Keeping Up With HIS Plans

Hurry, Now! Go!

2009-08-28T21:47:00.002-04:00

I forgot to share this with every one! Hurry over to the $250 grocery card giveaway!

You have until noon EST Saturday to enter to win - and $5 Dinners is giving you 12 chances to win! Some of those ways are easy, like listing five ways you'd use that money to make over your pantry.

Some of the entry options are a little harder - you'll have to show pictures of the areas you'd like to makeover.

And if you blog, tweet, etc, you'll have another entry!

So, GO! NOW! HURRY!

Trying to be His Light

2009-08-23T21:56:00.003-04:00

We're not friendly with any of our neighbors except one. I don't like it like that.

I dream of a close knit neighborhood where I feel like I'd know what trouble my kid was in before he got home. A neighborhood where I'd know everyone was watching our house when we're out of town. A neighborhood where we all know each other's story and be there to support each other when times are rough.

A neighborhood like there used to be neighborhoods, before everyone got all caught up in their own lives.

A neighborhood where, if you have a problem with someone, you could just holler across the yard, grab a soda to share, and talk about that problem.

Maybe I live in a fantasy world. I don't know. But what I do know is that sitting and dreaming and complaining and chittty chatting about it won't change things.

Actions might change things. Reaching out might change things. Being His Light in this world might change things.

We won't know until we try.

So, with some prompting from the Holy Spirit and some ideas from a friend (Hi Laurie) I think we're developing a plan for a neighborhood gathering and cook out.

Pray for this family of introverts trying to work on building the community of our dreams!

Whew! That Was Crazy!

2009-08-22T20:51:00.003-04:00

I did something this weekend I very seldom do. I was spontaneous.

Whatever, right? No, really, I was.

This month is the month of company for our house. My friend Vanessa was in town for a few days during her whirlwind tour of the US while moving from Italy to Hawaii. We had some long nights talking getting all caught up on what's happened in our lives since I left Italy last year.

Then my sister and her crew came to visit. It was the first time her two kids have been to the new house, so they were excited to spend some time exploring the woods. Unfortunately, I also had a PWOC leaders retreat scheduled one of the days they were here, and my husband was on a trip out of town too. So The Boy joined them for a day trip to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens.

Then another friend was trying to figure out if her and her crew were going to stop at our house on their way home from Florida. It's a long trip for them, especially with a toddler and a preschooler, so they were hoping to break it up a little with the visit.

When that visit fell through The Boy and I made dog sitting arrangements, had my husband extend his hotel room in Hampton, Virginia one extra night, and off we went to the ocean.

We had enough points on one of our hotel rewards accounts to cover the room, so that part was totally free, and included a full breakfast! We spent Friday afternoon at the beach just off Fort Monroe, mostly shell collecting since storm lightning out at sea cleared the water. We learned that the beach there is actually a bay, and when the water warms up the jelly fish are close to the shore. Really close. Like stinging your body close.

We weren't all that disappointed when we had limited time in the water.

We walked from our hotel to a steak house for dinner, and were excited when we discovered Texas Roadhouse offers a 10% military discount. Thank you for recognizing my husband's service!

Today was hot and humid, with stormy weather possible, so we decided not to try another beach and headed to Historic Jamestowne. We love living so close to so many cool places like this. When we purchased our entrance tickets the staff made sure we knew the tickets were good for seven consecutive days. What a bargain!

I'd share some pictures, but I forgot to bring the camera. Things like that happen when I'm spontaneous. We do have some pictures we took on our phones, but I have no idea how to move them to the computer!

Outside Projects - AKA "WHERE IS SHE"

2009-08-17T21:45:00.004-04:00

I KNOW! I did it again. Can I just tell you that life has a way of flying by before we realize it?

My husband has been home from Iraq for almost two months and we're still adjusting - all of us. He's still trying to get used to the new house (he keeps saying he feels like it's a resort). I'm trying to get used to sharing our bed again (he takes up a lot of room and has the nerve to BREATHE when this light sleeper is trying to get some shut eye), and The Boy just keeps reminding him about the way we do things here. Those of you who know The Boy can definitely picture that.

We're getting outside projects done. This weekend's project was a 130 foot french drain through Virginia's red clay. We had 9 yards of gravel delivered to help with the drainage issues. The delivery driver said it weighed 18 tons.

My muscles believe that's probably true.

We've got two more drains to put in. I'm not excited. Neither are my hamstrings.

You know what really stinks about working those projects? I was one weight when I woke up Saturday morning. I was heavier Saturday night after working all day. I was even heavier when I woke up Sunday morning!

My husband insists this working outside thing is good for me. I'm beginning to question his wisdom. My body aches and I've GAINED weight. Where's the good in that?

It WOULD Be on the News, Right?

2009-08-06T15:37:00.003-04:00

About an hour ago The Boy left the house to take the dog on her afternoon walk. It would work out so much better if I took her for a walk in the afternoon since I don't really enjoy getting up in the morning to walk her or going out to walk her in the dark.

However, in order to get The Boy out of the house and into the fresh air (and away from the computer, TV, video games...) he is required to walk her every afternoon.

I don't believe either one of them enjoys the actual experience.

Today's walk was shorter than most - The Boy was home in no time flat. What does that mean anyway - no time flat?

It seems there were THREE airplanes flying around, PLUS a helicopter, AND he could possibly hear some type of siren.

Hmmm. Well....

Being the absolutely stupendous parent I am, I directed him to watch the news. If it were really something big, they'd have it on the news, right?

I plan on submitting parenting book proposals to the publishers next week. I am just THAT GOOD.

Oh, and I'm thinking no one wants me on their team if we suffer some type of world catastrophe. I don't blame you, really I don't.

Questions

2009-08-04T10:35:00.000-04:00

I long time ago, back in the very beginning of my blogging, I wrote a post titled "Why Are You Doing What You're Doing?" It was about something a mentor told me early on in my military career.

Each time we do something, we should ask ourselves that question. Back then, my answers centered on preparing my soldiers so they'd come home alive from where ever they were asked to go. As time has passed, I've tried to answer that question with this: To serve my Lord.

I was thinking about that post this morning and thinking about another set of questions I asked some folks to answer.

What is most important in your life?

Are your day to day thoughts, actions and attitudes reflecting that?

If not, what can you do to change your "No" to "Yes"?

I've been sitting here all smug and self righteous lately, thinking I had those bits of wisdom for others. Oh, I did have them and it was constructive to share them.

Ahem. Some where along the way I've run into that whole can't see the speck in other's eyes because of the plank in my own. Jeez. Will I ever get it right this side of heaven?

I keep a decent house, with minimum effort. I have a wonderful expanding family. I have been blessed far beyond what I dreamed while growing up. I've traveled the world. I'm surrounded by so many caring, Christian people that God has placed in my life.

And still, I get caught up in my own control issues. My own "This isn't how it's supposed to be" issues. My "We must do it "THIS WAY" issues.

I'm getting there. It's not easy, but I think I'm making progress, one baby step at a time.

Adoption Update

2009-08-03T22:12:00.001-04:00

When we began our adoption journey three years ago, we knew it would be a while before we brought our daughter home. We knew the "wait" was about two years. We thought that was reasonable.

We had no idea how long two years really felt. We had no idea how it would feel to wait even longer than that.

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry...

And cry I have. Sometimes over stupid stuff, like today when I realized a critical packet of documents we mailed two weeks ago may be lost by the postal system and another packet with more critical papers has been misdirected by UPS.

Psalm 130 Out of the depths I cry to you , O Lord;
O Lord, hear my voice
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchman wait for the morning.

O Israel put
your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.

He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Genesis 21:7 And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son in his old age."

Study note: After repeated promises, a visit by two angels, and the appearance of the Lord himself, Sarah finally cried out with surprise and joy at the birth of her son. Because of her doubt, worry, and fear, she had forfeited the peace she could have felt in God's wonderful promise to her. The way to bring peace to a troubled heart is to focus on God's promises. Trust him to do what he says.

Then there are the times I begin to loose faith about our adoption, and I remember this:

Matthew 17:20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there" and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

In January 2004 I went to Jamaica for a mission trip, serving at an orphanage for handicap children. On that same trip a mother and her adopted Korean daughter joined me in ministering to the children at the orphanage. During my time there, my heart cried out in sorrow for the children, and I rejoiced a few years later when my trip roommate told me that a particular boy that had grabbed my heart had been adopted.

While we lived in Korea, 8 children were adopted by people we knew. A friend later told me about a teacher she works with in Germany who tried for years to adopt from that same orphanage. I rejoiced both with those who had waited for so long for children and those who had heard God's call THAT DAY to bring a child into their lives.

God has continued to place people in my life that have successfully adopted children, both domestically and internationally. When I've struggled and wondered WHEN our adoption journey would be completed, God made sure others were there to encourage me and be the physical proof that this was the path God intended my family to follow.

This May we received a list of waiting children from our adoption agency. It wasn't the first list we'd gotten. Our agency sent us a list to review about every six weeks.

This list was different. I kept hearing God tell me our daughter was on this list, somewhere. The list had 52 children. Which was ours?

After emails back and forth with our agency, we were finally place on a waiting list for one particular precious little girl. We were fifth on the waiting list. We knew that if God meant for this child to be part of our family, He would make it so.

He did. On May 14th, our agency informed us that Yes, this child was meant to be part of our family.

And still, we continue to wait. We continue to check off each necessary step in the process. We're believing that this time, it is finally true. We're believing Amelia is finally coming home.

Our friends and family have filled her closets. There are bright pink sheets on her bed. Her toys are ready to be played with and her books are ready to be opened and read. I'm preparing to paint her nightstand that girly pink...

Now we're waiting for those last blocks to be checked to finally bring her home.

God is good, even when we struggle to be patient waiting for His timing. Even when we loose faith. Even when we doubt.

God is good!

To read other posts about our journey, click here, here, here, here, here, here, and here

Sharing a Nugget of Wisdom

2009-07-31T08:27:00.004-04:00

We've been back from vacation for a week, and just when I feel like I'm starting to gain some ground in a routine, I'm heading out of town again!

I'll be at Women of Faith in Washington DC this weekend, with 19 other Fort Lee PWOC women, as well as thousands of other ladies. I'm excited, especially since I'll be rooming with a very special DC friend. We met when we were stationed in Italy together and haven't had a chance to spend any time with each other since we both returned to the states. God is good, providing us with special friends and chances to minister to each other!

Before I leave though, I wanted to share one little nugget of wisdom. In May I attended a women's retreat at Virginia Beach. Our speaker was amazing, but the one thing she said that I will NEVER forget is this:

The root of almost every relationship problem is PRIDE. Whether the issue is money, children, careers, household duties - it all comes down to pride.

Is there a pride issue in your life that is interfering with developing or maintaining a relationship? Look closely, pray about it, and work towards fixing it!

See you soon!

Vacation...

2009-07-14T21:49:00.002-04:00

I haven't forgotten that I'm actually back to blogging. Really.

We're just out of state on vacation and I have much less time on the computer than I thought I'd have. So, I'm saving it all for when I get home!

See you then!

More Yard Critters

2009-07-06T22:31:00.005-04:00

Forgot to show you these guys! This is the blue tailed skink that always interested in seeing what project my husband is working on in the yard.

This is one of the box turtles that lives on our land. We know we have at least two. The girls named them. Miracle has scarring on the top of the shell, and Glory doesn't. The one in the picture is burrowed down in tree roots, so we couldn't tell which one it was.

Interesting fact: Box turtles remain within 200 yards of where they were born. If you move them, they'll spend the rest of their lives trying to get back there!

We also found a black widow spider last week when installing lattice around the front porch. Last month I stepped on a big spider in the garage and hundreds of tiny baby spiders riding on the mama's back scattered everywhere. Our Orkin lady tells us it was a Wolf Spider - they carry their egg sac, then the babies, around on their back.

Views in My Yard

2009-07-05T22:38:00.002-04:00

Here's a glimpse of my itty bitty garden. It's not happy. I'm still trying to figure out what in the world is wrong. I've harvested a handful of beans, a whole bunch of lettuce, some teeny tiny carrots, a few tomatoes, and a zucchini. I think next year we'll try to till up some actual yard, mix in a whole lotta compost, and try again! The land around here is rock hard red clay. Nothing likes to grow - not even weeds!

Just a little part of my front landscaping. Most of it is standard for our development, but I'm pretty excited the lupines I planted are actually growing!

Some of the wild blackberries at the edge of our woods.

These are the type of creatures I don't mind in the yard. Little ones.

This critter, however, I feel a little differently about! We think he's a black rat snake. In theory, they're good to have since they're territorial and chase away other snakes, including poisonous ones.

We've been working on some other projects that I'll share another day!

The Girls are Gone

2009-07-02T22:10:00.002-04:00

I'll start with first things first. My three nieces have returned to Germany to live with mother near their father. Please don't ask.

Taking care of four kids alone while my husband was deployed was hard. Really hard. There were so many times I'd look around at families with a bunch of kids and they made it look so easy (hi Laurie). Their kids were involved in activities, dinners were on the table every night, no one wandered around with a half insane look in their eyes.... I just didn't feel like I had it even half together.

And part of me was resentful. A large part. Here I was, a "single" mom responsible for someone else's children. My own son was finally old enough that I could leave him alone while I ran errands or I could tell him to make his own lunch. Almost everything I did had to be thought out in detail in advance - shopping, meals, cleaning, getting to and from school, appointments, retreats I wanted to participate in, leading evening bible study...

It hurt me that people that saw me on a regular basis didn't see how much I struggled day to day sometimes. They didn't offer help when I felt like I really needed it.

Being domestic doesn't come naturally for me and all of the sudden, there wasn't just two mouths to feed in my house, there were five, and very often six.

