Why?... How?? and other such laments.

Let's start with "Why?" Why oh why did I ever get a puppy? I know, Michael had been begging me for a dog for years. Chocolate labs are hubby's favorite breed of dog. I knew the owner of the momma, and she's a fantastic gal. How often will you find a pure chocolate lab at the price of $50. And lets not forget... she was soooooo very cuuuuuute!

Yeah, well now that cute, can't pass it up, puppy is driving me nuts! She's going into bedrooms, getting kid toys to chew on. She's slowly tearing apart my Christmas tree. Each morning I wake to at least three branches torn off the bottom and scattered around the living room. Why oh why did I get a puppy?

As for how... Thursday I visited Mrs. Kirsten (Nahla's original human mommy) to get my hair fixed. I had my hair highlighted for my Sister's wedding back in Sept. 07. I hated the job and went to Kirsten to fix it a couple months later. She did such a fantastic job I wanted some more highlights put in for hubby's return. Well, hubby returned early, but I didn't care, I wanted my hair touched up.

Anyway, she washes the color out and says "You only had three grey hairs, not bad." What?!? Gray hairs? When did that happen? I'm only 31!! I can't have gray hairs! "I think I got them all." she comforted me. I jokingly told her that if any remain she can just pluck them out. Low and behold a minute later she finds one as she blow drying my hair. "You're going to have such pretty silvery hair." she comments. Uh, like hell no I'm not! lol I had her pluck it. My mom chastised me for that one, saying I'm going to only get more, but I wanted that hair gone. It was funny cause you could see the dye mark like halfway down of when I had tried to fix the bad highlight job. I brought it home to my husband, with strict instructions of telling the Army that's the damage deployments do to his wife. I swear I didn't have grey hair before he left!

I'm so not ready to face getting older. Not ready at all.

On to other non-news. Today I created a card for a Design Team call for the Christmas Cards All Year Round blog. It's a small blog, and they've posted the call several times, so I get the feeling they haven't had that many takers. I had thought I'd pass on the chance with hubby being home and all, but today I decided why not. You've got to start somewhere right? Besides it was fun. They'll make the decision on Monday, then I will post my entry on my crafty blog. Win or loose, I like it, it's cute, and I'll share it.

Now I must get my butt in domestic gear. After the kids school they have dentist appointments and Calvary Kids Club. So I gotta get things cleaned up now and a take with us dinner made.

Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot to share this cute picture.
Yesterday was really cold, when hubby came home he directly to our bed, hoping to warm up under the covers. Caitlin and I joined him and they ended up taking a nap.



Aren't they too cute?

Finally Home...

Today has been excruciatingly long! But it hasn't always felt that way. The alarm went off bright and early at 6am. Out the door by 6:30. My oldest stayed home with our dog. Last night, my oldest thought it was a grand idea to play keep away with Nahla using one of those small rubber bouncy balls. Well, Nahla got it, and swallowed it whole! So while I'm freaking out Nahla's quite pleased with herself. Thankfully the vet said she should be able to pass it (while she's barely a 5mo old pup, she weighs 40lbs, she's a big girl), he gave me some medicine to give to her to help her poop. So since my oldest was the one to feed her the ball, he got to stay home to take her potty constantly and see if that stupid ball makes it through.

Anyway, I dropped my youngest two off at a friends house, then my oldest daughter and I headed to the craft show. It was pretty easy to set up, I had one table their for me. When the doors opened at 9am the guy that was to my back dumped all of his oils on his six pails of potpurri. While I've always liked potporri, sitting by buckets of it for hours on end isn't good. Come noon my head was pounding, and when 4pm came I couldn't wait to get out of there. Thankfully 3/4 of my stuff sold and it was a super quick pick up. I hope to be able to do the show again next year. With more time to prepare I can make more things and be less stressed about it. I was shocked that three of my cards actually sold for $3 ea and I had several people take a business card and even chatted about my cricut machine with a few!

Anyhow, so now my head is pounding, but it's been a good day. I pick up my kids and as I'm driving towards Pizza Hut to pick up our pasta for dinner (I love their chicken pasta) the phone rings. It's the army. I get to pick up my husband Sunday afternoon!! It's supposed to be COLD tomorrow, and the ceremony is outside, so hopefully it will be quick. The poor guys have been in the desert for the last 15 months, they think 60 is down right cold. We're not even supposed to hit 40* tomorrow, and our off and on snow is supposed to continue tomorrow. What a homecoming it will be!

