Welcome to the latest “Just Because” Giveaway and learn about why I’ve been really absent
The January 2020 “Just Because” Giveaway ends in just a couple of days. I’m trying to get on a regular schedule, so I wanted to get this new “Just Because” Giveaway started even though it’s the middle of the month. I also have been promising that I would explain why I haven’t been around very much.
Well, there have been some major changes to my home. Major, and it has torn my heart apart. I’ve always been honest and transparent with you and I want you to know why I’ve been “gone” for the past few months. You may remember that Gracie turned 18 last June but she was still in high school, a senior. It seems she thinks that because she is 18, she can act and do what she wants to do. I guess I’m extremely old fashioned and felt that if you live under my roof, you must follow my rules. I must say, I did get extremely angry at times at some EXTREME things that she has done. So, she has told people that I “am crazy” and has even wished some severe things on me.
She left home Halloween and said she was never coming back. She quit school (SR YEAR) but re-enrolled when she found out she couldn’t receive her Dad’s check. Her Dad passed away when she was 11. I couldn’t get ahold of her. I had taken her phone, her car and she had nothing electronic. I took the position of tough love. She didn’t speak to me (verbally), but she did use a friend’s phone and text me some pretty mean things that she would like to happen to me. At this point, I didn’t even know where she was.
After 2 months, she finally spoke to me, wanted to make up and then completely changed her mind on the phone. She came home one weekend. She had been living with her boyfriend and his DAD. She bought a brand new bed (because we had to throw her ENTIRE bedroom set out), but left in a day and a half, leaving the bed at our house. She was going back to the same two men but called 911 on me as I drove her there and reported me for kidnapping her. I was taking her where she wanted to go, I just wanted to pull over and talk to her about going to the DR. It seemed to me like she had developed bipolar disease. I wanted to help her. I was still taking her to her boyfriends. I had to pull over though and be interrogated by 2 patrolmen.
I haven’t been able to focus since Halloween. I’ve had to put companies off because I can’t/couldn’t function and think. I’ve been awful. I’ve tried, I just can’t focus. I have started therapy because I need help with this. Gracie and I were so extremely close, I mean super close. I didn’t see her Thanksgiving, my birthday or Christmas. It’s like a switch just flipped. I’m just heartbroken.
I’ve left out a ton of information that would just be too much to give out. Michael has been my rock. I also couldn’t have made it without a very good friend and my Church family. I’ve missed interacting with all of you. I really have.
Concerning the blog- I’m going to have new photos done and my friend is going to be changing the header. It will just be Sonya’s Happenings… from now on. I’m doing this for my own safety. It will take a little bit of time, but it will be happening over the next month or so. Just be looking for a couple of changes. It’s still me though!
Well, let’s get on to this giveaway stuff. I know you want to get on to it so you can enter to win a gift card. While you are visiting Sonya’s Happenings… if you are into couponing and you think about it, there are coupons on the sidebar and at the top of the page to print from coupons dot com, Ibotta or RedPlum. I’d love it if you’d check them out! Any and all the advertising that you click on and visit can help me bring you more giveaways to enter. That is my main goal, I just want to bring more to you. I remember when I was able to enter more giveaways than I enter now. I LOVED it.
Please know that I APPRECIATE each and every one of you! When it comes to my giveaways, please remember, if there is something you do not want to do while entering, as in follow, tweet, or share, please don’t. That is PURELY up to you and that is in ALL of my drawings. I give you all of these options because not everyone has the same social media sites. All you need is one entry to win, please remember that.
I don’t do “Just Because Giveaways” because of a giveaway hop or a required prize. This is solely from me and solely a decision from me. This “Just Because” giveaway is for your choice of a $25 e-gift card. It must be an e-gift card that I can send electronically and with US funds only, PayPal and Amazon are still fine. My giveaways are still open worldwide, but I don’t know how the e-gift card will convert to your currency. It also must not be something I have access to, meaning I don’t have to join a website. The giveaway is open worldwide to everyone as long as you have an account to one of the gift card options and will end 2-4-20. The winner must reply to the winning e-mail within 48 hours or I will have to choose a new winner. It is a rafflecopter giveaway, so please give the form time to load.
If you’re a sponsor and would like to work with Sonya’s Happenings… to have your spectacular products and brand featured by me for this or future gift guides, you can contact Sonya at sonyasparks@gmail.com ~
Sonya’s Happenings… product reviews, giveaways and gift guides are the perfect place to get your products noticed!