There were three little girls who needed their hair done, who needed someone to heal the hurts they'd gathered in their hearts for two years. They needed someone to help them catch up on the schoolwork they'd fallen so far behind in. They ALL needed someone to teach them about God, and what it means to believe in Him.

It all just became so hard and so time consuming and just SO MUCH. I was angry at people. So very, very angry. Which is a different post.

Somewhere along the way I found my way back to the "Why I was doing what I was doing". It wasn't for me. It wasn't for the girls' parents. It wasn't so people would look and shower my family with praise.

It was obedience to that same God I was teaching all four children about. In giving them the stability and love they needed then, I was obedient to what God had called me to do.

Now they're gone and that is so much harder than I thought it would be.

Now I do what I should've been doing all along. I pray, seeking His counsel on what I can do to be that same love and stability for those beautiful little girls, even when they aren't with me. I ask for His hedge of protection around them, knowing that they've been thrown back into the same situation they left in January. I find a way to trust that He will answer that prayer, whether I see the answer or not.

Maybe I'm Here Again

2009-07-01T22:03:00.003-04:00

I know - it's been three months since I've posted. I know - I locked the blog. It was just easier for me than to keep blogging, or to explain.

I was overwhelmed. So much of what was going on in my life wasn't mine to share. So much was going on, period. So much. The thought of just sitting down to write was overwhelming. The time. The energy. Time and energy I needed to give to four children who needed me so much more than the bloggy world did.

So. Now, I'm going to try again. Let me bring you up to date.

The girls have returned to Germany. My husband is home from Iraq. We're in the process of bringing home our daughter from China (NO - we're not sure when we'll travel). We leave next week for the whirlwind tour of the Midwest to visit our families and attend my high school reunion.

That's about it! Hopefully I'll get a chance to expand on each of those in the coming days...

I'm Home Again

2009-04-01T18:50:00.004-04:00

Well, I came back from my trip. It was touch and go for a while there, but in the end, here I am, at home.

When my father pulled up in the driveway Friday, I ran out, demanded the keys to his car (I was leaving the van for him) and acted like I was running away right then and there.

Oh, I was tempted all right. Not 15 minutes before I had tossed the kids outside, saying that's where they were now living. I promised to thrown bread crusts out at meal times, so don't think me totally inhumane!

The crazed look in my eyes must've convinced them because that was one of the first things they told my dad and step mom...

Anywho, I was out the door and on my way to DC by 7:3o the next morning more than relieved to be FREE if only for a few days. My father looked at me as I was loading up my suitcase, and asked when I thought I'd be home. After a pregnant pause, he said, "You ARE coming back, aren't you?" I think he could sense my mood.

My husband's plane arrived from Iraq (actually Kuwait) at 6:30 am, and the hotel actually let the guys check in at 9 am. Can you believe that?? Thank you from the bottom of my heart Embassy Suites in Crystal City!

The room was lovely. The man is wonderful. Sleeping and napping were wonderful. The manager's reception was wonderful. My husband's Army cohort was gracious. Oh - the manager's reception was wonderful (hey, free drinks and snacks for 2 hours go a long way!). The complimentary breakfast was scrumptious. The wine, cheese, and fruit I brought were perfect. Talking and relaxing without yelling at anyone or breaking up fights was wonderful.

Leaving my husband was not wonderful. Returning home early Sunday afternoon was - eh.

I'm heading up there again this weekend though. With all four kids. Somehow, I think this trip won't be nearly as relaxing.

I May Make It Permanent

2009-03-26T21:06:00.003-04:00

I have to, in all honesty, admit that this weekend won't come a minute too soon.

Keeping with the honesty thing, I've got to let you know I may not come back. Just don't tell my dad - he might decide not to come take care of the kids.

I guess that wasn't totally honest. I just feel like I don't want to come back. You all know I will.

There ARE FOUR kids here you know. It seems like closer to fifty. It's been one of THOSE days.

Take pity on me.

And keep praying. A lot.

Guess What?

2009-03-25T10:31:00.003-04:00

On Friday I went and got my hair done. New cut, new color, new shampoo. When I made the appointment, I realized I hadn't even had my hair cut since ummmm... December 2007. The only reason I can remember that was that I made THAT hair appointment for our Winter Formal.

Time flies.

I was hoping to squeeze in an appointment for a manicure and pedicure this week too, but that didn't happen.

There just never seems to be enough time with four kids, orthodontist appointments, homework, housework, contractor visits for bids on our driveway, calls to the phone company to figure out why my bill went from $70 to over $200.

So, why the new hairdo and dreams of nail care? Because I'm heading to Washington DC this weekend. My dad and step mom are coming into town to watch the kids while I take a road trip.

What does a road trip have to do with all this prettying up? Now come on, who would a gal pretty up for? Think about it....

My husband is coming to town! Well, to DC anyway. Just for the week, and it's all business. We'll squeeze some time in together between meeting and appointments on Saturday and Sunday. Whoohoo!

This comes at just the right time. He's been gone nine months, and I miss him more than the first day he left. Not to mention the toll being a single parent to four kids is taking on my mental health.

Next week, three out of the four kids have standardized testing and I've also got to drive two and a half hours each way for an appointment with Citizenship and Immigration. The following weekend we may have another road trip planned, then my mom is coming in for a visit, then it's full steam ahead into Easter!

It boggles the mind - it truly does. But praise God that He sent me just what I need just when I needed it!

Help, I'm Gagging and I Can't Escape

2009-03-19T23:07:00.003-04:00

I am going to talk about something here that I never thought I would. Ever. But it's consuming my life and I need to "talk" about it.

Gas. There - I said (and I'm cringing).

Back in the days one I only had one child (you know, in January), the gas passing situation was manageable. I mean - there was just one, and he's a boy. Boys are supposed to do things like that, right? Not that I never do it, but still...

There are now three little girls here. Three. Nine, six, and four years old. That makes four children in the house. The gas levels have increased exponentially. Day and night, no matter where we are or what going on.

Bath time. Morning wake up. Meals. Evening prayers. Driving in the van. At church. At the store. Watching TV. Doing chores. Someone is ALWAYS passing gas (note: we try very, very hard to not say the F word in our house).

It's like the noxious green cloud envelopes our family.

If I can be honest here, I'm getting more than a little tired of the gas, the stench, and the uncontrolled laughter that almost always follows.

In their defense, we are eating a LOT healthier these days. We're eating a lot of fruits and veggies. Whole grains... Do you think that's the issue?

A side note to my family: We will NOT discuss what I may or may not have done in my childhood. If I HAD done something (and I'm not saying I did), it was most likely either cute beyond words or hilarious. This is different. I'm 37 now and all grown up. What I am dealing right now is neither cute nor funny, believe me. The End

Sunday's Sermon

2009-03-18T12:35:00.006-04:00

Here it is, Wednesday, and I'm going to try to recap our sermon at chapel on Sunday (no, I still don't have my act together enough to do things in a timely manner).

Our chaplain spoke on John 11:38-44, Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Yeah, yeah, we all know the story. This time, it was preached differently from what I'd ever heard before.

What the chaplain shared was that sometimes, God waits until we're fully dead (remember, Lazarus was dead four days) before he steps in and raises us. Now, Lazarus was physically dead, but our chaplain spoke about when we walk through our own dark times.

God does this so "that they may believe that you sent me"v42. Yep, sometimes we have to hit rock bottom before we recognize the grace, mercy, and power of our Lord.

Another point - in verse 43, Jesus calls, "Lazarus, come out!" He didn't have to do that. He could've, through His power, have had Lazarus leave his burial chamber without using those words.

But he calls to us the same way. He calls to us to leave our death - our bondage, those things keeping us from Him - behind to truly join Him. To leave our junk behind and follow Him.

We all have junk. Sometimes it's one big thing that we can't forgive ourselves for. Sometimes it's a bunch of little things that leave us feeling too dirty for Christ's forgiveness. Sometimes it's the sins of others foist upon us. Whatever it is, we all have something we need to lay at our Redeemer's feet in order to COME OUT of our caves and accept his mercy and grace.

Then there's the second part of verse 44. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

Notice that Jesus didn't tell Lazarus to remove his own grave clothes. He told the other people present there to take them from Lazarus.

He's instructing us to help our brothers and sisters in Christ to remove those things that are holding them back from giving themselves fully to Christ.

What about you? What junk are you still carrying that may be blocking you from walking more closely with Christ? And who is there in your life that needs you help in removing their own grave clothes?

Well Then

2009-03-13T21:56:00.002-04:00

Remember yesterday when I posted about having plenty to write about?

Today was a classic example. I took the kids to the pool after school. Friday is really the only good day to go since the week is full of homework, and the weekends are full with other things.

We also brought The Boy's friend with us. Her family belongs to the same gym so we don't have to pay any extra fees if she joins us. It gives The Boy someone to hang out with, and gives his friend a break from her own little sisters.

The Boy's friend was wearing a pair of swim shorts over her one piece swimsuit. She decided it wasn't very comfortable swimming like that, so she took off the swim shorts.

The four year old decided she wasn't really comfortable in her swim bottoms either, so she climbed out of the kiddie pool and proceeded to remove her bottoms. In front of the wall of windows open to the rest of the gym.

Unfortunately, she was wearing a two piece suit, not a one piece with extra swim shorts.

Well then, I guess there's a first time for everything I'll have to experience. Hopefully this is also the last time for this particular experience...

No Snow Today, but Maybe Tomorrow!

2009-03-12T21:43:00.004-04:00

Daily I am amazed at how little energy/creativity/enthusiasm I have left to devote to blogging at the end of the day.

It's not that I don't have anything to blog ABOUT, because oh, boy, I could write entire novels.

I just have nothing left.

Tonight, I don't have a whole lot left either, but I miss blogging. I miss the... I don't even know how to phrase it. I just miss it.

What's going on here these days? I've come to fully accept I would never make it back in the days of "Little House on the Prairie", part of an entire family trapped inside a small cabin until the blizzard snows melted.

I've come to accept I would never make it as a mother bird with all those screaming little babies constantly chirping "Feed me. Feed me." and "I need... I need..."

I've come to accept that it might be ugly, but children need to learn young how to actually do things for themselves that they are capable of doing.

I've realized that I need to be more careful sorting laundry, because when I'm not, my preteen son ends up packing my underwear for his youth group lock in instead of his own.

I've accepted that I need to check, check, double-check that each child is wearing the necessary clothing and has packed everything they need for wherever we're heading. If I don't, it's highly likely someone ends up without a coat when it's 20F outside and 50% of the children in the house are already sick.

I've learned that in order to ensure kids eat the healthy stuff in their lunches before the dessert that the best thing to do is just not pack any unhealthy foods in the lunch. Remove the temptation totally. This also explains the total lack of dessert in our house.

I've learned that even though it irks every frugal part of my being, I really have to buy two pairs of glasses so I have a back up pair in emergencies. Without a back up pair, I end up driving all over town with my hand over one eye, trying to see well enough to find a place that repairs eyeglass frames on the spot, immediately. Driving with one eye is not only very unsafe when I do it, it also results in a heavy duty headache accompanied by nausea.

I've learned that homework time with four children is significantly longer with four children than with one. I haven't totally accepted that yet.

I've learned that the three children who did not place in the school speech meet have an incredible capacity to be proud of and excited for the one that did take first place (HUGE congratulations to The Boy).

I've learned that fifteen minutes spent one on one with each child goes a long way in making each feel safe, accepted, and loved.

I've learned that just because you have snow one day, and 80F weather a few days later, it doesn't mean that warm weather is here to stay, or that those cold fronts won't continue to roll in...

And I'm learning God WILL NOT giving me more than I can handle. Sometimes, I just wish He'd move that limit back just a little bit to give me some breathing room!

Pray

2009-03-08T21:24:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, I forget how blessed I am. Going slightly batty staying home with four kids through an entire missed week of school pales in comparison to what others are facing.

I just received word that a fellow bible study sister delivered her first baby prematurely at 25 weeks weeks.

Will you join me in praying for this new family, for the health and development for their new baby girl, for the quick recovery of her mama so they can be together again (they are in different hospitals to better care for each), and wisdom for their medical teams?

We know the mighty works and miracles God can do when we humble ourselves and place our prayers in His hands!

Guess What Else? We're Still Home!

2009-03-06T12:47:00.005-05:00

Really? Really? I am not sure where my sanity has gone. It left somewhere around Wednesday when I wrote this post, assuring everyone (myself in particular) that the KIDS WOULD RETURN TO SCHOOL ON THURSDAY.

That food I packed Sunday night for Monday's school lunches? We ate it Thursday. At home. All of us. Four children and me.

WHY? That's a very good question. It seems that three snow days in a row in Virginia is too much for some people. They spent their time working off that excess energy by breaking into and vandalizing the kids' school.

Oh joy. The school's insurance hired a cleaning team to spend two days cleaning up the broken glass, etc at the school. They broke out almost all the classroom door windows on the second floor of the school. The windows were so forcibly broken that glass ended up on desks on the other side of the classrooms.

After the clean up, the glass repair company will spend the remainder of the weekend replacing all the broken glass.

So, the kids missed the entire week of school. At least we knew there'd be no school Friday, so we had time to plan a trip to the Science Museum. Anything to get out of the house and stop THE FIGHTING. THE ENDLESS FIGHTING. Not to mention the ENDLESS DEMANDS FOR FOOD.

God laughs when I make plans. Or maybe it's Satan trying to see how far he can push me before I snap. Oh - maybe it's a big government experiment! We could write a screen play and sell it to the movie companies!

What am I talking about? That's another great question!

When we sat down to breakfast at 7 am this morning (these four kids in no way believe in sleeping late), we looked out the front window to see a crew at the end of my driveway USING A JACK HAMMER TO REMOVE THE CEMENT. Once they pulled out all the cement AT THE END OF MY DRIVEWAY, the cement truck pulled up to pour fresh cement.

