Goodbye 2009

Where oh where has this year gone!?!? Since my last post too much has happened, but while we've experienced some uncomfortable growing pains, it's all been for the best.

First of all, in a crazy whirlwind, we moved in late August. We had only known of the move since early July. That was probably the most painful part to me. I loved my little corner of the world in Pittsburgh. I loved my house, my friends, my church, and all the amenities that were available to me (I had an IKEA and a Costco within 10 minutes of my house!!) We moved to the Raleigh, NC, area, near to where my husband is from, and it's been an adjustment- mostly good. However, we were miraculously able to sell our home without a loss (no gain since we only owned it for 2 1/2 years.) We moved into a much smaller town home, but as we are still getting settled I have come to the realization that this has been good for me since I'm getting rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff. We do live in a wonderful neighborhood, many home schoolers for my kids to play with and lots of nice moms to talk to. After several months we finally settled on a church (there is a church on every corner in this place!) and that has also helped make this place feel more like home. A few nights ago I had a dream that we were able to move back into our old home in the 'burgh. While I felt happiness, I was sad to leave our new life. Maybe this is finally becoming home.

The move came about because my husband was retired from the Army due to his health issues after this last deployment. That was rather bittersweet, but again, it was a God thing. He's now a full-time graduate student, taking advantage of the GI Bill. We've had to tighten our belts a bit, but in this economy it's easier to do. Having my husband home 24/7 has been an adjustment for me. I was so accustomed to the Army way of life where he traveled often or was away from home. I don't mind him being home, but we've had a "shifting" of roles in our household. In other words, I don't get my way as often as I would like. :)

There have been many other changes, but these were the biggest. Looking back on 2009 I would have never imagined that I would be where I am today, but I know God's hand has guided us here. It's been a lesson in trusting Him, but while growing sometimes hurts, I know the end results will be worth it. Jeremiah 29:11-13 has never been more real to me.

My Life

Well, I didn't mean to abandon my blog for so long, but all I can say is, life happens. Mostly good things, mind you, but nonetheless, something had to give, and that something was temporary silence on my blog. I may not have any readers now, but I'm looking forward to getting back "into the groove" with writing. I've missed it- especially for sorting out my ideas and writing about my favorite things, and I look forward to catching up on my favorite blogs. Pictures will follow someday, but for now here is a quick recap...

During the last 3 months:
-H turned 6- gasp!
-my precious nephew was born
-I started my last on-line class for my certification in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
-we decided to homeschool next year
-H graduated from Kindergarten
-E finished her first year of preschool
-I've lost 25 pounds- with hubby on Weight Watchers On-Line (and he's lost 30- SO not fair as I have been working harder with exercise especially- ha!)
-and we've been making some big decisions regarding where God wants us.
I won't go into any more details about the decisions right now, all good, just we are in "the process" and seeking His will. I've felt some big growing pains from it all- the Potter is really having to pound on this clay, but I'm excited about the future and look forward to sharing more one of these days.

I recently finished an awesome Beth Moore Bible Study called Esther- It's Tough Being a Woman. It was an incredible study, and I would highly recommend it. During our last session the leader gave each of us a poem written by Beth that pretty much sums up my life right now. I know it's been used on a lot of blogs, but I just had to include it here too. Enjoy.

The Life I Planned

Has someone seen the life I planned?

It seems it's been misplaced

I've looked in every corner

It's lost without a trace.

I've found one I don't recognize

Things missing that were dear

Promises I'd hoped to keep

And dreams I'd dreamed aren't here

Has someone seen the life I planned

Did it get thrown away?

God took my hand from searching

Then I heard Him say

"Child, your ears have never heard

Your eyes have never seen

Eternal plans I have for you

Are more than you could dream.

"you long to walk by sight

But I'm teaching eyes to see.

I know what I am doing.

'Til then, you must believe."

He's done so much, I felt ashamed

To know He heard my moans

To think I'd trade in all He's done

For plans made on my own.

I wept over His faithfulness

And how He'd proved Himself

How He'd gone beyond my dreams

And said to Him myself,

"No, my ears have never heard

My eyes have never seen

Eternal plans you have for me

Are more than I could dream.

"Yes, I long to walk by sight

but You're teaching eyes to see

You know what You are doing

'Til then, I must believe."

I felt His great compassion

Mercy unrestrained

He let me mourn my losses

And showed to me my gains.

