Oops!

Girls, I promise I am still here, alive and kickin'! I have just been oh-so-busy with Christmas and all the traveling that comes with it when you live far from family. I will tell you one thing I am learning from living far away from home is that you appreciate your family so much more when you aren't local! Praise God for the bright side of things! :)

I have to make this quick because I am about to make enchiladas for my man, plus his favorite pie for dessert. I just wanted to alert you all that I am here and I will be back soon, blogging with the same ferocity in which I have been updating you.

Girls, I am SO excited for the New Year! Not only are we gonna have a rockin' New Years Eve with some of our most precious friends, but I am pumped for 2009. This is going to be a wonderful year for me and my man and our family. We have a few great trips lined up, we're going to have a third "niece/nephew" in August (just found that one out today!), we're going to hit two years of marriage, and most of all, I'm gonna make this a Jesus year. The Lord has done such a great work in my life in 2008 that I can't help but just be so lookin' forward to 2009!

Let me know how you're all doin'. I've been checking your blogs, keeping up!

Monday Again!

Oh, friends. It is Monday. You know what that means, right? Not Me! Monday! This is my fourth glorious Monday, and boy, do I need it today. Much thanks again to MckMama. This girl knows what life is all about. And now...

I am not really obsessed with Pandora. I do not type in the most random of Christmas songs everyday in order to come up with new playlists for my 3rd graders that they absolutely adore. And I don't let them sway and dance move rhythmically to the different songs that they hear every day.

I was not knock-down drag out sick last week for two solid days. I did not lay on my couch for almost 48 hours straight because I was so achy I could barely move. Every time I was thirsty, I did not pour water into a new cup and my house was not so trashed with stray cups, used tissues and layers upon layers of clothing on the floor that on Friday night, my hubby had to come home and wonder if he was actually at home and not at a trash dump. Ew. Not me.

My laundry is not currently overflowing from the hamper because last week when I was sick, I so had the energy to do laundry, fold it, and put it away neatly. My husband did not kindly say this morning, "I might need some socks, babe." I'm totally Superwoman, FYI.

I did not have the most wonderful date night on Saturday night with my hubby. We did not go to Don Pablos (oh, sweet glory!), then to Barnes & Noble for some Starbucks and he did not get me a book I have been craving for quite sometime (The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters). I did not have him drop me off at home later so that he could go watch the Xavier/UC game with a friend while I snuggled in and read my book and went to bed at 9:00 early. I'm not that boring.

After he dropped me off, I did not watch the Rockettes Christmas Show on WE as a poor substitute for not being able to go this year. I did not actually enjoy it and I did not applaud after every single dance and song. I was alone and I was not actually there, so that would be ridiculous.

Yesterday, after making Christmas cookie dough (we are cutting/baking/decorating today!), I did not continue to sneak little bites of dough throughout the dough after telling T not to by ANY means take ANY dough. That would be hypocritical and entirely too much sugar for me. And he's probably not finding out about that because he's reading my blog... hi, babe! :)

And finally, after making real progress with my diet over the last few weeks and losing a good chunk of my goal (I am shooting to lose 20 lbs by April! Woo!), I did not throw most of it away this weekend by feasting on pizza, Mexican food, and cookie dough. I am far more disciplined than that.

Have a most wonderful Monday! If (and that's a big "if") I post next week, I will be in Michigan with my family and my amazing friends. I just can't wait. Merry Christmas!!!

Stuffy Nose... Ick.

Today, I am one sick cookie. I am calling it as either a bad cold or a sinus infection. Either way, I spent the day in bed with aches, chills, a dull headache and lots of sneezing. I missed my little ones today, but I knew I would not be in tip top shape if I had gone to school this way. I went through an entire box of tissue in a matter of just a few hours! It was NOT a small box, either. Praise the Lord for Puffs with Lotion and Vaseline for my poor, red nose. Also, praise the Lord for substitute teachers!!! We could not do it without them. If you are a sub, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I will be going back to work tomorrow barring any worsening of my nose problems. We have Cougar Mall, which can be explained another time (trust me!), and Fridays are generally a little bit more low key in my room. If I explain to my sweeties that Mrs. H doesn't feel good, they quiet down and are more obedient than usual. They also will give me more hugs, which is totally fine with me! :)

This weekend will be full of Christmas stuff and time with my handsome man. Tomorrow, we are going to try and catch dinner and a movie if I feel up to it. If not, we will do dinner and a movie right here at home and it will be just as lovely. I think we are going to wrap Christmas gifts and I am going to MAKE some Christmas gifts on Saturday. Yes, I said "make". I am not the craftiest, but I do try and I am going to try something new this weekend. I will update next week if it goes according to plan. I think it will. :)

A few weeks ago, I heard a first grader say at the end of his prayer, "Have a very happy birthday, Jesus!" I love, love, love that childlike wish. I'm trying to remember this year more than ever that without our Savior, we wouldn't have this holiday! We are blessed. Happy birthday, Jesus!

**Friends, would you join me in prayer for my friend Jennifer's sister, Connie? You can read about it here on her blog. I know Jen is very close to her sister and this has got to be so frightening for her entire family. Please pray that the Lord would erase all questionable cells from her body and give the family peace. I work with Jen and she is a sweet friend and a great teacher. Please pray that the Lord would give Jen focus with her kids and students as she waits to find out the results of these tests.

Rudolph

This morning, while singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"with my class, I was reminded of my favorite version that was sung last year by one of my favorite little people who shall remain nameless. It went something like this...

"...you'll go down in hissssstorrrryyyyy..... like Hitler!"

Kids say the funniest darndest things.

Not Me! Monday Three!

I used to strong dislike Mondays. I still dislike Mondays, however, the strong part is gone and that is thanks to Not Me! Mondays by MckMama. What a stroke of genius. Hallelujah to the fact that she decided to follow the prompt of God to start this wonderful little gem.

I had one doozy of a week. Is doozy even a word? I don't even care at this point...

I did not spill some egg on the floor and wipe it up with a Clorox wipe. I did not consequently think that it was a great idea to wash the floor with Clorox wipes and wipe a large chunk of my floor with Clorox wipes until I realized what a stupid idea it really was.

On Friday, I did not have to turn my back to my class, count to 20, and then turn back around to deal with some of them because they would. not. be. QUIET. My precious babies are always total angels because I am an AWESOME teacher.

