Our dryer broke

UGGG, did I tell you my hero is coming home today? Have I told you he is only home a couple weeks (more or less)? Did I tell you that yesterday morning my dryer stopped working?
So I called a repairman. He came yesterday afternoon. He pushed the start button and guess what? It worked as if nothing was wrong. So he left. I had my daughter load the dryer and turn it on. As soon as it came on I heard that squeal. It had been squealing for some time. So the man came back. This time it did not start. After taking it apart we found out it needs three parts. One is a pretty big one.
So I guess in the shorter time period he is home we will be dryer shopping. The repairman is going to call me today with the cost of the parts.
What bugs me is that this dryer is only about 5 years old. I know we are out of warranty. UGG! This is crazy.
Let me just say my hero is going to be thrilled to come home and replace the dryer. Oh did I tell you the glass fell out of our entertainment stand. So he can fix that too.
I am just curious does everything fall apart right before your hero comes home or visitors arrive?
Pamela

Pray For me Monday

JAMES 5:16
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so
that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and
effective." (NIV) 

PSALMS 116:2
"Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (NKJV) 

Welcome to this weeks Pray For Me Mondays with Home Grown Families and Pamela from Troop Petrie.  We are so excited to be working together on this journey!

Basically, PFMM will work like this:

• Pamela and I will write posts on relevant topics and post


• You can link up your own post, comment or e-mail us your prayer requests


• We'll pray for you and hopefully others will, too

Pamela {the married one} says:

Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” 

Rest. Do you want rest? Do you miss feeling rested? Do you wonder if you
will ever feel rested? Let me be honest and say I have been tired for a
very long time. I try to deny it but reality is it is getting worse.

I
do not just mean I am tired and need a nap. There are days that by mid
day my eyes burn from exhaustion. I now yawn all the time. My mother
thinks she bores me when we are talking because I constantly am yawning.

I have not admitted how tired I am because I thought it had something to
do with having children and extra weight. I did not want to admit that I
was tired or struggling because it made me feel like a failure.

Well my daughter called me on the carpet (where did I learn that phrase?)
this week. I took her in for a physical and at one point I got my words
jumbled. Something that has happened a lot recently. Hope looked at
the doctor and said “my mom does not even know our names anymore and
well she is tired all the time”.  I guess I have not been hiding it from
my kids as well as I thought.

Needless to say that although we went in
for Hope we left with 2 new appointments for me.
I need to be honest and say I do believe part of my problem is I have
forgotten where my refuge is. I have been quick to turn to others and
have stopped doing my morning devotions. I guess forgotten is the wrong
word, I have not forgotten but I have not been good at turning to Him.

This week my prayer is that we will all take the time we need to find
refuge in the word, to not forget to pray for our needs. Even if we do
not think we are worthy of them. For me I often do not ask to feel
rested because I feel like it is my fault I feel tired. I pray that you
(and I) will find the time to rest. Rather it is to read a book, write
in a journal or have the thought to pray. Sometimes I feel like when I
am praying I get so distracted. This week I am determined to pray, to
really pray and if my brain will not let me pray then I will write my
prayer.

Exodus 33:14
“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

 

How to get away with your spouse

How to plan a night away with your hero.
1. Write on your blog you would like a night away.
2. Friend one says reads it and says you plan the hotel and she will keep the kids.
3. You think oh, this could work and get excited.
4. Call friend 2 to ask if she would help and keep the kids Friday afternoon and evening so friend 2 will only have to sleep over
5. Have that arranged, call friend 3 to ask if she could keep on Saturday. She says she is not available, so back to square one. Although friend 1 said she would do it the whole time you do not have the guts to let her.
6. Friend 4 puts on facebook: she is looking for a part time job, so you facebook her instantly and asks if she would be interested.
7. Friend 4 says it sounds great and you get excited.
8. Now you think to e-mail your husband who is away and ask if he would be interested, probably should have done that first.
9. Husband says yes but does not know if he can get time off work. You think hmmmmmm, if he cannot go maybe you will just go alone
10. You almost cry thinking maybe it will not work out.
11. Then you look on line for hours for the perfect hotel room in case you get to go.
12. Find hotel, reserve hotel.
13. Start making list for sitter. Wonder what you can do to make the weekend easier for the sitter.
14. And finally you think daily about it and count the days until it can happen.

