About Me
Hi! Thanks for stopping by! Come on in, grab yourself a glass of iced tea, and have fun browsing.
Let me introduce myself, I’m Tanya, aka TexasTanya. I was born and raised in Texas. I’ve spent most of my life in the Lone Star State, minus the small aberrations of the year I was a nanny in Philly, and the three years of “finding myself” in the Seattle area.
I was one of those people who said they would never blog. I didn’t really see the point, I mean who cares about the minute details of so-and-so’s life. I became a convert in May 2007, in an effort to ward off “Mommy-brain”. I found spending all day, every day with pre-schoolers was rapidly depleting my brain cells. So, I challenged myself to write something, anything, just as long as I attempted to use coherent thoughts, proper grammar, no baby-talk, and try to keep it positive, because nobody likes a whiner. Since then, I’ve found I enjoy, and actually have come to rely on, the release that writing allows. (Huh, maybe that’s why everyone says journaling is good for you… 
)
I’ll be the first to admit that my blog is sort of like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, “you never know what you’re gonna get.” But, most of my writing centers around my God, and the three guys who rule my days and nights – Hubby, Woody, and Tigger. The boys keep me busy, especially when school is in session, as I add the role of teacher/school administrator to my everyday life. I’ll be sure to share some of our field trips, and other activities that I think you might enjoy. Also, my photography hobby frequently has me with a camera in hand, so there are sure to be lots of pictures.
Hubby, Tigger & Woody
Just the Facts:
Some of My Titles Include: Wife, Mom to Woody (9) and Tigger(7), Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Friend, Christian, Conservative, Texan, Family Director, Homeschooler, Foster and Adoptive Mom, Teacher, Nurse, Amateur Photographer, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, House Maid, Laundress, Decorator, Gardener, Home Organizer, Beagle-Lover, Global Warming Non-Believer, Iced Tea Fan and Coffee Devotee.
Marital Status: Happily married to Hubby for almost 9 years.
Kids: Forever Children: Woody and Tigger adopted September 2006.
Foster Children: 16 boys and girls who stayed from 2 days to 9 months.
Homeschooling: I can hardly believe it as I type it, but this is our 5th year. I’m of the opinion that, especially in the younger years, children need time to play, explore, & discover – rather than sit at a desk and fill out papers.
Homeschool Studies for the 2011/2012 year: Check out this post.
Faith: I am saved by the grace of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Home: Just outside of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Pets: Murray [10] aka. Furry Murray (Beagle/Wiener mix), & Macie [3] aka. Spacey Macie (Beagle/Jack Russell mix).
Interests: Adoption, Reading, Photography, Motherhood, Being a wife, Homeschooling, Home making, Following Christ
Favorite Movies: National Treasure I & II, Blast from the Past, Sweet Home Alabama, The Cutting Edge
Favorite Music: Casting Crowns, Big Daddy Weave, Amy Grant, Avalon, The Cathedrals, Chris Tomlin, Eric Clapton, Diana Krall, Garth Brooks, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Martina McBride, Mercy Me, Selah, Michael Buble’ and just about anything with really great vocal harmonies.
I hope you enjoy reading, and whenever the mood strikes you, I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks Tanya. I enjoyed your post. I commented here b/c you closed comments on the other post.
Love that shark photo. Makes me smile every time.
I’m so glad you left a comment on my Foster News post. It’s comforting to be in contact with another adoptive and foster mom. I’m almost afraid to ask, but what was the outcome with the situation of your first two foster boys?
Thank you for your prayers for our situation. I appreciate it more than you will know!
I am writing to ask for your permission to include your posts on
AdoptionExperiences.com and include a link to your blog in our
directory. We would
include a link back to your blog fully crediting you for your work
along with a profile about you listed on AdoptionExperiences.com .
Please let us
know as soon as possible.
Mike@adoptionexperiences.com
Mike Thomas
Editor-in-Chief
AdoptionExperiences.com
Tanya ~ Incredible! Your photos are amazing – not to mention your whole blog. Just awesome! I clicked to see your Bethlehem Revisited pictures and I got lost reading and looking at your beautiful work. I love how you document your day-to-day life with pictures and captions. I am inspired to do this too, but how do you start something like this? What an awesome way to look back and see all of the accomplishments you have made each day, week, month, and year. Smiles!
Denise,
Thank you so much for your kind words.
I started my 365 project because, well, for several reasons.
1) I’d seen other people do them and I thought they were totally cool. I really wanted to do one of my own.
2) I noticed I was taking pictures nearly every day anyway.
3) I’d read and heard from photog friends that a 365 project can do a lot to help your photography skills. Something I really wanted!
Doing the project has forced me to hold my camera every single day. Some days I think the pictures are awful, but it’s what I’ve got so I post it anyway. Some days, I’m stunned that I caught just the right moment.
I post the pictures here on my blog, on flickr, and on a cool site I recently learned about called shuttercal.com. Shuttercal puts the pictures into a calendar format. It’s free and I am totally addicted.
The best thing about the project is that I have something to post for every day (even if I batch post several days at one time.) The worst thing about it is that I’ve let the pictures take over for my writing. When I went back today and read some of the things I wrote a couple of years ago, I realized that I’ve really let my writing go by the way-side. THAT is something I absolutely need to work on.
As for how to start your own? I picked a date and said that it would be my start date. I picked July 10th. No rhyme or reason, it just seemed like a good time to start. With Christmas coming up, I know you’ll have lots of opportunities to snap pictures of your kids with holiday crafts or activities. Can I suggest a December 1st start date for you?
Thanks again for your thoughtful response. I feel so loved.
love you
We’d love to have you join our new Christian Mommy Blogger group for DFW! email us at mamaswrite@gmail.com for more info!
Good Morning Tanya,
I stumbled on your blog and just wanted to say how blessed I was by it. I also wanted to invite you to an awesome group I am on. It is for parents that homeschool and have adopted. The people on the group have a wealth of resources and it never hurts to have some prayer warriors on your side.
If you would like to join us: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fortheloveofmykids/
We would love to include you.
Hi! Wow, just read through the blog, very quickly I’ll admit, but enough that I kept saying – “gee, I like this girl!” – I’m not a homeschooler, but admire those who are and have looked into it a time or two. I found you how? Because I would love to have that shelf and if I get this dresser sold, I’m gonna buy it if you still have it! I wish I could say I was born and raised in the great state of Texas but I can’t – I can say though that I know God brought me here just as fast as He could and it’s been home for the last 30 years (wow! had to count those on my fingers! Yikes!!) – even tho 9 of those have out of the state. So…anyway, I’ll be back but right now, I need to get that dresser posted!! ; )