Memorial Protest....

When the city of Little Rock honors a fallen soldier...


It is interuppted by this mess...

And my Daughter is now ready for Kindergarten

I did not cry, well much.

I did manage to fight back tears for most of it. She was so poised, and such a leader all day....I adore her

Nebraska stories of D-Day

My Husband's Grandfather served in the Army in Normandy, I am so proud of his service.

Today is also my BIL's birthday, he is celebrating his 35th birthday in Iraq. His service was inspired by his Grandfather's.





H/T to Tammi

Set of Wings

It is early, and I have a house full of folks.

OK, not really only 3 extra folks...

But it is time to get moving.

I have a Pre-K graduation to prepare for, and the after party.

Celebrations for everything have become family affairs now since we are back amoungst family.

I have some things to do this morning. Pick up a cake, iron a pink dress, breakfast for 6.

Yesterday was SR's last day of school. His report card was impressive, particulary the reports from his mentors.

Summer has caught me off guard. We still have to sign up for swimming lessons. I am hoping they are not FULL. I have waited too long.

I am sure I will cry today, and of course I will take plenty of pictures. I might just get video as well.

Stay tuned.

nerves....

I recall the nervousness re: DH's deployments all too well. We call it anticipatory grief.

Our last duty station was Little Rock, my Husband had several different positions there. Many he loved. However, because of the school system surrounding Little Rock, and the continued escalating violence in the city, it was time to move on. We wanted our children to be safe.

I convinced DH to take whatever he could to get us "home", and he did.....

DH is now in recruiting and retention of Officers. You would think, this should not make me nervous.

But with the continued escalating violence, and attacks on recruiting stations, I am.

I never thought I would have to think twice about my Husband's safety on this sort of duty.

But there is terrorism, right here at home.....Prayers for the families continue...

Taliban claims responsibility

Muslim convert, was under investigation by the FBI, and was targeting military

WE were stationed around Little Rock, and left last September. One of the main reasons we left was the violence. LR is ranked 23rd...

And after reading this....I am glad we left, my heart breaks for these families..

CBS has more here

UPDATE: Here is an interview with Daris Long, PVT William Long's Father. Keep these families in your prayers.



More video...prayers continue

I am now jobless...

I celebrated my last day at work.

I am officially on hiatus.

Tomorrow I will spend the day CLEANING my home while the kids are in school. That is the first order of business. I need to clean my home. I see dust on a ceiling fan- ewww. I also must get my closet organized. There is a lot of organizing that needs to be done. (I am expecting company several times this summer, and I would enjoy getting piles of school projects organized, pantry organized, as well as the cold storage area in the basement. Go me! There is also that room in the basement, that I think I may want. I think a small room for Mom, might be in order.

Also the laundry I had caught up on, uhhhh yeah no longer caught up. So I am going to try and clean during the day, and do laundry in the evening whilst watching a movie.

Finally found good Vietnamese food in town! What a relief, DH took me to lunch before I headed to Utah for SpouseBuzz. I had Springrolls, and normally I would order bun, but ordered something new. I prefer bun.

DH also finished mulching my garden while I was gone! Thank you DEAR! He also got a ton of river rock, and started that project. (He said moving river rock will kick your butt)

SpouseBuzz was a good time. I did recharge, and have a couple of ideas I should be able to think about, now that I know longer am working 30 hours a week. We had 1 WWII wife in attendance, when she was introduced, all folks were giving this lady a standing ovation! It made my eyes well up with tears. Frankly the SpouseBuzz events are highly emotional. This event was that, for sure. I am reminded I am lucky to be given such a broad perspective from so many different people. I am blessed to hear so many stories...

I am putting myself on computer probation tomorrow. If I wake early, I will get my usual 30 minutes, of checking emails, etc....I also promise to only go online if i finished a decent sized project. I only have a few days where both of the children are in school, this is a good time to hit the ground running!

no surprises...

Yes it is 1am, my time, and I am finding myself loading my suitcase with far too many clothes. I never know what to wear etc. So i jam too many clothes, and will come up with something later. I have decided not to take my usual plethora of handbags.

I have decided no heels in the airport, flip flops will do.

Managed to get almost ll of the laundry done including rugs. I did not get all of my ironing done. I figure I can do it at the hotel.

Will miss a quiet weekend with DH, and the kids. SR has a Spanish class meal out this Sunday, in which his Spanish mentor is taking all of her Spanish students out for lunch so they can order and speak in Spanish. I would love to go, as I am sure it will be wonderful.