Doesn’t that sound rather dramatic? So excited at the thought of having a night away with my hero. So grateful for friends who are willing to help out to make it possible.
I will update you on what happens next soon.
Pamela

Give me your best shot

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

This is my story. Boy meets girl, girl falls head over heels in love and boy marries girl and then they are allowed to do smooch and when girl is distracted man wrestles girl to the ground and smooches her.
Pamela

Homeschool mother's Journal

In my life this week…I planned a weekend get away for my soldier and myself.
In our homeschool this week…we put a egg in vinegar to watch the shell disappear.
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…do not be afraid to ask for help. Do not be afraid to admit when your child is struggling because you never know when someone else may have just what you need to help.
I am inspired by…my hero who has spent this week in training as he prepares for deployment, being cold and wet most of the time.
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…to myrtle beach with my hero so we can talk about what we want for our children over the next year so we can bond as a couple.
My favorite thing this week was…hearing this baby boy scream GO, every new word brings excitement to me.
What’s working/not working for us…having my daughter read to me after everyone else is asleep because it makes her feel special and gives me time alone with her.
Questions/thoughts I have…do you have a late reader, do you know why? How did you not get discouraged by it.
Things I’m working on…I have two fleece blankets I am ready to make and have not had time to make.
I’m reading…nothing right now. Every time I set down to read I get distracted and read the same page over and over.
I’m cooking…fried cookie dough, basicly wrap cookie dough in egg roll shells and fry
I’m grateful for…my children, they are a gift I will never take for granted.
I’m praying for…my friend, she has seizures and her family has the stomach bug including her. This means she is not able to keep meds down.
A photo, video, link, or quote to share…


Pamela

Fill in the blank Friday

This week’s statements:
1. Nothing is better than._a freezing can of mountain dew on a hot dog or early in the morning.___
2. I _always leave laundry in __my _chair__ in _the livingroom__but never __love the way it looks_._
3. Those _dog____ that are always __in there yard with a invisible fence___ make me want to ___scream and run in fear.________
4. My favorite __time of day_______________ is when ___i have a child snuggled in my arms or when they are all eating lunch and giggling about something_______________________.
Pamela

5 Question Friday

1. Do you swim in the winter? If we had a good indoor pool I would. I think the kids would love it. Actually next month my husband and I are going away and I cannot wait to swim. I guess swim is not the word for what I do. I cannot wait to float in the pool

2. Do you love or hate winter? If I do not have to leave my house then I love ten feet of snow (not that I have ever seen that). But I dislike when it is cold for no reason. Right now it is 65 degrees in January. I cannot believe it.

3. Do you put makeup/actual clothes on when you know you're going to be home all day with just family? I do put on clothes but not leaving the house clothes. If I did not babysit you would probably never see me out of my pajamas.

4. How old were you when you had your first alcoholic beverage? Umm, had a sip (or less) in high school and have never had any since. Oh wait, I had a drink about 14 years ago.

5. How many ill calls in a 12 month period do you think are acceptable? As in prank calls, ZERO. As in calling in sick, I guess that it depends upon how many sick days you have. I know I am messing up this question.

Pamela

Letter to my Hero

Dear Hero,
It has been a couple of crazy, busy crazy days. There are days I wish we had a video crew following us because we could surely make money.
Friday night I watched Courageous with the kids. I said no electronics while we watched it. Grace cried through the whole movie. I love her heart. I cried through a lot of it even though I had seen it. I cannot wait for you to see it. I am really wishing we had someone we could leave the kids with over night or someone to stay at the house while we went away for the night. Can you imagine a night in a hotel, ordering room service and watching a movie and then sleeping in. oh that sounds amazing.
Saturday we stayed home and did not do a lot. Well that is not totally true. By 9am we had the whole house straightened up and I made eggs, sausage and biscuits. I tried to make gravy but it did not turn out. I did make Hope a skirt. Which was not fun; since I have no ironing board but that is a story for another day?