I offered Him my future

And relased to Him my past

I traded in my dreams

For a plan He said would last

I get no glimpse ahead

No certainties at all

Except the presence of the One

Who will never let me fall.

Are you also searching

For a life you planned yourself?

Have you looked in every corner?

Have you checked on every shelf?

Child, your ears have never heard

Your eyes have never seen

Eternal plans He has for you

Are more than you could dream.

Perhaps you long to walk by faith

But He's teaching eyes to see

He knows what He is doing

Child, step out and believe.

See you soon...

A Cast for a Character

First of all, I must say after a good night's rest, I was able to put things into better perspective. Thankfully, D's fracture does not affect his growth plate, and the cast will come off in 3 weeks. I'm also very grateful it wasn't his leg as a dear friend of mine's 3 year old broke his femur, and my hat goes of to that strong lady.

D got his cast on this morning. I realized what a crazy scrapbooker I am when halfway to the appointment I almost turned around to get my camera. However, Mr. Happy-go-lucky turned into Mr. Scream-my-lungs-out when they began applying the cast, so I wouldn't have gotten any pictures anyway. Poor little guy just didn't understand what was going on and no lolly pops or any treat could calm him down. I was blessed with a very understanding doctor and nurses who were patient with my son (and me) and had us out of the office in record time. It took D about an hour to really acclimate to his cast, and although he still wants me to take it off, he's adjusting just fine (so much so he's using it as a "weapon of mass destruction" against his sisters.)

Telling family about his boo-boo.

Nothing is slowing this kid down.

And last but not least, the offending bench.

Mama Said There Will Be Days Like This...

Well, it's been one of THOSE days. I was supposed to be resting, or at least taking it easy since I had a small surgical procedure yesterday (just minor fibroid stuff). Just after I got a nice relaxing shower, hubby called me and informed me that he (or at least his car) was hit by a deer on his way to work. Fortunately, it just took out the passenger's side mirror, but unfortunately it meant it needed to be fixed. No big deal, though. At least he was safe.

I took my oldest to her ballet class in the early afternoon since the school is only 5 minutes from our house and all I do is sit. I could handle it, and to be quite honest, I was feeling pretty good. The class was in full swing and I was enjoying some adult conversation, when out of the corner of my eye I saw that D had fallen down and was laying on his left wrist (he is a lefty). Mind you, he had been standing on a short bench/locker(no higher than a foot) watching his sister dance- something he did each and every week without a problem. His screaming shot all of the moms in the waiting area into high alert mode. Fortunately, one of the instructors ran out with an ice pack, but 20 minutes later he was still crying. I was trying to reach our pediatrician, who then referred me to an orthopedist, who after I called them and waited on the phone, told me that they do not see children- huh?? I then contacted our insurance company who gave me 3 referrals for our area. Unfortunately, they all wanted a "confirmed fracture" before they would see him, and they couldn't see him before tomorrow. Several of the moms who had previous experience with broken bones definitely agreed that he should be seen by a doctor, although within 30 minutes he was back to playing with the other kids.

I made an appointment for later that afternoon with our pediatrician, went home, gave D some Motrin, and put him down for a nap. The little guy fell asleep right away. Hubby came home to watch the girls, and by the time I took him to our pediatrician's office, he was as chipper as could be, laughing and singing. He cooperated beautifully for the doctor, and didn't wince a bit when she poked and prodded his wrist. However, the doctor did feel it would be in his best interest to still get an x-ray at the hospital. Fortunately she wrote a prescription for the x-ray, so that we wouldn't have to wait in the ER.

Once again, D turned on the charm when we arrived at the hospital. He was fascinated with pushing the buttons on the elevator, and nicely and politely played with his trucks in the waiting area. We were whisked back to radiology since we had the prescription, and he was incredibly cooperative with the radiologist taking his wrist's picture- even said "cheese." Since it was supper time I briefly entertained the thought of going on home, but they told me the results would be ready in 20 minutes. D danced around the waiting room singing and playing, not at all acting in pain and using his left hand without hesitation. I began to feel a little foolish, wondering if it was "just" a sprain or a bruise, when the doctor called the waiting room to give me the results. She informed me that he had indeed fractured his wrist, which shocked me. She then asked how he was feeling and I babbled about how he was happy and playing as normal. The doctor felt that we could return home, get him to bed, and see an orthopedist in the morning for a cast. I was still in shock as we returned home, thankful the whole trip to the hospital took less than an hour, but shocked that my baby had a broken bone.

