Summer vacation?

I'm hearing mention of summer vacation all over the place, and while for the first time in a LONG time, we don't really have any pressing deadlines (and believe me, I do feel lost without them!), we don't have any plans either. For the first time ever, we're finding ourselves trying to figure out what to DO with the summer! Of course, we know that it may well be figured out for us, with Pete starting a new job, Jon coming home on R&R in late summer rather than late fall, and the possibility of Pete starting his overseas travel with his new job...but for right now, there's nothing--except a huge void on the calendar! Weird...

I'm kidding myself if I am even beginning to think that I will have the summer "off". It does not happen. Even now, I'm doing mental checklisting of things I need to accomplish before we officially start school--starting with getting out the calendar and actually planning our next school year! In years past, we've always started the week after Labor Day and ended within a couple of weeks of Memorial Day, but this year, I don't really have much reason to wait that long. It doesn't truly feel as if we need that big a "break".

For now, I'm doing a little summer "school" for me--I'm reading some new (and some not-so-new, but new to me) books on home education, familiarizing myself with elementary school curriculum again, and switching gears from algebra and chemistry back down to phonics and basic math facts. I'm determined to enjoy this more the second time around; with Jon and Kelsey, we began homeschooling more out of necessity than anything else, and I was doing just way too much flying by the seat of my pants to truly "enjoy" it. This time....well, this time I'm ready. I'm prepared. And I'm ready to have FUN with this! Ooh--I even bought a butterfly bungalow and I need to decide when to mail off the certificate for our caterpillars....I think our butterflies will be a summer project, rather than waiting till we study insects later on in the school year. I guess it's time to get that butterfly bush picked out and planted, huh?

My mind is a bit scattered right now, and for that reason, I'm glad I've got the summer to get myself organized and focused. I'm just thinking in too many different directions all at once. I had way too much "hit" me at the same time, and my thought process is frazzled. Jobs, renovations, graduation, gardening, teaching reading, world history, transcript preparation, Afghanistan, potential weddings, rebellion issues, and oh, how the list goes on...not to mention I've been studying pretty hefty issues in my own personal Bible study time. Simplification? I NEED IT!

So...how did YOUR May go?

'Cause mine was a bit of a blur. I know, I know....I started blogging about serious stuff, caught some people's attention, then disappeared off the map. Sorry. It's been one of THOSE months. You'll have to 'scuse me and my blatant disregard for the internet as of late. I would like to say I've been out in the backyard, camped out on a comfy quilt with hubby, watching the girls play....

But alas, I have not. If my mind wasn't already sidetracked with what has turned out to be a roller-coaster of emotions with my son and his fiancee (or is she? I'm not sure anymore), I had a graduation to prepare for, and that was no small undertaking. The biggest time-taker-upper was a scrapbook I made for her to have on display at the homeschool group's graduation reception following the ceremony, and I'll tell you...that scrapbook was EXHAUSTING! It's a good thing I'm not one of the types who gets all mushy and teary-eyed over old pictures of my kids, because I'd never have gotten it done! Thankfully, Kelsey actually enjoyed the scrapbook (even if she does still say that scrapbooking is silly), and all of our new friends and "family" got a good glimpse at all the years leading up to our move here--including pictures that they could compare all of the girls with, and the general consensus is that each of the little girls looks somehow "just like Kelsey" in their own way, yet they all look completely unique. God is truly an artist when it comes to creating biological "art"!

At any rate, we now have another high school graduate...and possibly another future in-law (??); regardless, this mom is tired. Emotionally, physically, and mentally. I just don't want to think for a while, if that's okay with everybody. After the last week, my brain needs some time off. Especially since we spent a week semi-worrying (and praying VERY hard) because the company Pete has been working for since February did NOT get their contract renewed and his job will be disappearing on June 1st......and yesterday, God came through with a HUGE answer to prayer when a much LARGER company with a much more important Defense contract (not to mention....the contract is long-standing and renewed!) contacted him and offered him a job doing exactly what he'd hoped to be doing when he retired from the Army! God truly does provide! But my brain....it's fried.

