The Toy Box Years

"I Spend Time With My Child"

2012-01-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

Excerpt below from "I'm a Good Mother: A Devotional Book for the Not-So-Perfect Mom"
by Gigi Schweikert

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"I spend time with my child so I may talk to him and teach him."

Often I'm so busy managing my home, running errands, and taking my child to activities. I wonder how much time I really spend with him. yes, I'm always around my child, but are we just rushing from place to place and chore to chore? Did I stop to talk to hime and play with him? I don't want to miss these fleeting childhood moments. What would God say is most important? I want to creat a garland to grace the head of my child.

Today:
I will play with my child. We will read a book together, take a walk, or play a board game. I will talk with my child and enjoy his company.

Dear Heavenly Father, as I move through the day, help me to slow down and enjoy precious moments with my child. Teach me to be WITH my child, not just around him.

Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. -- PROVERBS 1:8-9

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This is yet another timely devotional for me. A message that I keep hearing over and over. Lately I've been doubting myself as a mother....especially with my recent challenges with Nudgie.

How can I be a good mother? I can't figure out why my child is so clingy and crying so much. I can't figure out what to do to comfort her. I lose my patience when she starts with her tantrums again and again. I've been neglecting Nani because my arms are so full with her sister.

I began questioning God. Why would He give me these two beautiful baby girls? What on earth was He thinking when He made me a mother?

I recently read an article about motherhood and leadership. We broke down the qualities that made good leaders and bad leaders.....and as I was reading some of the bad qualities, I felt terrible because lately those have been some of the qualities that I'd been feeling.

The author kept emphasizing that God knew what He was doing when he made us mothers. God knew which children He was going to bless us with before we even thought of ever being a mother. God knows what our personal challenges are and blesses us with children to learn to work with those challenges.

As I kept hearing that message over and over, it finally sunk in that I needed to stop questioning and start praising. God would NOT have given me my children (let alone two girls) if He didn't think I could handle it.

I need to realize that it is ok to be frustrated and at my wit's end -- because there's something for me to learn from that. I may not know right at that moment what that is....but it will come. I need to stay confident and have faith.

So, thank you God for giving me this opportunity to be a mother. Thank you for giving me the chance to learn and to grow and to be a more confident mother. I know that there are times when I will feel frustratrated and angry and doubt my abilities as a mom - but with Your love, strength and guidance, I will make it through.

"Please Excuse the Mess" Door Wreath

2012-01-26T05:00:00.004-07:00

I love, love, love that quote - "Please Excuse the Mess, Children Making Memories". I've seen wall hangings with that quote -- and there are some cute ones out there. I didn't want a wall hanging though. I wanted something to stand out....something that you would see right away as you entered our home. So I thought about how I could turn this into a wreath.

I think I succeeded!

Our front door is a dark green. I wanted something that would look good on the door but yet still express that we had kids in the house. And you can't go wrong with primary colors!

I took a foam wreath form and wrapped it with a base of white yarn and then wrapped individual strands of primary colored yarn once around it.

I had these wood plaques that I was going to use for another project, but I didn't use them, so they were still sitting around. I painted them green.

Then, using some letter stickers and other embellishments from my massive stash, I spelled out the quote over the two plaques. A couple of crayons and a little hot glue and viola! Adorable front door wreath!

So now that it's officially on my door - that gives me a pass for skipping the housework......right??

Linking up at "A Crafty Soiree"

Wordless Wednesday - Sisterly Snuggles

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Another Casualty of War....Another Friend Gone.....

2012-01-20T17:47:00.001-07:00

Today started off like any other. I sent My Marine to work with a kiss and our ritual "be careful". I got a shower. I got my girls dressed and fed breakfast. I had the news on. In the background I hear about a helicopter crash in Afghanistan....and for a moment my heart seizes as I flashback almost immediately to this past summer and the loss in our Battalion.

I think...Dear God, please not again.

But then I hear that it was the Marines that were involved and I say a quick prayer for the families and all on board -- and then another prayer of thanks that it was not us.

Until I got on my laptop and saw an instant message on FB from my friend DeAnne. Her husband and my husband served in the Marines together with HMX. DeAnne was the one that broke the news to me that we lost a friend in that crash.

And all I could think of was 1) Does My Marine know and 2) Dear God, please not again.....

I immediately ran upstairs and called My Marine at work. He already knew. He'd been on the phones with other brother Marines trying to piece together what happened. I could hear the pain and disbelief in his voice - and that's when I started to cry.

And I haven't stopped.

I had to drop Nani off at school and run some errands. I called My Marine on my way to the base. I needed to see him. I needed to hug him. I just needed him. But he was in a class and couldn't be interrupted. I just sent him a simple text.

"I love you..."

After I got home, I got nothing done. I'd been glued to my laptop chatting online with other HMX wives...expressing our sadness and disbelief. Trying to come together so that we can be strong and supportive for our husbands -- who are all feeling such a deep loss.

I was chatting with DeAnne and mentioned that it seemed so wrong that people were going about their every day lives. I know life goes on....but I just wanted to say to just one person, "Do you know what happened ? Do you realize that 10+ family's lives are changed forever?" While I was chatting, I saw a friend post that the top headline on Yahoo news was that Jessica Alba changed her outfits 4 times in one day.

I lost my mind. Who the fuck cares????? Please excuse me while I let my bitterness seep through for a moment. I know that we've all been guilty of becoming numb and indulging in petty news stories such as Jessica Alba's massive wardrobe.

But for a moment....I ask you to tear yourself away from that to look at this photo:

This is the face of a friend, Travis Riddick, that we lost -- and his beautiful wife, Jennifer.

Instead of reading about the latest Kardashian debacle or the latest Hollywood divorce, take a moment to say a prayer for Travis's family - his wife, his 11-yr. old daughter, his mom and dad, and his brothers - one who was his twin. Take a moment to pray for the families of the other Marines and passengers ond that helicopter. And then take another minute to tell those you love that you love them.

And me? I'll continue to move forward like I always do.

Semper Fi Travis. Fly with the angels......

It's Not Skiing If You're Going Mach 5

2012-01-20T06:28:00.002-07:00

I thought I'd repost one of my favorite posts about my first -- and last -- skiing experience! Enjoy!

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I live in Colorado. There are mountains here. Mountains which are used for skiing. The natural equation would be Colorado + Mountains + Snow = Me Skiing.

You would think.......

I tried skiing........

Once.

It's not my thing and I'll never do it again. My vision of skiing includes a large beautiful fireplace, big comfy couches, a steaming mug of hot chocolate laced with Bailey's Mint Chocolate, and a good book.

My vision of skiing does NOT include strapping on 5-foot sticks to my feet while wearing restrictive boots that make me feel like I'm walking like Frankenstein and then hurling myself down the side of a mountain at Mach 5.
What follows is a testimonial to my first (and last) ski lesson.......

Shortly after My Marine returned from Iraq, we had a mandatory "reunion weekend" at a ski resort in Breckenridge. My Marine was so excited....not because we would have 72 hours together in a ski resort without our daughter, but because I could finally try skiing. I wasn't so sure......

As we check in, I browse the brochures and see all the other fun things we could be doing instead of skiing....like taking a sleigh ride, ice skating, or even dog sledding!! I tried to use my womanly wiles to change My Marine's mind from skiing to dog sledding. But it seems that unless the sled was speeding down the mountainside dodging trees and other skiers left and right, I wasn't going to have much luck changing his mind.

My Marine comes back from the desk, grinning from ear to ear, saying the first ski lesson starts at 7am and all we have to do is walk around the resort -- and there it is!

My joy was obvious....whoopee......

That night, I called Nani (who was 2 at the time) and told her that mommy will always love her and told my mother-in-law to make sure to always show Nani pictures so she won't forget who I was. I didn't sleep. I tossed and turned and had nightmares of smashing into trees.

The next morning, I get dressed in my ski pants and ski jacket (that I got as Christmas presents just a few weeks prior. Do you sense a conspiracy here?? I sure did....) My stomach is in knots and I swear I was going to throw up. My Marine is all giddy, wiggling into his ski pants, all the while saying "You're going to love this. It's going to be so much fun. You just have to remember that you're going to fall....a lot....but keep trying, ok?"

Look at my face buddy....does it look like I'm ready to have a good time? I'm as white as the snow and my stomach is spasming in time with my rapid heartbeat.

So, we're off. We gather our stuff from the car and WALK...yes WALK to the ski area. Where's the shuttle? Where's the snow mobiles? Have you ever carried a set of skis and 400 lbs. of snow boots across the snow packed mountain tundra?? I was exhausted before the lessons even started!!

My Marine says, ok...let's get those snow boots on and get you on these skis. He puts his boots on, pops his feet onto the skis, and starts shushing off across the snow, leaving me there frozen in a locked position because my ankles are locked thanks to those boots and struggling to put my feet on the skis...because they kept sliding away from me. I will spare you the stream of language that came from my drool-frozen mouth....but you can only imagine......

I managed to get my skis on and start my way across the snow. Shushing, I'm not.....it was more like grunting and heaving as I struggle to push my body weight with those stupid ski poles. And we're still on the flat surface! My Marine is way ahead of me...."encouraging" me..... "Come on honey....push!!! You can do it!!" I ~~shot him the look of death~~ smiled and ~~envisioned stabbing him through the heart with my ski pole~~ tried again. It's only 8am.

We joined the rest of the group - which I was happy to see was at least a few other adults - and just wait for the instructor. I look at my surroundings and watch as people whoosh by me effortlessly. Children Nani's age whiz by on snow boards. I remember thinking, this isn't so bad. I can do this.

And then I saw it.....the medical snowmobile zooming by with the red light blazing. I panic and would have cried, but my tears were frozen as was the whimper in my throat. I checked out the ~~hill of death~~ bunny slope and told myself that it really wasn't Mount Everest and that I just needed to suck it up and give it a shot.

Until our ski instructor arrived......

I hear a whoosh behind me and I'm sprayed with a fan of snow. I turn around (as much as I can....remember my ankles are locked and I've got 5-foot boards on my feet) and see Cheech & Chong's younger brother standing there. You can literally see the cloud of pot hanging over him. He's about 50, with blond, straggly, should-length hair, wearing goggles, ski pants, and a "Ski Naked" tshirt. The first words out of his mouth were ---- "Duuuudessss......I loooooveeee this mountain and you're gonnnaaa loooooveeee skiing".

I whip around to give My Marine the look of death again and I see him doubled over with laughter -- again. I now see my second ski pole impaling his forehead.

And that's when it happened. It started slowly at first.....

I started sliding backwards. I start to panic. My Marine starts to laugh. The ski instructor is talking to the group while they frantically try to get his attention to let him know one of his students is in trouble already. I put my poles in the snow to try to stop but somehow that increased the momentum. So there I am sliding backwards down the bunny slope with increasing speed (or what seems like increasing speed to me.) Later, My Marine told me that Nani crawled faster than the speed of my slide......but it didn't feel like that at the time.

I managed to stop, but then I had to make my way back to the group -- uphill. I am NOT happy. I am NOT having fun. The ski instructor (who I have nicknamed "Bong" in my head) is telling me to turn and walk sideways up the hill. WTF???? Lifting my legs to turn them sideways was like lifting 50 lbs. on each leg and then you want me to walk sideways UP a freakin' hillside??

I hate Bong. I hate My Marine. I hate all the little kids shushing past me screaming "Move it lady!"

The rest of my morning went like this.......

* Learn the "pizza" technique for stopping. Good technique in theory...if I could only remember to bend my legs to stop. Grow weary of Bong screaming "Pizza, dude!! Pizza" as I hurl past him toward the group of skiers at the bottom of the hill.

* Feel totally humiliated as I'm tugged up the hill by the rope lift. I feel like cattle being led to slaughter. Feel even more humiliated as I get tangled up in the rope maze that led to the rope lift. Really?? Why would you put a maze full of turns at the bottom of the hill? And with turns that aren't wide enough to accommodate said skis. Don't they know that by doing that they were just creating a larger target to hit?

* Resent my Marine even more as he "shushes" down the hill twice past me while I take baby steps down the mountain.

* Feel a little better because I'm not the worst student when I see Bong skiing backward while holding another student's hand. Then feel resentful....why isn't he helping me like that? Why won't he hold my hand. Determine to become teacher's pet.

* Decide that Bong can find another pet and then feel like shoving my ski pole up Bong's ass when he tells me if skiing on your rear end was a sport, I'd have perfected it by now.

By noon I had had enough. I told My Marine that I was done and that I need some lunch. I didn't eat breakfast because I was afraid of throwing up during the lessons. But by now, I was starving and sore and all too happy to leave Bong behind. I get my skis and boots off and I honestly felt like I was walking on jello. I literally forgot how to walk normally. I wobble my way back to the car, ~~throw my skis in the back of the Jeep~~ carefully drop off the skis and head up to our room.

I told My Marine that I will never do that again. I genuinely did feel bad because I know he had visions of us lovingly skiing the black diamond slopes together, enjoying the risk and the wind whipping through our hair. I gave it an honest attempt....I really did. But it really just wasn't for me.

That night I sank my battered and bruised body into a hot, hot bath and took about 4 Motrin. The next morning, my body was locked. I couldn't move. I had to have My Marine help me out of bed and get dressed. Every muscle in my body hurt. My fingernails hurt. My eyelids hurt. It hurt to breathe. My Marine said that he'd massage my sore muscles and I screamed..."Don't touch me! For the love of God....don't touch me!!" And then mumbled painfully through bruised lips...."Never again...."

Hot chocolate anyone???

Random Thoughts

2012-01-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

I have some posts planned, but I just need to find time to sit down and write them. More importantly, I need to clear my mind of some random thoughts so I can just focus. Seriously....sometimes I feel like I have adult ADD.

Oh look! A squirrel!

Ok, ok....focus.....

I seriously have an issue with people who don't use turn signals or worse yet....drive around with them on FOR-EVER. Yes people....I am Carnac the Magnificent and I can truly anticipate when you're going to make that last minute veer across two lanes of traffic to make that right turn into the Burger King drive-through. It's called a turn signal -- use it you moron!

Anyone watching the Bachelor? Does anyone think that Courtney looks a little like Fran from Dodgeball?

I'm in funk. It's just that post-Christmas blah. I really dislike January. It's such a downer month. I wish we would get some snow days. I love, love, love the snow. I love watching it come down. I love snuggling with my family. We've had some snow....but I want more. Which brings me to....

People who complain about the weather. No matter what season, they are never happy. It's snowing and cold and they whine. It's spring and it's raining and they whine. It's summer and it's hot and they whine. For goodness sake, pack yourself up to that temperature-controlled bubble and shut up already.

The joys of having a dog.....dog hair on EVERYTHING I own. And occasionally randomly showing up in my coffee cup or my dinner.

I am finding that the older I get, the less patience I have for the population in general. Now I know why my dad is so crotchety all the time...

And back to the Bachelor. Dear Ben -- can you please pick a hometown and stick with it? First his hometown was Sonoma. Ok...cute quaint...I loved the town. But then next episode, his hometown was San Francisco. My Marine and I just looked at each other like, huh? (And yes, My Marine watches with me too.....what of it.....) And I'm sure those San Franciscan residents appreciated you shutting down the street and snarling traffic for hours so that you and your bunny boilers could bikini ski down the street.

But I suppose, falling here is much better than falling from here!

Cool date - wrong girl. Granted, she did complete the climb.....but you know if they end up together this is going to come up again and again and again......

And yet I keep watching....

Aaahhh....now my brain has a little more room.

Wordless Wednesday - Nudgie or Cookie Monster?

2012-01-18T06:18:00.000-07:00

Sock Hop

2012-01-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what happens to those socks that go missing from your dryer?

