Sunday Stealing

 

Today's meme is hosted by Mr. Lance over at Sunday Stealing. Since he is not feeling well enough to post a new sunday stealing this week, i chose to do last week's Sunday Stealing instead. You can find this meme here: http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/2013/03/stealing-will-return-next-weekend.html

Have any memories that you’d like to forget?

PLENTY! Actually, i work hard to forget some pretty bad memories on a weekly basis. Most of these bad memories have to do with me being less than stellar as a wife and mom during times of deep depression that i suffered ten years ago. I have to believe that I can not change the past and so the best i can do is be the best wife and mom for the next ten years and not dwell on the past mistakes i have made and the past hurts i have suffered!

Is there someone you really like to hang out with and just talk about stuff?

My mom! We can talk for hours, and even though we pretty much have the same mind-set, she still has much more wisdom and experience than i do, so i enjoy listening to what she has to say and hear her take on things. Plus, she is fun to hang out with and makes me laugh and feel good about life in general!

Have you ever been called prince or princess?

Hmmm....actually, i can't remember being called princess.

Do you think teenagers are weird?

 Not at all! I think teenagers are living through some of the hardest times in their lives and are not often equipped to deal with the things that they face on a daily basis. They don't have the experience and wisdom that adults have, but still have to deal with adult situations. So, no, i think teens are brave, resilient, funny, frustrating, loving, sarcastic, and strong. But not weird.

How fast does your mood change?

Ugh! My moods change so fast that i have learned to NOT rely on how i FEEL at any given moment. If i feel anything very strongly, i have learned to wait a few hours and see if the feeling is still there. If it is, it needs to be dealt with. But often, the strong feeling that was killing me a few hours ago is gone or changes if i just wait a bit.

How are you feeling?

A bit restless. I have been feeling like i need to be doing SOMETHING. But most of the time i just feel bored. Unless i am at work, but that is only twice a week. The rest of the week i really need to come up with something more productive to do than cleaning house and watching tv and being on the computer.

Do you want someone to call you right now?

 No way, i hate the phone! In fact, i hardly ever even have mine near me and most of the times it's not even on, lol. I do like to Facebook chat though if that counts.

What do you always take with you?

Well, i usually take my purse, but as long as i have my sunglasses, my cigs, a lighter, and my license and debit card, i'm good. My purse has waaaaay more stuff in it, but most of it is not necessary. 

Is your bed comfortable?

NO WAY!! Our bed is sooooo old and there are people-sized "trenches" on each side, lol. Since my hubby snores, i spend many nights on the couch, which is even less comfortable than my uncomfortable bed. Needless to say, next time we come into some money, we need to buy a bed....and a couch!

Would you say you’re an understanding person?

I actually would. I really put a lot of effort into trying to understand the motives and/or ideas of other people whom i may not agree with....and even if i still don't agree, i pretty much just live and let live without trying to change their way of thinking OR feeling bad that my way of thinking is not the same. Unless of course there are issues of abuse..in which case, no,....i am not very understanding at all.

Are you generally a happy person?

Yes! I can say that I am :-) Mostly because i spent sooooo much of my life being an UNhappy person, that now i can see what happiness really looks like. Once i really understood that happiness is NOT dependent on my circumstances but more on an inner peace and confidence, I worked toward that end. And now, yes, things are not always great, but i can say that i am generally a happy person :-)

Who’s in your facebook profile picture with you?

Nobody but my camera, me, and a mirror, lol

Were you single on Valentines Day?

I've been married for over twenty years, so no i haven't been single on valentines day for a very long time. However, it is not my favorite "holiday" so we don't really make a big deal.

What is the last movie you watched?

 The last movie i watched in the theater was Les Mis i think. I didn't really like it. I saw The Hobbit and loved that! I haven't really seen that many movies lately at home.

Do you listen to songs when you’re done?

When i'm done what? lol, i don't get this question..if it's when i'm done watching the movie, than no...i beat a quick exit from the theater.

How long does it take you to fall asleep at night?