I did not pass out multiplication tile bags (20 tiles per bag) to each student and ask them to calculate what 6 groups of 4 would be. I did not truly think, for a while, that 6x4=20 and then, when a child politely informed me that "THERE AREN'T ENOUGH TILES HERE!", I most certainly did not realize my mistake and say, "Hey! I tricked ya!"

I was not extremely slightly irritated this morning when they showed our President Elect on "Meet the Press" admitting that he is still a smoker.

I did not miss my best friends so much this week that I looked at pictures of us all for about an hour and cried about how I want to see them immediately and how I miss having them close. I did not seriously try to figure out some way for us all to live by each other soon. I also don't know the number of days until I see them next... 12? What does that mean?

I am not storing my husband's Christmas gifts in the trunk of my car and I did not tell him that under NO circumstances is he to go back there. I am much more responsible than that and I always find great hiding places for gifts.

I did not get irrationally excited on the inside when my husband made a comment about buying a new baby-friendly car once I get pregnant. I did not try to read into this statement as much as possible until I couldn't read anything else into it. Poor man.

And I am not wearing the pants that I have blogged about twice before. And if I was wearing the pants, I would definitely not admit that I was. Maybe I need to rename my blog something regarding pants...

Have a great Monday!

Hmmm...

I enjoy medical shows about as much as the next person. I was hooked on House when it first came out, but have kind of lost interest. I don't feel as though it's as good as it once was and Dr. House irritates me to no end. I do, however, still enjoy Grey's Anatomy and have for a long time. It's one of my Tivo'd shows that I don't like to miss. Call me crazy, but I'm really sick of the whole McDreamy/Meredith story line. It's been too many years going and I would just like some true closure. I think this season is about the closest to "closure" that I've gotten.

Last year, Grey's aired a spin off show called Private Practice. It was pretty good and I really love Kate Walsh, so I would watch from time to time. This season, I have enjoyed it a lot more than last year. That is, until Wednesday's episode. Truth be told, I am still digesting it and trying to figure out what I thought.

The episode I am referring to is the one that was aired on Wednesday, December 5, 2008. In this episode, a new doctor decides to perform abortions. Most of the practice is okay with this, however, there are two doctors who are starkly against it. Throughout the episode, two of the female doctors admit to having abortions themselves. In the end, abortions are "okay-ed" at the practice and the first one is performed. At the very end of the episode, one the two doctors who was opposed to the abortion says, "A baby died here today." Ooooh, that sent chills up my spine.

Part of me wants to say that I appreciated that they presented both sides of the issue well. The female doctor who was against the abortion was also a fertility doctor, who stated that she believes "life begins at conception". The other doctors said nothing about where they believe life begins, which I have come to find is generally the case with people who are pro-choice. I was appreciative of finally hearing the pro-life stance on network television. I was also glad that they didn't choose to make it an "obsessive religious issue" as I have also seen before. I do think they did a good job with the pro-life side of the practice.

The other part of me wants to say that I refuse to watch a show that presents abortion as a viable and understandable option. May I be so bold as to say that I am pro-choice? I believe that every woman has her choice and it's made when you decide to sleep with someone before marriage (don't even GET me started on married women who abort babies for "health" reasons). That's where your choice ends and God's choice begins. He's in control of that baby's life and health and the mother's health. If you weren't asking for a baby, there are thousands of people in this country that want a baby who can't have one. Give the gift of life to your baby and to another family. Adoption is an amazing course of action that I have seen firsthand.

Back to Private Practice, though. I think I have come to the conclusion that I don't really want to watch a show that advocates abortion in any way. One reason I didn't vote for Mr. Obama is because he advocates partial-birth abortion and although he will be inaugurated in January, I don't have to support that particular belief. However, as a Christian, I believe that God has called me to pray for him and I do so faithfully. But, having him in office was not my choice. Watching a show is my choice, so I will choose not to watch.

Finally, I know that there are women who are put into awful and horrible situations and please, don't think that I'm judging you in any way. I ache for the pain you must have or are going through; I truly do. That is why I am so grateful for the option of adoption (didn't mean to rhyme just then, I promise!). It reminds me of 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." What an amazing promise for us to remember! God can work amazing and incredible things through the worst of circumstances. Now if only I could remember that one from day to day... :)

On that note, does anyone have any good show options for Wednesday nights? :)

Grapefruit & Britney

FYI, I did just squirt grapefruit juice IN MY EYE. I was sitting at my desk, working on grading while my students were oh-so-quietly working on their phonics. I thought I would enjoy my delicious grapefruit for breakfast because, let's all face it, a cup of coffee just does NOT cut it for breakfast... at least in my house.

Back to the grapefruit. I only had a few bites when some juice squirted directly in my eye. Instead of screaming out in pain like I wanted to, I turned around in my chair, covered my poor eye and whispered, "Oh. My. Gosh. OW." over and over again until I felt sufficiently better. I did not rub my eye, because that would have messed up my eye makeup and God forbid that would ever happen.

If you're wondering, my eye is fine and the grapefruit was delicious. I am still trying to gear myself up to go back for more. I'm not sure if I want to risk more pain/ ruined eye makeup. We'll see.

On a totally different topic, I am totally psyched about this.

If you know me at all, you know I have been a Britney Spears fan for a LONG time. Really. I promise. I bought her demo tape back when it came out. I even remember the sides of the tape. Side A: Baby One More Time and Side B: Autumn Goodbye. Wow, that's embarrassing. I know it is juvenile, I know it is shallow, but I am a fan. I always had faith in her while she was going through her crazy stage over the past few years. Through her shaved head, custody battles, hospital admittance(s), I've been rooting for her. I'm so glad she's back-- I knew this day would come! Doesn't she look GREAT? That's the Britney I love. Call me crazy, but I am not a fair weather Britney fan. Ask my girls. They'll tell you. And no, I am also not a 14 year old girl.

I'm most definitely buying that Glamour the moment I see it. Can't wait. Oh Britney-- you go girl.

Not Me! Monday-- Installment #2

Another Not Me! Monday is upon us. Now, unlike the stellar MckMama, I have not posted since last Monday. She amazes me-- mother to many small children and she can still blog and photograph to no end. Wow. Someday, maybe, I will have it all together like her! :) But until then...

I did not wear my favorite pants two days in a row last week, aka the only two days of school we had. I don't love them that much and I don't revel in just how cute and comfortable they are. I am also not posting about PANTS in two Not Me! Mondays in a row. That would be lame and I am not lame.

