As some of you know, I've been trying to find new homes for my Raven Writes and Going Green blogs.  I finally created new blogs to cover the subject matter of these two and have them all ready to roll. *hip hip hooray!*

Please come visit me at:

• Momma (and More)
• This Organic House

WOW...I just popped in here to update my template and realized how very long it's been since I blogged here.  What have you been up to?  I've been up to a lot, and it's all good.  At least, I like to think so!  heh heh.

Married life is treating me well (and hopefully the Man would agree).  The Little is doing much better these days.  She sure loves having a Daddy around who "won't never break up with Momma".  Yes, every now and then she whips that one out to reassure herself.  It's both encouraging and gut-wrenching at the same time!  She is, officially, the Little Formerly Known as Psycho-Baby.  She hasn't even had a meltdown for a couple weeks -- hallelujah!  She started ballet last Wednesday and loved, loved, loved it.  She actually paid attention very well, did everything the teacher asked her to do, and in classic Little form, stayed for a minute to jabber at the teacher as all the other little girls trooped out of the room.  That's one thing with this homeschooled kid -- she is not shy when it comes to talking to adults.  (Personally I always get a laugh out of her telling total strangers she's not going to talk to them because they are strangers.  But it's okay because her mom is with her.  hahaha!)

If you take a glance to the right, you'll see I added two more links to my "Articles" section.  They are for the July and August 2006 Homesteader e-News that I guest edited for HomesteadBlogger.com (The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC).  I turned in the September e-News file at the end of last month and received the edited version recently, so I assume that will be available for reading soon as well.  My contract there is all done, so the wonderful Nancy Carter has taken the reins again.  Now I'm in the process of reorganizing my home office (more on that in a moment, y'all!) and in a week or two I'll start taking on a few more freelance projects again.

Speaking of projects -- the time has come, and we're on the move.  We were assigned our new home last week and sign the lease for it tomorrow afternoon.  Woohoo!  The Man got all the info on Thursday, including the address, and took me and the Little to check it out.  We were only able to gawk from the outside, but it's got a grand old tree out front, a cute little front stoop, and it's on a corner, so our yard is a smidge bigger than some folks.  We ended up with a three bedroom, which is pretty cool, and no wall-to-wall carpet (which I was not so secretly hoping for).  Not sure yet whether the floors are vinyl or hardwood, but either way will be way easier when it comes to cleaning up poofs of hair from the Dog!  It'll put the Man just minutes from work, which means more sleep (or time to cuddle up) in the morning, and it's just blocks from the gym I've been going to for yoga classes.  One more area in which the Little is changing -- during my twice-weekly yoga adventures, she gets to go hang out in their free childcare area.  The gals in charge there must all be daycare or preschool providers or something, because they always have projects going on for the kids.  So far she's made a beehive from a plastic jug (note to self: GREAT project for youngsters!), fingerpainted (which the teachers said was to be brush painting, but, oh well), made paper plate frisbees and kites, and a gob of pictures and such.  I have already hauled in one bag of crafty supplies while cleaning out our school closet and I'll take them some more later.  Lord knows my child has probably used a ton of stuff on her own and they can use the re-stocking!

Anywho, as one might guess, the house is up for sale by owner.  I actually listed it on Homeschool Buyers Co-Op's classifieds today, just on a whim.  Who knows?  Go check it out and be sure to join up...a membership is free and there are lots of discount codes already for members.  (I already subscribe to Home Education Magazine, but there are discounts on others, like Home School Enrichment and The Old Schoolhouse, as well as curricula and other goodies.)  So anywho, the household goods are being packed up this week and we'll get keys and haul it all over on Friday.  After that I'll be able to deep clean this place and really let it shine for the next family lucky enough to make lots of memories here.

If y'all want to come visit me where I ramble the most, head over to my main blogs:

• SmallBizMentor.com
• Workerette.com
• Stop the World - I Want to Get Off!

Once I'm settled, I'll be able to start contributing more at TheHomeCast again too.  Be sure to check out the changes Jess has put in place; the site looks fantastic!

I do still plan to recreate this blog elsewhere, probably combined with my other one, Going Green.  I need more time and more blogs, right? 

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth.  I'm just busy trying to get the house sold, a few pounds off, and some real work done. 

