Four or Five Month Update?

What can I say...the world goes on, I guess, even when we fail to update our blogs. The excuse I use for being so remiss is that I am so overwhelmed with life that when a few down minutes exist, I choose to crawl in the recliner, turn on CNN and worry about what is happening in this world and/or take a nap! What is wrong with that picture, I ask?... :( Now, having just gotten caught up on reading my family's blogs, including my granddaughter's from September!!!!, I feel it is very selfish of me not to share What's Up In AZ on a more consistent basis. Therefore, I am really going to try to do better in the future. ;)

Why am I overwhelmed, one might ask! Let's see....

I am a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for three foster children who each have a separate case. so that means three times the paper work and three times the monthly gatherings with my foster kids and their families.

I am on the Removal Review Board for Foster Children (two /24 hour on call commitments per month.

I am on the Foster Care Review Board for 8 hours each month, which doesn't include reading about 10 cases prior to the review each month ( about 10/15 hours to prepare)

I am a home bound Eucharistic Minister for my church and give communion to two shut-ins weekly.

I serve communion at church two to three times per month.

I have just been appointed to our church council by my priest, which meets monthly and we are just beginning a financial drive to build our new church! (I wonder how much more time that will require?)

I am responsible for doing the administrative duties and billing for my husband's mental health counseling private practice.

I dance 3 times a week at practice from 7AM to 9:45AM, plus we perform 2 or 3 times a month at various places.

I am, again, preparing my dance routine to "Big, Blond, and Beautiful" from Hair Spray for the MS. Senior AZ Pageant next April 2009.

I am revamping our landscaping in the front of our house...

I am finishing the interior painting of our entire household that I began in 2004..since last week my husband's therapy area now has the same colored woodwork throughout.

I try to maintain a 1700 sq ft home in an orderly fashion, which at this time is good in some areas, but quite lacking in other areas.

Oh, don't let me forget, I have purchased the needed materials to scrape, patch, sand and paint the outside trim on our home and, also, to install rain gutters where they have never been before to keep the wood from rotting again!

Lastly, I have an appointment upon my return from Illinois on 10/ 28 at the Arizona Heart Institute in Phoenix for a 64 slice CT scan to figure out why I still have Stable Angina, even after having two stents put in the main inlet to my heart last January.

I am certain that I have failed to mention other things, eg; trying to keep my husband happy and helping him through his trials of obtaining new contracts, which ,by the way, we just did with the militart branch of the government. Last week, after three months of pursuing this, he was accepted as a mental health counselor for our military. This means his assignments can range from 3 days to 30, 60, 90 days...counseling at various worldwide locations! They have promised that they will not send him to Iran or Iraq...how comforting is that? One positive is that during his absence, I will not have to cook and clean the kitchen every day, which takes up about 3 to 4 hours of my days!!!

During his absence today, I will do about 12 hours fo monthly reports and reports to the Judge for my foster kids, make a pot of chili, a pan of corn bread and a carrot/spice cake with cream cheese filling. I have two days left to prepare him, his business, my volunteer activities,the house and me for my trip to Illionois, where, hopefully, I will have a chance to catch my breath and give and receive lots of kisse and hugs to fill my bucket enough to last me 'til next May when I visit Illinois again to attend my daughter, Jacque's, graduation from grad/school.

Thank you Lord for my many, many blessings and Your grace because I certainly don't know what I have done to deserve them all. I guess that is why we speak of Your grace, because You give Your love and miracles without our having earned or being deserving of them. We love you Lord.

Lots of hugs and kisses 'til we meet again to all my babies big and small from yo mama, yo grammie, yo great-grammie, yo auntie, yo great-auntie, yo sister and yo friend.