It's SNOWING!!!!

Hey - I wanted to share a picture I took about an hour ago off of our back porch. It's our first snow of the season and so far - we've got about two feet. The kids got out of school early due to slick roads. They're now out sled riding and pelting each other with snowballs. Unfortunately - it's going to be in the 40's tomorrow, so it will all melt.










I also got a picture of my fake Chiweenie dog - Opie lol... He *hates* the camera and hides when I bring it out, but last night he was sleeping on my lap and I was able to sneak one in before he realized what I was doing.

Happy SNOW!

There once was a rooster named moose!

OK - my kids talked me into creating a funny poem - so here goes:

There once was a rooster named moose
Who fell in love with a goose
He tried to propose but instead he just froze
And the poor little rooster just goosed her


Smiley Face

A picture should be worth a thousand words!

I've made a life decision and wanted to share with everyone..... LOL

After a year of living in my new house with almost completely white walls, I've decided it's time to start hanging pictures. I like the sepia colors in the picture and since I had 10 5x7 and 2 8x10 black picture frames to play with, I finally sat down tonight to select just the right pictures. I scan all pictures, whether professionally done or snapped by a family member, so I have more than 300 pictures in my directory to choose from for only 12 pictures frames. As I was going through all the pictures, it's almost like I had an epiphany - are you ready for me to share it??? Here it is:

A picture is only worth the value of the story it tells...

For this reason, none of the pictures on my wall are "professionally" taken pictures, but are ones taken by family. However, they are meant to share - whether it be a feeling, a place, a time or a lesson, but it should leave the viewer wanting to share right back! I'd like to share two of these with you:

Here's me with my youngest son - yes - it was a long time ago - ha ha. He was not yet one month old. My mom took the picture and when I hung this one on the wall, my youngest said, "Hey - that's me!" I smiled - looked at him and said - "See - even at less than a month old - you were already talking back!" He smile - gave me a great big hug and said - "Yep - us kids are good at that."

Here's my oldest son at about the age of two. He was sitting on his great-grandpa's front porch. His great-grandpa's front porch spanned the length of the house and could seat a good 15-2o people. My brother-in-law took this picture when the front porch was filled - so at first glance - one saw a bunch of family talking to each other on the front porch of an aged Kentucky homestead. Details were hard to make out. However, when my brother-in-law had it developed, he saw that Lucas was doing something in the background, so he took the negative back to the store and had just that one tiny piece enlarged. This is what came out and as far as I'm concerned, is a great reminder to pay attention to the little things. Thanks to my brother-in-law David for his eagle-eye and picture taking skills.

Other pictures include a child *literally* climbing the wall, another one beautifully dressed in wedding clothes, but sporting a fresh black eye with his hair standing straight up, and another of both of them cooling themselves off from the hot Texas weather using buckets and a water hose - and yes - lol - they went in the buckets naked butt first!

So - to all professional photographers who specialize in beautiful staged pictures - the entire family sitting together with just the right coordinated clothes and in just the right setting and with just the right smiles, please feel free to go on with your work. There's certainly nothing wrong with this type of picture and many people find these types of pictures preferable - I'm just not among that number any more.

I want to remember our lives as they happened and for that reason, will keep buying disposable cameras and bringing my digital camera along. I might take 50 pictures to find just that one that really shows our lives, but if it helps us in sharing our own life stories, then it's worth the effort!

Donna - I miss You

I see you hanging off the cliff
Your strength to hold is waning
Too many pounding waves - too many jagged edges
Your struggle is so obvious - yet the distance is so large

I would give all to grab you up
I would give all to give you strength
I would give all to stop despair
I would give all to always be there

You've been shattered way too often
You subsist from day to day
Your accomplishments you disregard
Your security is a complete illusion

I desperately want to make you hang on
I desperately want to repay your support
I desperately want to help build your life
I am desperate to shine your light

Never will you accept pity
Your tongue is a two-edged sword
You acerbic wit dares us to help
But once earned - your loyalty is a given

As I leave from our short visit
The tears roll down my face
My failure shouts jeers at me
My heart screams I'm way too late

I cannot grab you up
I cannot give you strength
I cannot stop despair
It is not enough to just be there

The loss of hope has won
Your body just gave up
The dance is over - the sun has set
I will never be able to repay the debt

If I just could have grabbed you up
if i could just have grabbed you up........................

