Read The Label

I got up this morning and went about my normal daily routine. I made the bed, wiped down the bathroom, cleaned up the kitchen, got my husband's coffee ready for tomorrow, and set my robo maid to cleaning the floors. Well, I chose to do more. I swept and mopped the bathroom floor. Then I swept and mopped the kitchen floor, and that is where it all began. Sweeping was no problem. It's the mopping that got me. I mopped the floor as usual using my swiffer wet-jet and mop-n-glo. ( I don't necessarily HAVE to use the swiffer floor solution) The problem with mopping the floor is that since we have been in this apartment (10 months) the floor has seemed to get dirtier and dirtier. (It's a white floor) It seems to be in the areas we walk and not so much under the microwave table etc. This has been extremely frustrating to me. So, today after I mopped the floor I noticed that I got the spots up ( like spilled coffee etc.) but it seemed to be dirtier than when I started. It was like I was grinding the dirt in with the mop. I couldn't figure. Well I decided to get after it. I put on my rubber shoes and got out a scrubber thing and taped it to my wet-jet. Then I removed everything I could from the kitchen floor. After that, I mixed up hot water and some Mr. Clean and poured it all over the floor. Made puddles of it. I began to scrubber the floor. Some stuff came up and I put a new scrubber on. Finally that grunge seemed to be coming up, but the scrubber just wasn't doing what I needed it to. I pulled it off and looked at it. There was a buildup on it. Well it turns out that it was the mop-n-glo. I guess that product puts down a waxy type of substance for the "glow" part. And it was trapping dirt on my floor. So when I discovered this, I had been at it for a while and I had dirty mop water all over my floor. I mopped it up and mixed up new hot water and Mr. Clean, got out a scrub brush, got out my 2 pillows that are cased in plastic, and got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed liked my aunt used to. That did it. It's coming up. I say coming because I have a decent sized kitchen and I'm not through. I'm doing a section at a time. I'm not used to that and I have knee problems so I do part and then rest a bit and do some more. But that is taking care of the dirt! Had I only read the mop-n-glo label, I would have known that it is not to be used on this type of floor. It didn't harm the floor, just made it nasty. The funny part is that the more I mopped the worse it got. So I got rid of the little that was left and I will stick with Mr. Clean or the Swiffer wet-jet solution from now on. You'd think at my age I'd know these things!

So Much To Say

I have so much to say today! First of all, thank you to those of you praying with me. It seems like with things like this it never rains but it pours.
Next topic,
Today we had a dissenter come into our PWOC class. It was a weird thing all together. First off, there were only 2 of us there. Events conspired (God lead I'm sure) so that it was only myself and another very strong Christian. Not that the others are not strong, but you'll see. One girl is off getting married in the States. She is already married but they are having the ceremony. Another is on vacation with her family. A third just had a baby. And the other regular had been there earlier but had to leave to take her daughter to some sort of appointment. None of the irregulars were there. Today's topic had to do with Christians and alcohol. It comes from the woe to drunkards found in Habakkuk. Anyway, we were about 10 minutes into our discussion, and a woman I had never seen before today came in saying she wanted to sit in on our study. I had no problem with this. I told her what today's topic was and brought her up to date on what we had discussed. Well, to make a long story short, this lady in response to all we discussed began to spout very wrong, anti-Christian rhetoric. She said (paraphrasing) how research proves that homosexuals are born that way and that they don't have a choice. She said that parts of the Bible may be inspired but men have chosen to change it and take things out and put things in. She said that we are not compassionate because we call homosexuality, drunkenness, etc. sin and we don't understand. She said that there are millions of spiritual people all over the world who love their religions and truly believe and we can't say that they are wrong. Then said that Jesus is not the only way to heaven. She said that Jesus was a very compassionate and tolerant man. I had to strongly disagree with that. Jesus was compassionate to be sure, but He did not and does not tolerate sin and cited examples of that. She said that evolution has been proven. All of these things and more. Be sure that the 2 of us responded appropriately. In love and kindness we were able to refute her claims. I sorrowed that she could not accept that you must believe all of the Bible or none of it. I explained that you cannot tell Jesus that you agree with Love your neighbor as yourself but not that sex outside of marriage thing and expect to get to go to heaven. All the time we were praying silently that the Lord would lead us and guide us, give us words, to answer her. She left before the study was over stating that she wished to look in on the other studies. I checked around afterwards and found that she did not in fact go to any of the other studies.
Praise the Lord! First, because He lead her to my study. Not that I'm so great but that there were only 2 of us there. Therefore, her false claims could not be heard by many people and especially because we have ladies who are new Christians and some who are still searching. The 2 of us who were there, are not going to be shaken by her ideas. Praise the Lord! Because the seeds of the truth were planted in her heart. She has now heard the Truth. Praise the Lord, because she left and no one else was subjected to her. Pray. As soon as she left we both just stopped the study and prayed. and prayed and prayed. I have such a burden for her soul! We prayed that the Lord would put Christians in her path, that she could not escape the Word. My heart remains heavy for her and I continue to pray. Pray also because this woman is a family life therapist. She only has 10 days left on post and my prayer is that people who need Godly advice be directed to a different therapist. We have a Godly counselor on post.

Then the last thing that I had to say is that as I am helping to prepare for our upcoming 20 year high school reunion, sad things have come to light. 10 people that we know from our class have died. Some I knew about and some I didn't. It's hard to believe that they're gone. So sad.

In the Eye of the Hurricane

So much to pray about today. A friend's husband rushed into emergency surgery. Massacre at a college in Virginia. Children at school. Persecuted. Hurting. Dear friends in turmoil with agonizing decisions to make. A crossroad in our life. Uncertainty. Holding on to Jesus, though tossed by the sea. So much pain in my heart today. I ask you all to pray with me. Learning to trust. On old levels. On new ones. It's so good to know, that it's all in the Master's hands. "Though strong winds may blow, they can't change what I know. When I hold to the rock, that the wind can't erode." (Trace Balin)

Day Trippin'

We went on a wonderful day trip yesterday. We started out with breakfast at the DFAC (that's dining facility or mess hall you all you non-military peeps) then got in the car and headed for the Czech Republic. It was such a beautiful day. At least 70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. A bright sunshiny day. The trip through Bavaria is always a scenic one. We went to Karlovy Vary, CZ. It is a town known for its spa's and shopping. The dollar stands up well to the Krone as $1 = 20+ Krone. We didn't buy much, but really enjoyed seeing the different architectural styles and shopping. I always get a kick out of going to a former eastern block country and finding McDonald's. Anyway, we got back home around 1900 and walked a couple blocks down the straBe to a favorite Italian restaurant. The waitress got such a kick out of us trying to use our broken German that she gave us a free appetizer! lol We enjoyed it very much. This morning we are getting ready for church. After that hubby is planning on taking the cars to be washed. We believe in having a day of rest just not on Sunday. Only because with going to church and then having to get ready for the week ahead, it rarely feels like a day of rest. So, generally speaking, we have ours on Saturday when the Lord had His. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Wednesday Super Values

Wednesday I went to do my monthly grocery shopping at our local commissary. Now I do go more often than that but only for perishables, and most of those I prefer to get from the German stores. There were lots of sales so I will just post the best:

- 2 Banquet frozen fried chicken dinners for $0.75 each.
- A HUGE box of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes for $1.50
-Airwick spray - $0.79 each. I had 3 coupons for buy one get one free so I got 6. (my husband is a big fan of spray.)
- Kotex overnight maxi's $0.29 with my coupon
- Vaseline Intensive Care lotion $0.99 with my coupon. I got 3 of them. Both of us have very dry skin.
- Pantene conditioner (I need lots of it for my waist long frizzy hair) $0.59 with my coupon. I got 2 of them.
- Purell hand sanitizer purse size - I got $0.46 back with my coupon. I bought a second one for $0.54 cents with a lesser coupon so in all I got 2 for $0.08 or 4 cents each.
- Rice-a-Roni 2 boxes $0.25 each
- 6 pouches of blueberry muffin mix $0.33 each
- 9 cans of Dole tropical fruit salad (my favorite) $0.35 each
- 3 boxes of garlic potato flakes $0.40 each (each box contains 2 pouches so that makes 6 20-cent side dishes.
- 8 boxes of Martha White corn muffin mix $0.07 each
- 3 packages of Pillsbury refrigerated Easter cookies (the kind where you just place them on the cookie sheet, bake, frost, and put some weird edible paper decoration on it) $0.95 each on clearance. I had 3 coupons for $1 off so, they paid me 15cents to take them home. (I throw the paper decoration out. The concept of eating paper, edible or not, bothers me immensely.)

So. the super value savings in all were $47.77 savings in coupons and at least $14 savings in sales. For a grand total of at least $61.77 which is 52.36% of my bill.

The Honeymoon

Ok. So, Alan's orders had changed and we weren't going to be able to go on our trip to Disney World. New plan. We were living in southern Missouri and only had from Saturday after the wedding to Tuesday when we had to start back. We chose to go to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Eureka Springs has long been known as a wedding/honeymoon location. We stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast called Evening Shade. Now, for those of you familiar with the Ozarks, you know that it is a very conservative region and interracial marriage is often still looked at in less than a positive light. We had a bit of concern that it might be an issue, but decided to go anyway. Well, well, well. We got there and honestly in the glow of our very new marriage we didn't notice much. What we did notice was that we seemed to be treated with exceptional favor. Even by those who didn't know we were newly-weds. The other thing we noticed was men holding hands in public. We saw this, there, not once but twice. In fact, we noticed several female couples also. My husband, who is from New York City, said,"I thought you said this place was Conservative?" As it turned out it was some kind of gay and lesbian weekend and we seemed to be the only heterosexual couple around. LOL We've had a lot of fun telling this story over the years. The funniest part is that last year Alan surprised me with a return trip to our same honeymoon lodge. You guessed it. Gay and lesbian weekend again. Apparently it a group that goes there once or twice a year. We didn't plan it that way. It just happened. Oh well, we had a good time, a good laugh and wonderful memories.

The Story of Us

How did we come to be? Honestly I think it was meant to be. At times he was at Fort Leonard Wood (4 different times) and I was in Springfield. When he was in New York, so was I. When he was in Richmond, I was in Fredericksburg. I had dated on and off for years never finding anyone right. I had decided that it just wasn't God's will for my life to marry. So, I bought a house and chose to concentrate on my career and living a full life as a single instead of waiting for my life to begin with a man. I took nice vacations, spent time with friends, made new friends and found a church where single women had a place and weren't perceived as strange or sad. Then, one day I received an email from a man who said he had read my profile and seen my picture. In the email he told me about himself. His story was compelling, and since he had revealed that he was in the Army, he could be researched somewhat. I chose to respond, rather cautiously, to his email. We emailed for a few weeks and then spoke on the phone a few times. We had so much in common. From our backgrounds to our goals and aspirations it was amazing. Eventually we decided to meet. We went to a movie and then spent hours talking. Just getting to know each other. We are both MASH fans. Not just that we like the show but we both knew a lot of trivia and details the average fan doesn't know. We both drove the same kind of car. We came from the same kind of homes and had similar experiences in our young adult lives that had lead both of us to be extremely frugal in our current lives. Well, I was living in Springfield, and he lived at Ft. Leonard Wood about 90 min northeast. So we mostly only saw each other on the weekends. We just fit. We were both at the point in our lives where we knew what we wanted and what we didn't want. The pieces were just falling into place. We talked about getting married and what married life in the Army would be like. Two days before Christmas I was admitted to the hospital in severe pain. They had to give me a lot of pain medicine to get on top of the pain. Alan was with me and left about midnight. After he left I fell asleep and stopped breathing. When they found me my O2 sat was 35% and I wasn't breathing. I almost died. Alan was stunned to see me the next day in a different room on oxygen. On Christmas Eve, we had a record snow storm. I was still in the hospital and watching the TV as 2 feet of snow came down in about 4 hours. Cars were off the road everywhere. Alan called to say that he was on his way. He was to spend Christmas with my family. I worried about him making it. 4 hours later he came in, in uniform. He climbed into my hospital bed with me and asked me to marry him. I said yes, and he pulled out a box with my engagement ring. Later he asked again to make sure it wasn't the drugs talking. lol. The rest you know.

The Mickey and Minnie Mouse cake topper is for 2 reasons. All the cake toppers with 2 people were either 2 black people or 2 while people. Not one of each. Mickey is my favorite cartoon character. I have an extensive collection of Mickey things. Also, we had originally planned to go to Disney World for our honeymoon. Not that that ended up happening, but our honeymoon is a story for another day.

Disclaimer, I refer to my husband as black and not African American for 2 reasons. 1. We're not interested in being politically correct. 2. My husband is not African. He is part French, part Haitian and part Polynesian. Someday I may do a post about my opinions about political correctness.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Christ the Lord is Risen Today - Click here to hear and sing this beautiful hymn.

My heart sings with joy on this glorious Resurrection Morning!

Smokey

Smokey our cat is assumed to be at least 16 years old. He came to us a few months after we got married. He just wandered up to our back door and meowed so loud we had to see what was up. We fed him (both of us are cat lovers) and he stayed on living in our yard and on our patio. At that time we lived on an old dairy farm near Ft. Sill. Just before Alan deployed to Iraq, he told Smokey that he needed to be the man of the house while papa was gone. After Alan left, every day there would be a new dead something on my back door step. A dead mouse, shrew, bird, rabbit, etc. After he left me a dead rabbit with fur all over the patio and only the head, one leg and the intestines left, I cleaned it up and got down to his level. I looked him right in the eye and said,"No more." He never left another one. Smokey is very loving and kind. He is very good with children and even babies. We believe that he was dumped by another family. Unfortunately, that is happening more and more in the military. We are glad to have him. He has been a most welcome addition to our family. Tomorrow, since you all want to know, I'll tell you how Alan and I came to be.