Ever wonder what the heck you can do with just one sock?

Well think no more! Here's a couple of fun ideas to utilize those pesky runaway socks (other than sock puppets!)

Measure Toe-to-Toe:
Ask your child to guess how many socks long something is - the couch, an area rug, the length of a table. Take those mismatched socks and place them end to end. (It usually works better if the socks are the same length, but if not, you can say the couch is 4 big socks and 3 little socks long) You can also measure your child this way too by having her lay on the floor and measure her with socks.

Sort the Laundry:
Every time you sort the laundry, you're using math skills of matching and classifying. Give your child his own laundry basket with the mismatched socks. Have him count how many socks are there. Then have him sort the socks by color, size, or texture. Have him match similar socks by size.

Telling a Sock Story:
What happens to all of the socks that go missing in the laundry? Encourage your child to invent a few short tales of sock adventures. Have more fun by alternating sentences to create a silly sock story. Write them down and have your child draw pictures to match the story. Put in a 3-ring binder your child's very own sock story!

Make a "Soothie":
Fill a clean cotton sock with rice and stitch it shut. When you need a heating pad, pop it in the microwave for one minute. You can also add a drop or two of some essential oils for an aromatherapy pack as well. Save an empty sock to fill with ice for bumps and bruises.

Snowball Fight:
Roll up mismatched socks and have a "snowball" fight with your child. Set up a laundry basket and see how many "snowballs" you can toss in a basket. For even more of a challenge, set up a timer!

What are some things you've done with mismatched socks?

Menu Monday - 1/16

2012-01-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

Menu Monday

Not too bad last week. We did have a few changes, but nothing too dramatic! I'm hoping that My Marine will actually be home this week - no night flights or night schedule. But we'll see!

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Monday - 1/16

Leftover turkey soup
Sandwiches

Tuesday - 1/17

Shepherd's Pie (I STILL haven't made this yet!)

Homemade bread

Wednesday - 1/18

Haluski

Thursday - 1/19

Ravioli

Homemade rolls

Friday - 1/20

Homemade macaroni and cheese

Saturday - 1/21

Potato and cheese pirogies

Sunday - 1/22

Chili

Homemade bread

So, what's on YOUR menu for the week?

Mommy Prayer - Free Printable

2012-01-15T05:00:00.001-07:00

When I come across quotes, prayers, or words of wisdom in general online, I tend to hoard them. But then I don't know what to do with them!

A while ago, I came across this beautiful prayer* - which I love, love, love! I wanted to have it as a constant reminder, but just didn't want to print out the words. I wanted something "pretty" that I could frame and keep where I can see it daily.

*Please note that I don't know where this prayer came from and would love to give credit where credit is due. If you know who wrote this, please let me know so that I may properly credit the author

So thanks to Picnik and some free wallpaper background that I downloaded, I came up with this:

Isn't this just BEAUTIFUL!!?? Tugs at the heartstrings, doesn't it?!

If you love it as much as I do, you can get your free printable here! If you do download it, please leave a comment letting me know!!

What We're Reading - 1/14/11

2012-01-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week of books here this week! We're participating in the Positive Parental Participation Challenge (from this point on know as the PPP Challenge)

It's been pretty cold and snowy here this past week. Nudgie and I have been snuggling up with our books during snack time, nap time, and bed time. Nani and I have our special reading time at bedtime - where she chooses a book to read to me and then I choose a book to read to her. This week we've been reading "Disney Princess: Tiana - The Grand Opening"

But here's a list of what we've been reading so far this week!

"My First Little House Books - Winter Days in the Big Woods"

"Beauty and the Beast - Friends Are Sweet"

Lost in the Forest

Olivia Claus

The Teddy Bears' Picnic

Barbie: Horse Show Champ

Tinkerbell: A Fairy Tale

2012 Winter Bucket List

2012-01-13T05:57:00.001-07:00

Linking Up at The Play Academy at The Nurture Store

Thrift Store Finds - January Edition

2012-01-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

The other day, I did my monthly rounds of our local thrift stores. There's three good ones within a 5-10 mile radius of each other. I've decided to limit my "thrift trips" to once a month -- as that's about all my wallet can handle!

This trip was pretty successful. At the ARC stores, yellow tags were 50% off this particular day. Just check out some of the gems that I found!

The two puzzle boxes are from Lakeshore. One was marked .99 and the other was marked 2.99. When I brought it to the cashier's attention, she gave them both to me for .99!

This box of chalk was .99. I like this box because it's the skinny chalk (reminding me of school days!)

I was digging through a shelf of misc. paper, binders and such when I heard Nudgie say, "Mommy, look!" She had this cute farm domino set in her hands (and to be honest -- wouldn't let go....so into the cart it went! And it was $1.99)

I found this bag of math flash cards for Nani. Marked $1.99 - and it was a yellow tag so I got them for $1.

Blank artist canvases (a package of 2) - Marked $1.99 - yellow tag, so I got them for $1!

And my final find. I came across this box "Read, Baby, Read". When I opened the box, I found a treasure trove of word flash cards - sight words, verbs, nouns and more! And --- wait for it -- it was .99!!!

I also picked up:

(3) sets of kid's mittens for .99/each. (I plan on using them for "mitten painting" later this week.)
(2) winter baby hats for .99/each (I plan on using for a snowman crafting project as well.)
Various scrap fabrics for $1/bag
Crockpot for $9

Have you found any good thrift store finds lately?

2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge

2012-01-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

Last summer, I came across a book called "Show Me How" by Vivian Kirkfield. I checked it out of our library and after flipping through a few pages KNEW that this was a book that I needed to have on- hand 24/7.

"Show Me How" is broken into 6 chapters that focus on developing an aspect of your child's self-esteem ("I Can Do It Myself", "I'm Special", "I'm Afraid", and More!) Each chapter has a number of suggested books, craft and cooking activity that you can do with your child. (My library loves me because I have so many of these books on hold already!)

In addition to writing this WONDERFUL book, Vivian is also starting a 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge. And believe it or not -- it involves something that we're already doing with our children on a daily basis -- READING TO THEM!

At the end of each month, one comment will be chosen to win a picture book to add to your reading library! Also by participating, you'll be eligible for get $5 off the cost of Vivian's book "Show Me How"

All you need to do is go to Vivian's check-in page (which she'll set up each month) and share the books that you read and activities that you do with your child. The check-in page for January can be found here. Remember - you can come back EVERY DAY and log in your books and activities! The more you log in, the better your chances for winning a book!!

That's it!! So easy and so simple! So, who's ready to read with us?

Wordless Wednesday - Waiting for Santa

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Menu Monday - 1/9

2012-01-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Menu Monday

This week's menu is pretty much LAST week's menu. The meal planning tossed to the side thanks to hubby working nights last week -- and again this week. So that pretty much means easy meals for just me and the girls! A nice break after cooking all that food over Christmas!

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Monday - 1/9

Homemade turkey soup with noodles and veggies
Homemade rolls

Tuesday - 1/10

Leftover raspberry-balsamic meatballs over rice

Green beans

Wednesday - 1/11

Grilled cheese
Veggies and dip

Thursday - 1/12

Ravioli

Homemade rolls

Friday - 1/13

Homemade macaroni and cheese

Saturday - 1/14

Steak fajitas
Lime-cilantro rice

Sunday - 1/15

Shepherd's Pie

Homemade bread

So, what's on YOUR menu for the week?

Back to (Tot) School - Part II

2012-01-06T06:48:00.002-07:00

So yesterday, I did a post about a new calendar center (which I'm VERY happy with how it turned out! I even had a friend who asked me to make one for her too!) Now that this big project was done and out the of way, I could focus on getting the rest of Nudgie's activities ready.

Inspired by Carissa's idea at 1+1+1=1 for Christmas notebooks, I thought that since Nudgie really enjoys "writing" that I'd create some binders for her to work on.

First up, the ABC binder - using a number of printables from a CD that I had purchased last year from Childcareland

Second, was the "Numbers" binder. (The photo is a little hazy because the binder cover is slightly "frosted".

The third binder includes a variety of worksheets including Nudgie's name for her to trace, shape worksheets, and eventually color worksheets where she will trace the color word.

Next up were playdough mats (numbers, alphabet, and "make-a-face") The number playdough mats were from Homeschool Creations. I printed the alphabet letters from Quality Kids Crafts and the faces from Sparklebox.

I also belong to our local Freecycle group. If you don't know about Freecycle, I highly suggest that you go and check it out. The other day I picked these blocks up -- for FREE! A quick wipedown with some Clorox wipes and we were ready to play.

I also set up our winter reading board. Our theme is "A Flurry of Books". For each book we read, a snowflake gets put on the board. If we read a total of 75 books before the official first day of spring, then each girl will get a brand new book!

And finally, I set out some independent play/learning items for Nudgie to choose from.

What's in your school room? Share your post in the comment section below! I'd love to see what others are doing!!

Back to (Tot) School!

2012-01-05T05:00:00.002-07:00

It took me awhile to get back into the swing of things after the holidays. But slowly, the Christmas decorations are coming down. (Our tree is still up and twinkling away....and I still have the majority of our Christmas decorations up.....) I did clear away one small area that I had decorated with things that Nudgie could play with over the Christmas break - nutcrackers, her Fisher Price nativity (that I found at the Thrift Store for $3) , playdough with Christmas cookie cutters. Putting those things away is about the closest I've come to "taking down Christmas".

But back to school!

I've been wanting to have a little calendar area for Nudgie. Something where we can have a regular calendar/circle time. I came across a calendar post from Mama Jenn and knew right away that I could adapt it for what I wanted to do for Nudgie.

Our calendar after a long night of laminating, cutting, and pasting

The calendar printables (day, month, date) I got from Mama Jenn.
The "what's the weather" printables, I got from Confessions of a Homeschooler.
The "seasons" printable is also from Confessions of a Homeschooler.
The shape printables, I got here, via Mama Jenn.
The letter flashcards were something that I found in my files but don't remember where I found them. The Sesame Street number flashcards were something that I had picked up at The Dollar Tree when school started.
The Bible verses I got here from Totally Tots and here from ABC Jesus Loves Me

My thought was because Nudgie is still so little, we would focus on a Bible verse a month while still doing our regular Sunday school lessons (Bible story and craft) with Nani. To reinforce our monthly Bible verse, I used this AWESOME site to create writing worksheets for Nudgie to practice her writing skills. (She's adament about "writing" like her big sister and is doing a great job of tracing letters and words)

Now that I've completed her calendar center, I can turn my focus to the rest of her learning centers.

And maybe even get those Christmas decorations put away.

Maybe......

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Linking Up:

Wordless Wednesday - Snuggles With Mommy

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Menu Monday - 1/2

2012-01-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

Menu Monday

Back to life!! Back to reality!!

I don't know who sang that song, but it's been in my head this morning. Today is the official holiday for most people. It's Nani's last day of Winter Break and My Marine's last day of Christmas vacation. And while I'm sad that the holidays are over, I am glad to get back into my routine!

Last night I spent a couple hours getting my planner ready for 2012 - adding birthdays, important events, etc. I also did my menu planning for the week. It's been awhile since I've "menu-planned" since the holidays are pretty easy when it comes to meals!

But -- life goes on -- and so does my menu!

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Monday - 1/2

Bourbon BBQ Hot Wings

Veggies & Dip

Tuesday - 1/3

(Night Flight for My Marine)

Leftover raspberry-balsamic meatballs over rice

Green beans

Wednesday - 1/4

Shepherd's Pie

Salad

Homemade rolls

Thursday - 1/5

Turkey soup with noodles & veggies

Homemade rolls

Friday - 1/6

Crab salad with grilled crab chunks

Saturday - 1/7

(FRG event at my home)

Chicken nuggets

Veggies & Dip

(for the girls)

Various appetizers and desserts for mommy

Sunday - 1/8

Crockpot chicken

Mashed potatoes

Spaghetti squash

So, what's on YOUR menu for the week?

Happy New Year!!!!

2012-01-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well - it's here!! 2012!! I'm pretty excited for the coming year....but I'll let you in on a little secret.....I have a thing for even numbers. Especially the number 12. So I'm even a little more excited about the coming year!

New Year's Eve was pretty low key for us. The girls are still sick with their coughs/colds and now mommy and daddy have it too. So we pretty much stayed home.

For our New Year's Eve dinner, I made a batch of Raspberry-Balsamic Meatballs in the crockpot. It's pretty easy to make and very, very yummy! Here's my recipe:

About 2 lbs. of meatballs (or less depending on your family) thawed to room temperature.**
1 C raspberry preserves*
3 Tbps. worchestershire sauce
3 Tbps. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbps. sugar

Place meatballs in crockpot. Mix all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for about a minute. This is mostly to melt the preserves a little. The sauce will be a little lumpy. Pour over meatballs and stir. Cook on low for about 2-2.5 hours.

You can serve them as cocktail meatballs or serve them over rice as a meal with a vegetable on the side.

**I put mine in frozen and they took twice as long to cook on high.
* I like my meatballs a little "saucier" so I added another cup of raspberry preserves and increased the rest of the ingredients to 4 Tbsp.

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While the meatballs were cooking, I made up a batch of my garlic-herb dip and cut up some fresh veggies. I also got a batch of chicken fingers ready for the girls and made up some cheese sticks as well.

As we ate dinner, we watched Mr. Popper's Penguins. We LOVED it! Such a cute family movie and the girls laughed from beginning to end. I highly recommend it as a good family movie! (We loved it even more when we saw Jim Carrey wearing a Penguins hockey jersey part way through the movie!)

After dinner, we took an evening walk around our neighborhood with our dog Zoja. Then came home to make our New Year's Eve crowns.

I had some poster-sized grey glitter paper, so we cut those in half for the crowns. That morning I got an email from Activity Village and they had some great New Year's printables which the girls colored, cut out and glued to their crowns.

After finishing our crowns, it was time for jammies and hot chocolate. I curled up on the couch with the girls to read them some of the books Santa brought for Christmas. My Marine and I decided that we would let the girls try to stay up until midnight. Poor Nudgie made it until 8:30.

We rang in the New Year at 10pm for all our East Coast family and friends and then again at midnight Colorado time. It was fun getting to say Happy New Year twice.

And Nani made it (but barely)!

Happy New Year - East Coast time!

As another surprise for Nani, we pulled out the couch downstairs and her and daddy slept downstairs under the Christmas tree lights. (Mommy stayed upstairs with Nudgie because of her bad cough).

I hope you all had a wonderfully blessed New Year's Eve with your families!! I wish all my readers the very best for 2012. God bless!!

Goodbye 2011 - Hello 2012!!!

2011-12-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

It can't be happening! The holidays are already over and the year is coming to a close. December flew by in the blink of an eye -- birthdays to celebrate (Nani's and mine), school activities, decorating, Christmas parties, and so much more. I literally felt like I just woke up and it was all over. And to add to the touch of the holiday blues, I never did like the time between Christmas and New Year's. It just always seems like such a downer after all the preparations and activities leading up to Christmas.

And now it's here. In just a few hours, the door will close on 2011 and a new door will open on 2012.

Who knows what the New Year will bring. I feel like I'm looking down a road where you can only see a little bit ahead of you -- but further on, you don't know if there's a hard curve, a steep hill to climb, a sharp descent. All you can do is hang on and have faith that however your road is paved, God will be there to help you drive.

So with that in mind, I've made resolutions and goals in the past -- and failed miserably -- usually within the month of setting the goals. I start off with good intentions, I really do. But then, that little devil starts whispering, "Why bother trying because you'll just fail anyway." I believe that -- and I quit. And to be honest -- the only things I've probably ever finished from start to finish are my pregnancies! I'm that bad of a procrastinator!

