It's been so long since I've written on this blog that I had to relearn where to go to compose a new post. I make no guarantees about the frequency of posting, but I have had a strong desire to write again so that's why I'm here.

Since you last heard from me, our family has had the exciting, overwhelming, terrifying, life-changing experience of becoming licensed foster parents!

Room for More - in our hearts & in our home

I truly feel it is an honor to get to do, and God is showing me how much I can be stretched because it is absolutely life altering. I'm extremely grateful for the amount of support we have from our church, our small group, our family and friends, and neighbors. We also have an amazing foster agency (National Youth Advocate Program), who without their support I would not - could not - do this journey.

We currently have three teen boys ages 14, 16, and 17. And we're thinking of adding another. Ha!

Our boys are very good boys, and I'm so grateful. We've had them with us almost two months now and haven't had any issues. Until this past weekend.

In the grand scheme of things, the issue that arose this weekend was very minute. However, because it was the first sort of problem, and my husband was gone when it happened, it fell on me and felt like a big deal to my sensitive soul.

Quite simply, it was some disobedience and backtalk. I deal with that sort of stuff on a regular basis with our 7 year-old bio daughter without it being any sort of problem for me. But I'm not used to dealing with it from teenage boys.

It left me broken.

It left me questioning my abilities. "Am I really cut out for this foster parenting stuff? Am I strong enough for this?"

It left me rethinking if I can handle adding a fourth teenage boy to the mix.

This morning, the first day of a new school week, I struggled to get motivated as I looked out the windows and saw an abundance of fresh snow falling onto the piles already accumulated. I checked my social media feed and started reading a friend's post:

Hey friends,

If you're following me on Instagram (and if you're not, you should), you may have seen me talk the other day on my InstaStory about getting to do little appreciation gifts for my daughter's teachers.

I thought I'd share here too in a more permanent place because teacher appreciation gifts seem to be something people are often wanting ideas on.

So, I'm a big fan of multi-packs of little notecards. I'll get them on clearance at TJ Maxx or from the Dollar Spot at Target or Dayspring has them at our local Christian bookstore. I can get an eight pack for $1. You can do blank notecards or thank you cards or even celebratory cards like "Hooray!" and add a note like "You survived another day!" or "It's Friday!"



I spent a couple years on a church team that ministered to a local elementary school, so I was used to making little teacher appreciation gifts for 60+ teachers and staff, so getting to focus now on my daughter's teachers is great. She has a teacher and a teacher's assistant in there full-time, so I'd doing gifts for both. Maybe that's because I used to work as a teacher's assistant, and I know we didn't receive a lot of attention or appreciation, so I have no problem including the assistant. I suppose if I'm feeling ambitious I could do an occasional little gift for her PE and music teachers, as well, but mainly I'm focusing on the people who work with my daughter every day.

At the beginning of the year I asked them both to fill out a form to help us get to know them better and to ask some of their favorites, for example, favorite drinks, favorite Bath & Body scents, birthday, etc. I also gave them a place to list anything that do have enough of/don't want more of, which surprisingly, they both left blank, ha!

This definitely gave me some good ideas for personalizing gifts! I am the kind of person who likes knowing I'm giving something that will be appreciated, so I plan to do this again for future teachers.

So, the other day I went to our local bakery, picked up a tray of discounted "day old" cookies, put a couple in little zipped baggies, wrote a brief note of thanks, and taped the card onto the baggie.


Wondering what to say to teachers? Here are some ideas...

• Thanks for all you do
• I appreciate your sacrifices
• Thank you for your hard work
• We're so grateful you're Catherine's teacher
• We appreciate you
• Have a great day/week/weekend/fall break
• It's Monday; you deserve a treat!

It doesn't need to be anything lengthy or fancy. Just express genuine gratitude. Speaking as a teacher's wife and a former educator, they do so much and receive so little in return, so anything I can give to them whether it be a cookie, a smile, a note of thanks, or a Starbucks gift card, I will take the time to do! I encourage you to, as well!