I did not forget my camera during our 3rd grade Thanksgiving party and have to resort to taking horrible pictures on my phone. I am much more responsible than this, I assure you, and would never walk around my classroom holding my camera/phone saying to each child, "Look at me, honey. Honey? LOOK AT ME! I NEED TO TAKE YOUR PICTURE!" That would be ridiculous and I am not ridiculous.

I did not wear my fleece lined Crocs to the grocery store last week with my work clothing. That would be a huge fashion no-no. They are absolutely not so comfortable that I would want to slip my aching, blister-lined feet out of my oh-so-cute-but-horridly-painful shoes to wear them out in public with my super cute work clothes. I did not see people looking at my strange outfit out of the corner of their eyes while I spent a long time at Biggs. That would be really embarrassing and I would never do anything intentionally embarrassing.

This weekend, I did not continually think to myself, "I will go running on Monday. I will go to my weights class on Tuesday. I will go running on Wednesday. I will go to weights on Thursday. I will go running on Friday," whilst STUFFING myself silly with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, casseroles, desserts, etc. That would be obsessive and I am not obsessive.

I did not bawl like a baby when we left Michigan yesterday because I was going to miss my family, friends, home, church, life, etc. That would be childish and I am not childish!

And finally, I did not wear short sleeves today, in Ohio, in 30 degree weather, in falling snow, just because I wanted to wear my cute shirt-- my REALLY cute shirt. That would be vain and I am not vain.

Ahh, I feel SO much better now! What are some of your Not Me! Mondays???

Not Me Monday!

I have been following MckMama for only a few weeks now, but I admit it-- I'm hooked. She is so honest and real and that, my friends, is refreshing. I think I found her blog through Bring the Rain and now I check it pretty regularly. Not only is she hilarious, but her kids are so darn cute. I can only hope that my kids come out and grow to be that precious!

Anyway, she does this thing called "Not Me Monday" which is essentially free therapy blog-style. It's a time to be completely honest about things that I most definitely did NOT do this past week... or maybe I did. Let's leave it up to you to figure that out. :)

I did not force myself to put away my favorite pair of work pants for an entire week for fear that my colleagues might think that I don't own any other trousers. I did not keep them crumpled in the bottom of the hamper just so I could resist the temptation of wearing them. I also am not wearing them today, the first day off my "pants fast".

I did not stay up until 1:30 am on Thursday night in order to make all sorts of treats for my jewelry party the next day and I did not seriously contemplate washing the floor at 1:15 am. I most certainly did not want my guests to think I had it all together. Not this girl.

In turn, I did not pop in the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie 6 days early the next day at school so that I could get some grading done and not hear my name fifty thousand times in 4.3 minutes.

I did not buy cute and colorful key covers at The Container Store on Saturday just to try and put them on my keys last night and be too frustrated to continue. I also did not just throw them in my desk drawer this morning because I was done trying to put them on my keys. That would be wasteful and I would never do that.

I did not get giddy yesterday when my hubby asked to hold Malia voluntarily. I did not immediately start thinking, "Maybe he is ready! Maybe this is a SIGN!" I did not get so-excited-I-almost-peed-my-pants at the prospect of the fact that maybe, just maybe he was ready for a small one. Then, darling hubs did not turn to me and say, "Don't read into this." My husband does not know his wife.

I also did not seriously consider ripping the sleepy Malia from her daddy's arms during the service just so I could soak up that "sleepy baby" drug. I would never do such a thing.

And lastly, I was not bored last night watching the 24 movie and I did not download the "Are You Smarter Then a Fifth Grader?" game on my phone just to be sorely disappointed by it's poor graphics and the fact that I am truly not smarter then any fifth grader. Not me.

I hope you enjoyed my first "Not Me Monday". Hopefully I'll hear good feedback and be back for round 2 next Monday!

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Sam's memorial service yesterday was incredible. His life touched so many and was so far reaching. What a privilege it was to know someone "who looked just like Jesus" as was said many a time yesterday. We were blessed to have Sam for as long as we did. Please continue to pray for his family as they bury his body today.

Proverbs 3:27-- Talk is Cheap.

A Great Man

On Saturday evening around 9:00ish, I received an "all call" from school asking for prayer for one of our teachers, Sam Dillard. We were asked to pray for him as he had collapsed from a brain aneurysm and was in the hospital. About an hour later, we received another call asking for prayer for Sam's life. I know that our entire CCS family prayed for healing through the night.

God answered those prayers in the way He saw fit and healed Sam completely at about 2:00 am on November 16, 2008 and took him to be in Heaven. Sam leaves behind his wife, Lianne, and two young daughters.

Sam was a great man of integrity who loved the Lord with his entire life. I had the pleasure of working with Sam on a few occasions and eating lunch with him once, where it was so evident that his entire life was about serving Christ and doing all work for the glory of God. His life just radiated Jesus' love. What an incredible example. I wonder if I will ever be half the Christ-follower Sam was; I can only hope and pray and follow the example that he left behind.

He was a teacher, a mentor, a coach, a friend, a husband, a daddy, and most of all, a follower of Jesus. He will be so dearly and tremendously missed. Our school is already a different place without him. He has left a legacy.

"Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead...

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise... I will rise"

Sam, friend, we miss you already. Thanks for all you did for us and the legacy you left behind. You are loved. This is a picture of Sam that truly captures what he was all about. I can just picture him like this at the feet of Jesus. I am sure he was welcomed into Heaven hearing, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!"

Picture Updates!

I wanted to wait for my next post until I could put up some pictures. I love reading blogs, but I also love looking at pictures. We've had a busy past few months, and the next few will only be busier! We got to relax this weekend, but this will be the last one for about a month. As much as I love relaxing, I also have lots to look forward to. Here's a quick glimpse of the last month or so...

