my own flowers...

When I started this project I didn't know Mark was going to have fresh flowers delivered monthly. So this has really been a wonderful compliment to the flowers he sends me. When Mark left for Iraq I forced bulbs in my kitchen. I bought a great big box of paper whites at Sam's Club. I thought if I could "force" the bulbs and grow them inside I could have beautiful flowers the whole time Mark is gone. My plan is to plant new bulbs every 3-4 weeks. The first set should have bloomed about the sixth week after Mark left. The 5 planted in the first set didn't grow at all. But I learned a lot! I started the second set of bulbs 3 weeks after the first set. It was awesome. I planted 5 in this really sentimental bowl Mark had given to me, I don't even know if he remembers it or not. Many Easters ago back in Virginia Beach, I think it was Katie's first Easter, Mark got me yellow tulips in this bowl and they were so pretty in our bedroom. I've kept the bowl and used it over and over again to plant flowers for our patio. But this time I used it to plant my paper whites. Of the 5 bulbs I planted in this container, 4 of them have bloomed. Kinda of significant since our family of 5 has one missing. They are gorgeous and smell amazing. At the same time I also planted individual bulbs in two antique desert bowls my mom passed down to me. She thinks she received them as a wedding present in 1963 (that makes them 45 years old). Those bulbs are also blooming. I have all these bowls lining the kitchen windows. They are amazingly beautiful and they smell so sweet. Here is just a sampling of how beautiful they really are.

Mark's gift to me

Mark knows my love of fresh flowers. He has purposed in his heart to make sure I have fresh flowers every month while he is gone to Iraq. Every month and sometimes twice he has the most incredible flower arrangements delivered just for me and just because he loves me. I love him too...he's amazing!

New Class!

This is for a new class I am teaching at Combat Creations. Check out the website and sign up today! It's called the MIU Album Tin. It is entirely Memories in Uniform and I am using this as Mark's deployment album of all of the pictures he's taken since he's been in Iraq. The really small pictures are the index prints you can get printed. I love it because you can get a lot of pictures on one page.There are several more pages in the accordion but I only shared a few. I also plan on putting his welcome home photo on the front of the tin right below the star and journal the dates he left to the day he came home on the tan tag lines. I can miss him can you tell!

Meet the World's Best Kids!

We had a busy weekend, relaxing, but we got a lot done. ALL of our Christmas shopping is done! It feels great! I'll be sending out packages this week. Now I can relax and float through the holidays... yeah right! Many of you will get these in your Christmas cards but I just couldn't wait to share them. I am so proud of our kids. The first picture is in the same pose the kids did last time Mark was deployed to Iraq. This year the boys are wearing their Webelos uniform (Cub Scouts) and Katie is wearing her Cheer America All Star uniform.

Mark and I cannot believe that these amazing kids are OURS!!

Caleb, Seth & Katie

Thanksgiving with friends and family

I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone. It went by so fast, I think because it was so relaxing. We cooked a simple traditional dinner, and we had some great friends over. It was so relaxing and I think we all took a nap (okay the kids didn't but we the adults sure did) next to the cozy fire. Our prayer for you all was to have a safe, relaxing and joyous Thanksgiving weekend, we sure hope you did!

My Beautiful Room...

Here it is... it's about 90% finished. I need to sit down and go shelf by shelf making them pretty, but they are organized. I've got a military only shelf, shelves of just embellishments, alterables, photographs, and some with just pretty things. I love it, it's simple and functional. Just what I always wanted. Here are some during and after photos. And yes, the shredder exploded on me! Mark never put a bag in it, so i had to dump it in a bag. It didn't make it all the way, can you tell. I can't decide on the curtains, that is why you only see one in the pix. Still contemplating that one. BTW: the pictures don't do it justice! It's soooooo pretty!

"But I never heard that word before!"

Before my big unveiling of my "studio" I have to share with you something that happened at school today. Apparently the school office called me twice and I didn't answer or return their calls. In my defense our home phone isn't working right (the digital phone router is not cooperating with me right now), but they also never called on my cell phone! So I it can't be that serious right... wrong! This story is so innocent, but so serious in the eyes of the school.

Let's set the stage... the kids are at lunch in a very over crowded cafeteria! Another boy in Caleb and Seth's class (who by the way isn't a really nice kid!) asked Caleb if he could sound out SH---IT. The boy said it really show... like SH............IT! Caleb plainly said "it's like this ...shit". The teacher flipped a lid, and the class all went "OHHHHHHHH". Caleb and Seth had no idea what was going on... straight to the office with you Caleb. He's panicked he had no idea what was happening. He was reprimanded, and he said "Mrs. Frisbee, I never heard that word before I didn't know it was a bad word! Seriously, Mrs. Frisbee I didn't". That didn't get very far. The teacher nor the assistant principal could believe that a 4Th grader had never heard that word before and they should certainly know it was a bad word. They continued not to believe him. He had to rewrite his behavior contract that all students have to sign at the beginning of the year, and he had to apologize to the class. Of course I heard all about this when I picked the kids up, before I got out of the school drive-thru pick-up I parked and we went back to talk to the teacher. She seriously couldn't believe that the boys had never heard that word before. I replied "Mark and I do not use that kind of language neither do most of the people we associate with, so it's no doubt he's never heard it. We don't even watch movies with language like that." She was shocked, still not believing it. I assured her again. Now that I've had time to reflect on the situation I should have asked his teacher to apologize to Caleb for not believing what he had said. So the lesson today parents is to teach your kids bad words and then teach them not to use them or say them because they will get in trouble for not knowing them... interesting isn't it?!