But those of you who have been reading me, know that I'm a big fan of Mama Smiles and her fabulous idea of setting monthly goals. I've been doing this for about a year now and found that it's really been a good thing for me - small, manageable goals that I can achieve! Love, love, love her!!!

Anyway - I've decided that I'm going to continue with monthly goals instead of planning "resolutions" for the whole year. BUT there is ONE goal that I am setting for myself that may just take the whole year......

In 2012, I'm going to pursue a new dream of becoming a preschool teacher/teacher's aide.

I'm very excited about it -- and a little overwhelmed about even knowing where to begin! My Marine told me to at least look into it. Then I'll have a better idea of it's something I can achieve -- rather than wondering "what if".

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And here are my few goals for January!

January Goals:

Declutter and get house back in order after the holidays. - Homemaking

Plan a date night with hubby (whether it's a night out or a night in); Continue to have family dinners (whenever My Marine's schedule allows) - Family

List new items on eBay and put earnings into savings; Make a notebook of savings and debts; Stay out of craft stores! - Finance

Organize learning schedule and activities for Nudgie. Plan afternoon activities and crafts for both girls. Work on any outstanding craft projects that I have - Family, Creativity

Commit to Bible study group that I have joined. Attend church services when I can. - Faith

What about you? Do you have any goals/resolutions for 2012?

A Slovak Christmas Greeting From My Blog To Yours!

2011-12-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

It's Christmas Eve!!! Santa is coming!! Santa is coming!! When it comes to Christmas time and my children, I'm still a big kid at heart and will always believe in Santa.

But, in spite of Santa, it's also time to reflect on the most important reason for the season -- the birth of our Savior. And so I give you a traditional Slovak greeting that we say in our home -- Christos Razdajetsja! Slavite Jeho! (Christ is born! Glorify Him!)

Today, we will celebrate with our traditional Christmas Eve meal which begins with the appearance of the first star. Similiar to a Passover supper, our Christmas Eve meal is filled with ritual and meaning.

I set my table with a white table cloth over clean straw - which reminds us that Jesus was laid in a manger. A single candle is light is lit to remind of us the Christmas star and that Jesus is the light of the world.

Before serving the meal, a maternal blessing is given. The mother sprinkles holy water on the table and the rest of the house that the blessing of God might rest on them. This is followed by giving each family member a taste of honey as a reminder to keep Christ in our thoughts and to live and work so that harmony and pleasant fellowship might sweeten our lives.

The meal that follows is simple - a reminder of the humble birth of Jesus.

First is a soup course of two soups -- mushroom soup and a sauerkraut soup. This is followed by:

Bobalki - which are dough balls sweetened with honey and poppy seeds. The use of poppy seed recalls a pagan tradition in which poppy seed was strewn at the portal in order that the evil spirits might be occupied with picking up each morsel and thus would not enter the house.

Pirohi - which are dough pockets, pastry filled with fillings of sweet cabbage, sauerkraut, lekvar, prunes, or potatoes and boiled.

Cabbage rolls - Our Christmas Eve meal is meat and dairy free, so these are filled with a mixture of rice and mushrooms.

Christmas Eve bread - Made with just oil, flour, and yeast, this Christmas Eve bread (similiar to communion bread) is also served (with no butter)

At the conclusion of the meal, sweets are allowed - usually cookies, nutrolls and cold-dough cookies.

After the meal, it's off the Midnight Mass! Then home again for a Christmas toast and then off to sleep to wait for Santa!

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For all of you who read my blog and/or follow me on Facebook - new friends and old - I wish you all a happy and blessed Christmas! I pray that each of you feel the spirit of Christmas in your heart and soul and continue to carry that into 2012.

Christos Razdajetsja! Slavite Jeho!

Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Winner of the Art Pack Giveaway!

2011-12-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to MaryAnne - who was chosen by Random.Org as the winner of the art pack!! Please email me with your mailing address (booklover1212@yahoo.com)

Her winning comment:

"I'm really hoping to do an art theme for Emma's next birthday - I think it's such a fun idea! Our favorite theme so far was probably Johnny's third birthday, which was a very laid-back trucks and trains playdate!"

Happy Birthday Art Pack Giveaway!!

2011-12-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

Today is Nani's 7th birthday!! While I will write more a little later about my first-born, my baby, my angel.....I wanted to get this very special giveaway up!
Nani is having an "artist-themed" birthday. And in honor of that birthday, Nani and I thought it would be fun to share her birthday theme with an art pack giveaway!

In this art pack, the winner will receive:
A watercolor pad
A construction pad
(2) packages of stencils
(1) package of paint brushes
(1) box of markers
(1) box of water color paints
(1) box of pastels
(2) art canvases

The giveaway will end at midnight on Saturday, December 17th and will be shipped via Priority Mail on Monday, December. 19th to hopefully arrive in time for Christmas!
To enter:
(Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry)

1) Share your favorite birthday theme that you did either for your child or that you had. (1 entry)
2. Share a favorite birthday memory (either yours or for your child) (1 entry)
3. Follow my Facebook Page - The Toy Box Years (2 entries)
4. Follow me through Networked Blogs (2 entries)
5. Share this giveaway on your Facebook page or blog about it (and leave a link) (4 entries)
6. Leave a birthday wish for Nani or Christmas greeting on the wall of my Facebook page (4 entries)

Wordless Wednesday - March of the Nutcrackers

2011-12-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

Man down!!!

Kiddie Christmas Card Exchange

2011-12-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Our Kiddie Christmas Card Exchange is in full swing! I'm so thrilled with how many participants I got to sign up! And the girls are so excited to get started!

On Thanksgiving weekend, we pulled out our supplies and got cracking with making our cards! I made a couple to get them started and to show them what kind of cards we were making. Then I let them loose with the paper and glue!

And while the girls and I were hard at work making cards, My Marine and Zoja were working hard doing this.......

And finally - the finished cards!

I had the girls sign the cards too. I asked Nani to sign Nudgie's name too, but Nudgie had ideas of her own. I just love how she's "writing" her own name!

It was a happy day here yesterday when we got the first cards in the mail!!

We're planning on getting the rest of our cards finished up and in the mail on Monday! So those who signed up -- keep checking your mailboxes!!

Stay tuned for more Christmas Card Exchange updates!

Catching Up and December Activities!

2011-12-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

Whew! It's been a crazy couple of weeks since I last wrote!

Thanksgiving here was very quiet and calm - just the way we like it! We don't travel and don't invite any family to visit. We eat early - around 1pm. By 6pm, the dishes and leftovers are put away and I was in my jammies with a glass of Bailey's and cake-flavored vodka. The perfect ending to a great day.

We didn't do any shopping on Black Friday either. We normally use that day to take the girls to drop off toys for Toys for Tots. And while, yes, there are some great deals to be had....I'd rather teach my children that the best "deal" of all is helping others.

We spent the rest of the weekend getting the Christmas stuff sorted and decorated. My Marine spent most of his weekend on his back in the driveway trying to fix his Jeep. The day before Thanksgiving the darn thing wouldn't start, so I had to drive him to work. He ended up replacing the starter and the fuel pump -- and when all was send and done, it STILL wouldn't start. On Monday we were ready to have it towed to the garage. That is until our friend, Ben, came by to take a look. Ben owns Jeeps. Ben loves Jeeps. Ben KNOWS Jeeps. It seems that My Marine's Jeep knew this and sensed his presence because when Ben showed up - the damn thing started right up with no problems and has been running since. Go figure.

Anyway - we're now back to two running vehicles and I've got a lot of catching up to do!

Over the next few days I've got some great posts planned! We've started our holiday season off with some fun crafts and a new Advent activity calendar that I am just loving (and we've only done Day 1!). I also have some fun giveaways planned -- including an awesome "artist-themed" giveaway in honor of Nani's upcoming 7th birthday. (We're doing an artist-themed birthday party for her next Saturday!)

Hope you're all doing well and are enjoying the blessings of this holiday season!!

Wordless Wednesday - She's Making A List

2011-11-16T04:00:00.002-07:00

Thrift Store Finds

2011-11-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

I love our local thrift stores. There's three within a few miles of each other and when I have the time and am by myself, I have been known to hit all three in one day. This was true the other day when My Marine took the girls for the morning so mommy could have a little break.

And my hunting found some GREAT deals!

A set of embroidery hoops that I can use for some upcoming crafts I have in mind. TOTAL - $1

A set of 6 coffee mugs from World Market. I just LOVE the polka dot pattern and these are no longer available through World Market. So fun! TOTAL - .49/each!

I've also been wanting new dishes, but didn't want to pay full price for them. So I was thrilled when I found this set of Crate and Barrel dishes - set of 8 dinner plates and set of 8 dessert plates. TOTAL - $4

Two sets of Lakeshore wooden puzzles - Opposites and Big and Little. The best thing about these was that even though they were exactly the same, the prices on them were different. One was .99 and the other was marked $1.99. I brought that to the cashier's attention and she gave me the lower price for the 2nd one. Score! TOTAL - $.99/ea.

An almost complete set of Junie B. Jones books. There's a few titles missing, but those I can add using my credits from Paperback Swap. (If you don't know about Paperback Swap, click on my link and check it out! It's AWESOME! If you choose to sign up, please feel free to use me as a referral - booklover1212) - TOTAL $2.00

And my biggest find was this magnetic board/game from HABA. I did a little research and found that on Amazon, it's retailing new between $38/$31. I got it for $1.99!!! I'll be saving this and the puzzles for Nudgie for Christmas.

I also picked up 3 pairs of my favorite Old Navy jeans for $1/ea. Didn't get photos of those.

I just LOVE thrifting! It's like going on a treasure hunt! So....do you thrift? And if so, what's the best deal you've found?

Six Degrees of Military Service

2011-11-11T07:53:00.001-07:00

This morning, while I was checking out all the Veteran's Day "thank you" posts on Facebook, I was suddenly struck by how wide my circle has expanded thanks to the military. When My Marine first expressed interest in joining the military, I was oblivious. I loved him. I wanted what he wanted even if it meant moving away from my family.

After close to 16 years of service, I say with pride - the military is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

It was tough at first. But when I went through a deployment by myself with my first baby (then 8 months old when My Marine left), I realized that I am strong. I am able to take care of things by myself. And excuse me for tooting my own horn, but I think I make a damn good military wife.

Anyway - this post isn't about that. It's about my other family. My military family. Family I wouldn't have if My Marine hadn't been chosen for service with HMX-1, hadn't moved on to join the National Guard at work at Ft. Belvoir, or hadn't decided we needed a change and accepted a job with the National Guard here in Colorado.

We wouldn't have friends like:

Anna and "Wally" and Ira and Kara -- We met during our HMX days. Our husbands were nicknamed "The Angry Crew" and lived up to it. We wives bonded and laughed over their antics, and bitched together when a 3-day trip turned into 3 months.

Us with Kara & Ira

"The Angry Crew" - Wally, Ira & Marc

Or DeAnne and Brandon, Gary, Jaison and Jamaica, Cade and Tracey, Casey and so many others. All friends from the Marine Corps days. All separated by miles but brothers (and sisters) forever.

Brandon & Marc during his conference in Texas earlier this year.

And then there's our National Guard family. These folks opened their arms, hearts, and homes to me when we first moved to Colorado. I wouldn't have made it through the deployment without them.

Cindy and Mike - Our meeting with Cindy & Mike is nothing short of what I call God's hand. A random meeting one night led to a family bond and Cindy & Mike now being Godparents to Nudgie.

Charlene and Dave - Charlene is the one person that I set my standards both as a military spouse and an FRG leader. She is one of the strongest women I know and I am so blessed to have both her and Dave in my circle.

Vynnie and Rick, Nancy and Greg, LeAnn and Jason, Leah and Guy - Again, these friends have welcomed me into their established circle of friends when I moved out here. They are my family and I love them as such.

Christina and Chaplain Dave - Since getting more involved with the FRG, I've been so blessed to have these two widen my circle, adding a layer of faith and praise.

There are so many, many more. If I went on, this post would turn in to a book. But my point is that each one of these special people have impacted our lives -- MY life -- in so many ways.

So today, not only am I saying THANK YOU to my Marine & Army friends who serve. I am also saying THANK YOU to my Marine & Army wives who stand behind those who serve.

You all have touched me in more ways than you will ever know and I cherish your friendship. Love you guys!

Wordless Wednesday - Student and Teacher

2011-11-09T04:00:00.002-07:00

Prayer Rocks

2011-11-04T07:12:00.000-06:00

Don't Forget To Sign Your Kiddos Up For The

2011 Kiddie Christmas Card Exchange!

To sign up, click HERE

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Last month, I had a fabulous "Girl's Night In" with my good friends Robin and Stephanie. We met at Robin's house and over coffee and pumpkin bread talked and laughed about everything ranging from Sister Wives to our experiences at Women of Faith. It was a great evening and one that we vowed to try to continue on a monthly basis.

Last night was my turn to host and I told the girls that they had to come in pajamas too! I brewed a pot of pumpkin spice coffee and made this AWESOME almond-peach cake that I found while ~~wasting time on Pinterest~~ looking for recipes. (The recipe called for canned cherries, but I made it with peaches instead....and OH MY YUM!!)

Sorry -- where was I? (Wiping drool from my face....) Oh yeah.....Girls Night In.

So coffee and cake were made and the girls showed up. I wanted to do something a little different, so I thought it would be fun to do a craft. For about a year now, I've been wanting to do prayer rocks. I had all the supplies in a bag sitting in my basement for that long. You know - the proverbial "I'll get around to it".

Well last night, I pulled out that bag - complete with rocks, baskets, ribbon and silver Sharpies. And so, over coffee and cake, we wrote inspirational words on our rocks and talked about why we were writing them. It was so much fun as we all searched for the perfect rock and the perfect word. One of us would say a word and the rest of us were like, "Oh, that's a good one....." and proceed to "borrow" it.

In the end, it was a great evening with great results. (Stephanie left before I could take a picture of her basket.)

We all chose words such as pray, trust, faith, hope, health, acceptance, grace, glory, love, and more.

I'm really happy with how they turned out. As Robin was leaving last night, she mentioned that she might do something similar for her boys. And I thought -- that's a GREAT idea. So, I think that's one project I may do with the girls this weekend!! (Thanks for the idea Robin!)

And I'm already looking forward to next month's gathering!!!

Halloween

2011-11-03T04:00:00.001-06:00

Don't Forget To Sign Your Kiddos Up For The

2011 Kiddie Christmas Card Exchange!

To sign up, click HERE

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My Marine is out of town for a conference this week. Orlando, no less. Noooooo....they couldn't schedule this conference for LAST week when Nani was on fall break and we could have gone with him. (No, I'm not bitter at all.......)

Deep breath.......

So, while he was gone, he did miss Halloween and our sweet baby girls in their adorable costumes. I had one Abby Cadaby and one Barbie Fairy Princess. (Both costumes under $20 thanks to the local thrift stores!)

My good friend Robin invited us over for wings and make-your-own pizzas. I was so grateful because I really wasn't looking forward to taking the girls trick-or-treating by myself. So we went over and had a blast! The girls had a great time and ~~mommy~~ they got some awesome loot!

Kiddie Christmas Card Exchange!

2011-11-02T04:00:00.001-06:00

2011 Kiddie Christmas Card Exchange

I love getting mail. I especially love getting Christmas cards! But even better than all of that is seeing my girls' faces light up when they get mail addressed to them! So this year I thought I'd set up a Christmas card exchange for my girls. What a great way to meet other kids from all over!

The concept is very simple!

