Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Hello all you pretty people!

Wow. What a year 2013 has been so far. I am still trying to come to grips with the fact that we are almost at Jeremys two year Alive Day anniversary. Two years. I remember talking just a couple months after it happened and wanting so badly to get two years down the road. For things to be "normal". To put it behind us. Not realizing that it would never be possible for us to "put your behind in your past" (no Pumbaa.... its you gotta put your past behind you. Amateur.) We are forever changed. My husband is forever changed, in so many good ways. Our family is forever changed, and blessed beyond measure by those changes. I am forever changed, in unexpected ways. 

We have been back in KC for ten months. That number is almost as hard for me as his anniversary. We miss New York still, our friends, our old life. I have been trying desperately to keep moving forward, but I admit, its insanely difficult. Some days are easier than others. Like its fabulous to be home to help celebrate my nieces first birthday, and to go to Royals games, and to plant a real garden.... There is still so much that feels unfinished though. We left in such a hurry. So many things have just been figured out over the last couple of months. Some things are still being sorted out. (ie: VA dependent pay. We had to involve our congressman, its still "pending"). I am still struggling to find my niche. To find out what I am suppose to be working on. Jeremy is plugging away at school with a specific goal in mind. Its hard to not have a specific goal, just a broad one: Get involved in some organization that I can make a difference in. HELLO HUGE GOAL THAT MAKES IT FEEL IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH. We want to be involved with organizations that help other wounded soldiers. We want to be involved in more local ministries. Yet there seems to be no good way to start. Its hard to plug into organizations that really only look at wounded warriors as soldiers who have lost limbs or have obvious disabilities. Jeremy's disabilities are impossible to see if you don't know what to look for. Civilians still take a step back when you tell his story. Like its contagious. Like he might go into some PTSD rage at any moment. News flash! My husband doesnt have PTSD. Thank you Jesus. It was one of my biggest prayers during deployments. That not only would God guard his body, but also his mind. 

Anywho.... This is our life right now.
Mustache stickers go with everything
My lil Luke Bryan fan.


Love him.

My 30th birthday dinner. They had Cheesecake for dessert. Can you tell?!
We had some of our best friends come down recently to visit. Seeing my Jessicas & my lil sis Lakin was a blessing and a curse. I miss them so much it hurts. I miss so many people. I know they are only a phone call away. So not the same though. 

Meeting baby Grady for the first time.

In Topeka to see another Jessica!



The kids last few moments together. Horribly lighting I know. 
Took Giffins to their first Royals game
I live her. My first Jessica. 

And more recently, this happened. 

YAY!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU JESUS!!!!! 
Speaking of which. I really need to go get ready to pick her up from school. I plan on trying to keep up with the blog better in the coming weeks. See ya soon!!!!!!

~E

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

DIY Wednesday Cheap Wall Art

I dont know about y'all but I adore Pinterest. There are days when I find nothing at all worth pinning and others that I find awesome stuff. My husband always looks at me all crazy when I get excited over something on pinterest. He knows that either I have a new DIY project I want to do or a new recipe to try out and half the time its no good! After seeing several pins about using frames with scrapbook papers I decided to make a few to hang above my couch. So here is my DIY easy-peasy, cheap, take up plenty of space on my wall so it doesnt look so bare project. you need only 3 things to make em:
 
~ $5 10x13" frames from wally world
~ 8.5x11" scrapbook papers 
~ paint & brushes.
 
 
 
 
 



Simple right? I used 4 frames and painted the inside of the backing a creamy white. After its dry just use double stick tape to adhere your fav scrapbook paper in the center. Hang in whatever order you like with command picture velcro strips and you are DONE! I can change then out with every holiday and season, add pictures to the center, or use free printables from blogs I love. SUPER EASY! I like buying the $5 packs of paper from walmart because the papers inside are already coordinated to work well together!
Total cost $25.
Even the husband couldn't argue with that.
 
Thanks for stopping by and checking out one of my fav DIY projects.  :)

(ps: sorry about the crappy picture. I have yet to hang these in the new house and this is the only pic I have of them hanging in the old one! eeek! I will post an update once I get them up here!! Thanks for understanding!!!!!)

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Resolutions

Hows that new years resolution going? .....Yea mine either. I say that because I am guessing you are like me and still struggling to keep going with it. I wanted one small thing: to write in my journal EVERY SINGLE DAY. Even just two sentences. I'm only 7 for 14. Whoops!!! So here is my challenge for you. Well actually there are two parts. 1) forgive yourself & keep trying. I know it sounds too easy but seriously, I guilt the heck out of myself when I fail at a goal. I need to forgive myself & keep moving forward. 2) Encourage someone in your life with their resolution. We all know how important it is to have people cheering us on when we make changes. Especially hard ones. So call that friend who is trying to get back in shape and ask her to go for a walk. Buy that friend who stopped smoking a pack of gum. Offer to make a meal for the friend who wants to learn to cook healthier. Make sure to include the recipe! By encouraging others around you, you may just find the motivation or returned encouragement you need for your own goals. Good luck!! This weeks preview: Wednesday: cheap wall art! Friday: Pumpkin bread muffins. I know its more of a fall thing but I love it all year!!!

New year

Yea so this blog fell off then face of the earth. Sorry y'all! A lot has happened! In October we got Jeremy's orders to leave Ft Drum. 3 weeks later on Halloween night we began our 2 day trip to our new home in Kansas City. Yes you read that right, we arranged everything to move halfway across the country in 3 weeks. Luckily we had plenty of help from our amazing friends at Drum! After arriving in KC we signed up for the new Google fiber for TV/internet. Yea it just got installed yesterday!!! Since we are a test city and it all had to be wired for the neighborhood, it took a while. We were confined to internet via our smart phones. Any blogger can tell you that blogging from your phone is not easy or enjoyable. So I was on hiatus until we could get real internet. Here is the quick version of what's happened so far:
J started at his new school and really likes it. We have yet to find a new school for B though (I'm working on it!). We had a wonderful Christmas and have gotten to enjoy having our extended families around. ;-) Jeremy starts school next week after 2 months of being home 24/7. I adore my husband but we were not meant to both be home all day everyday! Lol so I am very thankful he is starting school. Its a new beginning for us. I'm still trying to get the house arranged the way I want it. Thank goodness for paint + primer and a husband who will move furniture over & over for me! I promise pictures are coming!
There have been so many changes in the last couple months for us and I am very sorry to say that they have taken a major toll on me. I miss our old life a lot and I am having a hard time starting over here. I hope you all can bear with me as I restart this blog and try to help it grow. As I try to restart my life and help it grow. I know we will continue to move forward as a family and the hard spot we found ourselves thrown into with retirement will pass. Patience is not my finest quality though so I ask all of you to pray for us as we embark on this new part of our lives. Thank you for being part of our journey.