Trial Run: Sunday

The entire house slept until 7:40 a.m. I awoke feeling somewhat better and thinking that this day had the potential to be a good day. I didn't sleep super well the entire night. My brain wouldn't shut off. I woke up an hour after going to bed and I can't remember why I was up, I can't even remember if I came downstairs for anything. The only thing I knew for certain was I used the restroom. I was also aware that the dog had jumped in the laundry basket of dirty laundry.

My mind went over and over that fact subconsciously for hours. I was able to wake just enough to drink water to soothe my sore throat. at 3:30a.m. my daughter wakes up crying. I go to check on her and get her a refill of milk. While I am up I realize that the dog is not in her room, I also notice he is not in the laundry basket or under my bed or under my son's bed. Not downstairs, not outside. Panic mode sets in. We have put $180 dollars into this dog. Our son asks for him all of the time. First thing in the morning, first thing after school. Our daughter runs through the house calling "Baby Where are you?" In my befuddled state I become perplexed that I can't remember why I was up at midnight and exactly what I did while I was up. I begin to fear that I put the dog outside and he escaped from the yard. An hour later I get the idea to dig in the laundry basket, and there he is. Finally I am able to go back to sleep.

Javier hiding in the laundry basket.
This was after I uncovered him.

All is well as I shower and braid my hair and put a very light layer of make up on. I am now stressing out over my favorite sunshine feeling shirt from the summer and how I am fairly certain it is tight over my bulging belly thus showing my ugly half moon tattoo on my stomach. I went so far as to take two selfies to verify that I did indeed have a too large stomach. My son's words from the night before where he placed both hands on either side of my stomach and pulled his face close and said "Mommy you have a very big belly" run through my head. This reminds me to check the scale and that proves to me that yes I have managed to cook two very good meals and one not so good meal for the kids and it is showing up on my waist line. I made a mental note that I must improve this food situation.

Downstairs I am making scrambled eggs and sausage links. By the point we have made it downstairs it is now 9 a.m. on the dot. Yes, the church is just two minutes away, but it takes time to get the kids fed, breakfast cooked diaper bag ready water bottles filled and everyone in the car. Of course on this day my daughter is in a very good mood, and she doesn't want to sit down to eat. So we have a battle of wills and she ends up dumping her plate of food because when I put her back in her chair she had lost her fork somewhere and the one I gave her wasn't the right one. I removed her from the table sat her screaming on the stairs and proceeded to hurriedly eat breakfast while I let the dog eat the egg off of the floor. After a few minutes I felt guilty that she would go without eating and brought her back and she ate a few bites.

Somehow we made it to church on time and it went quite well. I really enjoyed sitting in the sanctuary with only my sweet little boy and knowing my daughter was having a blast playing with other kids. It was a little disheartening to hear the nursery worked ask me if my daughter knows how to sit down at the table and eat. Her reasoning was that there should be no crumbs on the floor under a table where toddlers are eating, Hmm. She was also kind enough to give me several tips and I spent a good ten minutes apologizing and assuring her that this was a work in progress.

  We came straight home from church and the kids ran upstairs to play and the dog and I just kicked back on the couch. Lunch time came and then off to the playground we all went.

It turned out to be a rather pleasant day. It was nice to meet new neighbors, and catch up with ones I haven't seen in awhile. We came home and loaded up into the car and I attempted to put air in the tire, but I doubt I really did that very well. Then we got Subway. That was my idea of keeping it healthy and simple. The kids loved it though. We also ate ice cream. I managed to get all the bed linens from all three rooms washed and back on the beds. I also did three loads of laundry with it only needing to be put away, I figure I can work on that most of the week. I even watched a movie I wanted to watch.

I already have meal plans for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Which means I only have two days to figure something out. It's getting easier each day. And earlier I caught myself thinking "Wow, I can't even remember how it was to have help" The good thing is that after this week is done, I will know if I am strong enough to face another separation if that is what the Army deems as necessary.


