Oh, you are all so patient with me!! (Well, all except Arby, that is). It's a funny thing about life and priorities...it's when things get really crazy that you realize it's time to stop and think about what's really important.  And, as you've probably noticed, blogging isn't currently one of the most important things in my life. (annoying, isn't it?)

So, since some may be wondering what on earth could be more important than blogging, I thought I'd give you a quick update on what's been going on in my life.

FAMILY: Yep, I still have one.  And, of course, that means homeschooling (I'm finishing up the year with a junior in high school and a preschooler), cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, planting and mowing, playing trains, reading books, playing T-ball, etc.  Other family members help out with many of these tasks, but, well, being a housewife and mom is still my #1 responsibility (and joy)!

WORK: I'm still working mad hours for Alpha Omega Publications. Since December, I've been working on copy-writing, recording demo's, and now proofreading for our new website, which will hopefully launch very soon.  Hopefully then I can prove that I really have been working and not just sitting around watching Law and Order reruns or Chicago Cub games while dunking Oreo cookies in my coffee.  (Okay...so I do that once in awhile, too!)  While it is a HUGE blessing that the Lord has provided this work for me to do at home, working at home is a mixed blessing!  4-year-olds just don't understand what you mean when you say (for the 20th time), "No, honey, not right now, mommy's working."

TRAVEL: I LOVE this part of my job, but being away from home 4 days out of every 14 does get a bit crazy.  This Thursday, my daughter and I head to San Antonio for a convention.  Darcy travels with me in the summer months when she's not in school, which is a gigantic bonus of this job!  Great experience for her...great traveling companion for me!  In the weeks ahead we will be in San Antonio, Wichita (are you gonna be there, Arby?), Knoxville (I'd love to meet some of my Tennessee blogging pals!), Long Beach, and Atlanta. 

CHURCH: We've always been actively involved in our church, but this year we've taken on just a bit more than we should have!  Our church is in the middle of a large building project and my husband is the project manager (no, it's not a paid position!).  I have been putting in time on the decorating committee, painting, and sewing on top of my regular responsibilities in music ministry, high school Sunday School, and AWANA.  But, lo and behold, there IS a light at the end of this very long, very dark, tunnel.  Our final inspection is in two weeks and we might actually be able to make our evenings and weekends "our own" again. (Can you hear my HUGE sigh of relief?)

FUN: I DO make time for fun from time to time and here's just a few of the things we've managed to fit in: 

 

A trip to Brookfield Zoo (If you're ever in Chicago, be sure to visit this wonderful place!)

 

Lots of fragrant visits to beautiful Lilacia Park...

And lots of bike rides around town.

Well, I have LOTS of substantive blogs in my head just dying to be written, but I'm still having trouble finding the time to write them!  Soon....I promise! Thanks for continuing to stop by despite the lack of substance!! 

Although the increased work hours that I've had to put in this spring have resulted in a serious lack of blogging time, I really do LOVE my job.  Especially going to conventions! 

I absolutely LOVE talking with homeschoolers and helping them answer their homeschooling questions.  Sometimes it seems almost too good to be true that I'm actually getting paid to do something that I enjoy so much! 

Not only that, but I get to travel.  This year I have some REALLY great places on my itinerary.  Long Beach, Atlanta, San Antonio, Knoxville, and Worcester.  Not quite as exciting, but still very fun are trips to Wichita, Cincinnati, and Peoria and St. Charles, IL.

But by far the best part of doing conventions is the opportunity to meet people and make new friends.  And this weekend in Worcester, Massachusetts, was especially fun!!  One of the many friends I've made over the months since I started blogging is JenIG.  Well, she and her daughter Coie were representing Rosetta Stone at the convention in Worcester and we actually got to "hang out" a bit!   We were all far too busy to spend time together during our workdays, but I tried to keep an eye out for her since I was a bit concerned that she might actually give birth to a kidney stone right at her booth.  We were able to go to dinner on Friday night at a really fun (and VERY noisy) 50's Diner.  Jen is EVERY BIT as cool (and adorable) as I thought she would be, but be forewarned, if you ever get the chance to meet Jen in person, she asks lots of VERY personal questions  and is just a teensy bit wimpy when it comes to city driving.  Sorry, Jen, but I was HUNGRY and really wanted to get there!  Jen has a picture of the two of us on her blog...kind of icky picture of me, but a GREAT one of her!  I'm so happy to have been able to meet her and Coie!