I hope y'all will excuse me whilst I do a little bit of brain renewing. I need to read and reboot. I'm SOOOO glad I've gotten next school year "covered" already so all I have to do over the summer is get to know the materials that already fill our schoolroom! Yay for preplanning!

Oh yeah....here's our newest homeschooled grad, Kelsey!

Definition of "tired":

"Tired" is when you hop in the tub at 11pm on a Saturday night after everyone else has gone to bed because you just realized you haven't shaved your legs in WAY too long and you don't really want to look like Sasquatch in a skirt at church the following morning...........

.........and not finding out until 9:30pm SUNDAY night that you somehow managed to forget one whole leg!

What's our problem?

It was my original intent to hold off on this for....well, I'm not sure how long I'd planned on waiting. This is one of those things I've been pondering for a loooong time and it's been one of those topics that's been plaguing my brain; I've even had a couple of people tell me I should start writing about it, that I had probably enough content to fill a book. Maybe I do...maybe that IS one of the things God expects of me...but, knowing myself, if I didn't just DO something about all the thoughts running through my head, I'd never even get started on it! THAT was what prompted the query about the modern threat to the Church.

What was the concensus? Well, you can read the comments here in addition to one on the Facebook link I did, but I gotta tell you--I saw exactly what I figured I'd see. Without putting a fine-tip-point on it, the answers all had to do with US. Everyone believes WE (the average Christians) are the problem. Do I disagree? Not even slightly. I believe wholeheartedly that we are the problem. If the Church IS people, then when it has problems, it's going to be the people making that Body up that cause the problems, right? Certainly the foundational elements of the Church that Jesus built aren't the problem, because He left us with perfection--a perfect plan, a perfect organizational pattern, and perfect (fully whole) instructions that did not require us to do anything other than read and obey. We don't need interpretation; we don't need man-made additions or revisions or traditions; God gave us everything we need when He revealed His perfect Word to the men who were inspired to write it all down for our learning. So why is the Church floundering amid a sea of false doctrine, opinions, and apathy?

A couple of weeks ago our Wednesday adult class began a study on Genesis. There is NO way we'll actually finish it, because we're now four weeks into the quarter and we just got the ark landed on Mt. Ararat last night. There's just too much meat in Genesis to 'snack' on! ANYway...one of the questions asked that very first night of class was, "What would we be missing if the Bible didn't contain the book of Genesis?" Have you ever pondered that thought? No creation, no flood, no nation of Israel, no Moses, no Joseph...there would be a lot of gaps! The conclusion we came to in that class that night was what got my brain-wheels turning again on this church-problem issue. You see, if there is not an adequate foundation, the rest of the Bible makes no sense. Without knowing the mind of God revealed to the patriarchs, we don't understand the nature of God and the disgust He has for disobedience--and the New Testament is senseless. Without Genesis, we can't understand sin. Without knowing God's initial plan for mankind, the REST of the story is pure nonsense. When you ignore His original intent, the rest goes haywire.

Look around you--what do you see in the church? HAYWIRE! Folks are neglecting huge portions of the Word of God because they don't know (or don't care) that God expects full and unyielding obedience from His people. People are putting aside God's Will and inserting their own--in doctrine, in practice, in worship, in their thoughts, in their deeds....self comes first to us, and that was the very first lesson humankind was supposed to learn back in Eden--that God expects obedience--our full hearts--regardless of what we thought, saw, interpreted, wanted, or reasoned.

Satan knows today, just as he knew back in Eden, which buttons to push to get mankind to question God's sovereignty, His truth, and His intent for us. And we are falling for it hook, line, and sinker just as Adam and Eve did! All he has to do with us, just like with the first woman and man, is change ONE word in a "thus saith the LORD", and he's got us. Satan probably penned the "God is my co-pilot" and "God said it, I believe it, that settles it" bumper stickers...because he KNEW all he had to do was add one teeny little thing to get us hooked into doubting God. What's that little thing? Self. Why isn't God our pilot? Why do we feel the need to be in the drivers' seat? Why do we have to "believe" it for a matter to be settled once God says it? Ladies and gentlemen, if God says it, that settles it, whether WE believe it or not!