So, if I'm not around my computer much the next couple days you'll know why. He's supposed to have two days off before he has to go back to work, till the 13th when his block leave starts. So I'm sure I'll get to the computer by the end of the week. But I doubt I'll be around my puter for the next two days or so. :D

A lonnnnnng time...

First, I want to say very publicly, thank you Jenni! For understanding my need to vent despite the fact that I know all of this stuff already. lol And of course my mom... who I called immediately begging for her to come do my craft show for me. lol Thanks for laughing with me through it all.

I'm a military wife of 13 years, this is not the first homecoming I've been through, though this is the longest he's ever been away. He left on the 3rd of Sept. 07. He'll be home just days shy of 15 solid months. I know that it's perfectly 'normal' for the emotions to range from anxiety to pure excitement. There's even resentment, fear, joy, and awkwardness. It's all very usual... but just because it's 'normal' does not mean it's easy.

This morning as I was cleaning up my kitchen, preparing to get my pie started, my mind wandered to the changes that have happened in this house since he's been gone. There's been a lot.

The first one that comes to my attention (probably because I can't take two steps without running into her) is our Nahla.

I am so sorry Jenni, you've asked me about her often, and I somehow always forget to snap a pic of her. Even now that I have, it doesn't show her size well, all I can say is when we got her, her head was well below my knees when I sat. Now you can see she's waaaay taller than that. But I just love this picture, she's so.... handsome in it. (Can I use that word to describe a girl dog?) She is beautiful but she is a handful! She's a very large, playful, rambunctious (did I mention large?) puppy. She is however my hubby's favorite breed, so hopefully he'll fall in love with her. Hopefully she won't mind him to much as well. lol I can see the two of them getting along.

Then there's the fact that when he left I was homeschooling the kids. Now they go to the public school, which involves a huge change for them, but also for our schedule. There's dropping off, and picking up, tutoring days to keep straight not to mention homework.

When he left the kids were not in extra activities, now there's Gymnastics, Taekwando, Library Story time, Calvary Kids Club and soon there will be basketball as well.

All of his kids are a year older, half of them have had two birthdays since he's been gone.

I'd have to say one of the biggest differences is me. Quite frankly, I was depressed. I had the joy of the Lord, but being joyful is not the same as being happy. I was depressed, I didn't take care of my self, I didn't put even an ounce of effort into my appearance. And though I still do not wear makeup, and I'm not all about my looks, I have self worth and value now. The Lord has worked on me lots while my husband's been gone.

And you know, I'm sure the biggest changes are those that I don't know about yet. The ones in him. Those that know our story know that there has to have been major changes for him. I mean we faced divorce square in the eye while he was gone. It's weird. Fifteen months is a long time.

Can't Focus

Today has been the polar opposite of yesterday. Yesterday started out cruddy but quickly transformed into a good day. Today started out fantastic, then quickly transformed into a cruddy day. I let Nahla stay outside last night since the cloud cover was supposed to keep the temps up. So I was able to sleep in till 7:30! Talk about fabulous! But as I woke I realized my whole body ached, and when I tried to talk with my kids, I had no voice! It came back to me as I got up and moving, but I sound like someone who's been smoking for 80 years!

This sinus thing is going around my family. Started with my youngest, has gone full circle up the ranks to me. Unfortunately though it seems my baby picked up another version of it, as she had a fever when she crawled into bed tonight. We just have to get past this this weekend!

I tried to craft today, I really did. When I think that the craft show is only 2 weeks away now, I want to go into panic mode! I have virtually nothing right now. I managed to make about six packets today but then I just quit. I did not like how they were turning out. I just can't concentrate and be creative when my body aches like it does.

The whole day was not wasted though. We got a boatload of laundry done today. And I do say "we". My kids rocked it for me today! They each folded their own, and separated out mine, helped me with the socks. (Have I ever mentioned that I HATE folding socks?) Given we haven't had a truly warm warm day in a while I bit the bullet and put up all the summer clothes so we have enough hangers for the long sleeve shirts. I do feel that today wasn't wasted, it just wasn't spent where I needed it! So now, I am on my way to bed. Unfortunately it's dipping into the mid 20s tonight, so Nahla is inside. Here's hoping she doesn't "retrieve" things out of the trash for me while I'm sleeping. It all leaves me asking, "Why, oh why did I get a dog again?" lol

Oh, I almost forgot. My daily thankful. I did forget yesterday. (I'm slapping my own hand.) Well, yesterday I was very thankful for the fabulous teachers that my kids have. They are fantastic women, and I am so thankful that God has provided an excellent school for my kids.

