in which the guests could go around to from 6-9 and get food from each one. Our job was to seat the guests from 5:30 to 7 and then roam around the 50 tables to make sure that all the empty plates and cups were cleared off the tables in order to make room for more. Most of the guests were very nice and chipper (open bar), but some were cranky and felt that we were bugging them by removing their plates. Anyway, after about 2 hours, my body started getting really tired and my back and ankle started to burn and feel just really bad. My mind was ready to go, but my body was screaming at me to stop. We took a little break and then went back to work. By 9:30, I just did not think that i could stand up another hour and a half, so Erin and I left. Even though there were plenty of volunteers, i still felt really bad leaving before the event was over, especially because the head of the Gala was beginning to see me as the "leader" of the other volunteers in my section and was counting on me. But, i just could NOT go on. So, we went home and went to bed. The next morning, Sunday, i woke up achy and coughing and just all around exhausted, so i laid on the couch all day. Thank God the TAU yard sale was called off due to rain, because i would have had to go, even feeling awful as i did. But, i laid around and slept most of the day and thought i would feel better today, but my joints are hurting and my chest is hurting and i'm tired. Thankfully, neither Matt nor I have a fever, maybe a low grade one, but not a high one. I called the doctor to get Matt in for an Appointment, but they said that unless he has a fever, it is probably just a cold/flu and just to rest, fluids, etc. Hopefully he will go to school tomorrow and so will I.

I just found out that me and Erin got our picture in the paper for that night, so here it is:

In other news, my friend Debbie called me to tell me that their van had been totaled this morning by a high-speed chase that ended with the stolen car flying into her yard, knocking out her fence, and smashing the stolen car into her van, which then smashed into the side of her house!! So, now they have no car for who knows how long and will have to pay the deductible because the other car was stolen so that car's insurance won't cover it. It feels bad when one's very close friend is hurting and there is nothing i can do to help. Please pray for Deb and her family. If Court can't get to work, everything will get all messed up!
Oh, my friend Jon is now home from the hospital, still lost his memory, but physically he is doing better.

Today i am thankful for:
1. The ability to sit in bed when i feel crappy
2. The fact that Erin has her license and can do the grocery shopping when i feel crappy
3. The fact that my hubby never expects the house to be perfect so that i can lay here and feel crappy, but not feel guilty ;)

Jon's Status and an Overview of my Week

2009-10-13T11:11:00.003-04:00

Just a quick update. We found out that the bleeding in jon's brain is not a new thing or anything to worry about. The nurse who told us about it was wrong. Thank God. But, Jon still does not remember anything past 2007 and will be getting an EEG and another MRI on his back because the Dr. thinks he may have suffered nerve damage due to his last surgery.
So today I am doing a little school with Rachel, going to the hospital for a bit, then going to school early to sell Flower bulbs, than class tonight. Tomorrow, I have a TUA meeting, will take Rachel to visit Jon, then will go to school at night. Thursday i have a PTK meeting and a lot of catch up to do, then Friday and Saturday, Rachel and i will be baking for the TUA yard/bake sale. Saturday night, me and Erin are volunteering at the school from 5-10 for the Gourmet Gala, then Sunday morning is the yard/bake sale. Busy week!! Wish me luck.

An Update On My Friend Jon

2009-10-11T23:04:00.002-04:00

I just got back from the hospital, where i spent about 8 hours, and thought i would update Jon's status. He got an MRI today, the doctor said it would be ok because the metal in his back is titanium. After waiting all day, we found out that Jon is bleeding in his brain. I'm not really sure what they plan on doing about it, because the results did not even come back until I was on my way home, about 8 o'clock pm. Jon was in good fairly good spirits today, but would tear up occasionally when he was reminded of something he didn't want to forget, such as the death of a friend and not being able to remember new friends when they came in to visit (he still does not remember anything before August of 2007, so any friends he made since then, he doesn't recognize them). So, continue to keep the Monroe family in your thoughts and prayers. I am trying to go down there again tomorrow and be there for Courtney as much as possible, especially if Jon needs some type of surgery. Thankfully, Rachel has the day off tomorrow (her school calendar follows Appoquinimic School District calendar and they are off) and I am able to work out having the car for the day again.

Today, I am thankful for:
1. My supportive husband, who has been cooking dinner for the past week :-)
2. The health of my family
3. The ability to be there for my friend

A Sick Friend

2009-10-10T21:57:00.002-04:00

I just found out that a good friend of mine is in the hospital. His name is Jon and he is Courtney's husband. Jon had back surgery about 2 months ago and has been recuperating fairly well, except for some weakness in his left leg. When Courtney came home today, she found Jon on the floor, as he had just fallen and could not get up. She put him into bed and he seemed fine for a bit, but then he started to get anxious and not able to recognize his surroundings. She called an ambulance, and he went to the hospital. Now, he can not remember the last 2 years of his life and we don't know why. The CAT scan read that he was fine, but he can't get an MRI because he has metal in his back. My friend Courtney is a bit overwhelmed and i plan on spending the day with her tomorrow at the hospital, so that she has a friend to lean on. So, please pray for Jon's health, Courtney's anxiety, and my witness.

Sorting, Selling and Stretching

2009-10-07T22:46:00.003-04:00

Another week has flown by. It seems like I only post once a week, usually on Wednesday nights after i come home from school. Once Wednesday is over, i feel a little less crazy because my school is over for the week and I have a long weekend to do any homework and/or housework. This past week i've had a lot on my mind, and i'm sure my husband and kids would tell you that i've been cranky. It's just that between the ptk honor society, the tau honor society, my classes and Rachel's homeschooling, there is so much to get done and it feels like i'm going in 3 or 4 different directions all the time. I really want to "network" by volunteering for ptk and by running the tau effectively while keeping my 3.8 average, but being the president of a whole honor society is really stressing me out. I want to do well. I want to prove to my future employers that I am able to do well under pressure. Given my history with the mental health industry in Delaware, i feel like any background checks that my future employers might do may keep me from getting a job. I feel like I'm gonna need something on record that shows that I'm ok, and not just ok but very employable and able to handle whatever is thrown my way. Which is true, but in doing all these things i'm doing to prove that i'm ok, i kind of feel stretched.
Tomorrow I am going down to the college to have lunch with the President of the college and then i'm gonna go around to as much faculty as possible to try and sell some flower bulbs. I've been told that this flower bulb fundraiser is usually our club's biggest fundraiser, but i fear that this year (the year i'm in charge) we will have like no sales. So i'll take tomorrow to sell my little heart out. Then i'll come home and try to figure out what needs to be done for the big yard sale/bake sale that i'm in charge of for tau. We only have a week and a half left and so much to do. Thankfully, i have a couple of members from tau who really are doing a lot of the work, but there is still much to do and not a lot of time, and i don't delegate well. Then, hopefully, i will be able to go to the new Bible study on prayer that's at my church. I missed it the last two times they got together, so i really need to reconnect (and maybe someone there will be someone to buy flower bulbs too ;)).
Thankfully Steve is off for a couple of days, so he can help Rachel do schoolwork while I do my stuff.
I have volunteered a couple of times for PTK so far, and next Saturday the college is sponsoring a big Gourmet Gala that Erin and I may volunteer for from 5-11. Then, the next day i will need to be at my adivisors house at 7am to set up for the yard/bake sale. Oh, i guess i will need to spend that Saturday afternoon before the gala baking a bunch of stuff for the bake part of the sale. I'm sure Rachel will want to help with that.
Whatever I do, I just want to do really, really well. I'm kind of like an all or nothing kind of person. The only problem is, in order to be really great at some things, i need to put other things on the back burner for a while. Except lately, i've just been doing a little bit of everything instead of being really great at one or two things. I feel guilty that i'm not wanting to spend all my time at home anymore. I want to get out into the world and live a little. Except my kids need me at home still. So, that's why i've been feeling stretched. Stretched between what i want to do and what i'm supposed to do. For some reason, it feels like my desire to go out and do well at things other than housework, cooking, and mommy stuff is not a good desire. I'm not sure if it's just because i haven't done anything outside the house in 17 years or because it is actually wrong for me to want to go out and work, but my desire to be working outside of the home seems wrong somehow. Well, that's what i've been struggling with. It always helps me to put stuff like this in writing so that i may start to sort it out, which i'm sure i will do sooner or later. Either way, I am thankful that i even have the opportunity to learn new things and start taking steps towards the next stage of my life. Just a few more years and I won't have any kids at home, so i am very thankful that i am preparing for my future now. That way, when they are all grown, I will be ready too.
So, tonight I am thankful for:
1. The opportunity to go to college
2. Overcoming challenges
3. My husband, who is my cheerleader when i'm facing a challenge.

