TIME IS NOT MY FRIEND....

No, I'm not injured, sick or lost...just MIA for a little while. Time is just not my friend this time of year. Mid-October to the end of the year just seems to be sooooo busy for us. I am not going to whine & complain about the things I have had going (because I know there are others just as busy & others with so much more than I have going), I am just going to say it has been very busy.

I appreciate everyone stopping by to check on me, and apologize that I haven't been able to respond sooner, but here I am now.

As I said, this seems to one of my busiest times (but one of my very favorite!!) of the year so I have to prioritize or go crazy (and even then the insanity can creep in ;0) ) I have been stopping by to read & keep up with everyone when I can, but haven't been able to comment or post.

I should go ahead and say that from now until after the end of the year, my posts will most likely be very sporadic. I am hoping I can take a little more time here & there to do a little more posting than I have these last two weeks, but I don't expect anything to slow down anytime soon..

I would share with you what I have been doing for the last 2 weeks, but it all seems a blur right now, so instead I will share a few of things coming up.

Birthday...tomorrow is my hubbies bday. We had a small celebration for him tonight here at home because I will not be home tomorrow night (see below). Just quiet time with the family as he requested.

I will be leaving tomorrow for Branson... a girls weekend that is an annual tradition for me. I go with my mother-in-law, 2 of her sisters, and her best friend. They started going years ago while the husbands were out hunting, when I joined the family I got to start tagging along. Even after my kiddos came, I kept going on the annual trip - my mom or sis kept them when they were younger & now they get to go to deercamp too. I look forward to this trip every year. The shopping is great, and if you need help finding the Christmas Spirit, Branson is the place to visit. The decorations, music, hustle & bustle of shopping will definitely help you realize Christmas is just around the corner!! We'll leave tomorrow afternoon and come home Sunday evening.

Of course, Thanksgiving is next week. Thanksgiving is my 2nd favorite holiday (Christmas is 1st), I look so forward to it each year. I will have to work Monday, Tuesday, and 1/2 day on Wednesday; the kids are out of school Wed. - Fri. I will work a trip to the grocery store in at some point and began cooking at some point too. We spend Thanksgiving day at the deercamp - we have our feast outside & it is wonderful. I will share more of that family tradition next week, and let you know what I am cooking.

Those are just a couple of the things coming up that will keep me busy. Hope everyone is doing well, and thanks again for checking in on me - Life is good around here, just busy.

BEHIND AGAIN!

Well, it seems I have fallen behind again. This time of year just seems to be crazy for us, so much going on! I have been checking on blogs, but haven't had much time to comment or post.

I would throw out some updates on the happenings around here, but I'm not sure I remember where I left off. So, here are just a few of things that have been keeping us busy:

Boy Scout hike/campout/meetings

Girl Scout meetings

Deer hunting

Parent/teacher conferences

Homework

re-injured hand (better now, I think)

sick hubby (some kind of flu/stomach bug)

of course laundry, cooking, etc....

work, work, work....

I'm sure there are lots of things I am forgetting, but you get the idea. My kids may be older & not as "needy" when it comes to the everyday things, but now there are other needs which requires me to be the taxi driver - some days I think I meet myself coming and going! I barely get home from work, just to turn around to take someone somewhere. But, enough of the whining & complaining, that's just the way it is around here, busy all the time.

I do like blogging and love reading and keeping up with all of you through your blogs. The rest of this week and next week appears to be a little less packed with activity, so my goal is to get back to the blog world.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

CATCHING UP

It was a very busy week, and I have "blog stalked" but didn't have much time to post myself.

Two of my bloggy friends have given me awards, and I can't wait to accept them and pass them on to others. I hope to get to them either tonight (depends on how fast time gets away from me) or tomorrow night.

Basically, I just wanted to a second while I have one to check in and say that I will be catching up on my blogging in the next few days!!!

Thanks again for all of the wonderful birthday wishes, and also thanks to Lindsay-ann & Angie for the awards, I am truly honored!

Girl Scouts

Tonight was the beginning of one the activities that keeps me the busiest. I have been co-leader of my daughter's Girl Scout troop for 7 years. Tonight was our first meeting of the year. We have a troop of 10 - 12 girls (not sure yet how many are returning & how many new ones we will have this year). All of the girls are now between the ages of 13 - 15.

I do enjoy spending time with the girls (especially my daughter), but this is an activity that takes up way more time than I ever thought it would. But since, Flicka loves it so much it is very worthwhile to me. Most of the girls in the troop have been together for at least 5 years and some of them for all of the 7 years I have been involved in the troop. Needless to say, I have formed a bond with many of them.

Since the girls are older now, we do more with them, it is fun. Also, since they are older, we are beginning to let them lead the troop and the other co-leader (who has become one of my best friends over the years) and I are just there as advisers now. It has been fun to watch them grow from little Brownie Girl Scouts up to the beautiful, smart, creative, talented, etc... Cadette Girl Scouts they are today.

Last summer (07) we took the biggest trip we have ever gone on with them. We used all of the cookie money raised, and money from several other fund raisers we held to go to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah was the home of the founder of Girl Scouts - Juliette Gordon Low. The trip consisted of 9 girls and 5 adults all packed into 3 vehicles going "road tripping." We stopped in Huntsville, AL and went to the Space Center, Atlanta, Georgia, for a day at Six Flags and a day at the most awesome Georgia Aquarium (everyone needs to go here)! Then we headed on to our final destinations. We actually stayed in Hilton Head, South Carolina by the beach - BEAUTIFUL!!! While in Hilton Head, we kayaked in the bay looking at the ocean wildlife - we didn't get to see any dolphins that day, but we saw other beautiful things. Then we went to Savannah, we did a trolley tour of the city ending at the Juliette Low home. It was such a treat to see her home, and meant so much to all of us to be their as Girl Scouts. For lunch, we ate at The Lady & Sons restaurant (this Paula Deen's restaurant - she is on food network), it was great; one of Paula's sons was there that day & we got pictures made with him and lots of autographs (he has a show w/his brother on the food network too). That night we did a ghost tour of Savannah - it is reported as the most haunted city in the US. The tour ended at the "pirate house" where we had wonderful buffet dinner w/Capt. Jack Sparrow. It was lots of fun! The rest of the trip was spent at Hilton Head on the beach - soaking up the sun. We were gone for 10 days, and it was AWESOME! Many people thought we were crazy for taking that many girls on a trip that long, but they were all wonderful! I would do it again, and hope we have the opportunity to do something that awesome with them again. (Savannah and Hilton Head are some of the most beautiful places, I highly recommend them as a vacation spots to anyone)

I hope I still have a few readers after such a long rambling post and hope you are not bored terribly. I just wanted to share with you a little about one of the things I love - my Girl Scout Troop! I am sure as we trek along through meetings and trips this year, I will have many stories and pictures to share!

Here is a picture of the girls from last fall - they hosted a "girls night out at the spa" for our sister brownie troop.

Even though they keep me busy, I love Girl Scouts! I was a Girl Scout when I was a child, and they say "Once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout!"

What keeps you busy (besides school & housework, of course)?