I live in rural AR. They keep teasing us with snow so things are closing down, but guess what? We get nothing, jack squat. Well it kinda snowed, but it melted as it was hitting the ground. I say if it is going to be this cold it just needs to snow or be 70. . . Thank you
Girl! I live in Northeast Arkansas 🙂
A lot of rain. We won’t have our first festival pop up until March.
There is not a lot going on right now other than a couple of new stores opening soon.
It is unusually mild and rainy.
Absolutely nothing – basketball season
Nothing special that I know of.
Nothing much is going on right now. The winter festival will start up in a couple weeks though
We are a few miles from Colorado Springs, there is always so much going on.
Too much going on here! Lots of stuff needing taken care of with little help with bad weather!
Hope you are doing better, hang in there.
The beginning of spring is just on the horizon!
There is probably plenty going on in my city.. I’ve just been too busy to even know what it is.
January is a slower month around here. I’m sure there are a few things going on, but other than kids activities like dance and basketball, we don’t do much in January usually.
There isnt much happening. I live in the city.
We just had our annual ice festival. They do some amazing ice carvings in the downtown area.
I live in Forks Washington. Nothing ever goes on except rain, Twilight events and salmon season. Hooray!
Nothing notable to speak of, weather’s good.
There isn’t much going on around here. Just mild storms off and on.
Its really cold but I don’t mind it though.
Nothing much going on.
Not much at this time is going on.
Flooding last week, snowing now… never a dull weather moment!
Not too much is going on. Big rivalry basketball game — it’s a college town.
This is the quiet season in my area. Everyone stays indoors and enjoys Netflix.
Even though it is super cold we have lots of events going on! There is a huge outdoor skating oval in our river valley park, wagon rides on weekends and you can borrow skis and snowshoes and head out on the trails.
Muddy, cold winter- trying to build up stock for Spring craft shows!
Snow and bad roads
Not sure what is going on around here…because I’m a homebody. 🙂
I live in a tiny town. Absolutely nothing is going on here.
Not too much going on here in the winter aside from ice skating and a farmer’s market
We are busy with lots of activities and sports with my teen daughter and the weather has more cold windy days than nice. I am looking forward to spring already.
There is an ice carving festival but otherwise not much else going on.
Most of the goings on have to do with hockey or curling.
The Gasparilla in Tampa.
Nothing going on here until Easter that I can tell. We are a semi-rural/suburban community. I guess everyone is hibernating for the winter
What is mainly going in is stuff with our churches and our schools.
I’m just so sorry about what you’re going through with Gracie. My heart breaks for you. Praying for your family still!!
Things in our town are same old same old. The weather is crazy (70s and 20s in the same week). I’m glad for a long weekend!
Thank you Dianna. I appreciate any and all prayers.
Not much is going on, but we did get some snow yesterday (not too common here) so that was exciting for the kids
Well I live in the south so it’s really nice weather and there’s a lot of tourists showing up. Seems like we’re going to have even better weather this weekend too.
It is pretty quiet here in our town in January.
Not much happening here, other than a Winter Weather Advisory. Thank you for the chance to win!
It’s been very cold this week where I live so have just been trying to stay warm, brrr!
nothing is going on right now, it’s too cold!
Nothing going on right now.
Well, it felt like negative 25 yesterday and tomorrow we are having a big snow storm, so not much!
Lots of different winter activities!
Woke up to zero degrees. I don’t know if anything is going on because I’m too cold to be interested.
First I want to say I’m so sorry to read what is happening with your Daughter. I too have experienced my daughter shunning me more times than I can count due to my ex husband and his “flying monkeys” very narcissistic, sociopathic nature. I’m pretty sure every mother and daughter goes through something like this at one point or another. I think it takes many of their own experiences to feel bad and understand what it puts us through. Try to hang in there, hope for the future to get better and I will as well. Not much going on in our town, we have our library about it for now.
I’m so sorry that you went through sort of the same thing. I feel bad for all the Moms out there that have. I just pray for us all.
Not much since New Year’s. We’re expecting an ice storm this weekend!
Quiet lil sleepy town so not much going on!
It feels more like summer here in Louisiana than winter.
ALthough its a bit warmer sunny today, it;s been snowing here all week.
A lot of different plays and festivals.
i don’t know of any goings on in particular
Everyone is.inside tkday. It’s cold
It has been pretty cold here. Yesterday it was -40 before windchill so I have been mainly staying inside.
Cold is worthless to me without snow, but that’s exactly what I’m getting her in Washington, DC.
Its cold. I don’t mind it though.
The weather has been cold which we usually dont have often. So we have been hanging out at home inside watching movies.
I’m enjoying the warm winter in my area.
Nothing happening in my town except a deep freeze!! We are currently having -30 temps, with windchill temps around -40 degree celcuis. Brrrr….