My only child started kindergarten this morning. These are the words I penned last night as thoughts poured out of my soul:

Tonight as I showered and blow dried my hair at 1 AM and put night time moisturizer on a face with tears streaming down my cheeks, I was reminded of two things as I prepare to do the oh so difficult task of sending my daughter off to school:

1) I was made to do hard things.

I was never promised a life free of hardships, challenges, and trials. In fact, it's the contrary. We are promised a life of trials and tribulations, pain, and heartache. But we are also promised that He will never leave our side throughout the trails. We are made to do hard things. And I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

2) This is a harder one to ponder. But, as I prepare to walk my five and half year old to school, I remember that she was never really mine to begin with. Yes, God gave her to us, and we thank Him every day for that. But we gave her back to Him - just minutes after her birth in the hospital recovery room, and a few months later when we stated publicly to our church family our intentions to raise her to follow the Lord, and every other night when I pray over her sleeping body in her bed before I collapse into my own after another long day of trying to do my best at motherhood.

So, that's it.

This is hard.

I had no idea how hard it would be (it seems I keep repeating this phrase over and over lately).

But I was made to do hard things.

And she was never really mine to begin with.

I give her back to God tomorrow and every day knowing His plans for her are far greater than I could ever dream and His love for her is far greater than I can ever imagine.

Thank you, Jesus!

1. I can't believe tomorrow is Catherine's last day of Pre-K.  I'm not ready for that reality.  Tonight we were writing thank you notes to her teachers.


I let her decide what she wants me to write on her behalf, but I ask questions to help guide her.  The best part was when I asked her, "What's something nice you can say about her?" and she responded, "That she likes me."  Ha!  Self confidence may be one of her strengths.

2. Another reality I'm not ready for:  we're moving!  Ack, it's blog official! We've only packed one box.  Somebody, help me!!  Any tips for packing for a move?!?

3.  Netflix has Party of Five.  Hello, 90's!  Bailey's rugby shirts, Claudia's baggy denim overalls, Julia's floral dresses, and Charlie's plaid shirts.  Ahhh, the season of grunge.  Oh, and the vests.  All the vests.

4.  I got a job.  Part-time nannying.  Little guy comes to our house, so that makes it manageable to still keep doing our normal-ish routine.


5.  I've been craving fruit salad for awhile.  I had some at my weekly moms' group, and I had some at a friend's brunch.  And it just made me want more.  This evening Josh went to the store and loaded up on a variety of fruit and made a big bowl of fruit salad just for me.


Of course then Catherine wanted some.  Then he was gracious enough to make me a grilled pbj, which Catherine also wanted some of.  She normally refuses to eat jelly, but she said she liked it and wanted a pbj in her lunch for her last day of school.  We'll see how that goes.

6.  It's no secret that I haven't been writing much here lately.  One of the reasons why is that I've felt my writing material wasn't "blog worthy."  For now I'm deciding to not care about that.  I'm getting past being concerned about my audience and what they want to read about.  I'm writing for myself right now.

Recently I attended a ladies' small group about encouragement.  Since I believe that to be one of my gifts and strengths, it definitely caught my attention.

For our closing session the other day, our leader Miss Kris opened her home up to us just like she had done for the five or so previous sessions.  We all brought food to share and ate dinner together while chatting and laughing and catching up.

Miss Kris said we all had to take a peek in each room of her house but wouldn't tell us why.  So we each dutifully did as we were told and waited to find out why.

After making sure we had all done our task, Miss Kris asked us to be brutally honest while we answered a few questions.



"Did any of you notice that I was dressed in an old, stained t-shirt and hadn't done my hair or put on any makeup?  Did it bother you?"

I had noticed the shirt but didn't think anything of it.

"Did any of you notice that I had dirty dishes in the sink?"

"Did anyone notice that my craft projects were all over the house?"

"Did you notice my bed wasn't made?"

"Did you notice the piles of laundry?  Was anybody bothered by that?"

"Did anybody notice that the bathroom mirrors were dirty?"

"Did any of you notice that my rugs were crooked and leaves had been tracked inside?"

"Did anybody notice my barking dog and all his toys throughout the house?"

