let freedom ring....

On May 5, 1868, General John Logan officially proclaimed a day of remembrance for fallen soldiers. On May 30, 1868 flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery, marking the first observance of Memorial Day.

Over the years, community observances of Memorial Day have diminished. Where parades and memorial services were once held, silence filled the air. Groceries stores were filled with people purchasing food for gatherings with friends, with no thought to those that have shed their blood on battlefields throughout the decades. Parks and lakes were filled with workers thrilled to have a day off of work, while the cemeteries filled with the graves of the fallen remained empty. Our freedom is taken for granted, and those that have given their lives to defend those freedoms have been forgotten.

Today, as we see the red and white strips of the American flag, let us remember the battles waged and the lives lost.

Let us remember...

as we spend this Memorial Day enjoying good food and friendship to take a moment and remember those that have given their lives defending the freedoms we enjoy.

Let us remember...

as we spend the day creating memories with our friends and family, to say a prayer for those that have lost loved ones on bloody battlefields.

On this Memorial Day let us remember...

that blood has been shed to ensure us of the freedoms we hold dear.

Let us remember ...

that a great price has been paid for the freedoms that we take for granted.

Let us remember...

that our freedoms are not free.

friday frivolity...

Looked at the clock and was surprised to see that Friday was almost gone...

So I sent my husband away from the computer so that I could write ramble!
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This post was actually supposed to be written from Alabama...

after the graduation of my friend's oldest daughter...

but life events prevented us from making t down there!

Instead we sat and watched the ceremony live on the computer.

and I was able to sit and wonder where the little girl that let me sit on her bed and play with her and her play food went...

and cry in private!
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The countdown for the end of the school year is down to 2 days...

2 days until no more alarm clocks...

2 days until no more homework!

2 days until I have a 2nd grader and a HIGH SCHOOL-er!!
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And if having a high schooler didn't make me feel old enough...

I feel REALLY old when I read FB status from former classmates announcing the births of their first grandchild!

Yup! Grandchildren! OLD!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I would like to take this time to thank the individual that borrowed my carpet cleaner...

and put it back on the garage shelf without bothering to clean out the sludge from the tank...

after over three years in the garage...

the smell was priceless!

or stomach turning, repulsively nauseating.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michaela came home from school and laid down on the couch...

within minutes she was sound asleep...

For the rest of the evening she was lethargic and pale.

I think she is having withdrawal from not texting for the last week!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma is so ready for school to be over...

she is outside playing from the moment she gets home from school...

and stays out as long as we let her.

She cannot wait to be able to stay out until it is too dark to see!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a question for the new singing artist I hear on the radio...

Is there a reason you have to say your name in the song, often multiple times?

If your good, we will remember your name without hearing it in your songs!

Seriously, can you imagine listening to "I Can't Drive 55" and in the chorus hearing Sammy sing, 'Vaa-aaan Haleeeen'!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess I should close this out and hit PUBLISH.

Tomorrow is a fun filled day of laundry!

And if I am lucky...

I will be able to continue doing laundry through the holiday weekend!!!

Oh if I can only be so fortunate!

for sale sold!!!...

My friend recently asked if Steve and I were rebuilding our house before we put it on the market. We weren't...it just felt like it at times! The minor fixes, putting in new molding, painting, and organizing (and the not so minor tiling), seemed to take forever. As one project was started, another project would come up that had to be done before the first could be completed. A one step forward and two steps back sort of thing. Progress was also slowed because between his two jobs, Steve was only home a few hours a week. And as hard as I tried to work him every minute he was here, he insisted on sleeping a few hours a night.
But the hard work has paid off. The realtor says the house will show really well.
And with our first showing tomorrow afternoon, the real fun begins! The idea of strangers traipsing through my house and critiquing my home is unnerving to me. I feel like I am under inspection.
So I will pray for a timely sale.

And, of course, spend all morning making sure everything is in it's place---or at least hidden from sight :)

remember when...

Remember when we could go days with little to no sleep? We could stay up all night studying (or doing nothing), grab a Mt. Dew, and head out the door running--going all day at full speed!

Well...those days seem to be a thing of the past!