4 Years

Four years ago today I married the love of my life. I often laugh as I remember our wedding day. The various goofs and mistakes, the joy that we had. We hadn't planned on getting married when we did. We were kicking around some time in August when Alan got new orders. The war in Iraq was just starting and he was being transferred to a new unit in a different state. We decided to get married and go together. We had exactly 6 weeks. So with both of us working more than full-time, Alan brought all his stuff to my house and lived on the bare necessities. Fortunately he was in government quarters and so most of the furniture wasn't his anyway. His things had to be moved to my place because the army will only pick up at one residence to do a move. So in that time we had all of both of our household goods and furniture picked up and moved, we sold the house that I owned, continued working right up until a few days before we got married, and had a full wedding. Invitations, dress, attendants clothes, flowers, cake etc. Nothing was left out. Except for perhaps sleep. It was a busy and crazy time. One day when it was rather slow at work the girls were helping me make up the "rice" bags. The wedding went off with the only hitch being that the sound guy didn't play the recessional as we walked back up the isle at the end and the flower guy forgot to leave most of the flowers and I had to call them. They had the nerve to ask if I could just do without! Good thing they were on the phone when they said that. lol! So here I have posted some pics of our special day to share with you.

Bye Bye Grandma

Early this morning I took my mom to the airport to send her home after spending nearly a month with us. I was a bit sad to see her go. She teared up but held up bravely. Our boy Smokey was very sad to see grandma go. So today after PWOC, running errands and cleaning house, I spent some time resting. I'm still trying to recover from that bronchitis or whatever it was I had while in Ireland. It seems to just keep hanging on. My husband has put our pics from Ireland to music and is going to try to put a link to it here on the blog. If we are successful you will have to let me know what you think. Have a wonderful day all.

My Ancestors

When we were in Ireland, we were able to go to county Laois (pronounced county leash) to the town of Stradbally where my grandfather was born and raised. His father (my great grandfather) was the rector of the parish there and was a chancellor of the church of Ireland. He pastored St. Patricks church in Stradbally. The church still stands today and the graves of my great grandparents and one of their daughters, who died as a child, are there in the Church cemetery. My husband found the number and called the current rector, the Reverend Cannon Nancy Gillespie. She was so kind as to come out and open the church for us. We went in and it is just as it was when my great grandfather, Robert Armstrong, pastored there. There are a few changes of course but the pew, altar, and podium are the very ones he used. It was so wonderful to be able to see where he ministered and touch the past as it were. This was a life long dream for my mother. I'm so glad we were able to go. Our family has a strong history of serving in the church. After my great grandfather, my grandfather became a missionary. They were unable to go though because my grandmother became pregnant and at that time (1920's) they wouldn't allow them to go because of it. However, they remained active in the church their whole lives. My mother then was a minister to the deaf until her marriage and has always been active in the church. As for us kids, one of my brothers serves as a deacon in his church and a Royal Ranger leader. Royal Rangers is like a Christian version of boy scouts. I also served as a children's pastor and tent maker in a home missions project in the New York metro area and my husband and I are active in the church today. We are not special. We are not perfect. In fact there is a lot of dysfunction in our family, but it goes to show that the Lord can use anyone in any circumstance if they are a willing vessel. I am honored to have the heritage of Godly service in my family. Those who have gone before us light our way reflecting the light of the Lord. OK so now on to the pictures.

The first one is St. Patrick's in Stradbally where my great grandfather pastored. The next is me and my mom on either side of my great grandparents grave. My great aunt Caroline's grave is on the other side of me. The third is my mother standing at her grandfather's pulpit, and the last is inside the sanctuary and it's mom and the current rector the Reverend Cannon Nancy Gillespie.

Although we no longer are affiliated with the Anglican church, the most important thing is to be part of the family of God. God doesn't care what denomination you attend so much as where your heart is and if you are following the Bible.

Back From Vacation

Ok, we're back. Our trip to Ireland was good in spite of the fact that I woke up with bronchitis the morning we left. I ended up having to see and Irish doctor. Just as I was starting to get better my mom came down with it and then I picked up pink eye. Apparently doctors in Ireland still make house calls (if you pay them enough and we did). Mom was just too weak to go out to see one. Mom and I are still coughing and hacking a bit but we are very thankful that my husband didn't come down with anything. Poor man, he had to put up with 2 sickos on his vacation.

So, on to the pictures. The first one you see is the Contarf Castle Hotel where we stayed. It is an old castle that they turned into a very nice hotel. The next is the St. Patrick's day parade. Then is an outside view of St. Patrick's cathedral. We went there for services the first Sunday we were there. There are no catholic cathedrals in Dublin. This belongs to the church of Ireland which would be like the Episcopal church in America. My great grandfather was a chancellor of the church of Ireland. The next pic is Trinity college where my great grandfather obtained all of his degrees including his doctorate of divinity in the 1800's. Lastly is Dublin Castle. We didn't get to go in this one because it was closed every time we tried.

Tomorrow I will show you my family's past.

Vacation

We will be gone on vacation for the next couple of weeks. I'll be sure to post all about it and show pics when we return. If you think of it, please pray for traveling mercies for us. Enjoy your spring!

Commissary Shopping

My Frugal Friday tip today is for the military family. Commissary shopping is one of our best benefits. The thing is though, that you get there and discover all kinds of "manager specials" that are not advertised. My tip therefore is to take your whole coupon container with you and try to go when you can spend some time there. If you have children that are not in school you might consider trading child care with another mom so each of you can concentrate on the shopping and not the kids. I have gotten so many wonderful deals by having my coupons with me and going when I can spend some time, not when I need to run off quickly to another appointment. We don't get coupons doubled at the commissary so the next best thing is the sales. They often put things on special that they ordered too much of, and remember if you are at a post in Europe you can use coupons up to 6 months beyond their expiration date.

What Flavor Are You?

I found this quiz on one of the blogs I visit on occasion. Looking through the backyard of my life. I don't know how accurate these things are but they are fun. You take the quiz and let me know what you choose. I chose Strawberry Shortcake.
If all of the desserts listed below were sitting in front of you, which would you choose? (Sorry, you can only pick one!)
Pick your dessert, then look to see what psychiatrists think about you.
Here are your choices:
1. Angel Food Cake
2. Brownies
3. Lemon Meringue Pie
4. Vanilla cake with Chocolate Icing
5. Strawberry Short Cake
6. Chocolate and more Chocolate
7. Ice Cream
8. Carrot Cake
No, you can't change your mind once you scroll down, so think carefully what your choice will be...
OK - Now that you've made your choice this is what research says about you...
1. ANGEL FOOD CAKE -- Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.
2. BROWNIES -- You are adventurous, love new ideas, are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up you whip out your saber. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor and direction. You tend to be very loyal.
3. LEMON MERINGUE --Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent after-dinner speaker and a good teacher. But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, but you have many friends.
4. VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING -- Fun-loving, sassy, humorous, not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lack motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.
5. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE -- Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people, can be counted on in a pinch and expect the same in return. Intuitively keen. Can be very emotional.
6. CHOCOLATE AND MORE CHOCOLATE -- Sexy; always ready to give and help others. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Afraid to take chances sometimes. Will not settle for anything average in life. Loves to laugh and be happy
7. ICE CREAM -- You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don't like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.
8. CARROT CAKE -- You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends

General Peter Pace

I just have to comment about the statement that General Pace made yesterday regarding homosexuality. I agree with him. I am thrilled to the gills that a senior officer of his stature has the moral fortitude to stand up for what is right. Homosexuality is immoral. Just like adultery is immoral and sex outside of marriage is immoral etc. It just broke my heart yesterday to hear all the the commentators saying how they don't agree with him and how dare him and there is nothing wrong with it, because they are refusing to acknowledge the Truth and on the day of judgement they will have no excuse. There is something wrong with it. The Bible tells us in Leviticus 20:13 "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination..." That's pretty clear. My beloved friends, neighbors, visitors to my blog seek the Lord while He may be found! Heed His commands! I truly feel that we live in the end times. Even if we don't you never know when your number is up. Please, Please be ready to meet the Lord! If anyone is reading this and doesn't know the Lord it is so easy. You must acknowledge that you are a sinner and need forgiveness. You must believe that Jesus came from a virgin, lead a sinless life, died on the cross, rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven, and lastly you must confess your sins to Him and just ask Him to be Lord of your life. That's all it takes! You don't have to do anything. Only believe. Salvation is a gift! Once you have invited Him in, begin to read the Bible. I recommend starting with the book of John, but read. It's His instruction manual on how to live and be ready for heaven. Then find a good Bible based church where they preach the whole gospel. Assembly of God, Southern Baptist, (there are lots of Baptist churches but I am not familiar with any but the southern) Four Square, Pentecostal Holiness, . I could go on and on. If you aren't sure talk to that person at work or in your neighborhood who you know to be a believer. Above all you know that whatever anyone including me says about the Lord it must be in the Bible. You can check the words of anyone against it. The Bible is the authority.
Ok, now I don't normally preach like that. It's just that I can't bear for anyone to miss out on heaven for the sake of political correctness and I felt that maybe somewhere, someone needed to hear that. If I didn't mention your church/denomination please don't think it's because I think the ones I mentioned are better. I couldn't possibly list them all. I only listed the ones I am most familiar with. Besides that it's not about what church you go to it's about your relationship with Jesus Christ. I have yet to find a church that I agree with all their doctrine. I follow the Bible and go where they preach what is in there without sugar coating or political correctness.

MIDNIGHT MUSINGS: Unfair Labels#links

MIDNIGHT MUSINGS: Unfair Labels#links

Homeschooling

Pam posted this article on homeschooling. Click here to read the article. I don't have children, however, the more we learn about public schools and the more we see of the behavior of the students and staff, the more we seriously consider homeschooling. It's not for everyone, but it really is the best option for a lot of people.

Nothing Much

We didn't do much in the way of tourism with mom today. Alan worked all day and I did 5 loads of laundry, stripped and remade the bed, unloaded the dishwasher, loaded the dishwasher, ran the dishwasher, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the bathroom and took out the recycling. I also made chicken casserole for supper. So now I'm bored. Do you ever feel like you can't do the things you normally do when you have company? Even when it's your mother?

Kings and Queens

Yesterday, we took mom to see two castles that are near us. Each of them is a partial ruin but there is enough usable to have a small banquet facility and one has a cafe. Altenburg Castle and Giechburg castle. We got lots of good pictures and had a lot of fun. Then we took her to the Cathedral in Bamberg. After that we went and saw the rose garden and touring around the town. We finished the day by going to a wonderful German restaurant and enjoying traditional cuisine where I proceeded to get very sick. It turned out that they put peanut butter in their salad dressing. I am extremely allergic to any kind of nut. Thank God for Benadryl. Still, all in all we had a great time. The weather was fair and the wind didn't blow too much. Today after church I took mom to an Italian restaurant. Fantastic! Hubby doesn't care for Italian and stayed home to eat leftovers and have a nap. We have spent a restful Lord's day and look forward to a wonderful week. I hope yours was good too.

Saturday

Today I made us breakfast. Scrambled omelet, juice and yogurt. DH had to have toasted English muffins of course because he simply MUST make a sandwich out of everything. LOL I think that is so funny. Last night I made meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans for supper and of course he had to go find the French bread and make a sandwich out of the meat loaf. Oh well, at least he likes my cooking.

So, today we are going to take mom to do some sight seeing. I'll post tomorrow where we went.

Yesterday I had to do some shopping in the German stores. I took mom with me. She found it so interesting to see what the Germans have in their stores and to see that they have many of the brands we have but they are packaged a bit differently. For instance they have Mr. Clean but they call it Meister Proper. Kellogg's Frosted Flakes are titled Frosties etc.
Then we went to the bakery across the street. If any of you have ever been to Germany, you know what a wonderland it is. So we had lunch and mom was able to taste several goodies. After that we went to the great big store, Real. Most of the stores, aside from the neighborhood groceries, are like small super Walmart. They sell TVs, DVD players etc. in addition to a full selection of groceries. At one point we saw Dunkin Hines cake mix. The strange thing was that the box was in English not in German. Then we discovered that it, along with quite a few American items, was in the gourmet section of the store. The cake mix cost over 6 euro which is about 8 dollars per box. The brownie mix was like 5.99 euro. They had Campbell's tomato soup for about 2.5 euro per can. One Euro = $1.26. That was so amazing to me. I wouldn't even consider buying a cake mix for $8. But to them its a specialty item just like in the American stores I used in the States they would have German preserves etc. that were more than the American brands. The cake mix especially stood out since the commissary had just had that very brand on sale for 75 cents/box.

Anyway, I'll post tomorrow about what we did today. Have a great weekend!

POLL

I would like to say hello to all of you who take the time to read my humble musings. I wonder if you would be willing to leave a comment and tell me where you hail from. City, state, country, where ever you are from. You need not give specifics if that suits you better. My curiosity is based on my site meter that tells me some of you are from other countries and are interested enough to translate my blog into your own language. I'll start. My name is Rebecca. I live in Germany where my husband is stationed.

More pics

Us at a wood carving shop in the Black Forrest in December.

Finally! Pics from Paris

To the left are pics of the French Tomb of the unknown soldier.
Below is the Eiffel Tower at night.





Me at the Arc de Triumph below.

To the left is a view of the Eiffel Tower at night from underneath it.

This is the French (prototype i think) version of the Statue of Liberty. It stands in the river that runs through Paris.

Can you tell that I'm still new at putting pics on the blog? If anyone has any advice feel free to share.

Arrival

We picked my mom up from the airport yesterday. She had a good flight and all is well. Last night I fixed Alan's favorite supper. Beef ribs. So for the rest of us I fixed a home made vegetarian pizza. I tried a new idea for the sauce and it turned out so delicious that I intend to use that from now on. Tonight we had fish, veggies, garlic mashed potatoes and fruit. Tomorrow I'll have to go get fresh ground beef and we'll have meatloaf. Mom seems to be adjusting well to the jet lag. We kept her up last night until 8pm. She got up around 0930 this morning and that (hopefully) will do it. She was so tired last night though. I felt bad for her but now everything is alright.

Sore Ears; Good Husband

It started at 0630 this morning. I got up at reveille because I had been asked to help with the health fair at the school today. We would be taking the children's height, weight, and blood pressure. Screening them for hearing, vision, and scoliosis. My role as it turned out was to take blood pressures. My ears hurt. I must have personally taken like 150 pressures. Even with the soft ear tips on my stethoscope, my ears hurt. Well it was fun, and it was good to get out and meet new people even if they are kids. After that I ran errands and then was helping someone out with something which took longer than I intended. As I was coming home, I was thinking of how I really didn't want to cook anything and really wanted to order a pizza. (They have really good pizza here in Germany). As I was thinking this it occurred to me that I was expected at a "coffee" tonight. For those of you who are non military, a coffee (as a rule) is a monthly meeting of the senior spouses of a particular unit. Usually it includes the senior NCO spouses and the officer spouses. The event was being held at one of my favorite Italian restaurants! So I called DH on the way and told him I wouldn't be home for a few more hours. (I keep food prepared for such an event so he doesn't have to starve) Then it was off to fun and girl talk with the ladies. After that home to finish getting ready for my mom's visit. I walked in the door and found hubby faithfully vacuuming the whole house. I only had to mop mom's room, straighten up a bit and then settle down to study tomorrows Bible study lesson for PWOC. Now only to finish this post and then off to bed. Goodnight.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Now, normally I don't do this but this was such a good story I had to post it for all of you.