So that was my big-revelation answer to the church problem? Self? Well yes, but not entirely. See, this has been a long time brewing in my head...but all the things I've pondered lead back to something...I'll get there. It may take another post or two, but I'll get there.

Actually, to make a really long story short, I believe that the biggest threat to the Church today is a lack of Biblical leadership. The biggest threat to Biblical leadership in my opinion? Self. (See, I can still connect the dots between my thoughts!) It's nothing new--Adam had a problem with being the leader God intended for him to be; Abraham shirked his leadership responsiblilities when it came down to his safety because of his relationship to Sarah; Moses didn't want the job God revealed to him at the burning bush, and even after he finally took it and saw just how powerful God coudl be through an obedient leader, he blew it when he inserted his own will--on a rock. A lack of leadership can make or break an organization, and while the bedrock of the Lord's Church is Jesus Christ Himself, He put in place a plan for on-the-ground leadership in the place of elders (the Biblical usage of pastor/bishop also refers to church elders); and a lack of sound leadership from these men can be the downfall of local churches and a huge detriment to the Church as a whole. Finally being part of a congreagation of the Lord's Body that HAS great leadership is what made it so vividly obvious what other [weaker] congregations were lacking. We (the church as a whole) have an ever-decreasing number of men who are qualified to lead as elders in the Church, and among those who are qualified there are even fewer who have the boldness to do the job God entrusted to them.

Think for a minute about a military unit at war (which we are); if a unit doesn't have a commander because there aren't any men who are qualified, or if a commander doesn't have the courage to stand against opposing forces and offer himself first as an example to those men who are to follow his lead and his direction...or if the direction he gives isn't cohesive with the battle plan, is the mission going to fail?

Yep.

So why don't we have enough qualified (and willing) men to lead today's Church by the standard God gave us? There's your next question...

What do YOU think?

What do you think is the biggest threat to the Church today? I have my thoughts, but I'm interested in hearing yours!

Sooo....what'cha think?

"Just" the ten of us...

This picture was taken the day before Jon left for Afghanistan, at a park not too far from Fort Campbell. We'd gone up there early that Sunday to meet him and Chelsey at church, go out for lunch, and then spend the day together. It's one of those memories all of us will hold onto till we get to see him again in November.

Funny thing about this picture...I'm sure to the other folks around us that day, our entourage looked huge! Consider that we also had two others with us--Pete's father and his wife--so there were a total of twelve of us both at Golden Corral for lunch and then wandering around the park that afternoon. To us, though, it doesn't feel so "huge"; ten just feels like family. When I look back at pictures of our family when it was just four of us, I'm reminded just how positively tiny it looked...and incomplete.

Do we feel like our family is "complete" now, with seven children and the prospect of having more naturally not a possibility anymore? No, we don't. To be perfectly honest, both Pete and myself ache for an even larger family; we just knew that adding to our family naturally was not just dangerous for my health, it was a risk neither one of us wanted to take. Call that a lack of faith if you want, but it's a decision that was definitely made with much prayer and self-seeking. We know our motivations were right this time, and while we're "okay" with it, the prospect of not bearing anymore natural children does bother both of us. You know what? If God were to want to grow our family further via adoption, we'd both be thrilled! I'm sure we'd have to pick all of the grandparents up off of the floor...but children ARE a blessing, no matter how shocking their addition is to any family!

Our family is really nowhere near complete, I hope! By the end of next month, we will have two children who have graduated from high school and we know it is the natural course of things for them to strike out on their own and begin families of their own. It's not a sad thing for our "nest" to begin emptying--it's what is supposed to happen! However...as our nest empties, the nests of each of our children will, hopefully, begin filling up. I hope one day to need to "move" our dining room into the bonus room that is now the girls' bedroom! I hope one day we'll NEED a Duggar-sized table to seat all of our family members. It is my dream to have holidays that are just busting at the seams with sons-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and a ton of grandchildren! Oh...and it has been our hope and prayer for years to be able to have a church family that functions almost as a biological family--and we have that here finally!

So yes, we're actually making plans to extend our family to FAR more than "just the ten of us"! I hope that's God's plan for our family too!

