Mosaic Fun

Thanks to Sarah for sharing this information. I had fun doing this, and the pictures are so beautiful!



Questions:

1. What is your first name?

2. Favorite food?

3. Where did you go to high school?

4. Favorite color?

5. Celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One word to describe you?

12. Hobby?



Directions: a. Type your answer to each of the questions above into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

d. Save image to hard drive and post to blogger.

e. Copy HTML code for flickr photo credits and paste at the bottom of the post.

1. Black-eyed Susan, 2. fruit salad, 3. Heaven and Earth, 4. Aceh sunset, 5. When I Get Where I'm Going, 6. coffee & the city, 7. Tunnels Beach, Kauai, 8. 14th August 2007 / Day 226, 9. rose, flower, 10. Cosmic Dream, 11. water droplets in the shower - o.k. bokeh, 12. Soft purple13. Not available14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available17. Not available18. Not available19. Not available20. Not available

It's not so bad.

Ok, so it has been a long little while since I posted, for that I blame the girls' school and my lack of ability to say no. I am Director of our After Care program, I direct after care. Sounds much like directing traffic although about as easy as herding chickens!

I enjoy my job, it requires quite a bit more than the advertised 20 hours per week, but I still enjoy it. I was asked, back in January, to commit to substitute for pre-k three until the end of the year. I can't say no. If it weren't for my love of children I would have just made up some excuse and not done it. I didn't realize that it would take up so much of my life, really. I worked every weekday from 7:45am - 12:30pm and then came back for 2pm to prepare for After School Care. And once I got home (after 6pm) I would get dinner on, transport kids to {fill in activity} and get ready for the next day...it was exhausting to say the least!

It really was fun though. I thought of my own three year old niece most of the time, wondering if she would be doing some of the same things and how cool it would have been if I were her preschool teacher out where she lives. How cool that would be although a bit confusing, would I be Ms. Susan or Aunt Susan?!

Lots has happened since those days of longing for school to be over and dreading summer heat. But here I am now almost 5 months later updating you on my life. I am in the French Quarter enjoying the good life. We are in a hotel (girls are busy swimming and of course I am lounging with laptop) while hubby is in meetings all day. Poor guy, he has to work 12 months out of the year....I don't know if I could do that! Quarterly they have these off-site meetings to "mesh" with the other managers and build a team relationship. We get to benefit from this as well because school doesn't start up again until mid August. We took a little walk to the river (sad to see all the oil from a recent barge wreck) and thought about how good we got it.



You see, "poor me" tends to visit once in a while although more often than not recently. It kills me everyday not being close with my siblings and their families. And to not be in God's country where I feel I belong, it's rough. I do have a good life, my hubby has a good job, life is good. The only thing missing is my family. All 20+ of them!! I realized shortly after we moved into the hellishly hot south that it was a blessing. The plant he worked at up North had "rearranged" some of the lines and he would have been one of the first to lose his job. So, looking back, at least he had a job. I can't imagine being job-less any more than being homeless.



So, as I continue to have pity parties for myself about how much I am missing out on with my family up North, I have to remember that we do have a good life and with many many many prayers we maybe will move back North and we can be together again. I feel my children need that - they need to know their cousins and aunts/uncles while they are young!!

Bushes in the front yard! Beautiful!

Check out Sarah's pictures of SNOW! Yeah!!

A view from the front yard.....more like Spring than Winter!

What's the weather like in your neck of the woods...

I was just chatting with a good friend and realized just how much I miss the North and the snow that comes with. To be honest with you I really don't miss just how cold it is...only the beauty of the snow. She was nice enough to send me some pictures of the snow in her backyard and I in turn, sent her some pictures of blooming flowers and plenty of sunshine! So I ask of you.....if anyone actually stops by here...to post pictures of your season. I know the calander says winter but 'round here it is not so much. We are having spring-like weather as expected. No snow here but I enjoy the pics!
Spread it around...and I'll be posting some here soon. It's amazing how we all blog and all chat and all talk but are really living in different areas of the world and have different weather from day to day!

Carnival Season

Carnival means many things to many people. There is Catholic Carnival which I always enjoy reading-when I take the time! There is the carnival that comes to town once a year with rides and games and cotton candy! And 'round these parts there is Carnival.....Mardi Gras! This is one of my favorites! Of course I never knew....really knew Mardi Gras until I moved here. There are parades beginning three weeks prior and ending on Fat Tuesday! There are Super Krewes, and giant parades and then there are smaller parades that run through the week. All of these no matter how big or how small, have meaning behind them. All of the excitement and all the hype lead up to one of the biggest events....Lent! Now, for a lot of people parades are just a reason to party...I'll admit that part is fun but the excitement I see in my children is more fun. In the midst of all the fun little sister announces what she is going to give up for Lent. I am going to give up fighting with my sister! Alleluia! Praise the Lord!!
In addition to that we will reflect on what else we are going to be giving up, or rather, adding to our Lent. This is always a special time leading up to Easter Sunday. Never more than during this coming season do I feel, really feel, like God gives second chances. And third. And fourth....you get the picture! I say I am giving up one thing and without even thinking there I am sitting on the sofa eating what I gave up or watching tv when I said I wouldn't!! But God forgives. All I have to do is ask and believe me when he sees that look on my face when I realize what I have done....he knows I'm sorry.
It doesn't matter how many times I fail, He is there and ready to forgive. This season I hope to not break any of my promises but still go to God and ask for him to guide me through what may very well be one of the most important times in my life!!

Has is really been 5 months!?!

I can't believe it has been five months since I blogged. I read all the good ones when I get a chance but never seem to have more than 5 minutes to write on my own. Life is just not the same as it was. And let me just say that working full time and being a mother/wife full time is just too much. I may be whining just a bit but let me just say this working business is for the birds!! Kudos to those of you who do it and do it well. I can't seem to keep anything straight! I have missed appointments, not made it to the grocery, forgot to send p.e. clothes with the girls on the appropriate days (and let me tell you the kids don't let me forget about that one anymore!!) I just can't do it and don't care to at all.
All my life I only wanted to be a mom. I never wanted for much else. I wanted to get married and have kids. Stay home with my babies and be the mom who is always there for them.
It is just too much to handle doing it ALL. And I can't believe I left the dishes to sit and blog but I needed some blog time and hey, the kids are in bed, why shouldn't I take a minute!!?!?

Before I started working I got things done. I don't have the cleanest house in the world and I can't claim that I never forgot to do something but all was good in my little world. Now my house has fallen apart and things are piling up. I don't know how women do it but I can justify getting someone to clean the house and take out the laundry and even hire someone for the lawn.....it is just too much for any one to handle!

Back to reality, the dishes are waiting, laundry needs folding, I need to find clothes to wear tomorrow, pack lunches, feed the dog, start packing for a long awaited trip.....the list goes on and on. But I will take the time to at least read what other lovely people have written and how their lives are going.