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by His little girl, Shelby. She wanted to know what the United States looked like. Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was Printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it To Shelby and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can put this Together. This will show you our whole country today." After a few minutes, Shelby returned and handed him the map, Correctly fitted and taped together The father was surprised and asked How she had finished so quickly. "Oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He Belonged, then our country just came together."

Isn't that just perfectly right?

Monday

I'm a bit tired today from the weekend. Last night hubby and I went to see "We Are Marshall" at the movie theater here on post. Such a tragic story about a whole football team killed in a plane crash. It was a good movie. I thought it should remind people that you don't know when your number is going to be up. So don't plan on "getting right" with the Lord for your deathbed, because you may not have that opportunity.

This morning I rested and then this afternoon I was to volunteer with the Red Cross at the health clinic. This was to be my first day as the other days have involved the Hippa training and CPR renewal etc. Well, it turns out that the nurse I am supposed to be working with did not come in due to a sick child, and the one taking her place didn't know about me and didn't know what to do with me so I just went home. It's ok. I hope her daughter gets better soon. It did give me some unexpected time to work on other things here at home. My mom is coming to visit on Wednesday, so we have been busy getting ready for that. She will be with us for a whole month. It will be good to see her. I pray her flight goes well.

Well, I suppose I should go and see about starting supper. How did your Monday go?

Today

Today, the Lord's day, has been the most beautiful day we've had all week. It has rained all week as it often does, so to see the sun come out and really shine is glorious. Today I started out making a recipe for strawberry muffins with strawberry butter. I have not made this recipe before but it is pretty straight forward and I have made a lot of muffins in the past so no problem right? Wrong. Somehow, I forgot to add the salt called for. By the time I discovered this mistake the muffins were already in the pan and I had used muffin papers so scraping it out and adding it was out of the question. Then I got a bright idea. I shook a bit of salt from the shaker on to each cup and stirred it in a bit with the handle of a spoon. That ought to do it right? Not really. Of course this is the first time for this recipe and I baked them as long as it called for but not enough as it turns out. So doughy and flat they were. LOL Good thing there was the pot-luck directly after the Service. One of my baked spaghetti dishes turned out great and one the foil stuck to the cheese. Wish I'd thought to put tooth picks in it so that didn't happen. Oh well, they still tasted good. The pot-luck went off without a hitch this time and we had a good turn out for the service. I love having the opportunity to show hospitality to the others and especially to those who are new on post or the single soldiers who come. For some of them this is the only home cooking they get and a lot of them are still in their teens and missing home/mom. I gave a hug this week to a young soldier who had had a rotten day. Everything had been going wrong for him and he looked at me and said, "I need a hug". I hugged him and told him to tell me all about it. He did and ended up by saying that it seemed to him the more he tries to do what is right and follow Jesus the more trouble comes his way. I empathised with this and encouraged him to keep on keepin' on. I also mentioned that in a way it's a good thing. Because, if we aren't a threat to Satan, he doesn't bother us so much. So, when trials come our way, we as Christians, know that we must be doing something right for the glory of God.

Now, this afternoon, Alan has taken both cars to wash and vacuum etc. I have done 2 loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, refilled the dishwasher and run it, cleaned the kitchen, run the recycling out, made the bed, straightened the house and updated my blog. The dryers must be done by now so I will go and fold, iron, and put away and I'll be done! I hope you all have had a wonderful Sunday and are ready and refreshed for the week ahead.

Yesterday

Yesterday DH and I went out to breakfast as we often do on a Saturday morning. After that, he came home to rest and work on some projects and I went to do our commissary shopping. That's grocery shopping to the non-military. I haven't been shopping since more than a week before we went to Paris. That's quite a while. Of course I have picked up fresh milk and bread, but other than that no. Well my coupon file has grown to 3 times its normal size due to a recent influx of new coupons and a HUGE envelope of expired coupons sent to me by Crystal. At commissaries in Europe we can use coupons up to 6 months past their expiration date. This then is a recap of the wonderful deals I got. I got a box of microwave popcorn for free. It was 69 cents on sale and I had a coupon for $1 off. So they actually paid me 31 cents to take it home. Then I had several coupons for $3 off of 2 Herbal Essence None of Your Frizziness products. The shampoo and conditioner was on sale for $1.99 each. I ended up getting 10 bottles for 50 cents each. I know that's a lot but I have VERY long hair and use a lot of conditioner. I got a bottle of Olay Ribbons body wash for 39 cents. it was 2.39 and I had a $2 off coupon. I got 3 Dunkin Hines cake mixes and 3 of their cans of frosting for a total of 2.97. The cake mix was on sale for 75 cents and the frosting for 99 cents and I had 3 coupons for 75 cents off if you buy the mix and frosting. I know that seems like a lot of cake, but in the army it seems like there is always a pot luck or a bake sale or an FRG function or something to bring a desert for so we go through a lot of it. 3 4-cup packages of Kraft shredded cheese on sale for $2 each and I had a coupon for $1 off of 3 so I got them for $5. Normally they would be $11.01 for all 3 of them. Scott bathroom tissue 4-packs were on sale for $2 and had a $1 coupon so got if for $1. A bottle of Suave strawberry shampoo was on sale for 95 cents and I had a 50 cent off coupon so I got it for 45 cents. My husband may wash his hair with it but I like it for body wash. Maxwell house coffee the big can marked down from $7.19 to $5.29 and a dollar coupon for that made it 4.29. Coffee is rationed over here and it's very expensive so it's especially nice to get sales and coupons. Also, DH is the coffee drinker in our family and he only likes Maxwell House so buying the cheaper brands is out of the question. In addition to that the commissary only sells name brand goods so generic anything is not an option although you can usually get cheaper brands like Ralston cereal for a lot less than Kellogg's or Post etc. The last two exciting deals I got were 2 quarts of Juicy Juice for 89 cents and 4 boxes of garlic mashed potatoes for 40 cents each both due to combining sales with coupons. I had other coupons and other sale items but not exciting enough to mention. Oh except that I got a Dove deodorant stick for 69 cents and 3 Lady Speed Stick for 50 cents each. All in all I saved $45.08 in coupons and at least $30 in sales. So, we got about $202 worth of groceries for $127. Now I realize that it sounds like a lot for a family of 2. However, except for a small amount of milk, eggs, produce, and fresh bread that is all the groceries I will buy for a month. We eat a lot of canned and frozen fruits and vegetables and we don't eat a lot of bread. So figure another maybe $50 for the fresh stuff and we spend on average $60-$65 per week for groceries. Also the hair care and deodorant will last for some months like the toothpaste has that I stocked up on a couple of months ago so those things will not be bought again unless I find sale/coupon combinations that get me them for free or less than 50 cents. lol and when I'm well stocked up like I am now it must be closer to free depending on what it is.

