Back from Ohio

5/29/12
   Well we have returned from our big bus trip with Gidget's dance school. We left Friday morning and returned home last night. What a great time we had. Now the dance school did this trip last year for the first time, due to the huge success of the first trip they did it again this year.
   What made driving 8 hours on a bus worth taking this trip is the back to back Feis's in Ohio. Saturday we did a Feis in Akron and Sunday in Cleveland. Back to back Feis's don't happen often, and though tiring it is awesome for the dancers. 
   The Feis's were way bigger than any we have ever attended before. 2000 dancers in them. The biggest we ever attended had 940 dancers. It was soooo intimidating to Gidget, but she ended up FINALLY getting a 1st place not just one 1st place but 2 of them. I can't even begin to tell how excited she was. She has been working so hard, and it was an awesome feeling as a mom to see her hard work pay off. 
   Now Saturday, which started at getting up at 6:15 am,  she had the first of the 2 Feis's in Akron. This was the bigger of the two Feis's, she placed in 3 dances, but not as well as she hoped for. What a long day though. The Feis was on this fairground in an arena used for Rodeo's and animal competitions. (it also sorta smelled like there was recently animals in there.) It was almost 90 degree's that day, and in a big ole' wig and a velvet dress and tights, Gidget was more miserable than I was if ya can believe that. She also had the very last dance of a very long day. At the end of it all on Saturday she walked away with a 3rd, 4th and 5th place. We went back to our hotel, she went to the pool with one of her friends, I ordered pizza, we then ate and crashed by 10pm.
   Sunday, up at 5:45 we headed to Cleveland or day 2 of a very long day. I have to say that there were much better conditions for this Feis. It was at the Wolstein Center, which was air conditioned. So both Gidget's mood and mine were so much better. We met some really nice people at this Feis as well. I'm sure that there were lots of nice people at Akron, we just didn't meet them. Now once Gidget was finished with all of her dances, she got changed and we went and checked out the vendors until scores went up. Once her scores finally started going up she was getting so dicouraged because she wasn't placing. This was rather frustrating because she danced amazing and had been working so hard to get ready for this weekend, and she has placed in all her dances at every competition for the last year. Then like a miracle, the last scores, 2 - 1st places. These were especially meaningful because not only did it move her up a level, they qualified her to be able to compete at Regional's. This year Regional's is taking place in New Orleans. (I'm fraking out about it though because I have no idea how we are going to be able to afford it, but I believe God will provide) After the intial excitement of the 1st places and hunting her teachers down to tell them, we watched the Champion dancers and their award ceremonies. Then we were back on the bus to go to dinner, It is now 6:30 pm.
    We went to this Irish Pub called PJ McGintry's. What an awesome time we had. They had eaten here on the trip last year, and the owner had invited our school back for this year. The owner and his wife are coming to Charlotte in October when our school has it's Feis. We had a buffet set up for us, we ate and then we had a talent show, and there was no Irish dancing allowed. So it was a rip roaring time. We laughed until we cried. After a few hours of fun we headed back to the Hotel. We got back and packed to leave at 8:30 am promptly, it was 11:30 when we got back, it was 12:30 by the time we went to bed.
    Our bus arrived back in town at 5:30 or so pm. We had so much fun, it was a really long tiring weekend, but it was worth it and we can't wait until next year.

Getting her hair up for her wig. It's 6:30 am. Doesn't she look happy???

From the back.

Doesn't the wig look great??

With Kaitlyn, one of school's Champion dancers

Waiting for the Feis to start at Akron.

Already for Cleveland.

PJ McGintry's

The Donation

5/24/12


Well I did it, I stepped out of my comfort zone and chopped my hair off.  It was for a wonderful cause though. I donated to locks of love. Locks of love provides wigs to young women under the age of 21 who suffer conditions like alopecia |ˌaləˈpēSH(ē)ə|
nounMedicinethe partial or complete absence of hair from areas of the body where it normally grows; baldness.So I figured that I could step out of my comfort zone to make some little girl happy. I had it done at Great Clips in Huntersville, Nc on Sam Furr Rd at exit 25. Great Clpis will cut your hair for free if you donate. They do have rules for donating. You have to be able to donate 10" or more, and your hair cannot be bleached. Having color is okay, I am 40 something and Vanity is my sin, I color my grays right our of my hair. It was a pleasant experience. I did this once before 2 years ago. Though I loved my first cut, my comfort zone got the better of me and I grew it back out. The first cut the girl cut it up to my jaw. TOO short for Kimmie!!! It was a nice cut though. Even though logically I knew I was doing a good thing, I was having anxiety over losing my hair right to the very first snip. Well thank the lord for Thom. He was my stylist for this donation. He had everything a women loves, he made me laugh, he flattered me, fibbed and said my daughter Kady who is 25 and came along to be the photographer looked like my sister. He was awesome. He also gave me a fabulous haircut that I still am smiling about. GO THOM!!!! I have picture of the donation I'd like to share. I also hope I inspire others to go donate, put a smile on a young girls face, give her back her confidence. That made stepping outside my comfort zone worth every hair.  Please share your thought about my new do. I'd love to hear from you. Let's start a movement, let's start sending locks of love enough hair to make 100 wigs in 3 months. Wouldn't that be awesome. Making 100 or mor young women happy, confident and establishing self - esteem. Join me, jump on the donation bandwagon.I took pictures to share with you. If you donate please come back and share you pics with me and my readers. Have a blessed day.

