Where do I start?

I’ve lost my writing mojo.It has been one of the most emotional years I’ve ever been through but haven’t felt like getting any of it down in writing. I honestly do not feel like I can now except to say that my mom passed away. It feels like I am missing a part of my heart.

Enough about that, at least for now, since I thought I would start back blogging with doing a more positive slant with a list of my 10 favorite things right now.

1. God- he’s always on the top of my favorite things list.
2. My husband and kids- They always have a way of making me smile and laugh. I'm enjoying their fall sports and spending time outside with them.
3. My extended family- Due to circumstances, I have seen many of them quite a few times this year and I have LOVED my time with them.
4. Local friends...new and old. I treasure my friends even when I do not see them often.
5. My BFF from SD- She treats me like a sister and welcomed me into her home while I was there. She was such a strong support to me during a difficult time. I only wish we lived closer.
6. Homeschooling- We are homeschooling high school now! Where did the years go? On our first trip to visit my mom while she was sick I brought my daughter. “School” had to stop for a bit. Of course, life is learning so both kids were always learning even if it was "life lessons".
7. Our pets- 4 chickens, 1 rooster, 1 rabbit (we lost our second one a few months ago), and drumroll…..2 dogs. We still have our old pooch but we rescued a new puppy (or rather she rescued me) this spring. She’s a “Carolina Dog” and an awesome addition.
8. Co-op Classes- This is our second year doing them and the fellowship with other moms and kids in a small group has been so good for all of us. (we honestly do not do as well in large groups) My husband is even teaching a high school “Wars and Battles” class.
9. My husband’s cooking- MMMMMMMMMMMmmmm
10. Fall- After spending another summer with no A/C I am loving the cool weather.
11. Okay, I said 10 but I'm adding an extra...perhaps frivolous thing. PUMPKIN. Especially pumpkin muffins. Yum! Do you know this simple recipe? You take a can of pumpkin and a box of yellow (or chocolate) cake mix and combine them. Probably not the healthiest but they are a nice treat!

Happy Fall Y'all!!!

It's been almost a year since I have blogged...

Phew! I just looked back and see that it has been almost a year since I have blogged. That's something considering I have been blogging since my duo were toddlers...12+ years! (I started out somewhere else)  The reasons I took a break are numerous, and some I won't mention, but I thought that considering I want to start back, that I would give a few reasons for my break.

I felt like I was talking to myself. This isn't a horrible thing considering I at times do it in real life but I do appreciate deeply the handful of people that consistently have commented over the years. I really cannot be too mad about it though because I have been guilty myself for reading but not commenting on blogs. I am going to change that though and hopefully spotlight once a month my favorite blogs/bloggers.

My daughter. I remember one initial reason I stopped was that my daughter read something I wrote online that described her as "shy". She does not like the word shy as to her it represents weakness. (I personally do not think being shy necessarily represents this) BUT I have been a lot more careful with what I put online about her. It is her right. This year she started mainly high school courses *gulp*. It has been a HUGE year of growth for both A~man and Z~girl. I have so many tales to tell! Up until now I have put the ups and downs of parenthood and homeschooling but she is now 14.5 and I will be more careful with my wording and what I write. I do feel like my break has caused me to miss out on writing a bunch of positives and challenges with homeschooling/parenting that I do not want to forget. I also hope some of my positives will give others inspiration or hope...and to let them know they are not alone.

Socialization. Yeah, the word most dreaded in the homeschool world. I will expand on this one in a separate post but as a whole I, as a mom have been trying to be more social. As a special needs mom this isn't always easy. As an introverted special needs mom it is even harder but I was seeing that I needed to make the effort. Add in the fact I'm a bit quirky and you will see I have been very brave this year. The prior few years I felt myself crawling into a shell due to a couple situations and for the most part, it has been extremely worth the effort this last year.

So this week I will be revamping my blog and hopefully posting a couple of times a week. My header pictures are almost 2 years old and need updated. I have so much to share! Here are some recent photos starting with A~man bringing me a flower he picked in the yard a couple of weeks ago.

To a foot of snow! Here is some graffiti our dog did with his initial. 

We had a whole lot of fun with the snow but I am so glad it is about melted!