Malia came over for dinner with her Mommy and Daddy. We love them and love spending time with them. Malia was born in July and she is growing up and gets more precious every time I see her! Dana (Mommy) is my best Cincinnati friend and I love spending time with her. I was telling Ty the other day that Dana has been one of the best examples of friendship to me that I have ever had-- I am sooooo blessed by her and by our relationship! Malia has the best mommy and our plan is that their second child and my first will either be the best of friends or get married someday. We'll have to wait and see, but I wouldn't mind having Dana and Corey as my in-laws someday. Okay, I'm getting waaaaay ahead of myself... :)

In early October, we went to the wedding of our precious friends, Zack and Libby. Zack was in our wedding and Libby has quickly become a close friend. I hate that we live two hours away and we are hoping that someday we will live in the same city. They are a great "couple"friend and their wedding was amazing. It was in the most beautiful chapel and Libby was a stunning bride. I'm sure her husband agreed. :) They are really special to us and we are always trying to find ways to see one another on the weekends. It looks like we may have to wait for a few weeks at least, but we keep up with each other. It's so great to have such wonderful, wonderful girlfriends. And for Tyler (and me!), guy friends like Zack! For the record, I realize I look like a total goof in the picture of the two of us, but aren't I married to such a handsome guy???

One day, I was feeling rather crafty, so I went to Michael's and picked up a few things and made some candle holders and stenciled some craft pumpkins. Even though I am an elementary teacher, craftiness is really not my thing. I can do things that are laid out for me in a book or from another teacher, but coming up with things on my own is really not my style. I truly wish it was, though. I bought some candy corn and candy pumpkins, filled up a Mason jar with them, tied a ribbon around the mouth, and placed a tea light inside. I painted two craft pumpkins and then stenciled deisgns on them. I took some pictures to show all of you who are interested. For the record, I stenciled a second pumpkin, but it wasn't dry, so I didn't photograph it. Maybe someday soon... :) I do love fall and fall decorations, so this was really fun for me. Enjoy!

My sweet little car, Cotton, hit 100,00 miles as well! (Can you tell that I am a child of my father due to the fact that this was a big deal to me?! Tyler didn't understand.) Anyway, I was pretty pumped and took pictures of the grand event. Here are two that documented the glorious morning. She is a great little car and has driven me to see so many people I love. It's good to have a sturdy and safe vehicle! And yes, that is a dog biscuit on my dashboard. My mom gave it to me to remind me of Georgie. Which reminds me of a hilarious story that no one else would laugh at except for Sara and Stephy, so if you are one of those two, I hope you are laughing. :)

And finally, we went to see High School Musical 3 with Dana and Corey, which I already wrote about. However, the movie/soundtrack was much better than I ever could have hoped. It was so much fun and I love that kids have these movies to watch. They're hilarious. We were in the same movie theater as one of my sweet students, and we sat right behind her. We even had the same favorite part. It was great. Dana and I even got the chance to take pictures with the cast!

Again, gross picture of me, but I mean, how lucky was I to get a picture with Zac Efron?? ;)

Make it a great day!

Fun Fours.

4 Jobs You've Had in Your Life:
Limited, Too (At that time, I was sixteen or so and could still fit into the clothing. Not so true anymore.)
Nanny (Three different families for six years. Best darn job of my life. Miss 'em like crazy.)
Kindergarten Teacher (Loved this job. Met the most precious kids.)
Sixth Grade Teacher (Loved the kids, but NEVER again.)

4 Movies You Could Watch Over and Over:
High School Musical 1 (Refer to my previous post.)
High School Musical 2 (Again, my afore mentioned post.)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Trust me, I've watched this probably around 20 times.)
Angels in the Outfield (Always hilarious.)

4 Things you Want to Do:
Go to Europe with my hubs.
Get my pilot's license.
Have a few kids.
Go on a tropical vacay with the Toolbox (aka three best girlfriends).

4 Costumes You've Worn on Halloween:
Yellow M&M (The only costume my mom ever made. It was awesome.)
A die (I lied before. My mom made this one too. Aunt M made Meredith's and we went as a pair-of-dice. We won the church costume competition. Booyah.)
A hippie (What kid didn't?)
A mouse (It covered up the layers upon layers my mom made me wear that night. It was COLD.)

4 Songs You Could Listen to Again and Again:
Glory by Selah and Nicole Nordemann
Gotta Go My Own Way by Troy and Gabriella (High School Musical... again.)
Gold Digger by Kanye West (I know, I know.)
Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman (Quite a variety there, huh?)

4 Websites You Visit Daily:
gmail.com (Email is key.)
blogger.com (I like keeping up with friends who are far away.)
facebook.com (Helps me try to stay connected to friends, again.)
people.com (Yes, I am that shallow.)

Your turn!

I've Been Waiting.

It's here. The event I have been waiting for for months. Years, maybe. Honestly... ever since the first movie came out two years ago. I have grown to know these characters and I love them. I love what they do and what they sing. They are awesome, and I will admit that sometimes, I wish I was one of them.
Let's be honest. Far more people love these movies then they care to admit. And now that one is about to hit the big screen... well, America is thrilled. I am thrilled. Dana is thrilled. We are dragging our husbands to see this movie tomorrow night and yes, we have already purchased tickets online. We talked about it for a long time today and are about as excited as the sixth grade girls at school... maybe more. I also downloaded the soundtrack tonight and am so excited to listen to it on my way to school tomorrow. It's definitely going to make me pop out of bed and get ready quickly. I am pumped. I love High School Musical and I will be devastated tomorrow at the end of the movie when the fun finally comes to an end. Oh, man, I can't even stand it.

On a side note, report cards are done. Phewf. The end of the quarter is always a long haul for me. I'm going to go and read myself to sleep. I've gotten hooked on the Yada Yada Prayer Group books. I'm loving them. I love to read in general, but I love when I find a series that just makes me happy.

Night night.

Third Grade Prayer

My favorite prayer request today?

"I want to pray for the people in Texas. There is a bad swarm of flies down there somewhere."

:)

Marriage.

This weekend, Tyler and I are going to a marriage conference with Dana & Corey. They went last year and it sounded like an amazing time, so we are going with them this year. It is at their church, so we won't have to travel (HALLELUJAH!) and we are looking forward to spending time with them. Dana is one of my best "Cincinnati friends" (and just plain friend) by far, and we're going to see each other next weekend as well, so I have LOTS to look forward to. We taught together last year, and this year she is staying home with her precious baby girl, Malia, so we don't see each other near as often. I am also looking forward to holding this darling creature tonight:

Be jealous. Be VERY jealous. :)

Watching the debates... or not.

I watched about 5.4 minutes of the debates last night. Why? Because they made me cry last time. They are so darn mean to each other and it kind of breaks my heart. We're still humans, after all, even if we don't agree. This brings me to my next point.