At home right before leaving on the Donation . I'm very nervous at this moment

Last moments of my long Hair, having fun with Gidget at The Village Store in Davidson,NC

Last Moments of long Hair, Having fun with Gidget,at The Village Store in Davidson,NC

Having Fun with Gidget at The Village Store in Davidson,NC

Trying not to run out the door.

This is Thom, he is AWESOME!!!

No Turning back now.

SNIP, SNIP!!! Look at my granddaughter watching intently in the backround.

Add caption

My 12" PonyTail for donation. I'm now over my anxiety and very happy I made this decision.

Is there an organization for Mustacheless men???

The end result. Looks awesome doesn;t it. I am a happy customer.  Thom you ROCK!!!
He will be the only one cutting my hair from now on.

 I Hope you enjoyed my Donation experience. Hoping as well that this finds you and your well.
God Bless,
Kimmie

10FORYOU Coupon -- The Couponizer Company Online Store

10FORYOU Coupon -- The Couponizer Company Online Store
For all you couponers out there, The Couponizer Company is giving 10% off their products. This current deal ends on 5/31/12. The coupon code is 10FORYOU. They offer several different products to fit your couponing needs. Please check it out. Hoping this finds you and yours well.


God Bless,
Kim H.

 Well it's getting to be that time of year, the end of another grade. Wow time flies, Gidget's first year of middle school and her first year of homeschool, gone by in the blink of an eye. 
  As usual, I have been reading and researching tirelessly to make next year even better than this year. Since starting homeschooling in November, I feel like I live on my computer. Google has become this girls best friend. I have learned so much these last few months about homeschool curricula. Foremost, that it could get super expensive super fast. I also learned that I'm not alone when it comes to realizing that what curricula sounds like a winner this year is a loser the next. Only meaning that it just isn't as good of a fit as we thought it was.
  Now I didn't go curriculum crazy for my first year, though I wanted to. I did spend way more than is possible for me to spend next year. So the all the reading and researching has been to design a solid inexpensive curriculum for our next school year. Though we will do some schooling over the summer, the 3 R's, Reading, Religion and Arithmetic. (Why is Arithmetic called an "R" when it starts with an "A" ?) 
 I feel super blessed to be homeschooling today. Not more than 10 years ago homeschooling parents didn't have the wonderful resources for their curriculum we do today. One of our biggest resources we have is the "Blog". I have learned a plethra of valuable information from so many wonderful homeschooling moms, and I have also been able to print some wonderful stuff that these moms are willing to share. It is thanks to all these wonderful free printables I am going to be able to homeschool for very little in the Fall.
 I am taking a cue from Debra Reed @ http://notebookingpages.com/ and using Notebooking as a major element in our curriculum. 
 I am finding myself a huge proponent of Notebooking. You can notebook virtually everything. Debrah at notebookingpages.com is adding Notebooking Publisher, which allows you to design your own template to match whatever project or topic you are working on. Another wonderful site for lapbooking is http://www.homeschoolshare.com. They have a blog and a site with downloadable templates for lapbooking. They also have a new program


(copied from homeschool share blog)
A FREE gift for the fantastic Homeschool Share Blog subscribers:

Templates You Can Type On!
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/blog/


Both sites have amazing resources and are very supportive if you have questions or need help. Please check them out, you won't be sorry. FYI, for all of you that use FIAR, homeschoolshare.com has lapbooks to support FIAR curriculum. I love both of the se sites and use them frequently.


Well I need to stop myself, I could go on and on and on about lapbooking and notebooking. I'd really love to hear from you if you use these methods of teaching, and share your projects with us. Hoping this finds you and yours well.


God Bless,
Kimmie 

Atl, Ga Pt2

5/18/12 


I apologize for not getting back to you with part 2 of our trip, but it has been an especially long week. My back has notbeen cooperating, we are finishing up 6th grade, which is exciting but nerve wracking, I'm unsettled on a curriculum for 7th grade, but more about that at another time.
Gidget had an AMAZING day at her Feis, (pronounced Fesh). She had 7 dances she competed in and she placed in 6 of the 7 dances. 2 trophies and 4 medals. SO very proud. She worked really hard amd hoped for a first place, but even though she didn't get her first, she still had a great day. She looked gorgeous in her new dress, and got loads of ompliments. She also got a new wig, which also looked fabulous on her. It was a really long day though. Longer than usual, and a bit unorganized. I can't say I'll attend this Feis again next year. Though we love to go Feisin', and Atl is about a 3.5 - 4 hour drive, this Feis is not one of my Favorites.
Next weekend, we are taking a charter bus trip with our dance school, 
Rince na h'Eireann to Ohio. We are doing a Feis on Saturday in Akron, and one in Cleveland on Sunday. I'm excited for the trip. Though I hear that the caliber of dancers is unbelievable. The Akron Feis will have 1200 competitors. It would be awesome for Gidget to get herfirst up in Ohio. She really needs to start getting some first places so she can qualify for Regionals. So if you can say a prayer for her, I'd really appreciate it.
Well I'mgoing to post some of Gidget's pictures from Atl. I'd love to really chat , but I haven't been feeling very well. I hope to be back to my old self soon. I hope this finds you and yours well.


