Been busy

What a week this has been! With it being the first full week of school everything has begun fully and my body is feeling it. I have been having to stay late every day due to things that have had to occur in the afternoon. I haven't gotten home much before 5:30 or 6:00 each night. That gives me time to try to eat something that my sweet husband usually fixes, get the kids ready for bed, have them read to me and then collapse. Of course, some nights I have squeezed in grading papers before falling out.

It has been a bit of a tough week in other ways, too. We found out on Wednesday that my adopted Grandfather had passed away. He had been living with lung cancer and emphysema. We went to his funeral on Friday and it was really sweet. We are so thankful he is no longer suffering and is with his Savior, but we will still miss him. We went to visit my adopted Grandmother today and spent some time with her. She is missing him so.

Also on Wednesday we found out our Youth Pastor at church has a brain tumor. This was so unexpected, but because of last Sunday when he preached it made sense. He has been having headaches for almost two weeks now and then he preached in the morning service last Sunday and it was very strange. He acted confused and kept repeating things but we thought it was due to him having a new baby at home. (Their baby is 5 weeks old) He just seemed flustered. Well, we found out the tumor is a baseball sized tumor on his frontal lobe which affects speech. They don't know it it is cancerous or not, but will find out more next week when they perform the operation. Please keep him in your prayers. His name is Mike.

Yet another thing we found out on Wednesday was that Miss Pearl was back in the hospital because she is not taking her meds. We found out at the end of the week that she was in ICU. That makes me so sad.

I found out today that a guy I dated in highschool and who was actually my best friend my Senior year has a rare lymphoma cancer. He is one year younger than me. He lives in Missouri now with his wife and young children. His name is Allen... if you can, pray for him as well.

As you can see this week has been a bit overwhelming for me. Between school and all of these sicknesses it can get to you. I have just kept reminding myself to look to the Lord and allow Him to work on these things. There is nothing I can do myself except pray. I know He has all of these people in the palm of His hands and He is the Great Physician.

I have just finished counting labels for school and am going to try and read. I haven't read all week...I surely wouldn't get very far if I had tried because I have been so tired. Hopefully tomorrow will be the start of a much brighter week. It is Steve's birthday so I will be celebrating him.

Have a good evening...

Where Oh Where....

Has this week gone!!? Sorry to have missed out on yet another week of our life, but you just wouldn't believe it! School has started in full swing and I haven't been getting home until late each day. Then, the vandal thing as well as just being pooped from getting back into the routine and VOILA...no blogging. lol

The kids are adjusting to Kindergarten again. Of course, Wesley told his teacher and me last week that he didn't like these new people in his class! LOL Mikayla told me this weekend she missed all of her old friends. I totally understand what they are feeling and know it is normal. They will find these new friends to be just as great once they get into things full swing.

Wesley told me yesterday morning before church that he WOULD be taking "Mam" with him to college. LOL He'll probably get married with "Mam" by his side, too. (For those of you that don't know or can't remember, "Mam" is his lamb that he loves with all of his heart and soul.) We even had to go back to school to get "Mam" this afternoon because he had forgotten him. :)

Mikayla is cracking me up in the last few days because one of our friends daughters taught her how to get on this computer. I have never allowed it before just because I didn't want them "hooked" to it. Well, now she knows how to go into "WORD" and starts typing away. lol She thinks she is something.

I helped one of my good friends all weekend with a scrapbook for her brother. It turned out nicely. We worked on it for a looooong time on Saturday. Let's just say we spent some serious quality time together this past weekend. LOL It was fun, though. I actually journaled some in our books last night!!! I was so happy to finally begin that! I have so much to journal. Between school and just "stuff" I haven't had much of a chance. Hopefully I won't pass out tonight before I can get a few pages done. ;)

Well, off to color my hair. Yes, the gray is showing again and since I got my hair cut today it is time.... We also need to see what exciting thing is in store for supper. lol I haven't a clue at this point. :) Have a wonderful evening!

Nerves

Today's picture was taken at the local nature park I went to a couple of weeks ago. I think it turned out pretty neat. I believe I may enter this one in that wildlife contest.