Another Update

2009-09-30T13:13:00.002-04:00

Not much new to write about. Still busy, but at least i was able to finish my first tape of my counseling session with my partner. I was so nervous, and you can tell if you listen to the tape!! I said the word "um" so many times, it sounded so dumb. I found out, though, that most of my classmates had the same problem, so i don't feel as bad. The main idea of this first session was to gather information from my client about what her problem was and what has been going on in her life to get her to come to counseling. The goal is to get the client to do most of the talking, with the counselor only asking open questions, then reflecting back to the client what she heard the client say. So, we each had to role-play the part of the "client" for our partner to "treat". Then we had to transcibe the 30 minute session, but we only needed to type just what we, as the counselors said (the questions we asked or the responses we made), not what the client said. If we did it correctly, we wouldn't have too much to type, because the client should be talking at least twice as much as the counselor. My partner told me she had 81 statements that she had said to me (when i was her client). I had 172 statements that I said to her( my client)during our session!! That's way too much. So, i guess that is proof that i talk way too much :0) In my defense, my partner is shy and i had to pull some information out of her, but i could have done better. Either way, it was an eye-opening exercise from which i learned a lot.
My other class, Ethics, is going ok. Most of it is book work, and i got 106 on my first test. Yay me! The only big project we have in that class is to interview two professionals who work in the human services field. I'm gonna have to set those up soon. I think i will ask the kid's old school counselor if i can interview her, and then maybe one of the pastor's of my church. It should be interesting.
The other thing that has been keeping me busy (other than homeschooling, dinner, laundry, cleaning, shopping, church, Bible study, homework, budgeting, and other "mom" stuff) is my involvement with the two honor societies i am a member of. For Phi Theta Kappa, the college-wide honor society, last week Rachel and I went to Dover Downs after the Friday evening race to help clean up 10 sections of the stands. It was neat to be able to drive on the tracks, it was HARD work to clean all the beer cans, soda cans, peanuts, cigarettes, wrappers, etc. from those stands. It took about 2 hours of back-braking work, but it felt good to know that we had participated. Tomorrow i am going to the Fall induction for new members to help set up, break down and direct the new members. I found out that PTK has just as much trouble as my other honor society, TUA, getting members to get involved. So, i'm trying to do as much as possible to help. It makes me feel useful and it also helps me look good to the advisers and helps me network for possible future jobs. I try to get the kids involved when possible, so that i can spend extra time with them and also so they can do some community service projects.
My other honor society, for which i am the president, takes more work for me because i am at the head of it. It is not a position i enjoy, i only volunteered because i saw a need. However, the lack of member involvement makes it very difficult to get anything done. And there is so much to do. We are not as formal as PTK, thank God, but i think sometimes we are too informal. Right now we are trying to raise money for the club, so we are doing a flower bulb fundraiser. We also are trying to put a yard/bake sale together for the middle of October. We have not really discussed any community service and the meetings that we have had so far have not really accomplished much. I need to run the meetings better than i have in the past, but it's not as easy as i thought it would be. I feel very responsible for the well-being of this club and i feel that i could be doing a lot better than i have been. I will not be running for office come next spring!! I would rather work on the sidelines.
Erin has decided to take her SAT's so we are in study mode. I am gonna be helping her study for the next month and then she will take them in November and again in December. I don't remember if i blogged about her maybe deciding that she may want to go off to college, but if i didn't-- she's thinking about it. Which doesn't give us much time to figure out what we need to be doing in order for that to happen, but we are working on it. She has been working a lot of hours at Mcdonalds and is co-oping for school, so she is only at school for a half a day. We are sharing the car and that is working out pretty good as well.
Matt has started work-outs for the basket ball season, and even though they are very hard on him physically, he feels good when they are done. His knee seems to slowly be getting better, thank God. He is enjoying working at McDonalds on the weekends and is slowly saving up for a car. By the time he gets his license, he will be well on his way to having enough for a car. I'm very proud of him because he works all weekend, but only keeps a fraction of his paycheck for spending and puts the rest away for his car.
Steven and Rachel are going down to Florida in December to help celebrate Steve's parent's 50th wedding anniversary. It would have been nice if all the kids could be there, but the tickets are just way out of our price range, and Rachel asked first.:)
Well, that's about it for today, i need to go get ready for school.
Today, i am thankful for:
1. Weekends
2. Sleep
3. Cool weather

A Busy Week

2009-09-21T19:19:00.003-04:00

Its been a while since my last post so i thought i would take a break from studying for my upcoming HUGE ethics class and do some blogging.
To update on my last blog entry, Rachel went to the Doctor for her leg pain and we got some blood tests done to make sure she wasn't vitamin deficient or something like that. The doctor said that if the tests came back normal, then we should consult with a Neurologist about her leg movements. I'm not sure that we will actually do that, because at this point, her leg pains/movements come and go and it seems to be getting better. However, the levels for her thyroid came back a little wonky, so the doctor wants us to get her retested in a couple weeks and then come back to the office and talk about what should be done if the levels are still too high. I'm not surprised about her thyroid being a little off, because she has a family history of thyroid problems on both sides (both grandmothers), however, she is kind of young to have thyroid problems. Plus, she does have some symptoms of a wacky thyroid, and maybe some medicine would help. At this point, it's just wait and see.
Matthew's doctor said that his knee will not need surgery, thank God, but he will have to go through some painful stretches every day to get back to normal. I'm not really sure what the problem is, but it has something to do with the tendons in his leg being wound way too tight. He has been faithfully doing his stretches once or twice a day and is still experiencing some significant pain, so we are going back to the doctor in the beginning of October. I'm not really sure how i feel about this particular doctor because he is the type who has no problem telling his teenage patient to "suck it up" and Matt isn't sure that the dr.'s diagnosis was correct because he is still hurting. He feels that there just has to be something wrong if he has been this uncomfortable for this long. I feel bad for Matt because he lost the opportunity to get a part in the fall play because the director thought Matt might have to be on crutches for a while. Now we know he won't be on crutches, but it is too late for him to get a part. And Matt was really, really looking forward to being in the fall play this year. In fact, he decided to give up football this year so that he could try his hand at acting, and now he can't do either. He still can not participate in Basketball workouts because he is hurting, and so now he is kind of down about the whole thing. Right now, he can really use our prayers. Even though his attitude remains great, of course, i can tell that he's been feeling a bit down.
Erin has been talking about maybe wanting to maybe go away for college next year. Which is great, but i'm not sure it is a reality or not because we waited so long to start looking and she did not take her SAT tests last year. She has her eye on Drexel University in Philly. I would love for her to experience going away to college, but i'm not sure how to start or even if it is too late. She got a letter from Drexel about open houses next month. After this week is over (it's a VERY busy week for me) I am going to invest some time and research to find out what we need to do next. I would hope and pray that her being in the number one position in her class GPA-wise would get her a scholarship. But, who knows what else it takes. Probably some SAT grades would help. She finally relented and said she would take the SAT's this fall, but it would have been great if she had taken them last year. She is not comfortable taking tests, so i am on the look-out for some good, fast SAT prep courses. I think I saw one on my friend Debbie's blog, so we will have to go check that out next week too.
As i said, this week is a busy one for me. Tomorrow, i have a lunch date with Matt, i think we are going to waffle house. I am looking forward to it, because we have not spent quality time together in a while. Then, i need to go down to my college and practice taping my "intake counseling" session with my partner. I am really, really nervous about this tape and the fact that i am being graded on it. I am not comfortable with the counseling style we are being graded on, as it just feels fake to me. But, it's what i have to do. Then, i have to meet with my TUA adviser about some fund-raising issues, get some studying in for a quiz and go to class from 5:30 to 10. Wednesday I will finish studying for that big ethics test while Rachel is schooling and then go to school from 5-9. Thursday is Rachel's Three M class and I have to work my mandatory day in the nursery that day. Then i need to meet with my partner again to actually do the tape for our session and then hopefully make it to bible study. Friday I need to work on some things for TUA and then go down to do race-cleanup for a PTK fundraiser. Saturday, cook and clean for the upcoming week ( i try to get it all done in one day so that dinner is made and the house is decent for the upcoming week) and Sunday we are going to a fundraiser for Steven's job in Pennsylvania somewhere. I'm tired just writing about all the things i need to do. Plus, of course, there is laundry, homework, grading papers and lesson planning and probably a few things i haven't mentioned.
Well, back to studying. Wish me luck.
Today i am thankful for:
1. A good night sleep
2. My sister
3. The Bible, which gives me direction and helps me keep perspective and reminds me how much God loves me.

All or Nothing

2009-09-06T22:03:00.003-04:00

I seem to have only 2 speeds in my life. All or nothing. Right now i have jumped into the All phase. As in ALways busy All the time. He-he. I guess my boring summer did not teach me much about good time management. I think that is something i will always struggle with.
My college classes are going good. I am very nervous about my Interviewing and Counseling class. Last week we practiced meeting our "client" in the "waiting room" and how to introduce ourselves to him/her and what to say as we walk back to the office, and what our opening words should be. This is something i really never thought about, but it is so important because it sets the tone for the WHOLE session. The whole time i practiced with my partner, it just felt fake and unnatural. We are also learning about reflective listening, and it's a lot harder than it sounds. I always thought i was a good listener, but it turns out i talk too much, especially when i'm nervous. And i'm nervous. I need to tape my first 20 minute "session" within the next 2 weeks, and i feel totally unprepared. I have no idea what i'm doing and I feel very inadequate. I do not like group practice, but i see that it is necessary. My partner is also intimidated, so i tend to take on a mothering role with her to set her mind at ease--which is not a role that entails reflective listening. We are not to give advice, lecture, agree, disagree---just reflect what we hear the client say. It is a skill i will need to practice, but it is uncomfortable thing to practice unless i know i have it "right" which i won't do until I practice......and around it goes. It's just a comfort level thing that i'm sure will get better with time.
Ethics class is easier. Just a lot of reading right now. And a lot to think about. When a person is a counselor, she has a lot of responsibility for her client. It's like we as counselors hold the life, or at least mental life, of our clients in the palm of our hands. Big responsibility. It's not all about "listening" and their are many issues i had not even considered. It is all very enlightening.
Rachel's schooling is going pretty good. Her first day at Three M, the school she goes to once a week for Science and martial arts, went REALLY well. Thank God she loved it. She just loves being outside of the home and being around other people. The science work is really challenging, as the book was actually made for eight graders, but she is learning effective note taking and reading comprehension, which she will need in her future. Her attitude remains pretty good in general, and it has been a pleasure teaching her these last 2 weeks. One problem we are having with her is a problem she has been having in her legs. Her legs have been hurting a lot and the pain is only relieved if she walks on them. She says that they fell like they "have to move". This is a new problem for her, so i took her to the doctor, mostly because her dad has RLS (restless leg syndrome) and it is hereditary. She will need to get some blood test to rule out a few things, but i'm glad we are getting it checked out. I never know if the physical problems my kids have warrant a doctors office visit or not, but many times i am wrong. Either i take them and it was not a problem, or i don't take them and it really was a problem. Once, Erin had a broken wrist for almost a week until we went to a doctor, and on the other hand, once i rushed Rachel to the hospital for a glorified tummy ache (which, i should add, we are still paying for). I'm clueless.
Matthew has been experiencing knee pain since we were vacationing in Florida this summer. I have been telling him to ice it, take ibuprofen, rest it, etc. But, it started getting really, really bad in the past week or two and he went to the trainer at his school to have it looked at. The trainer told him it looked and sounded like a meniscus was torn in his knee-cap and that we should get it looked at by a professional. Which we did the other day. And, the doctor thinks it very well could be a tear than may require surgery. We just had an MRI done yesterday and will follow up with the doctor in a couple days. We are all anxious to find out what is going on, me because i want his knee to feel better, and Matt because he tried out for the fall play but he doesn't know if he will soon be on crutches or not, so he is not sure if he will actually be able to preform the part even if he gets it. Of course, if it does require surgery, it will need to be done soon because (according to Matt) he needs to be in tip-top shape for Basketball season, which starts in late fall/early winter. He has been practicing all summer, so it is pretty important to him to play on the team this year. As for me, I just feel bad that i did not get him into the doctor sooner so that we could have had this taken care of when we had nothing else to do. So, as you can see, i never know whether something should be checked out by a doctor or not, and since we have sooooo many medical bills already from all the times we went to the doctor unnecessarily, i was trying to cut back. I guess i guessed wrong about this one. Please pray for Matt.
On to Erin......I just ordered her senior pictures. As we went over the list of all the pictures we wanted, i started wondering if it would be illegal to order just a couple poses and than scan and print more for myself. That would be WAY less expensive, but would it be legal?? We weren't really sure, but Erin said it was not legal because we don't own the rights to the negatives. I really am not sure, but we decided to air on the side of caution and just order all the pictures we would need from the photographer. WOW. Expensive. It's gonna take me at least 2 months to pay off that balance!!! But, i must say, the pictures are gorgeous!! If you want to take a peak at them, e-mail me and i'll give you a link to the web-site of the photographer, they have her proofs online. Erin is paying her senior dues herself, thank God. 135 dollars for cap and gown and year book. I had originally told her i would pay for her yearbook, but i did not know how expensive everything else would be, so she's gonna do it. I'm sure between now and her graduation on June 10th of next year, there will be LOTS of things to pay for. Senior year is expensive. BUT......i'm so proud of my baby for sticking it out and graduating. There were many times she wanted to throw in the towel, but she didn't and now she's almost done. She has grown into a beautiful, sweet young lady, and i love her sooooooooo much.
Well, that's enough for tonight. I'm going to bed.
Tonight, i am thankful for:
1. Health insurance
2. My daughter's employment
3. The Great Physician, who always knows