Well, we noticed the barking.  That dog is a hard one to miss.

But beyond that we didn't notice or care about those things.  Comments were made that the house felt cozy.  It felt like Miss Kris.  We were just grateful that she had shared it with us.

My eyes teared up as Kris went through her list of questions.
The excuses that we use for not opening up our home.
The things we think others will notice and think less of us because of them.

Why is it we don't care about those things in others but we think others will look down on us if something isn't how we think it should be?  Why do we demand perfection from ourselves when we don't expect it from others?  Why do we show grace to others but not give grace to ourselves?

No one but myself is holding me to a standard of "Pinterest perfection".

In order to be an encouragement to others, you need to enter into relationship.
And in order to enter into relationship, you need to be comfortable enough to be you and to let others see who you really are.

Are you willing to allow others into your home?  Into your mess?  Into the real you?

I was so grateful for her real life example and thought you would be as well.

For the last couple years I've faced some pretty traumatic health issues.  I saw a doctor who ran all the tests, and all the tests came back normal.

I was literally told, "Just wait and see."

This year I saw a new doctor and got a referral to a specialist, whom I saw this week.

It was a very hard appointment for me.  I started crying just at the check-in desk and pretty much didn't stop the entire hour I was there.  A lot of emotions - nervousness, fear, anxiety, dread.  Honestly, it was just hard to bring all this back up again.

But this amazing doctor actually gave me a diagnosis.

And along with the diagnosis, he gave me back a whisper of hope.

The previous doctor had pretty much written me off.

And along with him, I had also written myself off.

This new diagnosis has a possible treatment.  It includes a medication with vicious side effects.  I've had just a glimpse, and it was brutal.

There's no easy solution.  And no guarantees.

But I have hope again.

And for that I am grateful.

Boy, I feel like I am in the midst of the craziest, busiest few weeks of the year right now!

My all important calendar/scheduler/life notebook is jam packed with things to do and events to remember.  There are three people's schedules to keep track of, and it's overwhelming at times for me.

Josh's choirs have had over a half dozen performances, with more to go.  Plus, he's got various meetings and other commitments to keep him occupied beyond school hours.

In addition to preschool three days a week, Catherine has gymnastics on Monday, soccer on Tuesday,  Awana on Wednesday, and MOTTTS on Thursday.  Then there's all the extras to keep track of:  field trips, permission slips, buying Christmas gifts for her teachers, when she's supposed to take snack, when that birthday party was rescheduled to, who she's supposed to invite to the Christmas pageant, what costume she's supposed to wear.

And then there's me.  I'm trying to keep track of all on my to do list.  The ladies' annual Christmas party is the largest event I plan for women's ministry at our church, and it's this week.  For so long, it's been on the back burner, and now I'm in denial about the fact that I need to move it up to the front burner and start cooking!

The word that keeps coming to mind when I try to describe my life right now is chaotic.   And I think you can understand why.

I'm sure you have your own set of things to keep track of, presents to buy, meals to plan, cookies to decorate, errands to run, commitments to keep.

And in the midst of all the mess, is the nativity.



 The Christ Child.  Emmanuel.  God with us.

Here.  In the mess.


It amazes me that He actually wants our messes.  That we don't have to first get things cleaned up and organized and all pretty looking.  Thank God!  Because that's never gonna happen!

So, I'm just trying to remember, and maybe you need the reminder too, that He is here with us.

In the midst.

In the mess.

Christ with us.

Don't ya just hate it when your body thought it was nap time when it was actually supposed to be bed time?

And after 2 oh-so-brief hours of sleep, it is WIDE AWAKE.

So you spend the time resting.

Or trying to rest.

And you spend time praying and wrestling with God.

But your brain keeps thinking.

Of ideas and To Do lists.

And the story line of Gilmore Girls Revival.

And you debate if you should get up or still keep trying, hoping for more sleep to come.

Your ears think they hear the furnace running, and your brain is telling you it has sounded like that for the last hour while you've been laying (or is it lying?) awake.

So eventually your curious brain, your tightwad tendencies, and your full bladder, win.

You get up and come downstairs and readjust the thermostat.

