Getting Excited

I'm getting so excited about school tomorrow. Don't know why this quarter is any different other than the fact that it's my last one! I feel like I can see some light at the end of the tunnel.

I had a hard time going to sleep last night and was up at 6 this morning. Hopefully I will be up that early tomorrow as I have to go to school by 7:30 so I can pay my tuition before class. The college will not let you have one inch of wiggle room (even though they waited until 5 days before the end of the quarter to let me know my financial aid was suspended) and they have to have their money before I can even walk in the classroom door - I can understand that but it means I will be in a long line and hopefully will get done to make it to class by 9 AM!

It is a cool and overcast morning. It was 85 yesterday and that feels hot to us wimpies in the Pacific NW. We are so fortunate that it cools down at night and we don't have the horrible humidity. I've already been outside enjoying the cool morning and listening to the doves cooing in their tree across the street.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do today. I might get my sewing machine out and work on some zippered bags. A nap will probably be in order too since I go up so darned early and went to be so late!

Have a great Sunday!!

Hugs,
Kay

Just Visiting Around

It's been so long since I've visited many of my favorite blogs. I've just spend the last hour and a half catching up on what's been going on in Blog Land. Now I need to turn the computer off as my right hand has gone numb from using the mouse for so long!

Have a blessed Sunday!!

Hugs,
Kay

Prayers Answered

Thank you all for praying! God heard those prayers and sent a special angel who is generously paying for my tuition!!

Thank you Joanne for listening to God's leading and thank you for your kindness to me. Your generosity is appreciated more than you'll ever know.

I can't begin to describe how much this gift will help my family. With these classes my chances of getting a job are so much better and I will be able to support myself and my daughter. Someday in the future I will pay forward this gift by helping another person in need. I've said it before but I'll say it again - I am so blessed by the friends that I've met through my blog. Each and everyone of you mean so much to me!! Thank you again for your prayers.

Love and hugs,
Kay

Prayer Request

I got a letter in today's mail saying that my financial aid for my classes has been suspended. I dropped a class last quarter that I had registered for but did not need for my certificate. When I got my financial aid last quarter it was based on 6 credits. When I dropped the one class it shows I only completed 5 and that I promised to complete 6. That is the college's reason for suspending my aid for Summer quarter. When I dropped the class I was not told that my financial aid would be affected.

The upsetting part of all this is that the letter was written on June 24th, I got it today and classes start on June 29th! That doesn't give a person much time to make other arrangements. Especially when you have no other resources and have to come up with $405 in 2 days! I have to pay for 5 credits on my own before I will be considered for financial aid again.

Would you please pray that somehow I will be able to pay for my tuition? That if taking these classes are truly God's will then He will provide financially? I am just heartbroken because these two classes are the most important one's I need in order to get a job in a medical office. I am trying to remain positive about this whole situation. If it happens I can't get the classes this quarter then I'll move on to Plan B. I'm not quite sure what Plan B is but God does and He will show me the way.

Thank you so much for praying with me and for me.

Hugs,
Kay

Introducing. . .

Sophie - our new baby kitty!! She came to live with us by way of a family here in Vancouver. Sophie is the "runt" of the litter and only weighs 1 pound. Unfortunately she was taken away from her mother too soon and we're having to teach her everything that her mom couldn't. She is 9 weeks old but, because she is so small, she is behind developmentally.

Sophie is very sweet but it's like having a brand new baby in the house! We have to feed her every 4 hours, give kitten supplement formula with her food, and litter train her. She's starting to get the litter thing down if she's in the room where we keep her. Unfortunately she hasn't associated having to go with going to the litter box. There have been a few accidents in the last day or two. Hopefully that will stop - but I know how hard it is to train cats so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I've enjoyed having the last 2 weeks off school but classes start again on Monday. This quarter I'm taking Medical Terminology and Legal Aspects of the Medical Office. I will be done on August 18th and then the job search begins. Actually I'm going to start looking around the first part of August. I'm praying I find something right away as my unemployment is finished the middle of October.

The weather is starting to warm up here and it's so nice to have the sunshine. We usually don't get full blown summer weather until July and August. Then we start our dry spell which will last through September. I have been sad about not having any flowers this year but one good thing is I won't have to do all the watering that is necessary when it's so dry!

Today we're going to do some cleaning and then I have some packages to take to the post office. I really do need to get some soap made as my shelves are bare except for 2 bars of Cottage Rose and 30 bars of Calendula. The Calendula has been my biggest seller for the past few months so I stocked up on that. It is such a wonderful soap for sensitive skin, or any type of skin, and is unscented.

