Tough Mudder

I'm crazy.  I mean, my husband the soldier wants to run in the Tough Mudder which is cool for him.  I mean, he's a soldier, he can do that kind of stuff.  But when he asked me last week to do it with him, I said sure honey!  That's where the crazy comes in!

The point of Tough Mudder isn't to finish first, which is good because I won't, it's just to finish with your teammates.  Tough Mudder is an 11ish mile race with several obstacles along the way.  Obstacles like monkey bars, jumping into freezing cold water, slugging through waist-deep mud, carrying logs up a mountain, tunneling through pipes filled with water (hello claustrophobia), running through fields of live wires carrying up to 10,000 volts of electricity, etc.  WHO SAYS I'M NOT CRAZY?  Here's some pictures of PA's Tough Mudder this year.

What can I say?  I'm actually excited about this!  For the first time in 11 years I'm at a weight that I can actually work out and breathe in.  Thanks to the migraine medication I'm on, I'm down to almost 120 pounds.  I'm actually able to exercise and move around and I'm loving it.  Not that I need to exercise and lose more weight, I'm just ready to strength train.

My son happens to be working on a boy scout project where he has to run 1/4 mile every day and do as many push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups that he can in one sitting.  I've decided that I'll be joining him in this project.  Today I had my husband teach me how to do a pull-up.  It wasn't pretty.  I can hold on to the bar if I stand on my toes, so it's not easy for me to get started.  I tried to pull myself up and my husband grabbed my legs and pushed me the rest of the way.  We did that twice.  He then pulled out a short stool to get me a little higher and had me jump up and slowly lower myself down.  This will at least start building up muscle in my arms so I can do them properly on my own at some point.

Thankfully, we're not planning on doing the Tough Mudder until 2014, so I have time to train.  This is because of my husband's deployment.  The Tough Mudder in PA is held in April and we missed the one this year, he'll be gone for the one next year, so we're shooting for participating in 2014.  We're hoping to get some soldiers to compete with us as well as some friends from church.  The more people the better because the more help you have with some of the obstacles, like climbing over walls, the better.  I'll blog from time to time on my progress.

Deep Breath

I lost track of time.  It's not that I don't know what today's date is, because I do.  I know that we're in the 4th marking period of school and both #2 and #3 are on track to earn straight A's this year.  #1 is following through on her enrollment process with school.  Everything is moving along as it should.

This month our Family Readiness Group is hosting dinner for our soldiers during their drill weekend.  I've been busy baking cookies and making tons of chili and meatballs.  I made Man Cookies by request of the soldiers and even though they didn't turn out flat and big, they have the same yummy taste.  I think I might have put too much flour in when doubling the recipe.  That's what happens when you bake at 11 pm.

But that's not why I need to take a deep breath, why I lost track of time.  Earlier this week I was asked to look at my upcoming summer schedule to see if there was any blocks of time I'd be gone so the praise team at church could be properly scheduled.  That's when I realized that it's already April and I'll be singing only through August and then I'll be coming off the praise team.  It's a personal choice that I make each time my husband is deployed.  I prefer not to have my kids stand without a parent during the praise and worship time of the service.  My husband won't be leaving right away, I just want a little time to worship with him before he does leave.

It was one of those moments that just side swipe you out of nowhere. One minute I'm fine, the next I'm reduced to tears. He's leaving soon.

It's easier and harder this time.  Easier because the kids are getting older and can do more for themselves.  #1 is also here so if I need to run out for a minute, I have an adult living here to watch the younger two.  It's also easier because of the aforementioned Family Readiness Group.  I've never been through a deployment with a family group in place and I can honestly say that I am looking forward to it.

It's harder because the kids are older and understand more.  Granted, my husband will be in Kuwait and it's a bit safer than Afghanistan, but he's still gone and they will still be taking it hard.  It's also harder because being the Family Readiness Group Leader, it's not like I can just break down in front of the families.  I need to be a source of leadership and support for them.  So despite having the family group, I have to be careful as well.

