thinking...

watch out! Two posts in one day... and the second one is titled "thinking"??? Oh dear.
I guess it might be because Brad has no idea when/if he'll be home tonight.

When the boys and I were sitting down for dinner, I realized that nearly all of my Christmas decorations have been given to us. The entire village up there is made up of bits and pieces from at least 5 different people (we're having trouble remembering exactly who gave us one of them - I decided I am going to write on the boxes this year...) Then I have a few Avon figures that Mom had given to Grandma years ago, and when they downsized their 'stuff' I became the owner of them. And of course, there are some sweet handmade items from Rene, my two handsome snow-fellows, and my glittery "peace." And don't miss my "santa's cookies" plate from Barbie - and a mug to match. Treasures, each one. And our nativity. A treasured gift from Dad & Mom Lutz.

I gotta be honest, two of the stockings are store bought, and I made the other two... But I just adore that God gave us a banister to hang them on this year. Don't they look cute there?

And tonight we got another special gift to add to our Christmas decorations - a little Polar Express to go around the tree. I must say, it makes the handmade tree skirt seem painfully tiny. (Oh! Did I tell you we got that tree for free? I'll have to take a full picture of it and tell you the story later this week...) The boys were eager to get the train running tonight...

Can you tell they like it? Thanks Yaya!

All of this to say. Sometimes, I just can't help but feel overwhelmed by how much love and support we have in our lives. The hodge-podge look of our house is really a tribute to that love - often expressed in a little something here or there. I don't think I could ever wish for a more pulled-together-looking house, because I would lose the charm of all the pieces we've collected along the way. Maybe I will never have a signature style in our home decor, but I think that's ok with me.

On a night when I have no idea about when/if my husband will be home tonight; I feel peace. Not just a glittery word hung in our dining room, but deep, abiding peace. I'm reminded of the many, many ways that God has provided for us during much more difficult nights. God is so very good. He provides enough, every single time. And often more.

Julie recently asked me if we were doing "Dear Army Family" again. After talking with my friend at Fort Sill, we've determined that perhaps we can give it a go again next year. In the meantime, I want to encourage you to send a card to a family you know with a deployed soldier - even if it is someone you barely know - or a friend of a friend's son. Maybe you can pass it on to a mutual contact that can get it to who needs it most. The main purpose last year was to convey that our military families are not forgotten and their sacrifice is not unnoticed especially at this time of year. If you do not know a single solitary person with a deployed soldier (marine, airmen, or sailor) then send it to me. I am sure there are a few ladies at this PWOC with a deployed spouse.

And if you can do more than a card... Sears has a program to provide gift cards to military families. They will divide the donations they receive evenly between 20,000 families. Military families do not make that much money. Its true, Brad and I have been tremendously blessed in the last few years. Sometimes I think God has mulitiplied our finances somewhere, because on paper it doesn't always seem to add up. I will tell you this though, when we moved, I finally filled out the paperwork for the federal free & reduced lunch program, thinking maybe Wilson would get 'reduced' lunch... no, he qualifies for free lunch. So, yes, military families often pinch pennies, and even with combat pay, things can get tight during a deployment - whether its the desire to travel to see family, or if its been another long, hard day and its just easier to go out to eat even if it costs more, etc. It adds up. I thought this was a great way to give back. Click here to find out more.

dear Army wife,

What do you think when you read that???

I have the great privilege (and challenge) of serving on the PWOC board this year. My main responsibility is to oversee the planning & details of our (nearly) monthly programs. However, I also get to be involved in other things as well. I recently sat down with our Inreach/Outreach team leader and we brainstormed ideas of how to bless our body and also how to bless our greater community. Those are some fun things to brainstorm! Oh my did we have the ideas...

One idea though, is big. Much bigger than she and I could do ourselves. We both feel an urgency to pursue it, but we are going to have to get many people on board and organized in order to make it fly. And oddly enough, you may be a part of it...

We are thinking of encouraging Americans to encourage the family members of deployed soldiers this holiday season - by sending one more Christmas card. One Christmas card from across the country to a lady you have never met... letting her know that a stranger prayed for her, her children, and her husband during this upcoming holiday season. I think its pretty simple. And I think it could be very powerful.

Think how fun it is to see which Christmas cards will come in the mail each day in December. Imagine an Army wife with a deployed soldier getting an envelope that says, "Dear Army Wife," with a return address from a state she has never been to! Don't you think she'll tear that thing right open? I know I would.

What do you think... if we can get the addresses and the approval on our end... do you think your church would pitch in with some cards for these families... we even talked about letting the children send pictures/card to the children. We might need about 3000 to cover our post this holiday season... Y'all I get chills and tears just thinking about it.

Sure its a small gesture, but I think it would send a huge message.