Remember a while back when I was asked to do a lotion for radiation patients? It's been forever in the making as the ingredients were pretty expensive. I had to buy a little at time. I did make the lotion - which is wonderful - but I decided that it just wasn't emollient enough for what I thought radiation patients might want. So I ended up doing a salve too. I like the salve as it has more concentration of the ingredients and, I feel, will be more beneficial and protecting to the skin. However, I love the lotion and have been using it everywhere including my face. Along with aloe vera butter I put calendula infused sweet almond oil, rosehip seed oil, emu oil and some other special ingredients. If you've never used a product with emu you should try it. That oil is so amazing and is said to deeply penetrate so it draws the other oils with it to really help the skin.

As soon as I have the lotion tested by a lab I will be offering it on my website. I will be taking pictures of the Aloe Salve and have it on the website this weekend.

Have a great day and a great weekend!

I Won!

I won the four hole chicken nest box!! I can't believe it!! I am so excited!! Now all I need to do is get some chickens.

Thank you Pam for having such a wonderful giveaway!

Four Hole Chicken Nest Box Giveaway

My thoughts have been turning to backyard chickens lately. Just in time for those thoughts are this fabulous giveaway on Life on a Southern Farm for a four hole chicken nest box. These are handmade by the FarmMan! If you'd like a chance to win just scoot on over and leave a comment. Please let them know you heard about it on my blog.

Dove Snuggles

I was sitting outside tonight when I looked up and saw Mr. and Mrs. Dove snuggling together on the phone wires over my head. I tried to get a good picture but my camera, on a good day, is not that great. It's fuzzy but I think you can get the idea.

They looked so sweet together - sitting all snuggled up close. She'd lean over and peck at him for a bit and then he'd return the favor. I watched them for about 15 minutes and then they flew away.

I just love watching them! I feel like God gives me a special treat every time I see the doves or I hear them cooing. It's like a balm for my soul!!

Slipping Into Summer Mode

We're slowly slipping into Summer mode around the Butler house. Steph's last day of school was on Tuesday and I was done on Monday. I have to go back on June 29th and will done the 3rd week of August. It is so great not to have to set the alarm, deal with homework, and just have relaxed mornings. The sunshine and warm weather are like frosting on the cake.

Steph went to stay with a friend who lives in the country outside of La Center, WA (where we used to live). When I went to pick her up I was sitting in the car enjoying the sunshine and the peacefulness. I looked up and saw this lovely old wagon wheel leaning against the garage. I thought it would make a great picture with the old can sitting there and the long grass. I'm not one to carry my camera around - bad me - but I had my phone. I think this picture turned out great for being taken with my phone camera. I didn't do anything to the picture except crop it a bit.

Good news that I'm very proud of -- I got an A+ in my first class! All the homework and whining about having to do homework paid off.

I have not planted one thing this year. My patio and front porch are bare! When I moved to Utah last summer I gave away all my pots for flowers. In order to plant anything I'd have to buy new or used at garages sales. There there's the expense of the dirt and the plants. My finances are so tight this year that it would be a choice between buying food or having a nice looking patio - food won. It just makes me sad because I love flowers. I'll just enjoy other people's plants this year!

I am just so looking forward to getting done with school in August and, hopefully, being able to find a job right away. It's been a long haul since May 2008 and I'm starting to get weary. I know that I'm not the only one who is struggling financially - most of the country is. It just gets so tiring to not have a little money for some extras - like flowers for the patio, being able to shop at a garage sale, etc. God has been so good to us and continues to be that way. He has provided all this time. I've not been living in my car and there's always something to eat. I don't mean to sound ungrateful or to complain. I guess I just needed to whine a bit. Now the pity party is over and I need to get busy doing something around the house. It's time to fire up the vacuum and get some cleaning done!

Gone Too Long

It seems like it's been forever since I've posted anything!! This is my last week of school and then I have a 2 week break. I hope to get caught up on my blog in the 2 weeks that I have off.

This is Steph's last week of school too and I'm looking forward to the relaxed days of summer. Although I don't know how relaxed I'll be as I have two classes that will take me through the 3rd week of August!

It's nice to have warm, sunny days to look forward to. It's been cloudy and kind of rainy here the past few days. Those are welcomed too as I have lived in the Pacific NW too long to have too many sunny days in a row! The cool mornings are always appreciated.

The doves are still in the tree across the street and entertain me every morning with their cooing. I found out there are 3 pairs of them. I just wish I could get close enough to take pictures. But the tree is too high and when they are on the ground they fly away as soon as I get close.

I'm off to finish my homework.

Hugs,
Kay