The first of many...

So what does the first day of the rest of your life look like? Well, for me it looks something like THIS:

YIKES!!  That's our catch-all station in the kitchen. Or, it looks like THIS:

WHOA!! That's my kitchen "pantry". And it looks like THIS:

A desperately messy craft area. It's not uncommon, but still...just LOOK at it. So the first day of the rest of my life is almost literally, a mess. I'd feel worse about it (and believe me, I used to) until I found that so many working moms had a house like this. Of course there's a fair share of super moms with a career, impeccable house, well groomed kids and gourmet meals on the table. I don't happen to know any but I applaud them nonetheless. But here, we're more of the Bombeck crowd.

I must be honest that having never not worked, I'm altogether excited, apprehensive and worried. I've been less domesticate and more domesti-CAN'T. But I'm ready to channel my inner Donna Reed or June Cleaver and make ol' Aunt Martha proud!

A loan of another color...

I love red hair. It's true! I love it on little girls, I love it on those Irish boys (like my own darling Daddy McD), I love it on celebrities (I'm looking at you, Emma Stone, Brendan Gleeson and Amy McAdams). Well it just so happens that there is a Kiva lending team for redheads. Team Readheads! is the team for you, you fiery lil' devil!! With 7 members, Team Redheads! has loaned $950. And you don't have to be a redhead to join. you can just love red hair...like me

Countdowns and moving on

This morning was the Ring Ceremony at Chief's school in which the Juniors are presented with their class rings. As each young person walked in, it was bittersweet to see all the same players from my own high school days.
The mousey kid who went mostly unnoticed. The fun class clown who always knew how to steal the scene. Mr and Ms Wonderful; a matching set who were popular, humble, had good grades and were on some sport or cheering team. The rebel who was merely tolerating his high school time and everyone associated with it. The slacker, the beauty queen, the jock; they were all there. It was almost like going back in time! Do they know how much fun they're having and how much they're going to miss these days? Probably not. But it was nice to see that while everything is different, nothing has changed. And some day, Chief will sit looking back at these days with the same sweet sentiments.

Yes, he's closer to his own adulthood. But not any closer to wanting to take picture with his parents...

Just admit you're happy....

It's prom night. Yes, Chief is going. The kids are meeting at our house and you can just see the excitement on their faces...

uh, wait....yes! There, on his friend J's face...THERE in the very corner of his mouth, it's just ALMOST a smile. Do you see it? !?

 

Oh GAAHHH, now they have to take pics with the moms! It's kinda impossible to look all GQ with your mommy hugging you and grinning like a kid in a candy store.

 

 Ok, now we're getting a little more of a smile. I mean, c'mon! Your date is here now! Just one.....just crack ONE smile for the camera....ONE.

 

Every Penny counts

You don't have to be rich to do something good. Today's Team knows the value of making every penny count. Team The Widow's Mite loans because: " Our members want to make an impact no matter how small or large the contribution ". Do you remember the story of the widow's mite (Luke 21:1-4)? She gave all she had, even though it wasn't much. Team Widow's Mite has two members and they've loaned $300. To someone out there, that's a BIG deal!

A Happy Mother's Day!!

A very happy day to all the moms out there! Our little family spent time at Mother Darling's working on their gifts. This year, the kids decorated flower pots for Mother's yard and took them to her. Then, each one took turns potting plants with their Nana.

Mother Darling was also treated to working on a framed project with my niece,  Big Sis. A poem I think, about her Grandma and pics of her and Lil Sis.

 

Lil Sis. in the meantime, helped the kids decorate a birdbath for Mother Darling's yard...

 

A dash of driveway b-ball and the day is complete!

Good deeds are a-brewin'

Today's team on what I fondly think of as "Team up Tuesday" is a Kiva lending team in good spirits...literally. Team Beer Goggles never Lie...Much loan because "We love a beer, and we love to loan. Coincidence? I think not!" Most of their loans go to the agricultural sector and the team has loaned a whopping  total of $171,525! They've got 115 members but you know what they say; the more the merrier! Right?

Beginning of the End

While it's true that today is the first day of the rest of my life, it's the first of a few other things. You see, the times they are a-changin'...well at least I am, I'm a changin'.

For one, it's the first day of  my Advocare "24 Day Challenge". My darling hubby, Daddy McD, went out and got me and the Advocare 24 day package, bundle, what ever you call it.

So, Today is day 1. I gotta tell ya, so far it doesn't seem like much of a challenge. I'm just doing what I already do (watch what I eat and excercise) and taking the supplements in the package. Chief very reluctantly helped with my measurements this morning. I also weighed myself today and found that I've lost ONE pound since I returned to excercising 5 WEEKS AGO. I just love being 40 (but I'm 26 on the inside).

The other first is that this is the first day of my last month at work. My job ends on May 31 as the company I work for is moving to another city. So, amid the packing and the cleaning and the moving of files, I'm trying to work out in my head what comes next. In a few days, I'll have time to get to that big ol' To-Do list. It's a new thing for me, I've never not been employed. Wonder if stay-at-home-moms know how fortunate they are to give their families a much as they do? Trust me, I do!

Handmade Help

Whether you shop Esty or sell on Etsy or just peruse Esty, you gotta love the heart that goes into the handmade goodies! Well they apparently have some overflow of heart. This week's Kiva team is Team Etsy.com Handmade. With 157 members, Team Etsy has given over $20,000!  Team Etsy gives because: "we want to help other micro-entrepreneurs & because so many of us understand the struggles one must face when trying to get a small business off the ground". It's great to help someone else get their dream started, don't you agree?