Happy 2012

I am excited about starting the New Year.  It's always a fresh start and fresh starts mean new opportunities.  This year I am going to do two new things.  First, I am going to learn to paint.  I have always wanted to do it but never took the time to really learn.  Second, I am going to participate in a project called, Project 52.  I have joined Paint the Moon (annie from scrapbooking) project 52 group.  I will add the link below.  So in all, I will do new things and keep myself challenged and those brain cells working.  

Happy Sunday!

Last week, I attended and participated in a Marine Coastal Naturalist program.  Most of our instructors were pretty amazing and the NOAA fisheries in Panama City Beach is also amazing (awesome staff).  I learned quite a bit and have a much deeper appreciation for our environment.

I was going to clean house and do all that happy good stuff, but decided why bother.  No one was helping me.  So I am developing a tolerance for lack of organization, secretly "No, I am not.  I am hiding it rather well!"  Mind  you, my house is not a pig sty, it's just not organized like I like it.  Make sense?

So, this leads me to the next part of this post.  I decided to give CS5 a road test or should I say a scrapbook test?  Yeah, scrapbook test is appropriate.  My dear friend, Yolanda, sent me some links.  God must've whispered in her, "Send this to Laura like right now!"   I downloaded some free stuff from Jessica Sprague's Blog Hop and then ventured over to the Shabby Princess, she always has great stuff.  Picked up some free downloads and I began turning too.  Turn too, commence scrapbook work!  Aye Aye Captain! :D

So here are a few of the pages that I created, the kids were mainly from Shabby Princess.com (free):

Ian gives his new bike a spin around the neighborhood

Forever Friends!  Yolanda, Norma, Debbie, and Laura (me)

Montana and her friends, Maya and Marleigh

Montana learns to ride her new bike (2 wheeler baby)

My Girl!

Raising Dakota

Now the memories of puppy rearing come back to the forward parts of my memory.  House-training and no chewing, come to my mind right away.  Dakota is a very sensitive puppy.  We have had him for 4 days and he is now venturing around the house, sometimes leaving us little presents, and getting to know his new digs.  He will check out things and then come right back to wherever I am. He nudges my leg with his cool nose, guess he is making sure that I am still here or something.  Then he will venture off or lay down near me.  It is too hot to go outside and do anything with him.  So, we will use our evenings to train a little each day.  He is super smart, but afraid of everything.  Buster, our Australian Terrier Mix, is not so sure he likes Dakota.  But I told Buster that he just needs to get over himself.

I really wish that I could afford to put tile on my floors.  Today, I spent 2 hours cleaning carpets because of Dakota and our recent fur-guest.  As I was pushing the cleaner a million and a half times today, I was wishing for tiled floors.  Then I could just whip out my Shark and steam clean the floors!  My husband knows how to do tile, but getting him to do it, well let's just say, that is a hard task to do.  Half my wall is painted on the back porch, my deck estimate - well, he has not gotten around to getting that done, so I definitely will not be adding a tile job to his stealth "honey do" list.   One thing about marriage that I have learned, my priorities are not the same as his and I am doubting they ever will be.   These things are important to me, but not very important to him.  I am not sure I am important!  LOL!  But this is how it is, guess a lot of marriages are like that, so no need to complain.  I will just focus on raising my kids and not have a dream for a nice outdoor area or flooring.  God, don't even let me get started on the hoarder room.  LOL!  That is another post.

Thank God for my kids, my fur-kids, and all that I have in my life that is good.  God is so good. 

God gives Talents to everyone

My friend Cyndi put this up on FB today.  His voice is amazing and I sure hope he makes it!  Ryan Andreas!  Wow!  http://www.godvine.com/In-the-Arms-of-an-Angel-by-Ryan-Andreas-490.html

Happy Friday!!

I am late in blogging today because I woke up very tired.  I am babysitting a friend's dog and the little thing had fleas and could not stop scratching!  So I doctored her up with medicine that I use for my little dog.  A few hours later, she began to settle down.  Then I fell asleep.  But, I woke up, this morning, on the wrong side of the bed.  I was so tired, cranky, and irritable.  No matter how hard I tried telling myself to snap out of it, it was hard.  Also, it did not help that my kids woke on the wrong side of the bed either.

Today was errand day.  We went shopping and I bought the twins a few workbooks for us to work on over the summer.  I want to focus on reading, vocabulary, and comprehension.  Ian struggles to read, but once he reads the text, he gets it.  Montana can read really well, but she has problems with comprehension.  So I will need to work with them on different levels.  I am wondering if Montana was just reading too quickly to show off.  I will watch for that.

Since I am teaching Math/Science next year, I did find a cool book for easy-to-do science experiments.  This is some exciting stuff.  LOL---I know I am such a geek. But I want to be able to give my students hands-on too.

Oh, this afternoon we, twins and I, took a nap and we all woke up in a much happier disposition.  Of course, there is no telling what time we will all decide to pass out.

Happy Friday.  God is so good and I am so thankful.

Who lights up your life?

My little goofballs are so funny!  I was watching the Oprah show today and she had on singers, blah blah but then Debbie Boone came on and was talking about her family.  Oprah said something that profoundly struck me with regard to Debbie Boone's mother-in-law.  Her mother was Rosemary Clooney and Debbie talked about how her mother-in-law would light up when her children (Clooney's grandchildren) would enter the room.  It was like at that very moment, there was no one else in the world more important than her grandchildren.  Children want to feel that they matter, they need to see our eyes light up when we see them.

I know I do a pretty good job on giving love's and positives.  But I wonder if I do a good enough job of showing genuine pleasure when I see them or they do something good.

Lastly, Ian of course, crawled up in my lap, Debbie was singing "You Light Up My Life" and Ian started humming and trying to sing the song too.  God is so good.  My children are a light in my life and I have gratitude.

Below are some photos of my little goofballs playing in the pool (it's an above ground) but they love it. 

 

Sleepless Night

My stomach was in knots last night for a spell.  I am thinking I have a bug.  It may also be upset because yesterday I ate McDonald's, which I try not to eat.  Unsure!  Or because I am eating more salad.  Who knows?   Then this morning, Kenny and Montana woke up with tummy aches, so now I am thinking it's most likely a bug.

Letting Go and Moving Forward is tough.  My mind was once again wrestling with issues from the past, i.e., my mother.  I will never understand how a mother can not love or want to be around all of her kids, vice having a relationship with one only.  Further, I will never understand why a mother can only love one grandchild and not all of them.  Some people are just wired that way, I guess.  Today, I am going to ask God to take that pain away from me.  I am going to place that pain, I visualize it as one hot searing red brick that I am laying at his feet, because he wants us to cast our fears, doubts, and pain his way.  He will deal with that.  I guess its my job today to focus on the positive, like my family and friends.  Those who love me and not worry about the one person in the world who should, but can't.  Motherly love is unconditional, with my mother, its conditional, it's all about her.  Truly sad.  God, please don't ever let me be like that.

School start date has been officially delayed by two weeks.  We will start August 22, vice August 10.  All of the plans that I have done for the year need to be adjusted.  But that is a matter of changing the dates.  The pacing should still be the same.  I pray the Lord will help me be the best teacher I can be and that he will allow me to be a positive role model for my students.  I love what I do.  Thank you Lord.