Today, I am thankful for $1.99 a gallon gas!! Here I thought it would never go below $2 again in my lifetime! Woo-hoo! Just in time for hubby to get home and do his long drives to work. The gas prices before he left was killing us. This will be a little easier to swallow.

A dog sorta day

Today's been a longer, yet relaxed day. Although, it didn't start that way. This morning I woke to sounds of our puppy's paws on the kitchen floor. There was a lot of foot steps for so early in the morning. Little alarm bells went off in my head. So I got out of bed and what did I find? Clothes everywhere!! I have a laundry basket in the living room of clean but unfolded clothes. It's like a pit of socks that I just can't force myself to fold.

Well, at least they used to be, until my dog decided she would spread them out all over the floor. Boy, was I not happy. And boy did she find out. After grabbing a hold of her, spanking her hind quarters and dragging her out to the back yard I forced myself to take stock of the damage. Surprisingly they were wet from dog slobber, but there were no tears or holes. Go figure, she played with them, didn't tear them apart. Labs are listed as retrieving dogs, is that what she was doing?

Now I'll have to decide, do I lock her up in her Kennel where she's guaranteed to wake me up super early, or do I hide the basket of clothes and take my chances with her retrieving something else?

Needless to say, I wasn't in the bests of moods. Thankfully I got a great e-mail from my friend which boosted my spirits. The morning hours were then spent crafting. Nothing to show for my efforts yet, but I hope to complete them tomorrow. This afternoon I had Parent - Teacher conferences to go to. Thankfully they went well. Johnathan is finally going up a level in reading class. He had started in the higher class, but because of his behavior, they moved him down. Though he still struggles with his behavior, he has improved enough they want to put him back up. I'm worried that the change in teachers and the change in routines is going to stir up some problems, but I'm hopeful that having work that isn't a cakewalk for him will help as well. The boy acts up when he's bored, so this just might help!

My older two have improved a lot since first getting there. They had big adjustments to make from having only been homeschooled to now being in public school. I adore my kids' teachers. They're all fantastic ladies.

This evening we have gymnastics class and Taekwondo. I'm planning on taking the kids out to a new fast food place that just opened up; Freddy's Steakburgers and Frozen Custard. I've never heard of it before, I hear it's just a tad expensive, but they deserve it!

Wacky Wednesday

Hola big world! I'm sitting here on my couch with Backyardigans on the tv and seeing our puppy go to town licking my daughter's feet and legs. It's almost as if Nahla thinks she's the mom and Caitlin's the pup. Should I be offended that Nahla is telling me my daughter is dirty? lol It's funny though.

Yesterday I visited with Johnathan's teachers after school. (You can see the reason why two posts down.) I still don't know exactly what the solution will look like, but it became painfully obvious to me, that part of the problem was the lack of communication between the teachers and I. They had to go so far as to put him on a special plan where he tries to earn rewards for good behavior, and I wasn't told about it! So I approached them asking for what types of things they've done in the past to keep better communication with parents when needs like this arise. So now he has a notebook that he has to bring to every class he goes to. The teachers will write just a little note on if he's had a good day or not, and he'll bring it home to me. I'm hopeful. Part of the issue is he knows they don't have any real consequences to give him. He leaves school and leaves his problems. Now he'll be held accountable for his behavior at school at home. I'm hoping this will help him make better decisions. This morning I had him stand in front of my bathroom mirror and I used styling cream to make his bangs stand up/out. He liked the extra attention and then I held his hands and prayed for him. It seemed to have given him a new confidence as I asked him if he was going to have a good day at school he shook his head yes and pointed up and said "Because of God." I am so thankful that Jesus is real in their lives. I don't know for sure if he's believed in Christ with a saving faith, but at least he's getting a decent foundation. Who knows, maybe this is why God has allowed this to go so far, maybe Johnathan needs more discipling.

Any how, Caitlin and I will be heading to the library today to do story time. I haven't done a story time at a library since my first two were itty bitty things. I'm hoping this will become a weekly thing for us, something special between Caitlin and I.

Hubby called this morning. It's official he's reenlisting this Friday! Woo-hoo! And God's fingerprints are all over it. He's likely to even be promoted come November. Double woo-hoo! God is good. So very, very good.

Which reminds me, I have card kits to put together. During Calvary Kids Club the kids of the church are going to be working on getting packages together for Operation Christmas Child. Their leader wants the kids to make cards to go in them, so I volunteered to put kits together for them. Hey any reason to stop by Hobby Lobby is a good one for me. :)

Woo-hoo!

