There's been a ton of activity at the house this week. It's the weekend that the hubby is home from work.
Sometimes it's a good thing and sometimes we drive each other bananas. So far, so good though.
Wednesday we had a really good prayer meeting. The pastor really got fired up and gave some really good scriptures to follow up and review the sermon with. I am a big note taker and I like the ability to study a bit further if I have some questions about the where's and why's of a particular subject. Then Thursday was
the WMU and Pastor's Conference at the church. I have never taken part in WMU (Women's Missionary Union) but am really feeling the calling to do so. It's about mission education, awareness and involvement in the church. The conference was nice and very informative and not at all like I expected (boring and drawn out).
Afterwards, I picked up my wonderful DD to go laptop shopping. I do the picking out and the ex pays for it. I was doing my best to be fair and keep the price about the same as I have spent on the curriculum. So 500 dollars was about my limit w/tax if I could swing it. And I did. I found lovely little 15.6 screen size HP with 4 Rams of memory and a 500 GB hard drive on sale at Office Max for $399. Add a $99 warranty on it and well we are pretty much even steven. It did not have the 101 key board like I would have liked but she doesn't care and it will more than work for daily school work. It is still sitting on the kitchen table in the box. I am thinking I am not even going to open it up until Monday. I don't want to be in a snizzle and rush or be bothered when I go to install the software for the school year or when first turning it on and just getting set up period.
This Sunday is 5th Sunday dinner on the grounds. It's something I asked if this church did when I joined and they said they used to but sorta fell out of the habit. So with a little nudge from me, it's started back up. It's nice to fellowship with my new church family and I am still getting to know some of them but before the year is out I will be more than in the swing of things and be an old hand at know what goes where and when and how..etc.  So first thing in the morning I will be getting up and making some dirty rice and hot water cornbread for our noon meal. I really do hope we have a full house.
And on that note, I will call it a night as I still have a few things I need to do before heading to bed.
Thanks for popping in to see me.
Balinda

I must make a confession. I have peeked at my blog numerous times, thinking to myself that I need to post something. Mostly because I use it as a way to document my days, the normal day to day routine that afflicts us all. I also use it to document my growth in skills as an art journaler and and revel secretly inside when I conquer a new skill or stumble upon an effect that takes a page from just ok to me to "wow, I am really diggin' that!".
Eventhough I have not posted any Project 365 photos I have been taking them. I have tried to scrap them digitally but that is just not working for me. I had thought about having them bound into a book but for some reason I am resisting that idea also. What I did think about doing with them is being all art journalesque (slap some paint, scribble about the day etc) with  them. That idea made me smile. I am "documenting" my life and the quirkiness of it and I am still enjoying being crafty. I know some paper scrappers would cringe at the idea of paint and markers and possibly other NON-archival media touching a photo. I mean, that is what was DRILLED into our heads back when 1999 when I went to my very first OFFICIAL scrapbooking party held by my then SIL. If it was not acid free then it could not touch thee, seemed to be the motto.  After a very long 8 years of not scrapping and a lot of that time not even having a camera, I guess I am just over it. I have tons of photos that do need to be scrapped and am more than making up for it now with my ♥iPhone♥. I do need to document memories before I get senile or something for the kiddos though. So get ready to see that project shared.
Oh let's see what else...hmmmm...getting ready for school. I am entering in to the first full year of home schooling and it's also 9th grade. Oh what a challenge. The Switched On Schoolhouse curriculum was very highly recommended by another mom from church (who is also studying to be a teacher) and she even brought it up for me to peek into the program. I really liked the format and the fact that I could load it into a laptop and it be super portable. It's very interactive and has a Bible study class which I might do along with her. In addition to all of that, I have loaded up on the art supplies and twice a week we are going to have art class. That and music is was not offered at her school. She loves to draw and I really want to feed that passion. No it's not fine art, it's more like cartoon drawings but that does not matter. I got a book that will teach us both perspective and shading and if anything she will have an appreciation of art and will be having fun.
So with the curriculum purchased, it's now time to go laptop shopping. That is on the agenda for Thursday. I go and pick it out and then let her father know which one is acceptable since he knows NOTHING about computers. Does not even have internet at his house. So I am hoping to find something around $500 so he does not have a stroke. That will make us even on what we will have spent on her for school since he pays no child support.
Another goal of mine for the second half of the year is to do some actual scrapbooking. I have done mostly just art journal pages but now it's time to balance it all out so that my babies will have memories to revisit and not forget the stories of their grandparents or parents for that matter.
****And you might see me posting tons more, I have just really been busy but I do love to blog, it gives me a place to vent, share, cry, praise God or just to say I had an ordinary and perfect day.****
So I hope you will stay with me on my adventure through the rest of the year.
Balinda

Beth Rimmer never disappoints with her wonderful and imaginative kits. And she surely did not with Wings of the Phoenix. And yes it has some wonderful phoenix's in it and the coolest of dragons. I just did not use them on the page I created. 
This is my soapbox statement for all the lazy bum's sucking up government funds intended for the people who really them them. It won't be long before no one will get the benefits and then where will we as a society?
Text reads: give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime~chinese proverb

Finecrafted Designs has given us a taste of Jimmy Buffet and Margaritaville with her newest kit, Parrothead Paradise. Who can resist the idea of a shaker of salt and some awesome lazy beach time?
Run and go grab it for when you wanna scrap those vacation photos or just something fun and fanciful!!!!
Here is what I was inspired to do with it. =D It's a page for my art journal.

I will admit I reluctantly volunteered to help with S.M.A.K. (Summer Musical Activity for Kids) at church this past week. Not because I didn't want to help it's just that it started at 8:30 am AND I am learning that working with kids are not my calling. But it seems the more I resist the more opportunities seem to present  themselves to me to be a part of. I do not say no but I don't really go into them with the happiest of hearts. Is this God showing me that even if I am not comfortable with what I am needed for, I must do it anyhow because there may not be other's to do it. Is it that His work for us to do will not be for us to pick and choose. I trust He has the plan and am doing my best to "roll" with it.
Well in doing so, this left me with ZERO time for blogging, CT duties, or even time for much sleep last week. I must say it's a relief that it is over. It was a great success and I am still trying to recover and catch up on sleep and the happenings in the forums that I ♥ and emails. I have not even downloaded the photos I took last week of those precious kiddos off of my camera card yet to share with parents etc on FB. Note to self: get on that soon!
On my next couple of postings I am going to catch you up on the awesome products that have been released from the wickedly cool designers I CT for. So stay tuned. =D!
Balinda