Barack Obama. He's much too "Rico Suave" for me. Maybe he should be a judge on America's Next Top Model as opposed to running for the next leader of the free world-- he surely seems better equipped for that. I'm just saying. I also don't find him to be worthy of much respect due to the fact that he supports abortion. A friend of mine directed me to a link that I thought said it way better than I ever could. It is a true (I checked thoroughly) email written by a Christian pianist named Huntley Brown and it shares his thoughts on why he can't vote for Obama. I agree wholeheartedly with him. If that brother was standing here with me today, I would surely shake his hand. If you would like to see what he has to say, click here.

All I can say that if Senator Obama does indeed win this election, he can count on my prayer support everyday, and that is the truth.

We have had many political discussions, or should I say total outbursts, here in third grade over the last few months. Most have been hilarious when looked back upon, but during the time of the actual riot, for lack of a better term, it's pure chaos here. Here is how the first throw down went.

Student A: I can't believe Barack Obama wants to kill babies when they are in their mommy's tummies!
Student B: Barack Obama does NOT believe in THAT! He believes in CHANGE!
Student C: My dad HATES Barack Obama!
Student D: I'm not voting for John McCain!
Me: (Furiously trying to "shhh" everyone in hopes that parents won't be calling right and left over the next few days asking what in the WORLD she is teaching.)
Student E: MY MOM SAYS BARACK OBAMA IS A TERRORIST!

Or, my other personal favorite.

Student A: Barack Obama is bad for letting babies get killed in their mommy's tummies.
Student B: That's not true! He said it wasn't true! He said it's a RUMOR!
Me: (Again, trying to make these children keep their opinions to themselves as opposed to getting phone call after phone call after email after phone call...) The next person who says anything about Barack Obama or John McCain gets their color changed!
Student C: Well, I think anyone is weird that votes for Obono. (Yes, he said Obono.)

Needless to say, Student C got his color changed. :)

And finally, I had one of my sweet little ones ask me this question yesterday: "I don't understand why [Barack Obama] wants to bring the troops home and why he wants to kill babies.The troops sign up to honor in the war and they don't WANT to come home and the babies don't have a choice to die. Why would he do that?" What do you say to that? I don't know, baby. I just don't know.

I didn't intend for this to turn into an anti-Obama blog and I'm sure I will meet with some adversity because of it. Let me just say, I do not, by any means, agree with everything John McCain has said or supports. I know some might say that I am naive for not supporting Obama just because he supports abortion, but there are other things. I just won't get into them here or now. I am passionate about this because I feel that God very clearly expresses himself in the Bible about abortion and I'm not getting the picture that He and Obama see eye to eye.

Here is a little something from my perspective on abortion, according to Scripture...

Psalm 139:13-16 The Message
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.

And now, a delightfully funny political comparison. But please keep in mind-- this woman is my GIRL. And not just my American Girl Doll...

Oh, my.

Well, needless to say, I have not been bitten by the "blogging bug". No entries since July? July. Really, seriously, Rachel. Come on. One word: pathetic.

May I confess something? (Of course... I can confess whatever I want. It's MY blog. HA! Don'tcha love that sense of entitlement?!)

I want to be a blogger. I want to be one SO bad. I read these eloquent blogs from different people and I think, "I want to write like that!" Could I really do it? Probably. Not that I'm all that eloquent or articulate, but I do have funny things to write about. Like when one of my third graders yelled, "MY MOM SAYS BARACK OBAMA IS A TERRORIST!" I could write about the fact that I usually am on the brink of falling down the stairs at least once a day. Maybe that's not so funny, but it is if you are there and see me trying to balance three different bags, a purse, a lunchbox, sometimes a coffee and whatever other assorted items I may be trying to lug down three flights of stairs. I'm telling you, it ain't pretty. I have yet to fall down the stairs, but I assure you, it will happen. Stay tuned.

I digress...

Here's the deal with me and blogging. I am a huge creature of habit. I love the fact that I know what my schedule is everyday after school and it rarely changes. Not only do I love consistency and concrete plans, but I also am insanely busy. I feel as if I can barely handle teaching, my extra commitments, cooking, cleaning, and being a good wife to Ty. If things aren't planned or if they don't go according to plans, I fall apart. There. I admit it. Rachel falls apart. I think I'm doing better than I used to regarding with "going with the flow", but still, it's not pretty. Yuck. Nothing like admitting your own insecurities like writing them out for the whole world to see.

You're probably wondering, "What in the WORLD does this have to do with blogging?" Or maybe you've stopped reading by now. I wouldn't blame you. I have a tendency to ramble... as I am right now. Oh, Lord, bless those who are still reading for being my true friends... or for being truly nosy. ;)

Okay, blogging. Focus, Rachel. Here's what you've been waiting for... drum roll, please. (If you are not doing a drum roll on your lap, please do not read ahead until you have perfected that delightful sound. Thank you.)

I am not a good blogger because there is simply not time to do it and do it well.

There it is. Pretty anticlimactic, huh? Really, it's true. When I do things, I like to do them completely and I like to do them WELL. Examples, you ask? Well, I can't just vacuum the kitchen floor and leave it be. If I'm going to vacuum, I'm going to Swiffer, and then I will decide that the Swiffer doesn't do the trick (really, it's not a great product), so I will get the rags and the bucket and my Method floor cleaner, and I will was the floor on hands and knees. If I start a project at school, I will not leave until it's finished. I have been known to call my poor and unsuspecting husband (who thinks he is in for a pleasant and quiet evening with his wife) screaming and crying about the fact that it is 7:00 and I am still at school because I have so much to do and if he knows whats good for him, he will open that box of macaroni and cheese and eat ONLY half of it so that I will have something to eat when I get home. Poor man. He didn't know what he was in for when he took those vows.

Have you ever read the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff? I am that mouse in it's truest form. I think Ty could vouch for that. I do identify with that poor mouse. One thing does lead to another and before you know it, POOF, you are doing way more than you thought you ever would. For the record, that's how sin works too, but I won't get on my soapbox just yet. :) I'm afraid blogging would be like that for me. At this point, I think I have two options.

