Thank you, Pinterest!

Today I was determined to bake.  I've been putting it off for a few days.  I don't know if it's because I've been feeling "scrooge-y" or just a lack of motivation.  Perhaps it is a combination of both.  I wake up in the morning and I say to myself. "Self, today you are going to be a baking fiend." Then, I get A ready for school and Lo some breakfast.  I'm spent.  I think I need a nap.  And I go to lay down and read.  Is this depression or exhaustion? I don't really know.


But, I figured today was going to be different.  I slept well.  I woke up feeling pretty good.  And I was determined while I made the grocery list.  I can do this! I will do this! With the help of my lovebugs today I will succeed in baking!


We made a trip to the Airman's Attic.  Were we nuts? Would it be mass mayhem? Thankfully, it was not.  In fact, we found a few cute toys for Lo and books for A.  After the Airman's Attic, we had to go to the NEX and commissary.  This could be a problem.  It's Saturday.  It's going to be crazy busy.  What were we thinking? We were pleasantly surprised when the trip took less than two hours.


After getting home, A and I got to baking and making.  We made Cheesy Ranch Chex Mix.  Eh.  I'd rather not do Chex Mix in a microwave from now on.  Thank you.  The next recipe that we tackled was Candy Cane Blossoms.  Another flop.  My cookies were NOT light and fluffy like the picture.  They looked like... well... let's just say it wasn't pretty!  The final goody that we made was White Chocolate covered pretzels.  Another recipe fail! WHAT?  That's a blow to my ego.  I didn't want to proceed.  Cuz, well, ya know... It's a bad sign.  And, it's a sign to put it to bed and try again another day.  


And that's okay.  We had fun.  I accomplished my goal: to make goodies completely from recipes that I had pinned to Pinterest.  That, my friends, was a success!  It was just a pleasant day with my lovebugs.  I live for THIS moment.

Life. Goes. On.

The holidays are here.  And, I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit.  It feels like I'm just going through the motions.  I get excited.  I get ideas.  Then, weariness sets in.  Depression hits.  I know that I'm not the first to feel this way and I won't be the last.  My grief is MY grief.  How can I compare it to the grief of another? I can't.  I shouldn't.

I didn't intend for the blog to take this direction.  Not now.  That's the funny thing about life.  It has an agenda of it's own.  It doesn't ask me for MY opinion.  It doesn't look at my hopes; my dreams.  It. Just. Goes. On.

Why? Can't I just stop for a moment? Wallow in my grief? Let the tears flow without fear?

Today as I was running errands with my lovebugs, I saw a rainbow in the distance.  It was vibrant.  And as we drove closer to the mountains it got bigger. And then it became a double rainbow.  The rainbow followed us around the valley.  Everywhere I turned, there it was.  It reminded me of the basis of my faith.  A faith that I'd been missing. Rainbows are God's promise to us.  And on a day when I needed it most, God sent a rainbow. The sunshine through the rain.  And I knew that my Dad had something to do with it.  Thanks, Dad! I needed that today.  <3

Life goes on.  And so will I.

A belated birthday wish to Lola!

Happy birthday baby girl! I'm blessed and honored to be your Mama.

You have made us laugh, uncontrollably.  We've cried in frustration.  We've worried about the coughs, the sneezes and the fevers. It's been worth it.  You are fun, spunky and you are entirely unique.  You laugh loud, you love bigger.

I love you!

On 30 November 2010, I gave birth to a baby girl who completed our family.  She is wonderful finish. I'm sad that I'm not going to have more, but I know that this is what it's about.

Enjoying my heritage

Last week, A was given the assignment to choose a food that is important in her culture.  It brought back memories of lefse at Christmas.  It's a fond memory.  It was a happy time.  It's one of the reasons that Christmas is my favorite holiday.  The scents.  The sounds.  I looked forward to it all year.  Lately I have been struggling with finding the happiness of the season.  Perhaps it's that I've let life get to me.  Or maybe it's hard because I'm thousands of miles away from family.  Whatever the reason, it's been hard for me.  Sad.  Lonely, but not lonely.  I realize that's a contradiction of terms but it's truth.

So, when she brought this assignment home, I knew immediately what I wanted to do.  Lefse!  It's the first thing I think of when I think of my Norwegian heritage.  And lutefisk.  No way am I making lutefisk, though!  The first place that I searched for a recipe is AllRecipes.  Surprisingly, there were very few lefse recipes.  In the interest of saving time, I found one that was a flour base rather than a potato base. I don't have a potato ricer, either, which would have made it easier I'm sure. The recipe was a success, and it was similar to potato lefse, but different.  More importantly, we were making memories together.

I'm looking forward to going to the Culture Cafeteria!

Thankful for... life, love and happiness

In rough economic times, I am thankful that my husband has employment.  Employment that allows us to live in an exotic location, if only for just a time.  Employment with medical and dental benefits.  Employment that allows me to be a stay-at-home-mom.  We have truly been blessed.  I know that not everyone has the same blessing.

I'm thankful for life.  It's much too short.  Too short to hold grudges.  Too short not to live it to the fullest. Death has been a sad reality for me lately.  With the passing of my father, I realized how close to home it could hit.  My dad was a wonderful man.  Noble, stoic, and loving.  He fought for justice for those whose voice could not be heard.  He is my inspiration and I learned a lot from him.

I'm thankful for love.  The love of my husband, who loves me in spite of my faults.  He loves me far more than I deserve.  He is patient, he is kind, he is firm and he is gentle.  He completes me.  The love of my children, biological or not.  I am humbled everyday by how much they admire me. My family.  My friends.  Love surrounds me.

I am thankful for happiness.  To be happy in times of great sadness.

I have truly been blessed.

A hui hou!

Thankful for...teachers

Today I am thankful for teachers.  It is through their patience and endurance that my daughter is learning what she is.  I can only imagine how difficult it is.  It is truly a gift that I can never repay.

I'm thankful for the teacher's that I had through the years.  I am who I am because of a culmination of things, education being one of them. Having an education helped me through some of the hardest years of my life.  I will never regret that.

I've considered going in to teaching but I feel like I'm getting to be too old to go back to school.  It's not about the glitz or the glamour.  It's about helping the youth of today succeed.

So, if you haven't thanked a teacher lately, please do.  They need to hear it.

A hui hou!

A week of thankfulness

I've decided that for Thanksgiving week, I'm going to blog about what I'm thankful for.  I have had a roller coaster of a year, to say the least.  It helps to reflect on the blessings I have encountered this year.

Today, and everyday, I am thankful for all of my lovebugs: TSgt Lovebug, C, Princess Cranky Pants, M and Sweet'n'Lo. We are the non-traditional family. By that I mean blended; a can of mixed nuts.  A family brought together by two people who fell in love.  Life in a blended family has it's fair share of heartache, grief and disagreement, just like any other family.  What makes us different is that we didn't meet, fall in love and have babies.  We had babies before we fell in love and then after, too. It throws a wrench into the "birth order" theory which is another post entirely.

After three years of life together as a blended family, we have found our sense of normalcy. We've got two of the kiddos full-time and two of the kiddos part-time.  But, it's a full-time love that we're sharing. There isn't a moment that goes by that we don't think about what we're doing and how it affects everyone, even when we are miles apart.

Each of my lovebugs has a quirk.  Sometimes, it's many quirks.  I love each and every quirk.  I love that it makes up the unique blend that is our family. I love that we are a non-traditional family.

To all of my lovebugs: Thank you!

A hui hou!