Sunday was a day to remember. First I realized I forgot the babies’ cup so we stopped at Wal-mart to pick up one. I also picked up Vitamin water because it was by the register. Did I tell you I have completely moved him to straw cups and that I no longer give him one at nap or bedtime. It is amazing how few diapers I change now.
So we get to church and within a 15 minutes Michael came in and said that the battery in the van had died. Cody charged it after church. This was a awesome reminder that when someone says they will help while your soldier is gone that they will.
During the service (right as everyone was shaking hands and walks into the foyer) the nursery workers came to get me. I wish I would have taken a picture of this. They literally put James in a Rubbermaid container and two workers carried it into the bathroom. They had one hand on him and one hand on the bucket. He was standing up and had bowel all the way up his back. Of course it felt like half the church saw him. I do not know if it was the vitamin water or just something that happened. He has not had any problems since.
After church we went back to wal-mart and bought Hope a pair of tennis shoes. I know this does not sound like me but I almost did not buy them because they looked very generic to me and I did not like them. I know that sounds weird coming from me.
I stopped by auto zone and they said the battery is fine. They did suggest we go ahead and have a second one installed.
We came home and went to bed. Everyone laid down or was at least quiet.
Last night we went to AWANA. The kids had fun. Hope has to have the best teacher in the entire world. He has been so patient with her. We only have two more financial classes left. I forgot to tell you I went on Dave Ramsey’s site and ordered us a new wallet book. I have really torn this one up. The one I ordered has plastic pages so I am hoping they do not tear as easily. When I picked up James they had all the toddlers lined up on the wall and the teacher would say 1, 2, 3 and James would scream GO and take off running. I was so excited. I had not heard him say go before.
We came home and went straight to bed, everyone was ready for bed.
I have so much more to tell you but I will wait. I do not want to over whelm you.
Love,
Pamela

OJ Facial

Mama M
was talking about doing a orange juice and baking soda facial. I thought it sounded fun so I ran out and bought OJ and then the kids drank it. So I bought another thing of OJ and they almost drank it all before I caught them. So I poured about 3 tablespoons in a bowl and then poured in enough baking soda until it made a paste. I put it on and let it set while putting it on the girls. Then wiped it off. I have to say this morning my face actually felt softer. I will definitely be doing this again.
Pamela

Pray For me Monday

JAMES 5:16
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so
that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and
effective." (NIV) 

PSALMS 116:2
"Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (NKJV) 

Welcome to this weeks Pray For Me Mondays with Home Grown Families and Pamela from Troop Petrie.  We are so excited to be working together on this journey!

Basically, PFMM will work like this:

• Pamela and I will write posts on relevant topics and post


• You can link up your own post, comment or e-mail us your prayer requests


• We'll pray for you and hopefully others will, too

Tiffany {the single one} says:




I am so glad that Pamela write about encouragement this week.  {I usually let Pam decide what we talk about and just follow her lead.}  




Encouragement is something with which I struggle.  In this valley of my life, I could really use it.  From women that really mean it.




I always wished I was someone that had that group of gf's that really stick with you.  The ones that go out to dinner periodically and are there for each other.  The one's that hug you when you're down and catch you when you're falling.




However, at this point in my life, my kids consume me.  I've said before that I don't go anywhere or do anything~ and it's true.  




I do have gf's though, that are there for me; I don't want to discount them.  It's just that we're all so bust struggling with our own lives.  We have small kids, husbands that are transferred, live states apart, etc.  




Just remember to encourage each other as much as you can.  You never know who really needs to hear it.




Make a goal to reach out to one person this week.  Really reach out~ go out of your way to encourage someone else.  






Let me know how it goes.




