Currently- July

     Greetings from Myrtle Beach, SC! We are on vacay and it's wrapping up! The kidlings are in bed and so is my Mr. M! What better time to update this lonely blog!?

     Listening: Beat Bobby Flay...Admittedly, I've never seen this show because we don't have anything beyond Netflix or Hulu at home. It was a cost-cutting measure we implemented when we started our adoption.

     Loving: Our vacation! We are all having an AMAZING time! It's been such a good trip for our souls... And one of the only big trips we've made as just us 4!

     Thinking: Summer is basically over. Does anyone else feel like once July hits, summer is over!? Just me!? Fooey. I'm taking a class where I have to log 75 hours before Aug. 1 and I have 4 hours in so far. Yikes! And I'd REALLY like to take my last course for my principal's license too...because it's being offered this summer semester. Boo. No time.

     Wanting: To finish our home study! We're down to the last 10 items on our 40+ item checklist! Wahoo!

     Needing: To get healthy! So I've been sick since..like...January. Headaches. Cough. Dizziness. Not all at the same time...but sometimes. Just kinda weird stuff. Anywho, I went to the doctor after a super-bad coughing spell and found out my sinus cavities are like MAJOR infected! Like so infected...it could need surgery. What!? I've never had sinus problems before so this was a bit of a shock. But my doctor thinks she can help me avoid surgery...meaning I'm on major meds for a month. Hopefully my next X-ray shows improvement!

     All ⭐:  Thoughtfulness. I love doing things for people. I love thinking about others.  I feel like I'm pretty good at being thoughtful...at least, I hope I am!

     Check out the other super sweet Currently posts over on Farley's blog below!

Hopefully this post looks OK because I did it from my very pathetic and broken non-Apple phone! Ha! Enjoy summer, friends!

Currently- March

     Sadly, I'm only back for my monthly blog link-up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade! Thank goodness for that girl! Excited to connect with the blogging world again and read everyone's Currently posts!

Listening: Broken Vessels from Hillsong Worship. We had an AMAZING service on forgiveness this morning at church where we heard a powerful testimony by our pastor's wife. This song is equally as powerful. If you haven't heard it, you need to take a listen!

Loving: Our church family. We are SO BLESSED by an amazing church community. Today, our small group kicked off a fundraiser for our family to support our international adoption journey. On top of this fundraiser, we were gifted $1800 in the last 24 hours by a few friends within our church. God has truly humbled us in this process. We can't wait to get this home study done so we can begin the match process. Our little one is loved by so many already!

Thinking: About all the packing we have to do! WE SOLD OUR HOUSE! Speaking of God...HE showed up and showed off with selling our house. I'd love to share the entire story, but a Currently post just isn't the place. Ha! TOO LONG! If you're interested, hop on over to my personal blog and I've started a two-part post on the entire story. It truly is a testimony to His perfect plan and perfect timing. We move at the end of April! Ahhh! Praising Him!

Wanting: A full week of school! We've blown through 3 blizzard bags and we're already making up 2 days. Yikes. Northwest Ohio is no joke with winter. :-( I NEED A FULL WEEK WITH MY KIDDOS! There, I said it. Ha!

Needing: Some exercise! The last few months have been nothing but unhealthy eating habits and stress. I really need to start taking care of myself. Hoping to make some progress towards this goal....sooner than later. :-)

Spring Break Plans: Yeah...we don't have a Spring Break. With school construction, we began after Labor Day so it just isn't in the cards for us. But, I can tell you that any weekend or other "free" day will be spent packing and moving between now and May 1. And even if we did have a spring break, that's still what we'd be doing. We're thankful for that "plan" though!

Have a super March, friends!

Currently- February

Linking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her monthly Currently series...my favorite!

Snow is falling, falling, falling...so much so that church was canceled this morning! I'm not sure we would have made it anyway. Our oldest was up in the night with the pukes. Thankfully, it was an isolated incident and she hasn't done it more than that one time. However, she's just not feeling the greatest...and her brother is right behind her. Coughing up some yuckies. So our current situation is a lot of rest and relaxation...and a little TV.

We're estimated to get more than a foot of snow before tomorrow so school may be a no-go, especially if there's any sort of drifting or blowing. We've missed quite a bit of school already due to being such a rural school district. Our buses have to go out quite a way in all directions to service our families. As a result of our missed school days, we've changed the date for our 100th day of school a lot! And we may not be done changing it yet! Yikes!

The kids are itching to get out in the snow...we spent our snow day last week searching for a pair of boy's snow boots. We were a little late to the party...and didn't have any luck until our sixth store! Luckily, they had ONE pair in our bub's size and they were 50% off. Phew! I think we'll get out and shovel before this next 8 inches falls. We're projected to get an inch per hour for the next several hours. Snow. Snow. Snow.

I updated my personal blog Our Glorious Unfolding with some exciting news about our international adoption journey! We were approved by South Korea (in record timing) to begin our home study. Wahoo! Exciting and scary all at the same time. 

