Elvis has left the building....

Well, I have always loved Elvis (because I was born in Memphis-and it just wouldn't be right if I didn't!) , but I love and miss my knight in shining armour more....actually , it's more like my knight in a teflar , bullet -proof vest....but you get the just.

I kissed my knight farewell after a much too short holiday together. Where we discovered that being miles apart from each other for long periods of time does not change the constant humor we share!! It's a slightly twisted humor that he and I share.....but its magical!

We spent our holiday cuddling, laughing, crying, shopping, staying up late, getting up early, cuddling again, making googly eyes from across the room, praying, talking, wraping more presents then we intended to buy, cuddling some more, visiting family, sitting with the kids, (did I mention cuddling? lots of that!).....it was the best Christmas......ever.....

Now, as my good friend Mrs. L would say, time to put my big girl panties on! I keep telling myself that we are on the downhill now of his tour-we did the last 10 months, so surly the next 2 and a half should be nothing, right? You know how when you run a race(don't laugh, I used to run) the last leg of it felt the hardest? You were tired, out of breath, and your legs felt like spagetthi-but you pushed through just long enough to make it past the finish line. Well, here I am. Staring down this last stretch of the race. A little older, hopefully a tad wiser, and definately with a tall, house blend, one sugar, two cream coffee in hand!!! Cheers!!!!

What's a "tag"?

So my real life friend, Kelly "tagged" me with something called a meme. Where I am supposed to give up 7 unusual things about myself. OK, here goes...



1. If in the unusual event I "forget" to make my bed in the morning-I have to make it before I get in it. Even if it is right before I am about to get into said unmade bed! (hows that Dr. Seuss!)


2. I have a strange love for the smell of bleach-my AZ friends are well aware of that...so no secret to them!


3. When in the shower I am kind enough to save my hubby the cost of drain-o or a good plumber by "swirling" the lose hair I get from shampooing on the wall....much to his disliking I often forget to remove the small "creature" and dispose of it properly in the waste receptacle. There, I outed myself on that one , Kelly!!!!


4. I could watch "Pride and Prejudice" every night of my life and never get bored...but who could ever tire of Mr. Darcy??? (that would be the new version, not the terribly long, 6 hour version by the BBC)


5. I have to move my feet in a clock-wise motion in order to fall asleep-I only recently found out how much this annoys my husband!


6. There is a certain way to eat, no, savor chocolate.....slowly and with a glass of my favorite red wine, on the porch with a good friend.....sure miss you Mrs.L!


7. When I get anxious I rub my left eyebrow-and as my hubby knows-I have been known to rub it right down to nothing!!!

As I look over this tip- of- the- iceberg list of my "habits", how do you do it My Love? Boy am I glad God gave me to you! (Of course, not so sure you would say the same!!! Love you and counting down the days!!!!)

Snow!!!!!!

Yes, folks we have snow and lots of it!!!!!

'Tis the season to snuggle under a hand-crocheted blanket next to the fire and play round after round of "uno"with the kids and not be considered lazy.....

It's that time of year when long blank stares out the window are normal....at least for me! The gentle fall of snow is almost mesmerizing to me!!!

I think back to when we first arrived in MN and after 30 minutes of bundling, my little Rose couldn't go outside for more then 5 minutes! Now when I call her in, she begs me for just one more "run" with her boys with her almost frost-bitten checks!!! It's all relative!

It just hit me that my little girl will really be a Minnesotan?!? I will always think of myself as an Arizonan-although-I did notice my vowels getting longer!! Doon't cha' knoow!!!!!

Oh, So Thankful....

My husband is thousands of miles away in a foreign country currently at war with itself, I have been a "single"mom for the past 9 months, homeschooling 3, taking care of an infant, and I'd give anything for a cup of coffee and adult conversation! - but I am the most thankful I have ever been!!!

Needless to say - I miss my hubby something awful! Or maybe it did need to be said...see, if you would have asked me 3 years ago whether I missed my hubby-the answer would have been very different ! Without going into great detail and rehashing stuff that feels so far away its almost like a bad dream...lets just say that our marriage was FAR from perfect! There were times when all I could think about was how fast and how far could I run...I mean really? I could re-name myself...I always liked the name Lisa.... I could just pick up and start somewhere else and who would know? Just to have a second chance seemed so tempting...and that time I would do it right!! (wink)

I can't pinpoint one talk I heard, or which marriage retreat it was, or which piece of advice I took that really changed it all. I only really remember praying daily "Lord, change me and change my marriage. The wine has run out..."