Alzheimers and when to step in

My grandmother's youngest sister (late 80's) wandered away from home late last week. She has alzheimers and although she lives with her husband, he also has physical issues so taking care of her is hard.

She was finally found outside of a family's garage in the neighborhood. She was missing her glasses and was bloody from head to toe. Nobody knows what happened to her. She's in the hospital and arrangements are being made to move her to an adult living facility.

My mom and I were talking about this and really started wondering when children should step in. Certainly, had anyone known it would have gotten this bad, family would have stepped in earlier, but it's hard to predict the future. I know the older adults in our family do not want to leave their homes and move into any type of care facility. We are independent and sometimes cranky about it - LOL........ However, we do tend to live pretty old - both my grandmothers are still living and they are in their 90's. So the question has to be raised.

So - how do we know when it's time to step in and take over for our parents and grandparents without taking away their dignity? I don't know that there's a truly good answer.

It's Friday night and the phone is ringing

The phone never stops ringing, but I don't even attempt to get up to answer it. The calls are ALWAYS for my kids. They're making plans for this weekend and have to talk to about 100 people to figure anything out.

It's driving me nuts LOL

Dave Barry For President

Yes - I know - this link is to Dave's Y2K presidential campaign. BTW - Dave - it's time to update this site for the 2008 presidential election. Don't just give us a link to the store or your Q &A, update your site and show the voters that you truly care. Notice - I didn't say who you cared about, just that you care!

The 2008 campaign is heating up. One candidate the mainstream media seems to ignore is Dave Barry. So -in the interest of fairness, I've jumped on the DB bandwagon and am here to help spread the message.

Some of the funniest links to Dave Barry's campaign information:

Where does Dave stand on Issues (Y2K)?
Information on Dave's Y2K press secretary
Dave's Updated Q&A Site
Barry Beer - something no other candidate can claim

Enjoy!

San Diego Evacuation - update

I just heard back from my brother. They were allowed back in to their house. Luckily - their house was left intact - it requires a lot of cleaning, but they feel blessed not to have lost anything.

Here's a picture of their house. They took it Monday morning while they were evacuating. The sky is black with ash and the glow behind the house is the fire - not the rising sun. As they took this picture, they weren't sure if this was the last time they would see their house standing or not.

I'm glad to hear they are OK. However, others aren't so fortunate or truly don't know yet what the outcome will be. They still need our prayers.

Evacuation in San Diego

My brother and his wife live in San Diego and are one of the families who have been evacuated. They are currently staying in a hotel with a neighbor of theirs to wait out the fires.

Right now, several houses within a mile of theirs has burned down and even if they are not hit, the cleanup will be horrendous! My brother, Ed, mentioned that his swimming pool was pitch black even before they left. Think of the clothes they left behind, the food in the cupboards, the walls and ventilation ducts.

They don't need anything in terms of material goods - but prayer for them to be safe and that they don't lose anything would absolutely help! And - don't forget everyone else who is in the same situation.....

I have a Silly Cat!!!

I had to share these pictures. My son has a mesh laundry basket that's got a hole in it. Well - it's become Chuck's most favorite toy. He'll crawl in (usually after terrorizing the dog) and hide... If Opie the dog happens to pass by, he gets popped on the head by a lightening quick cat paw.

I kept trying to get his picture and he would only peek out at me, but once I stood up, he suddenly flipped over onto his back and stuck his head out the hole. I grabbed the phone and quickly snapped the picture, which is good because he retreated back in as soon as the flash went off.

Aren't silly cats fun?

JB ROCKETS WON!!!