First Day of School

2009-08-26T11:31:00.002-04:00

Well, everyone's first day turned out pretty ok. I say pretty ok because Erin, as usual, did not enjoy her day. I am used to her coming home and telling me how much she dislikes school, but it would be nice to hear that just maybe her senior year will not be as "painful" as her last 11 years. I worry about her, because it seems like she will always be unhappy about life in general, and there doesn't seem to be anything i can do about it except try to direct her focus onto the positive things, and pray--both of which i do already. She is almost an adult now, so maybe she will finally be happy once she gets out of high school and makes more of her own decisions. We'll see. She has been working a lot and seems to enjoy that.
Matt enjoyed his first day and is happy about the classes he has, except for science, which he has never liked. He finally has gym again, and he gets to enjoy it with his best friend. He has drama, which he loves and may be doing the fall play. He has been practicing for the basketball season all summer, so i really hope he will be able to make the team and do well.
Rachel and my first day at home schooling went well. We stayed on track and having the lesson planning done already helped a lot. Her attitude is great and she seems halfway excited about the up coming year.
My first night of classes went really well. Last night was my first Interviewing and Counseling Skills class. It's scheduled to be a 4 hour class, but the instructor let us out 1/2 hour early. This class is going to be the most challenging, demanding class i have had. There is alot of work involved and we were warned not to procrastinate, which is something I struggle with. We will need to pick a partner to work with throughout the class, and I just pray that the partner i have picked will be the right fit. It's kind of hard to tell from just one night, but the lady i picked for my partner and I both have this class and tonight's Ethics class together, so we will be seeing a lot of each other. Plus, we seem to be on the same page with our goals. I hope we can really get along and work together well. For this class, we will be graded on 2 half hour sessions that will be audio taped while we act as a therapist to our partners, who will be given a real-life "problem" that they need counseling for, and 1 40 minute session that will be video taped. Now, even though counseling is what i eventually want to do, i am extremely nervous about this. The grading rubric is intense and the instructor told us that most people who actually pass this class will pass with a C, some a B, and nobody gets an A. So now i feel like I have something to prove and I just really want to be the person who gets an A. We were told not to have high expectations when it comes to grading, but i don't want my GPA to go down. But, i also don't want to stress out too much. I do like the class and the instructor, who i have had every year and who is my TUA adviser. The class size is small( about 12 people) and i know a couple of the people already, which is good. Two of the people are actually officers in TUA, so I am really happy about that. Tonight is my first Ethics class and I have heard mixed reviews of both the class and the woman teaching it, so it will be interesting. I'll blog about that tomorrow.
Yesterday was me and steve's anniversary and he made a nice dinner for us that was waiting for me when i came home around 9:30 pm. We had both been up since very early and were really tired, but we got to eat and talk together for about 40 minutes before we fell into an exhausted sleep around 11.
All in all, it was a good, tiring day and i am looking forward to another good, tiring day today.
Today i am thankful for:
1. My husband, who God knew would be best for me
2. College classes!!!
3. My kids, who keep me on my toes, and my knees ;)

The Simple Woman's daybook for August 25

2009-08-25T11:01:00.007-04:00

FOR TODAY August 25th

Outside my window...A beautiful, sunny day in the low 80's

I am thinking... I hope all the kids have a great first day of school, and i hope that I get off to the right start with Rachel and our first day at Hope and Truth academy. Then, i hope that i have a good first night of college classes, even though i don't even have the book i need for my first night because the book store had to order more. I don't like being unprepared.

I am thankful for...My husband, today is our 18th anniversary and I will be at school until 10pm, so he is going to make us a nice dinner to eat after I get home tonight. Sweetie.

From the learning rooms...today is our first day. Most of the day is review and getting used to our new schedule. I am still waiting for some curriculum to come in, but i did schedule the next 6 weeks into my planner. We may have a hard time sticking to a schedule, given that this year i scheduled each class for 45 minutes and whatever is not done will be "homework". We will see how that goes.

From the kitchen...Steven is making a late dinner for us. I hope he doesn't forget to feed the kids:)

I am wearing...Jeans and a green and white shirt, but i will need to shower, change and primp before i go to school at 5 tonight.

I am creating...Still doing some lesson plans for history and writing

I am going...To the library to pick up some books on Alexander the Great, to the bank, to the store, then to my school.

I am reading...The second book of the Left Behind series, Tribulation Force, and the Bible study book Lies Woman Believe

I am hoping...To not lose my energy today since i will be on the go from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm

I am hearing...Rachel finishing up her math lesson and asking to go on a walk for Gym today

Around the house...Little messy, little clean. Not horrible, not great

One of my favorite things...Being tired after a busy, well-spent day.

A few plans for the rest of the week:School tonight and tomorrow night, homework, finish lesson planning, more organizing, Bible study on Thursday, Church on Sunday.

Here is picture thought I am sharing... My dog Stanley when he was a puppy. Right now i feel so bad for him, because he has a "hot spot" on his tailbone which is causing him much itching and distress. I'm going to have to bring him to the vet next week because he is tearing himself up :( poor puppy!

If you want to blog about your day, you can go to the simple woman's daybook blog at: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Today, i am thankful for:
1. New beginnings for everybody
2. My husband
3. Caffeine and Ginsing ;)
4. I just got a call from my school book store telling me they got my missing book in. I'll pick it up before class. Yay.

Lies That Woman Believe Chapters 1 and 2

2009-08-21T17:39:00.003-04:00

For a while i have been going to a bible study group and reading and discussing the book Lies Woman Believe. I have really enjoyed this book and this bible study group, so i thought i would write down some of my thoughts about the different lies and the Truths that go against them.

The first chapter of the book goes over what a lie is and how lies affect us. The author, Nancy Leigh DeMoss explains that "anytime we receive input that is not consistent with the word of God, we can be sure Satan is trying to deceive and destroy us". We become deceived by many things that look good and right, but are completely against God's word. The example the author uses is when satan tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. If the fruit had been rotten and crawling with worms, Eve would not have considered disobeying God. However, Eve's first mistake was listening to the serpent's words (which were inconsistent with the word of God). We can't always help what we hear, but we can control what we listen to. The point the author is making is that "every act of sin began with a lie. We listen to the lie, we dwell on it until we believe it, and then we act on it". Each time we sin, it becomes easier to sin again until there is a groove in our hearts. We need to identify the lie at the root of our behavior and than replace those lies with the Truth. We can find all the Truth we need in the Word of God.
So, i'm just gonna go over the first group of lies during this post, and they are called--Lies Woman Believe About God:

1. "God is not really good. If He were He would......"
Many of us believe this lie, even if not consciously. It is important for us to remember that good is not just getting our own way. Even when God's choices do not seem good to us, He is still good. God's word says, God is good and everything He does is good (Psalm 119:68). In my opinion, this is where I need deep, sturdy faith. If i believe that the Bible is God's word, than i have to have faith that what the bible says is true. Even when i don't understand why certain things happen, I need to have faith that "All things work together for good..." even if i don't see the good, i believe it is there.

2. "God doesn't love me"
Much like lie number one, many of us believe God couldn't love us, because if He did, things that cause us pain would not happen. The Truth is--God loves us whether we feel loved or not, or whether we deserve it or not. Not because we love Him or what we may "do" for Him, but because He is love. He loves us with a love we will never, ever be able to reciprocate or earn. God's word says that He loves me so much that He gave up His son to die for me, just so I can be with Him (John 3:16). That's love.

3."God is just like my father"
A woman's view of God is often greatly influenced by the men she has known, especially her father. This puts a huge burden on our fathers, and many times they don't even realize the influence they have in that area. No matter how wonderful or godly our father's may have been, they will always fall short of who God is. God is not like any man we have ever known. If we want to know who God really is, we must turn to the Word of God!! If we take the time to get to know Jesus, then we will know what God is like. Compassionate, tender, merciful, forgiving and worthy of our trust. He is wise enough to not give us everything we want, as no father should, and even disciplines us in order to teach us, as all fathers should. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness"(Hebrews 12:10).

4. "God is not really good enough"
Again, few of us would consciously believe this, but the way we live shows that we do. We don't really believe that God and His word are truly enough to help us deal with life. We say, "I need God plus close friends; I need God plus a husband; I need God plus good health, or children, or a job that pays enough, or I need God plus these Christian books, or tapes or counselors". We can not base our joy on our circumstances. If all of our "things" were taken away, we still need to have joy in the Lord. When there is nothing else left, will God be enough? When there is nothing else I can do, there is nothing else to do than to turn to God and let Him take care of it. This is a biggie for me and the lie that hit me hardest in this section. I struggle to fix every problem my own way, and I'm usually wrong, and my way never works in the long run. God's ways are the best, and even though at first it may be hard to accept the way in which He wants me to approach a problem, in the end, it always works out for my (and my family's) best. How do we find out what God's ways are? Read His word.
Almost done......