And go to the bathroom.

When you realize yesterday's mid-afternoon coffee kind of turned into evening coffee, you start wondering if its affects on you is more than just having to use the facilities.

(You have to write "use the facilities" because you can't write "pee" in your blog post; although, you vaguely recall some other writing of yours using that word 2 or 3 times.)

You turn on a dim lamp because 5 AM is too early for the overhead, and you snuggle up on the couch under a cozy, crazy soft gray blanket.

And you write.
Sometimes you don't know why you write, and you even wonder if you should continue pursuing this whole blogging thing.

But the words form inside you and want to be released.

And though your womb is barren, your soul births new thoughts.

If your newsfeed is anything like mine, you are seeing Gilmore Girls mentioned about every 12 seconds.

If you have no idea who the Gilmore Girls are, maybe this post isn't for you.  But if you're the other 99% of my followers, read on.


I'll admit:  I was quite delayed in getting on the Gilmore Girls bandwagon.  The couple times I tried watching it I couldn't follow the speed of dialogue full of all the pop culture references.  And quite frankly, I found the main characters ... well, slightly annoying.  Come on, we all have our annoying moments.  And if you're honest, you know Rory and Lorelai have theirs too

The two years I lived in LA was during the Gilmore Girls' run.  A friend of mine was a reoccurring background actor on the show.  I was on the set multiple times and even crossed paths with Alexis Bledel once.  I stepped across Rory's college campus, tiptoed through Richard and Emily's living room, frolicked through the Stars Hollow town square, stopping for pictures in front of the gazebo, and opened the door and walked right into Luke's Diner.  I saw Lorelai's jeep parked in her driveway, Miss Patty's dance studio, Mrs. Kim's antique store, and lots of others things that meant nothing to me because I didn't know the characters or the town or the show at that time.

Boy, what a difference it would be now to interact with that town after having watched all seven seasons of the show!  I now know that Stars Hollow is like a whole other character on the show.

I'm on the top right, and I took the bottom photo inside Luke's.

Now, after nine years of absence, the Gilmore Girls are coming back this Friday.
And, seemingly, the world couldn't be happier.

The Gilmore Girls Revival is the happily ever after reunion of long absent friends.  It's been so long since we've seen them that we only remember the good parts about them.  Forget about any past thoughtless decisions or foolish behavior. We've forgiven and forgotten and just want to see them thriving and at peace.

Seeing the town of Stars Hollow gives us a sense of familiarity and community.  It's a place where everybody is known, a place where everybody matters.  Don't we all long for a place like that?

In a time when we are engulfed by divisiveness and disingenuity, we long for a brief escape back to Y2K and a conversation where the biggest point of contention is whether you're Team Jess or Team Logan.

I have so many questions!  We know the day (Friday, November 25), but what time will the episodes be released?  Will it depend on what time zone you're in?  IE, can I watch the episodes before my friends on the west coast can??  Are GG fans going to break Netflix?  And if you don't watch it on Friday, how on earth can you avoid spoilers online?!?

There is more excitement about these upcoming four episodes than there was about seven seasons of episodes!  There is so much hype I don't know how it can possibly live up to the expectations.  As crazy as this sounds, I'm already feeling the future sadness of the four episodes being over and having to say goodbye to The Girls all over again.  I mean, four episodes are going to be over in the blink of an eye.  And then what are we left with?  Leftover turkey, dirty dishes, and a debate about the political future of our nation.  Yah, I'd rather be in Stars Hollow...

Ah...  Sunday night

For the last few weeks I have actually loved Sunday nights.
Excited for the return of the routine.

Catherine is loving pre-K.
And I am loving having free time for a bit while she's there.

So, why am I feeling such angst tonight?

I don't know.

Probably a number of things.

This week is going to be full of long days for Josh, which then also means long days for me single mom-ing it.

Plus I've got a number of things on the calendar that I'm actually dreading instead of looking forward to.

I'm struggling with writing and struggling with finding my creativity and passion.

I can't help but think about our housing situation and wonder where we'll be a year from now or what we'll be pursuing half a year from now.