After staying up and sewing curtains for the kitchen until the wee hours of the morning, running around getting the house 'staged' for the real estate photographer, tutoring a hyper 5th grader, and playing chauffeur for the girls, my 3 hours of sleep have dissipated.

I am completely out of steam.

The only place I want to be is...

Getting old stinks :)

friday frivolity...

Another Friday, another week complete.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another week filled with house projects and organizing...

but with a FOR SALE in the yard to show for the endless work!

Finally!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
School is coming to an end...

only 6 more school days...

and then I will be the parent of a 2nd grader...

and a HIGH SCHOOLER!

How did THAT happen!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of the reasons we have continued taking dance classes at MJM Studio is that we have never had to worry about the music chosen or the costumes...

until this week.

Michaela's dance team has been invited to dance at a minor league baseball game...

the jazz teacher decided the girls were going to wear dance shorts and t shirts...

um, dance shorts are basically underwear and mac does not own a pair.

So...Michaela told the studio owner that she would not be dancing due to the inappropriateness of the costume.

Standing up for your morals can be difficult sometimes!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am pleased to say that after explaining the reason Mac would not be dancing...

Mary Jo sent me an email apologizing, stating she 'must have lost her mind' to think that the shorts would be appropriate.

She thanked me for 'keeping her in line'...

and has sent an email to the dancers changing the costume!

Standing up for your morals can be rewarding sometimes!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma has had another coughing episode.

For the last year she has developed a horrendous cough a few times a month...

which nothing relieves and stays with her for weeks.

This week we had had enough...

so she went to the Dr's.

The Dr heard wheezing in her lungs...

Steve had horrible asthma as a child...

and now Emma has a rescue inhaler!

Definitely NOT one of the traits I wanted Steve to pass on to her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today was Emma's Fairytale Ball at school...

I braided yards of yarn last night...

and today Rapunzel went to the ball!
I am not sure if she found her prince!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am off to get ready for bed.

Tutoring tomorrow...

and mowing and mulching...

if we could actually have day without rain!

Or even just a few hours of dry weather!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have a great weekend!

not quite wordless wednesday...

It is F.I.N.A.L.L.Y. in the front yard!!!!!!

The sale price is depressing. We will still make a profit, but not as much as we would have a few years ago....definitely a sign of the economic times!

The only thing better will be...

i know, i know...

Realtor coming tomorrow...

Moving out my armoire---to make the bedroom feel bigger...

Finishing up the 'little things'....

Tomorrow...

FOR SALE!!!!

*** and then maybe I can think and write something with sustenance.

upon the first day of the week...

In HIS time...In HIS time...
God makes all things beautiful...In HIS time.
Lord please show me everyday...
As your teaching me YOUR way...

That YOU do just what you say...

In YOUR time.

ahhhh...

4.5 hours with no electricity!

It is amazing how dark it can get when an entire subdivision, with no street lights... out in the country, looses electricity!

The kids had a great time playing outside until 11:30 with the spotlight from our neighbors work truck lighting their way.

While Emma and T and H rode bikes and scooters, I was able to have some adult conversation in my driveway with a few of my neighbors.

Emma, petrified of the dark house, reluctantly came in and was asleep within seconds of hitting the bed...dirty face and all.

The break was fun...

but I am so thankful to have the fan blowing on me and the sump pump running!!!!!

joy that knows no bounds...

After five years of fertility medicines, doctors poking and prodding, and various medical procedures....

August 14, 1996 wiped away the years of disappointment, frustration, and sadness.

August 14, 1996 became the best day of my life.

As I held my new daughter in my arms and prayed a prayer of thanks to God for allowing me the privilege of this precious child, I was filled with a love that I never knew existed....

a love that knows no bounds...

a love that is all encompassing and never ending...

a love that can only be known when you become, "Mommy".

As my precious daughter grew, so did the love in my heart.

I could not imagine sharing that love.

I could not imagine loving another as much as I loved the sweet child that had stolen my heart.

But the love that encompasses the heart of a mommy is a love that expands...

it is a love that has no limits.

On September 2, 2003, my heart was filled with more love than I knew was possible...

a new love enveloped my heart...

and I sent prayers to my heavenly Father thanking Him for entrusting me with the precious life I had just been given...

as I became "Mommy" to another beautiful daughter.