OMG, it takes me forever!!! I usually will lay down around ten, but don't really fall asleep till around 11:30 or so. About an hour and a half is normal for me to fall into a real sleep.

Are you talkative?

It depends on my mood. If i am in a good mood, yeah, i guess i am talkative. Or if i don't really know what to say than i just kind of babble. But if i'm in a pensive mood or listening to someone else being talkative, than no..i'm pretty quiet.

What are your St. Patty's day plans?

Well, since this is an old meme and St. Patty's day is over, it doesn't apply anymore, but no i had zero plans for St Patty's day because, like Valentine's day, we don't really celebrate it.

Five Question Friday

Joining another meme today just to get something on my blog again for this month :-)
It's five question Friday! And if you want to join this meme, you will find it here:  http://fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/2013/03/five-question-friday-32213.html




1. What advice would you give a newly married couple?I would advise a newly married couple to take their time, to not think they have to have it all figured out right away, to be patient. To be open to new experiences, new ideas. To remember that "it's not about me" anymore. To always make sure that they always talk to one another no matter how uncomfortable it may seem. Marriage can be so hard, and if you don't learn to talk to one another, honestly talk, than it just gets harder. 

2. Who does more laundry around your house?We all do our own laundry, but i probably do mine most often. Most of the family waits until they have loads and loads to do, but i tend to do mine as soon as the their are enough towels and my clothes to do a load.

3. What items, if any, do you prefer to buy organic or make yourself?I haven't jumped on the organic wagon yet...probably never will. I do prefer to make my own desserts instead of buying store-bought junk, but mostly cause it's cheaper to make it. 

4. What book/TV series would you recommend for a friend on bedrest?Oh, that's easy...Dr. Who!! I love this series and am so glad i found it on netflix last summer when i was bored! Oh, and Torchwood, which was written by the same people as Dr. Who.

5. So, they say it's Spring now...what does your "spring" look like at this very moment?
It is still cold! I am soooooo over this weather and i heard that we will NOT be seeing any warmth for quite some time...ugh! But, soon enough i will probably be complaining about the heat, lol. 

The Simple Woman's Daybook for March 11, 2013

FOR TODAY March 11, 2013

Outside my window... Dark and not tooo cold. It was kind of nice for the past three days. But i'm not getting too excited yet. The sun hasn't really been out for more than a day or two. I am looking forward to spring!

I am thinking...I am glad that the spring musical is over, but i find myself already bored, lol. I keep thinking that tomorrow is a work day and getting kind of sad when i realize it is not. I am really not inspired by cleaning and cooking anymore, though i do it because it has always been my job to do so...and because if i don't, we will all be hungry and be living in a messy house!

I am thankful...for the opportunity to be a blessing to others that my job has given me, and the same goes for working with the kids after school during musical season. There are so many opportunities to be a blessing to others out there! May i remember that being a blessing at home is just as important!

In the kitchen...I made tacos tonight :-) I'm not real sure what i will make tomorrow...probably chicken. Wed and Thurs i don't cook, but i may do some baking of brownies/cookies/muffins...maybe.

I am wearing...Jeans, flannel shirt, black sweater to keep warm. Almost ready to get the p.j's on.

I am creating...Hmmm....ummm...i don't think i'm creating anything right now...maybe some good memories?

I am going...Nowhere tomorrow...will probably do my weekly chores ( floors, bathrooms, dusting, laundry ect) Work Wednesday and Thursday...out to dinner with hubby on Saturday, probably church on Sunday. Pretty boring week, lol

I am wondering...If I will get the job that I want...i should know within the next month. If i don't, i'm wondering what my next step should be.

I am reading...I have a bunch of books on my kindle and in my bedroom that i have started on, but none of them have held my interest for long. I have mostly been reading magazines, blogs, ect..things that i can read at fifteen minute clips. I haven't had much time for more than that. Maybe now that things have settled down i'll pick a book and start getting serious about reading it.