Pamela {the married one} says:

This morning our chaplain spoke on encouraging one another. It touched me. I have to admit that I sometimes forget to encourage others. I make comments without thinking about it. But I am not intentional about lifting up and encouraging those I know need it. 

As I type this I can think of someone who I know could use encouragement and yet every time I see her I do not give it. 

In the NIV of the Bible it says
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. 

This week I want to encourage you, encourage you to not give up. Even when you are tired, even when you feel alone, even when your marriage is struggling or your children are struggling. I want to remind you that we serve a strong God who knows what is going on even when you think no one knows. 

I want to encourage you to keep showing your children God’s word. When you think you can do no more, then take it to God and ask him to show you how to do more.

I would love to hear how you found time to encourage someone this week. Maybe we can hold each other accountable. 

This week I have a prayer request that I do not know how to explain. On 10-31-11 our dog of 10 years passed away suddenly. Just 2 days later my hero brought home a 5 week old puppy. I asked him not to get a puppy but he thought it was for the best. Over the last 2.5 months I have dealt with her biting on everything and tearing things up, I have been the one to potty train. Those first few nights when I was so angry she was around she decided that she would only sleep if she was in my hair. Honestly, I have grown to love her. 

Over the last few days she has nipped 2 of my children. I cannot decide what this means. Is she just being a puppy or is this signs of aggression? I do not know how to handle this. I am calling the Vet first thing in the morning to ask for help. She has not been old enough for puppy training classes.

Please pray that we will know what to do and how to do it. She weighed 3.4 pounds when we got her and she now weighs 22 pounds. She is a Deutsch Sheppard and we are told she will be about 60-70 pounds. My hero is away at training right now so communication is almost non-existent. She plays constantly with my kids and normally the baby can steal her food right out of her bowl. She is very smart and has learned to lay and sit and stay. 

Thank you for your prayers.

Fill in the blank Friday

1. I used to enjoy _waking up early and having quiet time____ but now I don’t really anymore except for when I_have actually been able to sleep through the night and feel rested. ___
2. My first job was _babysitting and then I worked in a drug store. _____
3. I am a bit obsessed with _my children and making them feel loved and safe____ at the moment
4. If I don’t have my __fan blowing on me___ at night, I don’t sleep well
Pamela

5 Question Friday

1. Where do you hide the reeeally good snacks? I grew up babysitting for a couple that had a mini fridge in there room. I thought that was crazy, now we debate getting one all the time. I keep them in my spice cabinet hidden behind the packages or in a cookie jar on top of my fridge or I make it look like the package has not been opened and leave them in the cabinet.

2.Do u keep your vehicle clean or am I the only one who has things falling out of their van? This was my question and let me tell you I have the dirtiest vehicle you can imagine. It is embarrassing how dirty it is and it seems like we are constantly cleaning it out.

3. Have you ever been to Vegas? No, but I would not mind going, not for the gambling but for the shows. I would love to go with my hero.

4. Warm room light blankets or cold room warm snuggly blanket? Cold freezing room with a ton of warm quilts on top of me.

5. What is the worst airplane/flying experience you've ever had? Maybe flying back to Germany after my brother passed away knowing I would not see my family for a couple of years with a newly crawling baby. Seemed to last forever.
Pamela

Make a joyful noise

Psalms 100
1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Do you ever long for a talent you do not have? I have always wanted to be able to sing. I love to sing. I sing all the time. Except when other people are around. I have this memory of my dear friend asking me not to stand next to her in choir as a child because my singing was so bad.
I have heard myself sing and let me tell you it is not a pretty noise. I complain that I cannot sing and do not understand why I cannot sing. Not only can I not sing but I cannot remember the words to any song. So I often sing like this: twinkle twinkle, little star lalalalalalala. Because, I cannot remember the words. Drives my hero batty.
I think about my inability to sing all the time. I worry when I am at church that I am annoying people because I know I not only cannot sing but I also mess up the words.
Tonight the reality hit me. I may not be able to sing in a voice that you enjoy hearing but I have six precious blessings who do not mind. Today a precious child fell and bonked his head. As I rocked him and sang to him I watched him relax and when I stopped singing he looked at me in a way I knew meant he wanted me to continue singing. So from now on I will stop complaining about my horrible voice and be grateful that God gave me a voice just for me. A voice that brings comfort to my children. A voice my hero longs to hear when he is not home. Sometimes we are given the gifts we do not want and just do not realize it.
As for me, right now I hear a tiny voice screaming from the back room. It is screaming “mommy” because he needs a hug and kiss before he can sleep. Now that is a voice I love hearing.
Pamela