So that was yesterday. The rest of the day was spent pleasantly putting away groceries, fixing dinner for us, preparing 2 baked spaghetti dishes for the pot-luck at church today, and hanging out with my Alan.

Accomplishments And My Wonderful Husband

Today has been another busy day! Yesterday I did get a lot done here at home. I finished the laundry. Folded, ironed and put away. I dusted the entire apartment, vacuumed, swept and mopped the kitchen floor, completely cleaned the kitchen and bathroom including washing the bathroom windows inside and out and the sill, swept and mopped the bathroom floor, dust mopped all the other floors (we have hard wood floors and only one small area rug), cleaned the desk and straightened it up and did all the prep work for the scholarship committee meeting that was held here today.
Today I cleaned the kitchen and straightened the apt., hosted the 2 hour meeting, typed up 3 award letters, 2 no award letters, the after action report, adjusted the budget to reflect the new awards, and got the letters ready to be mailed. Then I headed out to the commissary to meet the chaplains assistant. I am in charge of the protestant service monthly pot-luck dinners. It is held on the first Sunday of each month. Everyone brings food but the chapel kicks in quite a bit so that there is enough to go around. It's my job to order the food trays and meet the assistant (who pays for them) to pick them up and store them properly at the chapel for Sunday. Well, we live in a stairwell apartment on post, and it has the kind of door that locks when it closes. Yep. You guessed it. I locked my self out. I had to call my husband to come and let me back in. He was so wonderful about it! I know that he was having a busy day, but he didn't betray any annoyance at all and was really quite wonderful about the whole thing. I am so blessed to be his wife! Have a good weekend all!

A Day With Nothing Planned

I tell you what. I had the best day yesterday. Sure it was very busy, but I walked in the joy of the Lord and His victory all day long. I had the meetings mentioned yesterday and then errands to run after them and of course dinner to cook and clean up to do. We had bar-b-que chicken breasts, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, garlic bread and fruit cocktail. Yes, I used instant potatoes. I'm sorry but real ones just weren't going to happen last night. Still we love this particular kind and I can often get it for about 35 cents a box by combining coupons and sales.
Today I discovered that I have absolutely nothing on my calendar. I'm so excited, I hardly know what to do first. My main plans for the day include finishing up a bit of laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the kitchen, and deep cleaning the bathroom. Then I must go to the commissary as our cupboards are looking a bit empty. I haven't decided about supper yet. We have a bit of chicken left over from last night but since it is covered in bar-b-que sauce, I can't cut it up and throw it in a casserole.
I don't make up a menu for the week like a lot of you do. I have tried that, but by day 2 I decide that I have a taste for something else than what is on the menu and then the whole thing is scrapped. I do shop based on the sales though and then decide what to make from what we have in the kitchen. I can stick with it pretty well by keeping well stocked pantry (hey when I see a sale and have coupons I stock up!) and by the fact that DH and I both hate running to the store for something.
Well, I'm off to start my day! Blessings to all!

The Battle

This morning, and likely the events of yesterday, was a battle for my mind and attitude. This morning at 0900 I had PWOC. I facilitate one of the Bible studies. This was also my day to have the devotion for the whole group before we split into our classes. Then right after PWOC I had a spouse club board meeting. I am chairperson of the education/scholarship committee.

The battle went like this. I bought a new ink cartridge for our printer last night as ours was out. My DH installed it and then was on the computer all night. So, I went to bed thinking that I would get up at reveille this morning and do what I needed to do. This morning, I got up and came to the computer. I had felt the Lords urging to change my subject for the morning devotional and needed to print off the words to the song I was going to sing. The printer would not print. Nothing I could do would make it print. I also needed to print off some things for the meeting after PWOC. I called hubby in. We proceeded to start to get in a snit about it. I stopped. He fixed. Problem one solved. I apologized to my husband for my snippiness. I was feeling the presence of the Lord. Next, I pulled out the background tape and began to practice my song. Then I heard the tape deck chewing up my tape. NO! I shouted and turned it off. I tried to pull it out without damaging the tape. Discouragement swirled around me. I said, "Lord if this is your will for me to sing this fix it please! Satan you will not get the victory!" Then finally it pulled loose in one still usable piece. I sat down and began to wind the tape back up. My cat came and began trying to snag it away. He would not be shooed away. I said, "Satan, you'd better get away from me, I belong to Jesus. I am His child. You'll not get the victory!" Tape wound back up and using a different tape deck. Trying to practice the song. Feeling the Spirit's blessing strongly. The cat begins attacking my legs and scratching them with his claws. He never does this. I will not be distracted. Then the phone rings. It's our stateside phone and no one has ever called us on it (this phone is new). At first I wasn't sure what that noise was. Now mind you it's 0130 in the States. It's my brother. I ask him immediately what is wrong. My brother never calls me. I mean almost never. He just doesn't. The last time he called me in the middle of the night was the time his youngest son had just been born like 10 weeks premature and was intubated and being life-flighted to Oklahoma City. Nothing is wrong. He has just called me to chat. I chat with him as long as I can and then I have to go. At PWOC something is wrong with the music system and they decide to do the devotion first instead of last so, I'm up without a chance to steady my mind in prayer or warm up my voice for high notes. The thing is this devotion was from the Lord and not from Rebecca. He blessed it and ministered through it and gave me all the right words, notes and whatnot. Satan cannot pervert what the Lord has purposed! Try though he might. All that I went through yesterday and the things this morning Satan meant for bad, for the destruction of my attitude and therefore any ministry I might have had today. But the Lord meant it for good because it caused me to run to Him and hold on in the midst of the storm.
The song I sang today was "Eye of the Hurricane" by Trace Balin. The chorus goes, "In the eye of the hurricane, in the center of the storm. In the chaos there's a comfort. A harbor safe and warm. Though strong winds may blow, they can't change what I know. When I hold to the Rock that the wind can't erode."
Perfect timing. For me and, from the response, for many of the ladies there today.
Sorry it was so long today. Take time to glory in the beauty of the Father.
Rebecca

Loneliness

In the past week or so, several of the other bloggers have written about loneliness. Today, I struggle with this. We live on an Army post in Germany. My husband is active duty, but I will post little about him or what he does for security reasons. We are involved in the Church on post, we go out, we are friendly to others, we invite others to do things with us, I volunteer with the Red Cross, Family Readiness Group, Church, I sit on the Board of the spouses club (therefore I am a member and go to all of the functions), I co-facilitate a Bible study with the PWOC, and I substitute teach at the post junior high and high school. So I keep busy, I meet people, my husband and I go out of our way to be kind and helpful to newcomers. I had hoped that by volunteering and getting out and about that friendships would form and fellowship would happen. The problem is that though we invite people they don't accept our invitations. Or, they accept and then decline later by phone. We often hear the others from my husbands office talking about a function they were all at over the weekend or the night before, but we weren't invited. The ladies I know are nice to me when they see me mostly but they don't call just to say hi or talk. They don't come by. The only time my phone rings is when someone wants something from me. They want me to bake for a sale or they want me to do some other kind of work, but its never a social call. A few months ago a lady invited me for lunch. I was so happy and looking forward to it and to getting to know her better etc. We ended up running her errands (in my car) and then she said to me that lunch would have to be a slice of pizza at a take and go bar because she told a friend of hers that morning that she would come over and spend the afternoon with her and she didn't want to be late. I have other things I could share but I think you get my drift. Today 3 different things happened to me along those lines. The third one was the breaking point for me. I came home in tears. I wanted to quit everything I do. The Lord brought to mind a verse that says (paraphrasing) be not weary in well doing. I accept this admonishment from Him. I know that He has a reason for all the pain I've gone through and am going through. I am grateful for my husband that I need not truly be alone, but I long for Christian fellowship. For couple friends that we can hang out with, for girlfriends that call me and I call them and they stop by. . . The Lord has spoken to me and asked me to do all of these things that I do as unto Him and no one else. I will do that. I also spent time thanking Him tonight for all the rotten things that are going on. Not because he did them to me ( He didn't) but because the Bible tells me to give thanks in all things. I have seen over and over how when I have given thanks for things that I'm not particularly thrilled about He shows me why He allowed it and then I am even more grateful.

