I just want to let everyone know that I’m trying really hard to catch up with all my blog posts.  As well as doing that, I’m going to be getting caught up on comments and checking out everyone’s blogs.  As you can tell by looking at my calendar, I haven’t even been blogging much myself, much less reading up on everyone else. 

Things have been fairly busy for us and life seems to keep stepping in.  Other than that, I just don’t have the same love for blogging that I did for awhile.  It all started around the time that someone decided that they could judge me and report me for the Disney games.  I knew when I started the blog that it was open and anyone could read, comment, and let themselvse in.  I just didn’t think that something like a little FREE game for kids could turn someone into a JERK!! 

Anyway, that just sort of took the wind out of my sails.  I didn’t find enjoyment in doing something that I once did for myself.  While doing it for myself, I felt I was helping others.  Now, I just seem to play catch-up in the blog world.

For those that have left comments, tried my recipes and so on…..I deeply appreciate it.  I’ve read all the comments, but I haven’t gotten back around to replying.  I had plans to do so this coming weekend, but it’s turned into a very busy weekend for us.  Hubby and I will be attending our final workshop for teaching religion class.  Once the workshop is done, I’ll have completed my complete Level 2 training.  Hubby still has to take the classes, but his workshops will be done.  YAY!!

Then we have a busy Sunday, but that’s always a good thing.  Well, for the most part!!  HAHA

Please continue to read, leave comments and I promise that I’ll be getting back around to my blog routine.  It’ s just taking more time than I expected.  I appreciate you all!!

So you might be asking what Saints and Talladega have in common.  Well, some of you might even be asking what Talladega is.  HAHA

First of all, today is a day that they both share in common this year.  Today is the race at Talladega Super Speedway and it’s also All Saint’s Day.

For Catholics, today is  day that we celebrate all the saints in Heaven.  We remember that we want to live as those saints did, not just today but every day.  In a way, it’s our own celebration of the “good” after Halloween.  There’s more to it than that, but it’s a very general explanation. 

For today, it’s also proof that God and those saints watch over NASCAR drivers. 

There is usually always one huge wreck at Talladega, know as “the big one”.  For this wreck, it usually takes a out a large number of the field because the cars are too damaged to get back on the track.  These wrecks are a HUGE excitement factor to the race.  Nobody ever wants to see a wreck, but you just can’t stop the thrill that it adds.  So this year, there really was no “big one”, but there was not one, but 2 major wrecks. 

The first involved Ryan Newman being flipped and landing on his roof.  Not just landing, but sliding on the roof.  He came out totally unharmed and safe.  Mark one up to God and NASCAR safety features.  The race resumes with  3 laps to go….known as “green, white, checkered”…..and there’s another wreck.  But not just a wreck, another flip.  This one was Mark Martin flying through the air.  He walked away.  Mark another one up to God and NASCAR safety.

Ryan Newman flips and lands on the roof

Mark Martin is upside down

Yep, God was looking after those NASCAR boys!!  It also says alot about NASCAR safety features.  I just wish they’d let them get out there and race.  Single file around and around is ssoooo boring.  It’s too bad that it takes “the big one” to make it interesting!!

Some of you might ask, what should we do on Halloween?? Well, this is how my family celebrates Halloween.

This year, hubby had to work….yes on Saturday and Halloween.  (But it’s alright…..it’s overtime!!)  After he got home, he and kiddo went to Sonic to pick up dinner.  We’ve eaten at Sonic any year that Miss K didn’t go trick-or-treating.  That’s been most of them, but not because we wouldn’t let her.  It just was never that big of an issue to her.  We also didn’t let her go if it was cold or nasty. 

While we’re eatting dinner, we watch a movie.  Usually something suspense or thriller.  None of us are really horror fans.  This year, it was “Jurassic Park”.  We’d actually watched the first one last weekend, so we watched parts II and III tonight!!  It’s a favorite of mine and you can’t tell me that some of those dinos aren’t scarey!!

We sit all curled up on the bed watching the movie and enjoying time together.  We generally don’t have trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood.  Even when kiddo was little, we usually went someplace else to get candy.  This year, the doorbell rang twice.  I felt so bad not having anything to give, but we just don’t get kids here.  Plus, the parents weren’t very fair to those kids sending them up to any house.  It’s common practice to only visit house with the outside lights on.  It’s always been that way!!  Anyway, at least it was only twice!!