All of the drama of the Houston Astros right now!
very cold and a bit of snow here!
Nothing here can not ice fish ot snowmobile because it is 20 degrees and snowing one or two days then 37 to 45 for a while very strange Michigan weather.
Not much going on here in California. I’m hoping for an early spring. Thanks for the giveaway!
In the middle of January in Canada its all about the outdoor sports…tubing, sledding, skiing if not into that than curl up on the couch waiting for Spring haha
We should have an ice castle festival starting soon in my town
Nothing much going on here.
Not much going on right now, I can’t wait for Spring either!
It is very mild today. -1 c but it is suppose to get cold again.
There is always something going on in Indianapolis
It’s cold and snowy. Nothing at all to do.
We have a lot of winter activities and festival going on right now. Always fun!
Hi nothing much is going on because it is too cold outside.
There’s nothing much going on right now!
There is nothing going on in my town right now. And it looks so gloomy with all of the Christmas lights etc. taken down.
A lot of rain and boredom…
At the moment there isn’t much going on, now that all the Christmas activities are done.
not much, but i signed up for a couple of baby classes at the community center!
Nothing much right now.
Not much right now.
There is not much going on now but I am enjoying my time with the family. Thank you
Until the tractor parade in spring, things are pretty quiet in my neck of the woods. I think the grocery store in one of the relatively nearby towns is having a sale on potatoes.
We are experiencing our worst deep freeze of the winter so far with 10 days of temps around -40C with the wind chill.
Not much right now, usually stuff goes on in the rec center, but it’s being remodeled, so….
At the moment I haven’t heard of much, but the ren festival will be starting next month.
Basically it is cold, snowy and all of that winter stuff going on in my town.
When it comes to craft fairs um usually the one behind the table so I too wish there were some going on
My city is the European green capital for 2020 so we have a lot of environmentally friendly things going, my friends and I just planted some trees last weekend 🙂
There is unfortunately nothing going on, we live in a rural town so there is nothing exciting in the winter, looking forward to spring!
Mixed weather , one day its freezing rain, next its snow and then rain. .confusing for most people and alot of people are sick with the flu .
Not much is happening right now. The weather is warmer than previous winters.
We live in Kissimmee. So, we are finally rid of the tourists and enjoying the weather and local activities without the heat, humidity, and crowds.
It has been raining then snowing,then rain and snow mixed together,and too cold but I always have to go out in it to go to work.
Wow, you and your family have a lot going on and I’m sorry to hear it. Mothers and daughters clash and sometimes they drift apart…many times they are able to drift back together. I think its great that youre seeking therapy and encouraging your daughter to see the doctor. Though she is not living with you, I’m happy to hear she is not on the streets (I’m assuming that her boyfriends place is a safe place for her to stay). Cant wait to read your we made up post!
I honestly have no clue what is going on my city cuz I just got back from Canada and am trying to get back into real-life mode after vacation.
Oh Laytoya,
I just never dreamed that Gracie and I would ever clash. I knew things would be different after she graduated, but I had no idea she would UP and leave while in high school. I honestly had NO idea that you couldn’t do anything to get a child back if she was 18, even if she was still in high school.
I’ve just been a loon, really.
I know it must be very difficult, but just try to take it one day at a time.
Yes, once a child turns 18 they are considered legal adults who can do whatever…even if they are still high school student. Have you considered talking to an attorney…different states do have different laws and an attorney may be able to give you some advice.
I genuinely wish you and your daughter all the best!
My town has been havin a 50th birthday for our zoo. Thats about what i know is going on
We had a heat wave of 65 over the weekend! lol Back to 17 sunday. 🙁
Dine Out month with specials at lots of restaurants. Trying to save a local landmark. Manufacturing snow so kids can go sledding, but it’s been too warm on the scheduled days. Hopefully we will get the real thing soon!
Oh, boy. There is nothing going on in our town…it’s tiny and we always wish there was something interesting to do..
It’s winter in WI. I would much rather be warm or hot.
Not much is going on. It is too cold.
Nothing’s going on around here right now. I’m so sorry about you and Gracie! I know how much you’ve devoted your life to her. Please, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.
Thank you Brenda. I really appreciate it. I dearly love her. All I ever prayed for was to be a Mom.
A lot of plowing, snow-blowing and shoveling!
Lots of rain here…. otherwise nothing much going on. I think the kids are waiting for spring break… lol.
It has been pretty wet with rain for the past few days. The weather is very weird.
We have had non-stop rain here so everything is wet and flooded. Not alot going on outside. I do have mushrooms growing in my garden from all the rain.