Pray for me as I face the upcoming months.  Pray as I get ready to spend a year without my husband.  Pray for me as I switch back into single parenting mode and pray for my kids as they try to adjust.  Pray for my husband and his troop for their safety.

A Month in Pictures

When I last posted, it was cooking day on February 9th.  It's been a rather busy month since then.

We had a small snow fall resulting in a few inches.  Jenna was able to clean the snow off her car for the first time then drive in it.

The birds are coming back.  They are sitting on my wreath in the mornings and teasing my cats.

The little miss has had the stomach bug twice this month.  Poor sickie chickie.

 

#2 received a special award at cub scouts titled God and Family.  Pastor Lee Peoples, our pastor, came to cub scouts, on Valentines day, and presented him with the award.

That same night #2 also received his Arrow of Light award and crossed over to Boy Scouts.  He's no longer a little cub scout, he's growing into quite the young man.

We went out later in the month and tried out a new restaurant in the area called Cheddar's.  We absolutely loved it.  Huge portions at a great price.  We will definitely be going back there.

Overall it's been a pretty fun month, with one exception.  Last week my mom and step-dad moved back to California.  It was very sudden, the job offer and move all happening in under two weeks.  I'm very sad to see them go, but I am very glad that such a great job opportunity has opened up for my dad.  Now they just need to get settled so we can start planning our next trip to California.

Time to Breathe

Source GetEntrepreneurial.com

If I thought December was a busy month, I had no idea what January had in store for me.  Between meetings and conferences for the National Guard (for me, not my hubby who's actually in the National Guard), ballet, jazz, cub scouts, church, bridal showers, and field trips, I've hardly had a chance to breathe.  Well, I guess God decided to make me breathe.  I not only have my car out of commission, but my husband's car is down as well.

How is that a good thing?


Put aside the fact that we can't afford to fix either car at the moment, I have decided to look at the blessings in this situation

1. The week after Christmas we were financially able to help our oldest daughter purchase a car in preparation of her getting her license next month.  Since she doesn't have her license yet and isn't working, my husband is able to drive her car to work every day.  So despite both cars needing work, he still has the availability to get to his job.  That is a big blessing.

2. I have time to breathe.  Yes, we're skipping ballet and jazz this week.  But because we're skipping, I'm getting caught up on some cleaning, and basic household chores like baking bread that I haven't had time to do all month.  It's been two weeks since I've baked bread.  Quite frankly, I've missed it, and so has my wallet.

3. I have time for my family.  With running around so much I haven't had much time to sit and play with my kids.  Being home this week has given me that time to play on the Wii with them, play some regular games, and just sit and talk.  I think I'm enjoying that more than anything.

Ever have those times when you are forced to breathe?  To just stop and make time to rest?  By looking at the blessings, I can be thankful for what I have rather than be mad about what I'm missing right now.

New Year

It's 2012 and this year my word of the year is blessing.  I am going to strive to be a blessing to all those I meet. A blessing to my family, a blessing to my friends, and a blessing to my neighbors (which effectively includes everyone else in the world.)

I hope in some small way you will be blessed by my blog this year.  I hope to focus a bit more on my food posts and I'd like to get a bit more creative in my cooking and baking.  I'll continue to post once a month over at Today's Housewife on Faith (in fact, I'll be there tomorrow talking about blessings), but I'll still be here, hopefully getting back into more of a routine now that the holidays have passed.

On a good note, my hubby will be sticking around for a few extra months.  The deployment has been pushed back, I can't give you an exact date, but I am glad to say we'll actually have 2 anniversaries in a row together.  It's been a while since that has happened.

On to the cooking!  Since I happen to get up every morning with my amazing husband and make him breakfast and lunch, and then have 2 hours until the kids wake up, I killed a little time on Pinterest this morning.  If you haven't read about my love of Pinterest before, go ahead and go read about it here.  (And check out my Pinterest boards here.)  While I was there, I saw the cutest pic of cinnamon rolls that were in a heart shape.  Very cute and very easy.  I happened to have one extra can of cinnamon rolls just sitting in my refrigerator so guess what the kids got for breakfast this morning?