Remarried life is good...great, actually!  The Man actually does more in a weekend than most people do in a month of weekends and he's been a real positive influence here in the household.  Come to find out one of the gyms on post offers free childcare while you're working out, so work out I have begun to do.  *gasp!*  Started a basic yoga class on Tuesday and am loving it so much that I actually rode the Lifecycle afterward...plus the Little loves the childcare.  Win-win situation if you ask me.

He's also leading the way in the ol' nutrition area.  I'm a big fan of sitting down for dinner as a family, but that sure slid a lot when it was just me and the Little living on Ramen, you know?  Now that there's a Man around again to eat big meals with (who wants to cook one serving worth to split with a kiddo?  It sucked!) I've actually been cooking real meals again most nights.  Other nights nobody wants much more than a sandwich, and that is fine too.

Speaking of being content with less, I've been deleting email accounts and old logins, and you'll see me blogging here very little while I consolidate my writing opportunities and make a decision about whether to keep my personal blog and where to put it, if I do.  For now, if you're interested, you can find me blogging on the following sites:

• www.SmallBizMentor.com
• www.Workerette.com
• http://StoptheWorld.ClubMom.com
• www.HomesteadBlogger.com/GoingGreen

I'm also a contributing author on these blogs:

• www.TheHomeCast.com
• www.HomesteadBlogger.com/HSBFrontPorch

Until I make up my mind, I'll post the occasional update here now and then.  Look for me on my more active blogs instead!

I've noticed several HSB bloggers playing tag again and posting 6 or 10 random ideas about themselves.  No one has tagged me, but y'all know I can't resist a good rambling opportunity...so here goes.

• I'm not much of a foodie, but lately I've really come to enjoy the BBQ Stuffed Potato at Famous Dave's, as well as the Cajun Lime Tilapia and Tortilla Chicken Melt at Applebee's.  Ugh, now I'm hungry.
• Never have liked Tom Cruise.  Val Kilmer...now, that's a different story.
• "It's so stimulating being your hat!"  Know what movie that line's from?  I do. 
• Yes, I eat organic and recycle like a maniac.  And yes, I drive a full-size Ford pickup.  Do I see a problem with that?  Nope.  With no commute, I use less gas in a week than my neighbors in their econo-boxes and I enjoy my ride a lot more.
• To answer the questions I get in Children's Place stores all the time: [Oh, how old is she?] She's five.  [Are you starting kindergarten soon, sweetie?] She's homeschooled.  [Oh, really?  Is that legal here?] Yes, it's legal.  [How many more are you going to have?]  None, thanks.  [Why?]  Because I'm divorced.  [But what if you meet a really great man?] No.  [Why?]  Buy me a beer sometime and I'll tell you.  Otherwise, gimme my receipt and my kid's clothes.  Buh-bye. (No, I haven't really said that last part in person, but I sure WANT to!)
• Places I plan to visit in the next eighteen months: the USS Arizona Memorial; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI); Hannover, Germany; Albuquerque, New Mexico; San Antonio, Texas.
• No, I'm not a supporter of the Pearls, even though I currently blog on HomeschoolBlogger.com. 
• Yes, I said currently.  Yes, there are things in the works.  Yes, I'll tell you when I'm ready.

Yes, that's enough drivel for now.  Y'all have a good day!

A little over a month ago, my gal pal MaggieRaye tagged me and just for kicks, I posted my answers to her email on my blog.  Over the pat few days, I've had that post on my mind again, and I think I've come up with some more answers.  Just for kicks (again), I think I'll share them here, with a little twist.  Some of my answers have changed, and I've come up with different questions.  If you are reading this, please consider yourself tagged.  Answer the questions in the comments section or on your own blog...leave me a link to the answers!

1) 7 things I hope to do before I die:

Go back to Germany

Go to the NMAI and The Wall in Washington, D.C.

Earn my BA degree in English or history

Earn my WA motorcycle rider's endorsement

Build a home in the mountains

See my daughter and step-daughter married to good men

Write a book and several e-books

2) 7 things I plan to do in the next month:

Write an e-book

Clean out my office and master bedroom closets

Do my taxes

Shampoo my carpets

Clean out the garage

Clean out the backyard

Build my website

3) 8 things that would attract me to my spouse:

Intelligence

Makes me laugh

Makes me feel safe and protected without being overly possessive

Assumes authority and establishes a command presence in my home and life

Loves my daughter and likes my dog

Ruggedly handsome (still no pretty boys, thanks!)

