I have a new giveaway, hurry it ends Sept. 5th -here is the link http://www.thefashionablegal.com/08/2010/dooney-bourke-tote-giveaway.

Right now, my giveaways are links to other blogs I enjoy.  Have fun!!

Image by Chiot's Run via Flickr

Not my canned food, a representation.

Tomorrow is the first day of school for two of my children; Maranda 15, Selena 13; Sophomore in high school, and
eighth grade respectively.  We have spent a few hundred $$$ getting all three of my four children outfitted for
school.  That is just in clothes.  Schools supplies came in under $10.  But that is just to get them through the first week.  School fees for the charter school my daughters attend are over $500. My son Joseph begins on Wednesday.  He is 10, almost 11 years and in the fifth grade.  His school fees, very little.  His clothes- about $175.
I will have my baby Megan at home she is 21 months old.

We have been busy the past week, not only with the above, but we are doing a few fix-ups on our house.  We have a contractor coming in to help with most of it.  But we are doing some too.   We have redone all of our 1909 house ourselves, to this point.  We have lived here since the summer of 2006.  Our contractor will do some surface texture repair of the ceilings, trim work outside, and in one bedroom, and painting the upper third of the house where the wood shingles are.  The rest of the exterior is brick.   I painted our upstairs bath yesterday.  This is not a great accomplishment for me, except I did it late in the day, when it was 99 degrees outside.  We don't have central air.  I had been up since 5am.

I decided it was  my turn to volunteer at our food co-op we participate in.  I took my to oldest girls, we enjoyed
doing our part.  We especially liked getting some extra produce for helping.  Ummmm.

I have a blendtec blender and it is wonderful having inexpensive produce to make delicious foods with in
my new kitchen machine.
Our peaches, apples, pears, and walnuts are almost ready to harvest.   I plan on doing some canning this year.
I froze some Olathe Colorado corn, and made apricot freezer jam.   I feel so good when I create something,
especially when it turns out well.

Grosgrain: Shabby Apple Boysenberry Pie Apron Guest Giveaway

Grosgrain: Shabby Apple Boysenberry Pie Apron Guest Giveaway

A new way to link to many blog giveaways

I have just begun entering some blog giveaways. I found a link that anyone can put on their blog to link many
other blogs. I am going to try Linky Tools to see how it works for links to blogs with giveaways. That's the link. Let's try it.

I must confess...

Image by Me-Here via Flickr

What am I going to tell, the suspense may kill you?  I won't make you wait, long.  I just discovered that I must be a BOOK-aholic.  Here's how I came to this conclusion.  My husband just purchased, "Driven" An Autobiography by the late Larry H. Miller.  It was his father's day present, though a month late.  I promised I would't read it until he was finished.  But when he is asleep at night I have been reading it.  Yesterday he was outside and I couldn't help myself.  I needed something to read and it was there on the dining room table.  It was just saying read me, he's not here.  So I picked up the book and got nice and comfortable on my bed.  But I didn't get very far because my 21 month old daughter needed me. I left the book open,  face down on the bed.  He came in before I could put it back.  "Quit reading my book", he yelled.  Boy, is he touchy.  "You promised"!

he continued.  He's right, I did promise.   So here I am writing about wanting to read my husbands book, instead of reading it.  He's outside, doing yard work.  The book is sitting on his desk.  The baby is asleep, and my other three children are at their dad's house this weekend.  It looks like he has purposefully placed his phone and MP3 player on top of it, he knows he can't trust a bookaholic .  He know's because he is an alcoholic and he can recognize any type of addiction, even if it is as innocent as the love of reading.

Taste of things to Come

I miss my kids. Three of the four have been visiting their grandparents in West Virginia,with
their Dad and step mom. They are having a great time. First time to fly.
I have one child here with my husband and I. She is 19 months and without her siblings is a
handful. She seems to miss them. They bring out a spark in her personality. That her middle-
aged parents can't do.
We do have less noise, less food consumption, less garbage creation, but we are all missing
Maranda, Selena and Joseph. I think even the neighbor kids my son plays with are outside
less since hes has been gone this week.
Could be just the hotter weather temperatures.

This is probably a glimpse of what our family life will be like as they continue to grow-up.

I love my family. I will be happy while they are away. I will be happy when they return safe
to our home. I have a feeling that they are missing us too.

Creating Our Hearts Desire

Today in church we discussed the creation of the earth. We also spoke about each of having the ability to create. I am listening to a woman who wants to teach others how to be their true selves. She speaks about the sixth sense. If you want to know what that is, you'll have to research that on your own. But basically it is the "inspiration sense".

This is one of my hearts desires. Writing a book about my amazing, exciting, miraculous, at times terrifying life. This is the beginning of it.

I have learned from listening to Sonia Choquette that everyone needs to have listening eyes. I have two people that comes to mind that are my listening eyes for a book. My mom, and my high school best girlfriend Yvette Arts.

I have many hearts desires. I want to be a doula again. It is a birth coach. This takes alot
of physical stamina. Maybe someday I'll have the stamina again. I am homeschooling my son Joseph. I have wanted to do this for a few years. This year is the year for me to be able to do this.

What are your hearts desire? Do you have support. Sonia Choquette, the woman I am listening to at this moment, says "even Christ had 12 helpers". We are all here to help one another.
How am I doing? How are you doing? Ask yourself if you are living your hearts desire.

I hope you all have a great week. My last week was a great week. My husband and I received some news that will help us reach some of our family's hearts desires.