Lessons Learned

I was thinking the other day that Pete's vasectomy reversal and the five children we've been blessed with following that reversal have given us a very unique set of circumstances--we really DO get to "do it over". I've often heard parents of teens or young adults talk about what they'd do differently if they had the chance to, and what's ironic is that MOST of them would have been stricter. I guess that's a sad fact of my generation--still trying to eek out from under the iron fists of the baby boomers, we went a direction that led us and our children down a path we'd have avoided had we known the outcome.

Well....I know that outcome, and I'm blessed with the awesome task of somehow correcting mistakes with the second "set" of children. Don't get me wrong; I don't think my older two children are hopelessly broken or that they're awful people. Quite the contrary. Both Jon and Kelsey are pretty good kids, now that we're past the "worst" of their rebellion (I hope). Problem is...somehow we missed the mark in training them how to be holy--and by "holy" I don't mean self-righteous Pharisees, but in the truest sense of the word--set apart for God's purposes. Unfortunately, giving in to many of the things that even our Christian parent-peers were doing with their own children has left our children blind to the fine line between black and white. I want to be sure that our younger children learn to detest the "gray area" just as much as the darkness. THAT is where we went "wrong".

I know I'm not going to earn the Mother of the Year award for any of this; I really couldn't care less about that. I just want to see my children grow up to love the things of God more than the things of this world. And it is not going to come easy to any of us. I can't sacrifice too much more than I already have with the first two--except my comfort. This is going to be hard work for me, and most of it is new territory, because I know of very few people who hold their children to higher standards than their worldly neighbors; most Christians, it's sad to say, are just like "everybody else" except they may not participate in the "truly" sinful stuff. Is it any wonder that a whole generation of children raised in the church are spiritual midgets without true conviction not only regarding doctrine but also conduct, thoughts, and what they worship?

What would God say about the quasi-idolatry of putting things, friends, "fitting in", and entertainment (yes, entertainment....look at what most youth groups around the country DO and you'll see what I'm talking about) before the true task of living God's purposes in our life? What would God say about how floppy most Christians' definition of idolatry is?

Pete and I have a growing list (based on the results we've seen with our older children and their peers) of things that we're doing differently with the younger girls. Listed by themselves, each thing would be considered a tyrannical abomination to most kids/teens.

I.

Don't.

Care.

From here on out, if it doesn't fulfill God's purpose for my children, it won't be happening. Sorry. My girls' lives will be far from "bland", I can assure you. They will have friends, as do their parents; they will have enjoyable activities; they will have everything they need. But as far as the "rest" goes.....

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

I am in LOVE with these pictures!

So....my son is engaged to a wonderfully well-rounded young lady who just so happens to be a pretty talented photographer! First, I was just thrilled she was raised in the church; then I was beside myself with glee over the fact that she has wanted to be a stay-at-home mom her entire life and was "just waiting for the right guy to come along"; then it tickled me pink to learn that she pretty much homeschooled herself her senior year and now wants to homeschool whatever children God blesses them with (they're wanting six boys--hey, did I mention she's a glutton for punishment? LOL). I'm a very happy mother-in-law-to-be, and Chelsey and I do get along really well. GREAT! And then this.....
The girl has an artist's eye, and it's (as she'd put it) UBER talented, already at the tender age of 19! She set up this shot, handed the camera to Jon, and then popped her nose (and glasses) in the pic below:

Have I mentioned how much I just LOVE those pictures??? I've got them in black and white on my walls already.

Sigh....

The first "set" of birthdays

I'm terrible at this "keeping up" thing.

A whole month ago, our not-so-little Jamie turned five. That is HARD to believe, for some reason. I still can't wrap my mind around her being so OLD already! She plays the part well, though. Learning to tell time (she's got it down to the hour now, yay!), learning to read, learning to add, learning how to spell everything under the sun, coloring with detail that shocks us....she's not a baby or even a toddler anymore. I guess when you deal with potty training, bottles, and sippy cups all day, you just don't get to think about how quickly the older ones are growing up right under your nose! Jamie truly loved turning five and being the "same age" as Morgan for a whole 15 days!