5." God's ways are too restrictive"
The world tells us to "have it your way", and "no one has the right to tell you what you can or can't do". The Truth is--obedience leads to freedom. God's laws are for our own good and protection. Deuteronomy 6:24-25 tells us that God commands us to obey His laws so that we might always prosper and be kept alive. He is not being an ogre, He is our creator, and He knows what's best for us. We are free to choose our own way, but we do not get to choose the consequences. God doesn't want us to hurt and have negative consequences, so he gave us laws to follow. When we choose to disobey, we get the consequences.

6." God should fix my problems"
As the author puts it, "this kind of thinking reduces God to a cosmic genie who exists to please and serve us...and it sets us up for disillusionment and disappointment with God: if our problems are not fixed than apparently God has not come through for us". Another thing this kind of thinking does is suggest that the goal in life is to be free from all problems or difficulties. The Truth is that "Living an obedient life does spare us from many problems that are the natural consequences of a life lived apart from God and His ways, but that does not mean that those who follow Christ will be exempt from problems". The Truth is-life is hard. We live in a world that has fallen. Becoming a Christian does not make us immune to pain. The good news is God is not detached from our problems The Bible says that God is "a very present help in trouble"(psalm 46:1) He doesn't make our problems go away, but He uses them to mold and shape our lives. God has a purpose for our problems. He wants to use our problems to change us and to reveal Himself and His grace and power to us and to the world.

So, that's the first section. I kind of made it a little longer than i wanted to, but there was a lot to cover. Next time I will go over the chapter "Lies Woman Believe About Themselves" and i'll try to make it shorter. I hope you enjoyed. I did. The biggest thing i got out of this chapter is that I really, really need to read God's word more than i do. I can not live my life the way i want to without knowing what direction God wants me in. I can not know who God is or how I should respond to life's challenges unless I listen to what He has to say.

Today, i am thankful for:
1. God's Word
2. God's love for me
3. God's peace that passes all understanding, even when my circumstances are making me anxious.

Packing, Poison Ivy and Pictures

2009-08-19T19:26:00.004-04:00

Not much going on around here. Rachel has been spending the past 5 days with Tiffany, a friend who is like her older sister. Tiffany took the week off to move from one apartment to another and Rachel stayed with her in order to help Tiff and also to get Rach out of the house. She is home now, and although i love having her back with me, she is not too thrilled to be home. Being with Tiff is fun and exciting, and being home is not. I understand that. But, i'm glad to have my baby back.
Matthew is taking advantage of his last week of freedom by reading the summer reading book he had all summer to read and cram it all into 3 days of all day reading. That's my boy :). He is just getting over a bad case of poison ivy that i had to bring him to the doctor twice for. Poor baby has been itching for like 2 weeks, and now, even though the medicine is finally working, the steroids have cause his face and chest to break out in big pimples. Ugh, right before school too! Thankfully, he has a good attitude about it (as per usual). I went to Kohls yesterday and got him two outfits for school. Two jean shorts and two shirts, all for 33 dollars. Pretty good, huh? Erin and I went to Walmart and i spent like 40 dollars on her for shoes and an outfit or two. I love clearance shopping. I will still need to get school supplies, but we don't receive the lists until the first day of school, so we need to wait.
The only thing Rachel needs is a nice pair of pants that she can wear on Thursdays with her uniform shirt for Three M. That's the name of the school that she will go to for Martial Arts and Science this year. She wasn't too thrilled to have to wear a uniform shirt, and was less thrilled when she found out she would have to wear it tucked in, but hopefully, we will find a nice pair of pants that she will be comfortable with and maybe a belt to make the tucked in look feel better for her. I'm glad she will be going to school for two classes a week. It will get her out of the house and around people her age. She is the type of kid who craves being out and around other people, she just needs some more self-confidence, which she is getting better with. I think it will be a good home-school year. I have decided to be a bit more strict than i was last year. Seventh grade is a big year, and i only have two years to prepare her for high school. I pray that i will be able to teach her in a way that is profitable to her education and also interesting and maybe even fun. That may be wishful thinking, but I'll do my best.
Today Erin went to get her Senior pictures done. She was stressed out for a couple days because she wanted to find the "perfect" outfit, hairstyle, make-up, eyebrows, nails, ect. So, we spent some time putting an outfit together, matching up the jewelry, getting our eyebrows done, experimenting with her hair and make-up. She said that it went really well today, and i am glad. These ARE her senior pictures. I hardly ever buy school pictures, but, if these come out well, i will definitely be getting them. I actually starting tearing up when we were choosing an outfit for her pictures. I guess i was feeling sentimental about my baby being done with school and growing up and being an adult. I am glad that she decided to go the college, even if it is only Del Tech, because that way she can remain my baby for a little bit longer. If she goes to college, she can ease into adulthood a little slower than if she jumped right into the work world. Of course, Steven and i think it is a shame that she does not want to even consider applying to a bigger college that will offer her more opportunities. I mean, she has worked so hard to be the number one or two student in her whole class, and will probably graduate valedictorian, it just seems like a waste to not even try to see if she could get a scholarship from a bigger, better college. I think she will probably kick herself in the butt for that when she is my age, but i'm not going to force her to do something she totally does not want to do. If she does go to college, i want her to do it because that is what she wants. If she does it for me, she won't learn as well anyway, she would treat it like high school, with the "i'm only hear cause i have to be" attitude. I just want the best for her, and i'm not sure that Del Tech is the best. But, what do i know? I could be all wrong. Maybe this is just what she needs. All i can do is pray, trust her Creator, and love her through life.
Well, that's about it for now. I went to bible study for the book Lies Woman Believe and i am thinking about writing some posts about my thoughts on the book and the lies. Hopefully, i will be posting on my blog more regularly than i have in the past couple months. I have been doing alot of thinking, and maybe i can sort some of those thoughts out here. We'll see.
Today i am thankful for:
1. Good books
2. The time to read those good books
3. My Church family/friends

Just an Update

2009-08-08T12:36:00.003-04:00

Well, i have not written anything in a while and part of that is because i really don't have much going on, but the other part is because my computer is not working for some reason. I need to bring it to Best Buy or something to get it looked at, but i don't know how much it will cost to get it working again, so i will have to wait a bit more.
In the news department, we finally got a car!! It was not the one i really wanted, and it is a bit smaller than i am used to, but it is a car and i am thankful for it. Erin and I paid for it together, so it actually belongs to me and Erin, and when i get enough money to buy another one, she will own this one by herself. It is a Hyundai Accent and it is a cute little car that is very easy to drive.
In other news, my sister and her husband came up for a much anticipated visit last week and we got to spend a full day with them, plus they slept here, which was a treat for me because they have never slept over before. I hate saying goodbye to my sister, so we just kinda said, see you later. Hopefully in 2-3 years we will be living in the same state. We'll see.
Yesturday my Uncle Denny brought my Aunt Sandi to visit me. It was nice to see my uncle, we haven't been able to catch up in a while. Aunt Sandi stayed at my house for the day and night. She had a stroke about 16 months ago, and it is great to see how much better she is getting. We had a good time going through old pictures and talking about the past. She remembers much more than I thought she would and i feel like I have my much of my old Aunt back. She spent the night and then i took her down to ger friend's house. She will be back on Monday before she flies off to Georgia. We will miss her when she is gone.
In two more weeks school will start for all of us. Erin will be a senior and is a little nervous knowing that this is her last year in school. On the one hand she wants to grow up and on the other, she is scared to be an adult. I can't really relate to that because i wanted to be an adult when i was 11 and pretty much forced myself into adulthood at an early age. But, i told Erin that she didn't have to be an overnight adult and we would give her time to grow up. It's not like on her 18th birthday i'm gonna tell her "ok your an adult now, act like one". We will help her smooth into adulthood as much as we can.
My first day of school is August 25, which is also my 18th wedding anniversary. I am looking foward to starting school again. Rachel will start her homeschool year on the 24th of August. I am not yet prepared for her to start right now, I still have some lesson plans to do, which i plan on finishing up in the next week. I also have to plan an honor society meeting for the next week after that and assume my presidetial duties ;)
Well, that's about it for now. I'm off to a party at my friend Courtney's house.
Today i am thankful for:
1. My new car
2. My family
3. My Aunt Sandie's continuing recovery and good health.

The Continuing Car Saga

2009-07-24T23:46:00.003-04:00

Just so my friends and family don't think i dropped off the face of the earth, i thought i should post something. Not much of anything has been going on around here, it's a very boring summer. Matthew has been hanging out with his friends alot and also working at Mcdonalds for the past week. He is still training and working 9 to 1 but he got his first paycheck for the first two days and he feels good knowing he has some money in his pocket. Erin has been working about 20 hours a week and is training her brother. The annual Middletown carnival has been here for the past week and the older kids have been up there every night that they are not working. Thankfully, the carnival is right up the hill, so they can walk there and back. Rachel and i have been mostly sitting around watching movies and reading books. This weekend she is with a friend for a couple days, and i am sure it is a relief for her to get out of the house. I took her to the carnival on Wednesday and we had a really good time.
Today, i just started really looking for a car for us. It is soo hard to not have a car around, but i am nervous that i will pick a lemon. Thankfully, my dad called last night and gave me some advice and determination to start looking hard for the right car for us. So, for the next couple of days i am going to see what the dealers have on sale on-line and in the paper and then car-fax the VIN numbers to see what is good. Then, i will send the information of some of my favorites to my dad's e-mail and he can help me weed through them. On Tuesday, Steve is off so we will be able to go looking at the ones i have picked out. Hopefully within the next week or two we will have a car. I need to pray to my Heavenly Father to help me pick out the right one. If it was up to me, i would put the money we have down on the 2006 Mustang i saw and finance the rest for 209 dollars a month for 5 and 1/2 years ;) .......just kidding, i am smarter than that.....but what a GOREGEOUS car!!! One day i will have that car, but now is not the right time. I am sooooooo thankful that we have enough money to even buy an older used car at this point. I just pray that i will pick the best one and NOT a lemon. I'm so nervous about making a wrong decision that i kind of froze for a couple days. But, thanks to that phone call from my dad, i'm on fire again to go out there and start looking for the One for us.
So, that is about all that has been going on over here. The Great Car Saga. Once that saga is over, i will be very excited to start school, homeschool, honor society planning and bible studies again. I'm sure in a few months i will be exhausted from a hectic, busy schedule. But, as i have posted here before, i would rather be tired and busy than bored and lonely. Thank you Lord that i have the opportunity to get the car we will need to keep up with our upcoming hectic schedules!! I will try to post again soon about the continuing Car Saga.

