DD#80 Ouch!

Why are projects never as easy as we think they are going to be? The wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom was peeling off the wall. There was also a section of wall where there wasn't any wallpaper. I think maybe the people who did it ran out or something. When I started this, I thought that it would be simple, just take the wallpaper down and then paint. Easy, right?

As I started taking the wallpaper down, I realized why they put wallpaper up in the first place...they did a poor job of putting the bathroom in. It was obviously a do it yourself project, that wasn't done so well. So now I'm scrapping wallpaper backing off and sanding down parts of the wall. Its taking a lot longer to get the walls ready for paint than I thought it would at first.

Now my back is killing me! I'd like to finish it tonight, but I don't see that happening. Gotta love home improvement projects gone awry...

DD#78 Girl Scouts

When my oldest daughter was in Kindergarten and we heard there were Girl Scout troops on post for her age I was excited and couldn't wait to get her registered. It brought back memories from when I joined my first troop in 3rd grade as a Brownie. I only stayed in for 3 or 4  years I think. Really its all a blur. I remember going to Day camp as a Brownie and then resident camp a couple years later. By the time I was in 6th grade though, I started to get annoyed with the other girls in the troop because because they were afraid of bugs and I never got any sleep when we went camping! I don't remember much about our troop meetings. I'm assuming we had fun, but maybe not...then the dreaded 6th grade year came and I dropped like a fly. As a leader I now realize how typical this is. Actually I don't remember why I quite. Its possible that the troop disbanded and we never looked for a new one.

Now as a parent, I love Girl Scouts with a passion. What other organization is teaching our girls right from wrong, leadership, friendship, compassion, and that girls can do anything they want to do? Megan is now in her 7th year as a Girl Scout. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that she was a little Daisy and now she's helping my younger Daisy's! In this house, there isn't a question of IF you want to join Girl Scouts, you just do.

I have been a leader for 4 years now and I have had some wonderful co-leaders. This year between the two troops my co-leader Melissa and I have 33 girls.  A girls experience in Girl Scouting is influenced heavily by several factors...parental involvement, the enthusiasm of the leader, and the attitude of the other girls in the troop. My best troops have been ones where the parents stay and help out when they can. They are prompt in their responses and turn things in on time. Most importantly though...they bring the daughters regularly. Part of the Girl Scout Law states that we will "Be a sister to every Girl Scout." We stress this with the girls and teach them to be accepting of everyone.

An enthusiastic leader though is infectious! She'll get the girls excited and make them want to come back. She will also get the parents excited about what their daughter is doing.  This has always been my goal as a leader...to make the girls excited about what we are doing and make them want to come back. The above picture is of me and some of my older Girl Scouts. I think I was the only leader out on the ice with the girls. 

Now the downside to being a military wife is that we don't get to stick around and watch our troops grow up, although with Facebook I have been able to keep up with some of the parents and see what the girls are doing. We are only here for a few years, so we have to do what we can in the time we have. And then pray that a new leader will show up to take over when we leave. I look forward to being able to stick around and make a lasting impression in a service unit somewhere when Scott retires.   

DD#77 Where did January go??

I feel like I've been missing in action for the last month! I can't believe I haven't written anything since Christmas. I haven't done much of anything besides studying Spanish since Christmas. Six weeks isn't a very long time to cover a semesters worth of Spanish! I'm definitely learning the language though and its made the last month of this deployment fly by! I can't believe we're already to day 77 since Scott left...that's 2 months and 3 weeks. It doesn't seem like that's possible, but I'll take it. It also means we have less than 2 months until R&R. Hmmm....that also means 9 months and 1 week left to go give or take some weeks.

My kids seem to have adjusted to the deployment. I know they still miss their dad, but we aren't having the meltdowns and continual arguing we had the first few weeks. I think I worry more about my husband and the toll that multiple deployments have on him. Its not just that he's far away from his family for a year, but the incredibly long work hours. Its often between one and two in the morning in Iraq before he logs onto messenger so we can talk to him a little. As Army families we don't normally sit back and contemplate the toll it takes on our soldiers and our families, we just keep going regardless of what the army puts in our way.

Scott will hit 16 years of service this June. I'm wondering how long past 20 he'll stay in. You can only ask so much of people and I know we're both worn out and tired of living apart. How can we expect them to miss 3, 4, 5, or 6 years of their kids lives? What's really sad is that after the first few deployments the kids become used to their parents being gone. I realize that for Megan this has become her normal. Mom does everything and takes them to all of their activities and Dad is off working halfway around the world. As much as I love Army life, more and more of me longs for the day he retires and we get to settle down and be a normal family again.

DD#47 Happy New Year

So here we are in 2011! I love that I can say my husband is coming home at the end of this year instead of the end of next year! Obviously we still have many months to go, but it feels better saying this year.