Just two weeks and two days after Jamie's birthday, we celebrated another birthday (aside from Dani, who has her "own" birthday in October, our kids have birthdays in two's!) as Morgan turned six! Complete with the missing front tooth that she refused to show off in pictures, Morgan "defines" all that is six years old. She wants to do EVERYTHING that older people do. She even wants to do the dishes! This year, (FINALLY!!!!!) Morgan has a new "love" other than princesses--Hello Kitty! Better. I can deal with Hello Kitty; the princess thing made me a wee bit nauseous at times!

Next "set" of birthdays is next week! For the first time, we won't be with Jon on his birthday. Can we send a cake to Kandahar?

Christian Home Keeper's Journal 3/13

I'm trying a "something new" to break the monotony. More for me than anything else, really...but if folks get to know me better, I guess that's another perk? I found this journal over on the Christian HomeKeeper Network and it looked like a fun complement to what I've been studying and meditating on in real life...so here we are!

Here’s What’s happening …..

In My Kitchen …. Meatloaf tonight--mmm...., my not-so-favorite! One of those meals I learned to tolerate because Pete loves it. I'll make some roasted potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower to make it enjoyable for me. Scratch that. DIL2B Chelsey just told me it's her least fave too, so we're having French dip sandwiches and salads! Now THAT's yummy.

With Our Marriage …. It's a bit surreal (I've been using that word a lot over the last year and a half!) to see that our son and his fiancee actually WANT a relationship like ours, so with all the twists, turns, and upheavals, the realization that we must be doing something right--or at least that we have our foundation in the right place--is reassuring.

With The Children ….. While the little girls are learning to enjoy the benefits of living out of the city limits and being home more often than not, Kelsey is pulling further and further away. Natural, I guess, at this age and phase of life, but it's disconcerting nonetheless. She wants to grow up faster than she should, I'm afraid. I pray she doesn't regret leaving family in the dust as she speeds off into "real life". Causing even more internal conflict is the realization (for me) that my emotional constipation probably led to 90% of the problems we've got with her. And her brother. Ouch.

What I’m Reading … far too many curriculum catalogs and reviews. My brain hurts. I picked up the Duggars' book last night for some "lighter" reading and ended up being challenged more than I ever imagined.

What I Have Been Learning … that you never stop learning. It only gets deeper.

What I’ve Been Noticing …. that the children I used to think were "sheltered", abnormal, and didn't have the opportunities that other kids have had, have turned out to be probably the most mature young adults in the group. Not my kids, unfortunately. But it really makes me stop and think that if I want the younger girls to be as mature, well-adjusted, and as deeply connected to God and our family, I'd best start rethinking the way we've believed children "should" be raised.

Something that pleases me … second chances. And third chances. Do-overs in general. I'm very thankful that God gives them to us.

On The Back Burner of My Mind …. I've got so much to get "done" medically and through our dental insurance before Pete's officially retired and we have to switch insurances. Two things I despise...doctors' visits where I know I'll be lectured, and dentist offices. Dentists are my one MAJOR phobia...bet you didn't know THAT about me, did you?

In The Deepest Darkest Recesses …. fear that I can't change.

Okay, I certainly didn't expect something so "vanilla" as a home keeper's journal to open up my heart that much...I guess it's just been one of those weeks that I've had all this brewing in the back of my mind and needed the right outlet. Wow.

What just happened?

WhenI look at the date of my last blog entry and try to process everything that has gone on in that "short" amount of time, I get a headache. I'm dizzy from life spinning seemingly out of control, and it's just nuts! Quick run down....

Pete...enjoying his new job and military retirement, but now has ANOTHER job offer, from a bigger company, potentially paying a lot more and doing exactly what he wanted...but it requires a good deal of travel--overseas. He's pulling his newly-grown hair out over this one.

Kelsey...has finally ended the wishy-washy, what-to-do-after-graduation roller coaster and is enlisting. In the Army. I don't know if I'm thrilled that she's finally decided something or terrified that I'll have TWO children on active duty...I guess I'm just numb.