They thought this was one tasty treat!  I have to say, they are some of the easiest kids to please.  They seriously thought I had slaved over making them in this special shape.  They also thought they were twice the size of a normal cinnamon roll.  When I told them that each one was just one normal Grands roll unrolled and rerolled into the shape of the heart, they hardly believed me.

Tonight for dinner we're having pork chops with sweet potato fries and green beans.  A nice homey meal on a cold day.  I'm really in the mood for chili, but that will have to wait until after cooking day next week.

So blessings to you in this new year!  I hope you enjoy the recipes that I will be sharing with you and the tidbits of faith that I will share.

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve, presents are wrapped, kids are tucked into bed, and my husband and I are killing time until the kids are sound asleep before those presents can be put under the tree.  Until then, I'm sitting here and thinking about the ultimate gift I have received from Jesus and singing my favorite Christmas carol, O Holy Night.

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men from Orient land.

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise us,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night divine.

During this Christmas holiday, please take time to remember the reason for the season.

Luke 2:1-20

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news og great job that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

(Not) Wordless Wednesday

Today is normally my Wordless Wednesday.  Unfortunately, October has been such a crazy month that the majority of the posts I've written have only been Wordless Wednesdays.  So here's a post with a bit more substance.

In October I turned 33, my hubby spent a little over 2 weeks gone with the National Guard, my son got a horrible chest cold, my oldest daughter has really started driving, and my youngest daughter is excelling in her ballet and jazz classes.  Yup, that about sums up the month.  I've been running here and there and everywhere with the kids.

On a sad note, I did stop working with the Awana program at my church.  After September's 3 1/2 week migraine, the docs said I need to cut back on my stress.  Unfortunately, how busy I was on Sundays were a big stress inducer and I ended up with a migraine every Sunday night after Awana.  So I decided for my own health to step-back and let someone else step-up to teach those wonderful kids.

This week's game plan includes a shopping and cooking day.  When exactly I'm going to find the time to shop is beyond me, but I'll make it happen.  Here's what I'm cooking this month if you're interested:

1. Broccoli, Ham and Cheese Casserole
2. Cheesy Ham and potatoes
3. Chicken and Broccoli Rotini
4. Chicken and Dumplings
5. Chicken Bowls
6. Chicken Pie
7. Crock Pot Peppercorn Steak
8. Dijon Pork Chops
9. Farmers Casserole
10. Fragrant Sticky Chicken
11. Goulash
12. Ham and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
13. Hearty Beef Chili
14. Lasagna
15. Meatloaf
16. Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
17. Oven BBQ Chicken and Cheesy Biscuits
18. Sausage Pizza Twist
19. Sausage Stuffed Pork Loin
20. Stromboli
21. Tuna Casserole
22. Vegetable Beef Soup

There are lots of yummy meals in there.  If you're interested in any of these recipes please send me a note and I'll send you the recipe.  I'm looking forward to having my freezer stocked again.  

Typical Tuesday

Today is not a typical Tuesday.  Today started with me sleeping in.  Yes that's right, I slept until almost 9:00.  My husband has today off of work and decided to go hunting.  So I didn't have to get up at 5:30 and make his breakfast and lunch.  It was so nice!


Our youngest 2 kids got up and made their own breakfast and started school without me.  What good kids I have!  I got up and decided to try my hand at baking bread since I now have a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.  I used the basic wheat bread recipe that came with my stand mixer.  Sadly, after over an hour, it didn't rise.  I decided to find a different recipe online and here are the results:

They literally just came out of the oven and smell so very good!  I can't wait to try a piece.  

Today in school #3 had an art project.  She made a mask that looks very similar to herself.  She even decided to use tan construction paper to represent her skin tone.  I'm rather proud of her for thinking of that.

#1 is out and about in town with my hubby right now.  And when I say out and about, I mean she's driving.  She's got her permit and today she is driving in town traffic.  It's wonderful to see her learn how to drive so she can be more independent.