Today i am thankful for:
1. My Dad
2. Steve's van and how faithful it's been even though it has not been taken care of as it should be
3. My husband who just came back from a business trip. Absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Trying Times

2009-07-14T10:21:00.002-04:00

Well, I was right in my last post when i said that i, unlike my sister, would sit around and waste my summer days and get not much accomplished. It is pretty much what i have been doing. Boring. Of course, there really isn't much to do around here. Well, there is always housework--
always. Can i let you in on a little secret? I hate housework. I love a clean house, but as the years go by, cleaning the same things over and over and over and over gets a bit monotonous. Yeah, i know it has to get done, but it is just not something i enjoy and i usually put it off way too long. So, other than housework, there is not much to do. Espescially since i dont have a car anymore. Being a one car family seems harder than it used to be. That could be because we are so used to having two cars and we have all grown a little and gotten more involved (mostly the kids). It turns out that in order for me to go to the doctor last week to get my hearing back, i had to walk. That's about 6 or 7 miles round trip. Thankfully, it was a beautiful morning. And thankfully, i was able to get my hearing back. But, i found out that i am not as young as i used to be (duh). I don't walk as fast as i used to, and the trip pooped me out for the rest of the day. The kids and I have done alot more walking since then, and it's gotten easier. Walking to the library was really nice too, but of course, i would prefer driving. However, for some reason, my husband has not been able to stick to his work schedule and it is becoming increasingly more impossible to plan anything around it. I just never know when i will have a car available for me and the kids. It's kind of hit or miss situation and i have made a few plans and appointments that didn't work out or had to be cancelled. The whole situation is really trying my patience. Ok, so now that I have shared my whining, what am i going to do about it? We all have school coming up in 6 weeks, two of my kids have a job they need to get to, and i may also have to start working part time. We were going to wait a few months until we could save up enough to buy a pretty good car, but now i am thinking that we just can not wait that long. We don't want to get a car that comes with a car payment, but it is hard to find a car that costs what i can afford that i can trust to not break down on us. As of right now, Erin and I are thinking about buying a car together that we will share. All the money she has saved plus all the money i have saved might be enough to buy a half-way decent car. Of course, sharing a car with my teenage daughter brings with it a whole new set of questions and issues to work out, but for right now, it seems like the best thing to do. I'm not really sure. I will need to pray about it and maybe get some other opinions about it before i make that decision.
So, that is some of what has been going on in my head and in my life since we have come home from vacation. I don't like having to deal with this stuff, but maybe it is a test of faith. And maybe it isn't. But, if it is, I pray that i have been handling it in the way that God would want me to. Well, now that i've written that, i have to say that i probably have not been handling it as well as i could. Thank you, God, for your patience with me as i struggle to handle these things in the right way. Thank you also for your never-ending forgiveness. Please help me to be the same. This is a trying time for me, and if it sounds like i am complaining, i probably am. However, i also know that, in the end, God will work all of this out for the best. And, compared to many other things that people struggle with, it's peanuts. Trying times are never fun, but if i keep my eyes on the Lord and His promises, it seems a bit easier.
Today i am thankful for:
1. God's Word to teach me and guide me and comfort me
2. God's forgiveness for when i go against His word
3. God's love for me

Vacation Highlights

2009-07-08T22:22:00.003-04:00

It has been almost a full month since my last post!! Our vacation in Florida could not have gone any better, and we came home about four days ago. We did so much over the 3 weeks we were there and this post would be way to long if I wrote about everything, so i will just go over some highlights.
One highlight: Spending time with my sister and her family. This year we got to spend more time together than usual and i actually got used to going, going, going every day ;). My sister does not like to waste her day by sitting around, and going out and doing something every day was a refreshing treat for me. I am more likely to waste my summer days by lounging around the house and getting not much accomplished. I like Kathy's way better. Always something to do and somewhere to go. That way, by the time the sun would go down each day, it felt really good to just sit, relax after a hot, busy day, and talk. Being able to talk with my sister in this way was one of my favorite parts of my vacation. I love her so much and am so grateful that the Lord has given me such a wonderful sister and best friend. We went to the beach twice, and i am now a beach lover!! The beaches down in Destin are just beautiful. Very much like to beaches in the Virgin Islands, with white sand that looks like sugar and clear water in which you can go up to your waist and still see your toes. Beautiful!!! It also helped that Kathy and her husband Don are experienced beach goers and know how to pack for a fun-filled day. Thank you, Don, for lugging that heavy cooler full of yummy food and drink (and of course thank you Kathy for making that food). Another thing we did was go to Big Kahuna, a water park in Destin. The kids look foward to that all year and we almost did not get to go, but once again, Kathy and Don came to the rescue--we were very spoiled by them both and i am so thankful and appreciative for all the things they did for us. We also spent a couple of days shopping at various malls and outlets, which was a load of fun and very tiring. But, my sister can always smell a good deal, so we were able to save much money (don't ask how much we SPENT, but we did SAVE alot ;))
Another highlight: spending time with my parents. This year i think we spent less time with my parents than usual (at least it seemed that way), but the time we were together was wonderful. Being able to relax in their screened in porch, watching the kids play in the pool for hours, sitting together at the dinner table eating mom's yummy cooking, sitting outside at night having a wonderful talk with Dad, staying up late to hang out and talk and laugh with Mom, knowing that i could see them whenever i wanted, watching my children laugh with pop-pop and talk with grammy. Well, these are all highlights that i will miss. Makes me want to just pick up and move right now. I have been blessed with a mother who knows me so well (mostly because I am JUST like her) that i don't have to explain myself to her. She just knows. I have been blessed with a dad who I can always count on to lovingly tell me exactly what i need to hear and is such a great example of how i want to live my life. My goal is to be like them when i get to be their age. I miss them already.
Another highlight: I got to spend time with both my cousins--which is a rare treat. Shannon lives in GA and came down for a few days. I got to spend time with her and her adorable son. I got to see what a wonderful mom she is and was able to spend some quality time talking, laughing, shopping, eating, and relaxing with her. After all these years she is still like my little sister (aka-cister) and i love her and miss her so much.
I also got to spend quality time with my cousin Beth. Beth and I have also been like sisters and i love talking with her, laughing with her, driving through deadly storms with her (which we did last week. It was like a hurricane and i could barely see a thing--i was so scared, but Beth talked and laughed and cheerleaded me through it, all while she was "strapping things in" just in case we rolled the car-she made a scary situation into something i will always laugh about when i think about it), sitting outside in her backyard hanging out with her while all her animals roam about and all the kids coming in and out of the house is one of my favorite things to do with her. She is just fun. She has alot of things on her plate, but she doesn't complain. She just does what has to be done and tries to laugh about it. She is the ultimate cheerleader and i love her very much.
Well, this post is getting really long and there is more i want to say, but it's time for bed. Tomorrow is another day. All in all, we had a GREAT vacation, but it is time to come back to the daily grind and deal with all that life has to offer here in DE. I'll post about the various things we have been getting hit over the head with next time, but for now, it's time to sleep.
Today i am thankful for:
1. My family
2. My hearing (which i lost for a couple days, but is now back)
3. Summer