Sorry Maura! The James Buchanon Rockets beat Camp Hill last night 38 to 0!!!! It was great to see our team come together and really work as a team. This was their first win of the season and by having that huge of a win will do wonders for their confidence.

The past few practices where the coach worked on skills made a HUGE difference. It was like watching a totally different team play. The coach's reward was getting the water dumped on him after the game, but after first running away - he laughingly took the honor of getting soaked....

Congratulations to the team. I know they were super-excited and the emotions ran high for players, parents, coaches and cheerleaders.

GO ROCKETS!!!!

School has started and so has football. The house is quiet again and I've been able to get more done during the day. The food magically stays in the 'frig during the day and I am able to keep a bottle of soda for more than 20 minutes before it disappears somewhere! LOL......


Unfortunately, I spend 3 nights per week at football practice and 2 additional days attending games. Of course - my kids don't practice at the same time, so I get there at 3:30 for the first one's practice and at 6:00 I move to my second one's practice. I'm usually there until about 8 or 8:30 and am bored silly by that time! I tried taking along my computer, but couldn't find an available network to login to and the satellite service is lousy.


So - I'm reading, doing crossword puzzles, talking to other parents and even volunteering at the ticket booth so I can harass the young kids coming to games! ha ha - it's fun - especially when I tell one he looks suspicious and I need to see some picture ID - this is especially good when I know they're not 16 yet. They know I'm a parent and look at me wondering if they should take me serious or not. The rent-a-cop and I get good laugh during admission time. Unfortunately, the kids are starting to recognize me and don't take us so seriously anymore. oh well - it was fun while it lasted. However, they now take notes about who we picked on and who we didn't. The ones that get picked on brag about it to their friends and seem to view it as a badge of honor.


Here are some pictures: This is Lucas (number 57). He plays center on offense and usually nose guard on defense. Here - he's waiting for the others to finish up the huddle and move in for the play. The team hasn't won any games yet, but they've got some good players with talent and skill. Unfortunately, many of these are first year players, so they're just now starting to play like a real team and getting the hang of working together.






Here is Michael: He's number 60 - again he plays center for the offensive team, but on defense he plays nose guard or tackle. He really, really wants to play tackle because he likes the thrill of knocking someone down, but his coach likes him in other spots. Their team is AWESOME! They have it together and have some good coaches who push them to do their best. They don't have to win - but they have to work hard. Then - they get rewarded for it.





One last picture for Jeff: Thanks for coming out and spending a week at our house. It looks like we overworked you, but at least you had company sneaking in a nap:

Unsolved Double Murder in 1975

In going through the genealogy information for my own family, I found that my mother's cousin (her mother's sister's daughter) was murdered in 1975. How I found out was through a newspaper article my grandmother had copied into a book. Here's the story as I know it:

In early November of 1975, my mother's cousin - 37 year old Beverly A. (Morris) Withers was babysitting 4 year old Melanie Gargasz at the Gargasz house in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Beverly, my mother's cousin, was married and had two daughters. Four year old Little Melanie had a at least a 12 year old sister and a schoolteacher mother.

When Melanie's mother, Marilyn, returned home in the early afternoon, she found both Beverly and Melanie dead, from multiple gunshot wounds to the head. According to the New Castle News report, no weapon was recovered from the scene, but the weapon was considered to be a small-caliber weapon. It has yet to be solved. To my knowledge, no one has been arrested - no one prosecuted and no one held accountable.

Although tempted to leave it alone - after all - I never knew this woman, I moved around a lot and can sometimes barely keep track of my own eyeglasses, I felt compelled to just find out what I could. After all - an innocent little four year old shot to death along with her babysitter, who is just about my own age, got me intrigued. I couldn't seem to stop it.

What I found out is that the Pennsylvania State Police have re-activated the case. Yes - it's still considered cold and yes, the chances that the murderer will be caught and punished are small based upon the percentages, I am still hopeful for a resolution.

The families of a perpetual 4 year old and 37 year old deserve no less.

I'm ready for school to start!

