7 Quick Takes--Back to School Edition

Here we go with my 7 Quick Takes of the week :) Thanks to Jen at Conversion Diary for hosting.

1. Today is Orientation Day for new Nursing Students. I am, of course, both nervous and excited. I am also a bit sick. I gave myself a 5 minute grace period for my hypochondria, then I took my temperature. No fever, just a nasty cough and laryngitis. I will assume this means the cooties aren't that bad. If I had fever I would not be going today, but since I don't, I plan to be there with my many questions :)

2. Today is my friend (and sister-in-law) Stacey's birthday. Stacey is a wonderful mom, fantastic daughter and sister, and an AMAZING friend! She homeschools three (very sweet) boys, keeps an immaculate house, is a great cook, and makes it look like she could do it all with her eyes shut and her hands tied behind her back. In other words, SHE ROCKS! If you haven't seen her blog yet, go check it out and give her some birthday love :) Happy b-day, Stacey!!!!

3. In honor of Stacey's b-day, several of my friends are going to see The Time Traveller's Wife tonight at the movies. I won't be able to make it to the movies tonight, but soooo wish I could. The movie is based on the book by Audrey Neffineger, and it is one of my favorite books of all time. If you haven't read it, you so should. It won't disappoint you.

4. Someone told me yesterday, "Blink and it will be Christmas." Usually, I hate thinking about Christmas before Thanksgiving. I am that person that grumbles about "letting one holiday pass before you start celebrating the next", but this year, I realize it probably will seem like I blink and it's Christmastime. I will likely be too busy to come up for air until Thanksgiving break--oh well, I will just have to hit all the Black Friday sales.

5. Last weekend was tax-free weekend here in Alabama. I sooooo love school supplies. It's probably unnatural how happy it makes me to shop for folders, notebooks, crayons, pens, and pencils....pure bliss! My sister, Jenifer, and I went together to buy supplies, and we had so much fun. We are such nerds ;)

6. My friend Kim at Beautiful Wreck is hosting a giveaway for a gift certificate to EcoStore USA. She has reviewed several of their products and given them the thumbs up. Now, I've known Kim IRL for a long time, and I know how skeptical she is of green products. I also know that Kim is a woman who tells things as they are -- for better or worse--so, for her to rave about them is a real compliment. You should go check out the giveaway, and the rest of her blog. She'll entertain you, and she may make you blush.

7. I was unpacking boxes this weekend, putting away books on the shelves, and I came across a Bible study book I had from 4 years ago. I remember reading it and studying the Bible--doing some writing and praying, though I wasn't sure I really believed all of it. You see, I was raised to be "Christian" meaning my parents took me to church and whenever we prayed it was to God/Jesus, but it wasn't something I really was connected to until the last 9 months to a year. I've always wanted to feel something with regards to faith, but it just wasn't really there before. Anyway, I was reading through some of the things I wrote, and it dawned on me that even though I wasn't invested in God then, HE was invested in me. I kept a prayer journal during that time, and when I read through it I realized that He has revealed the answers I asked for then. It didn't happen immediately...it wasn't like rubbing a genie lamp and having your wishes granted...but when I read my prayers, and looked at all the events that have directed my path over the last 4 years, His hand in it is so clear to me. In fact, I am even more assured now that the changes we've made and the path I am on is the right one. :) God is good--he loves us even when we don't recognize Him.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I thought I'd join in with this week's Random Tuesday Thoughts. Still haven't mastered the button thingee. Oh well, here goes anyway...

My husband has been working his beehind off to get our hardwood floors installed. Ebony hardwood=GORGEOUS!!! I am so excited.

I finished my last prerequisite for nursing school yesterday--Chemistry. Pleased to report that I got an A in the class. The last class we had to turn in a paper on any subject we chose wrt Chemistry, and I chose to do Chemistry and Human Blood. I learned a lot and actually enjoyed writing the paper. We also had to do a presentation to the class on our subjects...I got 100% on my speech :D

My Zoe girl has long been a huge fan of all things pink. In the last couple of weeks she has learned the word "favorite" and is now having fun telling us all about her favorite things. She, of course, has declared pink as her favorite color. Since I am always telling her she is my favorite little girl, I asked her the other day, "Am I your favorite mommy?" She replied, "No, Daddy is my favorite." So that evening I told Matt what Zoe said. He asked her (just to hear her say it ;) ), "Am I your favorite?" She smiled, nodded her head yes, and said, "You my PINK!"
:D So Matt says back, "Well, you're MY yellow!"

Vicky and Baye are sick. Like, really, really sick. The doctor thinks they have Swine Flu. Please say a prayer that they will be well soon, and no one else will catch what they have.