God's Hand in our Lives

2009-06-11T22:25:00.004-04:00

Well, it has been a while since i posted anything and i figured i should post one more time before i go on vacation. We are leaving in about 4 and 1/2 hours to the airport to fly to Florida. I am so excited. It is 10:30 at night, and i have to be awake at 2:30. I don't even know if i should go to sleep for a few hours or just stay up.
Alot has happened in the past few days and i have been so blessed to see the hand of God working in our lives, so i thought i would share before we go away.
Tuesday was Erin's next to last day of school, so i decided to give her a treat and let her drive to school for her last two days. She had just gotten over having a really bad week because she got her hair all chopped off (the hairdresser messed up!) and had been overwhelmed with all the finals she had to study for and had been studying soooo hard for the past 2 weeks in order to make her dream of becoming valedictorian come true. So, she was all excited to drive to school on tuesday morning. I had gotten up early with her to help her do her hair nice for school and sent her on her way with a kiss, hug and a good luck. I was just laying back down in bed when the phone rang about 20 minutes later.
Erin had gotten into an accident!!! She was pulling out of a gas station and misjudged how far away the truck was and he plowed into her. I could barely understand her, as she was so upset on the phone and did not know what to do next.
I asked her if she was hurt and THANK YOU JESUS she said no, just really shook up and scared. By this time, Steve heard me on the phone and was racing around getting his shoes on and finding his keys and waking Rachel up so we could GO TO MY BABY. Thank you Jesus that Steve was home and we coud race up to where Erin was within five minutes. I stayed on the phone with her long enough to calm her down (a bit) and told her to call 911.
Needless to say, i was in a panic. I did not know what to expect, but i figured if Erin was ok enough to be yelling in panic and sorrow, she could not be really physically hurt.
We got to the scene of the accident and the police were already there. The truck that hit her had pulled over and nobody in there was hurt either. THANK GOD. My car, however, was not so lucky. It turnes out that the pick-up truck was towing a trailer, and when he swerved to avoid hitting Erin, the trailer sideswiped my car and ripped it open like a tuna can. There was no damage to the truck and the trailor only suffered a flat tire.
I hugged all over Erin, took a look at the damage, was told by steve to go sit in the van and he would handle the logistics with the police. By this time it was raining. Erin could not stop crying and saying how sorry she was. At this point, i did not care about anything, as long as my baby was ok, we could deal with anything.
So, the police gave Erin a ticket for inattentive driving :( and told us she would have to go to court because of her age. We got the car towed and brought Erin home.
Well, we were supposed to drive to florida on Thursday and now there was no way for that to happen, so i called the family to let them know what was going on. My sister suggested we look into renting a car. We tried that, but now days you can not rent a car without a credit card, and Steven and I don't have one. So my generous father called and said that he would put the rental car on his credit card. Yay, we were excited because that meant we could still go on our vacation. But, the rental companies won't let one person rent and another drive, so that didn't work out. I was getting really down by the time we finally figured out that we would not be able to rent a car. Steve and I also went to go look at my car at the shop and i saw that there was much more damage to my car than i had originally thought. The insurance company may find that it is totalled and not be able to fix it. So, by the time i saw my car and heard that it may not be fixable, i was VERY down. If you know me at all, you know that before i got my car, i had to stay all alone in the house all day and i lived a very lonely life. So, i started welling up. And i started Praying. I don't know what is gonna happen with the car, but i know that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord. And i love the Lord. So, i am trusting that, in the end, it will all be for the good. I am also praying that the Lord will show me what the good is, and also that the Lord will help me to deal with whatever happens in a way that would make Him proud. And show His glory.
So, my dad told us to fly down and put the tickets on his credit. It was a bit more than i would have spent if we drove down, but it will all work out. AND, daddy called yesturday and told me that we would have our own transportation when we get down there so we won't have to rely on others to get us around. YAY. Thank you daddy, and thank you heavenly daddy.
We also were able to see the hand of God when we went to court yesturday. Erin was very nervous and none of us knew what was going to happen. We prayed for comfort and a nice judge:). We got both. The judge basically told Erin that he would dismiss the case if we paid the court fees that day. We were like "of course we'll pay the court fees". She did not get a ticket, nor did she get any points taked off her license, nor will this go on her driving record. The judge told Erin that it was an ACCIDENT, not on purpose. He was very nice and gentle. Thank you Lord! Of course, Erin does have consequences because of this. She will have to pay the court fees and the deductible for the car insurance to fix the car. That means that she will not be able to buy her own car for quite a while. BUT, if she did not have the money saved, we would have had to cancel our vacation to pay for the deductibe. I feel really bad for my baby, because she was so excited about getting her own car, and now she doesn't ever want to drive again. I don't blame her, but she will have to get over it.
This will also effect her senior year because she was going to co-op half a day and do school half a day, but she wont be able to now, unless she makes alot of money this summer pretty quickly.
All-in-all, the main thing is that she is fine. We will still be going to florida (in a couple hours) and life will be waiting for us when we get back from our vacation. But, thank the Lord that we all are going to be together and able to have a great 3 weeks TOGETHER. In the end, being together and healthy is all that really matters.
Today i am thankful for:
1. Erin's safety during her accident
2. My family who spoils me ;)
3. My God, who never ceases to amaze me and show me his involvement in our lives.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for June 1

2009-06-01T19:25:00.004-04:00

FOR TODAY Monday, June 1

Outside my window...A beautiful, mid-spring day in the 70's. Clear, blue sky.

I am thinking...I hope I do well at my first Honor Society meeting as its president tomorrow. I am so not sure of myself and do not want to appear foolish.

I am thankful for...I am thankful for so many things, right now it is hard to choose just one, but if i have to choose, i would say that i am thankful that we were able to fix my car--again.

From the learning rooms...Four more days to go. We have a light schedule for the rest of the week. We need to finish our study of Ancient Greece, finish the math book, two more writing lessons, we scrapped the volcano lap book and are just doing fun things for science(today we worked in the garded and launched a rocket) We registered Rachel for a science class and karate class once a week at a church that holds once a week classes for homeschoolers. I am looking foward to being more active with the homeschool community next year and getting Rachel out to mingle with more people. I am looking foward to a break and time to gather recources for next years schooling

From the kitchen...I just finished making dinner--pork roast, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. YUM

I am wearing...capri's, sleeveless shirt.

I am creating...A plan and agenda for tomorrow's meeting

I am going...To a couple of meetings for both honor societies i am in, one of which i will run, both tomorrow. In 10 days......FLORIDA!!!!! for 2 1/2 weeks. Can..... not....... wait;)

I am reading...Lies Woman Believe, Praying God's Word Day by Day and a Christian fiction book that i do not remember the title of.

I am hoping...That we will have enough money for our vacation now that i have had to fix my car. As a side note, the mechanic did not even fix what he was supposed to, so now we have to spend ANOTHER 600 dollars to completely get it fixed!! UGH

I am hearing...Erin talking, and talking, and talking, and talking.LOL.:)

Around the house...Lots of laughter

One of my favorite things...My family

A few plans for the rest of the week: finish schooling Rachel, meetings, plan our vacation road-trip!!!!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

My neices, me and Matt in Florida last year on July 4th

Today, i am thankful for:

1. My car

2. My children

3. My husband

Lord, You're Holy

2009-05-23T19:32:00.009-04:00

Yesturday Rachel and I went to Winterthur Gardens with my friend Debbie and her family. It was the home and grounds of the Duponts who bought it from William Penn. There is a huge mansion surrounded by beautiful natural gardens. I have to say, i have been on this planet for 38 years, and i have never seen so much beauty in one place. It was actually overwhelming for me to see God's creativity and the beauty of His handiwork. It was a great day. I took some pictures below, but the pictures do not even do it justice. Please press play to hear this beautiful song while you look at the pictures to see what just may be the closest thing i have ever seen to what Heaven may look like. Try to listen to the words of the song all the way to the end. It makes me think of how it will sound in Heaven when we will all bow to worship our Lord. Rejoice in the Lord!

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord. Let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation! Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.

For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.

The sea is his, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did.....

Sing to the Lord, all the earth.

For Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise

Give to the Lord the glory due his name

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness, tremble before Him, all the earth.......Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound and all that it is in it;

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord, for he comes.....Psalm 96 and 97

It fills my heart with love for my Creator and makes me so excited to go to see Him in Heaven when my time on earth is over. I am definately going back there(to Winterthur, not Heaven ;)) with my i-pod full of Christian music and a good book to just rest in the Lord. Thank you Father for this glimpse of who You are and what I have to look foward to.

I hope this song, these pictures and bible verses also give you a glimpse of your Creator as it did for me.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. My Creator

2. His Creation

3. The peace of God that passes all understanding!!

Writing about my Week While Watching American Idol

2009-05-20T21:38:00.003-04:00

Well, there have been alot of things that i wanted to blog about, but one of the wires that belong to the gadget that keeps my computer from overheating is broken, so my computer keeps overheating and i have stayed away from it. I'm sitting here watching the finale of American Idol, so i thought i would give my computer another try. My dad said that i probably need to dust out and clean out my computer, but i have no idea how to do that, so i am hoping it will not overheat as i write this.
Last Wednesday, the 17th, I went to the Tau Upsilon Alpha (TUA), which is the human services honor society, meeting. Well, actually it was a picnic and a meeting. I gathered up the kids, got a couple buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and went to the picnic. It was a nice little get-together, but not many members showed up because the semester is over and many are away. At the meeting they were voting-in officers, and to make a long story short, I was voted in as President!! So, i am now the president of the honor society. I didn't really know if i should do it, because i do not want to overwhelm myself with too many obligations......but.....president! So, i told the advisors that i would do it for one semester and if it was overwhelming, than i would step down. I am actually excited about this opportunity and have hopes that i will do well.
Thursday was my Dad's birthday. I wish I was there in Florida with him and my mom. I wish I could have made him a home-made german chocolate cake for his birthday. My dad is awesome and one day i may devote a whole post to him and my mom. But, until then, let me just say that I am extremely blessed and proud to have this man as my dad, and i hope to spend alot of his future birthdays with him once I move to Florida.
Thursday night, i went to my bi-monthly Bible study at my church. We are going through the book Lies Woman Believe. It is a great book and i would encourage any woman reading this to go read that book. There are many lies pointed out in this book that i did not even know i was falling for, but i am. The book not only points these lies out, but gives a Truth to replace them with. It is a very good study, and i look foward to going every 2 weeks and spending time with some of the ladies from my church.
Monday was my mother's birthday. Again, i WISH i could be there with her on her birthday(and every day for that matter). Mom had a big surprise birthday party at my sister's house last weekend. I heard that she had a great time and my sister did a great job putting this together for her (may i add that my sister, whom i also miss dreadfully, put together this party during the SAME weekend that she put together a wedding for her son. My sister is superwoman!!) My mother is my soul mate and the one person who knows me best. I can not imagine who i would be without her and thank the Lord all the time that He gave her to me.

We interrupt this blog to bring you this special announcement: CHRIS ALLEN WAS JUST CROWNED AMERICAN IDOL!!!. I have to say that i think America got it all wrong this year. Now, back to our blog

Sunday, we went to church, and then i was sooooo tired i took a 2 hour nap. Nice. Monday, i went to my friend Debbie's house and got to spend a nice time with her when we went out to lunch and had a nice, long talk. We were supposed to go to a flower garden park called Winterhur, but it was closed, so we will try again on Friday. It was a great day with my friend anyway, so that's what counts.
Today, Rachel and I went down to my school so I could apply for some scholarships next year. I have a few more years of school left and already owe alot of money, so a scholarship would be great. I needed an instructor's recomendation, so my human services instructor, and TUA advisor, wrote me a glowing recommendation. It was really nice to see all the nice things he said about me. I hope i get some kind of scholarship. We will see. Then, Rachel and i went to lunch with my friend Courtney and we had a nice afternoon together.
So, that was my week in a nut-shell. Rachel will be done with school June 5th, Matt June 8th and Erin June 10th. Then we are off to Floriday for a few weeks. I CAN NOT WAIT.
There is more to write about, but the computer is getting hot and it's getting late. I am trying to figure out how to scan some pictures to post and share and have a bunch of projects in my head that i need to implement. Right now, however, i need to go comfort erin, who is devastated that Adam did not win American Idol ;)
Today, i am thankful for:

1. Time spent this morning talking to God and reading His word. What a way to start a day!! I would encourage anybody to start their day in this way!

2. Friends

3. Rachel has been outside playing with her old friends and mending some broken relationships with the neighborhood kids she has had trouble with. She really thrives on friendships and it makes my heart sing to see her playing outside again with all the other kids instead of longlingly watching out the window. Thank you, thank you Lord. We really needed to see this answer to prayer. I would ask for prayer that she will be able to keep her fighting spirit from separating her from her friends again. She really flourishes when she has friends to play with.

