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!

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!