Add in probable hormones and likely depression that often makes a reappearance, and you've got me tonight.

Just the sad reality.

But I know it will pass.  I will survive the long week.  And I will, once again, have activities to look forward to.  So, to cheer myself up, I'm reminding myself that Josh's Fall Break is coming up soon!  And we'll be taking a trip to one of our favorite places:  Traverse City, Michigan!

2015 Chateau Chantal in TC

2014 at our hotel in TC

2010:  our Mini-moon (mini honeymoon) in TC

It's one of our frequent destinations, but it's been awhile since we've been.  We always have our favorite restaurants and stores to visit and a great hotel right on the water.  We wander around downtown and take in the beautiful views from Old Mission Peninsula.  Fall is a gorgeous time to visit, plus we get off-season rates!

So, for now, I'll hold onto that.  It helps to have SOMEthing to look forward to.  Are you the same way?  What's coming up on your calendar that lifts your spirits?

It was exactly one month ago today that we first saw the house we planned to buy and move into this fall.

It was beautiful.  In so many ways.

Well cared for.
In a great neighborhood.
Right next to a school.
Big, beautiful shade trees.
A huge living space where I could see us gathering for small group, Bible studies, hosting Mom's Night Out, having birthday parties, and holiday meals.
A bright cheery kitchen with shabby chic cabinets and whitewashed old fence post pieces as a backsplash of sorts.
Hardwood floors, huge windows, a beautiful stone fireplace, a newly updated bathroom with subway tile.
Space for my office.
And space for Catherine.  Space for her to play and spread out.   A basement for a drum set and big toys, where she could toss a ball without having to worry about it hitting and breaking something.  A paved driveway where she was going to learn how to ride a bike.  A tree swing.  And right next door to a playground, soccer goals, basketball hoops, and space to run wild (yet fenced in for my peace of mind).


It was just about perfect.
Oh, and in a town that we love.

And all along, it was our continual prayer that God would show us clearly if this was meant to be our home.  The proverbial doors kept opening wide.  And we kept walking through them.  And kept saying, "As long as God keeps opening the doors, we'll keep walking through them."

Well, yesterday, God clearly closed the door.  The buyers suddenly decided they don't want to sell right now.  "Nothing personal" we were told.  That didn't make the punch to the gut feel any better.  This was completely out of the blue.  We had paperwork written up, revised, and revised again.  We had details figured out.

We had our home 95% staged.  We had a house cleaner booked for Tuesday and a photographer booked for Wednesday.  We had a website created.  And an open house planned.

Mentally and emotionally we were moving this fall.

And now...

Well, I canceled the house cleaner and the photographer.

I had to break the news to Josh.
And Catherine.

Last night we treated ourselves to our favorite restaurant where we ate our feelings.  No, seriously, my "meal" was fried mozzarella sticks and a giant chocolate chip cookie covered in ice cream, chocolate, and caramel.  (The order disgusted even me.)

At some point we'll start unearthing all the bins and boxes we packed up of things we didn't need for a couple months.  We can put the toaster oven and coffee maker back on the kitchen counter.

Having a 95% "show ready" home has re-birthed my desire to host friends, and I'm happy to say we had a family over this morning.  We made a big pot of coffee, and Catherine helped me make muffins.  I even served them on a pretty cake stand that I had set out for staging.

I'm going to use the pretties as I make my guests feel welcome in our yellow farmhouse with the red front door.  And the big front porch.

So, I'm feeling rather giddy right now...

Hubs and I just announced on social media our news that we are planning to sell our house!

Yellow house with the red door

It's a first for us, so everything is new and exciting and overwhelming.

There have been a number of things that we have lived with or ignored or put on the back burner but really need our attention before we can show the house, so that has been consuming our time, energy, actions, and thoughts for the last couple weeks.

Before and after of the linen/storage closet

This all happened suddenly and seemingly randomly, but we feel God is leading us down this path.  And as long as the doors keep opening, we will keep walking through them.

So, as we continue crossing items off our home to do list, we are praying that God will bring us a buyer who can be blessed by this home as much as we have been for the last four years.