Fast forward now, a few years later, in a different state over a thousand miles(literally) from where we started, and James in Iraq.....Nothing like a a "little" change in your life to wake you up! ( Lord...change is what I prayed for, right?)

I prayed for change and all, but wow! I just didn't think he would have to take him clear around the world to do it!!! This past 9 months I have watched how God has moved in my husbands heart. Making him and leading him into the leader of our home that He desires James to be....and molding me into the serving, help-meet that He desires of me.

What a miracle God has done in my life and in my marriage-it started 7 years ago when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. And the ride ain't over yet! You could never have told either of us this part of the story and have us believe you! To be where we are now in our marriage, with our kids, and with our walks with God? Crazy talk, I tell you!

When I look back at who we were then and how I thought things could and would never change, I am in awe of the complete miracle God has poured out on my family...

When we started, things just weren't moving fast enough for me...couldn't we just profess Christianity and then be immediately changed? Well, yes and no. We desired to change, but needed guidance on how to walk that out. So God, in His infinite wisdom, stuck myself and James in a spiritual "vat", stirred the pot a bit and let it simmer for a long time(that is how you get the best flavor, right?).

And today- I am soooo very in love with James...andI stand so thankful...yes,thankful for the long nights of wondering if we could get through the next week .....thankful for the tears shed on bended knee... and thankful for the cries out to Jesus to just "replace the wine, for we have run out..." Because without those long, heart wrenching moments, I wouldn't know that He still performs miracles...I wouldn't know His powerful grace... I wouldn't know His healing touch and I wouldn't know just how blessed I am ......thank you , Lord, thank you so very much ...

Canning everything!

Did you know that you can can almost anything!? My dear friend D intro'd me into this glorious arena! I have now canned peaches, pears, green beans, pinto beans, peach jam, chili and pork and beans!!! I plan on canning enchilada sauce and more beans this week. There is nothing better then going down stairs and seeing rows of fresh preserved food!!! Not to mention the savings!! And I won't have to drudge in the cold winds of winter frequently! Lovin' that!!

Because although I love the snow-I love to LOOK at the snow while sipping hot tea and working on a project! I do not love running to the store everyday for food! My plan is to only go out for weekly milk. I will bake my bread in my handy , dandy breadmaker. And I am serioulsy contimplating using dry milk for us anyway. It is cheaper and we don't drink much milk, on the whole. That would mean I could hibernate all winter!!!Send the children out to sled down the hill(it's actually our septic mound!) and be ready inside waiting with hot chocolate and a fresh plate of cookies!!! Am I dreaming? I love it!!!!

The Nutcracker : Starring our little girl!!

C. is going to be performing in The Nutcracker with the Moscow Ballet on Dec 6th!!!!! Officially she will play the part of a snowflake-unofficially: she's the star!!!!

My mom is flying up for the "debut" and we can hardly wait! The performance will be held at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN.

Until then she is practicing diligently and making great new friends!

Flowers from Iraq?

No not really-it was our 13th anniversary on the 21st and via family James sent me half dozen roses. Although, my daughter keeps asking me how daddy was able to send them from all the way over there! I tell her"with lots of love..." Ain't it the truth....

I knew I wan't gonna be good at this....

Sorry, I have been horrible with keeping up on this-but I will try again!

It has been about 5 months and, as anyone who knows me well knows,that is enough time for my whole world to change! And it has!!

We have a new baby (details to follow when the case isn't soo sensitive), we moved to our dream home, and I had a small accident and hurt my leg.

Baby doing very well, house is amazing and leg has blood clot! Two outta three ain't bad!

The fall season is once again upon us and oh wow....you guessed it ...its incrediably beautiful! I have vowed to start taking more scenic pics to share because words just don't do it justice!! I know that seems kinda loofty seeing as how I just started this again-but a girl can dream!!!

Off to get started on my privilage and duty to my family!! It's Saturday and that when "Hurricane Mom" comes through and wipes everything out and starts anew!!! Love to all!!