1. Delete this blog and never even THINK of reentering the blogging universe again.


2. Use it as an opportunity for me to get over this insane obsession of doing everything "right" ALL the time.
   

I think I shall choose option number two, unless anyone (and by anyone, I mean Ty) is opposed to that. Blogging is too fun when I choose to do it. I will shoot for once a week, maybe more, depending on my busyness factor and whether I feel like it. I'm just here to tell ya, if E! News is on, I probably won't choose blogging instead of paying attention to the latest news about Madonna and Guy Ritchie's divorce (seriously, was anyone REALLY surprised?) or the Jolie-Pitt twins latest pics. (I do confess that I love celebrity gossip and I check People.com on a regular basis... call it a guilty pleasure). If a new issue of Real Simple or Everyday with Rachael Ray has just arrived, please don't expect me to put those down to write in this blog. I'm a busy girl and yes, I am also busy doing things I want to do. But... blogging is something I want to do. I will try to get better and I will try to be interesting... try being the operative word. I can promise you one thing, though...

I will not give Ms. Numeroff material for her next book, "When You Give a Girl a Blog".

Happy Rachel's Favorite Holiday!

I have slipped for the last few days and not updated. Sadly, my week off is over. I really have loved having five days of complete freedom! I got a lot done around my house, which was so nice. I am finishing off my tasks today. It will feel great to have a completely clean house!

On Thursday, I had a really lazy day. It was kind of a crummy day, so I didn't get to lay out in the sun. :( I laid around and didn't do much... it felt good, but it made me even more tired. I don't think I'll do that again for awhile. I did do laundry; at least I accomplished something positive! Ty came home and then headed over to Tom's shortly thereafter since I was headed to Bible Study. That is what's hard about Thursdays. I love, love, love my Bible Study, but he gets home and I have to leave very shortly after that. I am in a Bible Study with some friends from school called "Stepping Up: The Psalms of Ascent". Beth Moore wrote it and I am just a little obsessed with her studies. I just bought her new book on the apostle Paul and I am looking forward to this fall when I actually have time to go through and study it! However, the study that I am in right now is amazing. It's a detailed study of Psalms 130-143. These Psalms were designed to lead you up and out of whatever you might be going through. God has placed me in this study for a good reason, and I am enjoying all that I am getting out of it!!

Yesterday was the FOURTH OF JULY! You might not know this, but it is my favorite holiday. Tarah, no comments please. ;) I just love that it's smack in the middle of summer. I also love barbecue's and fireworks! It was great that T was able to be home yesterday. It gave us a nice long weekend. We spent the day together, played a few games of Disney Scene It (I won each game by a LARGE margin!), and went over to Robert and Viona's for a barbecue. We had a great time! She had some AMAZING appetizers that we munched on, we sat and talked for awhile, then went outside to grill. While Viona grilled, we talked and Tyler played "golf" with Wesley. They are two peas in a pod. It was very fun to watch. :) We had some awesome chicken, grilled veggies, bread, corn... you name it, we had it. It was great! Then, we enjoyed some Barefoot Contessa chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing that I made. I am proud to say that everything was indeed made from scratch. I was so proud of myself, and I think they turned out really well! We ended the evening with a few games of Sequence (one of our favorites) while Wesley tried to go to sleep on the couch. He was having a rough time because of all the fireworks, poor guy. He ended up getting up and saying over 30 memory verses to us before we left! This little boy is amazing and SO precious. I can't even stand how cute he is. Before he went to bed, he said to his dad, "Daddy, I am very concerned that Mr. Tyler and Miss Rachel aren't spending the night." Then, as we were leaving, he presented me with a plum and said, "Miss Rachel, I would be happy to offer you this plum. I would also be happy to offer myself a plum." Too cute! Here is a short video of Wesley telling us some of his Bible verses and then a few pictures of us decorating the cupcakes with red and blue sprinkles!

Today, I have cleaned the floors. It is not fun, but very neccesary. Tonight, we are going on a date night. We are going to Red Robin, to see Wall-E, then to Starbucks. I'm pretty excited. I hope you all enjoy your weekend. Happy 4th of July!!

If you need painters, we are AWESOME.

Day three is over and I am feeling a bit sad. This will be my last week off in a long, long time. I have so enjoyed this break and I think that next year, I will take the whole summer off and just enjoy myself. However, I am enjoying this summer with the darling kids I nanny for, so I will just take it for what it is... a fun summer that's just a tad busy! :)

Today was rather simple. I woke up, got ready for the day, and my precious friend Laurel came over. She was kind enough to help me paint my new classroom today! We painted for about 2 1/2 hours straight and finished! I must say, it looked GREAT! Neither of us had ever painted before, so we were kind of nervous, but I think we did an excellent job. It was tiring, but we got a lot done. We painted the room white, but when my kids come, we are going to make a border by using their hand prints dipped in primary colors! It should be very cute and very "elementary". :) The room was already white, but it was kind of a dingy white... it needed a fresh coat! I will put a picture up of the final result in a few months. Painting was a lot of fun and it was great to spend that time with Laurel just talking and catching up. She has quickly become a dear friend and a huge blessing and I love living by her!! I will have to take her out to lunch soon to say "thank you" for all her help today!

You may be wondering why I always say I will post pictures eventually. Well, this is because I am kind of afraid of this computer. We have a Mac and it is still uncharted territory for me. I could upload my pictures to my old Dell without fail. I was very good at that and I would totally be able to post pictures from my old computer. However, the Mac is still very confusing to me, so as soon as I figure it out or make Ty sit down long enough to teach me, you will see some real photos. :)

After painting, I came home and relaxed. I was exhausted. After a while, Grant and Em came over and we grilled out, then finished up The Departed because Grant and Em had already seen it. I had seen it, but I had just forgotten about how it went. It was a pretty good movie... a LOT of expletives, but a very clever screenplay.

So, that was about it for today! Tomorrow will probably be even more low key, but I love days like those. Maybe I will even get a chance to lay out in the sun.

Until then...

Healthy Living

Well, day two of my big week off is coming to a close. The weather was better today; yesterday, it was quite rainy. Cincinnati has been void of humidity lately, which has been GREAT! It just makes me sad that my hair straightener has been sent away to be repaired, meaning that I have had to wear my hair curly for just about a week now. If I could wear my hair straight, it wouldn't be unmanageable for once! Just my luck. :) T says he likes it better curly anyhow and I don't have anyone else to impress!