You are secure because there is hope. You may look all around you and find your rest in safety.
Job 11:18

Javier and the Kiddos Bonding

Since the moment we picked out our little Javier, the kids have been ecstatic. They immediately opened their hearts to this tiny little dog. Here are some pictures that show the three of them bonding. Our son couldn't wait to bring little Javier home. Each day we went to visit him, he would hold him and tell him how much he loved him.

 Javier in the beginning was very afraid of our daughter, now two weeks later at home they have reach an uneasy balance. She is convinced he is a baby.

We took several pictures in the shelter, and when we would get home the kids would look at the pictures over and over.

 

 My husband was concerned that maybe we weren't picking the right puppy for us, but after seeing first hand how much the kids had come to love the puppy, he couldn't change his mind.

 

The first day Javier came to our house, the kids and I came home to find Javier and my husband cuddling. My husband isn't much on puppy cuddles, but I think Javier will change that.

 

My son loves to pet Javier, he loves to hug him. He says over and over how much he loves the puppy.

 

 

This is Javier actually cuddling with both kids, he prefers to sleep next to them when they aren't moving around.

 

 

 One of the rare times he sat next to our daughter for more than five minutes. Immediately after this picture she started moving around and he left.

 

As you can see, he is a perfect fit for our little family.

 

 

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

1 Corinthians 13:7 

Trial Run: Monday.

I woke up today feeling somewhat better and refreshed. I rolled out of bed at 6:30 a.m. just as my daughter came toddling into my room. I was a woman with a plan. I even made a to-do list, which is something that I rarely do, and if I do, I never follow it.

So my little list read something like this:

vacuum
clean all three bathrooms
put all laundry away

 would like to do:
catch up on blog posts (Which at 9p.m. I finally started doing)
begin stain remover on carpets

Dinner:
attempt homemade tortillas for cheese and chicken roll ups add refried beans and left over corn

By 1p.m. I had the very first part of my list done. I worked on it in a somewhat orderly fashion starting with carpets and moving on to the bathrooms. The stain remover was a Pinterest idea. Two parts water one part vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray carpet put damp cloth over area use steam setting on iron and stain should come up if it is organic. It did very well, I was impressed.

I got my daughter some lunch and I was really contemplating a nap when I saw that the El Paso Zoo would be giving military families free zoo memberships, so I loaded up my daughter and we went to the building on post to get a membership. I can't wait until the husband is home so I can tell him about this. I know that he will be happy because our one from last year is expiring and the kids love going there. So this is a thing to be very thankful for. An opportunity not to pass up.

Getting the clothes put away was much easier without all of the husbands uniforms and socks and PT clothes. I got that wiped out quickly, and then realized the last load of clothes is still in the dryer.

Mostly I sat in my house in between bouts of business and contemplated how much easier it gets each day to move on from the point of being two to just one acting as two. The phone call I received this morning warmed my heart, but also made me feel a tad lonely. By the time I received it, I was well into my busy bee status and felt almost resentful. Shame on me. I thought how far I have come in just two short years.

Two years ago I couldn't even begin to contemplate cooking meals for the kids, let alone tackle homemade food. I am fairly certain that when I have to do this for real, I will just step off the platform of super mom and wife and right onto the platform of super mom acting as dad also. I think I may not have it all together every single day, that I might find myself crying and then wiping away the tears and moving on. The weakness I had before is absent this time, maybe because it isn't such a long time I have to do it all. And then as I am mopping the floors I catch myself thinking of all that I want to do on Friday before picking him up. Basically it will be today's busyness times about 3. But I can do it right?