School starts in less than a week, for me and the kids. I have orientation (or disorientation, depending on your point of view) on Friday. Looking forward to the next big step!!!!

That's all for now.

Edited to Add: Added the art...yay me!

Transparency

So, Saturday night shortly after midnight I was in Walmart shopping. The store was (thankfully) nearly empty, and I chose to go then for that very reason. I went to the store to get food items that I was purchasing with WIC vouchers, and honestly I was hoping to avoid anyone seeing me using them. We have never had to receive any sort of public assistance before, and frankly, I find it incredibly humbling to do so. As I walked through the store selecting my "free" items, I felt conflicted. On one hand, I felt embarrassed that we are in a position of need. I have never in my life had to deal with financial difficulties like this, and I will admit that I never expected to have to face them. On the other hand, I also was continually reminded of how very grateful I am that these programs are available, and more so, that our needs are always met by the grace of God. Driving home I thought a great deal about pride, and specifically, about how pride prevents people from building real relationships.

I live in the South. People here are friendly. You would think there would be a sense of community and concern. Everyone here always greets each other with a smile, a "how ya doin'?"...but I really feel these are empty gestures, niceties taught to us by parents who grew up in a different time. Truthfully, I think most people are like me. They are on autopilot when they reply, "Doing fine, and you?" I know I'm so happy to get the lie out of my mouth and refocus on the other person. It's so much easier that way. But that is my pride. Pride and Fear...and it is blocking the path to the openness and transparency I long for in my life. So, I have been thinking a lot about this pride and fear. Also about honesty, humility and why it's so damn difficult to let other people in--to build true relationships instead of acquaintances. Because, we lose when we do this...when we put on our masks and smile and make nice. We lose the opportunity to share love and friendship and hope.

7 Quick Takes

Happy Friday! My goodness this week has flown by...not much time left before things around here start seriously hopping. So here are my takes for this week.

1. Final grades are in for summer term, and I got all A's! I sincerely thought I would end up with a B in the English Comp. class. I wasn't a big fan of my term paper, and turned it in despite the fact that it was not the best I could have done. The problem was the subject. I chose to write about autism and the environment, thinking it would be good for me to read and study, since I have a son on the autism spectrum. Instead, it was really hard emotionally and led to lots of crying, so I basically just slapped something on paper and got on with it. Oh well, the teacher either didn't notice, or was especially merciful when grading. Either way, I'll take it.

2. It has been raining here everyday. Honestly, that is a really good thing...we usually have rain pretty much everyday (for a little while) in the summer. This summer though has been completely dry for the most part, leaving everything brown and thirsty outside. It's nice to have it back to normal. However, my kids are not digging the staying indoors, not going swimming part of the weather. Nathan (my oldest son) is especially not liking the grass growing so much--it's his job to mow.

3. I have been contemplating the possibility of a 12-step program for facebook. Seriously. Addiction is not pretty.

4. My sweet, darling baby girl CUT HER HAIR last night. A big clump of it, right on top next to her part. :( The worst part is, that the section she cut off, is the part I always rubbed while she was nursing...by the time it grows out she probably won't be nursing anymore. So sad. And yes, I realize that it may be odd that I care more about that than the way her hair looks, but I can disguise the cut hair.

5. I have been reminded several times this week that God is good, and His kindness and providence are sufficient to meet our needs. Unexpectedly this week, we have had our needs met, just when we thought we would break. Still hoping for a job for Matt, but we're taking it day by day, and remembering to have faith.

6. This weekend, my sister is producing a bridal show at the Saenger Theater in downtown Mobile. http://www.bisforbrideevent.com/ Bis for Bride is going to be an amazing, fresh, modern take on event planning for our area. I am so proud of all she has done. And seriously, my sister is crazy talented when it comes to event planning. Here is a link to her business, Marybelle's. http://marybelles.squarespace.com/ Check out her gallery to see her work....she rocks!

7. Does anyone else think the whole "birth certificate" thing with President Obama is weird? Why are people so upset over this? Yes, he is an American citizen. His MOTHER was an American citizen. Last I checked, that counts. Apparently some people question his legitimacy as President if they haven't seen the long form of a birth certificate? The funny thing is these same people were arguing against questioning Bush's legitimacy in 2000 after the fiasco in FL. Very strange.

That's all for today. Here is a link to Conversion Diary: http://www.conversiondiary.com/2009/07/7-quick-takes-friday-vol-44.html

Coincidence? I think not.

