Tomorrow is Jodi's Birthday!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Cousin!! :)

WOW, there's so much to share, I don't know where to start!!

I'm sick...that's not so much fun, and my left ear is clogged up & I can't hear things well, and my head is pounding...LOVELY!! LOL

I'm very excited about the upcoming Girl's Cruise (probably in May!!), and am starting to iron out the financial side of things...SO EXCITED!! :) The thought of that cruise will be so nice & encouraging throughout this winter, I'm sure!! :)

Homeschooling is going well :) Abbey's so smart & is just like a sponge. It's been such a blessing to watch her "get" things as we go. Still not using any particular curriculum, but we're doing well without it so far...Next year, though, probably won't be so easy without a curric, and I'd still like to get something for this year, too, as a guide/resource with planning lessons.

We have become regulars at the library, and more than just for Leapfrogs (the reading/craft program for 4&5s)!! :) We've been going for this & that... I'm so glad she loves books, and I love them, too.

Next month I hope to get together with the homeschool group that meets @ the library every month.

Lots going on, and so much more to tell, but that's all I have time for right now. I miss blogging on a regular basis... Facebook is fun, but there's something about having more characters that appeals to this chatter-box!! LOL :)

Love you all :)

I've Officially Won the Award for "Worst Haircut EVER" in the category, "Just Before Vacation"

That's what my facebook status was this past Tuesday night. Now, I have NOT had a haircut this bad EVER. I've said before that you can't really get it too short in the back for me, which is mostly true, but if the crown is too short, watch out!!

Not only was this haircut too short (mainly on one side of my head), it was awful all over. One side could've been "grin & bare it" too short, but the other side was "GET A HAT" too short. Not only was it too short, but some areas of my hair hadn't even been touched!! WEIRD!! Who does that? Who in their right mind would actually let someone walk out of their salon looking like that?!?!

Tammy from Great Clips, that's who.

So, I cried when I got home Tues. night. Then, after I showered & attempted to fix that mess, I cried even harder. Abbey came into the bathroom a couple times to check on me...I think she was scared to death, poor thing. And, Katie was here, too, and she steered clear of me.

So, I don't normally do this, but I was so frustrated, I called them back. I started crying while I was talking to the lady, and I know she felt bad because she said, "Oh, honey, come on in & we'll see what we can do to fix it." She made sure she told me when to come in before Tammy came in. Thank heavens!! But maybe she should've been there, to face the mess she'd made.

I really need a regular hair person. I miss having my own "hair lady/guy." The regularly scheduled apts. The ability to close my eyes & trust them to do whatever they want to my hair, without fear. Ahhhhh... Those were the days...

I have always had the attitude, "If I don't like it, don't worry. It'll grow back." But this was just too much, even for me!!

So, we're leaving for Myrtle Beach on Saturday, and I will be buying a sun hat as soon as we arrive!! :)

In The Good Ol' Summertime

Hello, fellow bloggers...although, my ring of bloggers have been pretty quiet lately... I think people are REALLY addicted to Facebook. And, that's cool... But I still enjoy blogging...

Check out my "Diet" blog, cause I posted a new one about that part of my journey :) I'm OK.

We're pretty busy around here!! I can't believe I did it, but I signed Abbey up for Fairborn Girl's Softball (the season only lasted a month & 1/2!!), and I cried at her dance recital, AND rehearsal... And, now we're gearing up for the beach in August!! :) WOO HOO!! :) I haven't been to the beach since 1999!! Can you believe it?!?! Haha, so I guess I'm gonna party like it was 1999!! Yep, still dorky!! LOL But, seriously, SO EXCITED!! And, so is Abbey!! She's so sure she's gonna "surf" and I will be surprised if she gets in the ocean beyond her knees!! LOL :) She is so my daughter!! :)

Eli's doing great!! He turned one, and still isn't walking by himself, yet, but that doesn't stop him from getting into trouble!! He's into EVERYTHING... But he's a sweetheart!!