As I write, D is sleeping peacefully. Pictures will follow soon. I'm thinking of taking my mama's advice of eating some chocolate and going to bed early. That's the best way to end a day like this.

Here we are!

I honestly hadn't intended on abandoning my blog for so long. Nothing happened that was earth-shattering here, just keeping up with day to day living and trying to enjoy the precious moments with my family. I figured for my first post back I would do a brief recap of the last two + months.

The biggest event of December was enjoying my family visiting for Christmas. Although things were a little tight in our 3 bedroom house with 6 adults and 4 children, we had a wonderful Christmas.


H also lost her first tooth with the help of an apple.

I managed to fit in a quilting project. This was my precious niece's "I Spy" quilt with pictures of family. Since they will be moving back to the other side of the world, I thought it would be a good way for her to stay familiar with our faces.

There were also many classroom parties and Christmas performances.

E was a sweet little angel.

And of course there were parties at hubby's work.

Visits with Santa, and thankfully no one screamed this year. :)We celebrated the true reason for the season.

And after all the relatives left, we have dealt with snow, snow, snow, and did I mention, snow... However, since I was "deprived" of the stuff growing up, I haven't tired of watching it yet, just not of fan of driving in it.

Happy Birthday E!

I have this big hang-up that what I do for one child I should try to do for the others. Of course it doesn't always work out that way and children need to understand that life's not fair and not everything can be perfectly equal, but if I blog about one child's birthday I definitely need to blog about the other two!

Therefore, this really should be post-dated, but on November 17th E celebrated her big 4 year old birthday. She is my wonderfully strong-willed middle child. She was that way literally before birth- refusing to come on her due date but instead waited a little over a week. When the doctor decided to have me induced and sent me to the hospital, she came before he was able to start the induction- all on her own terms. That's the way it's been ever since, and I wouldn't change a thing.

For her birthday we did a combined party with her brother at the zoo since their birthdays are two weeks apart, and I certainly wasn't going to plan two separate parties with all the craziness that was going on. It was a big hit. They had a little animal show- totally up E's alley since she is the animal lover of the family (rode a full-sized horse with no fear when she was 18 months old.) Her favorite animal was the snake (that's her in the picture with the boa), and she spent the most time petting it. A few weeks later I was at her classroom Thanksgiving party and when I went to retrieve her backpack, much to my surprise there was our stuffed animal snake in there (big thing- about 3 feet long). I was surprised she had left the house with that in tow and my not noticing it. However, her teacher informed me that E had been telling everyone in class she would be bringing a snake to school that week. She really did. At least it wasn't a live one, but I wouldn't put it past her...

Thankful for rest

Can I just say that the month of November has flown by? I've been blessed with family visits (I absolutely cannot get enough of my favorite niece- and my sister and brother-in-law too, of course.) I've also been slowly but surely preparing the house for a wonderful Christmas with my parents and sister's family. It will be the first time all of us have been together since hubby and I were married 11 years ago. (That's what happens with the majority of your family live overseas.) Then there is just life with a husband whose love language is shared time (sigh! football season is tough for me, honestly speaking) and raising and enjoying 3 wonderfully vigorous children.

The biggest "drainer" of my free/ blog time has been my second on-line course for my professional certification in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). This one has been challenging in it's own right, but I have enjoyed it more than my first course (partly due overcoming the learning curve and this one only has one textbook and no 12 page paper- WHEW!) I only have one more course to go in order to get my certification, but I'm going to wait until the summer. It's too much balancing school schedules and being flexible to take a class.

For Thanksgiving we drove 8 1/2 hours (10 + with stops for the kids) to my in-law's house. For various reasons I dreaded the trip- packing for EVERYONE, inclement weather, cleaning the house, classwork deadlines, not being in the comfort of my own home, etc. However, yesterday I realized that I was able to actually relax. When I'm home I can always find something to do- I never just sit. Here I have family to help, and except for cleaning up after the kids who have very few toys here (and this has totally convinced me how little my children really "need" or, better put, that they just have too much at home) I can just enjoy my time with my family. The kids have even slept in past 7 a.m. the last few days, and that is a luxury in itself. This has been a great time to just relax and reflect on what I have to be thankful for.