Snow and cold here. Ice Castle competition is going on.
We have high 80s humid no winter here in southern Florida we have a craft fair this weekend and farmers market
What’s going on? Lots of winter sports – hockey, skating, skiing, concerts, plays, movies. If I don’t have anything to do, it’s my own fault.
well with -40 degree weather this wk nothing is going on except we are all hybernating
Not much. There are community dinners at different churches throughout our county.
Lots of rain lately.
There isn’t too much going on in my town. Last week, they had Russian Christmas events.
Our town is dealing with warm weather – I am waiting for Winter. So many of my daffodils are blooming while my Poinsettia is still blooming too! My poor plants, flowers and vegis have no idea what they are to do! No festivals at this time – but it won’t be long.
We have a little snow which stops everything here. So staying home and getting some reading done.
We’re rural, so not much happening except lots of snow.
I’m so sorry to hear about what’s happening in your life. I’ve been there with one of my sons (through 2 years of his teens) and my daughter, who moved out at 15, to live with her boyfriend. It is absolutely heart-breaking, but as long as your daughter knows you love her, and will always be there for her, she’ll come back eventually. Mine did. She is in her mid-thirties, married with 3 kids, and we are closer than ever.
Good luck, and take care of *you*.
Thank you very much. I just hate to wait 12 years to talk to her again, to go to the movies again, to have a Grey’s marathon.
It’s been kinda rainy here lately, so we’ve been inside more than usual. It was free day at the museum this week 🙂
Oh we have lots going on. MOve to Florida!
We always have things happening but now during high season much more and perfect weather.
Every weekend their are arts shows and several green markets downtown along the riverfront.
Several years ago I saw Martha Stewart there. Always, celebs like Rob Stewart, James Patteson you never know.
Our fair is going on now too. The big boat show.
And, more.
I am so very sorry about everything you have been and are going through. I honestly had been thinking about you for awhile because you were unusually quiet, You can reach out to me anytime if you need someone to talk to. Nothing really going on here. Work was really slow over the holidays so we are trying to recover from that, Big hugs to you.
Dana,
I’m going to try my hardest to be a little “louder”, lol. I love posting and commenting to talk to all of you all as much as I can. I’m going to try harder. They’ll be hard days, last night was hard. NIGHTS are hard for me. I appreciate it and I may take you up on the offer.
We live in Nekoosa Wisconsin, very small town- there’s a Bingo game going on somewhere today.
Right now because of the time of the year there isn’t much other than semester exams for the high school kids and that they will have MLK day off school.
So sorry about what your going through. Not much is happening here just waiting on it to be spring as well
Not much is happening right now. We are getting a lot of snow.
Nothing is going on that I’m aware of.
Just had our first snow and it really dumped on us.
Nothing is going on in my town. Just a bunch of rain lately.
It’s winter here so not much is going on. Craft fairs, etc. usually take place in the fall or the spring.
Not much, but we had a huge ice-storm this past weekend.
Not much at the moment-we did get a big ice-storm this past weekend.
Nothing much! We had a lot of rain over the weekend, but luckily no snow!
I live in Central Florida and the Festival of the arts is starting in about a week.
Here everyone is now preparing for Carnival Mardi Gras!! what band will you play with that sort of thing….
Nothing much but a bunch of snow falling.
Not a lot lately! I live in a smaller town.
There are no events or festivals here until summer
I’m sorry for all that you’ve been going through.
Right now the Stock Show is here in Denver.
Thanks for the contest.
I’m doing better, slowly
There is nothing much going on in our town lately been real quite
I live in a small town so there is nothing going on here.
Quiet in my town!
There’s a tastefest happening in our very small town this weekend.
It is still snowing a lot here.
Nothing going on here right now.
not much
There’s some kids’ schools activities, but not much for adults, unfortunately.
I’m so sorry to hear what all you’ve been going through. My son is only a toddler, but I already dread the teenage years.
There is nothing really going on in my town right now. I’m ready for spring
Ashley, thank you. It’s going better. This blog has been “Sonya & Gracie” since she was little. It’s just really hard.
I’m sure you will have a completely different outcome when it’s your son.
there is a lot of mlk day stuff happening. i like it.
Nothing going on here, waiting for warmer weather so we can get out and walk!!
Not too much going on right now in my town. I’m looking forward to my grandson’s select baseball team tournaments that begin next month.
There is absolutely nothing going on in my town… I’m so over this winter stuff already haha!
I am ready for summer.
We had a rainy snow mixture over the weekend.
Honestly nothing is going on in my town right now.
A wintery storm is what is happening, so lots of slow driving and commute craziness.