Something to Do...

current guilty pleasure: afternoon naps.
current nail color: yeah, right.
current playlist: Adele, Florence and the Machine, Christina Perri
current read: Glenn Beck's Being George Washington.
current drink: McDonald's Hazelnut Iced Coffee.
current food: stir-fry.
current favorite show: Once Upon A Time.
current wish list: more energy, the ability to crochet, God's guidance.
current needs: God's guidance.
current triumphs: working an early morning job.
current bane of my existence: my daughter's new habit of smoking.
current celebrity crush: Jude Law, Hugh Jackman, Liam Neeson.
current indulgence: Ghirardelli Twilight Dark Chocolate squares, WW Amaretto Cheesecake Yogurt.
current blessing: my unborn grandbaby - due in June. my 3 daughters.
current outfit: Indianapolis Colts t-shirt, Charcoal Yoga pants, White Fleece socks, White Fuzzy Slippers.
current excitement: daughter's ultrasound next week - getting to see if it's a boy or a girl!
current mood: hopeful.
current link: the Farm Chicks (always)

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

tomorrow (March 10) I will turn 45.
wow. 45. only 5 more years and I will be half a century old...
I am a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister... and I will be 45.
my daughters are making me DINNER on saturday, the 12th.
Shrimp Creole. with rice.
I will celebrate with CHERRY CHIP cake and vanilla ice cream.
will they attempt to place 45 candles on that cake? haha...
this is my 45th year of LIFE... after tomorrow I will begin my 46th year.
have you ever thought of it that way? when you reach a birthDAY,
you are actually ending that particular year and beginning the next.
here are some items I think I would LOVE to receive for my birthday this year:

getting better

well... we began the year in a sad financial state. in the next day or 2 we are expecting that to change and we will be able to get back on track with our bills, pay one or 2 things off and then start saving. we've proven over the last couple of weeks that we can feed ourselves on less than $100/week. it's just hard to remember that when the money begins to get more plentiful... the more we make, the more we spend. my dear husband makes pretty good money - and we both do a great job of spending it. on nothing! we don't have a whole lot to show for our spending binges... and that too will change. when we spend money it's going to be on something that improves our dwelling or invests in our future.
we need to spend some major money on the house this Spring:
1) new roof
2) finish the remodeling in the lower level
3) new fridge
4) repair/remodel the upstairs bathroom
5) heavy tree trimming

Lord, I ask that we would learn to be more frugal and less free with our spending. I would ask that we be reminded of our faith in You to bring us through the downtime in the RV industry and to sustain us as we suffer smaller paychecks. Lord, please keep me diligent in tithing and if not monetary then allow me to commit myself to spending my time & efforts for Your Kingdom.
In Your Almighty Name, Amen.

2011

this year I will:

* spend more time having fun - sometimes I think I'm too serious
* walk. walk. walk.
* get my spending under control
* spend more time making my house a home
* devote more of my day reading God's Word
* stop worrying about what other people think
* attempt to be more organized
* read something a little meatier than the things I have been reading
* try new things in the kitchen
* become crafty again
* sew
* garden more diligently
* love more compassionately

it is November!

November is one of my favorite months. the FALL WEATHER is usually in full swing which means it's time for SWEATERS and SWEATSHIRTS, WOOL SOCKS, JEANS and my EMU BOOTS! it's the month that most of us take time to reflect on the past year and say a prayer of THANKSGIVING for all we might have accomplished and lived through. and of course with thoughts of Thanksgiving come thoughts of BLACK FRIDAY shopping! gear up and start those aerobics - and save a few dollars for that famous shopping day!

for me it is also the month that my youngest celebrates her BIRTHDAY! this year she is going to be 17... yikes! she just received her DRIVER'S LICENSE last week and I keep thinking of the commercial I saw the other day where the dad is lecturing his little girl on driving as she sits in the driver's seat of a car... she looks to be about 6 or 7... and she keeps telling him she "knows"... then he relents and she transforms into a teenager right before his eyes. that is what I am experiencing! wow! it is also the first month that we can concentrate on homeschooling and not on VOLLEYBALL! I am missing volleyball quite a bit (this is the youngest with one of her new besties/teammates) but I am also looking forward to getting into the spirit of LEARNING! we are jumping into US History, Home Economics and French - yay!!!

I am so random...

I live in North Central Indiana... just minutes from Michigan, and hour or so from Chicago, and hour from Ohio. Yes, I am smack dab in the middle of the Northern most part of the Hoosier state. I have spent the last 7 and a half weeks traveling all over for my daughter's volleyball games. We have traveled to the West (Hammond, Valparaiso, South Bend, Mishawaka). We have traveled to the East (Fort Wayne, Goshen). We have traveled North (Galien, Sturgis) and all over South of us (Huntington, Columbia City, Warsaw, Plymouth). I really enjoy traveling with my daughter. She is my youngest and we have these last 2 years of her home education to spend a lot of time together. She entertains me, she keeps me feeling young and gives me hope in this young generation!
She is really good at Volleyball - I'm not just saying that b/c I'm her mommy. She's good! She is funny and very sarcastic. She loves music, boys and making me laugh. Sometimes we joke that we are in each other's heads way too much! I love her with every part of me.
What will I do when I'm no longer a Volleyball mom? this is the question that's been plaguing me as of late. I have to get her graduated and then I have to find something to do with myself. I have tossed around several ideas and none of them really thrill me.
* working at the local grocery store
* getting a certificate for Physical Therapy Aide
* working in retail (yuk)
* cleaning other people's homes
* getting a job at the Credit Union I belong to

There is something I dream of doing. Something I am scared to do but I feel that it's worth the risk. I would like to open a shop of my own. I would love to open a Knitting Shop on my side of town. I would like to offer a place for people to find quality products, a warm & cozy place to shop as well as hang out and work on their knitting projects. I would probably offer some sort of refreshments and possibly classes. I want this so bad I can picture it! It's my dream and I am scared to reach out for it and I am even more scared that it will pass me by and someone else will grab it.

Today

this morning we headed out pretty early to meet with the oral surgeon. yay. (sarcasm) my youngest is getting her 4 wisdom teeth removed early November - the day after she turns 17. when we got home I opened some windows to let the cool, crisp air into the house. I love this time of year! husband and I have been sleeping so well with the windows open, he usually wants me to close them but that request hasn't been made yet. good!
we started school yesterday.

Junior Year:
Geometry.
Language Arts - American Literature.
Vocabulary.
US History.
Family Life Science (Home Ec).
Chemistry.
French (maybe).

I have been praying for a successful year.

Father God, I ask for Your blessing on our current school year. I pray to You that she would be diligent in her studies and I would also be diligent in my teaching and grading. I ask You Father God to give us a bounty of wisdom this year as we consider college and what the future holds. Please reveal to us Your Will and help us to clearly understand what You have planned for us. I pray that our curriculum would honor and please You. I also pray for the volleyball season with the wildcats - help each of the girls to understand that their ability to play comes from You and that You deserve the honor of their successes as well as the Christ-like attitude they show as a team. I pray that we are a blessing to those around us and that we would take each opportunity to show Your love on a daily basis.
Amen.