Nice huh? The apron and curbing into the road didn't hold up the the construction crews when they built the house, so the building company apparently arranged to have it replaced WITHOUT TELLING ME!

My van is in the garage. There is fresh cement between my van and the road. There is MAYBE a six foot gap between my mailbox and the fresh cement. AND I'VE BEEN HOME WITH FOUR CHILDREN ALMOST NON STOP SINCE SATURDAY. AND THERE IS THE ENTIRE WEEKEND IN FRONT OF US.

On a good note, the cement crew gave me a nice quote if I'd like to replace my drive way with a cement as opposed to the current gravel.

And the outside temperature is a balmy 66F (after Tuesday's record low of 11F). Saturday it's supposed to be almost 80F - a record high. The kids are playing in the mud pit of my yard, since we still don't really have grass at the new house yet. Do you have any idea how challenging it is to get red Virginia clay out of clothes?

And did you realize, that even with 1.5 acres, the kids still manage to find things to argue over?

Hey - Another Snow Day!

2009-03-04T09:44:00.003-05:00

The school bags have been packed in sitting in their designated places for three days. The lunches have been packed and sitting in the refrigerator for three days. School outfits have been sitting on the dressers for three days.

And the children? They have been home for three days. THREE DAYS. IN VIRGINIA.

What is wrong with Virginia folks? I spent my first 22 years with one understanding of what snow days are. Then we lived in Minnesota, and my definition of snow days changed - over a foot of snow or temperatures lower than -20F.

Here in Virginia, it stopped snowing Monday morning. And yet, with RECORD low temperatures of 11F, the kids are home from school again because the roads - THEY MIGHT BE SLIPPERY.

Tomorrow, it's supposed to be high of 59. Friday it will be almost 70.

I think the kids will return to school tomorrow. Then again, I thought the same thing to myself last night, until I checked the school website around 7, and fell to the floor weeping. I am not exaggerating in any way.

Five days in the house with four children, except for that trip to church Sunday when I took one sick one with me and left another sick one at home alone.

Just last week I was thinking how elegant my gray "highlights" were looking. I'm not sure I have a whole lot of hair anymore. I've yanked it all out at the roots. The hair has left the building, along with the milk, eggs, bread.... and my sanity.

In some bizarre twist of fate, the kids discovered you can find Sponge Bob on television at any time of the day when there are snow days. I sing the theme song under my breath as I wander aimlessly through the house, changing the lyrics to reflect my utter lack of enthusiasm for snow days.

Oh - another piece of irony. Next Friday (Friday the 13th), the kids were scheduled for a "No Snow, No School Day" at school. I think I can safely say that since we've now spent three snow days in a row at home, the children will be sitting at their school desks that day.

I'll spend the entire day without any type of children's television, children's music, children's noise, children's projects, or children's fighting, thanking our Heavenly Father for the blessing that is school. Heaven protect the child who decides they don't feel good that day.

Snow!

2009-03-02T21:54:00.002-05:00

Can you believe we got five and a half inches of snow in VIRGINIA?? We most certainly did...

The four kids played outside for a little while, but the temp with wind chill was only 10 this morning, and none of the kids really has snow pants/boots, so they didn't stay out long.

School was cancelled today (Monday) and is already cancelled tomorrow as well. Virginia just isn't prepared for this type of weather, I guess. My friend at Fort Drum (NY) said they laugh at this much snow. Hey - I live in Minnesota for three and a half years - I understand real snow!

However, I do not understand how one stays sane with four children home from school two days in a row. This weekend was two solid days of nasty rain, cold, and wind, so we spent a lot of time at home. Then, two snow days....

With four kids. I am not prepared for this, mentally, physically, or food-wise! I asked my mom tonight if she thinks Pizza Hut will deliver pizza AND soy milk.... I'm thinking no, but one can hope, right?

Oh -a funny to share. My sister in law returned to military training Thursday, leaving the girls in my care. On Friday, we dropped The Boy off at the chapel for his 30 Hour Famine lock in (he raised $220 for World Vision).

When the girls and I walked in the door back at the house, the six year old says (totally unprompted), "So, who are we kicking out of the house next?"

Like this is some home version of Survivor or something.

And really, in my mind, I hope they vote me off...

They're Different

2009-02-24T19:18:00.002-05:00

Girls. They are different than boys. In so many ways. So many, many ways.

I've noticed a marked increase in our toilet paper consumption here. But hey - they're girls, right?

Tonight, I've discovered who the primary consumer of toilet paper is. It's the 4 year old. This in confirmed by the nearly half roll of toilet paper floating at the top of a very full toilet.

I also discovered I no longer own a plunger. Or a toilet snake. And it's after 7 on a school night and I now have four children.

This is not a good time to realize that somewhere, in the last three or four moves, we decided to leave the plunger behind.

The Choice I'm Making

2009-02-19T22:46:00.003-05:00

I had this exciting post planned for yesterday, all about my vacuuming habits.

I can already sense your disappointment that the planned post didn't come to fruition. Really - I know these things!

Yesterday turned out to have one piece of disconcerting news after another.

Our chaplain's wife called to ask for help at a memorial service Friday. A family in our small congregation had lost their 20 year old son in a devastating car accident over the weekend.

Not too much later, a friend emailed me to let me know a mutual Army friend had lost his entire house in a fire this week. He JUST retired from the military last month.

Then another person called with another piece of sad, sad news about someone I knew very well in high school. Someone who had a lot of potential to do incredible things in his life, but instead got caught up an ugly lifestyle.

I found myself unfocused and lost as I finished up my day. The whole vacuuming thing didn't matter to the big picture. I just couldn't grasp all the sorrow dropped in my lap in one day.

Today I was lucky enough to attend a baby shower for one of our chaplain's assistants. I got to watch him smile at his wife of less than a year and touch her belly as their baby rolled around. I watched the joy and wonder in their eyes as they listened to experienced mothers and wives share stories and advice.

I knew what I had to do. I had to hold tightly to the GOOD in those images, fighting to not get lost in all those things that aren't good - all those things that can and do go wrong.

It's a choice. It's not always easy, but it's the choice I'm making.

How Embarrassing

2009-02-17T20:55:00.004-05:00

Even though my son is growing up fast, I still have the ability to completely mortify him. I could be walking casually along with him, and suddenly he’s upset because I’m embarrassing him just by walking.

I can park in the pick up line at school, and embarrass him by THE WAY I PARKED.

Sometimes I even – breathe –in his presence. I’m totally serious here. If you have a preteen or teen, you totally know what I’m talking about.

Never is his embarrassment more pronounced than during church. I love praise and worship time. Love being filled by the Holy Spirit. Love lifting my hands in praise to Him. Love lifting my voice - as unskilled it is.

Almost every week my son is swatting at my hands, or shushing me for singing too loudly. It doesn't matter to him that 15 other people are raising their hands, or that our contemporary service music is loud enough that you can’t hear the person next to you talking.

I’m his mother and I mortify him just by being next to him.

I remember a woman in our church growing up. She couldn't carry a tune to save her life. Either she didn't know that, or she didn't care. She sang at the top of her lungs, drowning everyone else out. I’d cringe every time Irene started to sing.

I understand Irene a little better now. In church, I sing as loud as I can, praising God with every little piece of my being. Yeah, I know I mortify The Boy – but in church, I make the choice to praise God in my way anyway.

Other times, I’ll pretend I’m not with my son when we enter a store. I’ll speak a little softer than normal in case someone else might actually hear me speaking to him. I’ll even put on make up and brush my hair to drop him off at school early in the morning.

It’s a fine line I’m walking these days – praising God, and mortifying The Boy. A mighty fine line.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T20:51:00.000-05:00

Did you notice Saturday was Valentine’s Day?

I did.

It wasn't the greatest day for me and that took me by surprise.

My husband and I aren't big celebration people. I think I've mentioned that before. It’s not about a commercialized holiday for us – it’s about the day to day appreciation of each other.

My anniversary without my husband wasn't bad (and it’s definitely not the first one we've missed). Thanksgiving was pretty much okay too. He was here for Christmas, and that was great.

Valentine’s Day was different though. I was surrounded by everyone celebrating their “love” and their being a “couple”. I got coupons in snail mail and email, inviting me to share dinner with that special person at their restaurant or to buy a gift at their store.

And I found myself caring about this commercialized holiday, because I couldn't spend that day, or the day before, or the day after, with who I wanted to be with.

It wasn't about not getting a gift (because I did get several). It wasn't about doing something special, because my son and I spent the day at the Art Museum. It wasn't about eating out, because we do that more often than I’d like to admit.

It was about not being able to look in my husband’s eyes and see his love for me. That’s what Valentine’s Day is for me and that’s what I miss – every day.

Honor Our Fallen - 173d ABCT

2009-02-15T21:35:00.000-05:00

We moved back to the states nine months ago, leaving behind dear friends in Italy, many of them who had deployed soldiers.

The unit returned home from Afghanistan last fall, but some never made it home.

I don't want to forget them and what they've done, so I'm moving their names from my sidebar to this post.

As one dear friend wrote: "The loss we have felt will never go away...May they never be forgotten... Honor Our Fallen"

SPC Jacob Lowell
PFC Timothy Vimoto
SPC Chris S Honaker
PFC Joseph A Miracle
PFC Jessy S Rogers
PFC Juan Restrepo
SGT Travon T Johnson
1SG Michael S Curry Jr
MAJ Thomas Bostick
PFC Adam J Davis
SSG William Fritsche
1LT Benjamin Hall
PFC Thomas Wilson
PFC Mathew Taylor
SSG Larry Rougle
PFC Christopher Pfeifer
SFC Matthew Blaskowski
SGT Joshua Brennan
SPC Hugo Mendoza
1LT Matthew Ferrara
SGT Jeffrey Mersman
SPC Sean Langevin
SPC Lester Roque
PFC Joseph Lancour
CPT David Boris
SGT Adrian Hike
SSG Michael Gabel
CPL Joshua Blaney
PFC Brian L. Gorham
SFC Matthew Kahler
SPC James Finley
PV2 Andrew Shields
SPC (P) Ryan Connolly
1Lt Jonathan Brostrom
SGT Isreal Garcia
SPC Matthew Phillips
SPC Pruitt Rainey
SPC Jonathan Ayers
SPC James Bogar
SPC Sergio Abad
SPC Jason Hovater
SPC Gunnar Zwilling

Growing Up

2009-02-15T20:47:00.001-05:00

It amazes me to watch my 12 year old son change from a child into whatever that next stage is when they grow. Some days he’s still very much the child, cuddling up on the couch or wanting me to tuck him into bed at night.

A few weeks ago I was taking totally by surprise when he was reading at night and said he’d say prayers by himself before going to bed. This was the first time it really hit me – some day, bedtime prayers with him will be the exception, rather that the norm.

I felt a little better about that when just a few days later, he called me when he was settling in for the night during his youth retreat. CALLED ME on his own cell phone – one he hardly ever uses since it’s one of those pay as you go plans that he pays for himself.

I've watched him this last week with his cousins. I’m amazed at his patience and gentleness with them, where before there was little love lost between them. I've watched his concern for his nine year old cousin who understands and feels the changes more deeply than her two younger sisters.

I've even watched him get excited to introduce his littlest cousin to his friends.

He’s growing up so fast right before my eyes and I am in awe, once again, at the treasure God has entrusted to my husband and me.

At The Airport

2009-02-04T22:40:00.002-05:00

In the wee hours of the morning I found out my brother had made the "cut" for a military hop from Germany to Baltimore to bring my three nieces back to the states to stay with me.

I dropped the Boy at school and headed out the door to Baltimore to pick the crew up at the AMC (military) international terminal.

With my mind totally focused on getting them picked up, it never occurred to me who the other passengers on that military flight would be. Even while waiting at the airport USO lounge, no light bulb came on in my head.

It wasn't until we headed out to wait by the gate did I finally figure out that the primary folks on the flight would be soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Their families were there waiting for them, and I could feel the tension and excitement in the air as they waited.

Six weeks ago I was in a different airport waiting for my own soldier to come home to spend Christmas with his family. Four weeks ago I took him to the airport to send him back to Iraq.

I could understand how excited these friends and family were waiting those last few moments for their soldier to finally be home.

And it made me miss mine even more.

Can You Spare a Few Hours?

2009-01-29T22:31:00.003-05:00

Do you ever wonder where your time goes? I've got so many things - just regular things - on my TO DO list.

The list just keeps getting longer.

I've got to find more time somewhere! Does any have a few extra hours they could loan me?

On a good note, The Boy is heading out of town this weekend for his Acquire the Fire youth retreat.

Part of me is jealous - they'll see Kutlass and David Crowder perform. The Boy forbid me to go though.

So I guess I'll have some free time on my hands. Look at Lowe's, here I come!

More Changes

2009-01-28T22:31:00.002-05:00

I know I've owed you a post. I just really didn't know how to write it.

Our family life is about to drastically change. My three nieces are coming to live with us at least until the end of the school year.

From one 12 year old boy to four children. I'm going to be busier than I ever thought possible. I'll have to plan (and cook) real meals. There will be no leaving the crew at home while I run out to do something like I can right now with The Boy.

Where there was quiet there will be lots of noise.

Where there was room to spare in this big new house, we'll be overflowing.

There will be laughter and tears and temper tantrums. There's the possibility those might even come from the kids sometimes.

The cat and dog will learn to hide when it all gets to be too much. I might join them.

Our woods and creek will ring with laughter.

We're excited, and terrified, and tired already.

But God will bring us through it all.

Prayer my friends. Prayer. We'll need lots of it.

This Week

2009-01-23T19:07:00.003-05:00

For years I've straddled the fence on the abortion issue. Years. Even long after I dedicated my life to Christ. I won't go into why - I'm just being honest. I knew the facts. I've done the research. I know what happens during (and after) abortions

With this year's presidential election, abortion became a polarizing issue for many Christian voters. With Obama's election, Christians have prayed God would speak clearly to this man with two daughters, allowing him to clearly see the value of human life.