Wow, where did the last month go?

Hubs has been gradually adjusting to his new job.  Which means C-bug and I have been gradually adjusting back to our routine.  She still has a few weeks before Pre-K starts.

I've been gearing up for my Mama's Group to resume next month.  Being on the leadership team means involvement year round, even though the group officially takes the summer off from meeting.

And now Hubby and I are trying to go hard-core into home improvement projects that we've put on the back burner for awhile.  Our to-do list is massive, but we're trying to tackle one thing at a time.  We've been working hard in this heat, so I finally got around to making my first batch this summer of my iced coffee concentrate.



I posted a pic on Instagram and Facebook, and I know ya'll wanted the recipe, so here goes!


Brew a pot of extra strong (2-3x) coffee (I did 10 scoops of espresso beans with 20 oz. of water).

Mix with 1/2 cup sugar (I put in less), and 1/2 cup flavoring syrup (I do a combination of Hershey's chocolate and caramel, but I would imagine you could do something like Torani syrups), and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Whisk it.  Whisk it real good.

Pour into a mason jar and store in fridge.  When you're ready for a glass, pour over ice about a cup of milk and a 1/3 cup of coffee concentrate (make sure to shake the jar first to mix it well).  Feel free to experiment with your preferred ratio.



I've tried it with different flavored coffee beans and different kinds of milk (coconut, almond, etc.).

In all honesty, I don't know if I should call this Iced Coffee or Iced Mocha.  Regardless, it's good, quick, and easy!  Let me know if you try it and if you experiment with different syrups and flavors!

Feel free to follow me at the links below, where I post a lot more than here lately!  For example, did you know I finished the gallery wall that I've been planning for months?!?  Hmm, maybe I should write a blog post on that sometime.  Maybe in 2017.

Facebook:  Very Sleepy Girl
Instagram:  @verysleepygirl
Snapchat:  verysleepygirl

Um, Summer?

Yah, you over there, Summer Break.

I know it feels like you just got here and all.

But, um, I'm also very aware that you're scheduled to leave soon.
REALLY soon!
Two weeks, which will, no doubt, fly by!

In fact, this is your shortest stay with our family.

And it's leaving me kind of heartbroken.

I want to hold tight to the memories we've made:

swimming lessons at the local pool, our little inflatable backyard pool, three Vacation Bible Schools, family trip to Virginia, soccer, icee pops, overnight trip to Syracuse (Indiana, not New York), anniversary getaway to Michigan, coffee chats, Tuesdays at the park, ice cream outings...

And yet I look at the little Summer Bucket List I wrote out in May, and nothing is crossed off.  Literally nothing.

0/10

So, Summer, can you do me a favor?

Can you maybe come back for little visits on the weekend?
Can we say not "goodbye", but "see you later"?
Can we keep this relationship going here even past the start of a new school year?
Cuz the truth is, I really like you.  We all do.  I think we've got a good thing goin' on together, and there's so much more we want to experience with you.

For crying out loud, I haven't even had an ear of sweet corn!!!

So, don't leave us, Summer Break!  We're just not ready for this to end!

Sincerely,
Jennifer, Josh, and Catherine

"Mom, I want you to watch me dribble in my throat."

 It didn't take me long to realize she meant "gargle."


She wanted me to watch her brush her teeth tonight.

Again.

Even though she can do it all by herself.

 
I sighed selfishly.  I didn't want to do it.

But look at what I would have missed.



Who knows how much longer this will last...

Thinking about what I was like as a pre-teen, I'm sure it won't be long before she wants to seclude herself in her room and have nothing to do with me.

She won't be calling me from college asking me to come watch her get into her jammies.

The years will pass, and I'll look back on this evening and long for it again.

So I'm going to enjoy these moments while I have them.

Blogger Nifty Betty is focusing on choosing joy all of July, and it has inspired me to write about joy too.

I've been searching high and low for inspiration lately.  Now that I have it, we'll see if I can also find the time required to focus on writing.

I invite you to join me.  You can follow along right here on my blog, on my Very Sleepy Girl facebook page, and my Very Sleepy Girl Instagram page.