Simply respond in the comments section that you'd like to participate and please be sure to include an email address where you can be contacted.
For every name on the list, a card will be sent. For example....if I get six children to sign up, the list will go out to all six children and they will send a card to each child on the list. (Make sense?)
The cards do NOT have to be hand-made. It would also be nice to include a little letter telling about themselves and where they're from.
Deadline for participating will be Friday, November 18th. Deadline for mailing cards will be Monday, December 12th.

So let's get those Christmas cards rolling!!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at booklover1212@yahoo.com.

November Goals and October Review

2011-11-01T06:57:00.000-06:00

Okay -- seriously. Somebody stop time -- even just for a day!! I can't believe it's NOVEMBER already!!

October went by in a blur. Mostly because I was sick for most of the month. Fortunately, some of my posts were already written and scheduled. But the day my mom left, I got sick with a sore throat and stuffy nose that went into a full blown sinus infection and then into what I thought was bronchitis. After almost two weeks of hacking up a lung (or two), I finally went to the doctor and was officially diagnosed with walking pneumonia. Great -- just great. (And daddy, if you're reading this -- please don't say "I told you so......")

"Walking Pneumonia" -- sounds just like the kind of an illness a mom would get.....right?

Anyway -- after a course of antibiotics, I am starting to feel better. But my October goals kind of went by the wayside. Ugh!

I did do a lot of menu planning and we did have lots of meals together as a family. I didn't get to work on too many Christmas gifts, but thanks to some great sales and coupons, I was able to get the supplies that I needed to get started. We did manage two date nights (including one for our anniversary) thanks to my mom being in town and watching the girls for us!

So, new month and new goals!

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Goals for November:

Continue to work on FRG (Family Readiness Group) commitments; Start database to send out Christmas cards and monthly birthday cards - Community

Continue to have family time at dinner at least 3x a week (pending My Marine's schedule) and plan a date night with My Marine - Family

Plan holiday menus and write grocery lists - Homemaking

Start new Proverbs bible study for the month - Faith
Continue to make Christmas gifts for friends and family; Start Christmas list for family gifts - Community, Family, Creativity

Keep my chaos at home organized, try to stay on track with chores and finances; Start listing new items on eBay; Set up reward system for the girls' chore charts - Homemaking, Family

So do you have goals for November? Come link them up with Mama Smiles!

Halloween Decorating

2011-10-20T04:00:00.000-06:00

I really don't like Halloween. I much prefer to do a general "fall" decorating. But this year, I decided to add a little "something" to the front yard.

We have a small tree in the front yard and I thought it would be cute to have some dancing ghosts around it.

I picked up the dowel rods and foam balls at Hobby Lobby on sale. The sheets were a combination of sheets I had in my scrap pile and sheets that I picked up at Goodwill for $1.

The girls helped daddy pound the rods into the ground.

Then we put the foam balls on the rods.

After we got them on, we thought they looked a little too small for what we wanted. So we ended up stuffing some plastic bags and wrapping them around the foam balls to make the heads a little bigger.

After draping the sheets, we each had a ghost to decorate.

And our dancing ghosts!!

We still felt that we needed a little something "extra", so My Marine added a black light to the mix. I just LOVE the effect!!

Wordless Wednesday - Sisters

2011-10-19T04:00:00.000-06:00

Halloween Tree

2011-10-18T04:00:00.001-06:00

Nani has a little tree that we normally put up at Christmas in her room. As we were putting the Christmas decorations away last year, I decided to leave the tree up in our family room and decorate it seasonally. The girls love doing it and I love having the Christmas tree up!

This past week, we decorated it for Halloween!

Once we decorated it, we decided that we needed a tree-topper. Remember the megaphones that I got on clearance at Michael's for .09? Well, I just hot glued a small foam ball to the top and covered it with some Halloween fabric. We had some Mr. Potato Head eyes leftover, so I popped those on too. Viola!! Instant tree-topper!!

Tot School - Letter A

2011-10-16T04:00:00.003-06:00

(Nudgie is 38 months old) (To see what others are doing at Tot School, click on the "Tot School" above!) **************************************

This week we focused on the letter "A" and apples. My camera was acting up a lot this week, so I don't have too many pictures! (Boo!)

We started off the week again with basic letter recognition. I was recently sent a DVD of Alphabet Songs from Have Fun Teaching.

I started off our lesson by putting on the Alphabet Song and then following it up with the Letter A song. Nudgie LOVED them and kept asking for them over and over. I think this will be a great way to start off our lessons now!

We then read "Chica Chica Boom Boom" and put our letter "A" on the coconut tree.

I gave her some large letter "A" pages and then had her stamp the letter A as well as glue letter A's all over. (This is when the camera decided to act up!)

We practiced our prewriting skills too. Nudgie is really loving this activity and is always asking for more. I found some great preschool workbooks at the Goodwill and ARC stores and have been using the prewriting exercises from those too.

We did more name recognition activities and I also added the word "apple" and had her find the letters in the craft gravel box.

We read lots of books this week, but a few of our favorites were "A Plump and Perky Turkey", "Disney's Sweet and Spooky Halloween", and "A - See It, Say It, Hear It".

We're also keeping track of our reading on our fall leaf tree. Nudgie has the yellow leaves and Nani has the red leaves.

We scooped:

We made a leaf book:

We finished up our letter A week with:

An apple shape match game

Our bible verse - "Keep me as the apple of Your eye"

"A is for Apple" Do-A-Dot

You can find the apple prewriting pages and the bible verse here at 1+1+1=1.

You can find the apple shape match here at Confessions of a Homeschooler.

You can find the "A is for Apple" do a dot here at Developing a Heart for Home.

Hope everyone has a great week!

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Linking up with: No Time for Flashcards - Link and Learn

My BlogSpark - Yoplait/Sam's Club $40 Gift Card Giveaway

2011-10-15T04:00:00.002-06:00

We love yogurt!! So when My Blogspark recently contacted me regarding a Yoplait/Sam's Club offer, I jumped at the opportunity!

Whether you start your day with a yogurt or enjoy it as an afternoon snack, Sam’s Club can help you stock up on your family’s favorite Yoplait® yogurts at great, everyday low prices. With their extended yogurt selections, featuring new Yoplait Light® with Granola and Trix yogurt, finding the flavors, and prices, you love just became even easier.

The delicious Yoplait Light yogurt that you know and love is now paired with 100% natural granola and real fruit, perfect for a convenient breakfast or snack.

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Our 16th Wedding Anniversary

2011-10-14T06:18:00.000-06:00

On October 14, 1995, My Marine and I exchanged "I do's". Sixteen years married and a total of 23 years together!

Our wedding day. The day started off cold and rainy. It rained when we left for the church. I remember pulling away in the limo and realizing that the sunroof was open a crack and water started dripping all over me. I remember chaos in the church hall while I was getting ready to make my entrance...just lots of people wanting to see me and take pictures. I remember standing at the back of the church with my daddy - waiting for the moment - while memories of watching Father of the Bride with him ran in my head over and over. Thinking that it's finally here! I remember walking down the aisle and seeing My Marine standing there in his dress blues. I remember tearing up as my daddy handed me over and whispered in my ear - "Be happy".

The rest of the day was another blur....the photo shoot, the reception, dancing, friends, family -- the best night of my life!

Fast forward again to present day.....

Thanks to mom being in town, we have a built-in babysitter so that we can go out and have a nice dinner. This will be our 8th anniversary spent together....the other 8 involved trips with the President, a deployment, and various schools and conferences. (Thank you U.S. Military!)
But for today, I'm just happy to have him home.

In our 16 married years, we've had our ups and downs. Fights and make-ups. Losses and gains. Close to divorce. Career decisions and moving to new homes. Our daughters - our biggest accomplishments yet!

We've learned the hard way to never take each other for granted. Always be willing to listen, even if it's something you may not want to hear. Even though you may be mommy and daddy, never forget that you are still husband and wife.

Support each other and encourage each other to have outside interests -- outside of each other. Have fun with each other -- laugh, love, and live.

And finally, alway keep some dreams and goals for yourself and your family. We still have dreams and goals for ourselves and our family.....and together we will accomplish it all.

Happy Anniversary Tinker! I love you more than you'll ever know!

Where I've Been.....

2011-10-13T06:52:00.000-06:00

I know....I've kind of fallen off the proverbial blogging cliff lately.

I blame my mom.

She's been in town since the end of September. And I think I mentioned that when she's in town she stays in our family room where the pull-out couch is. The same room that is my morning haven -- my space for coffee, Bible & computer time. So while she's here, the computer has been up in our bedroom. When faced with the choice of getting up and having my morning time or just rolling over and snuggling under the comforters for another hour - there's no choice. The comforters win.

But just to let you know I'm still alive, here's a quick recap of what we've been doing here.....

My dad had a brief hospital stay due to a flare up of his diverticulitis. We weren't sure if it was a hernia since he was moving some furniture before the pain started or if it was something else. And my dad -- MY dad -- drives HIMSELF to the ER. BACK in PITTSBURGH!! A 2-day drive from me. We had my mom all packed up and ready to fly home early -- with me going along with her. But, all is well now. He's home -- still a tad uncomfortable -- but with some new meds and a strict diet for a few days. I HATE being so far away from my parents!

I attended the Women of Faith Conference here in Denver with my dear friend "R". It's a yearly tradition for us now and we each take turns buying the tickets for the next year's conference. I saw some fabulous speakers (Patsy Clairmont, Marilyn Meberg, Lisa Whelchel, Brenda Warner, Andy Andrews and Karen Kingsbury PLUS a FABULOUS performance from Amy Grant and Mandisa!) It was a beautiful, faith-filled weekend! There is nothing more glorious than being in a room with 8,000+ women singing praises to God in one voice. I still get goose-bumps thinking about it!

We attended a Math and Literacy Nights at Nani's school. We found out that when it comes to helping our daughter with math homework, we're screwed. (Can you say "tutor"?) She's not struggling by any mean -- on the contrary, she's doing very well. But we know that come algebra, mommy & daddy are no help whatsoever. Now, if you ask daddy about Middle East-US relations, then Nani's sure to get an A! We also found out that our daughter is reading at a 3rd grade level. So, so proud of her! Also, while mom is here, I've been volunteering at Nani's school about 3 days a week now. I LOVE IT!!! There isn't a better reward than hugs from the kids and Nani saying "Mommy, I love when you come to school and help my friends!" Sigh........

My Marine and I had a date night. We went to a local ~~hole in the wall~~ hangout for some great wings and met up with some friends. Afterwards we checked out Toby Keith's bar "I Love This Bar" and had a BLAST! Our one friend, "L" even rode the bull -- on a dare, of course!

We think we may finally have a buyer for My Marine's Eclipse. Finally!! The guy is coming this morning to take it for an emissions test. If it passes, he may buy it today. We have two other potential buyers waiting in the wings. I'm confident we'll have this baby sold by the weekend.

And finally, I'm exploring my options for becoming credentialed as a preschool teacher or even a teacher's assistant. I have found that I am completely and thoroughly enjoying homeschooling Nudgie, as well as helping out with Nani's class. I seriously think I missed my calling. But it's never too late -- right???

So, that's about it......I'm hoping to get some posts written over the weekend (My Marine has drill and won't be home......) I've got some great crafts that I want to share and some fun Tot School posts with Nudgie!

Hope you're all doing well!!

October Goals

2011-10-05T07:01:00.000-06:00

Wait!! When did it become October? Didn't I just write my September goals?? It seems that Nani just started school yesterday?! I really hate that time passes by so quickly!!

I'm a little behind on my monthly goals post. My mom is in town and when she's in town I lose my morning time downstairs in the family room, so that cuts down a lot on my computer/blogging time. Which, overall, isn't a bad thing!

A lot of my goals for October are carry-overs from September. I did get a few things accomplished, but overall I need to put a little more of an effort into a few of my goals below.

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Goals for October:

Continue to work on FRG (Family Readiness Group) commitments; Reach out to families, soldiers and spouses - Community

Continue to have family time at dinner at least 3x a week (pending My Marine's schedule) and plan a date night with My Marine - Family

Continue a workout routine and planning meals/menus - Health, Homemaking

Prayer time and reflection; Attend church services - Faith, Community, Family

Continue to make Christmas gifts for friends and family; Start Christmas list for family gifts - Community, Family, Creativity

Keep my chaos at home organized, try to stay on track with chores and finances; Start listing new items on eBay; Set up reward system for the girls' chore charts - Homemaking, Family

So do you have goals for October? Come link them up with Mama Smiles!

Tot School - Letter M

2011-10-04T06:59:00.000-06:00

(Nudgie is 38 months old) (To see what others are doing at Tot School, click on the "Tot School" above!) **************************************
We really had a FUN week learning about the letter "M"! Anything that involves M and M's is a good thing!!!

We started off the week with basic letter recognition. I gave her some large letter "M" pages and then had her stamp the letter M as well as glue letter M's all over. She really enjoyed doing this, so I think this will be something I'll keep doing for each letter coming up.

To work on fine moter skills I gave her a "sewing" activity to do. I found this sink mat at the Dollar Tree. I then took a big safety pin and put a little duct tape around the top so that it wouldn't pop open and stab little fingers. I fed some yarn through the bottom of the safety pin and then added a wooden bead at the end so that it wouldn't pull through as she was "sewing". I found that this was another hit with Nudgie, and I'd often find her sitting quietly "sewing".

We're also starting to learn name recognition. I took some blank word strips and stamped Nudgie's name on one of them. Then I gave her some blank sheets and had her stamp her name herself. Our other activity was to find the letters in her name. I buried the letters in some craft gravel and she had to find the letters and then match them to her name.

We also practiced some pre-writing skills with both the letter M and some basic line tracing. This was yet another hit. Nudgie was so proud of herself when she would "write" like big sister, Nani!

We played with our number peg boards and shapes puzzles.

Making random pictures without a pattern

We read "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear". To emphasize what we were reading, we read the book twice. Once, just straight through and then a second time, we acted out the story using a little mouse and a strawberry.

We finished up our letter M week with:

A letter M match game

A "m"onkey shape puzzle match

And our favorite!

M&M color match and pattern work. We don't keep a lot of candy or sweets in the house, so this was a big treat for Nudgie (and mommy too!)

Hope everyone has a great week!

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Linking up with: No Time for Flashcards - Link and Learn

Menu Monday - 10/3

2011-10-03T07:05:00.001-06:00

Menu Monday

So, here's our menu for the week of 10/3!

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Monday - 10/3

Pork chops
Noodles
Green beans

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Tuesday - 10/3 (Night flight)

Turkey and cheese sandwiches
French fries
Veggies & dip

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Wednesday - 10/4 (Night Flight)

Ravioli
Salad

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Thursday - 10/5

"Math Night" at Nani's school - Dinner provided

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Friday - 10/6

Tilapia
Rice
Veggies

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Saturday - 10/8
Gyros
Potato wedges
Salad

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Sunday - 10/9

Grilled chicken
Carrots
Mashed potatoes

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Happy Eating!!!

Maternity Underwear Mummies

2011-10-03T04:00:00.000-06:00

So, I had some time on my hands while my computer was down. I decided that I needed to keep my hands busy - and shoving chocolate into my mouth was not an option. So, I did the next best thing......I crafted.

First up -- Maternity Mummies

Ever wonder what crazy things you could do with all those vases you have cluttering up the garage? Or what about all those extra pair of gauzy maternity underwear the hospital sends you home with after you've had your baby? What a combination the two make!

All you need is some maternity underwear (unused, of course), a vase, a hot glue gun and some google eyes. Just wrap and glue! (Watch out for glue gun burns!)