PN is preparing for her pre-k graduation. She is thrilled, I have had nothing but beaming reports for the entire 5-6 months. She is a good friend, and takes care of little ones, she is a leader, LISTENS, follows directions, and is respectful. I am proud of my little girl.

SO I am off to Utah to meet other spouses, and be inspired, and learn something new, and look at things from another point of view.

International Sharing? Seriously....

goofball

I was the recipient of a seranade tonight. DH is a goofball.



I also heard "Sugar Kisses" while at the Hy Vee this evening while buying groceries! I am finally in a demographic that is respected as having money. If you would have told me that the grocery stores would be playing Echo and the Bunnyman as I shopped for smoked turkey, and provalone when I was pert near 39, I would have called you a liar. Now I wanna go hang out at the grocery store, especailly on wine tasting days. Now if I could get Hollister, and Abercrombie to stop playing horrid music, and stop spraying stinky crap outside of the store...I would be "teh" awesome.



The kids are in bed, I am beat. Hence not really productive. I did return my Netflix today, and mailed some bills off. I need to iron, and switch to a Spring bag. I am still carrying my winter bag. I also need to pack some summer clothes for Utah. I really do not own much in the way of summer clothing. I run around in the summer looking homeless. Because I am always wet or sandy with the kids. I think I have a plan, it is called black and white...

I need a pedicure, as my toes are terrible, all of the gardening etc.

I am trying to tie my loose ends up at work, and trying to come up with a good working outline for the summer. This will include the following.

Lincoln Safari



Ager Nature Center

Ashfalls

Gavins Pont

Also I am expecting company from a couple of folks!!

SSM is headed across the darn country, with her Husband. They are stopping by!

Trying to Grok is stopping by, and I get to meet her folks!



My Dear Mother In Law is coming as well, and we are not sure if we are sending her back! MIL, we have a toothbrush and everything. You even can have your own room and a TV! the Grandbabies miss her soooooo much.

3 days...

It has been a long weekend, a holiday weekend. and my thoughts continue to think of those families that have a lost a loved one in service to protect liberties all over the World.

DH is in the back yard this morning, teaching The collective, the proper way to catch and throw a football, I am cleaning up the kitchen after deciding crepes would be delicious for breakfast.

It is the simple things....

I have thought about these families today. I ache for them, as there is no simple any longer. Moments will be bitter sweet for a lifetime.



39th Brigade Combat Team deaths during Operation Iraqi Freedom II (2004-2005)

* Sergeant First Class William W. Labadie Jr. of Bauxite, Age 45. Killed in Action, 4/7/04

* Captain Arthur L. Felder of Lewisville, Age 36. Killed in Action, 4/24/04

* Chief Warrant Officer Patrick W. Kordsmeier of North Little Rock, Age 49. Killed in Action, 4/24/04

* Staff Sergeant Billy J. Orton of Carlisle, Age 41. Killed in Action, 4/24/04

* Staff Sergeant Stacey C. Brandon of Hazen, Age 35. Killed in Action, 4/24/04

* Specialist Kenneth Melton of Batesville, Age 30. Killed in Action, 4/25/04

* Staff Sergeant Hesley Box of Nashville, Age 24. Killed in Action, 5/6/04

* Sergeant First Class Troy Leon Miranda of Wickes, Age 44. Killed in Action, 5/20/04

* Sergeant Russell L. Collier of Harrison, Age 48. Killed in Action, 10/3/04

* Sergeant Ronald Wayne Baker of Cabot, Age 34. Killed in Action, 10/13/04

* Sergeant Michael Smith of Camden, Age 24. Killed in Action, 11/26/04

* Corporal Jimmy Buie of Floral, Age 43. Killed in Action, 1/04/05

* Specialist Joshua Marcum of Evening Shade , Age 33. Killed in Action, 1/04/05

* Specialist Jeremy McHalffey of Mabelvale, Age 28. Killed in Action, 1/04/05

* Specialist Lyle Rymer II of Fort Smith, Age 24. Killed in Action, 1/28/05

* Staff Sergeant William Robbins of North Little Rock, Age 31. Killed in Line of Duty, 2/10/05



I recall the following today.

Running cattle, and headed to Utah...

This week is a wild one, here at the house. DH and the Collective are off to run cattle this coming weekend out west at family. I need to make a big pan of brownies for him to take up there, and maybe something else...this will be so FUN for the kids, DH and the rest of the family. I am loaning him my camera, as I am sure there are planty of memories to be made on this adventure.

