My August Self-Challenge

My blogging life has been nearly nonexistent recently. April, May June, and (as of today) July have been averaging a post every 2-3 days down from my year-ago average of at least one a day. Now, I could blame it on Facebook...or Twitter...the summer season distraction...or some other excuse.

To be honest, I just haven't had much to say mainly because I have been strictly in "survival mode" around here while DaHubby starts the second and final year of his degree program. I've spent each waking moment keeping up and hanging on and have had very little time to myself for contemplation and/or development of ideas/thought.

Now, I am looking at the end of summer and the beginning of kindergarten for Flicka in 5 1/2 weeks. I stink at change and this one has had me panicked for most of 2009.

But, I miss it. I miss feeling creative. I miss writing. And, I feel like I let blogging go too easily without thinking about how much I enjoy it. And, now that I have Facebook to keep my family and friends more up-to-date, I can get back to writing posts about deeper than the everyday things.

I ran across the National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) challenge a while back. At the time, it didn't seem like a big deal. One post per day for one month? So what?! But, now it seems like a long, steep trail. But, I'm taking it for the month of August. One step per day for 31 days which will hopefully get me back in the writing mode.

Anyone up for a hike?

Wordless Wednesday

For more WW, go here or here.

The 9/12 Project

The 9/12

The 9 Principles

1. America Is Good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
God “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” from George Washington’s first Inaugural address.

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
Honesty “I hope that I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider to be the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” George Washington

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
Marriage/Family “It is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known. By a law of our nature, we cannot be happy without the endearing connections of a family.” Thomas Jefferson

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
Justice “I deem one of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.” Thomas Jefferson

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Happiness “Everyone has a natural right to choose that vocation in life which he thinks most likely to give him comfortable subsistence.” Thomas Jefferson

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
Charity “It is not everyone who asketh that deserveth charity; all however, are worth of the inquiry or the deserving may suffer.” George Washington

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
On your right to disagree “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking.” George Washington

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
Who works for whom? “I consider the people who constitute a society or a nation as the source of all authority in that nation.” Thomas Jefferson

The 12 Values

* Honesty
* Reverence
* Hope
* Thrift
* Humility
* Charity
* Sincerity
* Moderation
* Hard Work
* Courage
* Personal Responsibility
* Gratitude

Thursday Thanks Tank

It figures...I finally remember to do a post for Thanks Tank and I'm gonna be out of town! LOL So, I'm typing this out and scheduling it for tomorrow when we will be heading out of town.

Again, trying to find thankfulness in the small, unexpected things...

I give thanks again for our new van battery. It's like having a new vehicle. I can't believe the difference it made to get rid of the "factory installed" battery and get one that can handle all the bells and whistles that seemed *really* important to get at the time of purchase. LOL

I give thanks for DaHubby's work hours - despite the fact it keeps him away from us even more than he already has to be, having a small, even if it's short-term cash pillow takes away some of the screaming anxiety attacks my "security genes" had been partaking in.

I give thanks for our garden's first offerings: a few tomatoes, a zucchini, and a couple pea pods. Can't wait for August!

Can't believe I'm gonna say this one but....

I'm giving thanks for all the whining lately. Yes, it's annoying. Yes, it's manipulative. Yes, we're working on nipping it off at the root. BUT! At least it's not physical bullying to get their own way. (How's that for trying to find a silver lining? LOL)

I'm giving thanks for renewed friendship thanks to Facebook. A couple of high school friends I *should* have kept in contact with and old friends I can now talk to more often have been a wonderful, unexpected joy.

Speaking of friends, I'm giving thanks for Melissa, Ray, Amy, and Lisa. Each made my week a little easier and a little less worrisome just by being around either physically or electronically.

Finally, I'm thankful for being able to go camping. Originally, it was planned as a family trip but DaHubby will be unable to go due to unanticipated school commitments. So, the Vikings and I will be heading out alone to a nearby campground for a few days of visiting with some old friends.

For more Thursday Thank Tanks, stop by Pam place.

Wordless Wednesday: DaHubby's mini-me

"My daddy is learning to be a nuclear plant operator and all I get is this lousy hard hat, name badges, and gloves." LOL

For more WW, go here or here.

Tuesday Tip Jar

I was a little stumped today coming up with an idea but I sat here thinking about what I had already done today, two tips ideas jumped out at me.

SO, for this week, this one may be Michigan-specific since I don't know how other states handle it but one of the few downsides of living in a relatively small town sometimes is a lack of book resources. We have a wonderful local independent bookstore - which I would shower with funds and gladly support that store if we HAD funds to do so. There's the little mall's Barnes and Noble but it's pretty small. Finally, the closest Borders and full-sized B&N is 45 minutes away in South Bend.

However, as an alternative until that time, DaHubby and I continue to be amazed and blessed by the books we can acquired through Michigan's interlibrary loan program now called MeL or the Michigan eLibrary.

While our local library as well as the library the next district over are very well stocked considering, they just can't have everything all the time. So, I've ordered fiction, reference books, homeschooling books, and workout videos from MeL. It takes a couple days for it to arrive but then I get to keep it the standard borrowing time (if not longer) and often have the option to renew it online.

Recently, as DaHubby's been working on his capstone paper, he was trying to not rely solely on online citations and the search for nuclear field books began. Thanks to MeL, I picked up one book this morning from Eastern Michigan University's library. And, when I got home, the other one we had requested from Michigan Technological University had come in since I had stopped by this morning.

So, instead of having to drive 2.5 hours to the University of Michigan (the only other place who held those books that we could find) to make extensive copies ('cuz dem mean ol' Wolverines won't let anyone other than fellow Wolverines use their books without exorbitant fees *wink*), I had two books for DaHub's research delivered to our local library less than a mile away.

For more Tuesday Tip Jars, stop by Blogmommas.com today.

Wordless Wednesday: Fourth of July Freighter

Gotta love being that close! For more WW, go here or here.

Tuesday Tip Jar

We have two summer crafty recipes we are going to try out this month so I thought I'd share.

First, here's some really quick, frugal sidewalk paint that you can make with just three ingredients.

And, second, the "World's Best Bubbles" recipe we received from our Parents as Teachers playgroup but it looks like it's from the people at Kid Concoctions.

2.5 qts water
1/2 C light corn syrup
1 cup liquid dish detergent

1. Mix water and corn syrup together until completely blended
2. GENTLY stir in the liquid dish detergent
3. Bubbles will store for several weeks in an airtight container.

Also, add a little color to your bubbles by stirring in a few drops of food coloring. And, create bubbles in many different sizes by dipping various items such as a plastic strawberry basket or wire whisk into bubble solution.

For more Tuesday Tips, go to Blogmommas today!

Wordless Wednesday: Resting at Relay

For more WW, go here or here.