I like using the gauze a little better because it stretches easily and fits over the top of the vase. I tried this with recycled ACE bandages, but it didn't work as well. It just looked like a vase wrapped in an ACE bandage.

And never would I have imagined recycling maternity underwear this way!

I'm The Victim Of An Attempted Scam!

2011-09-27T14:19:00.001-06:00

But I'm happy to say that I've scored a small victory for the little guy!

So, yesterday morning -- there I am with Nudgie in the Goodwill looking for fall-colored placemats. My phone rings with a number I don't recognize, so I let it go to voice mail. I went out to my car and listened to my voice mail and get a message from a woman with a very thick accent and very bad phone connection.

"Violet Watson" from the "Federal Claims Enforcement Network" was calling to inform me that I was in default of a $300 payday loan taken out last year and that I was being investigated for fraudulant activity and that if I didn't make payment arrangements by 3pm they were sending the Colorado police to arrest me.

WTF????

So, I call back.....because I KNOW that I never took out a payday loan -- E.V.E.R!!!!

I get Ms. Watson back on the line along with her very bad phone connection and background noise that sounds like something from Ellis Island back in the day. Red Flag #1.

She proceeds to tell me that she can negotiate a settlement deal for the amount due. I asked her for specifics -- the name of the company, the exact month and day of this so called deposit into my account. She wouldn't provide that information. She explained that her "Higher Authority" (what is this -- a cult??) would not authorize the release of that information until I entered into an agreement to pay this back. Red Flag #2.

Oh - and did I mention that they only way they'd accept payment was either via a prepaid debit card or Western Union? Or that the total due is now $1500?? Red Flag #3.

But, I'm not stupid.....and I'll play your silly games. So I asked her for the information so that I could fax something over to her (keep in mind, I've never committed to making any payments.....) She gives me the name of the company. the FAX number and dictates what I need to put in this letter word for word. (I'm thinking....keep talking sweetheart, the police just LOVE complete details like this....)

She again says that if I do not complete this agreement that the Colorado police will come and arrest me. (Can we be specific on WHICH Colorado police? Since Colorado IS a pretty big state you know....) Red Flag #4.

I hang up and go straight to my bank where I give them a heads up. When I got home, I went online to the Big Three (credit agencies) and put an alert on ALL of my family members' SS#s. I also do a quick Google search and found a GOLDMINE of information regarding this scam. The bonus was that the company that the flowery Violet claimed to be working for doesn't EVEN EXIST! I read post after post after post from people who have gone through the same exact thing

Fast forward to this morning......

9:30am: I get another call from the lovely Violet telling me that I have not yet FAXed over my committment letter or the information for the debit card. I proceed to tell her that I know this is a scam and that she's not getting one damn dime from me and hung up.

9:40am: A second call from the persistent Ms. Watson goes straight to my voice mail, as does the call at 9:45am, 9:50am, 9:55am, and 10:00am.

10:10am: I pull into the parking lot of what I ASSUMED was a working police station. The halls are dark. The only doors that go anywhere are locked with keypads. Did I mention that I had Nudgie with me? Right after an early morning doctor appointment for a bad cold? And that I had TONS of errands to run?

10:30am: After finding no cops in sight, I go back to the car, carrying Nudgie like a potato sack, and drive around to the other side of the building where I see two cops? detectives? coroners? who knows. But they are just standing there. So I drive up and ask if they can help. I proceed to try to explain my situation and that all I want to do is talk to a cop about filing a complaint. The helpful answer I get? "We can't do that here. Go home, call 911, tell them it's not an emergency and they'll send a cop to your house to fill out a report." Seriously????? To protect and serve my ass.

10:45am: I peel out of the parking lot -- almost daring them to come after me -- when I remember the other police station -- on the other side of town.

10:50am: Ms. Watson really misses me and decides to try calling me back and again at 10:55am, 11:00am, 11:05am

11:20am - I arrive at the other police station and explain to the dispatcher what's going on. She said she'd send an officer down to take my report. I take a deep breath and wait and pray that Nudgie won't go ballistic on me.

11:25am - Nudgie starts to get thirsty. I go to use the vending machine, but it won't take my dollars and just 2 days ago I deposited all my change into the change jar. So I have a choice -- let my child dehydrate before my eyes or take the risk with tap water since for SOME reason -- the police station felt that us commoners didn't deserve water fountains. I take my chances with the tap water and vow to give her some old antibiotics when we get home just in case.

11:30am - Nudgie starts to color on the back of bills that I had in my bag. I'm sure the electric company is going to LOVE getting a hand-drawn note along with their payment this month.

11:35am - An officer finally calls my name. He doesn't sit down. Looks uncomfortable when I offer my hand for a handshake and proceeds to give me an "I DARE you" look when he introduces himself as Officer Ron MacDonald. I proceed to explain what's going on all the while watching the look on his face that says, "You're seriously interrupting my lunch for THIS?" And he talks to me like I'm Nudgie saying, "You DO know this is a scam, right?" I told him that I thought I should report this especially since they are claiming to impersonate a police officer. Last I checked, that was a crime, right? Oh, and Nudgie has now found some reading material to keep her occupied.....

11:50am - Phone rings again. I look at Officer Golden Arches and tell him that it's the lovely Violet again. He tells me to answer and put it on speaker phone. When I answer, they ask for "Jennyber" (and no, that's not a typo) "B" and I say, "Speaking". The woman goes on to say, "My name is Marilyn Memmer and I'm calling with the Federal Claims Enforcement Network. It is my understanding that you did not follow through with your agreement and as of 3pm this afternoon, the Colorado police will be coming to your home to arrest you for this default. You still have time to resolve this issue and if you choose to do so, you may contact Officer Violet Watson with the Colorado police to make arrangments." WOW!! The lovely Violet moonlights as a police officer too!! Officer MacDonald - my knight in shining armour - takes the phone from me as says (and I paraphase slightly) -"M'aam, this is Officer MacDonald of the Denver Police Department. I am standing here with Ms. "B" and have heard the entire conversation. You are hereby notified that by impersonating a police officer you are committing a federal crime. We have this phone number ---- CLICK"

No more Ms. Memmer or now Officer Violet Watson. Officer Ron smiled and said that he didn't think I'd be bothered any more. But unfortunately, these calls are routed through so many numbers and are more than likely to be international calls that the local police really can't do anything.

So, I start to gather up Nudgie who has been trying to dig out the crayons that she had been shoving in between the bench cushions. Officer Ron tried to help her and then I hear him say, "Is that a tooth??" He pulls his hand back and he is holding a tooth (which, last time I checked, did not belong to my daughter - and no, he wouldn't let me take a photo for the blog....) I saturate Nudgie's hands with hand sanitizer and tell myself that I see a complete alcohol bath in her future when we get home.

I thanked the nice officer, gathered up my bag, my daughter, and her reading material (since she just wouldn't let it go....) and practically ran back to my car. But so far -- for the last 2 hours -- my phone has been silent!

Bottom Line -- don't be afraid to fight back! These people are predators and prey on innocent people. It's easy to see how people can be scared into paying something back that they aren't even responsible for. Heck - even just for a few seconds, I was even second-guessing myself -- I'll admit it.

Know your rights. Keep a paper trail. Save voice mails. It'll help you in the end!

First Day of Fall!!

2011-09-23T08:08:00.000-06:00

I am such a happy girl! Today is the first day of fall! You can feel it in the air -- the cooler temperatures at night....the crisp cool air in the morning. The days still fluctuate with warmer temperatures right now -- but hey -- I'll take what I can get!!

Last night I started on a new craft project. My vision isn't complete yet, but here's a sneek peek --

I made this from these:

Plastic megaphones - found in the $1 section of Michael's -- on clearance for .09/each!!
AND they are a LOT cheaper than the floral foam cones!

I have to admit that it didn't go as smoothly as I expected at first. The yarn kept slipping until I pulled out my handy-dandy glue gun and strategically placed strips of hot glue around it. I still have about 3-4 to make!

I also pulled out my fall decorations this week. This year, I opted to lighten up on the Halloween decortions and stick with a general "fall" theme.....that way I can just keep them up through Thanksgiving.

1st living room endtable

2nd living room endtable

Kitchen table
(Pumpkins courtesy of The Dollar Tree)

Kitchen window sill

Power room - #1

Power room #2
(I still have to finish up the project with the black and orange cauldron)

How do you bring in the fall?

Wordless Wednesday - Ready for Off-Roading

2011-09-21T04:00:00.001-06:00

DIY Peg Number Boards

2011-09-20T06:37:00.001-06:00

While searching for a birthday gift for Nudgie, I came across these at Lakeshore Learning....

I LOVED the concept, but didn't love the price ($34.95). I started searching for a cheaper version, and in the end, decided that I would make my own.

I was lucky enough to find some scrap wood at a local garage sale for free. (I'll admit that it was actually in a paint bucket that she was using as a trash can. So does that make me an official trashpicker now??) We had the paint already and the only thing I ended up buying was a bag of golf tees for $3.

My Marine graciously cut the wood down to size for me and then I pulled out my favorite power tool (my sander!) and got to work!

Once sanded and all cleaned up, I then put on a couple coats of paint. It was a nice day, so fortunately, they dried pretty quickly too!

After they were dry, I started to put the numbers on, but the stencils I had were too big. So I went online, found some numbers and printed them out. I then reduced them on my copier, cut them out with hubby's Exacto-Knife and then painted them on the boards. (I apologize because for some reason, I don't have a photo of these being painted!)

Once those were dry, I pulled out my second-favorite power tool - the drill - and drilled the holes in the board. My Marine did a great job of setting up the drill bit so that the golf tees fit perfectly. (And I only drilled completely through about 4 holes!)

All done!!

And that was it!!! Now it was time to play!!

Total Cost to Make: $3

Wood - Free
Paint - Free
Stencils - Free
Golf Tees - $3

Much better than $34.95 (plus shipping!), I'd say!!!

Anxiety, Friends and The Odd Girl Out......

2011-09-19T06:49:00.000-06:00

I don't make friends easily. There, I said it.

It's hard for me to make friends. Inside, I'm a very shy, insecure person and the thought of walking into a room full of people I don't know -- or don't know well -- sends me into a major anxiety attack. Not sure where this all comes from, but I've been this way for as long as I could remember. But because of that -- it's very hard for me to approach people -- to try to put myself out there and make new friends.

Oh sure, I've got "friends" -- I've made a lot of friends through college, through work, through the military. But the one thing I've been missing is the "Friend".......you know the one.....the Friend you can call any time to share any thing. The Friend who knows you better than you know yourself. The Friend who knows your deepest darkest fears and secrets and loves you just the same. The Friend who knows exactly what you need when you need it.

Even within my group of "friends" - I've always felt like the odd one out -- the third wheel so to speak. You can sense the closeness that the others have....but I feel like an afterthought. Oh yeah.....let's include her too and I feel like the tagalong.

And when those feelings come up - I tend to pull back....pull away.....withdraw.....back into my shell, back into the safety and comfort of my home.....my kids, my dog, My Marine. That's safe. In my comfort zone, I don't have to put myself out there and risk getting hurt or exposing myself. Because exposing myself means that I won't be liked.

I want to have deeper friendships....but doing that means I have to open up.....and to open up means I have to expose all my quirks and imperfections.....but I can't do that because I need to keep up with the facade that I am perfect wife and perfect mom......and because I'm not the perfect wife and perfect mom, then I can't be the perfect friend either......so if I'm not the perfect friend, why would anyone want to be in a friendship with me.....so let's just withdraw.....if I don't expose myself, then you can't hurt me.

What a vicious circle of thinking, don't you think?

Kind of feels pretty silly to be worried about something like this so late in my life. Most women, by this point, are incredibly secure with themselves and their thinking and their friendships. I suppose that's why I love blogging so much....it just gives me the chance to express, vent, share something that I probably wouldn't even DARE talk about with an "in-real-life" friend.

I guess you could say my blog is my friend. :-)

So....pardon my random thought process this morning. I think I'll go schedule another appointment with my therapist now! Ha! Ha!

Menu Monday - 9/19

2011-09-19T04:00:00.001-06:00

Menu Monday

I had to do a little adjusting last week due to some late night flying on My Marine's part. A couple meals I didn't get to make, so they're being recycled into this week!

So, here's our menu for the week of 9/19!

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Monday - 9/19

Chicken breasts in crockpot (2 envelopes of onion soup mix & 1 bottle catalina dressing)
Mashed potatoes
Green beans

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Tuesday - 9/20 (Night flight)

Chicken nuggets
Rice

Broccoli

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Wednesday - 9/21 (Night Flight)

Grilled cheese
Tater tots
Green beans
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Thursday - 9/22

"Literacy Night" at Nani's school - Dinner provided

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Friday - 9/23

Nachos
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Saturday - 9/14

Potato soup with ham, cheese & corn
Homemade yeast rolls

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Sunday - 9/25

Crockpot Parmesan Pork Roast
(I'm stilly DYING to make this recipe!)
Rice
Broccoli
Rolls and butter

*********************************************Happy Eating!!!

Tot School - A Little of This and That

2011-09-18T07:39:00.001-06:00

(Nudgie is 38 months old) (To see what others are doing at Tot School, click on the "Tot School" above!) **************************************
So, we're getting back into the swing of Tot School. I'm still trying to find the right schedule for us. Last week, it seemed like I ran errands every single day and didn't get much schooling done at all. This week, Mother Nature decided to be generous and grace us with a glimpse of cool, fall weather. So we spent a lot of time outside playing!

I did change out her Tot Trays this week, but we really didn't spend too much time on them -- we preferred being outside! So I'll keep the trays for the upcoming week.

We spent a lot of time outside playing with our number peg boards. I made these out of some scrap wood that I picked up for free at a garage sale. (Full post on this coming soon!)

We moved her little play kitchen outside and she had a blast cooking up a storm in her outdoor kitchen!

On the one day where it did rain, we stayed inside and baked some lemon blueberry tea bread to take to a coffee playdate, read books, colored and watched a little Sesame Street.

During Nudgie's nap time, I pulled out some foam sheets and shape stickers that I had and decided to make some pattern sheets for her to work on after nap time.

My stash

Pattern sheets

Working those fine motor skills by taking off the paper from the stickers

Trying to match mommy's patterns

Mine on the left and Nudgie's on the right

So, overall, it wasn't a really busy week, but we still had fun!! Hope everyone has a great week!

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Linking up with: No Time for Flashcards - Link and Learn

I've Been Featured!!!

2011-09-16T07:05:00.001-06:00

Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to an email I'm Bloggin' telling me that I'm the featured blog on her Flutter By Friday link-up! So exciting for me!!

So, if you're a new visitor - welcome!!! I hope you'll stay for a little while and browse around!

Just a little about me -- I'm a SAHM to one retarded German Shepherd, named Zoja and two beautiful little girls (Nani - 6 and Nudgie - 3) who keep me on my toes every single day! I'm a military wife of almost 16 years (next month) who married her high school sweetheart. I am a God-seeking woman who is desperately trying to rediscover her walk with God. I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and am a die-hard Steelers and Penguins fan. (And yes, I'm still a little bitter about that Super Bowl loss!) I have an addiction to craft supplies, school supplies, books, reality TV, thrift stores and Starbucks.

I called my blog The Toy Box Years for a couple reasons. One - I just LOVE this season of my life and two - there are always toys EVERYWHERE and I just feel like my home is one giant toy box!

So grab a cup of coffee, tea or whatever your poison is and stay awhile!

And don't forget to visit I'm Bloggin' while you're at it!!

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Wordless Wednesday - The Military

2011-09-14T04:00:00.002-06:00

What Does Perfect Look Like?