I am hoping...That one day i will see my loved ones at peace and happy for more than a couple of days. I mean--have REAL peace and happiness that does not depend on circumstances

I am looking forward to...Going to FLORIDA in about two weeks!!!! I can't wait..i haven't seen my florida family for almost six months and i miss them so much it's like a physical ache!

I am learning...to separate myself from negativity that i can not control.

Around the house...well, like i said before, i have chores to catch up on. Not as much as i did last week, but some things need to be taken care of. So that's my plan for tomorrow.

I am pondering....my prayer life, or lack thereof, and what i need to do to be more consistent.

A favorite quote for today.... .".It is one thing to find great meaning in something for yourself.  It is an entirely different thing, to take away someone else's personal experience from them because it did not meet your imagined  perfect standard.  We may be well educated in one area, and we may feel we have it all figured out, but what kind of pride do we carry in our hearts that cannot hear another's reasoning?  What compassion do we lack when we look at someone else and actually consider them bad parents for not making the exact same decisions as we on something that is not Biblically mandated or obviously abusive or destructive." 

This comes from a blog i read about The Homemaking Pharisee  over at http://roadto31.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-homemaking-pharisee-when-medical.html and gives us all some things to think about.

One of my favorite things...Music! It helps me to relax, or to wake up when i don't feel motivated, or to calm down if i'm angry.

A few plans for the rest of the week:    As i said before, housework, real work, dinner with hubby...other than that, i'm not really sure.

A peek into my day...

                                Here is a picture of "mom squad" which is what the boy's have titled the mom's who help them to choose, gather, and take care of their costumes for the musical and also take care of them during the long hours of "hell week" and the weeks of the actual play. This is me and Monica, who also happens to be the mother of my son's true love. This woman is the ONLY woman i would want to join me in this adventure and i am so glad that we were able to work together AND enjoy it together! She is also one reason i chose to come back next year to do it again!

MOM SQUAD

 If you want to blog about your week, join this meme here at The Simple Womans Daybook
                                                                                                                                                                           

Think Back Thursday--Silly

So I finally remembered to join my friend Debbie's meme Think Back Thursday. This week's topic is to find pictures that are silly. These are the one's I picked:

Matt, his friend Bobby and the Naked Cowboy in NYC

This guy in NYC actually dresses like this and plays guitar on the street. He is semi-famous for it and Matt decided to ham it up for the camera, lol

Nephew Jayden being silly while learning to read. He is my precious!

Me hamming it up at the web cam :-)

This is just silly :-)

Matt and Bobby during the school's Musical Theater Performance--in HAIR!

My cousin Shannon and her son Alex being silly on the trampoline

Nephew Breyon being a silly baby riding the vacuum <3

My three kids being silly in the pool in Florida

And again..Matt being silly...i see a pattern here.

Most of the silly pictures i found are of Matt, lol

Niece Erica stealing Aunt Shell's camera to pose silly pics

Niece Kyleigh Grace being silly during her sugar high on her first b-day

Well, those were the silliest pics i could find. Hope you enjoyed them. I enjoyed looking through my pics to find them!
If you want to join this meme, click  here   and it will send you to our host Debbie and Debbie's Digest.

The Back 15 Meme

 In the spirit of getting back into blogging, i am doing some meme's until the creative juices start flowing. This is what i found to do today.





15) How do you vent out your anger? Usually i put the music up really loud and clean the house. If i can't do that, then i stuff it for a while until i either forget or until it wells up so much that i just yell at anyone who happens to be in the way.


16) Favorite toy as a child?  My older sister :-) As long as she was with me, i was happy..i played whatever she wanted to play just so i could be with her. When she wasn't around, i liked to play with my dolls, or make doll houses.


17) Favorite season? Spring...or fall....but probably spring


18) Do you ever get letters delivered by the post office?  Not usually...mostly bills. Sometimes i'll get a card if it's a holiday or birthday. I also haven't sent an actual letter in i can't remember how long :-)


19) When was the last time you laughed hard? Hmmm...i honestly can't remember...i laugh alot...just a real, hard laugh...not for a loooong time


20) What is on the floor of your closet? A LOT of shoes! Blankets, out of season clothes in a bin, but mostly shoes.

