Updates

Well, I figured it had been awhile on any updates on the personal front.  So, in case anyone was wondering....

SCHOOL STARTS ON MONDAY!!!!

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Not Doodle's....she started school last week.  She started 6th grade and is loving it.  I'm so glad I have a kid who loves school. 

But NO, I'm talking about....COLLEGE!!  For me.  

I'm excited and nervous at the same time!  It's been 19 years since I was in school!!

For anyone who missed it, I am starting college full time to get my Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design!!

So.....I managed to score high enough on my math placement test to at least take the lowest math at the University.  Otherwise you have to take a class at the Community College before you can begin the lowest University math they said.  So, that's good.  I think. LOL

But seriously, that does set me back a bit.  I should be starting in Algebra and Trigonometry...math is a huge part of Interior Design. So, I'll have to take some summer classes to graduate on time. Such is life of being an "old" student. ;)  

Or maybe, my backup plan of being a Social Worker instead will start sounding better and better. LOL

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Let's see, I am also taking:

Intro to Interior Design

Color and Design

Drawing for Interior Design

Those sound more up my alley. :)

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Ok, update on Foster Care.

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We had our home study a couple weeks ago and it went GREAT!  The Villages had their meeting to discuss us last week and we were APPROVED!!

Linda comes back out tomorrow to check that I did the things that needed to be done (I forgot about child safety locks for the cabinets with cleaners and the fire extinguisher...duh) and to go over my packet one last time....then it's just a matter of the state issuing my license. :)

Oh, and getting the VA Hospital to MAIL MY PHYSICAL paperwork out!  Did you hear me frustrating VA Hospital?? I'll even come pick it up....just fill it out.  ;)

So, we should, if a child with our criteria comes up, have a placement before the holiday seasons begin! Yay!!  :)

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Let's see....what other updates?

OH!!!  Back to Doodle's school starting....

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Our school district is having HUGE financial trouble.  And since our township did NOT approve a tax hike last year (we already pay some of the highest taxes in the state...see a problem there?), they sold all of our buses (for a $1  I might add...think the Superintendent should be fired, I do) and no longer bus our children to school!!!

HUGE problem!!

The alternative is to hire a private company (the one they sold the buses to for a $1) for $50 A MONTH, PER CHILD, to bus your kids.  Or take them yourself. 

So, you can image the traffic nightmare it is causing as most people cannot afford an extra $50 a month....per kid!!  We still have mostly rural, two lane streets in our community.  So starting about 30 minutes before school let's out cars are just sitting on the streets, cars off, waiting to pick their kids up.

Can you imagine if you lived in those areas and were stuck in that traffic and didn't have kids!

It's been about 45 minutes to drop her off in the mornings...and easily an hour to pick her up!!!  Yeah, nightmare!!!!

The district has been very spiteful in their approach.  It's really disappointing to say the least.

Last year over 8,000 kids took the school buses.  This year only 1,800 signed up....that leaves over 7,200 parents taking and dropping their kids off at the schools to give you an idea of the problem!

High school kids driving with cars loaded full of teens...picking up their siblings at the Middle School!!  A few Middle School kids riding their bikes or walking....down a two lane rural street!  Yeah, that's safe. :\  Parents like me, who are just trying to help each other out, taking other people's kids.  I have 3 kids each day in my car to and from the Middle School.  One of the mom's takes Tuesday's and my ex's girlfriend has Wednesday afternoon's.

And they closed schools and consolidated others...so their are more kids in each school as well.

I wish I had an option....we'd move.  It's that bad.  But alas, I cannot afford to move...plus I really like the area we live in (other than the schools now).  So, I'm stuck.  :(

On the upside...if you didn't have time for reading before...you have plenty of time for a book or magazine perusing now. ;)

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The booth is actually starting to pick up.  

I was a little worried at first, I was not selling ANYTHING.  But when I stopped by this weekend there quite a bit missing.  I think I've already made my booth rent for the month.  Yay!

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Other than that, it's days as normal.  

I'm really busting my rear this week to get my outdoor projects done before school starts!  

I started, oh, about a bazillion projects this year outside, that I never finished.  Why do I do that?  LOL  So, I need to wrap those up.  Including painting my pergola! :)

And while I haven't blogged much this summer, I have TONS of projects from this summer to show you over the coming months.