Jon...well, now, Jon is a great source of stress lately. Engaged by the end of January to someone he met on New Year's Eve, they planned an impromptu before-deployment wedding, then her family put the brakes on that and now they're "just" engaged...his fiancee (whom we love dearly) is now my right-hand girl and is staying with us about a third of the week. Jon deployed to Afghanistan on Monday, so my heart is on stand-still for a year. There really is nothing quite like seeing your only son leave for a year in a war zone. All those years I "trained" as an Army wife, plus all the deployments with Pete...they prepared me (albeit not very well) for this.

Morgan...lost her first tooth and learned how to tie her shoes all in one week.

Kasey...got her first TWO teeth, learned to sit up, started crawling, and started pulling up, all in two weeks!

Dani...still not potty trained.

Jamie...not enjoying being the "little" sister whose teeth aren't loose and whose shoes need to be tied by someone else. OH, the perils of being five.

Ty...last but not least, this silly cat had to go and get an injury that first looked like a broken tail but turned out to be just an abcess. That was one scary few days.

I'm tired. I need a serious Calgon month...or two...or three.

Ten years.....poof.

I haven't told anyone this...not even Pete, till yesterday--but for the last ten years or so, I've been secretly putting a story to paper. It's been revised a number of times and I never fully completed writing it, but I just couldn't bring myself to share that information. Fear of rejection, maybe, or deadlines, or the "need" to do something with it other than writing for my own enjoyment? I don't know.

No reason not to share it now, because yesterday I found out that my EXACT same storyline has been made into a movie. Not a big budget one, for sure, it's just one of those B-rated "christian" movies, but when I heard the previews and read up on the film, I was absolutely floored to find that somehow, the story fits mine almost detail for detail. I don't know how that happened, but it did.

I threw it away. Why bother keeping MY story, when someone else has already done something with it? I can't even bear to look at it, much less complete it now. Already been done. I guess I "sat on it" too long.

I'm not sure what stings more--the fact that a story I'd put ten years into had been made into a movie and that all of MY dreams of maybe publishing it one day are gone...or that the movie is one that I'd likely laugh at for its lack of finesse on screen.

At any rate, if you DO perchance see the movie "No Greater Love", think of me, ok?