This morning, I slept in until 10:15. It was glorious. To be honest, I don't even remember T getting up to go to work. I must have been really tired. It is so nice to wake up at a leisurely pace. I cleaned the house this morning, used more of my great Method products, and got ready for my day. I met my friend, Judy, for lunch at a great place in Fairfield called Roosters. I love eating chicken wings, and Roosters has the BEST chicken wings... they are huge! Five fill me up quite adequately. We had a great time catching up! I work with Judy and her daughter, Lindsay, is getting married in about a week. I miss that time of life. Don't get me wrong, but the months and weeks leading up to my wedding were some of the best of my life. Sometimes I get a little nostalgic at the fact that my wedding is over. However, if you were able to attend, I think it was a pretty great time. :)

After lunch, I headed over to my friend Viona's house. We meet every Tuesday and she is mentoring me. She is an incredibly amazing woman of God and such a blessing to me. I also work with Viona and she has quickly became a precious friend. I look forward to our times together so, so much. We are going through one of Beth Moore's books, Get Out of That Pit. I am learning so much from Viona and I look forward to many more times together. Viona and her husband, Robert, also have a precious little one named Wesley who has also quickly become near and dear to my heart. Honestly, I think he is one of the most (if not THE most) darling little boys I have ever met in my life. We are going over to their house on Friday evening for a 4th of July BBQ, so I will post pictures so you can see his darling-ness firsthand. :)

I have realized lately that it might just be physically impossible for me to pass a Target and not go in. However, today, I passed one and just kept going! Small victories for Rachel! It might also be due to the fact that I just was in a Target yesterday... but, whatever!

I went to a health seminar tonight with my friend Sherri who sells JuicePlus. JuicePlus is a whole food, not a vitamin supplement, that offers you more than the FDA suggested serving size for fruits and veggies everyday. The seminar was not a plug for JuicePlus, but specific guidelines for nutrition. I am so glad I went! I learned a lot about how to eat, what are common nutrition myths, and practical guidelines to eating healthy. I am really excited to start taking my JuicePlus and gradually change some things about the way I eat, namely cutting out ALL refined sugar and white flour. Is it the easiest thing? No. Is it impossible? No! Here are some things that I learned tonight:

• 1 in 3 women will have cancer in their lifetime.
• 1 in 2 men will have cancer in their lifetime.
• 1 in 6 women will have breast cancer.
  
• The average American child is consuming 5 POUNDS of sugar per week! Gross!
• There are 17 teaspoons of sugar in a 20 oz. Coke.
  

Those cancer statistics are mostly due to diet and nutrition!! Yikes! I think that it's our responsibility to know these things and how we can keep our bodies healthy. Leanne (the speaker) talked about how the first choice for recovery and prevention is nutritional excellence and she also gave me a good phrase: If it doesn't rot or sprout, throw it out! She showed us a meal from McDonalds that she has saved for the last four years... and it has not grown any mold or decayed or ANYTHING! It was actually very disturbing how many preservatives are packed into the foods we eat! She spoke on the importance of eating a lot of plant foods as opposed to animal foods. All in all, it was very stimulating and I hope to go back to another seminar with Sherri soon!

Tyler and I watched The Departed tonight until he got too tired and had to go to bed. Poor guy. He's been working so hard lately. That leaves me all alone out here writing to you! I have another day ahead of me in just a few short hours, so I think I will sign out for the evening. I will leave you with another great quote I heard tonight from Leanne: "Americans are overfed and undernourished!"

Love, the new health-lovin' Rachel ;)

I've gone green!

As most of you know, I am a teacher. I find teaching to be the most fabulous profession ever for many reasons, one of them being summer break! I have never loved summer more than I do this year. However, I realized quickly that if I didn't work this summer at least a little bit, I would get terribly bored. I have been nannying four days a week until 2:30 (have I mentioned this already?). It has been a lot of fun with trips to the library, the movies, and the pool. The family is out of town this week, so I have a week of freedom! It started today, and I think I will document "Rachel's Week O' Fun"!

I spent the morning being just plain lazy. It was fabulous. I slept in and then watched a Lifetime Movie of one of my favorite books by Jodi Picoult (!). The movie did NOT do the book even a bit of justice, but what can you expect... it's Lifetime. :) I got ready and met two of my girlfriends, Beth and Cassie (and Cassie's baby, Caleb) for lunch. We had a great time together. We brought our wedding pictures and talked about the joys (and occasional frustrations!) of marriage. We then got onto the topic of bondage in our Christian walk, which I found very interesting. We began talking about the fact that as kids and even as teenagers and adults, we have all struggled with the bondage of feeling as if we will be "punished by God" if we don't do our devotions one day or skip church one Sunday. It is mind boggling to me that we can turn something as beautiful and humbling as Christianity into something that can be so restricting. In my opinion, that is Satan at his finest. He takes something that has saved us from him and from ourselves and turns it into something that can feel so choking and terrifying. That is so what this world is all about though, isn't it? If you're good enough, if you read your Bible, if you pray, if you are "spiritual" (whatever THAT means these days!), you will get to heaven. As long as you do enough for God, you'll be good when you die. How awesome is it that we serve a God who is not about tasks? That we can simply trust Him with our lives and commit our all to Him and He will show us His glory! I am in awe of His grace and power, especially as of late! He has shown me His glory and it is amazing that I can break free of that bondage with the power of His grace and mercy!

Anyways... back to the day of fun! After lunch, I journeyed over to Target and Golf Galaxy where I picked up a few more cleaning supplies (I'm getting borderline obsessed) and returned a hat for T. I did get some Method glass cleaner as well as some Method stainless steel cleaner. If you're not familiar with Method cleaning supplies, they are environmentally friendly and they are just fun. :) They come in pretty colors and they smell great! My current favorite is Method Pink Grapefruit All Purpose Cleaner, as showcased below.I am not going to go off on a whole paragraph like last time, but this stuff is GREAT. I love the way that my kitchen smells after I use it. It's worth the $5 at Target... for sure.

After Target, I went to Biggs, which is my new choice of grocery store. I had a coupon for a free gallon of milk, so I decided to go there instead of Hyde Park Kroger, which has always been my grocery store. However, I have found a whole new love for grocery shopping in Biggs. It is bigger, cheaper and NICER. I will always have a soft spot for Kroger and I am probably not completely done shopping there, but I am planning on doing my next big grocery shop at Biggs. I also continued my "green streak" and purchased 5 cloth grocery bags. They were cheap and I definitely will use them. I have hated using all the plastic grocery bags... why does the checker always feel the need to put a carton of ice cream in ONE bag? What a waste. I am looking forward to using my new bags and will post a picture of them the next time I put them to use! I am doing my part to help the environment and although I don't believe in "global warming", I do believe in doing my part to keep God's earth clean and the way He intended it! So, don't think I will be making any Al Gore-type speeches anytime soon, because to be honest, this is probably about as green as Rachel gets!