2011-09-13T07:21:00.000-06:00

This question was asked of me by "T" during our session yesterday morning. It's a question that has been looming on the horizon ever since I started seeing her in January -- and one that I finally had to confront.

I'm a perfectionist. It's all or nothing with me -- there's no in between. If it doesn't meet my standard of perfection, then it's a failure. (Now please keep in mind that this mind-set is just for me -- and it does not apply to my family or my kids. This is my own personal warped standard of thinking.....)

I also know -- that in my logical brain - that there is no such thing as perfection. Doing a good job? For sure. Perfection? Not so much. The only perfect thing in this world is God.

My head knows that. But it hasn't quite communicated that to my heart.

My heart tells me -- if my husband has to help me fold laundry and unload the dishwasher, then I'm a failure as a wife.

My heart tells me -- if I don't read to my kids at bedtime or have homemade cookies baked throughout the day or get down on the floor and play with them, or I lose my temper then I'm a failure as a mother.

My heart tells me -- if I don't drop everything to accomodate a friend's need or send that birthday card or give that birthday gift, then I'm a failure as a friend.

My heart tells me -- you're a failure.

So what does PERFECT look like -- according to my standards?

The Perfect Wife: Has a clean house for her husband. Has a meal waiting for him. Packs lunches for him. Is financially responsible. Gives in. Keeps him happy. Is organized and doesn't let anything fall through the cracks. Doesn't lose her temper or fight. Doesn't allow him to help around the house. Attends church regularly, prays every day, and does a regular bible study.

The Perfect Mother: Has activities planned for her kids. Has a schedule for schooling. Reads to her kids every single day. Bakes cookies. Makes lunches. Makes her home open and inviting for her children's friends. Doesn't discipline in anger. Doesn't park her kids in front of Sesame Street or Sprouts. Drops everything to play with her child when asked. Volunteers for everything.

The Perfect Friend: Drops everything to accomodate a friend's need -- especially if she has already done a favor for you. Sends birthday cards, gives a gift. Meets regularly to catch up. Encourages, loves, and prays for her friends. Is always there, no matter what.

Pretty warped sense of thinking, isn't it? But this is my reality. My vision of perfection. Again -- the head tells me that to be all those things all the time is unrealistic. My heart tells me that even if I do achieve that standart, it's still not enough. It still won't be perfect. I'll still find something wrong.

How many times have I heard:

"You are really a good person, with a good heart." - and I don't believe it.

"You did a great job on that craft, article, dinner." - and I will still find something wrong with it.

And if I get any criticism about anything?? Oh my word -- watch out. Because then I will do anything and everything to fix that problem and make sure that it IS right.

Needless to say -- I have a lot of work to do. I have to find a way to live in the Happy Medium....somewhere in between. Somewhere were it's ok to make mistakes and accept it. Somewhere where I can accept a compliment without having to say, "Yeah, but....." Somewhere where I can just accept myself for who I am......

Someday.......

Menu Monday - 9/12

2011-09-12T06:55:00.000-06:00

Menu Monday

Oh, oh....it's just another "Menu Monday"! Sorry......I just couldn't resist! (Can you name that song?)
So, here's our menu for the week of 9/12!

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Monday - 9/12

Stuffed peppers
Mashed potatoes

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Tuesday - 9/13

Parmesan pork roast

Rice

Broccoli

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Wednesday - 9/14

Chicken breasts in crockpot (2 envelopes of onion soup mix & 1 bottle catalina dressing)
Mashed potatoes
Green beans

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Thursday - 9/15

Sauteed shrimp and veggies over angel hair pasta
Salad

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Friday - 9/16

Tuna casserole
Peas

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Saturday - 9/17
Cevaps
(For more information on what Cevaps are and how to make them, click the link above)
Grilled potatoes
Salad

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Sunday - 9/18

Beef stew with potatoes and carrots
Rolls and butter

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Happy Eating!!!

End of the Week Thoughts

2011-09-09T21:16:00.001-06:00

A few random thoughts on a Friday night:

* Only My Marine would come up to me at 9pm on a Friday night to tell me that he needs a flight suit washed for tomorrow. Really?

* Why is it that on the one day that I really and truly need to get a ton of errands done, Nudgie decides to puke milk and oatmeal all over herself and her car seat? And that it has an uncanny way of finding it's way into every single nook and cranny of the car seat and the car itself.

* Someone needs to remind me again to close the family room window when the front yard sprinklers go on. And someone needs to remind a certain husband that he needs to readjust said sprinklers.

* I hate tennis. And I hate it even more when it pre-empts Dr. Phil. Don't judge me. It's my guilty pleasure and I'm not apologizing for it.

* I should also say that some of my other guilty pleasures are Bachelor Pad, Dance Moms, and any other reality show that doesn't require me to think about folding laundry, feeding the dog, or that I have children.

* Pumpkin Spice Latte with 2 pumps of White Mocha. That is all.

* This week, while teaching Nudgie that "M is for Mouse", we had an unplanned learning experience when the mouse that has taken up residence in our home decided to make an appearance as we were ironically reading "A House for Mouse". Imagine my delight (insert sarcasm here), when my daughter finally associated the letter M with Mouse, while squealing, "Awwwww.....so cute mommy......" And the dog just sat there and watched as it ran across her nose.

* My 6-yr. old first grader was ogled by a much older 5th grader at a recent back to school picnic. As we were sitting on a blanket, enjoying our picnic dinner. Two boys walked by, and did a double-take of my daughter. Did I mention that she's 6? The one boy elbowed the other, pointed to my daughter and said, "Wow....she's pretty." God help me!

I kept thinking - just keep on walking son....and eyes forward. I can see it now -- in about 12 years. Nani and her date sitting in the car in our driveway and her date asking her, "Is that your dad on the roof with night vision goggles" And sweet Nani will reply, "No, that's just Uncle So-and-So. My daddy's in the bushes with the sniper rifle."

The joys of being the daughter of a military dad!

So, how about you? Any random thoughts on a Friday night?

Wordless Wednesday - Fairy vs. Dragon

2011-09-07T04:00:00.001-06:00

Homemade Bubble Bath - FAIL!

2011-09-05T23:01:00.001-06:00

So, lately I've been on a kick of wanting to make my own household items. My first attempt at HHG (Homemade Household Goods) found me making my own laundry detergent - which surprisingly turned out very well. (Still working through my first batch to determine whether or not it is truly cost efficient.)

My most recent foray into "greener pastures" so to speak found me wanting to make my own bubble bath. I found quite a few recipes. The one I wanted to try first was found here. So, I followed the recipe to the letter -- and couldn't WAIT to try out my new recipe!

Homemade Bubble Bath:

16 ounce bottle of Unscented Liquid Castile Soap
2 ounces of Liquid Glycerin
Liquid Food Coloring (optional - and I opted NOT to use it)
15 drops Lavender Essential Oil
(I didn't have lavender, so I used the rose oil I already had, which I like better anyway!)
Container for storage (I had this squeeze bottle tucked away in my cleaning supply basket.)

Combine the above ingredients together in a container bottle big enough to allow for mixing. First add the liquid castile soap, then the drops of essential oil and lastly the glycerin. Mix well by shaking. If the mixture is too thick add a little water. (I found that it wasn't too thick, so I didn't add the water)

The recipe then goes on to say:

"The glycerin is important for two reasons. Your skin will feel soft and smooth after your bubble bath because it attracts water molecules helping to keep your skin moisturized. It's also what aids in the formation of bubbles. The key to long lasting bubbles is glycerin. You do want lots of bubbles don't you?"

Why yes! I do want to sink myself into a luxurious tub of bubbles that I created myself. I pictured myself moisturizing my skin while I allowed the intoxicating scent of roses whisk me away to my happy place. I just couldn't wait until the girls were in bed and I could start making those bubbles!

Turns out I would have to wait until my next run to Wal-Mart for my bubbles. Because I'm probably going to just BUY my bubble bath from now on.

The glycerin which was supposed to be the KEY to "long lasting bubbles" didn't do squat. That key was definitely broken. When I poured it into the water - under RUNNING water - it foamed up for a few seconds before fizzling away.

What started off as a potential tub of foamy bubbles ended up looking like someone poured a quart of milk into my tub.

Disappointed doesn't even BEGIN to describe how I felt seeing my glorious bubble bath dream swirl down the drain while the Mr. Bubbles bottle sat there on the edge of the tub mocking me....almost sneering with contempt as if to say, "See.....homemade isn't always the best. Now come back to the dark side of processed bubbles....."

But, in the end, it wasn't a total waste. While I never did get the promised bubbles, I did get a very nice body wash that works better than my standard bar of Ivory soap (left over from the detergent-making session....)

I'm not giving up on the homemade bubble bath just yet. I still have 1/2 a bottle of castille soap that I need to use -- and I'm determined to find that recipe for glorious bubbles!

So, how about you? Ever have an HHG project go awry?

Linking up with:

Tot School (38 months) --> Letter C and Circles

2011-09-04T19:58:00.010-06:00

(Nudgie is 38 months old) (To see what others are doing at Tot School, click on the "Tot School" above!) **************************************
FINALLY!! Back to school!! Nani started first grade last week and I held off one more week before starting with Nudgie. It's so nice to have our schedule back! I decided to start off with the letter C, circles and numbers.

I'm also still using Tot Trays for Nudgie for those free play moments as well. This week we used her color peg game, playdough, puzzles, and her toy ponies. The peg game and the playdough were a huge hit. The puzzles and ponies - not so much!

We've read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". To emphasize what we were reading, we created a caterpillar out of Nudgie's name and then I printed off printables to correspond with the story. As we read about what the caterpillar was eating, she'd glue that picture to the paper. (I loved that I had "grass" scrapbook paper to use!)

Also, in keeping with our "caterpillar" theme, I also cut up an egg carton and let her paint it. After it dried, we added some pipe cleaner for the antenna and glued a picture of her on the front. She really LOVED this!

We colored. And boy does this child LOVE coloring!! She's always got a handful of crayons!

We used our "dot markers"

We started "pre-writing" the letter C. I was so surprised at how well she did this -- and kept asking to do more!

We counted our numbers with beans and a caterpillar printable.

(Most of the worksheets shown were from Confessions of a Homeschooler)

We made a circle collage using circle scrapbook paper and circle foam stickers. I had Nudgie peel the stickers off herself. Great fine motor skill exercise!

The one day I remembered to take a picture of our snack - we had crackers, cheese, and carrots.

My Marine and I also thought that it was time to start Nudgie on some small responsibilities around the house. We had been giving her small chores to do before, but since Nani has a chore/behavior chart, we decided to make one for Nudgie too. To make it more appealing to her, I picked up some of those AWESOME Mickey Mouse ears paint chips from Home Depot. My Marine drew out some lines for me and I attached everything with velcro. Nudgie is very excited now to have her own chart!

And finally - mommy's favorite picture -- Nudgie showing off the "curl-your-tongue" gene that she inherited from daddy!!

So, overall, our first week was a pretty busy and fun-filled week! Hope everyone has a great week!

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Linking up with: No Time for Flashcards - Link and Learn

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2011-09-02T04:00:00.003-06:00

I've always wanted to try to make my own detergent. But every recipe I seemed just too complicated and was for a liquid detergent. I just didn't have the time or the space to make those recipes, so I did a Google search for "homemade powdered detergent" and came across a TON of easy and quick recipes!

The one I settled on only required 3 ingredients:

All three items were found at our base commissary - Washing Soda ($3), Borax ($3), Ivory Soap ($2)

I didn't want to use my own kitchen bowls, grater, etc., so I bought some at my corner Dollar Tree. These are dedicated crafting supplies now -- no worries about mixing the up with my kitchen stuff since they will be stored in my crafting area. (Total - $4)

Step 1: Grate 1 bar of Ivory Soap (I made a triple batch, so I used 3 bars) Put in bowl.

Step 2: Add 1 Cup each of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and Borax

Step 3: Stir until all ingredients are mixed and mixture looks crumbly. Store in airtight container. Use 1 Tbsp. for regular sized loads or 2 Tbsp. for larger loads.

**I don't recommend using this in a HE machine. When I Googled "HE Machines" all articles indicated that special detergent be used specifically for those machines.

I've been using this mixture for the past week and have noticed that our clothes are coming out cleaner and smell so good!! As I use it throughout the month, I'll be tracking to see if - in the end - it is more economical to make your own vs. store-bought.

Next up: homemade bubble bath!

Linking Up With:

September Goals

2011-09-01T05:52:00.000-06:00

I'm a big fan of lists and goals. I often times fall short, but I still love the security of having a To-Do list (ok, so it may be multiple to-do lists!)

I've been a big fan of MaryAnne over at Mama Smiles. She writes one of my favorite blogs and has this fabulous idea of setting monthly goals. I had been doing this for awhile, but then just stopped. Now that summer is over and I'm getting back into a routine, it's time to start back up with planning some monthly goals!

What I love most about her monthly goals is that she has 5 different areas to target - like peace, charity, gratitude - and her goals revolve around those. I just LOVE this concept! So, inspired by Mama Smiles, here are some of the areas I will focus on:

Health: Planning healthier meals for my family, getting more exercise.

Family: Planning family time, eating dinner together, keeping in touch with extended family.

Community: Spending time with friends, honoring volunteer committments.

Gratitude: Making time to focus on what we have and to be thankful.

Charity: Reaching out to others less fortunate, sharing what we have with others.

Faith: Attending church services, praying for others and my family, regular quiet time with God.

Creativity: Encourage my children (and myself) to indulge in our creative side.

Homemaking: Remember to try to keep my home peaceful, organized and a welcoming place for friends

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Goals for September:

Work on FRG (Family Readiness Group) commitments; Reach out to families, soldiers and spouses - Community

Have family time at dinner at least 3x a week (pending My Marine's schedule) and plan a date night with My Marine - Family

Start easing back into a workout routine and planning meals/menus - Health, Homemaking

Prayer time and reflection; Attend church services - Faith, Community, Family

Start to take the girls shopping for items for Toys for Tots and Operation Christmas Child donations - Gratitude, Charity, Family

Begin to make Christmas gifts for friends and family - Community, Family, Creativity

Keep my chaos at home organized, try to stay on track with chores and finances; Start listing new items on eBay; Set up reward system for the girls' chore charts - Homemaking, Family

So do you have goals for September? Come link them up with Mama Smiles!

Wordless Wednesday - The Many Faces of Nudgie

2011-08-31T04:00:00.001-06:00

Kool-Aid Playdough

2011-08-28T10:24:00.003-06:00

I've been wanting to make Kool-Aid playdough for quite awhile. I could only imagine how good it smells! So yesterday, I finally pulled out the Kool-Aid packets I've been hoarding and only after one trip to the grocery store because I ran out of salt, we had a rainbow-array of playdough!

And it's so easy to make!

What you need:

1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 Tbs. cream of tartar
1 packet unsweetened Kool-Aid
1 Tbs. oil
1 cup water

In a medium sauce pan, mix your dry ingredients (flour, salt, cream of tartar, Kool-Aid)

Then add your liquid ingredients and stir. (Side note: I used the lemonade mix for yellow and ended up having to add some yellow food coloring to brighten it up a bit.)

Continue to stir over medium heat until dough starts to form a ball

Once you get the ball, dump onto a clean surface and let cool for a minute or two. (While cooling, make sure you dance around the kitchen singing "Playdough! Playdough!" This is a very important, key step in making sure your playdough turns out suitable for little hands!)

Once cooled, knead a few times to make smooth. (Sorry, didn't get any pictures of this process. But I think you get the gist of it!) Once smooth, take a big sniff and swoon over how good this playdough really smells!

I picked up some tupperware containers at the Dollar Tree and they fit perfectly!

