I have missed blogging

There have been oh so many changes.

Girls in school. I graduated. I got a job that has absolutely nothing to do with either of the degrees I hold. Ce la vie. I don't mind. I love my job. We also bought a house. This summer was amazing for getting goals accomplished. Graduate, job, house. Done! I am really so blessed. I guess that means I am not a housewife anymore, but frankly, I don't care enough to deal with other blogs when I have so much stuff I love coming back to on this one.

I actually came back to this because I was looking for my pumpkin bread recipe. It is that time of year after all. I gutted and roasted a few pumpkins last night so that today I can put my oven to work and use up my overripe bananas and I want to do pumpkin bread at the same time. I will have a ridiculous amount of bread, but I imagine it won't be difficult to give it away. Seriously, try it. It is so dang yummy.

It's also the time of year to start thinking about the holidays. Don't get me wrong. I am a total procrastinator so I haven't actually done any shopping at all. I am just starting to look around at things. I now have a high schooler and a middle schooler so things they want tend to be on the more expensive side. I am working on ways to get creative so as not to spend a lot of money. If I find something awesome, I absolutely plan on sharing every little bit.

My other project this year, is a fundraising site for a precious little girl and her family. My dear friend Serease has a two year old daughter that was diagnosed with a rare, autoimmune condition that is going to require chemotherapy over the course of the next year. Her second treatment was actually yesterday and so far her blood levels look good. Both Serease and little Lenah have been amazingly positive through this, so if you don't mind, check out the site, and please pass it along. <3 p="p">
http://www.gofundme.com/1fwmd4

And on the same note, another friend of mine, several states away has been fighting her own medical battle. Her two year old daughter Reese was diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly after Lenah got her diagnosis. Reese has been through a lot in a short amount of time, including brain surgery. So if you choose to pass along links, another group of people has started a page for Reesey.

http://www.giveforward.com/prayersforreesey


I admit, all this medical stuff has definitely brought some perspective to my life regarding small, stupid issues. It's a month for thankfulness and I am thankful for the health of my family, as well as modern medicine that will get these little girls better.

Happy holidays!

Using kids in political agenda is crap you stupid news commenters

If you google marine+son+walk you will come up with 5 pages of hits to a viral video that has made its way to every news show across the nation. It's that heartwarming moment when young Michael Cooney walks to his dad for the very first time as a post deployment surprise. It has been shared on Facebook, shown on tv, and talked about on message boards.

Michael Cooney is my nephew. I have been watching this craziness unfold over the past several days and I am still a little wowed that the video went viral that quickly. The youtube video was put up when he got home in December, so it took a little while for news stations to catch it, but when they did, HOLY CRAP.

Have you ever watched something happen and just sat there all WTF??

I love my sister and Michael kicks ass. He is the 2nd youngest kid in the family, and we have all been watching (most of us from a distance as they live across the country) his development and rooting for him. We are extremely proud of his accomplishments. My sister has had her hands full between Michael's needs and Alyssa's needs. Alyssa was severely burned in an accident as a baby, so that poor girl is in and out of the hospital for surgeries as often as Michael is. She is a smart, kickass little honey badger :) I love that kid.

I am getting off topic though.

I am glad that my nephew is getting recognition for his spirit and determination. The cynic in me however is bothered by the whoring a moment like this for ratings by these corporate bigwigs. I guess if it doesn't bother my sister, it shouldn't bother me. I just hate to see their family turned into a side show. While the reaction is 90% positive, there is that 10% out there who are just nasty and hateful and I feel this need to shelter their family from the bitterness that people seem to have no problem flinging out there. That is not my job. The older sister in me however, doesn't exactly shut off.

It's been interesting either way. Melissa, if you read this, hug Michael for me and know that I love you guys <3 I bet you never imagined how fast this crap would take off. You guys looked good on TV, even if I did have to watch *gag* fox news in order to see you.

For the rest of the world, this post is mostly inane rambling. For you 10%, shut your freaking mouth. This story is not political, so I don't want to hear one damn word for or against Obama using this kid. This story is not religious. God is not punishing my sister or her son because her husband is in the military. If you want to argue as a pro-God miracle, that is your prerogative. Don't use it to make a point. This story has nothing to do with war, for or against. This is a story about one little boy who worked his ass off to become mobile, and my sappy sister ;) saving it as a surprise. That is cool. That is awesome. It doesn't need any bigger meaning than that.

Even last summer before he could walk, he was not one to be slowed down. That kid is not interested in being left out of the fun <3

Your free activity for today.

It is very simple. Tell someone you love them. That is it.

Today is the international day of pink. If you are not familiar with that, read here. http://www.dayofpink.org/en/information-zone

You see, too often we get caught up in our own lives, our own judgements, and our own excuses. I think that we try and show the people in our lives that we care about them, but how often do we simply say "I love you."? Nothing more.

I love you can mean the difference between life and death sometimes. It can turn around a person's day, their week, their month, their life. It needs no justifications. Get rid of the excuses, the buts, the catches, the provisions. I love you.

http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html

This post has been in my head for a while. How often do we say

"I love you but I wish you would stop..." to our children?
"I love you but we need to...." to our spouses?

When is the last time you said those words to a friend? Your mother? Your sister?

We all need to hear it. We need to hear it without judgement. We need to hear the words as well as see it in action.

So there is your task today.

To my children, I love you. I am proud of the people you have become.
To my husband, I love you. I choose you. I need you.
To my friends, I love you. Thank you for standing behind me.
To my family, I love you. I miss you.

Long time, no see!

So my last post was December of 2010. I have been a busy girl since then. In January of last year, I found out with a little extra effort I could accelerate my school and student teach by fall. I kicked it up a notch, completed something like 30 credits that term, and did get into student teaching in September. That kept me busy. After that, I started subbing, we moved, the girls switched schools, found out we hated the school within 3 weeks of switching, so now I am back to homeschooling and down to subbing only 1-2 days a week. Full circle. I have got to be one of the most over-educated housewives I know.

I am looking into writing science curriculum, and my kids are being enrolled in an online charter. It isn't really homeschooling because all flexibility with materials used is gone, but at least they will end up with a high school diploma and a transcript. With the older one starting high school this fall, that is really what I was looking for.

I have a post planned for today but wanted to dip my toes back in and kind of explain my hiatus. I missed blogging :)