Today, behind closed doors, with little to no media present, President Barack Obama quietly ended the Bush administration's ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option.

Thursday during PWOC, we prayed for pregnant women who need REAL support to make the decision about what to do when they're trying to decide whether or not to terminate their child's life. We prayed for those women who choose to terminate their pregnancy. We prayed for those women who choose life for their child. And we prayed for those same children.

Do you know what this week is? Sanctity of Life Week.

I just feel like it's a slap in the face of Christianity for President Obama to make critical change within his first few days in office, during Sanctity of Life Week.

Continue praying brothers and sisters in Christ. It's what we can do.

Visit Melanie at Cantare for her post on ministering to women in Mongolia who are facing whether or not to choose life for their children.

Why I Love Him

2009-01-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

Because he sends me emails like this:

Thanks for being such an awesome wife and friend! From Germany to Malta to Korea to Italy, you have been the best. Thanks. All right - now get back to work...Have a great sleep my Love.

Crabby

2009-01-20T12:59:00.002-05:00

I'm crabby. I was working on an actual blog post in my head and when I sat down to type it all up my computer decided to throw a temper tantrum.

It's doing that a lot these days, and it doesn't make me happy.

So I'll try again tomorrow. Right now I have to focus on mentally preparing myself for my TB test today. Oh, and The Boy is getting his too. We create our own drama if it's lacking in our lives.

Although sometimes we don't create said drama - it happens all on its own. Like my laundry room drain pipes freezing this weekend. Who knew it actually gets THAT cold in Virginia? I now know it IS possible.

So, tomorrow (if i have time and motivation and the computer remains cooperative) I'll write about if it's possible to be so excited about something you could pee your pants, while at the same time so terrified by that same something you FEEL LIKE PEEING YOUR PANTS.

And no, it's not the adoption. *SIGH*

TTFN

Those Crazy Nuthatches!

2009-01-17T21:17:00.003-05:00

One of the first things we did with my husband when he got home for R&R was put out the bird feeder and bird bath in the hopes that we'd attract some wildlife to watch from our back windows.

Mostly we've gotten nuthatches along with a few blue birds and some type of wood pecker.

Nuthatches are tiny little birds. Apparently, they are tiny enough to burrow INTO our bird feeders, trapping themselves inside.

One day last week I had to go out twice to release the persistent little guys. After the second time I filled the feeder as much as I could without bending the pole holding it totally over!

Hope that works - we're worried that with this cold snap some we'll look out one day and see some poor little bird frozen solid inside the feeder!

I'm almost embarrassed to admit I now have a bird book sitting in my kitchen so I can identify the different birds at the feeder. What am I - about 80 years old!

Working Through Something

2009-01-15T19:57:00.002-05:00

I've been sitting here at the computer trying to sort through what I exactly it is I want to say in the post. I'm not sure yet that I've really figured it out.

In the past year (two years even) I've been pulled into a situation that hasn't been spiritually healthy for me. I've been asked to get involved in someone else's personal "stuff". The being "involved" has led me to some real issues with judging someone else harshly.

Judging them when it wasn't really my place to judge them. And to top it off, allowing others (and even leading them) to commit that same sin.

It all started out so innocently - being that shoulder for a friend going through a rough patch in a relationship. And really, this judging thing has led to some serious soul searching and discussions with God. And it always came back to this - IT IS NOT MY PLACE TO JUDGE. That's God's job.

If being the shoulder for someone leads me to sin, then I have to rely on God to give me the strength to stand strong against that urge. It's just such a fine line to walk in being a friend (and trying to be god's light) to someone who truly needs it, and being drawn into a sinful situation.

Is all that vague enough for you? Probably. now it gets worse.

This past week I found myself in another situation that I could've walked away from without doing anything. Except I am who I am, and when I feel passionate about something, it sets me on fire and it's really hard to walk away.

This other situation has to do with taking care of soldiers. It's something I'm a tad "excitable" about. Couple all that with the fact that I'm not exactly shy to share my thoughts on the subject and sometimes the results are less pleasant than some people would like.

Here's where I'll get vague again. I've been observing things going on with something, and my blood just kept boiling hotter and hotter. It wasn't something that concerned me directly, so there was no REAL need for me to get involved.

But once again, I am who I am, and I got involved, and people aren't pleased. But I know i did the right thing.

What it all comes down to in both these situations is this: Was I getting involved in situations where God wanted me to speak for others, or was I getting involved in situations that were leading me into sin?

The first time, it's a situation that led me to sin - over and over. In the second, I was led to do what was right - that whole WWJD thing.

Whew. Thanks for listening. Tomorrow I'll lighten things up a bit with stories about the crazy birds in my yard.

You've Got to Hear This

2009-01-12T22:16:00.005-05:00

Have you ever heard the song "Blessed Be Your Name"?

It's a worship song that truly speaks to my heart these days, and seldom fails to bring me to tears. I'm partial to the Newsboys version, but that doesn't really have much to do with this post - I'm just sharing.

The holidays were an incredibly emotional time for me this year. My husband came home, and I could sing the positive uplifting verses with abandon.

Then there came the time when my husband and I had to sit down and talk about the "What Next" of our adoption. We had to talk about the reality that if we continue to pursue non special needs adoption from China, we'll be waiting for a long time. Years. With the current pace of adoptions, right around seven more years.

After much research and some pretty in depth discussion, we decided we'd also pursue special needs adoption from China.

Either way, every 15 months we'll go through the process of extending our request at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services for adoption of a foreign child.

In my mind, when we received our renewal reminder in the beginning of December, I truly believed the process would be easy since we'd already taken care of the hard stuff when we submitted our original dossier to China. I couldn't have been more wrong.

We had an extremely hard time finding a social worker even willing to work with us to update our required home study. Our original social worker is not licensed in Virgina and our adpoption agency is located out of state as well.

Then we were also told my husband was required to be present for the home study interviews, and that we'd have to redo all our criminal background and child protective services checks (including fingerprints), as well as medical exams., each and every time.

Three days before my husband was scheduled to return to Iraq, I reached my breaking point. It was all just too much. The possibly waiting for years. The going through the process and expense every 15 months to renew our paperwork. The finding a new social worker willing to help every time the Army moves us. The trying to get everything done we'd need to do before my husband left again.

I just couldn't do it. With my heart shattering in a million tiny pieces, we sent the ONE social worker willing to work with us (at SIGNIFICANT cost) an email informing them we had decided to no longer pursue adoption from China.

My heart cried out to God. I couldn't understand WHY He led us to the point when we had been obedient to His call. Part of me felt like screaming, "Whatever it is you have planned for us God, it better be good, because this just hurts too much."

I had prayed and prayed for God to make it clear what He wanted from us, and all I could see was doors closing on our adoption from China.

But God is good. The same night I sent that email, another social worker called, willing to be at our house the very next morning to complete the required interviews for our home study. Her agency over-nighted all the necessary security paperwork.

We were able to finish the paperwork, get it notarized, and get our fingerprints done the same day the social worker visited. The doctor in my husband's unit in Iraq agreed to do his medical work up this week. My son and I actually got appointments for our medical exams this week.

How do I know GOD made all that possible? I visited our social worker's agency web page. Their scripture verse is Jeremiah 29:11-13, the same verse on my blog header - the verse I choose years ago for my life verse.

So, today I'm singing all the verses of Blessed Be Your Name. I understand about praising Him through the good times and bad. He KNOWS the plans He has for me, and when I truly need it, He lets me peek to see just enough of that plan to carry me through and understand that He is holding our family - our WHOLE family - in His palm.

Blessed Be Your Name

Blessed be Your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
But my heart will choose to say
"Blessed be Your Name!"
You give and take away
You give and take away
But my heart will choose to say
"Blessed be Your Name!"

Blessed it be your of the lord
blessed it be your name
bless it be your name of the lord
bless it be your glorious name

blessed it be your name of the lord
blessed it be your name
blessed it be your name of the lord
blessed it be your glorious name

My Husband

2009-01-06T20:54:00.002-05:00

Have I ever mentioned that my husband's Love Language is Acts of Service? I'll translate that for you: He doesn't sit still.

Ever.

He's been a busy little beaver in the two weeks he's been home.

He hung curtain rods. He moved things from the garage to the third floor attic. He put those same things on shelves that he also moved into the attic. He organized the garage (which absolutely makes my heart flutter). He trimmed the dog's toe nails FOUR TIMES, plus did some fur trimming in unmentionable areas. He raked the yard. He put in stepping stones from the driveway to the garage door. He hung pictures on the wall.

He did housework. He made pancakes. He walked the dog. He did laundry. HE PROGRAMMED THE TV REMOTE so now we only have to use one remote instead of two!

He explored our woods with The Boy and I. He played Wii with The Boy until their shoulders ached. He played chess with The Boy on his brand new chess set (psst-a gift from the president of Iraq - no joke).

And we've laughed, smiled, cried, and tried to cram in the little moments into the very few days we have until he leaves again.

That's what I'll miss the most.

Homecoming

2009-01-02T11:52:00.003-05:00

I was just so calm. I was ready. I was in control. There would be no foolish show of emotion from me.

I had the camera batteries charged. I had the perfect angle to get the perfect shot of my perfect man coming home.

We saw him - and I snapped the picture.

Nice picture, huh!

At about that point, all those things I just typed in the first paragraph there went flying out the window. It's a miracle the camera ended up safe and sound in my coat pocket!

I flew to him, leaving my son standing alone in the airport crowd. (It didn't take me long to figure out he was right behind me when I ran).

He's home for now, and we're content, for now.

Even the cat has stopped whining all night.

Reunions are sweet, but bittersweet at the same time. We've got less than a week left before he'll be gone again.

And we're treasuring every moment together.

What Do You Think?

2008-12-28T17:33:00.003-05:00

Go here to Leaving Excess' post titled "Is Stimulating Spending the Answer."

It's an incredibly thought provoking post... I'm not a political/economic expert, but Michelle has some pretty valid points.

What do you think?

Lessons Learned

2008-12-23T12:16:00.002-05:00

Know what I learned today, 23 December 2008?

First, it is NOT a good idea to start drinking caffeine at 7 am when you are already jacked up on adrenaline because your husband is on his way home from Iraq.

It is also not a good idea to go to the commissary when you are jacked up on adrenaline and caffeine. (Oh, and little sleep since They Boy still has that stomach virus).

We live in a concentrated area of military retirees, every one of which was at said commissary today. Examining every individual item. While parked in the middle of the aisle.

I'm twitchy. I'm beyond twitchy.

Which should make for an exciting drive to the airport in 2.5 hours.

I have no idea what I actually PURCHASED at the commissary. We just might be having crackers and yogurt for Christmas dinner. Oh, and peanuts.

Almost HOME!

2008-12-23T09:47:00.001-05:00

I am so excited!

My husband (after stopping in Ireland last night) just hit the ground in Atlanta! One more flight - into Richmond - and he's home.

Hey - while you're rejoicing, pray for us. The Boy is still sick with a stomach thing and may not be able to make the trip to the airport. :-(

What It's All About.

2008-12-21T20:58:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting here tonight in a quiet house (The Boy is sick in bed) marveling at how incredible technology is these days.

My husband can call or email me from his teeny tiny Blackberry to let me know whether or not he's caught the latest flight out of Kuwait (he hasn't). Even 17 years ago, when he was a brand new private stationed in Korea, phone calls home were few and far between and very expensive.

I can jump on the computer and find old friends. I can chat with my friends and family around the world. I can look up the number for the local whatever. I can pay my bills on line. I can research my favorite bible verses in all the different bibles.

Some things don't change. All the phone calls and emails don't seem to make me miss my husband any less.

Email reminders from the library and video store still can't help me return things on time.

I can still mess up the simplest cookie recipe I found online.

I can miss important phone calls even if I carry my cell phone with me.

And I still marvel that 2000 years ago, a young girl willingly opened her heart and changed the world be agreeing to accept God's will and bare His son to save the world.

Could I do that? In complete obedience and faith, without question? Could I have Mary's courage? Or Joseph's? It doesn't matter. They did it.

In just a few short days we'll celebrate Christ's birth. Take time to remember what that's all about.

Christmas Program

2008-12-19T10:19:00.005-05:00

My son loves to sing and perform. We've already checked off the chapel Christmas cantata (last weekend) and then last night we checked off the school Christmas program.

Even though he wasn't exactly thrilled with the choice of songs for the program, I think he did exceptionally well with his solo. I'd post the video, but for some reason I can't get it to load. Maybe some other time.

I may or may not be blogging on a regular basis through the holidays. We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of my husband from Iraq. He'll spend two weeks with us before flying back, and we'll squeeze as many family memories as possible until then.

Blessings.

Accountability

2008-12-08T11:51:00.004-05:00

My son's school doesn't have one of those new fangled computerized lunch systems. They still used the old fashioned PAPER punch card. I pay $20 and he gets a piece of construction paper marked with different denominations like $.25, $.5o, $1....

Did I mention the card is paper? PAPER.

The Boy is 11... I've washed four lunch cards in the washer this year. FOUR! FOUR! FOUR!

The school has no other system to track how much money has been used on the card except the card itself. I've washed four... Which means I've washed at least $60 worth of nothing.

Yes, I could check his pockets before I wash clothes, but that solves the symptoms, not the problem itself.

It's more about picking up after himself. Doing the chores he's supposed to. Completing his homework. Being considerate of other's feelings.

It's about being held accountable for his own actions.

I'm struggling with how to develop this characteristic in him. Do you see what I'm trying to say, or it is all just a jumble of words with no direction?

If you see past the mess of words could you take a minute to offer up some advice? I'm at a loss.