Tonight's going to be a long one. Nahla has an infection and won't quit whining or peeing! I need a doggy diaper!

(Portions of this post have been relocated to here.

Yup, it's Wednesday already

Nahla had another appointment today. The vet thinks her unending need to pee is caused by a urinary tract infection. So $100 later she had shots, and will have medicine to take all week. I can't help but wonder, we gave her a bath on Monday, and then Tuesday she comes down with the unending pees. I can't help but wonder if something to do with the bath caused it. But there's no way I'm going to let her go on and on and on without a bath. Not if she's going to be in my house majority of the time.

((Portions of this post have been relocated to here.

What the heck possessed me?

Mornin-mornin everyone! I'm up a bit early today, as after my mouse, or, err... dog, squeeked me awake this morning for her potty break, I decided to just stay up instead of trying to get a little more sleep in. I tell you, the pup is driving me nuts!! She has not only one, not two, but three different toys for her chewing pleasure. But is that enough for her? Nooooooooooo. Now she's begun going in Caitlin's room to find wonderful toys to chew on in there, and the bathroom! Now granted, the bathroom should be clean, but she's gotten a barrette, a hair tie and clothes out of there, and I'm just ready to blow! I put her in the backyard for a little while, but with no kids to play with she doesn't seem to like it as she had dug a hole under the gate and got out within 20 minutes. *sigh* So it's hard for me to get anything done down stairs (she's not allowed down there, cause there's simply too much stuff she'd destroy) without me putting her in her kennel. I can't stand to keep a dog locked up in a kennel all day, so I give up. I know one day she'll be a good dog, but right now she's more than a handful of a puppy!!

Today is slated to be a busy one. I have to call up the church's insurance company and see if I can work out some problems. That's always fun working with them. (Yes, that statement is dripping with sarcasam.) There's an 11am elders meeting I need to go up to the church to take minutes for, I have to bring a wagon up to the school at 1:30pm for my son to use in the parade. And I get to leave the house at about 3:05 to walk to the new school to pick up my kiddos. Promptly afterwards my oldest and I will head to the old school to help the teachers move.

It's going to be a big busy day. Tonight I have some stamping to do for a swap I signed up for... wow, this post is becoming my 'to-do' list aint it? Sorry, guess I'm thinking out loud so to say. Not having contact with my husband is starting to get to me. It's been about three weeks since I've heard his voice, a week since e-mail. He did call Sunday night, but I was at church. I never thought I'd be one of the wives that complained she hadn't heard from her husband in a week, but here I am. *sigh*

Well, off I go. Gotta get this day underway, take Nahla for her walk and get the kids off to school!

I'm here...

Hola!
I'm still around, I've just been busy. And you know, as I sit here trying to recall just where all my time has gone, it tends to be a bit of a blur!

Yesterday a teen girl that bought one of Nahla's sisters was walking by just as we were heading out for a walk. It was neat to see the two litter mates together. At first they were a bit apprehensive about each other, then they got to playing well. But then something triggered the aggressive side of Nahla. Their friendly pouncing and playing turned into mean noises and actual biting. We seperated them but Nahla just wouldn't let it go. I don't know if it's because it was her yard or what, but I was surprised. She's not aggressive at all with us. I must say I am going to be paying extra attention to her actions when she plays.

This Saturday I'm hosting my first ever scrappin' party. I'm scared! I've never even been to a scrap party/class never mind host one. I have a project in mind, but I don't know. There are some very crafty ladies in my church, and I fear they're going to be bored with me! To add on top of it all, I want to finish the project for myself so I have an example and I can help out women with my diecut machines, but I have no creative juices right now. I'm so tapped out there's no creativity in me right now. It's a shame really. I think I need to get researching on the net. I've gotta get inspired!

So, for now life just keeps on rolling along.

Tuesday... and counting

You know, I think I had a bunch of pointless life ramblings to type about today, but now I can't remember any of them! I think that's a sign of old age (and I'm scared)! I DO know that I have a small video clip to share for this "Tickle Tuesday". I'm not sure it counts as tickling, but this is my blog, so if I want it to count, then it counts, dag-nab-it!

Yeah, so we have a little fun at our poor puppy's expense. The good thing is she's completely oblivious to the fact that there is now a video of her on the internet! She won't care.

Anyhow, the big event this week is Johnathan's birthday on Thursday. I'll be busy tomorrow making cupcakes to take to his school. The good news is he did much better at school on Monday. Hopefully it'll stay that way!