Yes, I'm still lonely. I still long for friendships and fellowship. It still hurts to be rejected. The difference is that "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day."

Monday

I substituted today at the Jr/Sr High School on post. These kids wore me out today. LOL One class all switched names and wouldn't answer to their right names. I thought it was funny but after about 30 minutes it got rather annoying. Another boy kept unzipping his pants in class. Told me his -- hurt. There were more trials but honestly this gets me to seriously consider homeschooling if and when the Lord should send us children. I don't want my kids subjected to this kind of behavior.
In other news, it's raining today. Hardly a surprise for Germany, however I am grateful for it because we will have beautiful flowers this spring and summer. The Germans put window boxes on all of their windows and fill them with the loveliest flowers. Last summer my husband and I used to take walks in the town just as the sunset was at its prettiest. We would look at all the flowers and nice yards and then vote of which one we liked best. It was very nice and romantic and I can't wait to do it again this year!
Have a lovely day my friends!

Can't sleep

It's nearly 3 am and I can't sleep. I took a Claritin-D around 3pm or so, completely forgetting that it would keep me awake. My husband also took one and is sound asleep. Not much keeps him awake. He could drink an entire pot of coffee and go right to sleep. And stay asleep.
Well, I've been reading a new blog. Still can't sleep and its now 0430. Hope all the rest of you are sleeping.

Frugal Friday

CEU's

This tip concerns those out there that have a license in the medical field. When I married, I chose my home/husband over my profession. (I am a registered nurse). I took 6 months off to get my mind set on being a wife and homemaker and off being focused on my career. Then, I went back to work very part-time. Working only a few days a month. Just enough to keep up with it. My husband and I live off of his income alone and then the income I have is put in savings or for extras. (We used 5K I had saved to pay cash for a used car when we got to Germany). My tip then is about keeping up with the changes and continuing education credits. I found a free online nursing magazine. Advance for nurses. I also found a web site that has CEU's. You can buy a membership if you wish but they also offer free courses about once a week or so. I don't know if there is a limit to the number of free courses you can take, but they offer a new one to me every week or so. If anyone else has any keeping up tips please comment! For more Frugal Friday tips go to Biblical Womanhood.

Bits and Pieces

Well, here I am again. I was at the commissary and needed some bell peppers to make chili with. While in the produce department, I noticed that the red bell peppers they had were HUGE! Now, for me this is a real find. I make a stuffed pepper dish that is really good and nutritious and my husband loves it. The problem has been that here in Germany, it can be a challenge to find peppers big enough or shaped properly for the filling. So, when I saw these I jumped on them and got some. Last night I made stuffed peppers. As we were finishing up supper, I noticed that my husband had eaten the smaller pepper I gave him but only the filling out of the large one. It turns out the larger ones are also thicker and he found he doesn't like the thicker ones. Also though I usually make some green, some red, and some yellow stuffed peppers, DH always eats the green ones. The red ones taste different to him and in the thicker one it really made a difference. Interesting. So, now I know.

In other news, I have been getting quite a bit of subbing opportunities lately. (Although I am a registered nurse, there is no hospital and thus few nursing jobs available on post.) This is nice because my mom is coming to visit in about 2 weeks and so we'll have a bit extra to spend if we need while she is here and then also I wont work at all until she goes home. For those of you who may be wondering generally work less than 5 days per month. So, it's very part-time and just enough to keep busy and have a little extra spending or (saving!) money. Also, for those of you who may be nurses I keep current by doing online CEU's and I volunteer with the Red Cross at the clinic here on post a few days a month.

I wonder if there are others out there that were nurses or had another profession that must be kept current who have married and chosen home/husband over profession? If you are out there, I'd like to know how you keep up and if you (like me) work outside the home a little bit or not at all.

Back from Paris

Hello. We finally came back from Paris, and we had a wonderful trip! We went to the Eiffel Tower at night and went all the way to the top. What a sight! We had a bus tour of Paris, a cruise down the Seine river, went to the Arc De Triumph where they also have their tomb of the unknown soldier. We went on Sunday to Notre Dame Cathedral. So beautiful. We stayed at a wonderful hotel. One might think that in Paris we would go for the good French food, and we did have some, but we also ate at the Planet Hollywood and at the Hard Rock Cafe. Here in Germany, we don't get the chance to go to American restaurants so it was a real treat for us. I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how to load them from our digital camera to the computer. Anyway, we had a wonderful time. The weather was warm and the sun was shining. That was especially nice since we had just had 2 straight weeks of rain in Germany. I do have to say one thing though. The French, in our experience, were no more rude than anyone else in any other country we have been to. So, maybe we just got lucky or maybe it really isn't as bad as it's cracked up to be. And so I'll post pics as soon as I can. Feel free to comment if you wish or ask questions. Have a wonderful day all!

Weekend Getaway

OK chickadees! You all have a wonderful weekend. My husband is whisking me away to Paris. I'll let you know all about it when we get back!

Sheets and my Sister

You would think at the ripe old age I have attained that I would know better than to EVER take new sheets directly out of the package and put them on a bed. I confess. The other night when we were setting up our new bed, I was unprepared and put new sheets right on it. Today, I took them off and washed not only them but also the other set that my sister sent me. I have hopefully learned my lesson. I scratched and itched all night last night.

Speaking of the sheets my sister got me. She gets the best deals. She lives in the Chicago area and I don't know how she does it but she really gets the goods. This sheet set is 600 thread count, doesn't wrinkle and is soft as butter.

This is a picture of my sister. The baby is her granddaughter, my great niece Julia. Isn't she beautiful? Julia is about 10 months old now and I am just as proud as can be.

Music Review

Today I'm doing laundry and listening to music. Yet again I was moved to pick out Ian White's Faith Story. Much of his music is taken directly out of Scripture. It just seems so blessed of God. So straight forward and honest.

Sunday

On Sundays on post they only have one service instead of two like we are accustomed to. So, we go bowling on Sunday evenings. The first two games I won hands down. The third game DH won and so we had a great time. Earlier today we went out to eat at a local Chinese restaurant. What is it about eating Chinese food that you can be so full and then hungry again an hour or so later? Oh well, I sure do love it. Otherwise it's been a fairly quiet day and I have loved every minute of it. I hope you have had a wonderful weekend.

Homemakers Survey

I have been tagged by Lela over at The Joy of the Lord is my Strength. Feel free to leave your own answers in the comments section or if you do it on your blog leave a comment below so I can read your answers.