Simple Woman's Daybook, 2/1/2010

FOR TODAY, February 1, 2010...
Outside my window... is a beautiful February day taking shape. It's bright and sunny and will be nearly 50 degrees today, which is a nice break from the cold and rainy weekend. A far cry from my usual self, I'm finding myself actually looking forward to the Spring for the first time. I guess I'm just a tad bit stricken with the gardening bug!?
I am thinking... that the next few months will be very busy for us, which is nothing unusual. The changes, however, certainly are new. Civilian life for us, deployment for our oldest, the good possibility of enlistment following the graduation of our secondborn, plus a whole wealth of experiences we've never had before due to our military lifestyle. Change is inevitable and we do look forward to seeing our children leave the nest and venture out to begin their own lives, but the stress is still there even with good changes.
I am thankful for... the opportunities that have been afforded us even amid the stress of Pete's Army career. Meeting up with an old friend over the weekend made it very obvious to us just how much he hasn't "missed out on" going to Warrant Officer School. We simply would not be where we are now, and we'd likely have gone through many more separations and dealt with much more job-related stress. Sometimes the pay just isn't worth it. Pete's new job may not pay as much monetarily as some that the other guys in his field have managed to get hired on to, but he'll be home--every day--at a WONDERFUL hour, which will afford him the opportunity to be far more involved with our little kids than he was with the big ones. That is something that you just can't put a price tag on. Thank you, Lord, for bringing that opportunity to him!
I am wearing... jeans and Pete's Kasey Kahne tee-shirt, and hair dye. Kelsey finally wore me down about my grays...if ONLY this "permanent" stuff were truly permanent!
I am remembering... the warmth of fellowship and the feeling that God just absolutely MUST be pleased with the praise that was offered up yesterday during our joint singing with the Chase Park congregation. Oh, MY. I enjoyed it SOOO much. There's just something so...oh, I don't know, uplifting and edifying (hmm, wonder where THAT idea came from? LOL) about congregational singing when everyone is of the same mind that we're there to praise God without thought given to how "good" it sounds to us. Funny how good it truly ends up sounding!? There's not a man-made musical instrument in this world that could make as joyful a noise as the voice God gave us!
I am going... to stay home and work on the task ahead of me--making this house a home.
I am currently reading... Romans 8--our "assignment" for our Sunday morning Bible class. What a meaty chapter!
I am hoping... that Pete's new job is as enjoyable to him as it sounds like it will be. He's "due" for employment that doesn't feel like slave labor to him! LOL
On my mind... the episode of 19 Kids and Counting we watched last night and the sobering thought that, with my history of pre-eclampsia, the situation the Duggars are facing with little Josie Brooklyn could very well have been us with Danica, Shelby, or Kasey. My blood pressure actually got far higher than Michelle's on many occasions, and it's a wonder none of the four of us (the girls or me) ended up with any long-lasting physical problems as a result. Pete and I really would love to have had several more children, but both of us wanted me to be here to enjoy the ones we have already been blessed with. As painful as the decision was, we're "okay" with it, even if we have to fight off the twinges of heartache when someone asks, "Are you pregnant?". It's not easy to face the fact that we essentially re-did what we had reversed nine years ago, but our motives this time were certainly better.
Noticing that... reading is not something that is coming easy to Morgan, and it is beginning to bother her that Jamie is catching on so quickly. Too bad she's just not able to understand that it's a skill that *will* come in time.
Around the house... things are ever-so-slowly coming together. Pete has his fish tank, finally, which is his mark of "home" for the office that no longer feels like a cave. Once I find the right color accent pillows for our bed, it'll really start to feel more homey and less stark. I still don't have a clue what I'm going to do for curtains in the bedroom, and the absence of a second nightstand is bugging me silly. Must. Have. Symmetry! For now, I think I'll just clean up the girls' room and take some pride in accomplishment in there.
A few plans for the rest of the week... getting Pete's schedule integrated into ours, getting the above-the-stove microwave fixed so we can remove the countertop one we've had in the kitchen since we moved in, and prepping the dining room for PAINT!!! Yay! Oh, I guess we need to do some shopping for a light fixture in there too so it doesn't feel like we're eating in a cave anymore! Saturday, we paint!
One of my favorite things... hearing the precious little voices of babies forming words. Shelby is swiftly becoming a "big girl" and her growing vocabulary reflects that. Her newest phrase just melts everybody's heart--an adorable little high-pitched "taint-yeeewwww" for thank-you. Awwwwww!!!!!
From my picture journal... icicles forming on a magnolia tree during Friday's winter storm. We had a good bit of sleet and freezing rain, and sometimes even that can be beautiful!

Many thanks to Peggy for hosting The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Moving along...

We've been moving toward this day for twenty years, and now that it's here, it feels a tad anticlimactic. That's okay. We've had too much excitement over the last oh, seven years, we are welcoming a bit of calm transition with open arms.

At long last, after what seems like a lifetime of preparation and paperwork, Pete signed the last of his military forms today. Walking out of the transition office with a HUGE smile on his face, he said simply, "I'm done." And with that, his military career ended. Like I said, it was anticlimactic. We then went over to the post exchange and purchased that all-important "Retired Army" baseball cap that is standard for retirees, and picked out a "US Army Retired" window cling for each of our vehicles. You could say he's just SLIGHTLY excited. I have lost count of the times today he's said "I'm retired!"

What's pretty funny about today is that when we left the house this morning, he had an odd look on his face; offering a penny for his thoughts, he obliged and told me, "This feels like I'm stepping off the edge of a cliff into a fog, where I can't see anything below my feet but I *know* that the ground is just a couple of inches down under the fog". Pretty heavy stuff all of a sudden. I think that's the most philosophical he's gotten in several years! Needless to say, he stepped right onto that ground and will take the first few steps into what other retirees have described as "a whole 'nuther world" on Monday, when he starts his job a few miles from where he's worked for 18 months. This time, his work day is fixed; he will have a real, dependable schedule, but he'll have to choose what to put on when he dresses himself. Big changes!