And play!!! What I love about this recipe is that it makes very soft playdough......very easy for little hands to squish and manipulate!

I Can't Live With The Fear - But It's Still My Reality

2011-08-27T12:25:00.000-06:00

I had an appointment with my therapist the Monday after we lost a great man from our Battalion when the Chinook helicopter he was co-piloting was shot down in Afghanistan. It was the first chance that I actually had to myself - to sit alone and process all that had happened and all that would happen in the coming weeks.

As we talked, "T" (I'll call her "T" for "Therapist") asked me if my fear level increased now that this has happened and knowing that I could be sending My Marine off in the next few months. I didn't even stop to think - I just told her, "I can't live in fear."

Even now, knowing that he flies at least twice a week, there is always a chance of an "incident". But I can't think about that every single day. There's a time and a place for it to come out. But in the meantime, while it's still there, it's usually buried deep, deep down.......until recent events over the past few weeks.

Before My Marine deploys, not only do we need to have a plan in place for things around the home, we also need to have a plan in place for "what if". I have to make sure that our wills are in place, that paperwork and insurance are in order, that his wishes are explicit. And as of this writing, I don't even know what those wishes are yet. I did joke, saying to him that I'll have to see if Van Halen is available to play his memorial service. His one friend and co-worker, said that he would have a bottle of Crown Royal ready and waiting as well. These are things that we laugh about -- but it's still my reality.

But there are things we don't laugh about -- like how do we handle notifying our family? If it's something that happens in combat, how do I handle flying out to bring him home? Do I want a memorial fund set up? This is also my reality.

And then there's the uniform. We have his uniform hanging in his closet. It's set with his ribbons. It's ready to be worn. Normally it would be worn for events and special occassions, but it's also a reminder to me that it's hanging there -- ready for the "what if?" I don't look at that green bag often. I try to hide it in the back of the closet behind gowns that I've worn to the balls. Out of sight, out of mind.

When we went to the memorial service for Mr. Carter, I felt so many emotions. My heart broke as I saw his wife and children walk behind his casket into the church. As I watched the slide show depiciting a husband, a father, a son, a friend, and a soldier. What amazed me the most was how his children and his wife all got up to speak. His wife spoke of losing the other half of her balanced scale, his son spoke of losing his best friend, and his daughter spoke of still always being a daddy's girl. I sat there in awe of their strength. I don't know if I could have the strength that they did to speak in front of so many people -- and still hold their emotions intact. What would I say?

But now, we're a week past the memorial. The grief is still fresh and the fear is still real. But living with it every single day is really no way to live. So I try to replace it with a new reality -- taking Nani to school, running mundane errands, keeping our home, playing with Nudgie, and building memories that they will have......

In case of what if......

What I Read This Summer

2011-08-26T06:42:00.000-06:00

So while I was on my blogging hiatus this summer, believe it or not, I actually read some books! Real books! Adult books! Books that didn't have pictures! It was a beautiful thing!

Here's a brief summary of what I read:

"She Makes It Look Easy" by Marybeth Whalen
Oh my goodness - I just LOVED this book! I read it in a weekend. Ariel and Justine become neighbors when Ariel moves into Justine's best friends home after she moves. Justine always seems to have to all together - the baking, the crafting, the matching outfits for her girls, the perfect husband. Ariel is real - disorganized at times, trying to run a home photography business, frustrated with her husband who always seems to be travelling for work. Ariel wants to BE Justine -- until things don't seem to add up. This book came to me at just the right time. If you ever thought that you could do better as a mom and that you always wanted to be "THAT mom", then you need to read this book. It is the epitome of "the grass is NOT always greener."

"The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs by Christina Hopkinson
I really wanted to like this book. I really wanted to FINISH this book. But I didn't. I couldn't. It started to grate on my nerves. Mary - the main character - is a working mom. She starts to keep a log of things that her husband does to annoy her. The summary on the inside of the dust jacket made it seem like this book was going to be quirky and funny, but after about the 4th chapter of her ranting on every single thing her husband did wrong, it started to become old. And it continued for page after page after page. Until I just couldn't stand it any more and gave up. I put the book in the Goodwill pile and moved on to.......

"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
If you haven't read the book yet or heard about the movie, then might I suggest that you click on the title and read about it at Amazon -- go ahead...I'll wait. This was by FAR, the best book I've read since "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood". I could NOT put it down and took it with me everywhere. Whenever I had a spare minute, I had the book open. Taking place in the 60s during the tumultuous times in the South, Stockett weaves a tale of three strong women - Skeeter, Abilene, and Minny - as they bond over writing a book about what it was like for black maids to work in white households. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that made me love this book so much - but I laughed, I cried, and I certainly would read it again. I even went to see the movie on opening night - and I was not disappointed. As with any movie adapted from a book, there was some creative license - a few things changed here and there, but overall, I believe the integrity of the book was maintained. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended!

"Now You See Her" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
I really enjoy James Patterson's books, particularly his Alex Cross series. But lately it seems like he's taken the road of Danielle Steel and Mary Higgins Clark and putting out what seems like a book every other month. I just finished reading "Now You See Her" about two days ago. It was the quick summer read that I needed so close on the heels of finishing "The Help". The plot is simple - girl changes identity and starts new life. The twists along the way are somewhat shallow and predictable, but overall it was an enjoyable book to read.

So what have you been reading this summer?

10 Things That Make Me Happy

2011-08-25T04:00:00.002-06:00

Over the summer, I recently stumbled across author, Marybeth Whalen's book, "She Makes It Look Easy" (review to come in a later post). I found her on Facebook and immediately became a fan. During the month of August, she challenged us on her page with a different question. Yesterday's question was to write down 10 things that make me happy and why. After thinking about it a bit, I thought this would be a good blog post for me to write -- and ease back into blogging after a summer hiatus!

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1) 'Nuff said. If you need an explanation, then you just need to leave my blog and go home. (Just kidding!)

2) Crafting

There's a lot of reasons that crafting makes me happy. I love seeing something in it's beginning stages and then seeing the end result - knowing that I was the one who created it. I love having that time, all to myself, when I'm in my own little world. It's my time, my escape, my therapy. Plus I just love giving away the stuff I've made!

3) Starbucks

Yes, it's expensive and adds up. And while I've cut back on my Starbucks addiction, there is just something about going through the drive-thru and picking up a cup of my favorite "crack in a cup" -- Grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte with 3 pumps of white mocha. (Try it sometime -- you'll LOVE it!)

4) Military Spouses

Over the summer I've had the privilege of forming new friendships with some other military wives, as well as strengthening relationships with friendships already in place. Whether it's just a message or two over Facebook or meeting for coffee or dinner and a movie, these relationships truly make me happy. I know that God placed these women into my life at the times that He did for a reason. I have much to learn from all of them and I am so blessed to have them in my life. I want nothing more than to give them the same love and support and encouragement that they have given me.

5) Zoja

My stupid, brain-damaged German Shepherd Zoja always gives me a reason to smile. Whether she's chasing her tail in endless circles, laying on her back in the grass trying to chew her paws, or just laying on the couch next to me in a curled up ball - she always makes me laugh. (Ok, except when she gets into the trash or pees on the floor when she thinks she's going to get yelled at.....)

6) Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is my home town. I'm a Steel-town girl born and bred. I love my city and I miss it terribly. I miss driving through the neighborhoods and seeing Black 'n' Gold hung EVERYWHERE! I miss Primanti's sandwiches. I miss Friday nights at the Serbian club and big nights at the Bulgarian club. I miss the Folk Festival. (Again - a post for another time). I miss Kennywood Park. I miss the Pittsburgh skyline. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it back home this summer -- and it broke my heart. But for the short time that we were planning it, my soul was just singing with the thought of going home again.

7) Music

Any kind of music makes me happy. I've recently been listening to a lot of worship music and have found that, at the right time, the right song comes on with a message that I need to hear the most. I also love some good ole' 80's rock. I'm a child of the 80's too, so you can still find the Scorpions, old Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Warrant, Def Leppard and many many more on my iPod. I also love some good dance music, a lot of recent hard rock, country -- and, oh heck -- just about the only kind of music I DON'T like is rap.

8) Books/Reading

Not only do I have an addiction to crafting and Starbucks. I also have an addiction to reading. I suppose it could be worse. I have books everywhere in my home. My girls always see me with a book or reading a magazine. I love reading and I love to read to my girls. I could spend hours browing the bookstore or the library, just building an even bigger list of books I want to read. At this rate, I'll need two more lifetimes!

9) Road Trips

I've always loved road trips. We didn't take many as a child, but in college, I was on the road almost every weekend. I love getting in the car and driving. Better yet, I love being DRIVEN. Then I can just pop in some good music, stare out the window and zone out. It's hypnotic watching the scenery just whiz by you over and over again. To me, it's a form a meditation....a way of getting deep into thought.....and a way of seeing God's beautiful creations.

10) Happiness

This may sound silly, but happiness makes me happy. Seeing my girls smile and hearing them laugh. Seeing My Marine happy. Friends and family happy. When they are happy, then I am happy. And if I contributed, even a little, to that happiness then it makes me all the more happier. Kind of makes me sound like a grinning village idiot, doesn't it? But who cares.....it's my list, so deal with it.....

So that's it. There's certainly more to add to that list -- like snow days, Christmas, snuggling with My Marine, a good sale, and much, much more. But these are the most important to me.

So, what's your 10?

Wordless Wednesday - Mourning

2011-08-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

I Have A First Grader!!

2011-08-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

It came just way too fast. My baby started First Grade yesterday.

Nani's been bouncing off the walls for about 2 weeks now. Couldn't wait to use her pink sparkly backpack. Couldn't wait to meet her new teacher. Couldn't wait to wear her new school clothes.

The day finally arrived and I wanted to make her first day special.

While ~~wasting a day sucked into Pinterest~~ browsing Pinterest one evening, I came across this fabulous idea for the "Back-To-School Fairy". Such a CUTE idea! I wrote the note with my left hand to make it look like a child wrote it. She's become quite the little writer over the summer, so as a gift, I got Nani a new journal and a pink pen to write all about her adventures in first grade.

For breakfast that morning, I made heart and teddy bear shaped pancakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries. I think she was pretty surprised, don't you?

Then we had to take our yearly first day picture in our front yard. There's a tree in our front yard and ever since Nani started preschool, we've taken her first day picture in front of that tree. This year was no different.

And there she goes...

And of course, Nudgie had to get ready for school too. She has her own little lunch bag (which was filled with a Barbie shoe, her stuffed doggie, and her play telephone). Sorry, little one -- I get to hold on to you one more year!

I didn't realize, until I was looking through the pictures last night, that My Marine caught this moment between me and Nani. I held back the tears (both then and when I saw this picture). I just didn't want to let her go. But Nani, so wise for her 6 years, said to me, "I know you're going to miss me mommy, but I have to go so I can learn."

Off she goes!! Not even a look back!

While she was at school, I baked some cookies for us to have as an after-school snack while she told us all about her day. It's something that I hope to keep up with, if not every day, then at least a couple days a week.

And so it begins.......every day, my baby takes another step away from me and out on her own. I'm so proud of the little girl that she's become and hope and pray for the woman that she will be.

Menu Monday - 8/22

2011-08-22T05:54:00.000-06:00

Menu Monday

Back to school today!! I'm not ready to have a first grader! I'm not ready to have my baby gone ALL.DAY.LONG! But I AM ready to have a schedule back!! And I AM ready for fall and cold weather cooking! But I'll have to wait just a little longer for that!
So, here's our menu for the week of 8/22!

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Monday - 8/22

Pork chops
Grilled potatoes
Cauliflower

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Tuesday - 8/23 (Night Flight for My Marine)

Grilled cheese with veggies and dip for the girls
Grilled crab salad for mommy

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Wednesday - 8/24 (Night Flight for My Marine)

Chicken nuggets, green beans, and fruit for the girls
Shrimp caesar salad for mommy

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Thursday - 8/25

Grilled chicken
Mashed potatoes
Honey-Glazed Carrots

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Friday - 8/26

Tilapia
Brown rice
Grilled veggies

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Saturday - 8/27

Wings
Veggies and dip

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Sunday - 8/28

Stuffed cabbage
Mashed potatoes

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Happy Eating!!!

Memorial Service in the Middle East

2011-08-17T07:23:00.001-06:00

We are coming up on two weeks since we've lost an honored member of our Battalion. This week is going to be the hardest, ending with the Memorial Service on Friday here in Colorado.

But our Battalion in Afghanistan mourned as well. They conducted their own ceremony - poignant and full of tradition in it's own way. One of the soldiers attending the memorial shared with us a glimpse of this service and I now share it with you. Please note 1) in keeping with OPSEC, some things have been blacked out and 2) this memorial was just for the aviation crew on board that Chinook.

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The crew of CH-47D 89-00175 call sign Extortion 17 were men that I was honored to have worked with here in Afghanistan. Just a few hours ago at 0630 this morning we were able to have a small memorial here on the FOB honoring them.

The ceremony was held at the XXXXXXX Headquarters Flag Pole. The flag stood at half mast as three staggered formations of solders were individually called ...to attention and then to parade rest. Around the sides of the small gathering stood a few hundred soldiers, all in their own micro formations. These small formations happened without any orders to do so. You see, every heart here was centered on giving every ounce of respect to these men whom they quite sincerely call brothers. Every bit of order and decency seemed to automatically happen without anyone choreographing it. Truly a beautiful sight to behold.

The three main formations consisted of the three companies of XXXXXX. In the middle and closest to the Flag was Bravo Company. It was from B Co that these hero's came from. B Co is made up of two National Guard units, one from Kansas and the other from Colorado. Both units lost their brothers on that fateful August 6th.

Directly in front of me was standing (at parade rest) a Staff Sergeant that was holding in his hand, behind his back, a rosary. Through the entire ceremony I noted him taking long drawn breaths and continuously and methodically moving his fingers over each bead in that rosary. I wish I was able to capture that on film as it was truly moving for me to see.

Amongst the micro formations surrounding the ceremony were formations of Czech Soldiers, Jordanian Soldiers and Afghan Soldiers. They too were all standing in properly arranged formations out of genuine respect.

The Ceremony began with the Chaplain giving a prayer and asking God to help heal the brokenhearted. It was a beautiful opening and already many in attendance were beginning to shed tears. Following his prayer the three main formations were called to attention. They then were called to render a salute with "Present Arms!" This salute was mirrored by every person in uniform in attendance, to include the Czech, Jordanians, and Afghans. It was held in place while our National Anthem was played. This is where MY tears began.

After the National Anthem was played the Task Force Commander gave a brief speech. He spoke about how these men spent their careers honoring every facet of the Army Values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. He gave examples of how each one of these men lived up to those values individually. They truly set the example in their daily lives and were indeed some of America's finest.

Following the Task Force Commander was B Co's Commander. Through a broken voice and tears streaming down his face he spoke of each of these men individually. Not just as solders, but as Fathers, sons, siblings, husbands, and to him personally.... friends. One such story he told was of the tattoo that CW4 Carter (the Co-pilot) had on his arm. It was a poem that said the following:

When I get to Heaven
To St. Peter I will tell
"Here I am reporting, sir!
I've spent my time in hell."

My heart crumbled when I heard those words, as I could honestly see him doing just that.

After B Co's Commander finished he was followed by five soldiers one at a time. Each one of them were the closest friends of each of the individual hero's. They shared stories of great times together, of how these men inspired them, and brought each of their unique personalities to brighten even the darkest of days. These stories were personal, so I am not going to share them here. They were meant for the friends and brothers in arms that served with these guys.