So, that’s how our family generally celebrates Halloween.  Not very spook-tacular, but fun for us!!  How does your family celebrate Halloween??

The new photography contest has started for the class that Miss K is taking.  More of the students participated this time and there’s some really good entries.  The category for this contest is “strength” and it’s amazing the wide range of photos that one category brought.  I’m going to post the letter from the teacher and I hope that you go check out all the great photos that these kids took.

 Hello,

Our home school photography class is having another contest. The winner of the last contest (entry #1 – Jenifer) chose “strength” to be the topic for this contest – so the topic is STRENGTH. It’s interesting how differently it can be defined by different people. And for those of you who aren’t familiar with our class – it’s a home school photography class and we have students from age 11 on up. (if anyone is younger than 11 feel free to correct me) We’ve been working hard and learning a lot – but for the most part – it’s a beginner’s class and most students have the bare minimum when it comes to equipment. I am, however, seeing big improvements in their work.

Anyway – to see the pictures go to:
http://www.seemyprints.com/photographer.asp?accountid=8000248

Enjoy the photos!!

Tonight was a really easy night for religious education.  I printed off a couple things to be done in class, but I knew we probably wouldn’t get to them.  The high school students did a presentation for the entire religious education program.

They were set up with 2 students per station.  One person led each class around to each station.  The 2 students at the station gave a presentation on what a saint was and information on certain saints.  At each station, the kids were given a page to put in a book at the end.  When completed, they had a complete little book of saints.

This worked out really well and the kids enjoyed it.  It’s a great way to introduce the students to All Saints Day and have the older kids do “community service”.  At the end, they were each given a big bag of candy and sent back to class.  That left just enough time to say prayer and put one of the pages in their folders for homework.

The end of class and the night.  Doesn’t get much easier than that!!

I’m so proud!!  Miss K is now certified by the Red Cross in CPR and First Aid.  This is a class that I set-up for the homeschool group.  I was really happy to do it, although it had it’s trials during the process.  It all worked out great and there’s a great group of kids that can now save a person’s life.

Can anyone say that you can have a class like that in public, or even private school??  I don’t think so!!

She’s got her certification cards and she’s supposed to carry them with her.  I plan on laminating them to help them last longer and withstand life in her purse!!  To my knowledge, everyone in her class passed both parts of the test.  There’s also a class next week and I’m hoping that they do as well.  I’m so glad they had this class because at one time, I was certified as well.  Things sure have changed though!!

I thought the class was CPR only, but it turns out that it included first aid too.  So that means that she’s certified in adult, child, and infant CPR.  Since the class included first aid, she’s certified in that too.  They’re 2 separate cards.  CPR has to be renewed in a year and first aid is good for 3 years.   

You go Miss K….I’m so proud of you!!

I know I haven’t blogged in a long time, but here are some pictures I took with my photography class.  We took a photo walking journey through a park on post.  I really love photography and I have learned so much about it.  I hope you enjoy the walk as much as I did and see the beauty through my pictures.

Wild Berries

Which path will you take?

Can you see through the forest?

I’m fully expecting this to be a really busy week.  I’m sure we’ve had crazier, but we have several places to be this week and having one car is going to make it a challenge.  It’s also going to mean a few early mornings for me.

Miss K is doing a CPR Certification class at the Red Cross.  That takes up 2 days, Monday and Friday, from 9 am to 1pm.  She’s been looking forward to this class for awhile now and it’s finally here.  She has to pass a series of tests in order to get certified and it’s really going to push her this week.  It’s such a great experience for her though. 

I’ve been working on setting this class up for quite awhile.  It meant alot to Miss K to take the class, so I knew I should help out when the homeschool group asked for someone to do it.  The lady at the Red Cross has not been the easiest to get ahold of.  She was always in meetings and rarely answered and e-mail.  However, it all worked out and I know it’s going to be worth it.  Since we’re doing it as a homeschool group, we get the educational “discount”.  It would normally cost $55, but we get it for $7, which is just the cost of certification.  The catch is that we don’t get to keep the booklets and stuff.  Can’t beat that cost though!!

Alright, so in addition to the CPR class, I have to be at the Thrift Shop on Monday to volunteer like I do every Monday.  There’s a conflict with times, so I’m probably going to have to leave early to pick kiddo up from her class.