21) Are you any good at drawing? Not At All! I love to doodle...but real drawing? Nope. I had to quit the game "draw something" because i couldn't draw any of the suggested drawings, lol.


22) What did you do last night? Same thing i'm doing tonight. Chatting on facebook, watching tv, drinking some wine (it's the weekend).

23) What are you most afraid of? Surface fear: spiders. Deep fear: being alone


24) Plain,cheese or spicy hamburger? cheese


25) Favorite dog breed? The larger breeds--labs, german shepherds, husky

26) Favorite day of the week? Used to be Sunday..wish it still was, but it's just not...now it's probably Saturday.


27) How many states / provinces / countries have you lived in? Five states..one country


28) Diamond or pearl? DIAMOND

29) What is your wish for this new year?  To get a job that i am happy with 

30) New year resolutions To not smoke cigarettes by the end of the year...e-cigs are ok..reg cigs are not

Happy New Year 2013

It's been a whole year since i posted anything! The last post i wrote was about the goals i had for 2012....of which most i did not complete!

SO, this year, i am just going to have a couple goals.

1. Blog at least twice a month.

I really want to get back into blogging. I need to remember that i started blogging so that i could have a journal of things to look back on and remember, since my brain is so foggy and i forget everything. I also started blogging so that my far-away family could stay connected with what we have been doing. Also, i often have things on my mind that stay there until I get it out, and i used to blog in order to get my thoughts in order. Oh, and also I used to end each blog with a few things i was thankful for...which is why i named it Seek the Silver Lining. It's important to me that i always look for the positive in any situation.
So, i want to get back into it.

2. Quit Smoking!

Now, i would love to say that i will stop smoking by the end of the year...but i don't want to set myself up for failure.  However, I do want to only smoke e-cigs by the end of the year. They are healthier than regular cigs, have no yucky smell, and do not have cancer-causing elements in them. Plus, Steve's insurance started charging us an extra monthly fee because i smoke, and i don't want to have to pay that next year. I wish I didn't want to smoke...and most of my smoking is just habit...i don't even really physically want most of them...what a waste of money and health! So, yeah, i really want to focus on this.

3. Pray and Listen to God more.

I really have not been disciplined at all this past year in this area. And really, that is a shame...because i know that talking and listening to my Creator is the first thing that I should do every day. I have always desired to get closer to God, but i don't do my part very well. This should not feel like a chore, but should just be natural for me...but it's not :( I have always had a deep love for God and my faith in Him and His hand in my life is strong...but really, i know that there is just so much more i could be doing for Him...so this goal is very important to me.


There are a few other things i am thinking of, but i'm gonna stop with those, since they are my top three goals this year.

This blog is the first step in helping me in my first goal. I don't know yet how i'm gonna try to reach my second goal. As for the third goal...i have a bunch of books i plan on reading about prayer...and my church is doing a bible reading program that i am going to sign up for. I would like to say that i plan on getting up a half hour earlier every day to read and talk to God, but I just don't think i'll get up at five.  I'll update when i have a solid plan for goals two and three.

Oh, i thought of another goal for 2013:

4. Get a job!!

I am done with my internship and will be volunteering at the school two days a week until i find a paying job. Maybe i will write a post about my intern experience one day. But getting a good job this year is totally something that i will strive for this year...hopefully sooner than later.

So, those are my goals.
I hope i do better this year than i did last year!

Today i am thankful for:

1. New beginnings
2. The new iron i just bought :-) Best iron ever!! it's a t-fal and glides through wrinkles like hot butter on toast!
3. My husbands new car! He finally got his company car and its a beaut!!
4. My husbands dedication to taking care of his health. He found out this year that he is diabetic..and promptly started eating right and exercising consistently and has lost fifty  pounds! 

Yearly Goals 2012--Goal Setting for the Year

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

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

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

______________________________

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