After these men shared their personal stories of their friends, no, BROTHERS, the Chaplain returned to give a brief sermon out of Psalms 62. Encouraging the soldiers there to seek strength from God, from each other, and from their families. The fight here is long from over.

Next was, and always is the most powerfully moving part of any Military Memorial for me personally. The roll call then 21 gun salute and the playing of taps.

For those of you that have never attended a Military Memorial the Roll Call is a tradition that goes way back to our beginning as an Army. You see, every day when you have the first formation of the day, it is for accountability. It's how NCO's and Commanders ensure they have all their guys accounted for. The Roll Call at a memorial service is conducted by an Officer or NCO calling out the names of their men. When the names are called Soldiers respond with "HERE Sergeant!!" When the NCO gets to the name of one of their soldiers lost, they wait for a response. Silence never sounds so loud or feels so heavy in that moment. They repeat the Soldiers rank, first name, and last name, and wait.....again.....silence.

They then call out the soldiers rank, first name, middle initial, and last name one last time, as everybody longs to hear that "HERE Sergeant!". It never comes.

In that last moment of silence you faintly hear in the rear a NCO say "Ready, Fire." BANG! "Ready, Fire." BANG! "Ready, Fire." BANG! Then the bugle begins playing taps.

I will freely admit by the time the Roll Call has begun, my eyes are misty. When that first volley of of the 21 Gun Salute sounds off I jump hard. Every time. I know it's coming but it still hits me like a ton of bricks. That is when the tears freely fall from my eyes. Taps has to be the most painfully moving sound for me to hear. It seems to never end as the litany of faces of friends and comrades I have lost appear in my minds eye one, by one, by one.

Never Forgotten my brothers, never forgotten.

Immediately after Taps a beautiful thing happens that is uniquely Aviation. Four Helicopters flying in diamond formation conduct a fly over. This was done with an Apache flanked by two Blackhawks, and followed by a Chinook. When the formation got directly overhead the Chinook broke hard high and to the right. This symbolizes the accent into the heavens as it leaves the rest of it's formation. Stunning, moving, powerful, beautiful.

The next was the leaders of each of the military's present stepping up to the display in the picture posted and rendering their honors with a salute, a gift, and a moment of silence, before turning and paying respect to the close friends that spoke earlier in the ceremony. That concludes the official ceremony.

Still, the soldiers of XXXXXX are not finished. They form a line and one by one go up to the display and render their own personal respects.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother!"

My friends of the Campfire, allow me to present my brothers in arms who gave their lives in duty so that we me may cherish the very freedoms we enjoy every day.

CW2 Brian Nichols - Pilot in Command.
CW4 David R. Carter - Pilot
SGT. Patrick "Hamby" Hamburger - Flight Engineer
SPC Alexander Bennet - Flight Engineer
SPC Spencer "Dunk" Duncan - Crew Chief

May They Rest in Eternal Peace.

To Lose One Of Our Own......

2011-08-09T14:16:00.000-06:00

You've probably noticed that I haven't been blogging much this summer - combination of heat, visiting relatives, and just sheer laziness. But recent events have compelled me to write. Writing is therapeutic for me and I'm processing a lot right now.

As many of you have seen or heard on the news recently, there was an air combat incident in which a Chinook helicopter was shot down. Our Battalion received notification on Saturday, August 6th that one of the casualties on board that helicopter was one of our own. CW4 Dave Carter was the co-pilot of that aircraft and bravely & heroically gave his all doing what he loved the best.

Also on that aircraft were CW2 Nichols, SGT Pat Hamburger, SPC Duncan, and SPC Bennett.

The day started off as any other - My Marine heading in to the base for another day of drill and me getting ready to play Cinderella at the Aviation Ball which was to be held that night. I saw the coverage on the news and immediately called a good friend of mine who's husband was over there and flies on those helicopters. I heard back from her right away that she had heard from him and that he was ok. Nothing more. I breathed a sigh of relief thinking we were out of the woods -- but we weren't.

At the Ball that night, we were mingling and socializing during the cocktail hour. Something just didn't feel right to me. The mood was just.....off. I saw the Chaplain and as we talked, all he could say was "wait for the Commander's announcement" all the while looking at me in the eye. It was then that I knew something was terribly wrong. Our fears were confirmed when the First Sergeant of our company pulled me aside to inform me that we lost Dave in that incident. His next words to me were "hold it together". The rest of the night was a blur - gone in a fog of:

Having to tell my husband that a respected colleague and friend of his was gone
Watching as word started to spread like wildfire and seeing the faces of those wives who's husbands are over there collapse in tears. Offering my support - giving out hugs, tissues, whatever was needed to help them get through.
Having to sit through the ceremony honoring our MIA and KIA soldiers - knowing the meaning was even more bittersweet that night.
Hearing the Battalion Commander break the news to all of us -- that as a family, we lost a brother, colleague, and dear friend.

But we all still came together as a family to celebrate his life, to toast his memory and pledge our support to his wife and his children.

I have never felt so proud to be a part of the Army as I did Saturday night. We are truly a family. And yes, like any family, there are "aunts" and "uncles" and "cousins" that we may not like or agree with. There's always some "black sheep" in the family. And, yes, there are even favorites. But when it comes down to it, we are still a family.

And we are grieving the loss of a brother. God bless and fly with the angels Dave. You will be greatly missed by your Army family.

Is It August Already?

2011-08-01T06:05:00.000-06:00

Can someone please tell me where the summer went?

Last night I turned my calendar over to August and practically cried because my baby only has 3 more weeks of summer vacation before she starts FIRST GRADE!

Where has the summer gone? I didn't do nearly all the fun things I had planned. It's just been an "OK" summer here. Chalk it up to a combination of My Marine being gone all summer long and this stupid heat that has just been sucking the life out of me. I haven't really blogged all summer. My Facebook time has been limited. And to be honest -- I haven't missed it. I had no desire to write. It was just another thing on my to-do list.

Anyway, back to the fact that time is just slipping away in a blink of an eye. I hate my calendar. It's a reminder to me that my baby girl is growing up. But I still have 3 weeks left. 3 weeks where I can still make sure my girls have a fun summer. 3 weeks where hopefully My Marine will be home for a few days so that he can enjoy some of these summer days with our girls.

Now I'm off to reheat my coffee and see what the day will bring!

Menu Monday - 7/25

2011-07-25T05:00:00.013-06:00

Menu Monday

I haven't written for awhile - nor have I shared my menu plan for awhile either. I think it's a combination of the heat and summer vacation that has contributed to my lack of interest in being on the computer these past few weeks. But now I'm finding that I miss it. I miss reading your blogs and commenting. So I figured a good place to start back up was with sharing my menu plan again!

So, here's our menu for the week of 7/25!

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Monday - 7/25

Beef roast (in the crockpot)
Corn on the cob

Mashed potatoes

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Tuesday - 7/26

Stuffed chicken cordon bleu
Potato wedges
Grilled cauliflower

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Wednesday - 7/27

Pasta
Salad
Garlic Bread

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Thursday - 7/28

Grilled chicken
Mashed potatoes
Honey-Glazed Carrots

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Friday - 7/29

Tilapia
Brown rice
Grilled veggies

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Saturday - 7/30

Dinner out - Daddy's Last Night

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Sunday - 7/31

Grilled cheese

Veggies and dip

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Happy Eating!!!

4th of July Recap

2011-07-07T07:59:00.001-06:00

I haven't been posting much over the past few days or so. Starting with the week before the 4th it's been non-stop crazy with Nani's VBS, my conference in Vail and My Marine's homecoming.

My Marine finally came home the Wednesday before the big holiday weekend. The girls were thrilled to see him. And while I will say that it's true that absence does make the heart grow fonder. The minute I saw him come up that airport escalator, it took all self-control not to launch myself into his arms. FINALLY!!! He can start to to cut the damn grass and fix those f-ing sprinklers himself!!! But the biggest surprise was this:

Yep....he came home with a goatee. Now I have to say that we all have our quirks when it comes to our men. But, mmmm....mmmmm....do I love a man with a goatee! Too bad I only had about 18 hours to enjoy the said goatee before he had to shave it off before going back to work at the base the next day. (Insert very sad mommy face here.....)

Anyway.....with My Marine's homecoming, we decided to sequester ourselves over the weekend. No big travel plans, no big BBQ's.....just us together as a family.

We kicked off our holiday with a visit to the bookstore where I got this:

Yes, I'm a Little House on the Prairie junkie -- what of it?

We capped off the night with dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings where I have to say my new addiction is the wings with the salt & vinegar rub. YUM!

On Friday, I was allowed a WHOLE morning to myself! Just me and Mr. Starbucks! I wanted to get a mani/pedi, but when I walked into my salon - which normally is completely empty - I was greeted with a wedding party of 12 waiting to get their nails done up in red, white, and blue. Cute for them, bummer for me. So instead, I headed to Old Navy and scored big on their sales.

The rest of the weekend went something like this: make breakfast, have coffee, do something around the house, run through sprinklers, watch movies, swim in the pool, drink a couple beers, eat some watermelon, go the reservoir, dig sand out of nether regions, get eaten by mosquitos, and watch fireworks.

We didn't take too many pictures this weekend, but here are a few:

Nani twirling her umbrella during the rainstorm we had.

Nudgie in the pool. I could just SQUEEZE those cheeks. Oh yeah - I already do!

Nani in her inner tube. I hate that she gets so tan in just a few minutes!

Nudgie eating up the blackberry compote I made for dessert. She's wearing more of it than she ate.
And just look at those cute little toes. Nom! Nom! Nom!

Nani showing off her very loose, very front tooth.
She's got this adorable gap in the front and is afraid to eat anything that isn't pureed.
I'm SO not ready for the loss of the front teeth!!!

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Vail

2011-07-06T06:59:00.000-06:00

God Whispers

2011-06-26T04:00:00.001-06:00

Originally posted October 2010

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I've been struggling with my faith. It's a struggle that I've been battling for quite a long time now.

I grew up in a Catholic household where I HAD to go to church every Sunday - whether I wanted to or not. I went to a Catholic college...but during those college years, the church-going wasn't so important to me.

I got married and moved away.....and my faith slid down the the priority list and my church-going days were non-existent.

I had some hard years in my personal life and my marriage - and then my husband deployed to Iraq.....and while I still did not go to church, I prayed. I prayed for God to help me with my struggles. I prayed to God to keep my husband safe. I prayed that God heard my prayers. I had doubts. Why would God listen to my prayers? Why would God want to help me? I haven't been that faithful. I doubted Him and His existence. I haven't been to church. Why would I even bother to pray when so many others suffer and are in need of His prayers and help?

Over the past year and a half, something started to stir within me. I had a longing for something more...and for that I have to thank my MOPS group. Because of MOPS, that longing to have a new relationship with God was planted as a tiny seed within me. I may not have gone to church every week, but by attending MOPS, I was still feeling God's love and hearing His message. It was a good start for me.

I wanted to intensify my walk with God. I began to search for a church. I began to have conversations with God -- mostly at night when I would feel at my lowest. I began to pray again. It may not have been on a regular, daily basis...but I had to start somewhere. I started listening to inspirational music. I thought that by starting to do all of these things, I would feel that proverbial "lightening bolt" that would acknowledge God's presence in my life. I expected to hear God's voice. To have this moment of great spiritual awakening -- that "A-Ha!" moment. It never came in the way that I expected.

Two weekends ago, I attended the Women of Faith conference here in Denver. I was pretty excited to hear some of the speakers and was hoping that I would come away with some small message. But, what I came away with was so much more.

I realized that God has been speaking to me all along....I was just too wrapped up in waiting for that "lightening bolt" that I just didn't listen. It wasn't the bolt of lightening -- it was the small whispers, the smallest things. It wasn't God's booming voice saying to me, "I am here!". It was God's small whisper saying "Be still and know that I am here and that I accept you where you are right now"

It was God's subtle whispering when My Marine didn't have to attend a work-related class a couple of states away. I was stressing over how we would find the money to send him -- especially after draining our savings account for unexpected car repairs. God whispered and My Marine didn't have to go.

It was God's subtle whispering that kept us safe during our recent trip to Portland. While we passed 4 tractor trailer accidents (all going the opposite way of our travels), our car did slip and slide a few times. God whispered and tightened our grip on the steering wheel to keep control of our car.

It was God's subtle whispering that led me to listen to more inspirational music. God has given me a love of music....all types of music. And God has chosen to use that love to get His message across to me. He whispered "You may not hear my words spoken, but you will hear my words & my message through song". God whispered beautiful songs & lyrics into my ear...and I listen and sing along.

I'm learning as I go. Some things are still a little uncomfortable for me...but I take that as a sign that it's something that I need to "be still" about and try to listen to what God is whispering in my ear. He is making me uncomfortable for a reason....there is something that I need to learn from my discomfort. I don't think that I'll ever be a "Prayer Warrior" quoting scripture so easily from the top of my head. Heck -- I can't even remember where I put my bible!

But I do know that when I DO find my bible, I will be putting in some inspirational music and letting it fall open to whatever message God will be whispering to me at that moment.

My Husband, My Hero

2011-06-24T11:55:00.000-06:00

Originally posted May 2009

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You know, since I've started this blog (all of two weeks now), I've written about my Toy Box Creators and my highlights and shortcomings of being a wife and mom. But today, I think it's high time that you meet my husband. I have written about him - but only as a laugh-track (See "The Meat Man Cometh" post and my post about his snoring!) And before you all really judge him based on those two things, I have to tell you honestly, though -- he ROCKS!

My husband has been in the military for 15 years - 6 years active duty Marine Corps and 9 years Army National Guard. (And just so you know, he will always still be a Marine to me!) I knew what I was getting into when I married him. I knew that our life would not be "typical". I knew that my stress level and worry level would be at a permanent high until the day he retires (if he retires!) Everyone tells me that I'm so strong for being a military wife and they "appreciate the sacrifices I make." But you know, I'm not the only one who makes a sacrifice. My Marine has made plenty of sacrifices over the past 15 years.

When our first daughter was just 4 weeks old, he had to leave her to move cross-country to Colorado to start with a new unit. (We were stationed in Virginia at the time). She was 5 months old before he got to see her again. Then he left again for his first deployment when she was only 8 months old. He returned a month before her 2nd birthday. He missed a lot - first tooth, first steps, first words. He missed her first case of chicken pox, her first petting zoo, and he missed her first birthday.

He's missed vacations, birthdays and more. He's missed our 1st anniversary, our 5th anniversary, and our 10th anniversary. He missed the Steelers in the Superbowl. He's missed many friends' weddings -- including his best friend and my brother's.

In spite of all that, he loves his job. I know that to him, there is nothing more thrilling than soaring through the air in that helicopter and serving his country. He loves being a Blackhawk crewchief, he loves getting his hands dirty turning those wrenches, he loves soaring so high in the sky - legs hanging out of the aircraft. I've had the pleasure of having over 5 helicopter rides on the Blackhawk, and I can honestly say that I can understand the thrill. It's one of the most freeing experiences I've ever had.

If you can't tell, though - I'm very proud of My Marine. He's certainly made a name for himself and takes so much pride in what he does. I'm proud of him for leaving his family behind to serve his country in a far off war. I'm proud of him for taking pride in his job. Others fly safely because of what he does. I'm proud of him for taking his life into his hands every single day and not thinking twice about it. And I'm proud of him for looking oh so very fine in his uniform!! (Mmmm....mmmmm......I love me a man in uniform!!)

Sorry....I had to take a minute to fan myself........

And here are a couple more pictures....

So, the next time you see a man in uniform, please be sure to give your thanks for what he does and the sacrifices he makes. (And if you have a thing for a man in uniform, be sure to wipe the drool off your face first!)