I was also thinking about how we will pick him up and he will walk in the door and maybe he will smell the clean floors, but he probably won't notice that the carpets are a tad cleaner, that the sheets are clean, that all the laundry is put away, and not sitting in the basket waiting on me to hand it out as each person takes a shower. I was thinking that maybe all the busy work I am pushing myself to do, will go unnoticed, unappreciated. He will be returning from a family visit, albeit one under trying circumstances. But I am no fool, I know that he will have most likely had the tiniest bit of fun. I will also know and be understanding of the fact that this could very well be his last trip for awhile.

It will feel good to have him next to me at night. To see him in the mornings and to know that on Saturday I won't be making the pancakes, and on Sunday he will be preparing breakfast while I do my hair and make up. The kids will be laughing and happier than they have been the entire time they were with me. Bless my son's heart each day he hugs me and tells me how much he loves me. Maybe he notices that underneath the impossibly high standards that I set for myself, that I am lonely. I am intimidated, I am trying very hard to keep the word fun higher on the list than the word survival. I have a primal need to prove that I can do it all and come out on top but at the same time I have a desire to be appreciated to feel loved and satisfied.

I keep waiting for the phone to ring or text messages to come through. Support from the outside, but none do. But how could that become a reality if no one knows what is happening. Maybe I have cut myself off a little bit from the outside world. Maybe I am holding on too tight to the semblance of normalcy, but who really knows, all that matters is that I have put another day behind me. The kids ate well, I really did succeed at making the homemade tortillas, and they were really yummy. The kids liked playing outside and drawing on the sidewalk with chalk. I gave the dog bunches of cuddles today. I kissed my kids many times. I tried to smile each time my daughter interrupted my progress, I think I did a good job. Homework went blissfully fast and well. Bath time was a breeze and we all ate ice cream together.

Yes, somehow I think I may have found myself underneath all of the mayhem.


You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16:11

Pork Chops and mashed Tators: A Different Approach

I was looking at a different way to serve pork chops since the other way is getting kind of old. So I came across this Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes from the Picky Palate. It looked easy enough and most of the ingredients I already had in my kitchen.

Ingredients:

6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet of dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz. can of Cream of Chicken soup

For the Potatoes

4 lbs. peeled, cubed potatoes
5 tablespoons of real butter
1 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese
6 cloves of garlic roasted
1-1/2 cups of warm skim milk (any milk will do)
1 tablespoon salt or add according to taste
1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper, or according to taste

Instructions:

1.) Place pork chops, ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.
2.) Place Potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stovetop over high heat and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, parmesan, garlic, milk, salt, and pepper. Season to taste if needed, for thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.

I used my old fashioned potato masher and then once potatoes were mashed I used a hand mixer to mix the ingredients together.

3.) scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and gravy from crock pot.

This recipe didn't go over well with my kids. They didn't like the potatoes at all. I thought they were a little too parmesan tasting, my husband thought they tasted better with the extra flavor. The pork chops were good, but they tasted similar to another crock pot pork chop recipe that I have. I don't think I will be making this recipe very often.

Pork chops before removed from crock pot

 

mashed potatoes

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again-my savior and my God! Psalm 42:11

Chicken Tenders Made at Home

I love chicken tenders, the thing I don't love is how crunchy and small they are in restaurants. So I found a recipe for chicken tenders. I figured this could be a fun food to make from time to time. it is from www.thissillygirl.com. I have made these three different times, and each time they are a hit with the kids. They love to dip them in ranch dressing. This is a good meal for nights when it is just he kids and I.

This is how I cut up my chicken. This makes it easier to serve to my 2 year old

 

Ingredients:

1.) 2 large chicken breasts
2.) 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3.) 1/4 tsp. season salt
4.) 1/4 tsp. onion powder
5.) 1/4 tsp. paprika
6.) fresh ground pepper to taste
7.) 1 tsp. baking soda
8.) 1/2 tsp. powder
9.) 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
10.) one cup of cold water
11.) vegetable oil for frying
12.) Kosher or course salt to use when chicken is done frying.