1. Aprons - Y/N? If Y, what does your favorite look like? No, I don't use one. I should.

2. Favorite thing to bake? Cakes or brownies.

3. Do you use a clothes line? No, we don't have one.

4. Have you ever made donuts? Yes, and I love them!

5. Name one homemaking thing that you do every day. Clean the Kitchen.

6. Do you have a separate deep freezer? No, but I sure wish I did.

7. Do you have a garbage disposal? No, and I miss it. We have had them in the past.

8. What is your favorite homemaking source? Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy.

9. Ironing - Love it or hate it? I'd like it more if I could have a place where my board is
always set up and ready to go. I just hate setting up the board.

10. Where is your junk drawer if you have one? In the kitchen.

11. What is your favorite part of home making? Cooking.

12. Do you wash nylons by hand or in the washing machine? In a mesh bag in the machine,
and then drip dry on a door
knob.

13. Do you use the window or open the door to check during baking? Door.

14. What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? Computer.

15. What do you put on home made pizza? Cheese, home made sauce, onions, garlic, green
peppers, and sometimes hamburger or pepperoni.

16. What does your recipe container look like? I have some small photo album like books
that the cards go in and I am making a
3-ring binder for stuff that I print off the net.

17. What style of home do you live in? Right now we are in a 2-bedroom German style
stairwell apartment. The houses we have had since
we got married are a 3 bedroom farm house, a 4
bedroom ranch, and a 3 bedroom ranch. This is the
first time we have lived on post.

18. Table cloths and napkins? Table cloth with lace overlay and paper napkins.

19. Under the sink. Organized or toxic wasteland? Organized - cleaners and sponges.

20. Vacuum. We have hard wood floors so we swiffer and use our robomaid a lot.

21. How many loads of laundry do you do per week? 5 on average.

22. Yard - who does what? We don't have one. When we did we hired out the mowing,
trimming and raking.

23. What is your last homemaking task before going to bed? The only thing I routinely do
before bed is brush, floss, and
rinse with Act.

New Bed

Our new bed finally got here. Our cat Smokey got mad at my husband and urinated on our bed several months ago. Try as I might I could not get rid of the urine smell. I would think it was gone, but we use an electric mattress pad as hubby gets cold easily and the heat would bring the stink right back. So we had to get a new one. It has taken this long for it to get here. We got a king sized bed with a very thick pillow top. So I put on the new bed skirt, electric mattress pad, sheets and comforter and then realized that though I had bought new king sized pillows to use, I had forgotten to buy king sized pillows for the shams. I'll have to go pick some up. :( It didn't stop us from sleeping on it though. We had so much room last night that I didn't even know when my husband got up this morning.

Frugal Friday

I have decided to add my 2 cents worth to Frugal Friday hosted by Crystal over at Biblical Womanhood. Today I address the much written about grocery store coupons. My tip is that I cut out coupons for things I usually would never, or never would ever buy, because you never know when it might just come in handy. For instance, I bake cookies from scratch, but I did cut out coupons for the tubes of cookie dough you find in the refrigerator section just in case. The other day, I went to the commissary and there they were. Chocolate chip cookie dough on sale for $0.80 per tube. My coupons were for $0.75 off and so I got 2 tubes of cookie dough for 5 cents each. I put them in the freezer at home and the next time someone asks me to bake cookies at the last minute for some event, I can just pull them out, slice and bake. How easy!
Another time, I saved a $4 coupon for a Schick Intuition razor. I wanted to try them, but I wasn't willing to spend $8+ on one. One day, sure enough, I went in and they were on sale for $4.11. I got it for 11 cents! Then later the same store was trying to get rid of their stock and had them on sale for $1.00. I had several coupons for a dollar off and stocked up!

For more frugal tips check out Biblical Womanhood.

Loving My Husband

Tammy, over at Tammy's Recipes wrote a post on loving her husband. Go over there and read it. It was a timely piece for me to read. I love my husband, always have always will. Yesterday however, we got into a "discussion" a very calm and polite one that I, unfortunately, began, on his lack of communication skills. As if I am the great communicator. lol Now, keep in mind that my lack of communication skills came up also. I wont go into any more of it. We resolved the issue lovingly etc. HOWEVER, I couldn't sleep last night and went to my computer and found this and the corresponding article over at Biblical Womanhood. Reading these, the Lord convicted me of my lack of patience. Instead of "calling him" on his imperfections, I need to be praying for him and allow the Lord to change them and thus change me too. My imperfections, I suspect, are more numerous than his. So my challenge to all you wives out there that might have the same issue is to practice loving your husbands by keeping your mouths shut. There are things that we simply will have to bring up, but if we take them to the Lord first and let Him direct us the changes in ourselves and our husbands might just be astounding.

Yesterday

We had a light dusting of snow last night. About an inch or so but it only stuck to the rooftops and cars, nothing else. Yesterday was such a busy day, but it all ended up working out. I finally got all signed up to volunteer with the Red Cross here on post. I'm going to work at least one day a week in the health clinic. This will allow me to keep my nursing skills current as well as donate my time to a worthy cause. I have been asked to help teach some community health classes as the need arises and I am really looking forward to this. All of this also allows me to increase skills that I have used little as a hospital and intensive care/burn nurse. I need to get my application turned to complete my BSN online. I have it all filled out but have yet to turn it in. Why do we do things like that? I'm sure Dr. Phil would have a very interesting answer.

Yesterday I also met with Terese who is co-facilitator in the Bible study. She is such a blessing! I have never met a truly more joyful person. When I look at her I see Jesus and it fills my heart with joy. She is a living example of what it means to be a contagious Christian. I love our Bible study. This past week's lessons caused me to stop and think about what my priorities are as a Christian. What I am allowing to hinder my walk with Christ. I discovered that I allow busyness to hinder me. I put Him off " 'till later " because I have all these things that I think I must do "now". The thing is that when I put Christ first and spend time in the Word and prayer every day and really make Him my priority, all these collateral things fall into place. That's not to say nothing ever goes wrong, but that because my focus is Christ, my attitude is better, my soul is calmer, my faith is stronger, and I believe my light shines brighter.

OK. On my way to PWOC now. Have a great day everyone!

Back from the Alps

Hello. Sorry I haven't posted in so long. Hubby and I have been in the Bavarian Alps. We went to the summit of Zugspitz which is the highest peak in Germany. We rode the train to the cable car station and then took the cable cars up to the summit. After looking so long we took another cable car down to the glacier and then took the train back to town. On Thursday we went to the Neuschwanstein castle. It is the last castle of Ludwig the second of Bavaria. This is the castle that Walt Disney patterned Cinderella's castle after for Disney world. It was wonderful but boy did we do a lot of walking and climbing. We took a horse and carriage ride up to the base of the castle then we had to climb a LONG WAY up to the castle itself. Once it was our turn for the tour, we went in and they had us go up a stair case. I was thinking to myself, OK so we start on the second floor. Well we went up a total of about 167 steps that day. Then of course back down them and down the mountain to the horses. Then we decided we didn't need the horses to go down hill. So, we walked all the way down the mountain and into the town. The next day my hips were complaining, but by Saturday all was well. What a fun time!

I have a busy week ahead. Lots to do to make up what I couldn't do this week. It's good to be busy. "Empty hands are the devil's work shop." lol.