September 2, 2003 was the best day of my life.

And this beautiful Sunday morning, as I awakened to the sounds of my two beautiful daughters wishing me a Happy Mother's Day...

I once again lifted a prayer to my God...

thanking Him for allowing me the privilege of knowing these two beautiful souls...

thanking Him for allowing me the privilege of being loved by these two innocent hearts...

thanking Him for allowing me to the privilege of loving these two beautiful girls...


thanking Him for allowing me to be their "Mommy".
~~~~~~~~~~
originally posted Mother's Day, 2009

field trip...

Today in Social Studies Michaela's class visited a Holocaust museum located in a local Cincinnati Hebrew school.

Moving. Depressing. the words used to describe the experience. Not as overwhelming as walking through Auschwitz was, but the experience will definitely stay with her.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Frivolous tidbit she learned on her field trip...

Mac: Some of the students were switching classes while we were there. They looked at us rather strangely.

Me: I am sure that is just you feeling self conscious. If the museum is located in the school, I am sure they have seen people come to walk through it before. I realize you crossed the river, but Kentuckians look just like Cincinnatians.

Mac" OH! and you know how we go to Chicago for our 8th grade trip... They go to ISRAEL!!! I.S.R.E.A.L. mumbling under her breath.. Chicago!. They go to Israel!! Israel!!! Whoopee Chicago.

moving forward...

Comps are being looked at...

a sale price is being computed...

the sign in the yard is closer!!


Now...anyone in the Northern Kentucky area want to buy a house?????

upon the first day of the week...

Thank you Lord for allowing me to become a Mom and hear the words, " Happy Mother's Day. I love you Mommy."

friday frivolity...

Seriously???

90 degrees today....

60 degrees tomorrow!!!

colds and sickness the day after.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I picked up 3 new students for tutoring this week...

It has been fun planning the lessons...

and all of them are really good kids.

Thankfully, because if I wanted to teach unruly kids I could go back into the classroom!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why is it...

that we have lived in this neighborhood for 10 years...

minus the 3 we were out of the country.

and there have never been other girls for Michaela to play with.

Now that we are planning to move...

there have been two girls over here every day this week!

Ironic!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ohhhh!

that flash of lightening was rather close!!!!

I think I will shut the computer down.

Because being zapped by lightening isn't on my To Do list!

not quite wordless wednesday...

As I was packing pictures...the stacks and stacks that should be in albums already... I came across Steve's first grade picture.

Does it remind you of anyone?????
Right down to the freckles across the nose.

emma-isms...tuesday edition

Emma Shea was on a roll today! There is never a dull moment when she is around...moments I would like to lock her myself inside a padded room and bang my head...but never a dull moment!

10:45am

After getting her 'wires' (palate stretcher) removed today, the hygienist and Dr. Bert went on and on about how good Emma is and what a sweet little girl she is. And because she was so good while they removed it and took the impression for the permanent appliance, the hygienist snuck (sneaked??) her 3 Starburst---after Dr. Bert left the conference room of course:). Not being able to chew gum or sticky candy for the last couple of months has been the most difficult part of the orthodontia for her (because is, and has always been, a junk food junkie). So when she saw those colorful wrappers sitting in her hands, her face became a portrait of pure joy. She could not get out to the van quick enough to open them up and plop the chewy sweetness into her mouth.

Door closed. Seatbelt buckled. Wrappers flying. And then nothing but "MMMMMmmmmm"

And then, with a mischievous grin and a look of 'no good', she says, "Hee hee hee! I cannot wait to tell Michaela I got to eat chewy candy. She is going to be so jealous because she can't eat it still. But I can. heeheehee

Sweet and good??? More like evil and devious :)

8:00pm

Today I had to tutor two new students, so I was going to be home late. I talked to Emma before I dropped her off at school and explained that Michaela would be babysitting her until I got home. I told her that if she acted ugly (which is the typical behavior seen when Mac babysits her) she would spend tomorrow in her room. Before leaving today, I wrote her a note reminding her to make good choices.

So needless to say I was not pleased when I came home and heard that she was in her room due to a fit she threw outside.

ME: "Emma Shea Martin come down here now!" (All 3 names--she knew she was in trouble)

with tears streaming down her face, she comes around the corner and down the stairs.

EMMA: "I'm sorry. I forgot what you wrote on the note."

ME: " ??"

EMMA: "I forgot the rules you wrote in the note you left."