Tagged by Debbie

2009-05-14T12:31:00.002-04:00

A long time ago, my friend Debbie from www.debbiesdigest.blogspot.com tagged me, and i was supposed to answer the questions using the first letter of my name only, and then tag someone else. So, here goes

1. What is your name?: Michele
2. A 4 letter word: Mine
3. A boy's name: Matthew
4. A girl's name (not your own):Melissa
5. An occupation: Medical Assistant
6. A color: Magenta
7. Something you wear: Mask?
8. A Food: Meatballs
9. Something found in the bathroom: mat
10. A place: Mississippi
11. A reason for being late: makeup application ;)
12. Something you shout: Make your bed's!!!
13. A movie title: Matilda
14. Something you drink: Milk
15. An animal: monkey
16. A song title: Make a Memory (Bon Jovi)
17. A verb: make
Sorry it took so long deb. I am not gonna tag anybody back, but if you want to do it, it's something fun to do when you don't know what to post.

Of Me, My daughter, Music and Moshing

2009-05-13T10:13:00.005-04:00

I forgot to post about the concert that i took Erin to two weeks ago. Oh my gosh, what a day!! First let me say that even though i do not like some of the music that Erin listens to, I do appreciate her love of music of all kinds. Her MP3 player is filled with all kinds of music in all genres, from dance to rock to Christian. Many times i feel like i should be more disapproving of some of the music she listens to. I tell her that i don't want to hear it, but i don't keep her from listening to it. When i was her age, my parents kept me from listening to the music i loved and kept me from putting up posters of the singers and music groups that i loved and i still listen to those music groups(sorry mom). Now i know that Erin is not me, but her love of music is very similar to mine and it is something i definately relate to.
So, one of the things that i have done for Erin is buy concert tickets for her and attend those concerts with her in order to share in her love of music with her. A year and a half ago, i took her and her friend to a concert that a few of her favorite rock bands were giving together. We had floor admision and were back about 7 rows. It was loud, but not too bad. Unfortunately, her friend got panicky and we had to leave before the main band, Erin's favorite, got to sing more than one song. Erin dealt with her disapointment so well that i promised her that the next time that band came to our area, we would go. Well, we found out they were coming to an outdoor festival in PA in the beginning of May, so we bought tickets and decided that just her and i would go. So, Friday May first, I let Erin stay home from school and we drove to PA.
Now, the tickets said that the whole concert was general admission, standing room only, so we decided that, even though the festival did not open its doors until 5:30, we would get there around 1:30 so that we could get front-row spots. I figured it would be a fun experience and i would be making a memory with my daughter. That i did. We got there around 1 and i couldn't figure out where to park. I was so nervous because i hate city driving. Well, we finally saw a loooooong line of people, so we figure that was where we needed to be. After paying TWENTY dollars to park, we followed the line to the end and parked our keisters in line. There actually were not too many people in front of us. Maybe 70. That isn't too bad and we were confident that we would get a good position in the front of the stage. We met some nice people and the people behind us were a father and his 13 year old daughter. I had been a bit nervous that the front rows would get crazy during the concert--ever heard of moshing?-- but once i saw this BIG father with his 13 year old daughter, and many other young teen-aged girls ( although,with NO parental figures present), my nervousness subsided. I felt it was safe enough to leave the line a couple times to go to the bathroom or buy food and once to get our umbrellas when it started POORING!!!! It was an experience waiting in that line for over 4 hours, half the time it was raining. Erin had a great attitude and we were making friends and talking and laughing with those around us. One bad thing was my legs and back were killing me. But, all in all, it was a fun experience that I would not mind repeating.

Then it was time to go in.

It did not take long for my fear to creep in. People were cutting in line like crazy and we wound up with like 150-200 people in front of us. Once we got through the first set of gates, we all got packed together in a smaller space to wait for the second gate to open, and everybody wanted to be in front. We were packed like sardines waiting for the second gate to open. Erin, me, the father and daughter, and two other girls all linked our arms together so we would not get separated. But, i told Erin that if we did get pulled apart to just keep walking and i would find her. We did not know what it looked like inside, so we could not make up a meeting place. We both had cell phones so i told her i would call her if we got separated. Well, the gates finally opened and all those people who were spread behind and next to us started pushing forward so they could get front row. There are no seats. It is all standing room. Well, i probably don't have to tell you that Erin and i almost immediately got pulled apart. I yelled for her to keep going. People were rushing to get to the stage and i saw two girls fall down and no one helped them. By the time i got through the gate, the front stage area was already JAM PACKED with people. I started to try to push my way through to get to Erin, but the music had started and it was so loud and the people were like a wall of concrete. I looked around for a security guard who might help me get to my daughter, but i couldn't find any. I went all the way to the right of the stage, right up in front, but all the way over to the right. I stood up on the little gate that separated to crowd from the stage to see if I could find Erin before i totally panicked. Well, i could see the head of the father and i assumed that Erin was with him. I did see Erin's hand holding her camera up, so at least i knew she was safe. Even though it was VERY loud, i called Erin to tell her where i was and to come to me so that she could be in the front AND be safe. I had lost my charger to my phone, so i had to use Rachel's phone, which does not have texting. Man, if i just had texting, the night would have been much better. But. i didn't. She answered the phone and could not hear me well, so she yelled into the phone that she was fine and was with her friends and would like to stay where she was. I figured that this was her special night and if she did not want to give up her spot--she was third row center--i would not force the issue. I told her where i was and that i would stay there if she needed me or that we would meet by the first aid station if she couldn't find me. So, the concert started. There were about 4 bands playing before the main attraction. I watched as about 7 security guards stood in front of the stage between the stage and the crowd. There was a tall wooden barrier between the crowd and the stage and the security guys stood in front of that. I started getting concerned when i saw the guards put gloves on and brace themselves in front of the crowd. Every song the crowd kept getting bigger and bigger and even i started getting pushed and shoved by young girls who wanted my spot in front. I held my ground and braced myself by holding onto the metal barrier that was in front of me. I called Erin again and she said she was fine but she couldn't answer the phone anymore because she wasn't able to reach it. What? I kept looking over to where i knew she was and i kept seeing her arm in the air holding her camera. The crowd was like one. jam packed together. After a while, I noticed that the guards were starting to pull people from the crowd in the front rows into the area between the crowd and the stage. Many of the girls were crying, but some were laughing. I assumed that they were being pulled out because they were doing something wrong. I heard rumors of people crowd surfing. If you don't know what that is, it is when people get ON TOP of the crowd, and the crowd basically passes the person to the front of the line. Then the guards would PULLLLLL and the person would pop out and walk to the side of the stage. I started to get a VERY bad feeling when i saw the father-daughter that we had met come up next to me. I thought Erin was with them, being protected by a big dad! I said "WHERE IS ERIN" They both said that they had been separated in the beginning and had not seen her. Oh dear. Now i panicked. I called Erin. No answer. So, i prayed. over and over and over. I did not know if God would hear my prayers over all the racket of the rock music ;) or if he would be mad at me for even taking Erin to this kind of concert. But i kept on praying. I did not even pay attention to the music anymore or what was going on around me. I just prayed for her safety. For about 20 minutes. Each time a guard pulled someone out of the crowd, i just knew it would be Erin. Finally, i was right. She came out and over to me and started crying. She was shook up and a little bruised. I took her to first aid station and got her ankle checked out. She was physically fine, but a little dehydrated and very shook up.
It turned out that the reason i kept seeing her arm in the air was because it was so packed with people, she could not even put her arm down!! People were shoving to get to the front while the crowd moved as one. The whole crowd would sway back and forth to the music and you had to go with the flow or get squooshed. Erin said that at first it was ok. She was not scared. She just held her ground. But, after a while, as the crowd got bigger and more packed together, she started getting claustrophobic and anxious. Once she heard that it would only get WORSE when Fall Out Boy, the main band she had come to see, hit the stage, that was it for her. What i thought was crowd surfing actually was people trying to get themselves out of the stifling crowd. They were crying because they were scared that they were gonna get hurt. Finally, Erin told those around her that she needed to get out. The only way out was to have the crowd physically pick you up and hand you overhead to the guards, who would then pull you out with a POP and put you on the ground. The whole thing was just so crazy. I had no idea that young girls could be dangerous like that. But, then i realized that they were mostly without parental authority and it was going to their heads. It was totally crazy and i will never, ever do general admission again.
Once Erin calmed down, we had been there for about 2.5 hours and her band had not yet taken the stage. We walked around the perimiter of the crowd, got a drink, bought a shirt and shorts with the band's name on it and just took a breath. Erin was devastated because she thought we would have to leave again before she could see her favorite band. I said as long as she stayed with me and she felt ok that we could stay. We tried to find a relatively open space to stand, but we were very far from the stage. Probably about 25 rows back. But, it was safe. I tried to hold her up so she could see better, and we were able to watch the rest of the show. It was actually pretty nice by then. The rain had stopped, the evening was cool and the crowd was thinning a bit because it was getting late and some were there to see only the other bands. Erin was able to enjoy the rest of the show in the safety of my arms. Seeing the joy in her face and how she just lit up with excitement when her favorite band hit the stage made the whole thing totally worth it. When it was over and we sat in the car, exhausted and sore, she thanked me up and down and told me how much she appreciated all that i do for her. That made it worth it too.
But, i won't do it again;)
So, that is my long concert story. I wish that Erin was in love with a Christian group, but she isn't. She is almost 17 and almost an adult. I have to keep remembering that every time i want to rescue her and tell her how to live. She has a good heart and a trust in God that is stronger than it used to be. She has a long way to go, but so do i, and for that matter, everyone else. Even though i spent much of the evening in panic and prayer, I made a memory with my daughter that she will have forever.
So, today i am thankful for:
1. God's protection over Erin
2. My daughter's heart and willingness to listen and learn from her mom.
3. Being able to make memories with my oldest

Hearts and Hurts

2009-05-08T15:26:00.004-04:00

Well, it has been a while since i posted. again. My classes are done and i got an A in each one. Yay!! My cumulative GPA is now 3.75. It would be higher, but i need to remember that i did fail ENG Comp 101 the first time and i did get a B in math TWICE. So, a 3.75 is still good. I am going to a picnic for the human services honor society next week where i will find out if i will be nominated secretary for next year. For now, i am looking foward to my summer and i may volunteer somwhere so that i won't get too bored.