I am headed to SpouseBuzz Live, at Hill AFB in Utah.

I am ready to recharge, my batteries. And I seem to be able to do that at SpouseBuzz events. Not only do i get to see my dear friends, I learn so MUCH from the participants every single time.

I am excited, and must organize myself this week. Pack, coordinate things to wear, look at the weather, I need to do something with my feet and hands, as all of the gardening has made them an embarrassment.

The garden...one solid week

And just when you think you have won....

My Husband's one wish in our 18 years of marriage has been a dog...

Seriously. And despite my being a stick in the mud for 18 years, he has remained married to me.

I do not want to wash one, pick up poop....I have no idea where I would find the time for a dog. I barely have time to raise feral children. I suppose, it would ensure a walk daily.

However, I am losing the vote for a dog in the house. So my guess is, it will happen some time in the next year.

The Husband wants a gun dog. PN a poodle, SR wants a Turkish van cat, because he thinks a swimming cat would be the shiz. (Only my son would want a swimming cat)

I wanted an Italian Spinone, since I cannot steal Charlie.

I just do not EVER want to find dog poop in my house. I do not want a dog to spill water on my computer.

I do not want a digger, or an escape artist. I never want to chase after a dog. No thanks.

I was an accidental pet owner as a child. I was the child that brought home a 3 legged dog, and a tailess cat, a frog that had a hook in him. I was that kid....

SpouseBuzz Radio tonight, a must listen!

What do you do when you are depressed and your Husband is deployed?

Determined

Carrie, my friend from SB, posted this on her facebook this morning, I nabbed it, and posted it as well.

I'm not sure if anyone watched it, but you must.

You really must.

A person cannot be 2 places at once

I have the wash machine going, the dryer going, the dishwasher going, the sprinklers going.

The inside of the house has taken a slide, because we are doing so much out of doors.

DH unloaded all of the dirt tonight.

I planted 4 green beans bush type, a row of onions, 1 spinich (per SR request), 2 serano peppers, 6 jalapeno pappers, 1 sweet green peppers, 1 cantelope, 1 acorn squash, 1 zuchinni, 10 tomato plants (various types), 1 cucumber (I should plant 1 more), 2 rows of bi-colored sweet corn, and I think that is it. DH still wants eggplant, and the kids want strawberries.

After we got the dirt, in and plants planted, we decided we had better put a rabbit proof fence up. Otherwise I will be wearing a rabbit fur coat in September, and eating them. So we decided to fence. the one thing I loathe about projects, there are more projects as you go.

I wanted to take pictures, but I played with The Collective, after they spent most of their after school time running through the sprinklers.

So now, I am pooped, but I have laundry to do, and a sink of dirty dishes. There are not enough hours in the day. Maybe we can get finished with this project SOON.

I also must find my canner, and must be on the look out for jars. People get rid of jars all of the time. And I will need shelves in the basement for my canned goods. I might enter something in the darn fair.

I do love working outside, and would prefer it, to anything inside.

I also weeded more.

Does a cow poop in the dairy?

If you have children you understand all too well the pure enjoyment children get out of the words poop/pee/underpants/ etc. ad naseum.

The other day I picked up Pink Ninja from school, to find she had sketched the picture above. Note it is a cow with a hairdo, with unusually long udders, and a cow that happens to be pooping. I am glad the teacher did not catch it.

Hair Today, gone tomorrow

PN got her hair cut yesterday! She wanted it short the last time I took her, but I told her to wait and think about it, and if she still wanted it that way the next time, she could do it! Well she did it, and frankly I think it should be the perfect summer do. I also got about 3 inches of my mess chopped off as well.

The sandbox project is complete! Hence all of the photos. DH and I also managed to build 4 gardening beds, but actually ran out of dirt today, and the gettin' place was closed. Do they not know that homeowners do projects on the weekends? The beds are 3foot by 6 foot. We are hoping to have the garden in this week, as well as unload about 3 or beds of coffee colored mulch into the flower beds etc...

I also must remember to by some weed something or other for the rock beds...

I also weeded and weeded, tis what you do when you have a million square feet of flower beds. We also had a lot of transplanting to do, because of the gardening beds we built. I keep thinking next year will be better, and it won't be as intensive, because we are doing all of this work now.

*Now the cousins, almost look like twins!