She forgot the rules I wrote in the note!!!???!!! Because no screaming, no ugliness, playing nicely...are new concepts to her???? Concepts she has never been taught???? HOW did I miss teaching those lessons the last 6 years!?

9:15pm (i.e. every night)

"Emma, go jump in the shower."

"AGAIN!!!! I just took one last night."

"GO!! Now!"

" Why do I have to take a shower EVERY night? Do I have to wash my body again too"

"Yes, that would be the point of taking a shower...washing off the dirt."

"Ewww. I. don't. like. taking. showers."

20 minutes pass..I still hear the shower running.

"Emma you need to get out of the shower."

"Okay, I need to wash my body."

"What have you been doing for the last 20 minutes?"

"Playing!"

Washes her body. Gets out of the shower. Wraps up in a towel and comes downstairs.

"Emma you needed to wash your hair also."

"I did."

"You washed your hair with your hair still pulled back and the ribbon bow still in?!"

"Yes! I just washed the bow too!"

I am pretty sure she takes after her Daddy!

i'm back....

Okay, so I have dug my way out of the rut I was in and refocused my priorities. After taking almost a week off from posting I should have a thought provoking post about attitude and motivation, but instead I am linking a completely ridiculous youtube video that made me laugh!



I cannot believe the products that people think up!!!!

upon the first day of the week...

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 62:5-8

I am still here...

slowly digging my way out of this rut I have fallen into...

I will be back soon!

friday frivolity...

I forced myself to stop ironing for a minute to write...

so I will have to make this a quick rambling...

because I LOVE ironing mounds of Emma's clothes!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week as gone by so fast...

not much has happened...

but it feels like we just began the week yesterday.

They say time flies when you are having fun!

Oh 'fun', is THAT what you call it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stephen started on nights Sunday...

so far so good.

Of course it doesn't really affect us here...

I just get a call at 11:00pm instead of 11:00am,..

and I don't talk to him on his lunch break.

Because (in theory) I am asleep at 2am.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steve also got a part-time job this week...

because he was wasting so much time...

sleeping!

I am glad he finally is using his freetime wisely:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I also got a job this week...

tutoring part-time.

I have had two sessions so far...

and I hope to pick up some more students in the next few weeks.

I now remember why I wanted to teach!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michaela has the dreaded state testing next week...

I will be glad when it is finished...

because I am so tired of hearing, "Preped for the test." when I ask her what she did in school.

I now remember why I no longer want to teach!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma is working on money in school...

and she seems to have the same aptitude for Math that her sister has.

This is NOT a good thing!

I wonder if I get a discount for tutoring with my new employer?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma is having a great time with the warm temperatures and longer days...

she is outside long after the street lights come on...

if we actually had street lights out here in the country.

The thrill over homework has been lost to the thrill of the great outdoors.

Summer break cannot come soon enough!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michaela asked to be homeschooled again...

after another discussion about why I am against homeschooling...

she finally confessed that the only reason she would want to be HS'd is because she hates getting up in the morning.

I told her if she was HS'd we would still have to get up early and start lessons...

and she laughed.

I am not sure what she was trying to imply!

I love mornings...

as long as they start after 10am!
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Blogger has still not fixed the problem with my 'comments'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I looked for rooms to rent in Louisville...

because I think it would just be easier for Steve to have his own place near work...

and come visit us here once in a while.

No packing. No For Sale sign. No upheaval.

For some reason, he wasn't as excited about the idea as I was!

Kind of selfish of him don't ya' think:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michaela has her last competition tomorrow...

in Louisville of course...

because Steve is not working this weekend.

I have my Advil packed...

and am prepared for the drama-fest...

a.k.a. Dance Team Moms!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oddly, as I have sat typing this post...

the pile of ironing has not shrunk AT ALL!

As it seems the laundry fairy has taken the night off...

I better get back to the ironing board :(

Disposable clothes are looking better and better!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have a great weekend!