#2 is still hanging on the couch.  He's had a bad chest cough for a week now, but it's clearing up and his earache is virtually gone.  He's missed church, scouts and Awana for 2 weeks, but he should be cleared up enough to return to a normal routine this weekend.  

Lots of different things today, but all have been good.  Now, it's time for me to go and see how my bread baking adventure went.

** Update -- The bread is delicious!  Here's the recipe I used.  **

How 9/11 Influenced My Day Today

Today is the 10th anniversary of the attack on the United States.  I was asleep as the first plane crashed.  My husband, son and I were living with my mom in California, so for us, the attack started before 6 am.  Mom woke us up and we watched in horror as the second plane crashed, the Pentagon was hit and the plane went down in Pennsylvania.  I tried for hours to contact family back on the east coast, finally reaching them later in the afternoon.  It was a stressful day, not wanting to leave the television, but needing to care for my 9 month old son.

The next day, my husband contacted the Marine Corps and tried desperately to re-enlist.  It wasn't meant to be at the time, but that day set things in motion.  In 2003, he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves and spent some time in Iraq with them.  After he returned, he enlisted in the PA Army National Guard, went through Officer Candidate School and is now an officer with them.  He spent last year in Afghanistan and is getting ready for another deployment in the near future.

All of this has shaped my life today.  Specifically today.  Today I spent part of my afternoon in a meeting with other family members of my husband's troop.  Today was the first Family Readiness Group meeting for our troop.  The very first one.  I have to admit, I was nervous.  I've never been a part of an FRG, in fact during my previous two deployments I had no contact from any FRG group.  So when I was asked not only to be involved but to be President of our group, I readily said yes.

Why would I agree to not only be a part but be the President?  After going through two deployments with the only information I receive being from my husband, I don't want anyone else to go through that.  I want this deployment to be different.  I want the families to be able to rely on each other and step-up to help each other.  I want us supported so our soldiers will KNOW that their families back home are being taken care of. They will feel better knowing their families are being looked after.  No, I cannot be everything to everyone, but I've got a shoulder and I can listen and empathize with the other family members.

I am already feeling better about this deployment.  I know I'll have other wives to talk to, other mom's who are dealing with the same child separation issues that I'll be dealing with.  I can't tell you how good it feels to know that I won't be alone this time.

I don't know that my husband would be back in the military had 9/11 not occurred.  I did know from our first date how much my husband loves his country and that he had served in the Marine Corps in the 90's.  But I had no idea I would be a military wife and be so involved with the families.  Would I change it?  No.  I'm glad to be here.  I'm glad to support my husband.  I'm glad he helps protect my freedom.  I'm glad I am able to work with the families.  I'm glad to be exactly where I am today.

Summer Fun

It's been a while since I have blogged.  We've had quite the eventful summer.  It started with our oldest child moving in with us from California.  (Technically, my step-daughter, but I hate the word step.)  She's been here since mid-July and we've loved every minute of her being here.

I've had 2 trips to the doc, one for 4 stitches and one for crushing my opposite hand resulting in a bone bruise that has lasted over 3 weeks with me not having full use of my index finger.  Real fun when it's on my right hand and I'm right handed.

My hubby has spent time away with the National Guard in preparation for his upcoming deployment.  Sorry, not giving dates or locations away due to security reasons.

The youngest 2 have had a great summer playing and enjoying themselves.  They start back to school on September 6th and they are both pleased that they will be continuing to cyber school.  It works for us and we love it.

As fall approaches I hope to get back into blogging once we are back into a set schedule.  I miss the routine of school days, cub scouts, ballet and AWANA.  Yes, it's a busier time for us but all the things we do are worth while and fun.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!  I'll check back in soon!

I've been AWOL, but with good reason!

I realized today that I haven't posted in over a week.  Yikes!  I haven't updated my April or May goals and guess what?  I'm not doing it today.  I will however let you know what's been going on in the last week to make me AWOL from my blog (in chronological order from my last post on May 12th.)

