Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Liberty

As of one week ago, I am now a Liberty University student along with my Hubby, although he is enrolled in their Seminary I am just enrolled in their regular University. I decided why not get another degree, heck I have two, what's another! Business and CNA, now what am I going for......BS in Psychology with a Minor in Church Ministries. I am very excited and I start on January 18th, this is the same time that the Hubby starts back also.

This first mini semester from January to March I am taking General Psychology and Theology(Introduction to Christian Thought). Can't wait! I ordered my books last week and they should be here around Thursday, can't wait to get them and start reading!

Yesterday I checked my Liberty e-mail and found that they had received my Official Transcript from my previous College. I was ecstatic to find out that all of my classes were transferring!!! Yes! This means 1 year...at least...will be knocked off of getting this degree! How wonderful to hear!! So in all actuality I could be graduating before the Hubby is finished with his Masters of Divinity.

I am very proud, and although I know that I am going to be working very hard, it's going to be great and I can't wait!

Monday, December 28, 2009

All-n-A Days Work

So, this is the second week of Christmas/Winter Break....the kids are with their Granparents for the week(the Hubby's parents), the Hubby is on half days for today and the next two days then off for four days, and that leaves me home alone with the dog. It's lonely and boring.

Today when the Hubby got home at lunch we headed to the attic and started organizing it! We loaded up the van, it was slammed packed, with things that we took to GoodWill. Then we came back home and loaded it up again with recycling to take to the recycling center. We are over half way finished with organizing the attic and we will finish it tomorrow by going through all of the Christmas totes and sorting through all of those Christmas items that have been in storage for the past 6 years. Then we will take down the outside Christmas lights and put them up before it rains on Wednesday.

We may catch a matinee at the Movies tomorrow when the Hubby gets home from work before we finish conquering the attic and outside lights. There are a couple of movies that we would like to see.

I washed a couple of loads of towels today and some linens. I want to wash the kids' bed linens and have them fresh and clean before they get home. It always feels nice when you have fresh linens to sleep on.

Dinner tonight was pizza, we ordered it on the way to the recycling center today, it was good, but not the same as eating it with the kids!

Good night world...until tomorrow

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve! We have had a wonderful day today in our family. The Bookworm made us homemade pancakes for breakfast this morning....he loves to make pancakes, he is a very good chef! After breakfast we tidied up the house and then we rolled out and decorated and bake homemade sugar cookies. This has always been a tradition with the kids since the Princess was little and we always bake them on Christmas Eve. Following baking cookies, the kids made garland with a kit that I purchased after Christmas last year. They painted wooden snowmen, snowflakes, christmas trees, santas and reindeer and then we glued them onto the ribbon with bells and rafia, they each made one, they did a good job! Afterwards we ate lunch and watched The Grinch. We also played Mancala and watched It's A Wonderful Life too!

Now the Hubby is off to go and pick up our Christmas Eve dinner tradition Chinese! While we eat we will watch The Walton's Homecoming(another tradition on Christmas Eve). Then it will be the reading of The Night Before Christmas by the Hubby. Maybe another movie and then bed. Christmas tomorrow, now matter how old I get I always look forward to Christmas with my family and celebrating with the the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Christmas Presents

The tree is up.Your house is decorated. All of your gifts have been bought for your family and friends. But, here is the question....Do you take the time to carefully consider each person on your list and to what they may like for Christmas as a gift from you/your family?

I don't know about you but I do. I make a list of everyone that we are buying for and I carefully go through my list name by name thinking of what each person on our list may like. Taking my time to think of that perfect, sometimes unique or unusual gift. Gift cards............are not an option on my list! Gift cards are too easy of a gift, if you are going to give a gift card, you should just send money and let the person shop where-ever they want. Gift cards are a restraint to the person that gets it because they can only shop at where you "buy" the card at and most of the time that card came from your favorite store, not the person's favorite store that you are buying it for! But, it you really really truly must buy gift cards, buy a visa one, at least then the person can shop where they want! This is what my Husband's sister is getting our children, do I have a problem with it, no, because a visa gift card can be used at the KIDS favorite stores. But if you are very adament about getting a "store" gift-card how about buy a little something small to put with the gift card to give that "gift" effect!

The past 6 years while we were stationed overseas our families received gifts native to the country(countries) that we were living in. They have a collection of many different kinds of things from nutcrackers, to little wooden smoker men, to hand crafted wooden figures from trains to ornaments, to family name plaques for their homes, to handmade rugs from when the Hubby was deployed, to wonderful chocolates and candies, etc.These gifts came from the local economy, not the PX!(our family doesn't even shop at the PX here, we got so tired of the PX's when we were overseas, who cares about being tax free!) What makes these gifts special.....they were all selected and picked out specifically for the individual or family by us. We took our time to pick them out a gift, not just grab something to get their name scratched off our Christmas list. We get gifts for people because we care, not because we "have" to. You see, it's not the amount of money that you spend, it's the thought that counts and to me, the time that you put into it.