Walking the Dog in PJs

2008-12-02T23:10:00.003-05:00

To both of you still reading my blog:

I'll be gone a little longer. Can we just say that cockroaches, moving, parenting, flat tires, plumbing, installing blinds, Christmas, and everything else have just got me a wee bit overwhelmed right now?

Overwhelmed to the point that I'm about to go walk the dog in my pajamas, something that would've mortified me even last night.

Really - that's how bad it is. Just keep praying. Please.

Husband -that includes you.

Black Friday Gone Awry

2008-11-28T11:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I made a mistake I now regret – I consumed a caffeinated beverage after dinner. We had a late dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers and popping open a can of soda seemed so much easier than getting a glass of water.

L-A-Z-Y, I ain't got no alibi, cause I’m lazy…

That soda kept me awake until after 1 am. That in itself may not have been a bad thing since I had already decided not to do the whole Black-Friday-go-shopping-in-the-wee-dark-hours-thing. My first solid appointment of the day wasn't until 8:30 at the very earliest.

But life laughed hard at me. My brother called from Germany at 6 am to ask if I’d go purchase a Black Friday item on post since they were all out at his post. I mumbled some type of agreement and rolled over to try to get some more sleep.

Until 3.5 seconds later when the refrigerator guys called to say they’d be at the new house between 7:30 and 11:30 to deliver my new refrigerator. Huh? I specifically arranged for an afternoon delivery!

No dice. The truck was loaded.

Oh – I should also mention I KNOW The Boy was up until after 11 pm reading last night. I know he’d be less than pleased with the change in schedule for the day.

I had little choice except to get up and get dressed, get the dog walked, throw some busy work in a backpack (including my beloved laptop) and wake The Boy. I opted to let him stay home since my sister in law had planned to run over this morning to help with moving (yes, literally RUN over).

So here I sit at the new house, no TV, no internet (can you believe every stinking one of my new neighbors has security passwords on their WiFi), no snack food except what I grabbed on the way out of our current house, and only a folding table and chairs for furniture...

With my luck the delivery guys will be here closer to 11:30 than 7:30.

I really wish I drank coffee. I’m still not quite awake yet.

At least I had the foresight to bring the stack of Christmas cards to work on…

2008-11-24T19:29:00.001-05:00

I'll be absent for a while. I close on the house in the morning and then start moving. I've got to be out of our current house by Friday December 5th.

So busy, busy, busy.

Can I take a minute to mention I'm sick? Not the sniffly nose kind of sick, but the please don't make me get off the couch because it takes a lot of energy kinda sick.

Great.

See you in a while.

Scattergories

2008-11-21T21:55:00.002-05:00

SCATTERGORIES. ..it's harder than it looks!

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things…nothing made up!
You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME: Cheri
BOY NAME: Charlie
4 LETTER WORD: Can't
GIRL NAME: Charlene
OCCUPATION: Cab driver
A COLOR: Cerulean
SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Clothes
BEVERAGE: Coke
FOOD: Cranberries
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Comb
A PLACE : Castalia, OH
REASON FOR BEING LATE: Car problems
SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Crud!

Weary

2008-11-20T20:55:00.003-05:00

In bible study last year, I remember a passage we looked at that said something like "he was weary unto death." I'd look it up, but well - just that phrase alone applies to me, so I won't.

Today - I drove the school carpool both to and from school. I attended PWOC, shopped for the turkeys and misc items for our thanksgiving baskets, helped assemble the baskets, delivered a basket, baby sat, and then took my son to Christmas Cantata practice. Oh - and I laundered the table cloths from the potluck.

Yesterday - grocery shopped, baked a ham for our evening bible study potluck, managed the evening study and it's potluck, drove my son to and from school (the other carpool family was sick) and completed the final inspection on our new house. Oops - also delivered the boxes of goodies to the post office for my husband and his crew in Iraq who were kind enough to order from my son's school fundraiser.

Shall I go on about what life looked like earlier this week, or what the schedule looks like for the rest of the week? It's all about the same speed.

Non stop and exhausting.

I still need to call to arrange to have all our utilities switched on at the new house and turned off at this house.

I think about packing for the move often. That's about as far as I get.

Would you like to know what The Boy and I are doing for Thanksgiving? So would I. There are ideas floating around out there, but we haven't nailed anything down.

Is it wrong to want to sleep through Thanksgiving? I can see my son sharing that memory with his own children in twenty years.

"You think your life is so awful? One year when my dad was deployed my mom SLEPT STRAIGHT THROUGH THANKSGIVING!"

I'm relatively certain the above scenario won't REALLY happen because we'll most likely spend at least part of the day moving stuff to the new house.

Wondering what the next month looks like for me? Something like this:

Move. Unpack. Have company. Put company to work on projects in new house. Clean up from company. Unpack. Have more company. Put company to work on projects in new house. Clean up from company. Pick up my husband for his two week home leave (R&R) from Iraq. Christmas. New Year's. The Boy's Birthday. Take my husband to the airport for his flight back to Iraq....

In summary: Weary unto death. Or something close to it.

How's your holiday season shaping up?

P.S. Ann, Dad, Kaye, husband... this in no way means I don't want you to come. Just be prepared!

Enough

2008-11-16T21:03:00.004-05:00

It's been another busy week here, but if you ask me what I actually did with my time - I have no idea. Life is like that.

At PWOC this week I gave our devotion and I thought I'd share it here as well. There are two things you need to know about me before I begin.

First, I have an auto-immune disorder that affects my joints, sometimes bad enough that everyday things (even writing) hurt to do.

Second, I'm an introvert. That little factoid surprised my mother. I'm an introvert because I'm not energized by being with people. Just the opposite - it sometimes exhausts me. It takes a lot of effort to not live in my weakness some days, trust me.

I think all of us agree that many times, when we pray, we spend a lot of time asking God for stuff. Asking him to help us provide material things for our families. Asking him to heal us and those we know. Asking Him to "fix" those things going "wrong" in our lives.

With the holidays approaching and our economic belts tightening, we spend a lot of time praying for things that may not really be important in the big picture.

Think about that for a minute. Look around you - is there anything you truly lack to survive? Do you have food to eat and a roof over your head? Do you have electric and running water? Do you have everything you need? That you honestly, truly NEED?

For most Americans, yes we do. We've gotten ourselves into trouble when we turn our WANTS into NEEDS.

I NEED a new TV. I NEED cable and internet service. I NEED a golly gee whiz high tech cell phone. I NEED a bigger house so all the kids can have their own rooms. I NEED....

I'm trying to change the way I pray and what I ask God to do in my life. I'm trying to ask for Him to give me ENOUGH.

Give me ENOUGH strength and health and courage and confidence and energy and wisdom to do the things He requires of me.

You know what I've discovered? When I pray for ENOUGH - when I truly pray for it, meaning it deep in my heart - He has blessed me beyond measure.

Are you praying for ENOUGH?

It's Catalog Season

2008-11-14T22:34:00.003-05:00

I got a catalog in the mail today: Frontgate*: Outfitting America's Finest Homes.

The title alone made me almost put it right into the recycle pile. Then - OOOO shiny!

Pictures of beautifully coordinated Christmas trees (one of which costs over $1000 for the tree alone). Then there were the elegant, sophisticated dog beds - they look like actual pieces of furniture - for just under $500. I could pretty up our couch with a machine washable luxury faux fur throw for under $400.

Do people really pay that much for those types of things? Really? And what type of jobs do they have?

My dog would probably pace in circles around that dog bed, not knowing what to do with it. The cat would try to shimmy right up the expensive Christmas tree if I didn't lock it up in a room where he couldn't reach it - and where no one could enjoy it.

I suspect my name was sold to this catalog's mailing list when I ordered nightstands from another swanky furniture catalog.

Of course, my purchase was made from the deep discount clearance section of the catalog's website. Much more my style.

What odd catalogs have you gotten in your mail box lately?

The Boy

2008-11-12T22:31:00.002-05:00

There's a very fine line for bloggers when it comes to talking about their family. My family is a huge part of my life, but they also deserve their privacy.

(As an aside - I need to say things like that because my husband recently admitted to finding and reading my blog. It only took him two years).

The older my son gets, the less comfortable I am talking about him. The preteen years are rough enough without your mother spreading all your embarrassing "stuff" on the internet!

My son is bright - sometimes too much if that's possible! He makes us to proud grading period after grading period when he brings home high marks on his report card. He has a passion for learning - everything. He speeds through books, science, math. It's incredible, really.

And sometimes, it amazes me that God trusts me enough to guide and form this incredibly sensitive ball of fire into the man God desires him to be.

Shopping and Savign

2008-11-10T09:16:00.000-05:00

One of the things that has kept me busy this past week is shopping - and saving while shopping. No, seriously.

I saved 31% grocery shopping with coupons at the commissary this week. I won't bore you with the details, but I was pretty excited about it.

I also shopped a special at Victoria's* Secret* online this week and got two bras and a pair of panties for $16 including shipping. Score!

Then there was today's shopping trip. I hit Lowe's for a refrigerator normally priced at $1498. Between the store sale and the 10% military discount I only paid $1213, plus I'll get a rebate for the delivery charge. I used the 10% military discount for a bunch of other items as well, and saved $167 (or $317 including the sale price, or $396 if you throw in the delivery rebate). SCORE AGAIN!

We also took my sister-in-law to lunch at Ruby Tuesday today and realized they offer a 10% military discount too. Now, that's exciting news since I love their salad bar!

Did I mention my moving company (I had to hire one to move just my furniture -there's no way I can do it myself) also gave us a military discount?

And we get $3000 from our builder as a military discount too! We'll definitely being using that toward our closing.

Sadly, we've decided to also go with our builder's preferred lender since they match OUR preferred lender's mortgage rate and also gave us $5000 toward closing costs on our house.

In all fairness, this is a highly respected lending company we'll work with for our mortgage - we have no complaints there. It just makes us sad that we've broken away from our loyalty to a company that we've worked with for longer than we've been married, but $5000 is a lot of money in today's uncertain economy!

So - how have you saved lately?

Bear With Me!

2008-11-09T21:14:00.002-05:00

There are some days when my brain is over flowing with things I feel I need to share here.

There are other days - not, so much.

And sometimes there are days when I'm over flowing but have no time to share.

This past week has been a combination of all three. With getting ready to move and all the little things I have to take care of, piled on top of all the regular day to day stuff, I'm just out of time and energy to post most days.

Bear with me.

The Happy Housewife

2008-11-04T21:47:00.003-05:00

I have a new favorite blogger this week: The Happy Housewife.

In the past week alone, she's helped me by providing an address to send unexpired coupons to troops overseas who don't have access to a commissary, clued me in on the FREE Colonial Williamsburg admission 7-11 November for military people and their families, AND then posted about the military discounts Lowe's and Home Depot are offering during Veteran's Day weekend.

The Boy and I will be heading to Williamsburg this weekend and early next week I'll be scoping out those refrigerators to get the best possible deal!

Thanks a whole big bunch Happy Housewife!

7 Random Things

2008-11-03T21:47:00.003-05:00

Melanie at Cantare tagged me to share seven random things about me. I'm going to find it hard to limit myself to seven.

1. When I was in high school I did the beauty pageant thing. I never won anything, but I had a good time. Honestly.

2. I'm an organizer. I firmly believe in "a place for everything and everything in it's place". My son and husband do not share in this belief.

3. I cannot stand to listen to people chew.

4. I'm getting ready to move to my 10th house in 15 years.

5. I'd rather have salty snacks than sweet ones. I'd choose Doritos over chocolate. Don't hate me.

6. I love to sing. I sing with a lot of passion. Unfortunately, I don't do it well. My son, at the grand age of five told me, "Mama, you sing bad. But you can sing when you're in the car - ALONE."

7. I don't really like to cook. But I make dinner almost every week for my women's evening Bible study.

I'm going to break the rules - I don't really like tagging people. So just let me know if you play along.

Oh - and go click over and check out Melanie's blog. She lives in Mongolia with her husband and three children, serving as missionaries and spreading God's word. Read along as she shares about her life on that side of the world - and pray for her while you're at it!

Trust and Faith

2008-10-31T10:43:00.000-04:00

My sister in law graduates from Army Airborne training next week. She's an incredible woman rediscovering what she's capable of.

Can I take a moment to point out that this SIL is over 30 years old? She just graduated from Army basic training a few weeks ago - and she had a blast.

It's all just like a great exciting adventure for her. No decisions to make because someone is telling her exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. She doesn't have to take care of anyone but herself (she has three young girls at home). She gets to work out on a regular basis. Heck - someone else is even doing all the cooking!

Next week she'll be jumping out of airplanes. You know - ones that are FLYING UP IN THE AIR. HIGH UP IN THE AIR.

I don't do high up in the air. Pretty much because it's high. Up in the air. I don't do high very well. Just so you know, when we visited the Verona arena, I trotted my happy self all the way to the top and looked out over the city. I then promptly sat on my bottom and scooched the entire way back down the stairs - because it was high - up in the air.

The weird part is that I love to repel. In college we used to repel off our football stadium. We repelled from the catwalk above the basketball court all the way to the floor.

I need to clarify - I love to repel, but I hate stepping over the edge. It always takes a couple tries to get me moving. It's all a little embarrassing.

A large part of jumping out of planes and repelling from high places is trust and faith. When you jump out of a plane, you have faith that the person who packed your parachute did everything exactly right. When you repel, you have faith that all your knots are tied right and everything has passed inspection. You trust your belay man at the bottom, knowing that if you start to free fall he'll be there to stop your descent.

You trust and have faith. You just do.

It's that same trust and faith in God that carries us through each day. He'll pack your chute. He'll inspect your equipment. He'll be there if you free fall.

He'll catch you.