1 -Stupid allergies strike again.  Let me rephrase that.  I ate a cookie.  Not just any cookie mind you, a Macadamia Nut cookie from Shari's Berries.  It was heavenly.  It was amazingly good.  It had the bottom dipped in chocolate that had coconut oil in it.  It took 30 seconds (I kid you not) for my tongue to start itching.  2 minutes later, I was covered in hives from head to toe.  Thursday night, round 1 of Benadryl.

2 - Friday morning - round 2 of Benadryl.  Hives did not clear up yet.  I was supposed to go on a ladies retreat with my church, ended up sleeping Friday afternoon, evening, night and into Saturday morning - late morning.  (Waking up for rounds 3 and 4 of Benadryl.)  Thankfully kids #2 and #3 spent the weekend at Grandmom's house.

3 - Kid #1 turned 18.  Yes, we have an adult daughter now.  Granted, she's in California so we couldn't celebrate with her, but phone calls were made and pictures sent to us.  It was also her prom that night and she looked amazingly beautiful!

4 - Field trip to the local minor league baseball game.  It was my last field trip as Community Coordinator, so that was sad.  But we had a great time.

5 - Last club night of Awana.  It was a fun time and I even baked a giant Cubbie Bear brownie that was enjoyed by all!

6 - Big push for kids to finish all their school classes early.  We spent the week finishing up classes so that #2 and #3 could be finished before item #8 down below.  (Keep reading.)

7 - Kid #1 called and asked if she can move in with us.  Um, YES!!!  We are super excited about this turn of events.  We can't wait to have her with us full time.  She'll be coming out to live and go to school.  SO COOL!

8 - Kid #3 turned 7.  No one wanted to do school work on her birthday.  Dinner at California Pizza Kitchen with 2 sets of her Grandparents.  It was the aforementioned Grandma's birthday too!  Yes, they share a birthday which is really fun!

9 - Kids #2 and #3 spent the night at the other Grandma's house this weekend. 

10 - Last night Seth and I attended the 55th HBCT Officer's Mess.  Look at that picture and tell me I don't have a handsome hubby! I dare you!  :)

Now we're up to today.  Seth is stripping paint and sanding the entry way to start painting this week.  Tonight is the awards ceremony for Awana so I'll be leaving shortly to set up for it. 

I have to admit, the next 2 weeks will be pretty sparse on the blog.  This week I have a few meetings, dentist appointments for us and need to do a big clean of #1's bedroom which has been a storage room for a while.  I'm also getting ready to head to California to see #1 graduate from high school.  We'll be returning with her after graduation and she'll be spending a month with us.  She'll then fly home, go to a previously scheduled conference, pack her things and come back full time.  The month here was planned before the decision to move was planned.  Really though, it's all good, I'm just excited that she's decided to come live with us. 

SIck of Sickness!

Ok, small vent post here.  I am so sick of the sickness going through my house this fall/winter/spring.  Kid #3 has been sick for the last month with cough, chest congestion and leaky nose.  She finally has kicked that earlier this week.  Kid #2 has had the leaky nose on and off all season.  I've had it on and off, had a UTI/kidney infection two weeks ago and now I've got viral lymphadenitis.  I feel like one of us has been on some type of medication non stop since October.  I just want us all to be healthy and happy again!  Please pray for us.

Father, you see our household and our struggle with sickness.  Please place Your healing hand on us.  Help us to continue to see Your blessings despite illness.

April Goals

So March came and went and I once again completed only part of my goals.  Here's what was up for March:

• Exercise 3 days a week. FAIL Just didn't happen.
• Plan 2 field trips in May. MIXED I got April and May trips planned, one in each month. No more since I won't be continuing as Community Coordinator.  That is one of the items I cut in my prayer request post.
• Continue reading my Bible.  WIN
• Plan another cooking day. WIN That one came and went.  The next is already planned and shopping will commence tomorrow.
• Organize the school room.  MIXED Hubby decided this month to drywall the basement.  Desks were moved to their new location, but nothing else happened.  Some things were organized, the rest have to wait.  This one goes on hold until hubby is finished.

April is now upon us and some new goals are here.  Some are repeating and some I've already started working on.

