*Auburn University Tigers Football Fan Day*

On August 11, 2013, Auburn University hosted its annual Fan Day.

We love our Auburn Tigers, and when we get an opportunity to go home for Fan Day, we are super excited! I mean what's not to love about your favorite team's fan days?? You get to meet the players, get their autographs, and have your picture taken with them if you want. You get to meet the coaches, the mascot. Mingle with all the fans. Wow! The excitement is almost palpable!

Summer Fun 2013

Well, summer is over and school is back in full swing around these parts. I really hate to say good-bye to summer! I love the lazy, laid-back days of just doing much of nothing :).

Of course, I do enjoy the fall. The nice mild-weather days. The structure and habit of daily routines. Well... we eventually get there!

I've been looking back through my pictures from our summer travels and I thought I'd share some of our highlights.

Just My Thoughts...

With all this racial controversy regarding the Zimmerman/Martin trial this is something that has been on my mind and in my heart of late...

John 13:34-35 - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

A Birthday and My Frustrations

My oldest child celebrated his 22nd birthday back in April.

Vacation to Orlando

It's been a while since we've been to Orlando, Florida, so that's where we spent a week at the end of May. It rained and stormed our first day there, but only for a little while. We were able to get out and explore the resort late in the afternoon. What a lovely place!

view from our balcony on a rainy afternoon

 

May Highlights

Well, May was a busy month for us, as it probably was for some of you. Finishing up with school and all the end of the year details that go along with that, and trying to squeeze our family vacation in too, kept us hopping!

2013 Lady Eagles

Back to the Blog

Wow! I haven't been around here in quite a while! I can't believe it's already the end of June and the last time I was here was near the end of April. Wow!

I have to admit... I've kind of gotten caught up in the Instagram craze. Kind of easy to keep up with friends and family through the posting of pictures. But I realize I sure have missed blogging. A lot has happened around here since April.

My Broken Toe

Well, I've done it again!

 

In my rush to answer the ringing telephone, I hit my pinky toe on the edge of the ottoman in front of the sofa. Ouch!

 

I've done this before, several times (I'm sort of clumsy). So I didn't think too much about it. But immediately, the right side of my foot all the way around to the ball of my foot began swelling, and turned a dark blue.

 

Charleston, SC - Part 4 - the Aiken-Rhett House

This is the last in the series of Charleston posts.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this historical port city, but as the saying goes -- "All good things must come to an end."

On our last day there we toured the Aiken-Rhett House. I absolutely love touring old, historic houses and in my opinion this one is a must see.

 

Finished!

We are finally finished with everything that had to be repaired and re-done from the water leak!

And I stress had to be because I am now getting ready to begin redoing some rooms that I want to redo. :)

 

Actually, all the rooms need new paint. Until now, the only room that we've repainted in the almost 12 years that we've lived in this house is Kate's bedroom.

 

We've been on Spring Break this week, so I've used the time to finish up everything. And I've cleared out more "stuff" from my house, including a few pieces of furniture. I've mentioned before that my house is small, and it's amazing how much roomier it feels now!

Charleston, SC - Part 3 - Fort Sumter

 

Fort Sumter

Where the War Between the States began.



In 1829, Charleston Harbor was selected as a location for one of the forts in a series of coastal defenses that became known as the Third Coastal Defense System. The fort was named Fort Sumter in honor of Brigadier General Thomas Sumter, Revolutionary War hero from South Carolina.

An Update on the Repairs/Remodeling

This sure has been a long, drawn out process. But thank goodness hubby is now out of the outage schedule and back to normal working hours. So we're almost done with these repairs.

 

hallway painted and carpet ripped out

 

Charleston, SC - Part 2 - Sightseeing

Some of the sights in Charleston...

 

Rainbow Row

 

The homes at Rainbow Row were once the center of Charleston's commerce in the mid-1700s. Merchants had their stores on the first floor and they lived on the upper floors with their families.These old row houses are very popular to Charleston, representing one of  the first styles of Charleston homes. I love that everything in this city has so much history behind it!

Charleston, SC -Part 1- Lodge Alley District

Mike and I traveled to Charleston, South Carolina for a few days back in December, actually during the week before Christmas. We had some points left over from our yearly allotment in our vacation club that couldn't be "rolled over" and saved for the next year, so rather than letting them expire, he decided we would use them for a mini-vacation for just the two of us. I love it that he likes to plan things like that. :)

And I especially love that he likes to take me to explore places that are rich in heritage and history! And I must say, this trip did not disappoint!

Frugal Homemaking

Just some things in the frugal homemaking department...

 

I've been busy throughout the months of January and February.

 

Another batch of taco seasoning.

I'm still trying to perfect this recipe. It's still very spicy. I have to admit, I've been tempted to give in and go back to purchasing the little packets. But then I remind myself of why I'm doing this.

 

It's Not Really Work

I babysat this little fella for one day last week. Hasn't he grown so much?!? Of course, that's what babies do! Until last week, I haven't kept him for about 3 and 1/2 months. Due to some paperwork errors, his mom was out of work for that long.