Peppermint crafts

Have you heard of Pinterest? Of course you have, I was the last one to get on that wagon. I found these on there and just had to try them. My amazing hero thought it was a fun idea until I told him I was going to use them and he could not eat them.

Step 1: unwrap a ton of peppermints, you could even use the green ones.
Step 2: line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Step 3: put the peppermints on the baking sheet in the design you want
Step 4: make sure the peppermints are touching one another so when they melt they stick together.
Step 5:bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

Making Crayons

I have seen this done a million times. One day my hero even bought home one of the toy machines that melt crayons and while it worked it did not make fun shapes. So I decided to make our own. I cannot wait to make them for every holiday now. They were so much fun.
I guess I should tell you that I dislike broken crayons so it works well for me because I can use up all the broken crayons. I do know to fill the mold more to make the crayons thicker.
Pamela

Pray For me Monday

body

JAMES 5:16
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so
that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and
effective." (NIV) 

PSALMS 116:2
"Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (NKJV) 

Welcome to this weeks Pray For Me Mondays with Home Grown Families and Pamela from Troop Petrie.  We are so excited to be working together on this journey!

Basically, PFMM will work like this:

• Pamela and I will write posts on relevant topics and post


• You can link up your own post, comment or e-mail us your prayer requests


• We'll pray for you and hopefully others will, too

Tiffany {the single one} says:

I have to say that I don't live in fear.  I have no fear to speak of~ unless it comes to my kids.  I fear that I am not giving the the proper education, I don't have them in the right therapies/with the right therapists, I haven't scheduled this appt or that evaluation...  

Then I think about the future.  Are they going to be able to live alone?  Will they ever 'get it' enough to not be taken advantage of?  Will they be able to live alone?  Raise a family?  Will Knuckles ever learn how to read?

I can go on and on.  

One thing that keeps me sane is that I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God has plans for my girls.  He has watched over them and put them in the best possible place for them right now.  This knowledge allows me to just keep on.  Sometimes we're not going in an upward line but I'm content with our straight shot.  The ups will come later.  I can wait.

Please pray for my girls and wisdom for me to handle them.  It's good right now but we can go downhill very quickly!

Pamela {the married one} says:

Do you live in fear? Are you consumed with anxiety? Do you worry about
what will happen next? Does it seem like the lions are just outside your
door waiting to come in and you cannot get the door to lock? 

Have you
heard the story of Daniel? 

This week we stayed home from church because the baby and I have a
cough. A cough we had a month ago and has now came back. Anyways, I
turned on the TV this morning and heard part of Joel Osteen and part of a
sermon a women was teaching but I did not catch her name. Both spoke
about this briefly. 

I would like to tell you that I put my faith in God and do not have
fear but that is not truth. I constantly fear what people will think
about how I raise my children.

I have a great ability that allows me to
ignore the fact that my husband is deploying again. To live in the
moment and forget what is really going on. But then there are moments
when I read about a high school friend who was injured in Afghanistan or
when I read a blog about a soldier who lost his life to PTSD. That is
when I let my fear rise up. 

But for today and for as many days as I can I am determined to get on my
knees more and ask for help. Instead of turning to friends and food,
this has become my normal. Nothing is wrong with turning to friends.
But I know I need to turn to God more. 

Psalm 91:1 

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.” 

3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence. 

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day, 

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday. 