My nerves are shot. I just started school yesterday and was so tired. It has been a long weekend of getting my room ready and trying to make sure everything is in place for the students. The first day went well and I went to bed last night around 9:30 to get ready for today. I was SO tired. Well, I am now up at 1:30 because we had vandals come doing doughnuts in our front yard again. Steve had installed that driveway alarm, heard them, and went after them. He said when they saw the garage light from the garage door coming up they hit the trail. He followed them up our road and lost them. I told him to call the sheriff right then so now the sheriff has come and they are going to look for them. You think I can go back to sleep now????? I'm going to be looking lovely tomorrow. ha! I am so thankful Steve heard that alarm. I "heard" it but thought I was dreaming about it. Steve jumped up out of bed, scaring me to death, and shot out of here like a cannon!! We'll see what they find. Please pray that we find out who is doing this. Apparently they are continuing to get braver and were coming closer to the house again. I guess I might know more when Steve and the sheriff get back. Should be interesting general conversation tomorrow at school! Thank the Lord we put in that alarm at the road. I really hope they can catch them.

On a fun note....did you know they now make M&M's in DARK chocolate????? YES....one of my friends brought me a bag today and I ate half the bag!! (with a little help from some former students...hee hee) They are GREAT! Right now, though, the way my nerves feel I think I have had a little too much. (I realize mine is all adrenalin, but work with me... lol)

Well, off to try to calm down my nerves so that I can find some way to sleep again.

A Mess

Here is another picture from the other day. I like this one.... you can see the rock through the wings. I may enter this one in that nature contest.

Back in the swing of things at school but things just aren't coming together as quickly as I'd like. I feel like I am spinning my wheels. Maybe it is because there is so much to do and it seems now there is so little time.

The kids found out officially that they have the same Kindergarten teacher this year. They both are excited about seeing her again and being in her class again. I am excited for a wonderful year. :)

I am wanting to go out and take more pictures of the kids. I think Steve and Wesley are going to go "play" golf tomorrow after we do some work stuff around the house in the morning. Mikayla and I will try to have some "girl time"... I want so badly to have that with her so we can continue to bond in that way. She has been so much better since we had our talk on Monday. I hope it continues....

Well, I am pooped and ready for a relaxing moment. I'll catch y'all later...

Summer is over

Well, it was wonderful while it lasted. I can honestly say it was a great one. I was able to get a lot accomplished as well as get some much needed rest and rejunvenation. I feel much more prepared to start the school year than I did last year. It is nice not having all of those emotions from last year hanging over me.

I have spent the last two days working on this computer doing things for school. I guess, technically, my vacation ended last Friday. It is good, though, because I have marked a lot of other things off my list. What a relief!!

Here are a list of things I will remember from my wonderful summer: (they are in no particular order)
1. sleeping "late"
2. laughter
3. sprinklers and mud
4. PENNSYLVANIA
5. scrapbooking
6. CLEANING and organizing
7. photographs
8. spending time with friends
9. being home with my children and just being a "MOM"
10. laid back
11. no stress
12. the smell of cut grass
13. fresh veggies from the garden
14. watching my children grow and mature
15. spending the day in my grubby clothes if I so chose
16. not combing Mikayla's hair for a day or so... hee hee
17. eating lunch with my Mom and Dad
18. going to the beach for the day
19. freedom to go and come as I please
20. Birkenstocks and my Rainbow flip-flops :)

I am refreshed...for now. I realize by next week I'll be tired again but I am glad I was able to revive over the summer. I hope this will allow me to be all I can with the Lord's help.

My picture for today was taken at a local park yesterday. Yes, I am still trying to work on a photo for that nature contest. We'll see.... I was pretty tickled to get some dragonflies and other creatures. These didn't scare the daylights out of me. lol

Enjoy your evening. I'm going to get me a bowl of icecream (which I really need to stop before I get as big as a cow) and enjoy my last summer evening at home...

Beautiful Sunday

Here is a picture of our squash before it stopped growing and Steve had to pull them up. This is one of the photos from my kitchen "project" I did a few weeks ago. I love this picture. :)

Wow...today was just wonderful. Not only was it the Lord's Day but it was a beautiful, blue skied, less humid, breezy kind of day. This afternoon was just a perfect afternoon.

