2010 a Recap...

Once again, it has been a while since I've been able to post. The fall seems to hit us hard w/husband's school starting, cross country season, oldest daughter's school (and in turn school friends sharing germs), then Halloween, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas. It's enough for me to DO those things, let alone reflect on them and write about them. We haven't been without family drama either... our relationship seems to be built up around family drama, so in some ways it seems par for the course. But.... I'd be lying if I said that I didn't envy those people for whom life seems to fly by effortlessly. Of course, the grass is always greener on the other side. You think your family is the only one with problems, but really, everyone's got 'em.

But I digress... this post was supposed to be a re-cap of 2010....

I started off 2010 pretty pregnant, not that you can tell from this picture. But I also got a snazzy new haircut, which I desperately need again.

On February 21, we welcomed another sweet girl into our family...

Fast forward and we had a fun 4th of July, first having a parade at my dad's and then going to shoot fireworks at husband's grandparent's house.

I got to spend some quality time w/middle daughter while husband took oldest daughter to visit his dad's family.

We had another first day of school... oldest daughter is now in PreK4!

We celebrated halloween as tinkerbell and snow white

I got a little bit of sewing in... I'm doing much better doing applique and made turkey shirts for Thanksgiving for our 3 girls and our niece.

And did a few crafts here and there... this is our advent calendar made from pages in magazines & a gift bag.

Went to see Santa

And had this waiting under the tree (from mom & dad)... we built this play kitchen w/a few supplies & a nightstand!

And most of all... we had a lot of fun as a family. Here is hoping 2011 is just as fabulous!

winner winner chicken dinner

Oh my goodness... I can't contain my excitement... I just won an official Gussy bag! Yeow!

I know I've been a little crappy with the blogging lately... home and work have been busy and stressful and it looks like things will be staying that way for a bit... this alternative certification process is going to end up taking a bit of concentration and preparation... hey... maybe I can keep myself better organized and control the paperwork that it is taking me to get this done in my new Gussy bag?!?!

Anywho, thank you to Gussy and the folks at Love Feast Table for having the fabulous giveaway. I'm super excited!

8

Happy Anniversary to my amazing and wonderful husband!

win a gussy!!!

Go here and follow her instructions for your chance to WIN your VERY OWN gussy bag !!!

Also, if you've never heard of GUSSY, please crawl out from under your rock now.

=)

for June

Within my reach...

... so in a past post, I mentioned some job questions that have come up for me, and since I keep this blog fairly anonymous (not to mention that my boss knows about this endeavor of mine)... I'm putting it out there... for the sake of asking prayers, support, advice, etc.





I want to be a teacher. I have always wanted to be a teacher. My journey has not yet led me to that place. When I went away to college my life was personally in a total upheaval and so I 'upheaved' it right back by changing my 'safe' major of English, to something less steady, yet more personally fulfilling.. Theology.





I've worked for the Church for the past 8 years and have learned a lot and grown a lot. I can't even begin to describe the ways I've been blest. But our family situation dictates that a change is needed and me pursuing this dream (teaching) fits.





Finding a way to break into the teaching field is a whole other story though. Budgets are being cut while standards are being raised, and getting myself certified (I really am CERTIFIABLE ha ha) was showing itself to be 100% completely necessary. The route of finding an office job in a school and then working my way into a classroom became a clearly closed door (just for the record, it is RIDICULOUS how little a public school secretary gets paid... we're talkin' food stamps here.)... we just wouldn't be able to swing that financially.





It was starting to look like going back to school and doing a second Bachelor's degree in English might be my only option, so I started researching programs, online degrees, night classes etc. and while I do have a love of English, grammar (not that you can tell from my quickly written and rarely edited posts here), and literature, going back to school was not very appealing. A necessary evil, basically. (Let me point out here, that I'd love to go back to school someday, but would prefer not to wait until at least my kiddos aren't so little!)





Well, a sudden thought came to me that I should get in contact with someone at our state department of education and look for some professional advice on the best choice available to me. The man I wrote to emailed me back today and gave me the biggest piece of hope I've had in a while... the potential that a letter from my university acknowledging that my Theology degree could qualify me to test for alternative certification in social studies!!!!





I cannot begin to tell you how excited this makes me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will go down with this ship...

...I won't put my hands up and surrender.

Abandoned.... that's probably how any of you blog readers of mine (you dear dear people who put up with my mindless drivel) feel. I apologize. Our summer has been more than hectic. So, Iwill update you what's been going on in our lives...

These three amigas were in their gaga & papa's neighborhood 4th of July parade

While this amiga and I watched and cheered.

This sweet little thing

has become this sweet chubba-lubba

(look at those thighs! AND she CAN get her toes in her mouth).

These two jetsetters took off for 6 days in New Jersey

(and obviously a day trip to NYC)

while this little chica

has some fun with her cousin, little sister and...

a dinner date and...

boat ride downtown with mom.

(PS that look of mischief on her face epitomizes her personality right now...

she's probably thinking... "while mom is fiddling w/her camera phone I wonder if I could jump off this boat and into the water and scare those ducks")





And these two cuties were flower girls in our good friends' wedding....

after which we got down and did some shakin' of our booties....

until it was definitely time to go home.

uneasy

Embracing the things that mkae us feel uneasy... that is waht is on my mind these days...

like accepting the chaotic state of my house, doing what I CAN about it, and letting the rest go... even on days when my dad & stepmom are coming over for dinner. My house is not perfect, far from it, but it is filled with LOVE and that is what is most important.

knowing that change is coming... I'm on a job search. This one is not cutting it for us. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my job. But I do not love my paycheck and I do not love how chaotic our family life becomes during summer when mom is the only one not home all of the time. Not to mention that we have a car payment and an extra kiddo in daycare in the fall. Not to mention that it has been my life's dream to be a teacher and the time has come for me to buckle down and do something to make that happen.

issues... husband and I are trying to work through a lot of STUFF right now. Nothing earth shattering... budgeting, bill paying, debt, family issues.

planning... our parents are all in their 50s. We're starting to put a little bit of thought into making sure that our parents are taken care of when they get older and can't take care of themselves. Not to mention... don't tell anyone... but we haven't done our will... we NEED to take care of that. So many hard decisions to make there.

facing my own weaknesses... I need more discipline in my life. and exercise. and organization. and discipline. and prayer. and did I mention discipline?