I'm soooooo ready for school to start. My kids are driving me nuts! All day long, it's Mom - Can I.... Mom - six of my friends are coming over in ten minutes...... Mom - I'm making grilled cheese.... Mom - I burnt the grilled cheese.... Mom, can you turn off the smoke alarm... Mom, what do you get when you cross a blond with an elephant.... Mom, Knock Knock... Mom, what are you doing?..... Mom - watch this.... Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom etc... I can't even go to the bathroom without hearing, Mom - what are you doing (DUH!)?

As much as I've enjoyed being with them this summer, it never stops. I can't seem to get any calm and peaceful time this summer. Once someone calms down, someone else stirs it up. Of course - the dog and cat don't help. They jump right in the mix. They're constantly chasing each other or a child throughout the house.

Yesterday after another burnt grilled cheese incident, we opened the patio doors a little bit. The cat snuck in between the glass and the screen, crawled all the way to the top of the screen and got stuck. We kept hearing him meow loudly and after figuring out where the little scoundrel was, we had to figure out a way to open the door without hurting him and get his curious little behind off the screen!

I'm sure I will miss them once they are back in school, but right now, I dream of quiet time!

Starting a new business

We've officially released our website for our catering business. You can preview it at http://www.mikebankscatering.com. We're working on advertising in the local papers and at the local chamber of commerce.

Keep us in your prayers.

Happy (Almost) Birthday to me!!!

OK - tomorrow's my birthday. I will not pretend to be 29 again or wish for the "good old days." I firmly believe age is a blessing. It brings wisdom, courage and security for those who learn the lessons life present over time. Also - I think that for women, increased age brings some positive changes. We get to a point where we become so much more self-confident and have no problem prioritizing our lives based upon our needs. We no longer need the accolades of others to feel successful or secure. In addition, women start really saying what we feel. I've noticed older women don't beat around the bush quite as much. If we think you're doing something stupid, we'll tell you straight out. ha ha -

Perhaps - the teenagers of today will not have one inkling of understanding of the phases of life I'm going through. But - then again - life is much different for those growing up now than it was in the 70's and 80's.

So - are you ready?? I will be 38! Woo hoo.....

Summer Update

Hey everyone!

The summer is off to a great start! I got the family tree done for hubby's family reunion - whew! That's a big relief to me, as it turned out to be a HUGE job. However, I found he's somewhat related to Pocohantas, which is really neat.

I've spent more time with the kids and have been enjoying the closeness we're feeling. We go to the state park once or twice a week, work in the garden together and generally just have either a ton of kids here in the house or I'm constantly ferrying kids from one house to another.

I realize that my oldest will be off to college in four years and my youngest in eight! I almost can't believe that time has gone by so quickly......

Oh well - back to the kids! Enjoy the summer.

L

Stay At Home Mom

How come I feel guilty? I've decided to stay home. I'm working from home. And I put my kids first..... So - why is this feeling of guilt continuing to nag at me?

True - I'm not making money like I used to. True - I don't work as much as I used to. Yet - we're doing OK financially.

I've worked for years. And - for some reason, I feel guilty for making this choice. My head tells me I'm OK. My heart tells me I'm OK. But - something within my gut tells me I need to do more.

Any advice?

My kItten and My Leg

LOL - My kitten, Chuck, has decided my legs are toys...

I can walk down the hall and without warning, find a kitty attacking my legs. Unfortunately, I freak out - start to jump and scream out loud! Which of course makes Chuck view my legs as playthings even more! I spent a good part of today just hiding from a little kitty...

How pathetic am I? What I'd really like to know is why my legs are the only ones the kitty wants to attack? Is it because, as the only female in the house, I paint my toenails? Or - is it just because my legs ROCK!!! ha ha

Update on the pets.....

Both Opie the dog and Chuck the cat are getting along pretty well. They act like two year old toddlers at times - fighting over toys, chasing each other through the house and vying for attention - ha ha....

Here's some updated pictures with Lucas (my oldest son).

Melungeons in the family???