• Exercise daily.  With my Bible reading time shortened (not gone) and with getting up at 5:30 am to cook my hubby breakfast, I now can exercise and shower before the kids even get up.  Like I did this morning!
• Clean out kitchen cabinets. This one is ambitious.  I know hubby & I want to paint the kitchen cabinets and to prepare for that I'm going to empty each one and weed out the stuff that I don't use.  While I am at it I'd like to...
• Reorganize kitchen cabinets.  I've never liked the placement of my kitchen items.  From the dishes to the food, I'm unhappy.  I wish I had someone who was more organized to do this for me. (hint hint to anyone out there, I'd even pay you with baked treats!)
• Continue reading my Bible daily.  Just because I finished reading the Bible in 90 Days doesn't mean I am finished reading the Bible.  It's a continual relationship with Jesus, not just on Sundays or when I'm doing an in-depth reading program.  

I think that's a good list for now.  I don't want to give myself too much, it's going to be a busy month with Easter, choir practices, Awana continuing and various meetings and appointments I have this month.

I Finished the Course

This morning I finished reading the Bible from cover to cover, in 88 days.  The program I was using through Mom's Toolbox was a 90 day plan, but there were 2 days built in for make up days.  Thankfully, I didn't need to use them.  I kept with the reading plan and finished on time.  Wow!

It was wonderful reading from start to finish.  Some days were difficult and others were easy.  Most of the Bible read like a wonderful story, going in chronological order from the beginning of man to the end of days.  The prophetic parts were a little difficult for me, but they just require more in-depth studying in the future.

There were so many benefits of reading through the Bible from start to finish.  Here are a few:

• Reading verses and a song comes in to my head.  There are so many, many songs out there that stemmed from Bible verses!  For a musically inclined person like me, this was such a blessing to see where the songs got their origins.
• Reading verses and knowing them.  There are so many verses I have heard over the years that I just can't remember where they came from.  It was good to read them and to put them into the proper context.
• Reading verses and realizing they are a lot longer than I know them.  Being a Cubbies teacher at church, I teach verses to 3 & 4 year-olds.  These verses are usually shortened so they can remember the key parts of a verse.  I've been saying them for 6 years now and it was fun to see how some of them are so much longer than how we study them.  For example, according to the Cubbies, Romans 5:8 says, "While we were sinners, Christ died for us."  But Romans 5:8 actually says "But God shows His love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  The first part of that verse is wonderful!
• The blessing of knowledge.  Do I pretend to know it all?  Nope! (If I do, smack me.)  But reading through the entire Bible has allowed me to gain knowledge of God and His perfect plan.  It also helped me to understand and get a clearer picture of what happened to lead up to Christ's life, death and resurrection on the earth.  Admittedly, the Old Testament is what I have read the least in my life as a believer.  So reading through the entire Bible has been wonderful to see all the history.
• The blessing of time.  I don't know how He did it, but God granted me time each and every day to read His word.  Yes, my house isn't spotless, but everything that was essential to my household was completed every day.  I was able to add reading 12 pages of the Bible into my schedule and still get the essentials finished daily.  I've learned that in honoring God and putting Him first, He grants me time to still accomplish things I need to get done.

I've been asked if I'll do this program again in the future.  Yes!  Not right away mind you, this is something that does require a lot of time, for me it was 1-2 hours of quiet reading daily.  But in the future I would love to go back through and read it all quickly again.  For now, there were some books in the Old Testament that I would like to go back through and study, like Isaiah and the minor prophets.

If you've never read through the entire Bible, this is a great way to do it.  It's also a wonderful way to jump start your reading and get you in a daily habit of reading God's word.  There is another group starting up on Monday, July 11, if you are interested please head over to Mom's Toolbox and check it out.

Day 85

It's day 85 of 90.  Yes, I am only a few days away from reading through the entire Bible in 90 days.  Actually, I'll be finished on day 88, there were 2 "freebie" days built in that I didn't use.  Today I'll be starting in Hebrews and by the end of the day I will have finished James 3.  It really has been amazing reading through the whole Bible so quickly.

