Today I Ditched the Harley Boots

Those who know me well know that I live in my motorcycle boots.  Over here there is always a chill in the air and if my feet are cold so is the rest of me.  So...I wear my boots pretty much every day.  My Harley boots are the best investment I have ever made on a pair of boots.  I can wear them every day and I can even wear them with dress clothes.  Yes...I wear my boots with dressy outfits.  You don't see many people who do this, but that doesn't bother me.  See...I am ME...and what you see is what you  get.

This week I was walking through the local Base Exchange and came across two beautiful pairs of shoes that I could not leave without.  Guess what?  I just HAD to buy them.  For those of you who don't know me well...I absolutely LOVE shoes.  I don't splurge on many things but every now and again I give in to that little voice in my head that says, "Buy these shoes....buy these shoes."  Thank goodness I don't always listen to that voice or I would be in BIG trouble.  The good news is it has been almost a year since I even bought myself a pair of shoes so I felt no guilt in my purchases.  Besides...one pair was on sale.  I saved more than I spent...at least on one pair...hehehe.
 

Today I ditched my motorcycle boots and I wore the pair pictured above.  It was warm outside so I left my Harley boots in the closet...uh...rather in the middle of my bedroom floor.  These are one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I have ever worn.  I'm hoping for some sunny days in England so I don't have to bury these babies in the closet.

These are the other pair of shoes that I bought.  These shoes are so delicate and feminine.  I prefer to be comfy...but I gave up comfort for an afternoon and showed my feminine side.  Yes....I share that side of me every now and again. 

I'm not into frivilous shopping, but I have to say that there is nothing like a great looking pair of shoes to brighten my day...LOL!! 

Kortney Versus Mom

It has been recommended to my dear Kortney by her piano instructor that she learn to play some popular wedding music so that she can start earning money by playing for weddings.  She is very excited about doing this, however, she's having a hard time picking out which music to play.  One of my personal favorites is Beautiful In My Eyes by Joshua Kadison.  I showed Kortney the video to the song as an idea for her to play and she laughed at me.  Here's the link: Beautiful In My Eyes.  She went on and on about his hair and how it looks cheesy that they are making his hair blow with a fan...LOL!!!!  Yes...I agree the video is a bit cheesy.  However, the lyrics to the song are awesome!!  Yes...sometimes (not very often) I am a hopeless romantic.  I happened to bring this song up again today and she told me that if I could get 10 people to respond that they think she should learn this song too, then she would learn it for me.  So....if you like this song and think it would be a good song for Kortney to learn to play for weddings please either click the "Like" button on the link on FB or leave a comment here on the blog.  Please friends....help me...LOL!!!!

Wrapping Up The School Year

Well...that time of year is approaching the Hollinger household; we are wrapping up our first year of homeschooling. I have to say the beginning of the year went better than the past few months. However, we made it ALL the way through the year...which I will be honest...I did not think was going to happen. Our studies consisted of the core subjects of Language Arts, Literature, Math, History/Geography, Science, and Spelling. For electives we studied German, Piano, Drums, Bowling, and Baseball. I'd like to say that how we started is how we finished. But...life happened and many changes were made to accommodate what was going on within our family at various times throughout the year.

The school materials for the kids were student-led and they finished all subjects but Math and History before my surgery a few weeks ago. They will be working on Math and History until the end of June. Somehow we fell a little behind in those two subjects. I still can't figure out how, but it doesn't really matter as this little bit of school work gives the kids something constructive to do. They have completed end of year testing...which I am anxiously awaiting the results. Even though I know in my heart they did great, the human side of me sometimes doubts my decision to homeschool this past year. Seeing their scores will be the final affirmation that I made the right decision....I hope...hehehe!!! I know that for this year homeschooling was what was needed for our family.

Many people have asked if we are going to homeschool next year. As of right now we are not going to homeschool next year. Both Kortney and Jake have enjoyed spending this year with me, but they are ready to go back to school. Kortney has friends that she met at other bases we have lived at that are now living at the base in England that we are moving to in July. Jake loves to be surrounded by people and will make new friends very quickly. I do have a feeling that once they start going back to school that they are going to miss the flexibility of homeschool. I won't be surprised if we homeschool again in the future. I'm holding on to the 8th grade materials just in case.

The Mother Daughter Legacy

Since I have not been feeling well the past few weeks I took the time to read a book I bought awhile ago entitled The Mother Daughter Legacy. It is one of the best books I have ever read. I am not the type of person that likes to read self-help or motivational books. When I get free time to read I like to read things that are fun and enticing, not things that remind me of my pile of homework sitting on my desk. Self-help and motivational books feel like homework to me...LOL!!  However....this book is amazing!!! It is a quick and easy read.  It can be read by taking each chapter and using it as a devotional or can be read all at one time in an hour or so.  In this book Carole Lewis talks about the different legacies that a mother can leave her daughter:

1. The Legacy of Nurture

2. The Legacy of Family

3. The Legacy of Example

4. The Legacy of Giving

5. The Legacy of Time

6. The Legacy of Character

7. The Legacy of Words

8. The Legacy of Faith

9. The Legacy of Laughter

10. A Legacy Under Fire

11. The Legacy of Loss

12. The Legacy of Acceptance

13. A Legacy Revealed

14. A Legacy to the Generations

Right now I am on the Chapter titled "The Legacy of Faith." This book has been a great reminder to me that how I interact with, respond to, and treat my daughter will leave an everlasting imprint on who she becomes and how she remembers her mother. In turn, those memories will mold her into the mother she will become.  I've always had the desire to try and be the best mom that I can be to my daughter. This book has brought to the forefront some areas where I was lacking that I did not realize nor want to admit that I was failing in. Anyone who has a daughter should read this book.

If you are interested in purchasing this book it can be purcahsed HERE.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I am.