I came home and did a thorough cleaning of my kitchen, threw in a load of laundry, and enjoyed a relaxing evening with my hubby which included our (yes, I said OUR) weekly viewing of "The Bachelorette". I think that T is the best guy in the world to willingly watch DeAnna's search for love each week and give me a great commentary. I think it's safe to say that we are both rooting for Jesse to be the last guy standing. Tyler "identifies with them the most". :) He also gave me permission to be on "The Bachelorette" if he ever kicks the can, which I hope is never a reality! Oh well, at least I know that I have options! ;) KIDDING, only kidding! I have the best hubby EVER... way better than any old Jesse!

So, that was today. We will see what tomorrow brings! Love!

It has been quite sometime, dear Blog.

Well, needless to say, I am NOT an expert blogger. I'm not sure if it's due to the fact that I don't think anyone finds my life interesting but me or the fact that I have never been so busy in all my life! Maybe it's a little bit of both! But, to the few of you out there who have checked this every so often in hopes for an update from Haney Land, never fear! I have returned and it is my "summer resolution" to update this more in hopes that someday, I will look back on it and laugh at my ramblings. I will warn you-- these won't be deep in the least bit, but you'll hopefully get a bit of an outlook on life here and maybe, once in a while, a little bit of my heart. :)

It has been a whopping FOUR months since my last update and there has been much happening here! First of all, we moved! We now live in an amazing apartment on the third floor of a 98 year old Victorian mansion and we are LOVING it! Considering all the problems we had in our last place (hole in the ceiling of our bathroom, mold growing through the wall in our kitchen, drug dealing neighbors, etc.), we feel like we are living in Disney World! Well, maybe not Disney World, but at least Cinderella's palace! It is an incredibly gorgeous place with all the charm of an old home. Our landlords, who have quickly become friends, have done an absolutely impeccable job keeping it up. I love it here.

In other news... baby news... just kidding! I had you for a minute there, didn't I? Not for a while! :) Seriously though, in other news, I am going to be teaching third grade this next school year! I am so thankful for this change. I absolutely loved my sixth graders this year, but it was no secret that I struggled at times. Primary grades are my heart, so I know that this will be an excellent switch for me. Plus, I will be working with a wonderful veteran teacher who is going to be an excellent mentor for me. All in all, I am enjoying my summer break but will be really excited to go back to school in August!

More news... hmm. We will be taking a vacation in August. Where, you ask? Well, I don't know. All I know is we will be going somewhere but that hasn't been decided. I am SUCH a planner and normally, this would bother me a lot, but I think that my husband has rubbed off on me and I have become more laid back in certain areas. I'm looking forward to going somewhere... the spot has just not been chosen yet! We're hoping for Aspen, but we will have to wait and see.

My summer has been going well so far. I am nannying for a family Monday through Thursday. The job is wonderful. They are very precious children and I get off at 2:30 every day! That gives me just enough time to get stuff done or take a nap. Today, I was very productive. I cleaned the apartment, went to the bank, did laundry and went to the library. This brings me to my final two points. Here they are:

1. OxyClean just might be God's greatest invention.
2. I am obsessed with the library.

I will hit on the OxyClean part of these points first. After getting married and starting to do more consistent laundry, my sweet mother introduced me to the wonder that is OxyClean. I started with a rather small tub of the powder. I would add a scoop to my regular laundry loads (along with detergent, of course) and my laundry would come out as usual. I honestly can't say that I saw a marked difference in our laundry, but, it was nice to know our clothes were extra clean. Soon, I graduated to a large tub of the powdered gold and began using it on everything... clothes, carpet stains, etc. I loved it, but it was hard to mix up a paste every time I had a stain (which is quite often, I must admit). The next time I was at the grocery store, I happened to come across OxyClean in a BOTTLE. Could it be? Yes, it was. It has saved some great pieces of clothing from the stains I have inflicted upon them, my favorite being bright blue ink all over a corduroy coat. I was about to just throw away my faithful old coat, but I decided to give it a try with my OxyClean spray... even though the ink had been dried in for MONTHS! Well, folks, it came out! Corduroy is as good as new! My latest OxyClean victory was today. I took some raspberries to work so I could have them as a snack, but didn't finish them all. I made the mistake of putting them on top of my new white shirt in my bag when I went home (stupid, I know!) and later, when putting away the contents of the bag, I discovered that my beautiful top had five large raspberry colored stains. I almost cried, but I decided to give OxyClean another chance. SHE DID IT (I'm not sure when OxyClean became a girl, but bear with me)! I saturated the stains, ran a few errands, and when I came back... the stains were GONE. Not just faded... completely gone. I am still in shock. It was a great day for me and my OxyClean. We will be friends for life.

On to point number two... the library. Cincinnati has a great library system. You can check out books from any location and return them to any location. This works out well as I had to return some books from the branch near our old house on the same day that I took the kids to another library. I have to compliment the genius who thought that up. I am also continually amazed to discover new books and authors. My current favorite, who has stayed in the top spot for a while now, is Jodi Picoult. I will warn you... her stuff is not happy-go-lucky, feel good material, but it really makes me think. I thoroughly enjoyed her most recent book, Change of Heart. It made me think about it for days on end. Alright, back to the library obsession. I can't get enough of the library or its contents. I could spend all day in any library and be perfectly happy. I also have about half a million books checked out right now, which still excites me! I would much rather read than do anything else. I think my favorite book out of the twenty or so (I'm not kidding!) that I have checked out currently is Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook. I'm not a big fan of Martha, but I am a big fan of what she does. I can't say I have ever seen her show, but I love her magazine and I am currently in love with this book. It is about 700 pages, so I will have to renew it several times... either that or buy it. However, it is $50 (crazy!) so I think I will just renew it until kingdom come.



I can't believe I wrote this much and I can't believe that I wrote that much on a CLEANING SUPPLY. Oh, dear. I guess I really am getting into this whole "wife" routine. :) I will start updating on a fairly regular basis, so check back again soon. Thanks for the prompt to get back into this, Tarah and Hayley... it was fun!