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41 : 10

Cavity

2008-10-28T13:44:00.002-04:00

Well what do you know. I DID have a cavity. Hmm, who would've thought that at 37 I'd have my first tooth filled in over 20 years! Even though there was just the itty bittiest hole, there was quite the cavity INSIDE the tooth. Go figure!

The very nice dental tech numbed my gums most wonderfully before the dentist stuck the needle all up and around in my mouth. I didn't feel a thing!

Now, please excuse me while I drool all over myself until the numbness wears off.

Does It Matter How You Got There

2008-10-27T11:10:00.002-04:00

Blogger is getting on my last nerve. Let's see if I can rewrite a post with depth, talking about something other than a new house.

I get lost. I get lost A LOT.

When The Boy was a toddler we lived north of the Twin Cities (for those of you who don't understand that, it's Minneapolis/St Paul). I loved living in the 'burbs, but I loved being able to easily travel into the cities for some fun.

We had family memberships to the zoo and the Science Museum. We enjoyed regular trips to the Mall of America, spending hours at Camp Snoopy. Yes, we even had a membership to the Aquarium in the Mall.

One year I got front row matinee tickets for The Boy and I to see a Disney on Ice show. We left the house really early, because you know what happened - I got lost.

Once I was late when my husband flew home from Korea for his mid-tour leave because I got lost on the way to the airport. (In all fairness I wasn't coming from home but from ministry training in the cities).

Whenever we were taking a while to get somewhere The Boy would ask, "Mama, are we lost?" Usually we were, but we took it in stride because we'd get there eventually.

It occurred to me this week that our journey with God is like that. I love the line in Amazing Grace - I once was lost, but now am found...

Because really, we've all been lost. We're only found through God's saving grace.

Some people go to church to impress other people. It's true - I've seen it. Some go looking for a sense of community and belonging. Some go because they've hit rock bottom in their lives and have no where else to turn.

What's in my heart today is that it really doesn't matter how you get to Jesus. It doesn't matter where you came from, it doesn't matter how long it took you to get there, it doesn't matter what you went through that made you ask Jesus to be your Savior.

All that matters it that you get there. We've all been lost. Every stinking one of us. God's just there waiting for us when we finally arrive.

Refrigerator

2008-10-25T22:03:00.001-04:00

You know what? I have to buy a refrigerator.

I've never done that before! Really. I've lived around the world, but never purchased a refrigerator.

Any suggestions on what's good out there right now? And where's a good place to buy a refrigerator? Should I look at all those big box stores or do you think I'll get a better deal at the smaller stores?

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

The House

2008-10-25T15:50:00.001-04:00

Well - I did it. I bought a house today.

Now I have to breathe deep and find my happy place.

Than I've got to nail down the financing details, the inspection details, the moving details (the Army won't move us this time!!)...

Breathe...Breathe....

Falling In Love Again

2008-10-22T13:46:00.002-04:00

I think I'm falling in love again. That's sounds so much weirder here than it did in my head a few minutes ago.

I've been house hunting. Just a hint - don't look at 10 houses in one day if you don't have to. It's confusing and exhausting, especially if you are the one and only person (except for the realtor) trying to rate houses and remember which house had cherry cabinets or an awkward addition or no yard to speak of.

I spent a lot of time this week wondering what in the world people thought of our house in Minnesota when we sold it. I know the buyers did a bunch of renovations before they moved in. More power to them (although I still haven't figured out why they changed the wall paper in the main room).

Because folks - brown shag carpet isn't nearly as attractive today as it was in the 70s and 80s. And putting new peel and stick floor tiles on top of the old yucky flooring doesn't really hide anything, especially when the new tiles are already coming up. Oh - and a laundry shoot is wonderful if it doesn't lead to a laundry closet in a filthy garage.

How about this tip? Don't try to highlight an in ground pool if said pool's liner is being held on by duct tape and is accessorized with green water with frogs swimming in it.

Back to topic - falling in love. Not only with my man for constantly providing feedback even though he's in a war zone and working 18 hour days 7 days a week.

I'm falling in love with a house. It's brand new, gorgeous on a gorgeous lot, space for plenty of company.... The only down side is the price. We could manage payments just fine right now, but what happens when we move again? And will we move back here to retire?

That happens a lot when we fall in love. Everything is so wonderful - then reality sets in. Is this really "THE ONE" for me?

My husband and I are spending lots of time praying about if this is what God wants for us. I'm spending too much time worrying - it's what I do. Well that, and constantly check, check, double check numbers (which might just be part of the whole worrying thing).

I do have a terrific post brewing in my head. One day I'll get around to actually typing it up.

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

2008-10-20T06:47:00.004-04:00

I live in Virginia, folks. Virginia. Not Minnesota - we moved away from that winter wonderland four years ago.

Can someone please explain why it is a balmy 61 degrees INSIDE my house this morning? In our house that sits directly on a cement slab, making it feel even colder than 61?

I'll tell you why, oh yes I will. Because I live in military housing and my heat is broken. In their defense, the emergency maintenance guys did come out, but they need a part to fix what's wrong and it's Sunday... (Ahem, the big orange box store is open - do they have the part??).

So, we have no heat. We're supposed to have it later today.

This is what I "pay" the big bucks for.

The dog is not happy. She didn't live in Minnesota with us and CANNOT understand why it's so cold. The cat? He was born in the winter wonderland and embraces the concept of snuggling into blankets. The boy and I? Yeah, we're totally about the blankets too.

Know something totally weird? It's taken us 10 years to move a few hundred yards down the road, add 200 sq feet, double our rent, and have NO HEAT. If it weren't for the curve in the road I could actually see the duplex we lived in 11 years ago.

Only this time we have no heat.

Work in Progress

2008-10-16T22:18:00.003-04:00

The last few days I've spent most of my computer time on the internet looking at houses for sale. When I haven't been looking at houses to buy I've been thinking about houses to buy. I'm tired of paying "rent" for our on post housing.

The search is a welcome distraction even if I do have to occasionally talk myself down from anxiety attacks over the price of houses, etc.

My friend Ann, a 20 year old wiser than she knows, called me out on something last week. Actually, she used the same concept I used on her the week before. Funny how that happens, huh?

She asked me if I'm turning my "stuff" over to God. Ouch. See, mostly, I have. Mostly.

Except for our adoption. I KNOW God called our family to adopt. I KNOW He continues to lead us to China. I KNOW God has a plan for this whole thing. I TRUST HIM.

I do have this issue though. I'm lacking in patience. I don't have God's vision. I don't understand why we may wait so long for our daughter. With the current processing rate for China adoptions, we'll wait for another seven years. My son will be graduating from high school and heading for college. Seven years for my heart and arms to ache with emptiness that God has promised to fill.

I trust that God has that plan. I do. I just feel like the wait would be so much easier if i had the details - when, how...

I do that a lot. "Yes God, I hear your call. I'll obey. But first, could you give me all the details? It works better for me that way."

That's not what God requires of me. He requires obedience. Unquestioning, whole hearted obedience.

I'm working on it. I'm a work in progress - one with a long way to go.

The Dentist

2008-10-14T22:29:00.002-04:00

I visited the dentist today. Normally I have absolutely no type of phobia associated with dental visits. Honestly. They may change after today.

Today's visit was brutal. By the level of scraping and digging that was going on in my mouth I've had inadequate dental cleanings the last four years I spent overseas. Ouch.

Know what else? I've got a hole in one of my teeth. No, really - a hole. Not even a cavity. Just a hole.

I'm scheduled to get that hole filled at the end of the month. I'm really not excited about the prospect. I haven't had any dental work in over twenty years. I don't think I enjoyed the process back then either.

Do you think my dentist will give me gas instead of a shot? Since we're on this phobia topic, I've got to share that I have a needle phobia. For years I'd pass right out at the site of a needle - sometimes with my eyes wide open. These days I'm a little better at the whole needle thing, but when it's heading for your arm you can always face the other way.

When that needle is heading for your mouth, you can't really use the same coping method. I think the dentist would get upset if I turned my head every time he tried to stick a needle in my mouth.

Oh, and I had to have complete mouth Xrays done today too. I guess my new dentist doesn't do the full panorex. Instead, they do all these itty bitty Xray thingies. I have a terrific gag reflex, which came to light this afternoon when the dental tech tried to push that little thing too far back in my mouth. I don't think I've ever seen a dental tech move as fast as that one when she was trying to get the offending piece back out of my mouth.

Never a dull moment!

Me and The Boy

2008-10-13T21:46:00.000-04:00

That's Good

2008-10-12T21:21:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I have to remind myself how careful I need to be with my words when I blog. I forget how easy it can be to read things into words that may not be there - that my words may not be enough to let you know what I'm feeling.

My last post listed what I've been up to the last week. Most of it is just the regular stuff for this stay at home Army wife with a deployed husband and preteen son. Which means, yes, life can get ugly sometimes but most days it's just par for the course!

My son is a preteen. A very strong willed preteen. Most days are a challenge. That's how it is. It helped this week when my dad and step mom were here laughing at my son's attitude and remembering how my siblings and I were when we were younger. I just have one to focus on as opposed to six!

And I do miss my husband, which in my mind is a good thing! How sad would that be if I DIDN'T miss my deployed husband?

Then there's that whole being a SAHM thing. It doesn't come naturally to me - not at all. I'm not a fantastic cook. I definitely don't love cleaning the house, planning the meals, or doing the laundry. I love a house decorated for different holidays - I just don't enjoy the process of dragging everything out and cleaning it all up.

Just being honest. Keeping it real and all!

There are private things that go on in my life that I'm not comfortable sharing here. Some of those things are between God and I, some deal with family and friends.

But underneath all that, I'm doing pretty well here, and that's good.

Where Have I Been?

2008-10-10T19:27:00.003-04:00

1. Driving The Boy back and forth to school everyday since the other car pool family is out of town again.

2. Wondering how in the world the lazy susan on our glass patio table shattered for no apparent reason.

3. Cleaning up animal vomit, since both pets think it's reasonable to vomit repeatedly this week.

4. Wondering if my husband retires from the Army in two years if we can still afford to adopt AND buy a house, since our "net worth" is decreasing by the second.

5. Spending hours on the internet looking at houses and talking to realtors, even though I'm not sure we can afford much of a house...

6. Discussing with my son the fact that I am NOT a horrible parent for not buying him cereal for $4 a box when we already have at least six boxes of cereal in the house.

7. Kicking off our evening Bible study - and wondering how I'll lead this group of women when I am younger than most of their own children.

8. Pretending I'm going to cook dinners and clean the house when all I really want to do is take a nap.

9. Pretending I'm going to decorate the house for fall.

10. Pretending I'm going to get a head start on Christmas.

11. Bargain shopping all over so I can bless others harder hit in today's economy.

12. Doing two Bible studies, neither of which I'm thrilled about.

13. Facebooking

14. Babysitting a friend's newly adopted daughter and wondering where God wants us to go with our own adoption.

15. Missing my husband.

16. Missing my husband.

17. Missing my husband.

Customer Service

2008-10-07T19:51:00.002-04:00

Sorry I went missing again! My dad and step mom were here for the weekend - they'll be back again next weekend too.

While they were here my dad helped me with a project I had put off since we moved. With the last two moves the door on my book cabinet had worked itself loose. Okay, actually the hinges if we're getting specific.

We made a trip to a local big box home improvement store to pick up the needed repair supplies. The whole shopping experience was just bizarre.

You know how when you go to a store and you really need someone - anyone - to help you locate what you need? And not one single employee is to be found anywhere in sight?

It was totally the opposite today. They were hollering hello as we walked in the door. No less than 10 employees asked if we needed any help. There were more orange shirts there than BGSU football game.

It was downright creepy.

After a few minutes of feeling like I had crossed over into the Stepford Wives of home improvement stores I realized what was happening:

Construction is almost complete on the competition's big box home improvement store, located less than two miles away.

AH HA! I've got it.

Sorry, orange big box home improvement store. Your changes in customer service have come a little too late for me. I'll be there at the other store's grand opening dreaming about all the things I'll be excited about shopping for!

Clothes Issues

2008-10-03T12:38:00.002-04:00

I would like to ask you once again to pray for my son's future wife. You might throw in a prayer or two for me as well.

This morning as my son was packing his gym clothes he suffered a melt down. He didn't have a Tshirt for gym.

The horror.

I don't know what he packed. If he'd pack his bag the night before like his dad and I have a tendency to do, he could've let me know he didn't have a Tshirt. He absolutely refuses.

So, after he left I skipped with joy into his room to organize his closet.

The Boy has 23 clean TSHIRTS in his closet. That doesn't count the collared shirts, dress shirts, long sleeved shirts, sweat shirts, fleece...

23 TSHIRTS and NOT A SINGLE ONE APPROPRIATE FOR GYM CLASS IN HIS MIND.

Prayer. Lots and lots of prayer. That wife will need it.

Identity Theft

2008-10-02T08:03:00.000-04:00

I need to be honest. Last year I was all about trying to eliminate credit cards from our lives. We were going to transition to a cash/debit card/checks only kinda family. I amuse myself. I have grandiose ideas that really don't take into consideration the lifestyle we lead. I am being gentle with myself with those words.

My husband only took one credit card with him to Iraq. It made sense to us - he's in a war zone for crying out loud. Why would he need more than one?

On the home front, I have two credit cards - more than enough, believe me.

Then, trouble hits. His credit card company (who has also been our primary bank for over 15 years) is hit with a series of possible security breach incidents - each of which precipitates a credit card change for my husband. Who is overseas, in a war zone, with only that one credit card. And the company will not mail the new card directly to him. Oh, and I can't make any changes/decisions for that credit card since it is solely in his name...

Tensions rise all over the world - here in our house, over there in the desert, and possibly even at the credit card company (I may have become slightly irate at the mess we were in that was TOTALLY NOT OUR FAULT).

