Have you ever heard of Safe Families??? I know until a week or so ago I hadn't, which I thought rather surprising since I've been doing foster care for almost 8 years now.

Safe Families is not run through the state. It is a volunteer program wherein parents can place their children for one day to thirty days, depending upon the situation, to help them. It could be a parent who is going into the hospital and has no help, a homeless situation, etc. For families who volunteer, there is no monetary help. But, what an amazing witness. What an incredible way to be there for others. To allow families to stay in tact if at all possible before getting in the system. To be God's hands and feet and heart in this world. I'm ready to sign up, BUT since we MAY still be moving in the next few months, I'm going to wait. There is a chapter in the area we're hoping to move to, and while I wouldn't be able to take a young child and pay day care, etc, I certainly could help with a younger school age child. I would love to be able to do this!

With moving, it's still in HIS hands. We're having an open house at the end of the month. While I know these never sell houses, more a way for the neighbors to get a glimpse! :), my realtor wants it, and you never know. With the state budget in edcuation being what it is and owing so much to schools already, I know teaching jobs will be at a premium. While I'm in special ed which does help, if they have a choice between me, who has taught ten years and would get some experience and upper level standing on a pay scale, or someone right out of college, they may not be in a position of taking someone who would cost more, pure and simple. But I know IF districts will be hiring for next year it will most likely happen in the next couple months, so it could be a crazy busy time, or it could be God preparing us to stay another year and see what happens.

Next weekend will be a "makeover" of sorts for me. I'm splurging a little with some of my tax refund. With my focus on getting healthy just over the past year now, I'm finally going to get my hair cut, colored, my eyebrows done, and today I got a new pair of glasses which should come in around that time. On that Monday, March 22 I'm getting a tattoo! I've thought about it for a while, and decided that if I were to hit my 75 pound mark of losing weight, that that would be my "mark" to myself to show what I've accomplished. I'm just shy of that right now, and was at 70.4 lbs on Tuesday. There is a family who is having a tattoo day as an adoption fund raiser on the 22nd, so I decided to go ahead and take the plunge! I'm thinking of getting an ichthys (Christian fish) on the back of my right shoulder. I love the imagery of Christians drawing one half of the fish to find other Christians at a time of unlawfulness in being a Christian. If you have any great images, send them my way!!! :) I'll try to have pictures, but we'll see... :)