My daughter's birthday is later this month, and I'm just so thankful for my girl. I was asking her what she wanted for her birthday and she couldn't think of anything. So I asked her questions, "You couldn't possibly want more ponies could you?" (My oldest daughter is loves My Little Pony and has been collecting them for years!), she replied that she would like pony stuff, but not until her little sister is older and can play with her better.

So I asked if she wanted craft stuff, (another hobby of hers).
"No, I don't need any more."
"How about necklaces, bracelets, nail polish and stuff like that?"
"No that's too girly."
I laughed and said she wasn't helping me out. Her reply? She gave me a hug and told me she was happy with what she had. It about made me cry.
Her older brother chimed in and said, "How about Magic Tree House books?" (The school got them hooked on that series.) My daughter jumps up, "Yeah! I want books for my birthday!!"

I tell you, I am so thankful that my children give me snippets of hope that I am doing something right in raising them! Others may think we're odd, but I like us that way. :)

Wednesday

Okay, I really have to come up with some more interesting titles than the name of the day. I mean really! But I just don't have anything else in mind. The vet yesterday went well. Cost a lot of money, but went well. Nahla is a 15 pound 7 1/2 week old puppy. The vet said she'll be twice her size within 2 months. She's gonna be big. Last night I stayed by her kennel until 2 in the morning trying to make her stay quiet. Eventually I had had enough I put the kennel outside. She stopped within 30 minutes. Who knows, she might be spending more nights outside.

This morning we reattempted a walk and surprisingly she did quite well. She's becoming rather attached to my youngest and loves to follow her everywhere. I think we tired her out cause after some water she went to her favorite spot and laid down. Yay! Quiet puppy at last!

Anyhow, today is the Wednesday What... and I found a news article that just me shake my head in disbelief. Even if you are not a person of faith, I think anyone in their right mind would find this outlandish. There is a Senator suing God. Nope, not a typo. Insane eh?

From the article on the ABC News Website:

(Senetor) Chambers said God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

His reasoning? That he wants to prove a point that the courts should be accessable to everyone, no matter their wealth. Never mind the fact that he criticizes Christians, I don't understand why judges should have to waste their time with such a stupid case. Even if he won... what the hell does he expect the courts to do? Put God in jail? It's nuts!

Tuesday...

Oye... I want to label this Tired Tuesday! And I'm sure you can guess why! Yesterday our new chocolate lab pup was so mellow. All she wanted to do was lie around, the kids were kinda disappointed. That all changed at 5 this morning. She whined a little so I took her outside to potty. She did her business, I praised her and we came back inside. I laid down in my bed hoping for another hour or so of sleep, she reluctantly went to her kennel where she proceeded to whine, and whine, and whiiiiiine. Just about all the "experts" say you're supposed to ignore them. That's easier said than done! Her kennel is near my two youngest childrens bedrooms, my poor Caitlin came wandering out dazed. So I brought her into my room, where we layed in my bed talking about the puppy being noisy. lol Oh well, at least I got some cuddle time with my baby.

When I got up at 6 it was like there was a whole new puppy there. Her tail was waggin, she wanted to play so bad. Still whining and whimpering though, even after her morning meal and outside bathroom trips. She's still whimpering. So now I miss yesterday's pup. At least that one was quiet!

Anyhow, we have a trip to the vet today for the pups first shots. Poor thing. Today was originally supposed to be Tickle Tuesday. So I bring you a comic in Nahla's honor. If dogs ruled the world...

Ooops...

I realized late last night that I didn't post any "themes" the last two days. I had themes all picked out, but I just never got around to doing them. Maybe I'll take weekends off. After all, I want to keep my internet related duties in check.

Last week I had decided I'd label Monday's theme "Music Mondays". Saturday I found out that Esterlyn is returning to perform for our church. This got me so excited. We are in such a small building though we really need to find a place to host them that won't break the budget of our small little church. This will be an important part of my prayers, as they have a great sound for the youth of today, and we're currently trying to get a reservation with the Christian College which is neighbor to K-State University. What a perfect outreach!

Anyhow, since this is what's happening right now, I thought I'd highlight them today. Esterlyn, a great group of guys who love the Lord and are just trying to use His gifts to them to bring Him glory.

On a personal note, we got Nahla today, our new chocolate lab pup. She is so mellow it's crazy. It may be just because she's so unsure of her new surroundings, her tail had been between her legs a time or two, but mostly she's just been chillin. Which is driving my kids crazy because they want to play with her, but she simply doesn't want to.


That's our pup. So far extremly calm and mellow. We'll see if she 'lightens up' after she gets used to us.