Here's where the fun really begins. My husband had to travel to Italy with his boss for business. They stayed in a very expensive hotel since they were no where near a military installation. My husband tried to get Euro (money) from an ATM, but his credit card was rejected. He called me, then he called the credit card company, who turned the card back on since they had turned it off even after they promised us they'd keep it active until my husband activated the new card they were sending.

He gets through that. Then he tries to check out of his very expensive hotel and his card is again rejected. He calls me at 4 am for another card number. (How sad is it that I can wake from a sound sleep and rattle off the card number, expiration date AND security code without looking at the card?)

The next morning I learn that the second card was also rejected and that my husband had to borrow money from someone to pay for his hotel room.

The second card was frozen to prevent identity theft/fraud issues, triggered by my own significant purchases that day (new TV, hotel reservations for vacation, etc) topped off with that pricey hotel bill on the other side of the world. This credit card is with a totally different company than the first.

So, we're indecisive about where to go from here. Do we stay with the first credit card company/bank, even though we've spent no less than 10 hours on the phone with them in the last month, trying to sort out problems we didn't create?

Do we finally jump ship and move all those assets to another company?

I am ready to pull my hair out. If only we could truly transition to a non credit card life style. Then I just might feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

Kids

2008-10-01T09:55:00.002-04:00

I spent the last two mornings at my son's school helping out with the Scholastic Book Fair.

Interesting times, folks. Interesting times.

I really enjoyed working with the preschoolers. Most of them really have no idea what they'd like to add to their little lists to take home to their parents. If it has a recognizable cartoon character on the front cover, they are all for it. Sign them up. Animals are cool too. The little guys liked bugs and snakes...

When they were finished looking at the books, there was usually some time left for them to chitty chat with us before heading back to their classrooms. I heard all about brothers and sisters, pets, The Jonas Brothers (FROM A 4 YEAR OLD), birthdays...

Some of those things would truly mortify parents if they ever found out the things we were told. That in itself brought back some memories.

When we moved to Minnesota The Boy was just turning 4. Outside with his dad shoveling snow he met some of the neighborhood kids.

He immediately let them know I wasn't outside with them because I was inside "with the diarrhea."

Oh joy. But that's okay - the little guy across the street let The Boy know that his dad "drinks a lot of beer."

I can only imagine what people know about us from my son. Thinking about it, I really don't want to know.

When The World Ends

2008-09-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

You may not realize the following piece of information:

When a preteen gets a hair cut and it ends up shorter than he pictured it IN HIS HEAD, the entire world must stop to mourn with him.

The PAIN.....

And the DRAMA....

And the RAMPANT EMOTIONAL UPHEAVAL...

I am not sympathetic. The hair will grow back. The world will not end. Hair cut too short is NOT an excused absence from school.

I'm just not sure I'll survive long enough for the hair to actually grow back.

Preventative Maintenance Schedule

2008-09-29T13:50:00.002-04:00

Letter stuck in my door this morning:

Dear Resident,
We are pleased to offer a Preventative Maintenance Schedule for your home. Our maintenance team will be performing the following preventative maintenance tasks in your home the week of Sept 29-Oct 4. Between the hours of 9am and 4:30pm.

Changing HVAC filters
Inspecting & cleaning HVAC units
Checking smoke and CO dectors
Checking plumbing fixtures
Checking keys to home
Removing old fire extinguishers

This is notification that we will be entering your home for this purpose. In accordance with sec. 17 in your Resident Occupancy Agreement. With in this same time frame, for any reason that we will have to enter your home again because of a found maintenance issue we will leave a tag on door or inside of home with time and reason of reentry. This service will help your systems run more efficiently and prevent break downs.

Due to the amount of homes that require preventative maintenance, we are unable to schedule exact times.

Thank you for your cooperation while we do this necessary work.

Where do I even begin to write about this?

With the error ridden memo itself?

With the fact that I have two pets in the house that really don't appreciate strangers?

How about with my own outline of all the repairs done in the house in the four months we've lived here which show that clearly NOTHING had been done before that?

My head hurts.

Oh - but I ordered a new TV!

The TV Saga Continues.

2008-09-27T08:44:00.004-04:00

I had an entire post written in my head yesterday. Then I went to bed early, totally forgetting to actually write my post.

I spent yesterday afternoon fiddling with the whole TV situation. Sure enough, one of the components is bad, not the actual TV itself. Our TVs are both so out dated we have to run them through a separate little box thing to make the cable work with the TV and DVD player.

I have no way to even hook our bigger TV up directly to the DVD player without using this little box. I don't even know what it's called, and it really doesn't matter.

So, I'm at an impass. An impass that wouldn't be an issue for many people.

Do we limp along with our outdated TVs, putting band aids on problems in order to connect increasingly complex components like our DVD player and the cable box?

Or do I spend actual money to buy a new fangled TV?

I did manage to speak with my husband yesterday about the whole TV thing. He's encouraging me (just short of ordering me) to JUST GO OUT AND BUY THE TV ALREADY.

I guess when you're laying your life on the line on a regular basis, whether or not to buy a new TV isn't really an issue.

Speaking of issues, I apparently have my own. Even with his encouragement I find it almost painful to fork out that money even though our TV is somewhere over eight years old. I have problems with it, even if I have little guilt over our dining out bill which would easily pay for a new TV in a year if I had to make that choice.

Which I don't. We have the money to do both.

Then there's the whole "What do I do with these other TVs" question. We're not TVs in our bedrooms kinda people.

Anyone want an older 20 inch color TV? Come and get it!

And if you care, my body hurts from lugging overweight TVs all over yesterday.

Personality Types

2008-09-25T21:55:00.003-04:00

My bible study group this fall is studying Wired That Way, a book about different personalities. Even after three weeks, I'm not sure how I feel about the study itself. It's interesting - entertaining even. I just feel like I'm missing the whole Biblical application part, for several reasons.

First, we're watching a video and using the workbook, but not the actual book. I learn much better when I have an actual book to read and refer to.

Second, we don't have much actual time to discuss the questions in the workbook. The workbook does get into some Biblical application and reference, but the group simply doesn't have enough time to watch the video and also spend time with in depth discussion.

What I do find interesting is clarifying my own personality type (Perfect Melancholy), as well as the personality type of those closest to me (and those I'm most challenged by).

Have you ever studied personality types? It is almost a relief to be told that there is nothing wrong with me - that my quirks and weaknesses are part of who I am. With those quirks and weaknesses come strengths!

The trick to the whole personality thing is to accept who I am, to build on those strengths and overcome those weaknesses. It's the way God created me!

Unfortunately (or fortunately), it's just as important to recognize that God created others with different personalities that might conflict with my detail oriented self!

I'm learning folks. Slowly but surely, I'm learning!

Really, I Think I'm Back Now

2008-09-24T20:39:00.003-04:00

How do you like that? I write my "I'm back" post, then take a day off from blogging.

I'm not sorry.

My friend from DC (Hi Amy!) called Tuesday morning to let me know that she WAS able pack up the kids and head here for an over night visit.

Wooooooweee! I got busy fast cleaning floors since her youngest is now crawling, and before I knew it it was time to pick up the kids from school, take The Boy to the orthodontist, and WHAM - she was here!

We stayed up way too late talking, then got up way too early with kids.

Really, this time, I think I'm back to blogging.

Except now I can't type much of substance tonight because I volunteered to lead our PWOC devotion tomorrow morning and also to help provide snacks. Oh, and tomorrow's my regular day to drive the carpool to school. And now that I think about it, I need swing by some type of store in the morning because I lost the nose pad piece off my glasses and need to find a replacement because my glasses are UNCOMFORTABLE without a nose pad...

Now that I'm finished with all that, could you please pray for my sister's boyfriend? He's a meat cutter and had a fairly bad accident at work this week. They're meeting with a specialist tomorrow to see if he'll require further surgery to regain full use of his arm and fingers. (But God is good - everything could've been so much worse than it is).

Maybe I'm Back

2008-09-22T22:55:00.003-04:00

I think I'm back. I've had elaborate posts plans to let you know about my break.

In order to regain some sense of sanity and family harmony more honoring to God, our 30 Days of Nothing ended significantly earlier than scheduled.

September is also my anniversary and my husband's birthday. There's a huge difference between CHOOSING to not make a big deal out of birthdays and anniversaries, and NOT BEING ABLE to make them a big deal. Trust me on that one.

On a more positive note (maybe??) I've discovered I can say a whole lot of things to my husband when we get a few minutes to talk at the end of the day without getting a big reaction. Which takes the fun out of it sometimes. The other day, out of no where, I told my husband The Boy and I were house hunting that day, found one we really liked, and were going to put in a bid on it. (all totally not true by the way). I don't think my husband even blinked when he asked what it looked like.

I'm sure I'll get a similar reaction when I tell him (honestly) that our television is dying. The Boy and I really did go scope out TVs tonight.

Know something? I honestly did not know that they pretty much only sell flat screen TVs now. That's how long it's been since we purchased a TV. I think they're also significantly lighter weight that the 26 inch that we WERE watching.

I can vouch for our current TV's weight since I moved it off the stand and across the house this evening. I also hooked up the 20 inch back up TV in its place.

I don't do technology really well. I'm not joking. I tried to just, well, you know. Move the wires from one TV to the other. Now we've got to use two remotes to work the TV/cable. I don't know what I did wrong, but I'm not enjoying it.

Know what's totally upsetting? I think the color's wonky on this TV too. So maybe it's not the TVs that are the problem. Which, in my reality, the trying to figure out what's wrong with the cable/DVD/box connections is a much scarier prospect than buying a new TV.

Bloggy Break Update

2008-09-12T11:06:00.003-04:00

I love you all for your prayers, comments, emails and phone calls. I am still on a Bloggy Break, but I guess I need to clarify some things.

I am fine. There is nothing earth shattering happening. I just need to take a break.

I will be back. I don't know when, but I will be back.

2008-09-11T23:09:00.000-04:00

BLOGGY BREAK UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Picture of The Man

2008-09-10T12:05:00.002-04:00

Just thought I'd share this with everyone. After this incident, my husband was issued the Combat Action Badge.

Badge being pinned on by his boss, LTG Frank Helmick.

30 Days - Day 9

2008-09-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

Another eventful day. I stopped at CVS (of course) and put gas in the van before picking up the kids from school.

Due to a death in the other carpool family, it looks like I'll be driving the car pool at least through next week. I'm okay with that.

Meals: Breakfast - leftovers (me)
French Toast, yogurt and milk (The Boy)

Lunch - leftovers (me)
PB&J, yogurt, watermelon, rice cake (The Boy)

Dinner - leftovers

Daily Spending: $1.23 (CVS)
$25.09 (gas)

Weekly Spending: $26.32

Remaining: $23.68

How Do I Do It?

2008-09-08T22:24:00.003-04:00

In the past few weeks, many of the comments and emails I've received have contained some form of "how can you" manage with you husband deployed?

How can I do it? It's not the first time I've been without my husband. He spent a year in Korea without The Boy and I. There have also been plenty of times he's been out of town for weeks on end.

I have terrific friends (and even some family) who know what I'm going through - what it's like to be separated like this. They seem to know just when to call or email.

I have neighbors who know my husband is gone and check in on us just because.

I keep busy so my mind doesn't stick on "how can I do this".

It's the life style we lead. It's the way it is. We're in the Army - it's what we're used to.

Sometimes I wonder (and I'm not the only one) how long it would take before I'd go bonkers when my husband is home TOO much. Before you think I'm awful, I'm not the only military wife who says this.

How does a single parent do it day in and day out? How do parents of a special needs child do it? How does someone taking care of an elderly parent do it?

They just do. They have to.

Sometimes, I'm not doing whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing do very well. Sometimes I miss my husband so much it's an actual physical ache and it's all I can do to not just lay down and sob.

And I pray. Because I really can't do this alone.

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 9:13

30 Days - Day 8

2008-09-08T22:10:00.003-04:00

Well, here we are. Week 2. I was going to write that if you don't leave the house, you don't spend money, but that's not true any more. There's always the internet!

I didn't leave the house today and I didn't spend any money - not even on the internet. Well, I left the house, but that was only to walk the dog. Frankly, I would've headed out to CVS, but I was just feeling lazy. There's nothing I NEED anyway.

Tomorrow, sadly, I will have to leave the house. The Boy has an orthodontist appointment and it's my turn to drive the carpool to school.

Good news - I shouldn't have to go grocery shopping AT ALL this week. Actually, we'll have to do a lot of eating before I can fit anything else in the freezer. For dinner this evening I made Meatball Veggie Casserole. Well, it was supposed to be Meatball Veggie Casserole, but I got tired of making and cooking meatballs, so tonight's dinner was more like Sheppard's Pie.

Which leads me to this - I also made five loaf pans and one 9x9 pan of the actual Meatball Veggie Casserole and put them in the freezer.

Meals: Breakfast - cereal (me)
French Toast and milk (The Boy)

Lunch - leftover pasta (me)
PB&J, yogurt, salad, crackers

Dinner - Shepard's Pie and crescent rolls

Daily Spending: $0

Weekly Spending: $0

Remaining: $50.00

30 Days - Day 7

2008-09-08T10:01:00.003-04:00

Well, I fell of the wagon and ordered pizza last night. Thinking about it, if I hadn't had to pay for the dog's medicine earlier in the week, that would've covered the cost of the pizza. And if I wouldn't have had to buy batteries...

The bottom line is I did have to pay for the dog's medicine, and I really may have ended up needing those emergency batteries. And I didn't NEED the pizza.

I ordered pizza anyway, and it was good. I was wore out.

Know what else? The whole eating pizza thing didn't help with the wore out feeling. It may have even made it worse. I just keep thinking about how lucky we are that I CAN order pizza, because I don't HAVE to limit my spending by this much at this point in our lives.

There are so many people who don't even have the money to buy pizza, or dog medicine, or emergency batteries. And yes, I have known some of those families.