It's been a fun weekend. My "Girls Night IN" was awesome and a lot of fun. Mikayla got to have her first sleep over with friends and Wesley had to learn that he couldn't always get to go. It was hard for him but we tried to make it special. He got to sleep in our bed (let's just say the boy is getting some legs on him and we really don't have room!) and then he got chocolate milk yesterday morning and spent a majority of the day with his Daddy. They had a "Boys day" and Steve bought him a new golf club... a 3 Wood... and he is tickled to death with it. Steve took him to the driving range yesterday afternoon and was working with him on his swing. I am excited that he wants to play golf. That excites Steve, too. He is actually pretty good at it! I watched him yesterday afternoon and this afternoon, too. I think he is still out there working on it. He even put a hoe down with the handle giving him a straight line so he could focus on where to send the ball. I thought that was quite smart! He didn't always hit it that way, but it was the thinking that counted! lol

Mikayla had a wonderful time at her sleep over and didn't come home till late. She even said she "didn't want to come home" because she was having such a great time. Let's just say that kind of hurt. I realize she is social and just like I was in that area, but it hurts to hear your child say home is no fun. lol She'll learn that home is just as wonderful and special even though we don't have all the latest American Girl doll stuff. LOL I tell you, though, she is getting to be a pistol.... more than I was as a child. She is so strong-willed. I am thankful for that in a way because I know she'll be a leader, but she can get in some of the strangest moods. LOL Welcome to girl-hood... Wesley is so much easier to handle in that respect. I just want to turn that strong-willed personality into something that the Lord will bless and other people will respect. I truly need the Lord's guidance with that because she is so much like I was. It is actually scary when you see yourself in your children so strongly. I tell people all of the time that the kids may look like Steve but they act like ME. How humbling.

Well, I only have 2 days of summer vacation left. I can honestly say I am OK with going back and feel so much more ready than I did last year at this time. I feel like I have had a restful break and one that has rejuvenated me. I am not looking forward to the rat race of it all, but I think with me having a healthier emotional well-being (last year was SO hard with that...) it will be less stressful. Plus, with the kids repeating Kindergarten I know we will continue to see the growth in both of them. I just know it is going to be a great year.

Well, I need to get back outside and watch Wesley a little more before they get ready for bed. Enjoy your day and be thankful for it!

Girls night IN!

Here is a rose cactus from my Mom's house. Again, if I have already posted it, I apologize for the repeat! lol I love this picture...it is one of my favorites.

Tonight I am having a bunch of women over for a "Girl's Night IN"... we would have had it outside on the deck, but it has been so blazing hot around here that we would not do well out there. Hopefully it will cool down this weekend like they say it will. I am excited about having a fun evening. I made guacamole dip and have been cleaning this house like a mad woman. Of course, the dining room is still horrible because of all my scrapping stuff, but they can overlook that. It looks better than it did last week! I have actually gotten a few things out of there!!

I worked on lesson plans this afternoon. I am trying to get things off my list of things to do before school starts. It felt good to have that accomplished. Now, I have lots of other things to finish. :)

Well, I have to go do some finishing touches on everything. Have a super day!!

getting ready

Have I shown this picture already???? I just can't remember. This is of a gourd vine (volunteer) wrapped around the handle of an old shovel. I thought it was nice.

Ok...school starts for me next week. Now, while I am more ready than last year at this time, I am still just not there. Of course, if I had another month I still wouldn't be ready. It is just time to bite the bullet and get on with it.

I did some things around the house this morning before running some errands. I am so proud of the kids. Even though I drag them all over creation some days they are usually very good. Now, yes, they have their moments, but overall they handle it so well.

We went to the dollar store today and found some neat things. Some times you can go in there and find nothing... and other times you find A LOT. lol Anyway, it was neat seeing the things I could get for a buck. :)

I have finished scrapping Wesley's school pages. I do have to get Mikayla's finished now, but that shouldn't take too long. Once done with that I have to get started with journaling! Right now it will take me a month and ten days to get them all written. lol I am glad to know something else is "off my list"...

Well, something that is on my list right now is some Rocky Road ice cream. I think it is calling my name. Oh, wait, it may be the vanilla with chocolate on top that is calling.... Either way... I love them both. lol Off to go figure out which one to eat.