Thirteen months ago, one week after Matt's accident at work, we bought a house. The house is a nice house--five bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a pool, out-of-date decor, but tons of potential and everything we needed for our family. Right around the corner, literally backing up to our fence, is a nice little church. At Christmastime, they put on a lovely Nativity scene and sang Christmas carols, very charming. When we purchased the house, and periodically since then, we've noticed the church and said we should go check it out ("might be the only church we could ever get to on time since it's in our backyard and services start at 11:00," we joked).

I am not a churchgoer by nature. I don't like crowds, especially not of strangers, and I struggle really hard with faith. I am a Christian, but I am NOT evangelical, and I'm pretty uncomfortable around people who are of the pushy "Got Jesus?" variety. But today, on a whim this morning we dressed the kids and went around the corner to the little church. We parked opposite our swimming pool in the parking lot, went in and the entire message of the day was on.......

"Trusting God in Times of Need".

Hmmm....interesting.

Gratitude and Goodness

Today we had a slow start. I decided to let the family sleep in, since it's Saturday, and we have basically just been hanging out--doing chores around here as we feel like it. Not a bad way to pass a Saturday morning. As most of my in-real-life people know, my husband Matt has been out of work for over a year now. Last June, his eye was injured at work, then a parasitical infection set in. Not only was he extreme pain for many months, he was left with permanent damage to his eye, and he won't ever be able to see as well out of that eye as he was before. He describes it as if he's looking though fuzzy glass, which is of course the situation due to the scar on his eye. Now that he can return to work, the economy has taken a turn for the worse, and there aren't many jobs available. He spends time EVERYDAY putting out applications, calling people he knows, sending out resumes...he's working his butt off trying to find something.

I say all this, not to whine, rather to express my gratitude. Gratitude for my husband who is so willing to try so hard for our family. His persistence and resilience is a wonder to me. Maybe I am too thin-skinned, but I don't know how I would fare in his position. And yet, he stays positive...he still smiles, laughs, and gives hugs as though we have no need to worry. When I open yet another bill and get flustered and feel desperate, he always tells me we'll be ok. I am so grateful for him. Grateful that he is the same loving person no matter what situation we face. I wish I could say that I am the same for him, but sadly he married a tempest.

7 Quick Takes

1. Today I am going to attempt to actually, gasp!, participate in some of the regular postings I read every week. This post is a first attempt. I have no clue if I will actually be able to pull off a blog link thingy (yes, the technical term), but I am giving it a go.

2. Also regarding today's participation: I am getting involved. Normally, I am the girl that sits on the side of the group listening and watching. I am not really so much shy as I am fascinated by human behavior. I also am not a big fan of controversy, so I often try to avoid subjects that are near and dear to my heart in the hopes of not pissing someone off and having to defend my perspective. In the last 7 months since returning to school, I have discovered this is basically futile. I won't be able to avoid speaking up, so I may as well get good at it. Hence my "coming out" in the cyber world.

3. So, yesterday I mentioned that I slept until noon. Yep, I did. And it was soooo nice, until I realized that during my long, unbroken sleep my children had wreaked havoc upon their bedrooms and the pantry. I woke up to find ALL THE SNACK FOOD GONE. Note to self: While pretending to be 19 again and sleeping in the day after exams is a great luxury in theory, "treats" like this have too high a cost in real life for a mama of 4.

4. I am thinking about what I am going to do with my former blog. Not sure if I should try to move the archive over here, or print it out to save for memory sake, or just keep the blog as is? It is written mostly just for me, without the perspective that someone might read it, and I did a lot of the "avoiding discussion" thing over there. Still, I definitely don't want to lose it. Ideas?

5. We were supposed to leave for Disney World today with the kids. It was the "mom-finished-school-for-the-term-and-it's-summer-vacation" reward. Instead, we had to cancel since Matt is still looking for work. The kids are pretty disappointed, and truthfully I am too. So today instead, I am going to try to make time to do something fun with them. Hoping to picnic at the park provided that the weather isn't too hot and muggy.

6. I am also working today on rescheduling our lives for the coming term. Nursing school orientation is on August 14, so I have a little over 2 weeks to implement new bedtime, waking, and chore routines. I am not great with structure, so it will be challenging for me. But my kids desperately need it, especially Gordon, and so do I if we are going to survive the intensity of classes to come. I think I need to try to make friends with the structure. Kind of like Ricki Bobby does with the cougar.

7. Doing seven quick takes has been fun. I think this week, I will keep a list of ideas so that I don't have to try to think on my toes about what exactly my "takes" are. Also, my post won't have the cute little button at the top...haven't figured out how to do that yet. Tutorials and help more than welcome. Glad to participate :)
Happy Friday!

Here is a link to 7 quick takes friday over at Conversion Diary http://www.conversiondiary.com/2009/07/7-quick-takes-friday-vol-43.html