Drives a truck (Fords still preferred, of COURSE)

Has a career or is building one

4)  6 CDs I listen to all the time:

Jarhead soundtrack

Montgomery Gentry's "You Do Your Thing"

Trace Adkins' "Greatest Hits"

The Cranberries' "Everyone Else Is Doing It"

Evanescence (self-titled)

Nickelback (their first 2 CDs, I swap them out one after the other)

5) 4 things I plan to do in the next 4 days:

Pick up my step-daughter and throw a surprise party for The Kidling (Friday)

Finish reading Real Simple; read Entrepreneur, Working Mother, and a handful of other magazines

Watch Tuesday's episode of The Unit on tape; watch The Pacifier and probably one other movie

Go to the local pizza joint for some beah and conversation

There...that should catch us up a bit.  Y'all have a nice night.

Oh, now this is just FUN!  Many thanks to Leann, who posted her homeschooling magazine cover for all to see.  Perhaps later today I'll go in and create one myself.  If you create a cover, be sure to leave a comment with a link to your version! 

Wow...did I really just go almost 5 days without blogging here?  Oops.  Let's just say I've been a busy girl and leave it at that, shall we?

Been a while since I listed all the items on the nightstand (aka my "to read" [or to read more closely] list), so let's catch up, shall we?

Books:

By Order of the President (W.E.B. Griffin)

The Pocket Book of Patriotism (Jonathan Foreman)

101 Cost Effective Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home (Steve Berges)

The Girl's Guide to Starting Your Own Business (Friedman & Yorio)

The E-Code (Vitale & Han Mok)

Secrets from the Lost Art of Common Sense Marketing (Antin & Antin)

Magazines:

Business/Writing:

Working Mother

CNA

Fast Company

Money

Inc.

PINK Magazine

Empowering Women

The Writer

Writer's Digest

Poets & Writers

Parenting/Home & Family:

Brain, Child

The Link

Natural Home & Garden

Backwoods Home Magazine

Other Interests:

Conde Nast Traveler

What I Just Finished Reading:

Cookie

Promo

Child

What are you reading these days?  Anything you can't help but vent about or gush about?  Let me know what I should look for next.

You know, where your life seems to be some strange reality show or soap opera with you as the star?  I suppose I could technically say I have had one of "those" years...and we're only midway through February!

Some of my friends really enjoy hitting the fair and all the rides, especially the roller coaster.  Shoot, my life is a roller coaster...why pay to get the daylights scared out of me when I can just sit home and have it roll up and down for free?  You know, the euporia as you finally start to scale the hills and feel like you're coming out on top...then the gut-wrenching pull as the bottom of the world seems to just drop away and time stands still? 

Chuh.  Those types of days...weeks...months...years. 

Might as well laugh about it; otherwise you'll cry. 

Okay, my incredibly creative friend Jess sent me on a little surfing mission to Once Upon a Family after asking if I'd heard of them.  (I hadn't, thus the mission, of course.)

First of all, this is one gorgeous website.  Secondly, here's a product that I can see a multitude of uses for: their "While I'm Away Box".  They describe it as being the perfect solution for staying connected while you're away on trips for business, church, relaxation, etc.  However, the first thing that popped into my mind was how appropos this would be for those of you who are military families with a servicemember who will be deployed in the near future. 

I don't think you'd have to even purchase this specific item (although it is lovely!).  I bet you could find a nice decorative box at your local craft store or Hallmark-type store that would suit your family's interests even better.  If you or the kids are crafty-types, you could even get a box that is not decorated and do it yourselves.  Take the time to fill it with letters and audio recordings from the person who will be away. 

Make sure to put in other things that matter as well.  I like their mention of a t-shirt with your perfume on it.  Menfolk, take note.  What wife or girlfriend wouldn't enjoy being able to "hold" her honey while he's away?  My best friend and I have discussed several times that she and her son miss "Daddy's smell" while he's deployed...even the dog sniffles his pillow.  Maybe grab a travel size bottle of your favorite cologne instead for replenishing your pillow when she's really had a rough day.  When my daughter was first born and my (then-) husband was working a lot of overtime, it truly did help me to spritz some of his cologne in the room and take a moment to just sit with the baby for a while.

I can see this working out real well for the pastors who are on the road for their organizations as well.  Any time away from the family is a time that can be used for memory making instead of wandering around moon-eyed because Dad's gone.  Set up a second box for saving any letters and photos that are mailed home, too.  And when he comes home, I bet he'll be glad to see how much he was missed.