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

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.



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The Simple Woman's Daybook for November 16

 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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!