God Bless,
Kimmie

Getting Organized

5/13/12


Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful moms. This is just going to be a quick entry. I am trolling the internet for ideas on how to organize my life and my household. It's more overwhelming than picking out a homeschool curriculum. Anyway, while looking at  
different organizers and binders I came across this cute poem I want to share with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.



                            If I could get organized
                            The morning goes, the noon is here,
                                           Before I know the night is near,
                                           All around me, I regret,
                                           All the things I haven't finished yet,
                                           If I could just get organized!
                                           I often times have realised,
                                           Not all that matters is the man,
                                           The man must also have a plan

                                            I do this, I do that,
                                            But I never finish what I am at,
                                            I work as hard as anyone,
                                            And yet, I get so little done,
                                            I'd do so much you'd be surprised,
                                            If only I could get organized!
                                                                                   -Baidurya Mukherjee 
So what do you think?? I'd really love to hear from you on how you organize your houses. Do you keep schedules, have binders, keep lists, or have inventories of your household?? Please let me know, I am in desperate need of help. I'm stressed out over the chaos that is my life. I told you this would be short, so I'll end this now. I hope you enjoyed the poem. Hoping this finds you and yours well.


God Bless,
Kimmie


P.S. I really would love help getting my life organized. I'm praying on it, but so far it's a no go!!!!

Trip to Atl, Pt 1

Can I just tell you how busy this past weekend was??  Gidget and I took a trip to Atlanta where she competed in the Peach State Feis. BTW, she had a great weekend. She walked away with 4 medals and 2 trophies. YEAH Gidget!!!!! We were hoping for a 1st place, but 2 trophies and 4 medals is nothing to shake a stick at. 


We spent about 4 hours in the car getting there. Now I don't know how many have you have been to Atlanta, but the traffic just BITES!!! I am a nervous Nellie when I drive down there. We arrived at our Hotel, The Westin, safe and sound. Now that I am disabled I got to park 5 feet from the door. When the Valet opened the back of my mini van my craft bag (I never leave home without it) fell out and a million seed beads covered the parking lot in a rainbow of colors. The poor guy felt horrible. I told him it wasn't his fault, it was mine for not packing the van. Oh well, lesson learned there. He took our luggage and array of other things to our room on the 20th floor. (Not condusive to a person such as I who has a great fear of heights.) The Valet was still apologizing for the bead fiasco, I let him off the hook with a $10.00 tip. Though I'm afraid of heights, the view from our room was amazing.

 After settling in we then went roaming around the grounds snapping pictures with our brand new Fuji camera around the beautiful hotel grounds.

After we went to the Hotel's restaurant for some dinner. Where I was in price shock. We ordered an appetizer of Truffle Frites, which is basically a way of saying "delicious fancy french fries". They were heaven in our mouth. For our entree we chose this 14.00 plate that had 3 columns, you got to pick one item from each column. The plating was beautiful and the food amazing. Doesn't it look scrumptious??? 

We ended getting a to go container for most of our meal. We then went to registration to check in and get Gidget's competition number for the Feis the following day. We also visited the vendors, where I have to use total will power because I want to but everything. Thus, my Pinterest board Irish Dancing & All Things Irish!!! We had to buy her a number clip for her new dress, a new full length wig,(TOTAL sticker shock for that item), a pair of Diamonte Socks, and new earrings to match her dress. I also bought 2 rings, a vintage movie poster, 2 T-shirts and sock glue. That keeps her socks from falling during competition.( Point deductions!) We then retired to our room where we showered, sewed on her new number clip, did some crafting, goofed around, laughed until we cried. We then sat looking at the night skyline, said our prayers and went to bed. Sleep is important before a Feis, Feis day is long and tiring. It is also exhilerating, fun and nerve wracking. Tune in Wednesday for Feis day. Hoping this finds you and yours well.


God Bless,
Kimmie


Please feel free to check out more pictures on  http://www.flickr.com/photos/thehogan7/
to check out more pics from our trip.


They will also be posted on the new Happy Homeschool Room on FB. Please leave comments on any of the 3 how you like happy home school room. Tell me how I'm doing, what you feel I could be doing things better. Tell me what topics you'd like to see.
Or if you would like feel free to email me at  happyhomeschoolroom@gmail.com
Check back tomorrow for Pt. 2 of our trip so you can see how competition day went. Hoping this finds you and yours well.


God Bless,
Kim