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you. 

8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked. 

9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling, 

10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent. 

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways; 

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 

14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him. 

16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

This week, my prayer is that we do not live by fear or anxiety but rest
in his arms knowing that he will care take care of us.

Military Monday

I am so excited to get back into Military Monday. I am excited to get back to meeting new spouses. I thought I would take a moment and re introduce myself in case we have not met and tell you a little about our military life.
My hero has been in a total of 19 years, 16 active and 3 reserve. I can hardly believe it has been that long. We are often asked how much longer we will stay in. My response is it all depends upon how fast he can get his degree and what the economy is like. The real is answer has less to do with jobs and more to do with how many more deployments we can handle.
We have been stationed at Fort Campbell, Germany, Fort Campbell, Redstone Arsenal and are currently at Fort Bragg. My hero is deploying soon for his eighth deployment. He has been to Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq three times, Afghanistan and is heading back to Afghanistan soon.
Pamela

Miscellany Monday

It has been a while since I did Miscellany Monday and honestly I have missed it. I just could not seem to get into the blogging mode.
It might have something to do with the new puppy who keeps me on my toes. You know the puppy that broke my scentsy burner. I glued it together again. Then a couple of days later I was rubbing on the puppy and I noticed she had something in her fur. Can you guess what it was? Look closely at this picture and tell me what you do not see.

This week I have had a cold or allergies or something going on. It has made me extremely tired. This means we have had a lot more days where we just laid under blankets and relaxed.

Right before Christmas, my hero bought us tablets. It came with a very thin case and I could not wait to make a nicer one. So today I made one using quilting material. I still need to put a button on them. I wish I knew how to make them reversible so that I did not need to make two.
I did make Faith a skirt this week. I am going to try to take a better picture later. I just put a elastic top in it. I love this material. I used the 40% off coupon from hobby lobby on it. I took the scrap and let her use it as a scarf. I am definitely going back to buy more of this material.
Pamela

5 Question Friday

1. What's the last thing you bought for yourself? Oh wow, I can answer this question. Normally I would say a toothbrush or something stupid. On Tuesday I went to hobby lobby and bought a wire stand I have wanted for several months. It was $160 when I first saw it and thought no way and then it was marked down to $80 and I had $75 in gift cards so I snagged it and only slightly felt bad. My amazing husband was actually annoyed I spent my Christmas gift cards on it. Because in his eyes he thinks I should have used cash and bought something for me. The stand is for the kitchen.
2. What is your favorite meal on a cold winter day? My favorite meal always is fried chicken from KFC and mash potatoes and gravy with green beans.
3. Have you started looking at swimsuits for this year, and do you buy a new one every year? This was my question. I have not bought a new one. I will probably not buy a new one. I found one a couple of years ago and love it.
4. If you could be any candy what would you be and why? It is a candy I cannot buy anymore. It is a whistle lollipop. Because you could blow on me and suck on me and then put me in the fridge and save me until you are ready for me again. Yep, that is me multi tasking and available for many needs.
5. What are you most passionate about? Caring for children and loving them and making sure they are loved and cared for properly and with love. It breaks my heart to see a child not being cared for the way God intended. Now this does not mean I am perfect at it because I am not but daily my goal is to be better than the day before.
Oh and my pinterest answer is? I do not know, I need to take more time. I would say right now it is recipes.

Pamela

Letters to my hero

Man oh man, right now I have setting on my desktop a “Letter to my hero” that I started three days ago. I just cannot seem to get it pulled together. I really want to start writing “letters to my hero” again.
So how do I get back to it? Hmm, that is my question. I guess it will happen when I stop fighting the dog for my shoes and when the police are not knocking on the door because our alarm system went off.
So in case you are reading…
Dear hero,
I love you and miss you extremely tonight. Today was a great day. I made dental appointments for the 5 older kids, eye appointments for all 6 kids and myself and doctors appointments for 5 kids. I may get us caught up soon.
I wish you were here right now because the puppy is making a ruckus upstairs and I hear lots of squealing and not a lot of sleeping. She has been doing really well. She did scratch Kerri yesterday. Michael asked if we could have her de clawed. I cannot wait for you to see her, she is jumping on the furniture now.
Jason’s birthday was a huge success. Several times today he has told me he had a great birthday or the best birthday. I do not know where he comes up with these things but I love it.
Michael has a busy weekend of boyscout events. I have a busy weekend of relaxing and maybe getting some sewing done.
I love you baby and hope you get to call soon.
Pamela

