One Proud Mama

Not much going on here this spring but busy as usual.

I think all the kids have grown two inches this spring!  Thank goodness for hand-me-downs and garage sales.  Aunt Michelle sent over four bags of clothes from her girls for Angela.  Once we got it all sorted, there was so much that simply couldn’t keep it all.  We ended up with a slew of clothes she can wear now, a pile for this fall, a pile for next year, a pile to send over to her cousin who is older and can wear the bigger items first, and a bag to donate.  Then her cousin sent a bag of clothes back that were too small for her!  Then we went through her dressers and pulled out all the stuff that was getting a bit small and came out with another large bag for donation.  Wow, that’s a lot of clothes!  Did I mention I love hand-me-downs!

Of course, there’s not enough boys in the family, so we’ve come across some great garage sale clothes for Keith!  That boy wears through pants like water!  Unfortunately, that also means that there’s no pants to hand down to Chris, so we’ve been looking in garage sales for him, too.  We hit a really good one on Saturday, when we all went to a nearby neighborhood sale (remind me not to take Dad with us next time!) and found a couple of nice outfits and several additional shirts, all almost brand new, that Chris will fit into this fall.

We had fun going to the garage sales on Saturday and found a huge box of slot car tracks.  I haven’t played with slot cars since I was a kid. So for $5, we brought home the box, wiped down the tracks, took an inventory of some parts that we would need and then headed off to the hobby store.  We spent less than $10 more dollars for some skid shoes, pins, and a new set of tires for the cars.  Ah, the joy of simple fun.  The cat even had a blast chasing the cars!  We still have some work to do to get it working real well, but I think just a bit more cleaning and some more tires for the other cars and we’ll have a really nice set.

Work is going good for me.  I continue to get new clients through referrals from current and previous clients, so there is no lack of available work.  I’ve been working some crazy hours because of the time differences between me and some of my clients, but that’s just part of the job.  So far, this year is shaping up to be better than last year, so keep praying for continued blessings.

I’ve got lots of pictures to post up in the gallery, just haven’t had the time.  Birthday, Easter, and after this week, another birthday and dance recitals!  Boy, I’m way behind! I’ll get them posted eventually!

Well, I’d better try and get some more work done.  Break is over.  At least I can sit here on the couch and get work done while watching hockey!  Gotta love Stanley Cup playoffs! Go Wings!

Here’s my favorite picture of the kids this Christmas.  Be sure to see the other Christmas pictures in the gallery.

The weather’s been cold and lots of snow.  Typical January around here.  Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

January has flown by, just as all the months seem to anymore.  It’s time to get ready for Keith and Chris’ birthday party.  They want to have their parties together again this year but each want a separate theme.  With Keith wanting Star Wars and Chris wanting Shaun the Sheep, we decided to get a little creative and came up with “Sheep Wars”!

So, I’m off to start making some decorations for their party next week.  Lots to do, never enough time.

Well, the overhaul of the website is just about complete.  I’ll be tweaking some things and adding new stuff over time. It has been an enjoyable couple of days working to get the site redone, so I hope you all enjoy the new format and look.  If you had a username and password for the previous gallery, you will need to request a new one for the new gallery because it is a completely different system used to manage the photos.  The entire site is now created using WordPress with the NextGen Gallery plugin.  Just fill out the contact form and I’ll be sure to create an account for you right away! 

Enjoy your evening.

Merry Christmas!

Life has been so hectic and it’s just been a very stressful year, but we have faith that 2009 will be the year we get back on our feet and get ahead once again.  So Merry Christmas to all our family and friends and here’s praying everyone has a much better new year than the one that is almost over.

Because today is a holiday, my husband has forbidden me to work!  So, because I just can’t seem to get away from the computer for even one day, I’ve taken the opportunity to update this site.  I’ve converted from a blogger.com hosted blog to a full WordPress local installation and given it a refreshed look.  I hope you like it.  I’ll be converting the photo gallery for family and friends as well, so stay tuned for new family photos! 

God Bless and have a great holiday!

I know, I know. It’s been soooooo long since I’ve updated everyone. There has been so much going on.

My business is going very well, but as always, cash flow is still not stabilized, so we have been having up and down months financially. There is certainly no shortage of work for me and I’m actually turning some away, there is so much. That’s the good part! I’ve got several new large projects of my own in the works as well as continuing work for my wonderful, regular clients.