Wednesday is back to religion class.  We had last week off for Fall Break.  Thursday, Miss K has her photography class.  We’re meeting at a park on post.  The teacher wants them to try to capture some photos of deer.  They usually hide in the brush in this park.  Let’s all hope for good weather!!

I also have some grocery shopping to do.  I really should go to Wally World and pick up a few things that we need too.  I just might go to Sam’s instead.  It’s just that the packs are so big and then I always have to find a place to store them.

So what does your week ahead look like??

So some of you might be asking where is that Elaine at!?!?  Well, I’ve been here and actually writing my blog posts, but I haven’t published them.  I would be tired and not submit it.  I’d write it and think that I had to remember to add something and then not get back to it.  I have a few sitting in my “draft” folder.  It’s just a matter of publishing them!!

I’ve also been at work on a new Y!Group.  As most of you know, I create Christian and educational file folder games.  I also make other educational items and a few other things for Bible/religious activites.  Well, I decided to start a new Y!Group, Printable Place of Themes, so that I could expand the educational part of what I do.  The new group shares all sorts of educational printables like worksheets, games, cards, and anything else printable that’s used in a classroom.  The way it works is that there’s weekly themes and monthly themes.  Monthly themes are things like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Fire Prevention, and so on.  All subjects that most educational places study.  Weekly themes include things that happened in hisorty during that week, special event, alphabet and other such things.  It’s off to a great start, but it’s keeping me busy.  I still have to participate in my other groups and I’m working hard trying to find ideas for a new Christian game.  Yes, I’m still having a block!!

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in for your homeschool, day care, school, kids, grandkids or wherever educational printables are needed and used, please come join me!!

Printable Place of Themes 

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I can’t even begin to tell you how tired I am of hearing about Jon and Kate.  These people aren’t parents….they’re glory hounds.  The whole time they’re fighting and making their tv appearances, who’s watching the kids??  It sure isn’t them!!

Jon has been made the villian right from the start and that’s just totally bogus.  If anyone ever watched the show and saw how she treated him, they’d know differently.  Unfortunately, now he’s starting to make alot of mistakes which in turn is making him look like the bad guy.  He needed to just stick to getting away from her and away from the the lies and their show.  He should have focused more on the kids than on himself.  The taste of freedom however has been too much for him and now he’s playing right into her hand.

Kate is a selfish greedy woman.  She’s talked down to him so many times.  She’s made statements how everyone wants to be like her and have her hair.  She’s left the kids at home time and again to go  “tour”.  Who quit their job to be with the kids and keep the house going??  JON!!  The money and prestige was too much for Kate to turn down.  She’s ever cared about the kids the way she should.  Most of the care she gave them was for all the freebies that came with it.  Does she love them??  I’m sure she does.  But if she was such a great person, she wouldn’t take her sons on a trip and tell them how bad their dad is.  She wouldn’t tell the girls that daddy doesn’t want to be with them any more.  And it’s all caught on film!!  Yet, Jon is the bad guy.  Go figure!!  You know she had SOMETHING with that body guard.  What, only they and God know.  It’ll all come out eventually. 

The media has just jumped all over this and splattered it all over the headlines.  Tabloids are having a field day with it.  Many of the tv shows are all for the poor defenseless Kate.  “The View” had her guest host and is standing by her.  Nancy Grace was the worst.  She refused to listen to anything that Jon said and she was just downright rude.  She’s looking at it from the woman’s view instead of the unbiased journalist.  It was sickening!!  Now throw in the fact that TLC wants to sue Jon.  They say it’s because he broke their contract.  Truth be told, it’s probably because he shut down the show and without the drama from that show, they have nothing!!

Did Jon have a right to the money that’s supposedly missing??  Did he even “steal” it or drain the account??  How much of it was his and is he providing for the kids??  Does he have a right to shut down the show to “protect his kids”??  All these questions and more still need to be answered.  There’s 3 sides to every story, especially in divorce.  His….Hers….and the TRUTH!!

If you care….stay tuned because I’m sure we’re going to know all the nasty details bit by bit.  If you don’t care, throw away your papers and keep your tv and radio off.  This isn’t going to end anytime soon and the nastier it gets, the worse it’s going to get.

Oh, and pray for the kids!!