I know the title of "Miss Busy Bee" could be given to probably every single teacher (or non teacher wife or mom) out there! But I'm feeling slightly more busy than usual this season with our approaching home study...and my coaching basketball right now...and teaching...and being a mommy to 2. We're also in the midst of selling our house and things have been moving in that area (lots of showings and getting ready for showings- yuck) so we're praying a sale will happen soon...which means finding a house and moving in the future would need to happen sooner than later as well! 

Thanks again to Farley for such a fun linky party. I hope you all have a WONDERFUL February!

Resolutions for 2015

     I thought it'd be fun to link up with Erica over at Erica's Ed-Ventures and talk about my goals for 2015. It's a brand new year so participating in more than one linky party (consecutive days in a row) is acceptable, right?

     My biggest financial goal for 2015 is to budget more and spend less on things we don't need. This goal includes my spending on TPT. Yikes! Perhaps if I actually get to a point where I have products to sell in my TPT store, I could justify spending the money I do on TPT. But that isn't the case (yet) so this is an area where I need to cut back. We have also had a lot of things happen recently to dictate our finances (primarily two house payments and our adoption process) and we want to be committed to a tighter budget. In the past several months, we've made some cuts in our monthly budget which have helped immensely...one of which was getting rid of our DirectTV. We now only have access to Hulu and Netflix. Due to our geographic location, we don't even get regular cable channels. Talk about different! My husband has made the biggest sacrifice with not getting sports channels. Bless him!

     I have a few professional goals I'd like to work on in 2015. First, I'd love to work on my TPT store and create some products to sell. But I know that takes time and money. With coaching basketball right now and with my financial goal in mind, this particular goal may not be achievable just yet. I also need to take some professional development classes to renew my license next year so I want to take a couple of courses this summer...perhaps something that focuses on using technology inside of the classroom. Being an Ohio teacher also has me thinking more about short-term and long-term goals in the classroom (thanks OTES!). What a to-do list for one year! Thankfully I have 12 months!

     This is short and sweet. I drink WAY too much pop and my eating habits are less than healthy. I want to improve in both of those areas...THE END.

     For Christmas, I asked my mom for 3 books...Interrupted, The Best Yes, and The Hands Free Mama. I want to read more this year. Ironically enough, unless it's a children's book, I really don't care to read. So you can imagine my mother almost fell over dead when I requested books this year! HA! My mom and sisters LOVE to read. They knock out books in a few hours. I am definitely the ugly duckling when it comes to that...so my goal is to improve in that area! We are also starting a new bible study on Francis Chan's Forgotten God so I am looking forward to reading (and finishing) his book as we work through it.

What are your resolutions for 2015? I'd love to hear!

Currently January

     This poor little blog has been neglected as the craziness of December in Kindergarten took over...and I've been focusing more on our adoption blog recently. But I am SO excited to participate in Farley's Currently Series. By the way...how is it January!?

Listening: to ESPN...is anyone else?! We'll probably head over to my mom's later for our annual sauerkraut and sausage meal while we watch the Buckeyes play. We're Michigan fans...but the rest of my family roots for OSU. So we oblige and cheer on our fellow Big 10 team.

Loving: the feel of a New Year. A New Year means new things. I'll probably make resolutions that won't stick...but I do want to make some attainable goals for this year...both personally and professionally. One of which...is reading some new books that I got- The Best Yes, Hands Free Mama, and Interrupted.

Thinking: about everything I haven't done for school. I went into my room a couple of times this week only to realize that it's a disaster and it will have to be handled at a later date. Well since we go back on Monday...I can't push it back any longer! Here's to the next day or two getting things under control in there!

Wanting: our house to sell. We put our house on the market in August...and are waiting patiently for it to sell. We want to move to the town where I teach...it's also where we both grew up and where we go to church. It will also be where our oldest starts Kindergarten next year!! Yikes! We had a really positive showing on Tuesday so we're praying for God's timing on this whole situation.

Needing: to take down our Christmas stuff. Blah. I LOVE leaving the tree lights on past Christmas. It makes for such a nice ambience. But alas, the Christmas season is over and it needs to come down. Maybe that will be a Sunday thing.

Yes: We will match this year! We have started our international adoption journey...and will hopefully begin our home study within the next couple of months...and once that is (hopefully) approved and completed...we are told we will match quickly! We are praying for His will and the peace that comes with it...as it's been a rough couple of years.

Maybe: create some TPT stuff to sell. I've started so many products...and then just don't make the time to finish them. I know that won't be done anytime soon either with our adoption process and with me coaching basketball. But it is something I'd really like to accomplish this year! I have some freebies in my store...but nothing to purchase.

I wish: to travel outside of the country. My husband and I have never been...and I know eventually that will be untrue when we go to bring our son or daughter home. However, we have an anniversary two days after Christmas and it rarely gets celebrated. I think we both need to recharge a bit after these last couple of years. But I would settle for a family vacation to Florida too...which is probably slated for June or July.

Thanks to Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for hosting this linky party! I always love to participate in it!