I am always excited every year to make our list and to begin our shopping. Usually by now I have completed my shopping, but this year I haven't. We have completed and bought for the most important two on our list, our two children. The rest of the list is still sitting there, for me to complete it. But for me, I am still diligently thinking about what I am going to select for the ones on our list.

The same about gifts can also apply to Christmas cards. Do you send out Christmas because you want to, or because you feel that you "have" to? If you feel the need that you have to, don't! There is no rule saying that you have to send out Christmas cards. I remember one year, we sent out New Years cards instead. Is there anything wrong with that? Absolutely not.

Do what makes you happy while you put Jesus first, others second and yourself last.

Learning from Your Dog?


Thought for the day: " We can learn so much by observing the way our pets rejoice in life's simplest moments. For a dog, every morning is Christmas morning. Every walk is the best walk, every meal is the best meal. Take time every day to celebrate the many gifts that are hidden in the ordinary events of your life." Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer
How true it is! Our dog Sandy, loves and finds joy in the simplest things. From waiting on me to wake-up in the mornings, to looking forward to marching in the kids' rooms in the mornings to help wake them up, to that sniff of the fresh morning air when she first goes out in the mornings, to spending time following Mom around the house during the day as I do housework, to waiting in the afternoons for the sound of the garage door going up so that she can attack Dad when he comes home from work; the simplest things she finds joy in. Her love for me and our family is never ending, she gives love with wanting nothing in return. Although a treat sure is yummy to her at times or being able to sit in Mom or Dad's lap and at the end of the day when she gets to sleep on our bed when we turn in for the night!
So, like a dog, we too should take every day to celebrate the many gifts that are hidden in the ordinary events of our lives. Your family(immediate and long distance), your house, food, your car, your job, your friends, your Church. You get the picture. What about doing....what have you done for someone else lately? Or have you been to wrapped up in yourself to think of others? Lots of times family is the one thing that people put on the back burner......people wake-up and smell the coffee, family is the number one thing(besides God) that should be your top priority! It's sad, but so true, too many have families where the only time they hear from eachother is around the Holidays, how sad! Why is this? Too busy with everyday events in their ordinary lives to think about anyone else but themselves. Too busy, to pick up a phone a call someone just to say, "hello". What does this teach and show todays children? Morals and values that I learned when I was growing are becoming scarce these days. It makes me very sad and sick to my stomach to see how so many people are rearing their children. It bothers me to think that sooo many parents try to be "friends" with their children and not the parents. It bothers me not see families in Church worshipping together and praising the Lord. It bothers me when parents let their children walk all over them and the parents show no backbone! I remember hearing a parent say one time to their child, if you don't do so and so, I'm going to tell Santa not to come see you! Gee, what a thing to tell your child! Was that parent really going to follow through with their statement? Of course not! And you know that the child knew that too, so parents, just a little hint for you, don't tell your children things that you are not going to follow through with.
So today, stop and rejoice for all the simplest things in your life. And while you stop and ponder on them, thank God while you're at it!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

15 Wonderful Years


The Hubby and I just celebrated our 15th wedding Anniversary last Thursday, and yes, this year it happened to fall on Thanksgiving.....for all of those that remembered our special day, thank you for remembering us.


We celebrated by taking a Cruise, just the Hubby and I. We took a 6 day 5 night Cruise on the Carnival Inspiration to the Western Carribean. We had a wonderful time together and are planning on taking another one on our 20th Anniversary, maybe a Panama Canal Cruise! Who knows, we may take another one before then and take the kids too, they are the perfect age for taking a cruise. It was really fun to watch all of the people that decided to take their "younger" children with them, and I am considering all children under the age of 10 "younger." These people looked miserable! Especially the ones that had babies, or toddlers or pre-schoolers or 5 year olds! All the Hubby and I could say to each-other was "Ha Ha"! I must mention here that I have the BEST Mother in the whole world! Thanks Mom for watching the kids(and Sandy our dog) for us...you are AWESOME!!!! And the kids had a really fun time with you and Dad!


15 years is along time. We actually dated for about a year and then we were engaged for almost a year, so we have "technically" been together for around 17 years! What is the secret you say? God! God has always been our rock and our foundation, not only in our marriage, but in our family and our lives. Without God in your life, you are nothing. JOY: Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last.


As I look back over the past 15 years, I look back with joy, I anticipate the future, and I celebrate the present with laughter and love . God has blessed me with a wonderful Husband and I thank Him for that. I love you Hubby!