not quite wordless wednesday...

brace face

metal mouth

tin grin

railroad tracks

no matter what you call it...

the orthodontia fun has begun!

lady of leisure no more...

While we may have an idea about where we are headed and the time we want to take to get there, God often has other plans for us. And as much as we like to think we are in control of our lives, He has ways of making His presence in the pilot's seat unmistakable. Sometimes with subtlety. Sometimes with a frying pan. But always unmistakable. And always in His time.

Unfortunatey my reminders often have to be a frying pan to my head..because I do not give up control easily. And I am not a patient person.

After giving up on the application I submitted a few months ago to a tutoring company, I had decided to just get the house ready to sell and look for a job (to fill in the time until I begin taking classes again) when we moved.

But God had other plans for me.

So after many years of being a lady of leisure, sitting around the house watching 'my daily dose of smut' and eating bon bons, I am going back to work!

Starting tomorrow I will be working for a company tutoring students in their homes.

I am not sure if I should be excited or dreading this :p

things i learned on a monday...

Spring break is over. Alarm clocks and homework are part of our days again. And none of us faced reality this morning very graciously! But we went about our day with smiles and learned a few things in the process.

As I was out and about I learned that...

**my phone is usually silent for weeks on end... but the Monday after Spring Break week, when we are running around trying to get out of the door on time, it begins ringing non-stop at 8:00am {with wrong numbers and telemarketers}.

**it would seem, by the clothes OUAC did not purchase from me, that my child is the only little girl in the Northern Ky/Cincinnati area that wears cute smocked dresses. {grungy jeans are snatched up though!}

**when having a dispute with an utility company they have the ability to turn off the service, so they ALWAYS win :(

**it sometimes pays to listen to the commercials on the radio. It doesn't pay a lot, but at least Half Priced Books has the stack of books I needed to get rid of, and I have some cash I didn't have this morning.

**Michaela can act confused at the simplest request, but can carry on THREE Facebook instant message conversations and ONE text message conversation all at the same time---for over an hour!

**Banfield really has a stupid system for ending your pet insurance. I could not cancel the account (after being on hold for 25 minutes) because Steve signed the contract, but he could send an email and request cancellation. I guess when I talk to him, I will let him know he sent that email.

**errands are so much easier to deal with when the sky is blue, the sun is shining, and it is 68*!!!!

closer...

Progress derailed for the last 2 days by a stomach bug...

but we are almost there!

terri...

Have you ever had a person in your life that gives unconditionally? A friend that offers to help in a time consuming situation, even though they are in the midst of upheaval in their own lives. Someone that you may not talk to on a regular basis, but you can pick right back up with as if no time as passed.

Thankfully I do!

We met many years ago in the temporary living quarters on the base our husbands were working on. Her daughter and Michaela and her youngest son and Emma were the same ages. We both had taught school. And we were both non-military outsiders in a world where the military was (thought to be) everything. We became each others sounding boards; sanity in a world that often was anything but.

And then we got busy...with life. I starting working. She started studies towards her Masters. The time together became scarcer as our commitments increased. We would see each other on base and wave, but the time to just 'hang out' was limited. Yet, no matter how long we went without seeing each other, we could just begin conversing with no hesitation. And while I am not sure I showed it as much as I should have, I treasured the friendship. I valued the bond we had.

And then we moved back to the States.

But even with an ocean between us, she is still giving her friendship to me selflessly. In the midst of her own move back to the States, she offered to take care of the antiques we left in a storage unit in England. She endured the rudeness of a stranger as she retrieved the key and encountered furniture covered in mold as she opened the storage door. She took items to the chapel, washed mold off of dressers and chairs, and unloaded the storage unit as her own house was being packed up to be sent across the ocean---all without a second thought. (because when you are truly a good hearted person, doing for others is part of your nature.)

And I truly do not know how I will ever repay her unconditional generosity.

Terri, I am so thankful for the day I walked out of the TLF and met you. Your friendship was one of the bright spots of our 3 years in the UK. I am proud to be able to call you my friend.

THANK YOU!