As if ONE huge life change wasn't enough, our son added yet another BIGGIE to our day when he showed up unexpected with a "gift" for his girlfriend...Grandma, sit down. Our not-so-little boy, all on his own, went and picked out a beeeeutiful 5/8 karat diamond, set in white gold, and proposed tonight. She. Said. Yes. In a year or so, after he comes back from Afghanistan, we'll be gaining another daughter! He's done pretty well for himself this time, and we couldn't be happier. Now to introduce her to the complexities of being an Army wife!?

I am really beginning to understand Pete's cliff/fog metaphor!

Super-sized lives?

I've got to step out onto my rant platform for a minute, k? My mind has been reeling ever since I watched some random show while getting the baby to sleep, and I am not going to be able to let it go until I fuss and fume about it a bit, so bear with me.

**Ahem**

Why on earth is America (as a whole, yes, I'm making a sweeping generalization here, sorry...) so OBSESSED with super-sized lifestyles??? What is going on, people??? What on God's green earth would possess someone to spend a million dollars decorating their FOYER (and yes, I pronounce it FOY-er, not foy-AY, so call me uncultured, I could care less) and in doing so obscure and totally wreck a perfectly gorgeous view of God's creation??

People, people, people....why, oh WHY does a family of three or four "need" a 4,500 square foot house???? Better yet, as I glance through Pete's "bathroom reading", I find a house that someone is making incredibly high-tech that is a whopping sixteen-THOUSAND square feet. WHY???

I just don't get it. Quite honestly, if you're a regular HGTV or DIYNetwork watcher, you might get the impression that it's the norm to own a 3, 4, or 5,000 square-foot house and have some strange need to incorporate massive quantities of fine natural materials into your decor (which, of course, MUST be designed by someone properly trained in the art of color matching and couch-picking). There's just way too much of this need-for-excess being pushed no matter where you look. And in a recession, no less, so of COURSE those of us who can't afford to spend $45,000 to redo our kitchen because we simply cannot stand another day of laminate countertops feel like we're just...oh, I dunno, CHEAP?

Nope. Not here. There is amazing freedom in saying I don't CARE if my resale value is increased tenfold, I just don't feel the need for fill-in-the-blank. And here's where the sweeping generalization ends...because I know there are many, MANY people who feel the same way--and that number seems to be growing--and who are more interested in simplification and enjoying the smaller, more meaningful things of life rather than indulging in excess.

For now, I will laugh maniacally at the ridiculousness of seeing someone boast that he spent $220,000 on a chandelier for his foyer. What other reaction can there be? Am I supposed to be impressed? To tell you the truth, the older I get, the more impressed I get with frugality and resourcefulness than in luxurious displays of "wealth". I guess I've grown jaded. Too many times I've witnessed YOUNG (and by young, I mean VERY young....barely squeaking into their 20's) couples struggling to make ends meet but yet somehow feeling the need to walk around with high-end toys. It boggles the mind. The sense of entitlement in people today is just crazy. And the idea that we somehow "need" the best of the best is just as laughable.

When we were in Germany, we did the typical touristy thing and visited "the" castle--King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein in Fussen, which is the castle that Disney modeled Cinderella's castle on. Thing was, this rather young ruler was obsessed with opulence. Gold-gilded walls, beds, furniture...it was just ridiculous. It was easy to point out the craziness in that, but to come back to modern-day America where so many "average" people are now just as obsessed with it? An 18-inch-thick "floor" of water for guests to be greeted by? Monet-inspired paintings on your tile? Fiber-optic color-changing water walls? Um...no. If I want to walk on water, I'll go outside and skip in the puddles with my kids. My fridge is covered with paintings that are far more valuable to me than a Monet anyday...and a wall of water? Gimme a break.

**Stepping back down off of my rant-box.**

I like being able to put my feet up on my furniture. I don't mind my kids playing with paint on our dining room table...and you know what? I'm beyond happy with my $35 sets of Wal-Mart Better Homes and Gardens dishes. I think they're purdy, and I don't care what anyone else says. So there!