Perhaps once I get home and finish my final exam next week I will get back to regular blogging...

Pumpkin Pancakes

While there are many things to love about Fall, one of my favorites is the food, namely ANYTHING with pumpkin. Several years ago I was introduced to a fabulous recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes and it instantly became a family favorite. We even have it for supper since pumpkin is technically a vegetable (but if anyone clues my kids in on that fact they will have to deal with my wrath.) In celebration of this season, I thought I would share the recipe.

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

4 eggs (my recipe calls for separating them, but I don't do that, too much effort- dirtying more dishes, but if you are a glutton for punishment or a better "cooker" than me beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter after mixing together all the other ingredients.)

1/4 cup melted butter

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine milk, egg yolks, butter and pumpkin puree. Stir into dry ingredients until just blended. Pour about 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter onto hot, greased griddle. Cook until tops bubble; turn and cook other side. Serve with warm maple syrup, and whipped cream, after all, syrup is a fruit because it comes from a tree (we use the real stuff) and the whipped cream is dairy- I can justify it all.

On a side note, the smallest size of pumpkin puree that I can find is 15 oz. (approx 2 cups). Instead of having half a can of pumpkin puree left over, I just double the recipe. Then I freeze the leftovers and they make a fabulous quick breakfast for those rushed "school mornings."

Happy Birthday D!

Although this picture is a bit blurred, it totally captures my "baby" who just turned 2. He's always on the go, a whirl of energy, and only stops when he's being read to or asleep. He's 100% boy, getting into anything and everything, and yet he is sweet and tender until his sisters bug him, then he retaliates. However, his sweet, mischievous smile melts my heart even after he's pulled his sisters' hair, drawn on the wall, thrown something, climbed onto the table, locked the bathroom door... Fun times! Happy birthday, D!

So what was she thinking?

So long summer

Okay, so I know summer ended a little over a week ago, but I just had to share this.

This past March I decided to be ambitious and plant my own, home-grown flowers.

I went to Wal-Mart and bought seeds and two flats that would act as "mini greenhouses" for the seedlings. I planted Forget-me-Nots, Marigolds, Shasta Daisies, Dahlias, Sunflowers, Zinnias and Cone Flowers.
My girls even got in on the action, although they got bored after planting a few seeds, plus it was hard to work with such small seeds.
A little less than two months later most of the seeds that I had planted had sprouted. It was fun for the kids to see the plants grow. Some of the seeds didn't do so well, namely the Cone Flowers and Marigolds, but it was rather painless. When the seedlings were ready and the weather had warmed up enough I transplanted them into our yard.

Out of all the flowers, the Zinnias did best although they were a lot taller than I had expected. My landscaping skills would certainly not get me on the pages of Better Homes and Gardens, but it was the learning experience that counts.

I wasn't thrilled with the way the Shasta Daisy's did, but since they are perennials I'm hoping they'll come back fuller next year.

The Dahlias also did very well and I loved the colors- many different kinds. Next year I think I'll move these to the backyard (since they are perennials also).

I also love how these flowers have made great arrangements in the house. It was a very fun, worthwhile family project.

I Remember

I remember September 11, 2001. I had gone to school early that morning to teach my 3rd grade class in Norcross, GA. My husband had gone to work at 3rd Army in Ft. McPherson, GA. My parents were in town visiting and were going to the airport that morning to pick up my sister and her husband who were flying in from Washington D.C.

I remember a fellow teacher coming into my room and telling me that two planes had hit the World Trade Centers in New York City. I remember the shock and horror I felt, knowing this was no accident and wondering who could be that evil. I couldn’t begin to imagine the number of lives that were lost.

I remember hearing about the plane that had crashed into the Pentagon and knowing that my sister and her husband were flying out from D.C. that very morning. I remember the guilty relief I felt when I saw that their flight had landed in Atlanta but knowing that many other families were learning that their loved ones had not been so fortunate. I remember my sister later telling me that they had seen the Pentagon as they flew out of the city, just 30 minutes before it was attacked.

I remember trying very hard not to let my students know that something so horrible had occurred that day. During my lunch break I called my husband, and that was when I first cried because his job primarily dealt with the Middle East. I remember being afraid that he would have to go to war.

