Dh re-enlisted yesterday

For another four years. I knew it was coming, so there is no sadness or being upset. I was fully prepared.

Besides... at the moment, I have this huge peace about it all. I've been asking God to change my heart regarding the whole military thing. I believe He's begun doing that. Some of it, too, is that He has blessed me with a wonderful home in a great little area, and that certainly helps the emotions, lol. But beyond that I feel a peace that THIS is where God wants me NOW.

I don't know how to put this into words... but I almost feel an impression on my heart each time I pray that God has some sort of ministry for me somehow in this. Oh, not officially, of course. I keep getting this (I hate to say "feeling"...) feeling that He wants me to be ready for something.

I think it was confirmed since we arrived here. My hubby came to me, saying he has a soldier whose wife is really really struggling and she needs someone. He asked me to call her and reach out to her. Well what do you know? Turns out... he just joined and she strongly didn't want him to (does that sound like me??), she is pregnant and she has 3 very small children (Uh, I think I've been there, lol), and is a sahm for the first time (well, I'm not new at that part). Poor woman; she got hit from all sides, didn't she? Now, I'm not super wise or anything, but I've got ears to listen and I can understand her feelings without condemning her, you know? So maybe God has this sort of thing in mind for me. To help other military wives who just really feel alone, like I did and sometimes still do?

Our men will be deploying in the future... we got a tentative date. Nothing too soon yet, but our turn is coming. Again, it's tentative, so it could be put back or it could be moved forward. Who knows? But we'll likely be needing to lean on each other when that time comes. What's even better... she's a Christian. Now is that a God-thing or what?

Praises and progress!

ETA: My lovely daughter made me accidently post too soon, so I've added to this post.

Thank you to all who prayed and sent well wishes for our move! God has been soooo gracious to us!

Our funds for moving were not what we had hoped they were, and I had a pretty strong feeling that it wasn't going to be enough. But there was nothing I could do about it. So I just asked God to make our funds sufficient, no matter how small they were for all the planned expenses. And we all know that there are always UNplanned expenses, no?

Well, He was good, once again, as He made our money stretch. We were also blessed by the kindness of others. I'm quite sure He had a hand in that, too. *wink*

Here are some examples: a company refunded us some money after overcharging us, my mom surprised us with a whole pantry-worth of groceries, and when we had to call a plumber right away, he shocked us with two little words: "No charge." Not to mention, I had a friend mention something to me about moving, which saved us about $400 just by her comment. Thanks, kugoi!

The kids were really quite good. Of course, they've been more hyper, but that is completely understandable, considering all the stress and excitement they've had. We all also got the obligatory "new move sickness." If you've not moved very often, perhaps you don't notice it when you move. But every time we move, we all get sick. New germies and whatnot, plus the stress. I've still got one with a nasty cough that is breaking up, and one with a gooey nose. It's on its way out.

Pets... we ended up with only one of the kittens - Theo. My sister decided to keep Callie. Theo is a cute little guy. Black and white and mischievious! He loves to attack toes, especially when you are sleeping. And his favorite spot to sleep on is my neck. Which is fine now... but wait til he weighs a bit more, lol. And the poor guy is being loved to death by Shortcake and Sweetheart. We have to regulate their time with "kitty."

Shortcake has learned to walk since we moved. Today she took 13 steps in a row! Her first birthday is in less than two weeks!

I managed to get the kitchen COMPLETELY set up in the first two days! Now the house is mostly unpacked (already!!) and it's just working on the odds and ends. But that is gonna take me awhile, as the kids are badly needing us to return to our old routine. So it's back to homeschooling, regular chores, afternoon walks around the neighborhood, etc. I'll just have to work on a box a day from here on out.

How I feel about my new home in a word? Thrilled. We have so much room to breathe! Sunshine said, "Mommy, this house is better than our old house and better than Grandma and Grandpa's house." I agree! It is so much easier to keep things clean now - no clutter because of lack of space is a big help. Ahhh, thank you, Lord!

Getting settled in our new home

and back ONLINE! Whoopee!!!

I'd love to post more, but as it is, the kids are late to getting to bed. Smoochies to you all, and I hope to post more soon - as in, tomorrow, lol.

Here's the week's schedule... and new pets!

Before I start, let me say that I have a little guy hanging on my back at the moment. His arms are resting on my shoulders and his sweet soft cheek is on mine. Doesn't get any better.

Ok, the schedule:
~Monday and Tuesday: packing up our belongings in my parents' home
~Wednesday: loading up the kids and driving to a hotel near our new home
~Thursday: doing the walk-through and signing the papers! Getting the keys!!!! Also setting up our electricity, water, etc.
~Friday: back here again and loading up the truck!

The weekend should be pretty straight-forward. Unloading, unloading, unloading, unpacking, unpacking, unpacking!

Also, we'll be having two additions to our new home: two 9-week-old kittens. They are brother and sister. We are naming them Theo and Callie.

As soon as I'm back online, which will be very soon as we must have the internet with all we do online, I'll post pics of our pretty new kitties!

Got lots of projects lined up!

To start decorating my home, I've been browsing and brainstorming... and I've got some great ideas, if I do say so m'self. All are cross stitch projects, but there is one that is quilted, which means I'm gonna have to learn how to quilt!

MaineMom gave me a quote on joy that was the inspiration for doing "The joy of the Lord is my strength" project. It's framed with cross stitched ivy.

Have you seen word clouds? Well, I'm gonna make my own in cross stitch! I came up with some words that mean home and family to me that will all go into the piece. Thing is... I've gotta design it myself. Eeek! Never done that before, so this will be a creative adventure!

Then I found this beautiful saying online to cross stitch (thank you, Candi!):

Having someone to love is
FAMILY
Having somewhere to go is
HOME
Having both is a
BLESSING

Also to be done:
"Wildflower Trio. " Isn't it wonderful?

This mini quilt - won't it be darling in greens, blues, and yellows?

"Tulip Trio" - another gorgeous picture of flowers

"Peony Blossom" - The peony is my favorite flower in whole world!

And one day, when I've gotten those finished, I hope to do several of these!! Do you think I'll be busy for awhile? LOL!! Not to mention, I've got throw pillows to sew, some curtains to make for the kids' rooms... hmmm, getting rid of the tv is probably wise...

Gals, a bit of creative help?

I'm working on a cross stitch piece to hang in my kitchen. Inside the frame of stitched ivy, there will be some sort of saying - be it scripture, a quote, or a fitting saying. I'd prefer it not be too long, as the space available for the words is roughly 4x6 (inches). Or perhaps just a phrase that conjurs up a feeling in a homey and cozy kitchen?

What would you suggest?

New blogs on sidebar

I've found a few new blogs over the past few months, and they are finally posted on my sidebar. Some are friends in real life that I've met along the way; others are new friends online. But they all have something special about them that I enjoy.

2nd Cup of Coffee - Linda is a hilarious woman who makes me laugh, laugh, laugh. And she is a great encouragment in the Lord, too!

All Day Night - Candi is a very caring woman and great friend. She also posts some great recipes and lets you know how they turned out. And her boys are c-u-t-e.

For Reluctant Entertainers - This site is awesome! I am not a great entertainer (remember, no domestic goddess here!), so I love Sandy's ideas!

Military Mommy - As a fellow military wife, I really enjoy Michelle's blog. Plus, she's a fellow homeschooler and stay-at-home-mom. Her blog offers several things: humor, Godly encouragement, ideas, and touching posts.

Hope there is something in there for you, too!