There are times I am tired of the monotony of life around here.


Times I want to move to Waco.

Or times I think I can't survive another midwest winter.

But then out of no where, I see a field a cows.

And it makes me love Northern Indiana.

Maybe it has something to do with having just spent an impromptu afternoon/evening with all my family, including this cutie niece of mine.


It makes me grateful that family is so close by.

And as much as we may annoy each other at times (we are family after all),

WE
ARE
FAMILY

And I don't want to leave them.

When I was young and single and freshly out of college I moved far far away out west.  I told myself it would be a season of two years, and that after the two years I could decide what was next.

And that's exactly what I did.

Then after two years I planned to move far far away to the east.  And I got there and knew without a hint of doubt I didn't want to be there.  I didn't want to be away from home, away from family.  I didn't want to have to start all over again with a new home, new friends, new church, new job, new everything.

I wanted familiarity.

And even though familiarity can be old and boring at times...




I find it's also quite comforting.

What about you?  Do you appreciate the same surroundings or do you prefer leaving home and embarking on numerous new adventures?

We are summering well around here.

Other than a broken grill.  Womp, womp.

Catherine took swimming lessons and did amazingly well!

(no, riding the frog was NOT part of her swimming lessons.)

She's completing her second round of Vacation Bible School at a local church.

I love getting to enroll her in these summer programs!

She also just started soccer.  It's so fun to watch 4 year olds play soccer!


The program she's in meets just once a week, which is totally manageable for Mom and Dad, unlike the first soccer program I looked into, which met three times a week (goodbye, life!), eeek!  The other day out of the blue she said, "I wonder how all my soccer friends are doing."

I love seeing that she is thinking of others.

I know too she is missing her preschool buddies.  It kind of broke my heart when she mentioned seeing them at her new preschool this fall, as she didn't realize they weren't changing schools with her.

I (finally) got a smart phone!!  My old (5 years+) phone sadly bit the dust.  I wasn't able to save and transfer my contacts, all my photos and videos, my lists of books to read, movies to see, wish lists for myself and for Catherine, cute quotes by Catherine, inspirational thoughts, to do lists, etc. etc. etc.

I guess for a non-smart phone, it held a lot.

Wow, this is really becoming a downer of a post.

We've been car shopping, as we've been a single car family for almost 6 weeks now.  If all goes as planned, tomorrow may change that.  I'll post details after the fact.

Other summer activities have included ice cream, dvd's, coffee with friends, the inflatable pool in our backyard, a little family getaway, and welcoming our new niece Emma Joy.  For some reason when we talk about her it's not just Emma.  It's Emma Joy.  So, we'll see how long that lasts.



So many other things going on, but I'll have to save them for another post, as I can barely keep my eyes open now.


Are you following along at Very Sleepy Girl's facebook page or Instagram?  If not, I encourage you to do so!

I hate car shopping.

There.  I said it.

With a 4 year old soaking up everything I say (Seriously!  Last month I overheard her repeatedly tell another customer at a restaurant, "My mommy likes milkshakes, but they make her sick." because I had mentioned it to someone a few days prior), I try to avoid using the word "hate", and instead usually say, "can't stand".

But I am using "hate" now.

Maybe because my daughter can't read my blog.

Or maybe because I'm full of passion regarding how I feel about car shopping right now.

We drove 55 miles one way for an appointment to test drive a Prius.  We had been in communication with the dealership for days, and it finally worked out with our schedule for this afternoon.  We arranged child care because I knew there was no way we were taking a 4 year old with us to sit through the car buying process.  And off we went on our journey.

Are you familiar with the term "bait and switch"?

Let's just say it's strange that a car would be sold and yet the dealership would still confirm with us that we were still coming.  Rather than tell us with common courtesy that the car sold.

I don't know if the car actually existed even.

Regardless, I had no interest in dealing with a company like that.  And I had no problem letting them know that.

I thanked them for the complimentary water, and we were on our way.


What a waste.

I'm just ready for this day to be over.

And for us to magically just have a vehicle dropped in our laps.

Ok, not literally.