While I was in Massachusetts, my family had a GREAT wildlife experience.  All spring we've been watching a Red-bellied Woodpecker build a nest in one of the ant-infested trees in our backyard.  Woody Woodpecker and his wife are both beautiful birds and seem to be very committed to each other and their brood.  They have built a very nice house in our almost-dead tree.  Well, over the weekend Jim and the kids noticed another home being built in our backyard neighborhood.  A Mourning Dove and his pregnant wife moved in and worked hard all weekend constructing their home. 

How did this happen?

Our first baby--the little girl who first made us a Mommy and Daddy--just turned 21!!  Since the first moment we laid eyes on her, and every moment since, she has been a joy and a delight!  Her sweet spirit and stubborn determination have combined to make her a force to be reckoned with.  Her love for the Lord and her desire to serve him have clearly become the guiding force of her life...and as parents, we could not ask for anything better than that!  We can hardly wait to see what the Lord has for her in the days and years ahead.

Now for a little stroll down memory lane with our "dark beauty"....

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY, DARCY!!

Please continue to pray for the NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY community.  On February 14, 2008, at 3:06 pm, a gunman opened fire on a classroom filled with more than 100 students.  22 students were shot...5 of the victims died from their wounds.  My daughter is a student at NIU.  Please pray with us that the Lord would be at work in the students and faculty of the university as they try to make sense of this unthinkable tragedy.

I grabbed this Christmas Meme from a blog I found yesterday when I was voting the homeschool blogosphere!  By Sun and Candlelight had posted it on her blog along with an invitation to grab it!  So I did.  I never pass up an easy blogging idea!!  Feel free to grab it and add it to your own blog!  But if you do, please drop me a comment so I can come check out yours!

Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Wrapping paper and beautiful bows...unless I'm in a huge hurry!

Real tree or artificial?

Real...I just LOVE the smell of a real tree.

When do you put up the tree?

Usually the day after Thanksgiving, though this year we were away from home so had to wait until the next weekend...it was hard to wait!

When do you take the tree down?

Sometime the week after New Years.  It's always very sad!

Favorite gift received as a child?

That's a tough one....but I would have to say the Barbie airplane I received when I was about ten years old.

Do you have a nativity scene?

I have 5...some big, some small!!  I got the Willow Tree nativity set as an early Christmas present this year from the big guy.  I love it!

Hardest person to buy for?

My daughter, Nina.  Yikes, she's the worst!

Easiest person to buy for?

My husband...he is terribly sentimental.  Just get him something that reminds him of the past and he's a happy camper!

Worst Christmas gift you ever received?

One Christmas I wanted a bike.  I got one, but not the one I wanted.  I was so upset, but didn't want my parents to know.  I think I faked it pretty well.

Mail or email cards?

Mail...though I've had a tough time getting them out every year!

Favorite Christmas movie?

We are REALLY into Christmas movies, but I think my favorite is Remember the Night.

When do you start shopping for Christmas?

Ha...that's a good one.  I haven't started yet.

Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

I don't think so though I know I've received recycled Christmas presents.

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

My mom's sticky buns on Christmas morning.

White lights or colored on the tree?

Colored, but my daughters and I were just talking about switching to white though.  We all think we would like the white ones.

Favorite Christmas song?

I LOVE Christmas music.  I think right now though, my favorite is "Mary, Did You Know?"  I just love the theology found in the questions asked of Mary?

"Mary, did you know that your baby boy...

...would save our sons and daughters? (1 Jn 4:14)
...has come to make you new? (Lk 1:46-47)
...will give sight to a blind man? (Lk 18:41-43)
...is Lord of all Creation? (Col. 1:15)
...will one day rule the nations? (Phil. 2:9-11)
...is Heaven's perfect lamb?  (John 1:29)
...is the GREAT I AM? (John 8:58)

Travel for Christmas or stay at home?

Sometimes, but not this year.

Can you name all of Santa's reindeers?

"You know, Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donder and Blitzen.  But do you recall...the most famous Reindeer of all??"  (I can't do it without the singing it....)

Angel on the tree top or a star?

Neither...we have 3 small Koala Bears clinging to the top of our tree.  We've had them since our VERY first Christmas tree.  Not sure why, but it's a tradition that we just can't get rid of!

Open the presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

The kids always get PJ's' for Christmas.  They open those on Christmas Eve.  Everything else we open on Christmas morning.

Most annoying thing about this time of year?

The busyness of the season.  If there was ever a time of year that I just want to be quiet and reflect, it's this.  But in reality, this is the time of year with the LEAST amount of time for peace and quiet!

Despite the busyness of the season and the culture which seeks to separate Christ from Christmas, I love having an entire month set aside to focus on the advent of the Savior. 

" The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."  John 1:14