I remember the days, weeks and months that followed. My students came with so many questions. “Why had this happened?” “Who did this?” “Why didn’t they like us?” Too many of them had seen the images on T.V., burning buildings, people jumping, and they needed assurance that they were safe. I remember hearing so many stories on the news of acts of heroism and an increased sense of patriotism.

I remember holding my newborn daughter in my arms and watching as we went to war. I remember the mixed emotions that I had and how I selfishly prayed that my husband wouldn’t have to go.

I remember my husband telling me that with his new job assignment would be a deployment. I remember watching him hold our 5 month old son and praying that he would come home alive. I remember the sense of pride mixed with fear and an unexplainable God-given peace as I watched him walk away, knowing it would be a long time before I saw him again.

I remember the year without my husband. Relying on God’s strength for each day, and anticipating my husband’s phone calls, letters, and e-mails, and praying for his and the other soldiers’ safety. I remember feeling God’s hand through the hugs and support of friends and family, offers of help, the simple “Thank you’s.”

I remember him finally coming home, our children running towards him and holding on tightly to their daddy. I remember his strong arms holding me; it was as if no time had passed by at all.

I remember those who lost their lives on September 11th. I remember those in the military who endure time away from their family and friends and who have given their lives to defend our freedom. I remember those who anticipate the phone calls and letters from their loved ones who are far away, and I remember those who will never see their loved one again. I remember and pray for them all.

I remember. I will not forget.

Venezuela Parte Dos

I forgot to mention that the cabin we stayed at was a flower farm. It was breath-takingly beautiful, but sadly pictures will never really capture the true beauty.












We visited one of our favorite hotels, Hotel Lost Frailes, but with the sky-rocketing inflation we didn't stay there. Supposedly it was once a monastery and dates back to the 1600's.


Hotel Los Frailes nestled in the mountains.
The courtyard.

Venezuela Parte Uno

I was a bit taken aback today when I realized we'd been home for 2 weeks. When we got home after our vacation we practically hit the ground running with school starting less than a week later, hubby going back to work, and trying to return to the usual routines of life.

I've been a bit overwhelmed by all the pictures we took (I had over 400 and my parents gave me a CD of their shots- 700+). Even though I had originally said that this was my last trip to Venezuela, in reality this has only helped to increase my desire to return again. If only money grew on trees...

It's hard to pick out just the highlights from our trip. As much as Blogger will allow me, I'll post a as many pictures as I can and try to include a brief description of the trip.

After we got over our exhaustion from the flight, we drove to the Western part of Venezuela where the highest peak is located. It's always been a favorite vacation area for my family and my husband had never seen this area.

We stayed in Rincon de la Venta (a tiny little village) in a cabin that had a fireplace. As odd as this may sound, we needed it. I'm not sure what the temperature was, but there was snow on some of the nearby peaks since it was the rainy season. We all wore several layers of clothing. My girls had the cutest room, beds with curtains.

We drove to the nearby city of Merida where we planned on riding the world's longest cable care. Much to our surprise and disappointment, although it was the peak of tourist season, the cable car was closed due to maintenance. Later we did find out that it is now closed for good because it is beyond repair and must be replace completely. Glad we didn't ride on it after all!

However, there is a lot to do in that area. We went to the ice cream store that is in the Guinness Book of World Records for most flavors of ice cream. They sold flavors such as smoked trout, tomato, asparagus, sardines, and even Viagra. I tried corn, rose and lemon- and it was all good.

We also went horseback riding. There aren't very strict standards of safety, so my 5 year old and 1 year old were able to ride on the horses (helmets were not available). They had a blast. We enjoyed the unique beauty of the area. This plant is called a Frailejon and is native only to the Andes. It reminds me a little of the Edelweiss in Europe only these plants can grow up to 6 feet tall.

On the Road Again

I honestly didn't mean to be so vague in my last post about our last vacation of the summer. My intention was to do a quick post about our upcoming trip, but as it always does, time flew by and before I knew it we were on the plane headed to Venezuela. Yep, we're in Venezuela, South America. For those who may not know, I'm an MK (missionaries' kid), and my parents are still in Venezuela. What prompted this trip was the fact that my parents are retiring next year, so we would not be able to come to Venezuela and have a free place to stay, plus it's been 10 years since I've been "home" and we still could fly one kid for "free"- with some minor fees.