As I've said before, this isn't an in-depth study.  It's just a motivational tool to read through the entire Bible.  Has it been beneficial to me?  Oh yes!  I can honestly say my walk with the Lord has grown and I don't think I will go back to not reading my Bible once this is finished.  I don't believe I'll continue reading 12 pages of the Bible daily, but I will continue to read and continue to grow closer with the Lord.

On Friday I will be blogging about the whole experience.  I'm anxious to see what the Lord has in store for me this week. 

Prayer Request

Photo from Watton on the Web

Over the last week I have been evaluating what all I do.  Not just at home, but everything.  I'm involved in quite a lot with my church, I cyberschool my kids, and set up field trips for the cyberschool.  I will be taking on some new responsibilities within my husband's National Guard unit in relation to the families which will be more intensive over the next year or so as we prepare and go through a deployment to Kuwait. 

You may be asking why am I taking on a new responsibility if I feel I already have too many?  Well, with my husband being the Executive Officer of his unit right now, it's kind of falling to me to take on the family duties.  And having gone through a couple of deployments with absolutely no contact from the family volunteers, I don't want any other family going through what I have gone through and I want to help in that area.

With the new responsibilities coming in, I feel like something needs to go.  There are days where I feel like I am involved in so much stuff, that I can't focus on my family, or my home.  At that point, I need to cut something.  There are 3 things that I am torn about losing.  All three I'd be ok with stepping back from, but all three I do enjoy doing.  So what do I do?  Do I cut one of them?  All of them?  If only one, which one?  I just don't know.  So over the next week I am going to be doing some focused prayer into what I should do.  If you think of me over the next week, please be in prayer for me as I make a difficult decision.

A Relaxing Weekend

I had an amazing weekend.  My husband and I got away for the entire weekend.  Alone.  No kids.  Just us.  It was heavenly.  Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but I love my husband too.  This was the first time that we have been completely alone together since, well, since a weekend when he was home on leave from Afghanistan.  I spent that entire weekend sick as a dog, so that doesn't count.  So before that... well, I honestly don't know.  I'd have to say it was probably in October of 2009.  Yes, that's right.  That was the last time that the kids spent a weekend at Grandma's house where Seth and I were alone together.  Needless to say, we had a great weekend.

We spent the weekend up in Harrisburg.  We ate at some local restaurants, went to a Hershey Bears game, and did some shopping.  Overall it was a quiet, relaxing weekend.

Surprisingly enough, I had some time to read.  Not much though, as I found myself still doing Friday's reading on Sunday morning.  But I had a little over an hour in the car on the way back and during random times during the day yesterday, I managed to get myself completely caught up in my reading.  In fact, it was 5 minutes to midnight last night and I finished Daniel 8.  I had to laugh because I don't know how He did it, but God sure stretched my time to allow me to finish 3 days worth of reading in 1.  I read from Ezekiel 31 through Daniel 8 in one day.  Wow. 

What I read was mostly prophecy, some of it was chronology for Daniel.  Some parts were easier to read than others.  All of it was wonderful.  I'm so glad that I'm still on track and reading so much of God's word right now.  This week I have 2 field trips and a whole house to clean before my grandparents get here next week.  I'm sure God will provide time for me to continue to stay on track and read His word.  It's such a blessing to be reading the Bible! 

DUH!

Have you ever had a DUH moment?  You know, one of those times where someone has to tell you something so basic, because you didn't get it?  I've had a few situations this week where I just wanted to curl up and hide because I missed something so obvious, it should have smacked me in the head.

Last week I reported that I was reading through Psalms and Proverbs and how difficult I found it to read through so quickly.  Well, they had nothing on Isaiah.  I confess, I'm reading Isaiah just to read it, but I know that I'm missing a lot.  I told my kids last night that I am looking forward to getting a good study guide and reading through Isaiah again.  If you have any suggestions on a guide to use, please leave me a comment with the name of the guide.