 

He is the cutest little thing.

 

 

Happy Birthday Kate

  We celebrated a birthday around here in February.

 

My baby girl turned 17.

Softball Season Opener

It's that time of year again.

Softball.

I enjoy watching most all sports. We are big sports fans here at our house, so you will pretty much find us involved to some degree in sports year round.

I do love watching my daughter play softball. God has gifted her with much talent in this area, and it's just fun to watch her, and the whole team for that matter.

2013 Lady Eagles

Coming Along

We now have the hole in the wall repaired and I'm almost finished painting in the living room.

sheetrock patched and primed for paint

Lizzie's Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

 

This is our sweet little Lizzie.

 

She's such a faithful companion.

 

And if you had told me 2 years ago that I would have a dog inside the house, and that she would capture a part of my heart, I would have laughed at you.

Valentine's Day

 Cupcakes I made completely from scratch for the Valentine's party at AWANA.

I told you I am trying to trim my grocery budget and one of the ways I am accomplishing that goal is to not buy box mixes and packets of pre-made food items.

My Doctor Visit

Mike insisted that I make an appointment with my doctor today, so I did and he was able to see me this afternoon. At this point, he doesn't suspect my sickness is related to the mold in our house. I tested negative for strep throat. He said he could hear wheezing and some rattling in my chest, but he says it's not bronchitis or pneumonia. He diagnosed me with an upper respiratory tract infection. He also said both my ears are filled with fluid and are infected, as well. He prescribed an antibiotic, lots of fluids for this congestion, and lots of rest.

Just an Update on the Water Damage

My plans are to share updates on this water damage situation as we make progress.

 

Here's what has happened today...

 

Home Schooling...Just My Thoughts

When we first began our homeschooling journey in 1999, my oldest child (and only student at the time) was in 4th grade. (I also had a preschooler and a toddler.) I had no ideas of my own as to what home education would look like for my family, only that this was what God was telling us to do. Several homeschooling families that I knew were educating their children using Abeka curriculum, and since Abeka publishes curriculum for the traditional classroom, I chose to utilize their materials in our homeschool. I thought that was what I would be most comfortable with, given my traditional public school background.

My Surprise for Today

I sat down in my chair today just after finishing lunch, planning to check email, facebook, etc for a few minutes while Will was taking a break, when this catches my eye...

(oops, I took the picture after I removed all the books)

 

Homeschooling in High School

Will is going to be in high school in 6 months. I can't believe my *baby* is going to be in high school in just 6 short months. I'm aware we haven't even finished this school year and yet, I am already contemplating curriculum for high school.

I didn't have to worry about this with my first two children. They both went to the Christian school in Baxley for their high school years, but Will has been pretty adamant that he wants to continue to homeschool. So even though we still have about 3-1/2 months of 8th grade left, I've already begun poring over catalogs in search of the right curriculum for us.

The Little Boys

I totally forgot to post this!

 

Remember our little boys? The ones we fostered for 2 weeks in July 2011?

 

They now, as of October 2012, officially have new last names!

 

Their adoption is final. No more waiting. No more court dates. They are in their forever home with their forever family!

 

And you know what is so cool? This sweet family allows us to stay involved in the boys' lives. To them we are Uncle Mike and Aunt Melissa. 

Rainy Days

 

This is all we have seen today.

Rain, rain, rain

Still Waiting...

I realized I haven't shared an update about our adoption process in a while. Not that there's much to share.

There have been no calls from our resource developer for a few months now. Back before Thanksgiving, we did receive an email asking if we'd be interested in a sibling group of 3. Their picture was just beautiful. Three little brothers, aged 2, 3, and 4. If I could figure a way to use symbols on this keyboard to depict my jaw dropping, I would! Three little boys 4 and under??? Was this some kind of joke? Didn't we already prove that we are no match for little fellas in that age group?

A Song in My Heart

Here's a song that's been on my lips and in my heart recently. I'm so very thankful for His grace and mercy.

How We Afford Our Vacations

Recently, after seeing on my facebook page all my pictures of our summer travels, I had a friend ask me how we were able to afford all our traveling, that we must be rich.

I know the comment was made in jest, but I have to admit, it stung a little.

We are not rich. ~ Well, I suppose that depends on how you define rich. If you mean rich in God's abundant love, mercy and grace; rich in family and friends; rich in love for each other, then YES we are overwhelmingly rich! If you mean rich with much money at our disposal, then no, sadly we are not rich.

I was slightly taken aback by that comment, but it did get me thinking. How do we afford our vacations and travels? I thought about that and I came to some conclusions, so I made a list. And it got me thinking, these are simple things that anybody can do, so why not share them with others?

2012 Highlights in Pictures

January

 

just a little gemstone excavation kit I found to enhance our geology study...

Off to a Good Start in 2013

Well, January has come and gone. Thankfully, I didn't make many New Year's resolutions, therefore, I haven't broken any. *wink*

Pretty much the only resolutions I made this year were to continue doing what I can to live healthier, to be more frugal and resourceful with what I have, and to live a more simple life.