Steve's doing well. He started a new job on base back at the end of April, and is loving it!! It's in a new building, with a lot of new, different people, and he's really enjoying himself there. He will probably get a pay raise in the fall sometime...just in time for Christmas!! :) WOOHOO!! :)

So, here's some more exciting news!! I, who have never won anything except when EVERYONE gets a prize (you, know, work parties & that sort of thing), won $1,000 in gift cars to Meijer!! That was pretty awesome!! We've been doing the majority of our shopping there (DUH!!), and it's just been a blessing...

OK, I'd better get moving...I'd like to head to Hobby Lobby after Steve's done mowing the lawn... I'm making "Christmas in July" party invites!! :) It's only a few weeks away!! :)

Love you all, and see most of you on Facebook!! :)

Averaging a blog a month!!

There is SO much to blog about...I really need to just start sharing tidbits at a time... But that would mean I would have to HAVE time to do that... *sigh*

Someday!! :)

I can't tell you how refreshed I've felt since WOF!! I REALLY needed that (& to go with my girls instead of "church people" if you know what I mean)...it just filled up my cup!! :)

Obviously, Steven Curtis Chapman was excellent!! And, I might've bawled like a baby while he sang...He started out singing, "Blessed be your name, on the road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name..." For those of you who don't know or are just passing through this blog (maybe for the first time), SCC & his family lost their 5-year-old daughter in a freak accident in their driveway, and to be able to sing those words 10mos. after the accident, it was just powerful, and I admit, pretty humbling. God is God no matter what we are going through, and I've been a bit of a whiner in my relationship with God.

Friday was spent with Sandi Patty, and MAN, that girl can sing!! :) I always seem to underestimate her talent, probably because I associate her with "old people music" when that's not the case, really... Awesome testimony & just a powerful voice!! :)

The speakers were great, the company greater, and the music...INCREDIBLE... Because Saturday was Mandisa!! She just blows me away, and I have to say, she is even better live than on her CD's (and she's pretty awesome on her CD's!! :))

GREAT time, and I was just filled... There's just so much to share!! :)

Alright, my time is up, apparently... Eli's up & hollering "Mama!! Mamama!!"

Hate to be so abrupt!! :) Love you all!! :)

Library Ramblings...

So, I know it's been awhile, but I'm gonna pick up like I never stopped blogging for a month or more :) LOL

I've been listening to Mandisa!! Girl!! I LOVE her!! :) I love her music, I love her testimony, and I love what GOD is saying to my heart through her...

I was asked to "teach" our Devo group at church this week (13+ youth kids), and I am wondering if the Lord isn't leading me to share with them "True Beauty" & how we are not to be defined by anything other than Christ...Or maybe that's just the message He's been speaking to MY heart, especially the last few days...

Steve surprised me with Mandisa's new Freedom CD (it came in a box from Christianbook.com, and, yes, was addressed to him, but I *thought* I knew what was in there!! :)), then, yesterday, after a very tough day (Eli's teething...apparently he's getting a mouthful all at once!! UGH!!), he brought home her 1st CD that we didn't have, and I escaped to the shower with the CD player & CRANKED IT UP & cried & praised in the shower...I was a happier Mommy after I stepped out of the bathroom :)...

Anyways, there are other ways He's been speaking to me about "True Beauty" lately, too... Too many to count, though!! :)

On the homeschooling front, I have been devouring any kind of books that have the word "Homeshcool" in the title!! LOL I have a few homeschooling friends who are quick to tell me, "Seriously, it's not that big a deal!!" But, it's kinda like when you're pregnant for the first time, and you check out every pregnancy book that has ever been published, and maybe a few that haven't, and are just obsessed about being the "best" pregnant woman in the history of pregnant women...Until about the 2nd month, when the only thing that sounds appetizing is Taco Bell!! LOL

But, I am a perfectionist, and the perfectionist in me wants to know everything... And the "take it easy" side of me is saying, "Sesame Street is very educational...I wonder if that counts as Kindergarten?!?" LOL See? I'd LOVE to be somewhere in between...

All right, that's it for me, kids...I'm at the library today, and I can't share photos or anything, and it's almost time for Abbey to get out of storytime...

LOVE YOU ALL!! :)