Pray For me Monday

JAMES 5:16
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so
that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and
effective." (NIV) 

PSALMS 116:2
"Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (NKJV) 

Welcome to this weeks Pray For Me Mondays with Home Grown Families and Pamela from Troop Petrie.  We are so excited to be working together on this journey!

Basically, PFMM will work like this:

• Pamela and I will write posts on relevant topics and post


• You can link up your own post, comment or e-mail us your prayer requests


• We'll pray for you and hopefully others will, too

Tiffany {the single one} says:



Wow! It's 2012.  This is the first Pray For Me Monday that I have done this year.  I want to thank Pamela for holding down the fort while I was on vacation~ and then the mini crisis that followed.  




I can't seem to get myself out of this funk.  I feel so useless.  I am just able to deal with daily functions and nothing else.  I just can't seem to get myself out of it!



On the upside, I am still forcing myself to move on.  I am still working on the Couch to 5K~ I'm in my 2nd week.   Today's run came with shin splint so it ended about 1/2 way through.  It's OK.  I'll pick it back up on Tuesday.




Continue to pray for me as I struggle through these personal issues.

Pamela {the married one} says:

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 3:13,14 

It is a new year, can you believe it? It seems like the last year has blown by. We have lived in North Carolina for almost 2 years. 

This is going to be another year of changes. My hero will be deployed for part of it. My son will turn 16, as in close my eyes and he will be driving. My baby girl will surely lose her first tooth. My hero will come home from his deployment and we will re adjust. 

This year I vow to not make resolutions that I will not keep but instead just live every day. To find ways to be a better mother and wife to my husband. This year I vow to not live in the past and focus on my past failures as a wife and mother. This year I am going to focus on improving what I dislike about myself. 

This week I ask you to pray for our family. Our time with my hero is getting shorter and shorter. I know it sounds silly but one of our guinea pigs died today and it is hard on our 9 year old.

To my hero

Dear hero,
I miss you, I am lonely and I miss you. The kids are in bed and I just spent time working with the puppy. She is getting so big, she sets and now lays really well. I think the next thing we will work on is stay.
The kids are doing well. Michael just all of the sudden has stepped up. He is constantly thinking of how he can help and is being less bossy. This morning he took the little kids to the van while I cleaned up at church and did not complain. Grace is in a stage, she is very clingy and shy and you know what I am kind of enjoying it. When I picked her up after Awana tonight she was setting up against the wall. She does not like the game time.
Financial peace went well tonight. He even talked about the TSP. I will send you the notes I took because it was neat that he took the time to think about the military. I think we only have a few more weeks.
I love you and hope you have gotten rest this week. I cannot wait to see you soon. I think this training is probably good for our children. A reminder that you leave but then you come home.
Oh yeah, we found Michael’s scout book today while looking for Faith’s Awana book.
I love you baby ,
Pamela

Admit when your wrong

I am wrong and I am not afraid to admit it. I am sure I have shared that my hero got a puppy when I begged him not to. Well that puppy has really grown on me and is honestly my puppy.
So how am I wrong? Well today we opened our front door and this precious thing walked in. Of course I snapped a picture. And then sent the picture to my hero. He texted me and this is how it went.