THAT'S what this month is about. Realizing how blessed we are (and how wasteful sometimes).

Meals: Breakfast - cereal (me)
Poptarts, yougurt and milk (The Boy)

Lunch - whole grain pasta, sauce with sausage, spinach, left over veggies, garlic cheese bread

Dinner - pizza and chicken strips

Daily Spending: $22.07

Weekly Spending: $89.65

Remaining: $39.65 overspent

30 Days - Day 6

2008-09-06T17:39:00.005-04:00

Ouch. I got the car serviced and inspected. $68.12. However, when you're sitting at the car place waiting for your car, you are not spending money anywhere else!

My husband also emailed from Iraq to let me know he spent $160 ordering Army stuff. I think we won't include that either. I pretty sure he wouldn't order those boots unless it was necessary, especially since he wears them 18 hours a day. He usually orders specialty boots so we avoid a reoccurence of last year's issues (Plantar Fasciitis and tendonitis in his Achilles).

Then (insert pregnant pause here) I went grocery shopping at the commissary. I was going to totally skip it this week, but we're in the affected zone of Hurricane's Hanna and Ike. Judging by the amount of wind and rain this morning, I'd say that was pretty accurate. So, THEY said to make sure I had plenty of drinking water and spare batteries on hand. Since I've been trying to wean our household of bottled water, we were down to a few small bottles.

If you disregard the $16 in batteries for our flashlights and emergency radio, I only spent $24.35 (and saved $13.93 in coupons - a 57% savings).

So I'm over budget for the week, but mostly with unexpected things (car service and inspection, dog medicine and hurricane supplies). I also used 1/2 a tank of gas, so that will need to be refilled next week...

Meals: Breakfast -cereal (me)
The Boy "forgot" to eat - which means he was watching cartoons and lost track of time.

Lunch - broast chicken, Cajun rice, broccoli and carrots

Dinner - leftovers

Daily Spending: $40.47

Weekly Spending: $67.58

Remaining: $17.58 overspent

CVS

2008-09-06T13:46:00.006-04:00

Transaction 1:
4 Kashi bars: $1 each = $4.00
5 Soy Joy Bars: $1 each = $5.00
3 Zone Bars: $.35 each = $1.05

Total: $10.05 + tax
-$2/$10 CVS
-$3/5 Soy Joy
- 2 $2 Kashi (used for 4 bars)
-$1 ECB
$.23 OOP

Transaction 2:
Water bottle: $.99 clearance
Water bottle: $1.75 clearance
2 Covergirl Wetslick Amazemints: $5.99 each = $11.98
Icepack: $.99

Total: $15.78 + tax
-$2/$10 CVS
-$5.99 Covergirl BOGO
-$1 Covergirl
-$5 ECB
$2.16 OOP received $5.99 ECB for Covergirl lipgloss

Transaction 3:
5 Johnson and Johnson Buddies Soap: $1.19 each = $5.95

Bubbles: $.99 (should've been 75% off)

Dawn: $.99

Colgate: $2.99

Total: $10.92 + tax

-$2/$10 CVS

-$.50 Dawn

-$5 Johnson's Buddies (1x$1, 2x$2)

-$1 Colgate

$2.87 OOP received $2 ECB for Colgate

$5.26 OOP for the week, $7.99 ECB earned

30 Days - Day 5

2008-09-05T17:21:00.001-04:00

Once again, I am so blessed to have the medical care we do. I spent the morning the orthopedic clinic for my knee. Gosh, nothing there except a little bursa. It must've been inflamed when it swelled up. So, three days at various doctor's offices and clinics getting blood drawn, XRays, etc, and nothing.

My instructions are to get right in to the ortho clinic next time - while it's still swollen - so they can get a better look. We're all hoping that won't happen.

On the other hand, the XRays revealed something else. The ligaments in my knees pull my knee caps to the outside, which explains a lot of the other pain I've had in my knees at least since college. Joy. Next week, bright and early, I'll be at the physical therapy clinic taking a "knee class" in the hopes I can develop certain muscles to compensate for my knees. We'll see how that goes. (All those appointments and tests cost me nothing).

30 Days of Nothing. Hmmm. Spent some money at CVS, but not much. Most of what I got will be used in Samaritan's Purse Christmas Boxes, our PWOC October mission focus.

I also spent time at the library picking out some free reading materials.

Meals: Breakfast - cereal and yogurt (me)
waffles & milk (The Boy)

Lunch - leftovers (me)
School Lunch (The Boy)

Dinner - Hotdogs, corn, risotto, watermelon

Daily Spending: $2.87 (CVS: 5 soap, bubbles, dish soap, toothpaste)

Weekly Spending: $27.11

Remaining: $22.89

30 Days - Day 4

2008-09-05T05:51:00.001-04:00

Nothing exciting to report today. I spent the morning at our PWOC Fall Kickoff, so no shopping and no errands. That means no spending.

With life being what it is I was so tempted to submit our regular pizza order for dinner. I resisted.

I'm beginning to realize there were several things I really wanted to do this month since The Boy is back in school. Like get my hair done (I haven't even had a hair cut since last December). Look into joining a gym. Start Christmas shopping...

Meals: Breakfast - leftover Chicken Tucson (me)
waffles, yogurt & milk (The Boy)

Lunch - PWOC luncheon (me)
School Lunch (The Boy)

Dinner - Homemade Risotto with spinach

Daily Spending: $0

Weekly Spending: $24.24

Remaining: $25.76

30 Days - Day 3

2008-09-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

I would love to say that today's 30 Days of Nothing was easier. I'd be stretching the truth to say that.

Notice below in today's spending that I spent $21.85 at the vet for heart worm preventative. Silly stuff was back ordered and NOW it comes in! Still, I'd much rather pay for prevention than for treatment. We cut corners in this area with another dog and the end result was medical bills that were much higher than the original cost of the medicine. We've learned our lesson.

I am so glad that I grocery shopped on Sunday (my usual day through the summer), meaning we have plenty of groceries to get us through the week. Otherwise, it'd be a choice between pet medicine and people food. Really no choice when I look at it like that.

My gas is going much quicker than I thought it would now that I'm driving The Boy to and from school (no buses for private school). I won't adjust my $50 spending a week to account for gas until I confirm that it's really necessary. And with the car pool starting next week I'll only be driving about half as much...

Meals: Breakfast - nothing (me)

waffles & milk (The Boy)

Lunch - leftover enchiladas (me)

peanut butter/honey sandwich, salad, rice cake, yogurt, water (The Boy)

Dinner - Chicken Tucson & corn (made 9x9 pan for dinner, froze 2 9x13 pans)

Daily Spending: $2.16 (CVS - 2 water bottles, 2 lip gloss, 1 ice pack)

$21.85 (Vet - back ordered heart worm preventative finally came in)

Weekly Spending: $24.24

Remaining: $25.76

That Nice MP

2008-09-03T12:57:00.003-04:00

We had a challenging time getting out of the house to school this morning for various reasons.

When we were finally on our way down the road we got stopped by a Military Police (MP) before we even left post.

I was not aware that state inspections were necessary in Virginia. I am now well aware. He just warned me though - no fine.

I guess I'll complete that task right along with the van being serviced. At least I'll be making good use of my time that way.

30 Days - Day 2

2008-09-02T12:39:00.001-04:00

We survived yesterday. Well, I survived just fine. The Boy is struggling with the 30 Days of Nothing. He needs a book cover for his math book and a brown paper bag won't do - he needs a store bought one. He was less than pleased when I said he could have one, no problem, but he is paying for it.

Then we revisited the cell phone discussion. It is important enough in his mind that we need to go around and around about it at least once a week. Because, you know, every one else has one, so he should have one. One with all the bells and whistles.

I guess so he can call me from the office when I'm in the kitchen. Our house is just THAT huge (not).

Guess what my answer was? He can have one, but he's paying for it.

Which obviously led to all the "I don't love him" accusations.

Parenting is terrific. Even if we had an endless supply of money, I still don't believe an 11 year old who is rarely, if ever, in a situation without an authorized adult present, needs a cell phone (with bells and whistles...)

Oh - and school lunches are $3.50 a day at his new school. He was starving even after eating... One lunch ticket packaged was purchased prior to my 30 Days of Nothing kickoff. Apparently that package isn't going to take us very far.

Meals: Breakfast: cereal topped with yogurt (me)
waffles and milk (The Boy)
Lunch: Leftovers (me)
School lunch (The Boy)
Dinner: Enchiladas & Salad (I made six pans of enchiladas - five for the freezer)

Daily Spending:$.23 (CVS total for 12 meal bars (Soy Joy, etc) after coupons, etc)
Weekly Spending: $.23
Remaining: $49.77

I've decided to not include my husband's birthday gifts in our 30 Days of Nothing challenge. I'm still thinking through the van service...

First Day of School

2008-09-02T11:47:00.003-04:00

Today was The Boy's first day at his new school. He was incredibly nervous. I know this because he told me so every 15 seconds. He was so nervous he didn't even ask about getting on the computer this morning.

Note: Getting up and moving at 6:30 am is no longer my thing, nor is it The Boy's thing. We can get up that early - it's the getting moving part we have a problem with.

I did squeeze in a 1.25 mile walk with the dog before driving The Boy to school. My husband also managed to squeeze in an early "happy first day of school" phone call.

Our neighborhood car pool should start next week. There are actually three families on our street that send their kids to the Christian school my son attends. We haven't ironed out who will drive when and it'll probably change right away since one of the families is anxiously awaiting the birth of the baby they're adopting...

I was beyond tempted to do a freedom dance in the school parking lot this morning. I refrained, and came home to take a nap instead. Less mortifying to The Boy that way!

30 Days - Day 1

2008-09-01T11:28:00.002-04:00

You know, it's really hard to not spend money when you're used to whipping out the credit card or picking up the check book. We're not rich by any means, but because my husband makes a decent salary, I worked on and off since we were married, we have excellent health benefits, and we've spent/saved/invested wisely, we are comfortable.

Comfortable is terrific until you change your spending habits to having next to nothing to spend.

Yesterday my husband called from Iraq and finally gave us his birthday list (19 September). I hadn't budgeted for that. For postage yes - but not his birthday gifts. So, I hopped online anyway, ordered his running shoes and socks, and had them shipped directly to him. So, no birthday card is included, and no special wrapping paper, but I saved by only paying postage once instead of twice (once here to our house, then out to Iraq).

Because I'm a huge procrastinator, I haven't taken the van in for a service since we moved back to the states. It has to be done. A more on the ball person would've at least snuck the service in under the wire before 30 days of Nothing started, but no, not me. Now I've got to work through that issue as well.

I've got to decide what to do about the money for both those things.

This ain't easy folks, and it's already made me realize how blessed we've been with a steady income the entire time my husband and I have been together.

30 Days of Nothing: Running shoes: $75.95
Running socks: 30.64

30 Days of Nothing

2008-09-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

Two years ago this September I followed along as Mary from Owlhaven blogged about her family's 30 Days of Nothing. 30 days of spending almost no money. Of making do with what they had. Of doing without. Did I mention Mary has 10 children? Read the 30 Days of Nothing guidelines here.

This year, we're going to join her. The Boy isn't going down without a fight. Here is what we'll be focusing on this month:

$50 to spend a week, including groceries, gas, CVS, incidentals, eating out

Watching our water and electricity usage, including having no more than two lights on at the same time, shorter showers, and turning off our power strips at night (for the computer and TV)

We'll still pay our regular bills that are in place, like the phone and cable

We won't include postage for care packages for my deployed husband or our regular tithing

Looking at it there in black and white, it doesn't look like we'll be giving up much. Really, it'll be a huge adjustment for us. We've become accustomed to hopping on the internet and ordering whatever we need right then. We order pizza each week, which runs about $20 each time. We won't be eating out often, if at all.

I'll try to keep you updated on our spending each day and how the changes affect us.

Stay tuned.

Roadtrip

2008-08-31T23:18:00.005-04:00

The Boy and I headed up to the Washington DC area to spend some time with my friend Amy. Amy was the matron of honor at my wedding, and she's also The Boy's godmother. She's a dear friend that I first met when we both attended Army Chemical Officer Basic Course way back when we were both on active duty.

We had no big plans for our visit. Amy has two little ones, and I have that preteen who is irritated by everything when it isn't exactly how he wants it (please tell me I am not the only one with a child like this).

We hung out and visited, ate some good food both at her house and out. We visited Dave and Busters to play some arcade games when the weather spoiled plans for a trip to the Smithsonian. We watched her little ones squeal with delight at our dog Schatzie (who accompanied us on the trip).

I miss living close to Amy, just popping over when I had some free time. I miss face to face adult conversation on a regular basis. I'm blessed that she lives less than three hours away - just knowing she's so close makes this move just a little bit easier.

I also believe that governments should spend less money on weapons development and more on teleportation devices. Imagine - standing in a spot with your bag, then POOF - you're where you wanted to be without the hassle of driving, traffic, etc. Especially when one of your closest friends lives in an area like Washington DC.

I hate the traffic, people. Hate it, hate it, hate it.

Next time, it's Amy's turn to drive here for a visit. Now I've just got to baby proof the house. Which may or may not take longer than the drive between Amy's house and mine. I'm just a little bit out of practice with that.

The Incident

2008-08-29T23:18:00.004-04:00

Last week my husband had a close call in Iraq. No one was hurt, but it could've ended so much worse than it did.

I have been a little off balance about the episode, but not nearly as much as I might've been. I haven't been able to find the words to express why. What it all boils down to is that I have given my husband's deployment safety over to God. There is absolutely nothing I can do about his job there, where he goes, what he does. My son and I do everything we can to reassure him that we love him and that we're okay on this end. And we pray.

God has given me such a sense of comfort and peace about this deployment. I'm not in denial - I know what my husband does.

I just trust God. It's that simple.

Whatever happens, God has my back.