Www.blog-mi.com is a new venture I developed to market here in Michigan. When I talk to small business owners about websites for their businesses, so many are concerned about the cost. So, I’ve developed a system to offer affordable website solutions to Michigan businesses and residents as well. Check it out for yourself at www.blog-mi.com and see what it’s all about. When the rough patches are smoothed out, I have a wonderful client in Texas who will be launching this same system in his state. If more people are interested, other states could follow.

I have taken on my first Intern from the local college to not only provide some extra help here in the office, but to give back to the local educational community. Technology internships are difficult to find locally (I know, I’ve been there) so the least I can do is offer my experience and business as a worksite for some students. If they don’t find a worksite to complete their internships, they don’t graduate. I’m really enjoying the experience and am looking forward to helping more students next term.

I am planning to move my office out of the house and into a commercial location in about three months. I only have so much room here at home and I want to bring more people on board to work with me so I can work to bring in more projects. The business is ready to grow and people around here need jobs! It’s win - win!

On to family updates……

The kids are getting big of course. Keith and Chris just celebrated their birthday’s last month. Keith in now eight and Chris is three. Keith is becoming quite the speller in school and just loves to read! Angela has come a long way in her reading and spelling since before the holidays and we are all so proud of her. Her teachers are very impressed with her progress and she has been working so hard by reading every night. Daddy has started taking all three of them to the public library each week to read new books (we’ve read all the books here in the house). The kids are just loving all the books at the library and they bring home one each for the week.

My father has not been doing so well, however. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer during the holidays and had unsuccessful surgery right before Christmas. He is now well into his chemotherapy treatments and will begin radiation next week as well. He has been handling the treatments well so far, but is starting to lose his appetite. Pray for healing and comfort for him during this difficult time.

That’s it for now. I have to get back to work. I’ll post some Christmas and Birthday pictures very soon and try to update more often. Just give me a kick in the rear every now and then if I don’t!

Well, the news is in - Mattel has issued a recall of about 9 million toys that either contain a lead paint hazard or contain small magnets that can be swallowed. The recall includes millions of Polly Pocket sets and Batman action figures. While no injuries have been reported with this recall, a spokesperson has stated that the recall is intentionally large to prevent any injuries from occurring. This is the second recall by Mattel in the past two weeks that involved lead paint. Read the MSNBC article for more information. Visit Mattel’s website for an updated list of recalled items.

There are reports buzzing this morning about a possible second recall of toys with lead paint hazards. No official recall announcement has been made yet, but after the last recent major recall, Mattel is expectedly cautious. Rumor has it that this new recall involves a different Chinese manufacturer. The last recall involved Lee Der Industrial Co. in China’s Guangdong province. Mattel does not plan to continue using that contractor and China has begun an investigation into the company. We’ll keep you posted of any new information as it becomes available.

All Parents need to know that Fisher-Price is recalling nearly a million Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer toys due to high lead levels in the paint. The toys were made in China between April 19, 2007 and July 6, 2007. More information and important links are available at Hot Topics Around The Web.

Happy Fathers Day to all you dads!

This past months has raced by, as they all seem to do anymore. Lots of happenings:

Last weekend was the kids’ dance recital. They looked wonderful as usual. Angela enjoyed being a ballerina and has already decided that she wants to do ballet again next year. Keith was a hit again this year, being the only boy in his class and one of a very few boys in the recitals (I think it’s like 3 boys to 400+ girls!) He even had some of the girls fighting over who got to sit next to him while they waited for their turn!

Angela turned six this past Tuesday and she got to share cupcakes with her kindergarten class. School ended on Thursday and we celebrated Anglea’s birthday with friends and family yesterday. The kids had a great time just playing in the backyard in the beautiful weather. Angela got lots of Barbie dolls and Barbie accessories (that’s all she asked for), so she is very happy.

The kids are looking forward to having their new babysitter come over tomorrow. I found a sweet, responsible girl to come to the house for a few hours each day so I can get some work done in my office. I am looking forward to being able to have some set hours for my clients. This arraingement will at least get us through the summer, and hopfully we will know about Mike’s job before the summer ends. We still have no answers, but morale is so low at his workplace, we are all just hoping they will shut the doors so he can collect unemployment and go back to school.

Till next time…..