I've been doing this ancestry project for my husband's family. I have most of the ancestors back to the 1800's and 1700's, but there were a few lines that I had SOOO much trouble getting documentation on. One of these was a woman named Martha Collins (born 1869).

I found out yesterday that someone else in the family did some extensive research and was able to show that Martha Collins was a melungeon! The melungeons were a mixed race group both feared and distrusted, often stigmatized as they were not quite white European and very isolated for a time. There is very little recorded information related to this group of people, but there are a few pieces of information that seem to be widely accepted. One is that this group had ancestry back to the Saponi Indians in the western region of Virginia and North Carolina as well as the Eastern regions of Kentucky and Tennessee. Another widely accepted thought is that the melungeon ancestors also came from Portugal and have Mediterranean ancestry. Although they had darker or olive-colored skin, their features were mostly considered white and they had bright blue or blue/green eyes. In the 1700 and 1800 census records, they are classified as either mulattos, free persons of color, black or white. Evidently, it was difficult to classify one "race" amongst this group of families.

It appears this group started with a Thomas Collins of Flat River Virginia in the 1700's. Some of the melungeons were part of the Trail of Tears, when Cherokee Indians were forced from their land in North Carolina and made to walk to Oklahoma. The human losses of these Cherokee were extremely high and the army that accompanied them were seemingly indifferent to the hardships. The history of this group of people was mostly oral and not written, so the stories that have passed down from generation to generation are pretty much all we've got from those early settler times.

From what I can tell, there is some theories that have not yet been proven correct or incorrect. One theory is that a pirate ship from Portugal either wrecked, threw some of its crew members overboard or had crew members desert the ship. These pirates or shipmates then mixed with the local Indians, among them the Saponi, but also other tribes including Cherokee. There is some speculation that Turkish invaders were also among the mix, but there is quite a bit of differing opinions on this subject. Another speculation is that among the Goin branch of the family, that some African or Creole blood is mixed in.

What is not questioned is that this subject is extremely controversial, from the original of the word melungeon to the family history and lineage. It also appears that melungeon used to be a derogatory term, but now everybody seems to be claiming the name! So - for all those who know much more about this subject than I do (which includes most people), I won't argue with your research or your findings. I'm just a newbie at this.

Until we know more, my kids are having fun walking around saying "Aye, Matey!" and squawking like a parrot. Whether factual or not, it brings laughter to the house, so I'm grateful for the little I do know. I will continue to research, but knowing there is some history for Martha Collins, makes me feel more connected with the past.

Thanks to Cousin Ben for his information. I appreciate you sharing the results of your hard work.

New Cat!

OK - for all who didn't know, we *used* to have a cat named Smokey. During our move from Texas to Pennsylvania, my mother stole her from me. All I did was ask my parents to watch Smokey for a few weeks while we were moving because we didn't want to keep her in a cage for so long. I dropped her off one Saturday and went back the next weekend to visit since my parents had never had a cat before and were nervous about what to do. Just about the first words out of my mother's mouth were "You don't feed that cat right!" I walked into the living room and found that my mother purchased a small pet store - LOL. She bought toys, a cat brush, catnip, special food, cat scratchers and set up a special little chair so Smokey can look out the window. So - I gave up. Smokey stays with my parents and gets thoroughly spoiled. Here's a picture of the traitor - I mean - Smokey sleeping on my dad's lap.

Anyway - a few days ago, a friend of mine stopped by for lunch and told me of a story that happened the day before. She was driving home only to see a little golden kitten running across the road and in danger of being hit by the trucks passing by. She stopped and picked the kitty up and took him home. Unfortunately, they can't have cats in their house due to their rental agreement, so she offered him to me. I got a new kitty cat! His name is Chuck Norris and we think he's about 6-8 weeks old. I brought him home today and although Opie (our dog) and Chuck handled each other pretty well - Opie is out of sorts right now. He's not rough or mean, but it's driving him nuts having this little thing in our house. Word to My Mother: Hands off this cat!