Spam?!

Thats right. I need to talk about this deliciously, salty staple that Minnesota calls "Spam". My daughter, C. who lives on fruit and cheese won't touch almost any other "meat" (dare I call spam that?) except this! She loves it!!! She'll eat it hot, cold, fried , boiled, basted or roasted...the girl is crazy over it! With it's REALLY high salt content, I am not sure it is any better then just buying the girl a salt lick and attaching that to my kitchen wall! So I don't buy it often , but if you are in wal-mart and happen to hear the far away shrills of a very happy little girl crying out"We get Spam?!Yeah!!! Spam!!!" don't worry, it's just us...

Who knew?

Spring is sooo here!

I grew up in the Southwest where the only two varying degrees are hot and hotter. Where grass is a serious luxury, and most of us just have pretty colored rock. Nothing wrong with that in a state where water is scarce and cacti are the natural landscape that covers those gorgeous mountains.

We moved here to Minnesota only about 18 months ago. This time last year I was back "visiting" AZ and missed this most amazing transformation of the short days of winter to the long warm days of spring! The beauty of thousands of tall majestic trees "waking up" after the dorment days of winter is overwhelming to me... Once again I feel like God is painting this huge canvas just for me... I anxiously run to meet everyday, just to get a peek, wondering what artists touches he has added today!

I am sorry if it sounds trivial for those who are used to this-but so much green, these long warm breezes that just take the edge off of the sun, and these lakes! It's all so new and sweet to me! It is not just the kids that I have to keep focused on school-I want to go outside too! I am longing to go sit on my back porch and slowly work on my cross-stitch while I sip on some sweet tea and just quitely enjoy the day with my children....yeah, I'm sorry where was I?

Is this what is called spring fever?

I married the good samaritan

And there is so much I love about that! My DH is away helping to organize local police stations for the Iraqi people. When he first brought the idea to me, I have to admit, I was not real thrilled. You see, He volunteered to go. But I realized something I was doing. I was fine with praying for everyone else that this war has touched personally-I really didn't want to be one of them! So, I prayed and thought about the fact that I married a true good Samaritan and that that was exactly what I loved about him! I had been praying for God to reveal himself to my DH in a new and fresh way, I just didn't fathom that He was going to have to take him to Iraq to do it!!

Already, I could be a witness and testify to the wondrous blessings that God has bestowed on our marriage and family in the short time that he has been away!! Distance truly makes the heart grow fonder...and I find myself in a position of renewed respect for him.

When he left(almost immediately) I felt like God was calling me to do three very specific things. I will not go into huge detail about two of them , but there is one I will talk about and that has been most pressing on my mind. That is a renewed call to purity and modesty. In thought and in action. Yes, me who has "idolised" and worshiped fashion, stood before my closet weeping as I threw outfit after outfit to the ground in a sharp realization that they were not as modest as I thought.

"I saw this same outfit on so and so, why Lord can I not wear it? She wore it to church, why can't I? I just bought that! I haven't even worn that one!" were my selfish cries. I wept as I was made to see my extreme gluttony that took over in the dark, recessed places of my walk in closet. How blind I had been to the monster that I had slowly created in there!

Since that "cleansing" I have never felt more freedom and more beautiful then I do now! I am fully covered, not drawing attention to any parts that ought not to be accentuated, yet not frumpy and sloppy looking either! I asked God to give me clear direction-and I believe he did! Hosanna!! I have come into what I feel is such an amazing closeness with my God! Immeasurably more then I could have thought on my own!

Who knew!!

Not to mention that it gives me great honor to know that my shape is for one mans eyes alone. My hubby. Thank God that He gave him eyes for me! As I have just passed the 30 mark-it seems that things are not quite like they used to be!!

Humm...I was praying for my hubby to come to know Him in a new and fresh way and it seems as if God said" Oh my sweet daughter, but I have so much to do in you...."

So this is it?

Well, here I am in the cyber world that all my dearest friends have been raving about. How proud they will be to see that I put my big girl britches on and finally did it! Well, had I known that it was truley this easy-I would have done it along time ago!!! A whole world where I can ramble on and on with the crowded thoughts inside my mind! The realization of it all makes me rather giddy! Ok, ok, grant me a little time to get used to all this...