So, let me know in the comments what you think, perhaps if we have evidence of people wanting to do this it will make it easier to communicate the idea to those here on this end.

puffy eyes, friends, and a special drive...

so, this is what walker looks like when he has an allergic reaction to guifenesen. (at wal-mart, trolling around waiting for our scripts... he has a cold.) my friend Amy sent some goodies for me along with her "Dear Army Family" cards. She is so crafty... oh she also sent a tissue cozy - but its already in my purse. Pocket tissue is my daily accessory. Oh, and I won a contest on her blog but the ornament is already on the tree. And she loaded the box with some dumdum suckers too. So we were all pretty happy! The card says, "You know you're getting old when Santa starts looking younger." HeeHeeHee. The inside had all kinds of nice words and encouragement in it...

and check out the flip-side of the necklace... "brave." got me all teary-eyed when I saw that. one of my favorite songs is "Brave" by Nichole Nordeman (you can listen to it here.)Talk about a cheap thrill... Hot Cocoa, disposable travel mugs, and a good Christmas CD. (this is the one our church sold this year, we LOVE it.)
...and off we go to see Christmas lights. Big girl included.

tidbits...

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Psalm 118:1

We had a pretty low-key weekend. We hauled out the Christmas stuff except for the tree... (more on that later). I had to leave one part of the house for Thanksgiving though... Look what I got from Barbie! I have been TOTALLY coveting Barbie's set of Pilgrims since last Thanksgiving. Her mother-in-love makes these things...aren't they awesome! Thanks Barbie! Now Wilson can tell me all about their trip over here to America on that Mayflower-thing! And oh so exciting.... The Dear Army Family cards are starting to roll in! Wow, I didn't realize how cool it would be to see them all...

Wilson was diligently setting up one of the nativity sets before his shower tonight --a few minutes later Walker threw them all on the floor. So I explained to him who all the characters were and said, "We shouldn't throw baby Jesus." And Wilson said, "Mom, its not the REAL baby Jesus!" (I'm glad we got that cleared up, now what's this thing they call the Mayflower??)

Trying to snap a quick Photo of the Month -hmmm, maybe a little over the top on the cheese Walker.

and yes oh yes, its time to start those PJ pants... I know the flannel is going to be SUPER cheap on Black Friday, but I just HAD to start Brad's tonight... the time is short... It was kind of relaxing (except for the part where I tried to re-fold the patterns, are you kidding me???). We'll see if I still get that relaxing feeling when I get the ol'sewing machine a'hummin.

a walk to remember...

...on a day for remembering. A couple of my girls got me all teary-eyed on their blogs tonight... thanks Jenn and Amy. It gives me such peace knowing God brings me to your minds. And of course, it encourages me all the more about our Dear Army Family project. We are getting the word out, and most are eager to jump on board. I continue to pray that God will be glorified in this endeavor, that each letter will be encouraging to the recipient - and in turn to the soldier on the other end. Thanks for the support!

Wilson had the day off of school today, so we had a picnic at the park. There was a tiny bit of brisk in the air, but still sunshine to keep us warm enough. These hand-holding pictures just get me. They are such little buddies (sometimes). If you notice, Walker has his shoes on the wrong feet. And it wasn't chilly enough for a hat - that is an accessory for our little man.
Don't you just want to take a bite?

There were so many leaves to crunch under foot. I love traipsing through them... kicking all the way!

Oh, and these little booklets here. Changing our days... They are the little scripture prayer books that I have been reading over the boys throughout the day. At first, Wil was really against it, but now he likes it. And he loves to repeat the verses to me using "Mommy" in place of his name. And probably the best, this morning after I read the wake-up verse, Walker said, "again." Three times...

you can find out about them here.

Please keep us in your prayers, I will be heading down to Texas for a conference Thursday - Sunday. The boys will be with Barbie and Big girl will be with Kim. I will probably be on again tomorrow night, but it doesn't hurt to put the request out there already, right?

(gingerbread) men and little boys...

Wilson took this decorating-business very seriously......Walker, not so much...
...but he was happy to serve as a quality control manager.

Oh, lest you think I have become some-sort-of-master-baker... We have our old friend, Betty to thank for the cookie mix. Thank you, Betty, thank you very much.

p.s. I posted about our progress with "Dear Army Family" on the other blog. (I don't really invite strangers to this here blog... you know, since I have pretty much given out every single detail of our entire lives on it.) So if you are interested... click *here.*

I ♥ school projects...

...it might be the elementary teacher in me. Or it might be the elementary student in me. Either way, I love getting out the craft box. And I only help when asked... believe me, I had a bit of a different vision for the ultra-long-yellow-tail-feather. I think the whole school does these, but I am not positive. We had a WHOLE week to decorate, so I knew I had to bust out the craft box for it... And the craft box has been eagerly holding all kinds of gaudy treasures worthy of this tail-feather... And, wouldn't you know, Walker wanted in on the action too...
Seriously, could I BE more blessed??? (And yes, once again, I forgot to take a picture of the end result...)

NOW, I have a school project for you... Remember when I mentioned the "Dear Army Wife" idea?? Well, our outreach team leader from PWOC has been relentlessly contacting all-the-right-folks on-post to get this done. We have decided to broaden our scope to include all Army families on our post with a deployed family member. Which even includes parents of single soldiers... So we are hoping to gather 2000 extra Christmas Cards to remind these families that their sacrifice is cherished, and that they are being prayed for by people across this country. If you would like to participate in this project, please email me and I will send you the 'official' details. I don't know how to do a fancy link to my email so I will just type it here in that covert fashion so as not to get picked up by the spam-blog-o-matic-generator-of-junk-email... (Except, I don't know if that could happen because our blog is kind of private?!?!) Here it is: cmbtmedic at gmail dot com