Mother's Day

Yesterday, I drove to Ohio to visit with my mother, both of my grandmothers and some aunts, uncles and cousins! Although the trip was quick, it was great to see all of my family. Prior to moving to PA last year, we lived in TX for more than 8 years. I had a great career at a corporate level, the kids were happy and involved and our family was settled. What we missed is the family dynamics and sharing that can occur when one lives close to home.

The kids initially didn't want to move, but after visits like yesterday, we all realize how lucky we are to be close to the great family that we have. Although we are sometimes a little crazy, it was well worth the move to share in these important events.

My grandmother on my mother's side is 92 years old! My grandmother on my father's side will 90 next month. Had we stayed in Texas, we would have seen them only once every year or two. Life is too precious to keep putting off seeing family and by living closer to home, we have a better perspective on what makes a good life. It's not money, it's not career advancement and it's not stuff that we buy! It's being able to share with those who have given you life by sitting across the table, making eye contact and laughing.

Update on us!

After much consideration, Mike and I have decided that I will be staying home and doing freelance work. I've worked in the corporate world for 13 years, but I have really gotten used to being home for the kids to go to school and being here when they come back! Of course - my peace and quiet is shattered once they walk in the door, but that's OK as well.

I enjoy the freelance writing and market research projects I'm doing and can envision myself doing this for years! In addition, I started a family tree project on my husband's grandparents and their entire family. It's very interesting to see how far his family tree goes back and stories I've been able to find about their ancestors. It turns out that one of their ancestors is reported to be Pocahantas' cousin! I'll be doing some more fact-checking on that, but so far it appears to be valid! I've been using www.ancestry.com for this project and absolutely love the site, but sometimes am overloaded with too much information.

Later!

Notre Dame Trip

I spent the last few days at Notre Dame University in Indiana. I interviewed for a manager position there and the campus was beautiful! The people were laid back and so super nice. I stayed at the beautiful Morris Inn on campus Sunday night. When I got up in the morning, I asked the hotel clerk how to get to the IT building. What he told me is "Walk towards the new stadium, turn around until you see Jesus calling the touchdown, then turn right - you can't miss it!"

Believe it or not, the directions were perfect. There is a mural on the library with a picture of Jesus raising his hands towards heaven. Unfortunately, if you sit in the stadium and look over the one goalpost, that's exactly what you see. Not sure how well that was planned, but it's funny in a strange sort of way.

Anyway - I stopped at the bookstore on the way to the airport. I got my kids Notre Dame shirts. And DAD - if you are reading this, Lucas has already decided to wear his ND shirt next time we visit. He's hoping you'll pick on him and debate Penn State vs. ND.... LOL

Later!

Blue Angels Crash

I've been so busy lately I haven't had a chance to read the news for a couple days. I just logged onto CNN.com and saw the news about the Blue Angels crash. I remember about 7 years ago, I took my little kids to see the Blue Angels in Fort Worth, TX. We drove up to the airfield, but couldn't even get close to the highway exit due to traffic. So - we passed the exit and saw cars parked on the side of the highway trying to watch it. We followed the pattern and found an open spot to park at. The kids got out and I leaned up against the car to watch. It was amazing. Even though I wasn't real close, I could easily watch all the maneuvers and was just astounded how close those airplans come to each other without crashing. My oldest son also got involved watching the planes - at least the fast ones that did turns. My 3 year old? fuhgettaboitit.... He was chasing grasshoppers in the grass, but he was happy and away from traffic so that was OK.

I really enjoyed the maneuvers the Blue Angels showed to us. Their skill and expertise has remained as one of my favorite memories from our time living in Texas. I'm just so sad that today all did not go well. My heart goes out to the pilots, their friends and their family.

I survived!

OK - I survived the fourth grade trip, although I did have a headache when I got home - LOL. I had four kids in my group, including my son. 3 were boys, 1 was a girl, but she was a total tomboy and could probably beat me in a fight. She was a scrappy little thing. Overall - the ankle-biters did OK, but there were several times during the trip I prayed for valium and self-control. I did learn that no ten year old can actually shut up for any length of time. The noise level was tremendous!