The reason i have not posted in so long is because i have had alot on my mind and my heart and i did not really know what to say about it. And sometimes, seeking the silver lining is not all that easy for me. My first reaction to things that don't go well is to brood for a while. It does not come natural for me to seek the silver lining, nor to seek the will of God. But, i usually come around--which is where i am today.

Motherhood is such a blessing to me. My love for my children has been one of the reasons i have become the woman i am today. God has blessed me with three wonderful children and I thank Him all the time. However, for me, the powerful love that i have for my children can sometimes cause me some pain also. I guess love in general can cause pain. Whenever we give our hearts to someone and love them, we also open ourselves up to pain. We can't really have one without the other.
I hate pain. I hate physical pain. I hate emtional pain. And when my children are in pain, i feel their pain as if it were my own. Their tears bring about my tears. Their heartbreak is my heartbreak. I probably don't have to tell you that one of my biggest fears is that my children will hurt and there will be nothing i can do about it. That kind of love is too close, some will say. But, it is my way, and i don't even know if i could change it, even if i wanted to. The fact that i am aware that it may be too close a relationship is about as good as i can do right now. Maybe it is normal. Maybe all mother's feel their children's pain in their own hearts. Maybe not. But i do.

So, when one of my children hurts, my first response is--what can i do to make that hurt stop. Yes, i do know that sometimes, many times, we need to hurt in order to grow. Therein lies the problem. It goes against everything i am to let my children hurt. But, i also know that sometimes they will actually NEED to hurt in order to grow.

I worry alot lately about whether or not i am doing the right thing for my kids. Especially Rachel. I saw that public school was hurting her and so i pulled her out. I thought i was doing the right thing, but now i am not sure. Was it just MY fears that made me take her out? Was it really what she needed, or should she have learned to deal with it? I don't know, but i just have the feeling that i may have done the wrong thing. I am not the same mother i was when i schooled Erin and Matt. I am not strong in the rule department anymore. In fact, i am a bonafide woos. I am not as sure of myself and my teaching as i was. It seems like Rachel and i fight WAY more than me and the others did. I just don't know if i am helping her or actually harming her. I don't have as much time to devote to her schooling as i did with the others. It is not a life-style for me like it used to be. And Rach doesn't have the same desire to learn that Erin did. It seems like pulling teeth because she doesn't like it. I see her getting lonely and i wonder if the couple friends she had in school was better than none. She doesn't get along with the neighborhood kids and it breaks my heart to see her watching her old playmates playing outside, but she can't join them because they just gang up on her. I don't know if i have what she needs. And that hurts me.

A few days ago, she told me that she wanted to leave home and go live with Tiffany, who is like an older sister to her. On the one hand, i knew that she wanted to live with Tiff because Tiff doesn't make her follow any rules and buys her, brings her, lets her do whatever she wants. It's like a vacation over there. Of course she wants to live there! On the other hand, it was like a slap in the face. Because it was like she was telling me that my best was not good enough for her. That we, as her family, weren't good enough for her. That i wasn't good enough for her. She was, like, totally serious. She had called Tiff and asked her to come get her. They went out for ice cream to talk. They came home and took me aside and told me that Rachel didn't want to live with me at home anymore, but wanted to go to Tiffs. I asked her why and she said she didn't know, she just needed a break. A break? from what? Her whole life is a break! That's when i started thinking that maybe i have been doing the wrong thing. I had turned my life upside-down for her, and she still was miserable. I had Steve talk to her, because i was too hurt and confused. I did not want to say the wrong thing and drive her away even more. Well, they talked and i told Tiff that Rachel would not be spending so much time with her for a while and the she (Tiff) needed to stop spoiling her and she needs to be a better influence on Rach. Rachel and i have since had a long talk. We both cried. I did tell her that i wasn't sure if we should continue home schooling next year. I have to think about it. And pray about it. It was a good talk, but i still feel bad. And i'm pretty sure she does too:( I thought that this was what God wanted me to do and maybe it is. But now i am doubting. And hurting. And i know that she may be hurting too. I just don't know how to make it better.

So, that is what has been in my heart. Thanks for listening. It always makes me feel a bit better to write things down. Even if it hurts. For me, its kind of like draining the bad stuff out of a wound. So, if you pray, please pray for me and my Rachel. If you don't.......well, you should ;). Feel free to comment any thoughts or advice.

The silver lining? My children are healthy. AND they have the OPTION to school at home. Many would love to school at home and just can not do it. Many mothers whose children are sick would love to have to worry about the things i am worrying about now. So....Thank you Lord for the health of my children and for allowing me to stay home with them to be here when they need me.

today i am thankful for:
1. Healthy Kids
2. Stable Finances
3. My husband's heart
Thank You Lord!!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook for April 27

2009-04-27T22:35:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-23T23:43:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-21T13:38:00.005-04:00

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

2009-04-15T12:23:00.006-04:00

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

2009-04-11T22:44:00.006-04:00

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

2009-04-05T09:52:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-01T22:10:00.003-04:00

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!

The Simple Woman's Daybook for March 29th

2009-03-30T23:28:00.004-04:00

FOR TODAY March 30, 2009

Outside my window...It's all dark as it is 11:30 at night. It was cold today and i'm wondering if spring will ever show up.

I am thinking... I have to go to bed, and i forgot to put the dog's ear-drops in tonight.

I am thankful for... Sleep and the opportunity to start a brand new day every 24 hours.

From the learning rooms... We have finished our science lapbook on ecosystems and are waiting for a nice day to put it together because the glue smells bad and we need to open a window. Rachel is doing great in math and for the first time ever it has become her favorite subject. We are studying Israel in the time of David in history and Bible and i am looking to get her a new writing curriculum. There are so many things i want to do with her and so little time. I am looking foward to summer when i can take the time to plan for next year.

From the kitchen...It's a mess as usual. No other comment tonight :(

I am wearing...my p.j.'s

I am creating...I should be creating a new chore chart (see above answer to kitchen question)

I am going...Crazy. No, just kidding. Tomorrow I am going to meet with my group for the political science oral project we have coming in next week. I'm going to school on Wednesday. I'm going to get my brakes checked Friday.

I am reading...Still reading Ted Dekker-Adam and the trilogy Black, Red and White. Just picked up Blessed Child from Good Will and Tim Lahaye's End Times book and of course i am not really reading any of those books because i am reading my school books and Rachel's school books. Did i mention i can't wait for summer?

I am hoping...That the meeting i have with my group tomorrow will go good. I don't really know these people and i don't know what i will do about this project on the First Ammendment. I need to spend tomorrow afternoon researching it.

I am hearing...The T.V. is on the show Medium and it's kind of scary as all the lights are off and i am the only one up.

Around the house...Messy Messy Messy. I have no time to clean :(

One of my favorite things... Right now my favorite thing is a day where i have NOTHING to do. Just sit on my keister and watch movies all day. Of course i know that after a full day of doing that, i feel crappy, but that really is what i would like right now. (No, i don't mean i would like to feel crappy, i meant i want to sit and watch movies all day and not worry about all the things that are not getting done :))

A few plans for the rest of the week: Meeting tomorrow, Pay bills tomorrow, School Weds., Start theories paper and political science article critique Thursday, shop for Matt's birthday party Thursday, clean house of Friday and do more of above papers, Saturday Matt is having a BUNCH of his friends coming over to celebrate his Birthday, Saturday i am working on my papers and hopefully getting my brakes done, Sunday church, youthgroup and rest. Have a good week!!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...I found this picture of my girls and i thought it was a great picture and they are 2/3 of the reason i keep going with a smile on my face even when i feel down.

If you want to blog about your day, here is the link to the simple womans daybook

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Have a great week and wish me luck with mine

Today i am thankful for:

1) Sleep

2) Warm Days

3) Make-up

Phi Theta Kappa Night

2009-03-26T22:42:00.006-04:00

Today was a good day!! I was so nervous about being inducted into Phi Theta Kappa and going up on stage in front of all those people, especially since i missed out on the practice session last weekend. I didn't really want to go tonight because i really don't like people's attention on me. Even when i was growing up, i was uncomfortable on Christmas day because i knew people were watching me as i opened gifts, and it made me uncomfortable. But, my husband loves things like public recognition for a job well done, including his wife getting recognized, so i did not want him to miss out on the oportunity to pat me on the back :). Just kidding, but i do know that I need to face my fears and do things that are uncomfortable to me if i ever want to move foward, so i went. It wasn't bad at all. I went shopping this morning for a nice "business type" outfit to wear and i got a nice pair of black slacks and a pretty top to wear. I felt pretty good in it. I went to the school to meet with the other inductees early, and Erin went with me to help calm my nerves by talking my ear off about teen-aged girl stuff while we waited. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a woman i have known from a couple of other classes that we have together who was there also; so then i did not feel as nervous, and i had a peer to talk to. So, we all went into the conference area,

sat down, listened to a speech,

and then it was time to go up on stage, one by one. We had to go up on stage when they called our name, sign the membership book,

light our candle, take a rose, and shake hands with a couple big-wigs. Of course, i got the getto candle that would not light correctly and went out before i walked off the stage,

but it made my kids laugh, so its all good:) After that, there was a little reception, but i was so hungry that we went out to dinner right after it was over instead. So, i am now an official member of the honor society Phi Theta Kappa and i get to wear the pin, do service projects, make new friends, and be recognized for my good grades.

Oh, yeah, i just found out that i got a 104 on my political science test that i took last night!! I feel really good about that because it is a hard subject and i studied very hard for that test. Now i have to put together a 20 minute oral presentation on the first ammendment with 2 of my classmates, which is something i really don't want to do, but i'm sure it will work out better than i think it will, it usually does.

So, i'm bushed and am going to bed. This day was all about me today-- and i am totally ready to make it all about someone else tomorrow!

Today i am thankful for:

1. Kohls (department store where i got my dress clothes)

2. My husband, who loves to shower me with praise and makes me feel good about me.

3. My husband's job that provides us with enough income for me to go get dressy clothes the day i need them. In this economy, it is a blessing that Steve is doing well and has not lost his job. Thank you Lord.