As much as I love Christmas and spending time with my family, I think I'm ready to get back to our routine. The kids are ready for school and all of their activities. I'm looking forward to starting my Spanish class in preparation for our post deployment trip to Puerto Rico without the kids!! Can you tell I'm excited?

I don't really like making New Year's resolutions. Most people don't stick to them anyway. I do want to set some goals for this year though.

1. Learn to speak and read Spanish. I'm working on this goal starting on Tuesday.
2. Get back in shape. I'll be going to the gym everyday after class since Katherine will be napping when I get out of class.
3. Finish taking all the classes I need to start working on my teaching certification.
4. Take a big trip with the kids this summer to the beach and go to the Juliette Gordon Low house in Savannah, GA. We'll be visiting family and friends all along the way.
5. Finish my Kansas Troubles Quilt. I started it January 2009 while Scott was deployed last time. I am almost done with it, but hand quilting takes a long time!
6. Finish Katherine's bear blanket. I started cross-stitching it before she was born. All the other girls have theirs, but I'm having trouble with this one.

Those are all the ones I can think of for now. I'm sure there are more, but this is a good start.

DD#41 German Candied Almond Recipe

I'm addicted to the German candied almonds that you can find from street vendors at Christmas markets. I haven't had any since we left Germany in 2007. At least until my dad found a recipe for them! He made some up on Christmas Eve and they are wonderful!! If you're like me you'll love this recipe...

Sugar and Spice Nuts

1 egg White
1 tablespoon water
1 pound almonds or pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Separate egg white from yolk into a medium-size bowl.
2. Add 1 tablespoon water. Whisk until frothy.
3. Add nuts and coat with mixture.
4. Combine sugars, salt, and cinnamon in a large plastic bag. Add nuts to the bag and shake thoroughly to coat.
5. Spray a large rimmed cooking sheet with cooking spray. Spread the nuts out and bake at 250* for 30 minutes.
6. Allow to cool before eating.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

DD#39 Its good to be home

Home may be where the Army sends us, but home is also where my family is. My parents don't live in the house I grew up in anymore, although about a year ago they moved back to the town I grew up in and bought a house. I love being able to catch up with my parents and not being the only adult in the house. We're still outnumbered 4 to 3, but much better than 4 to1!

Last night was great. My brother Mark and his family came down from Ohio for a few days to visit. My brother Chris and his family live here in town and came over for dinner along with my nephew Wesley and my great-niece Kristina. We had 19 people gathered around the table last night. I only wish that we had more than one night to spend with Mark. I don't get to see him all that often with him in Ohio and us in Kansas. As much as I hate having to alternate holidays with each side of the family because my side is Tennessee and Scott's side is in South Dakota, I realize now that it can be just as stressful to have your family all in one place. Then each holiday you are trying to spend an equitable time with each side which means you are bound to inadvertently slight one side or the other. I guess if you're lucky the side of the family that barely gets to see you, doesn't complain about it.

Today I get to hang out with my nephew Hunter at the bowling alley. I miss being able to do things like this. Family has always been extremely important to me. Not just my siblings and parents, but also my aunts and uncles and cousins. I've always regretted that I did not know my aunts, uncles, and cousins very well. Not something I could avoid really because we lived so far away and with my dad's schedule we never travelled for holidays. Its not that my parents wanted to separate us from our family, it was just a fact of life.

Now being a military family we try hard to keep in touch with everyone. I didn't realize until recently that how much my aunt and uncle liked getting our pictures that we were emailing out. I stopped emailing them out to everyone except our parents as more and more of our family got on facebook. My aunt asked my mom why I wasn't sending them out anymore. I never had emails back from her, so I didn't realize how much they enjoyed them. Just because I don't necessarily hear from some of my family doesn't mean that they don't care about us and want to know whats going on.

We're family and we love each other regardless of our shortcomings and faults or our inability to communicate sometimes! So for the next two weeks I'm going to enjoy my family as much as I can.

DD#33 Easy Button

Wouldn't it be nice if we had an easy button for everything? When the kids are being difficult in the morning getting ready for school or when the car breaks down while the husband is gone? Wait a minute...we do have something similar to an easy button. Instead of a button to push though we have a God who will listen, guide us, and sometimes even carry us through the hardest parts of our lives. Isaiah 40:31 has been my theme verse for some years now. It says,

                               But those who hope in the Lord
                                     will renew their strength.
                               They will soar on wings like eagles;
                                     they will run and not grow weary,
                                     they will walk and not be faint.
                                   
There are many times in my life where I wasn't sure I could go on, but I've always known that God has been there to keep me going. During deployments there are many days where I just want to crawl back under the covers and let me kids fend for themselves, but after a few minutes in prayer I find that I can get through the day. It still isn't easy, but better. And as my mom always says, this too shall pass!