Hero: she cannot have it
Me: I already told her she can have it
Hero: no, no, no, no
Me: I already took her to the vet and they said she is 5 months old.
I know it is wrong especially since I left the poor dog on my porch when we went out in hopes that it would find itself back to its home. It was not here when we got home so I assume it went home.
Maybe next week I will tell him the truth. How long do you think I should wait to tell him that I lied?
Pamela

5 Question Friday

1. What is the weather like where you are and do you like it? This morning when I looked it said 32 but going to be in the 60’s. This is the weather I like, snuggle under blankets at night but the kids can play outside during the day.

2. When you're sick what do you seek comfort from? My bed or at least that is my dream. It seems like if I am sick my husband is deployed and my kids have ten appointments. So really no time to be sick. My dream is to be cuddled up under blankets in my bed with a good book.

3. What do you need to do before the end of the month? Several doctor appointments for checkups, organize our coats. We have triple the amount of coats we need and it is wrong that I have not gone through them and given away what we do not need. My excuse is they are in the unheated garage and well I am being lazy. Boy, did I sidetrack.


4. Have you ever served on a jury? No, sadly. I always wanted to be called up for jury duty. I have only been called once and I went 2 days and the rest they did not even want me to come in. Then when I did get called in they did not need me. I did get to set in on a custody case for about 20 minutes. I would LOVE to have jury duty.

5. If you could be any animal, what would you be and why? A big dog, big enough no one would mess with me but a dog because they sleep so much and have constant food and water. Especially our puppy, everyone wants to rub her and love on her and she can go to her room (kennel) whenever she wants and be left alone to sleep and there is a constant supply of snacks. Okay, now I am totally jealous of our puppy now. Please feel sorry for me. Honestly, I would love to be a fly and be able to fly to Afghanistan when my husband deploys, you know a fly on the wall and see what he is doing and how he is doing.

Pamela

Good-bye Bugsy

Last week we went home for a couple of days and left the guinea pigs at home alone. They had plenty of water and food. When we returned Hope ran upstairs to check on them.Pee's alot (yes that is his name) was fine but Bugsy was not acting right and had his head laying side ways. We had noticed he was getting thinner for months but was still eating well and we assumed that the other guinea pig was just eating too much. Rob fed Bugsy pedialyte every 20 minutes for a couple of hours and he started to perk up. We were beginning to think maybe he just got cold or something. But a hour later he passed away. I was really surprised with how well the kids took it. Maybe it is because they have another guinea pig. Later that night Hope broke down and realized she really did miss him. The next morning she buried Bugsy in the back yard next to our cat and dog and gerbil.
I know I am not suppose to laugh but the fact that we have lived here less than 2 years and have 4 dead animals in our back yard is scary. It would not be so bad if we owned the house but we lease it. Hopefully they never dig up that part of the yard.
Pamela

Change is coming

Poor lonely blog, poor sad blog readers who probably do not even come back. Poor post that were half written last year that accidently got posted while I was out of town. Poor pitiful me.
Okay sucking it up and moving on. The last few weeks have been crazy. My MIL came in for Thanksgiving and that was wonderful and then it seems like things did not stop. My hero was gone for training for a week in December and then worked a lot of long days before taking 2 weeks off at Christmas. Two wonderful weeks full of cleaning out the garage and getting vehicles ready for deployment. The second week we went to visit family. It is amazing how long it takes to organize a trip even if it is only for a couple of days.
Right now my hero is back in Louisiana for training. I actually had to drop him off at 3am one morning. Let me tell you I do not care how early you go to bed 3am is too early for me. It was not just dropping him off it was staying with him until 6am.
I say all this to tell you that life has been crazy but I have a million and one things I want to write about. I am determined to start really writing.
My hero is deploying soon and I will have quiet evenings to write.
I do want to mention something. If I wrote today about my husband leaving today please know that I have changed the days and he could have been gone a day or a week. I will NEVER give out specific times he left. I will tell you he is leaving and he will be home in the fall some time. I will also say he is going to Afghanistan. If you would like to send him a note of encouragement you can leave it in the comment section or e-mail me and I will send you his address when I get it. I will continue to practice OPSEC to the best of my ability and hope you understand and do not see me changing dates as being untruthful.
Pamela