Again, like last week, God has chosen a few verses to speak to me.  I am so very thankful that through the Holy Spirit, I am still able to be blessed in my reading of the Bible in 90 Days.  I read the following verse last night and just started laughing.  I happened to be in bed with my hubby and read the verse to him and he started laughing too.  It was a total "DUH!" moment.

For thus says the LORD,who created the heaven,

(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it

(he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!):
"I am the LORD, and there is no other."

Isaiah 45:18

I did not add the parenthesis, they are in the ESV Bible.  Seeing those words in the parenthesis made me laugh.  I mean a true, LOL (laugh out loud).  Read it again, but this time add a DUH at the end of each parenthesis, go ahead, I'll wait.

"...remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
   I am God, and there is none like me..."

Isaiah 46:9

The Israelites had to be reminded repeatedly that God is God.  In these passages God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah telling them, God is God, the only God!  DUH!  I just have to laugh, because I'm not the only one who needs a slap in the face every now and then.  In fact, in 9 verses God says "I am God" in the Old Testament.  "I am the Lord" is written in 184 verses in the Old Testament.  Really?  God needed to establish Himself 193 times?  Wait, no He didn't.  God is God and it's us who needs the reminder.  Even I have to be reminded every now and then.  Do I doubt that God is God, no, but sometimes even I need a reminder that He is the center of my life. 

Picture from Stupid Fat Hobbit.

Regular Bible vs. eReader Bible

Top view of my bible, laying on it's back.

It is day 36 of 90 and I am very pleased at where my bookmark is in my Bible.  Technically, I just put a bookmark in my Bible where I'm supposed to be at so I could see it, because I'm doing this reading on my eReader version of the Bible.  But the view is wonderful.

I am reading in Nehemiah today and heading into Job as well.  It's been wonderful reading in the Old Testament and learning things that I've just nodded my head and agreed to when people were talking before.  I was able to have a relevant conversation with my husband last night and our questions challenged each other.  Even more special than that, I was able to directly look up the verses I wanted to use because I had read them and knew where they were at.  WOW!

A bonus of reading in my eReader is that I am able to insert a bookmark at each stopping point.  If I ever want to go back and read the Bible in 90 days again, I'll be able to just read to my next bookmark.  To leave 90 bookmarks in a paper Bible would be a little ridiculous, at least for me.  I keep 4 in my regular Bible as it is, and to me, those are too many.  My eReader is light, easily transportable for reading on the go, has a print size I can adjust and is a pretty pink color too. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my Bible.  It's also pink and it is an ESV Study Bible.  It has these great columns on the sides of each page so I can take notes in it.  (I'm all for taking notes in my Bible to read later.)  But for this reading plan, the bulky Bible wasn't working for me.  In this fast-paced reading outline, I'm not reading to study, I'm reading to read.  It sounds almost blasphemous to read the Bible and not study it, but even with the amount that I am reading through, I am still learning. 

What is your preference in reading the Bible?  Have you tried reading it on your eReader?  Do you prefer one translation to another?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Exciting Things!

Can you believe that this is my 101st post?  I've broken the 100 mark!  How very exciting for me.

Speaking of exciting, I've got some interesting news this month.  For starters, my parents have an apartment now and will be moving out next week.  It will be wonderful to have my house back, but I will miss them too.  They have been an amazing help to me, especially over the last month during my recovery from surgery.

Second, starting Friday, I'll be posting on a monthly basis over at Today's Housewife.  On the first Friday of every month, I'll be posting something on the topic of faith.  I am honored that I'll be joining a wonderful team of ladies who blog on the topics of faith, family, finances, home, food and hobbies. 

Lastly, this month my husband is starting a new job.  He will be working with the National Guard on a full-time basis, training teams as they are getting ready to deploy next year.  It's not too far from home, so we will still be able to have dinner every night together. 

Overall, there are quite a few things for me to be excited about.  Not to mention the fact that I am officially restriction free as of tomorrow regarding my post-surgical limitations.  I'm looking forward to exercising tomorrow and running around with my kids.  I haven't had a chance yet to use my new Dance Dance Revolution game that I got for Christmas.  I think I'll be playing that as soon as I can!