I consider myself a seasoned traveler having flown since I was a toddler and made this treck from the States to Venezuela many, many times. What threw me for a loop and kept me packing and preparing franticly for an entire week (in addition to school shopping since both of my girls start school less than a week after we get home) was traveling with 3 small children. Thankfully I had a few friends who were able to give me tips for traveling with young kids, but what made my stomach do the most loops was 1.) that we were having to drive 7 hours to the airport- we saved a significant amount by doing that and 2.) that our flight was an overnight flight- we left at 1 a.m. and arrived in Caracas at 9:30 a.m.

We hit the road at 10 a.m. for JFK Int Airport in New York City. On our way there we did stop by and visit some dear friends of mine, the Schloneckers, who hosted us in their home for a few hours (broke up the long drive) and gave us a great route to JFK. We got to JFK just before 9 p.m., checked in with the airline, stood through a headache of a line for security and had about 1 1/2 hours to spare while waiting to board the plane. The kids were entertained by running around the terminal (we were always close by) and exhausted themselves before the flight. I had them change into their pj's and brushed their teeth shortly before we boarded. Fortunately just as they flight started to take off all three kids fell asleep. Unfortunately for whatever reason the flight attendants started handing out food at 2 a.m. and my husband woke me and the youngest two up by excitedly declaring that they were serving a meal. What can I say, men and their stomachs! I was thankful that we all fell back asleep, although since I was holding my son I didn't sleep quite as well.

We had a 1 1/2 hour layover in Bogota, Colombia, which seemed a little short to me, but our flights were on time. Our flight left at 7 a.m. and my son cried practically the entire hour and a half. This time I made my husband hold him. D was just tired and wanted to be done with this nonsense. Upon our arrival in Caracas we made it through customs and got our bags in record time. My parents were even caught by surprise since the arrival board said that our flight had not yet arrived.

Needless to say, we were thrilled to make it in one piece, luggage, kids and all. Our travels went smoother than I had expected, and even the long drive and odd flight hours worked in our favor. We have a week left here in Venezuela and at this point I can't even put into words how much fun we're having. I'll post pictures in the future, but no guarentee that I'll write before we return to the states.

Oh where has the summer gone?

Perhaps it's having school-age children now or this has just been a very busy few months, but I'm shocked at how quickly this summer has gone by. I really had planned to get more done and relax more and to just have time to do more in general. I'm almost looking forward to having a regular routine when school starts, but I know I'll miss the flexibility. I honestly didn't mean to abandon my blog so much either, but we've been doing "stuff" like hanging out at pools, shopping, scrap booking, traveling, hosting visitors, etc. Our biggest travel is coming up in a week, and although I am so excited, I'm a bit nervous too, but that's for another post at another time.

Here's a brief glimpse of what we've been up to:

The girls took swim lessons and absolutely loved them. They beamed every time they got in the water, and although the lessons were everyday for 2 1/2 weeks, they were well worth the effort and time.

I've also managed to finish two complete scrapbooks (90 pages- front and back, journaling and decorating, etc.) in about 3 weeks. My albums are rather simple, just basically tell the stories behind the pictures, journaling our everyday lives.

I'm able to make my albums rather quickly by laying out the pictures and borders with a Power Layout box. My husband jokingly says that I remind him of the guy on "A Beautiful Mind" because I often have them spread out over every flat surface in the house.
We enjoyed visits from my in-laws and my sister's family (including my one and only beautiful and brilliant niece.)

We also visited my in-laws in Cheraw, SC, and went to North Myrtle Beach. The kids loved playing in the sand and warmed up a little more to the waves. It was a long drive to and from the Carolinas but the kids were troopers and I got some rare "reading time" done. I took advantage of a few Sonic Drive-Ins here and there since there aren't too many in our neck of the woods. (Sorry, Stephanie, but I would have sent you some if I could.)

Like I said before, this summer has gone by way too fast, but I have no regrets about how we've spent our time.

Note to all the little sisters out there

Should you be playing dress-up with your big sister and she offers to make you even more beautiful by applying make-up, think twice about letting her apply green marker in place of eye-shadow. It doesn't come off very easily, and you'll get lots of funny looks while running errands with your mom.

Happy 4th!

There's no better way to celebrate the 4th than to welcome an Army unit home. The rest of hubby's unit came home this week. It's great to have them back on our soil, but please keep praying for all of those who are still in danger's way to protect our freedom.