To start off with, I rode the bus for an hour and a half to Harrisburg. On the way there, one little ten year old girl told me that she was so happy her mother broke up with the guy he was dating because he was a d***head! I was stunned, but very calmly looked at her and said, "Good to know!" It was the best response I could come up with on the spur of the moment. What do you say to that???

I got a picture of the kids with the Liberty Bell. What was funny is they had their heads pushed up inside the Liberty Bell. Not exactly picture of the year, but totally representative of the day we had. I actually really like that picture, but as I was taking it, wished I had a heavy metal object to strike against the side -- NOOO -- Just kidding, I banished that thought as soon as it turned up! ha ha

The kids were very good overall and we had lots of fun. Towards the end of the day, as they were giving each other piggy back rides in a museum filled with glass and antiques, one of the boys in the group leaned over to my son and said, "She kinda gets cranky without her coffee!". Kids that age have NO filter between the brain and mouth, nor do they have a volume control. He got the "evil eye" but no head thump from me! Filled with self-control, I smiled and calmly said, "it's time to go downstairs and play with the statue of Ben Franklin." Luckily, the statue is HUGE and the kids had a great time standing between his legs joking about getting peed on.

The best part was later that night when I thanked my son for letting me chaperone his group. I told him I really appreciated spending the time with him and for letting me meet his friends and classmates. He cuddled up next to me gave me a big hug. That was more than worth it.

Happy Birthday to my son

Today is Easter, but it is also my youngest son's birthday. He's now 10 years old. A long time ago, I realized I have no more babies, but now thinking of my youngest being able to drive in 6 years, going to college in 8 years scares me. I can see his physical changes - he looks less like a boy and more like a man on am almost daily basis. Pretty soon - he'll be sprouting hair and his voice will be getting deeper.

He already is starting to like girls - or more accurately tells us that two girls like him. He says he knows the girls like him because they pick on him and hit him with pencils. LOL - too funny.

On the 11th, I get to chaperone the fourth grade field trip and one of the girls will be in my group. If I survive hanging out with the ankle-biters, I'll be sure to write about my experiences.

Happy Easter everyone and Happy Birthday to my Little Man!

Featured Writer!

I'm a featured writer at helium today! If you go to the helium.com web page, scroll down, my Six Sigma article is on the bottom left! Check it out everyone!

First Paid Writing Job

WooHoo! I got my first paid writing job. OK - it's 6 small articles and I won't make much money, but I'm so excited. I've loved writing and have always thought I did a pretty good job at it, but never pursued it as a money-making opportunity. I've always been too busy with little kids, building a career and going back to school to pursue anything personal on my own.

Even though I'm staying home through no design of my own, I feel this opportunity is turning out to really shape a new personal direction in my life. Perhaps it won't be a long-term money making venture, but the experience is certainly one I'm so glad didn't pass me by and I feel richer for it.

That's all for today!

Chiweenie - my dog

Our dog's name is Opie. We got him as a puppy thinking he was a Chiweenie (half Chihuahua, half Dachsund)! However, we soon found out we were deceived. We now think he's a dachsund/jack russel mix and he looks like he's a little disconnected. Almost like two separate puzzles being put together in the same spot.

He barks at anything and has tons of attitude. One day - he started barking and freaking out at something on our back porch. We kept looking, but not seeing anything. When we got down to his level, we realized he was all excited about his own reflection! Sometimes we don't think he's too bright, but we enjoy him all the same.

Opie sleeps under the blankets at night. He just burrows in with our son. I don't know how he manages to sleep under the blankets but that's his preferred spot! Here is his picture.... isn't he cute?

New to blogging

As a working mother who was laid off since December, my life has taken some major turns. Now that I have time, I'm bored! There's only so much TV that can be watched and with money being tight, there's not much else to do.

So - I decided to create a blog. As part of creating the blog, I've decided to start writing and looking for work-from-home jobs that will help bring in extra money while I look for full time employment. I've decided to keep this as real as possible and write about my family, my kids and my work.

Enjoy!