Instructions:

1.) In a heavy bottom skillet with deep sides, add in enough oil to go up the side of the pan 2-3 inches. Heat oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking.
2.) Cut up your chicken into 1 inch strips
3.) Place chicken in a large bowl and add the dried seasonings. Mix together so all the pieces are coated.
4.) Add in the baking powder, baking soda and flour
5.) Add in the cold water and mix by hand until a batter forms. If there are some lumps that's okay. (If you need to add some more water, do so a little at a time. It can depend on the weather if more is needed. It should be like pancake batter consistency)
6.) Test the oil with a tiny drop of the batter, if it sizzles and bubbles immediately but doesn't burn your ready!
7.) Place the chicken strips one by one into the pan, but don't over crowd them. They should not be touching.
8.) Let fry on one side about 4 minutes and flip over with tongs. Chicken is done when golden brown and has an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees. About 8-10 minutes total.
9.) Do chicken in batches. When chicken is done frying, place on a wire rack over a pan so the excess oil will drip off. Immediately sprinkle a little of the kosher or coarse salt on the chicken. This will ensure the salt sticks, when there is still some oil on the outside.
10.) Continue doing this until all chicken is done. If you have a lot of tenders, you can hold the already fried chicken in an oven set on the lowest setting.
11.) Serve with your favorite sides and dipping sauces.


The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who see God's help be encouraged.
Psalm 69:32

Javier the Chihuaha

 

 

 Once upon a time Javier was in an animal shelter waiting to come home with us. We visited with him daily so he could get used to us and to make sure he really was a perfect fit. My need to nurture and his need to cuddle were instant clicks.

 

We were placed in windowless visitor rooms where the sound of Nena laughing and squealing echoed and made him even more nervous. He would tremble the entire visit. Because of this I tried not to stay longer than 15 minutes or so. I wanted him to know our voices and our smells.

 

I really enjoyed just holding him like a little baby. The kids were allowed to hold him but only when they were sitting down. He was very nervous and cold. We couldn't wait to bring him home.

 

 
 

 

This is how he would be if I put him down. He looked so very scared and pitiful, so I tried to hold him the entire visit.

 

Finally we got to bring him home. This is his very first car ride with us. He did very well and by the time we got to our house he was laying down in his little house.

 

When it started to warm up outside, I put him in the back yard. It gets plenty of sunshine most of the day. He likes to soak u the rays.

 

 

Our mornings are usually a little too chaotic for Javier. On this particular morning he decided it was safer to hide under my bed while I took a shower. My daughter chanted baby and tried to reach him, but he knew it was safer to play keep away.

 

 

He likes to sit here when the kids aren't around or they are ignoring him. Sometimes if we do snack time or breakfast in the living room and the kids aren't moving around too much he will sit there while we eat, or behind my husband on the couch. I know he has a personality somewhere deep inside of him, I just can't get him to open up yet.

 

Checking things out while the kids aren't around.

 

I think in this one he is frustrated because I really wanted a picture of him with his ears up. I think he looks like a bat dog and he is really cute when he does that, but he doesn't like me to take a picture of his ears. This is one of the blankets that I gave him for a bed. I am still working with my daughter on this, because if she sees him getting too comfy on the blankets, she will snatch them away.

About the only time he wants anything to do with his human sister is when she is sleeping. I like to think of it as Sleeping with the Enemy. He will sleep in her room the entire night and be fine, but the minute she is awake he is running away.

Last night I had a dream that I heard him come into my room. I had put the big blanket he had been sleeping on away, but I thought I heard him jump into the laundry basket. For hours the thought of him sleeping in my laundry basket was nagging at me. Finally I had to get up to check on my daughter so I looked in the basket and he was not there. I searched the entire upstairs, the downstairs, did it again. Came downstairs looked in the back yard. I was thinking that maybe I had put him outside and didn't remember. Then I started thinking that he had escaped from the back yard. I looked the entire house over, and decided I should try to sleep. But I couldn't sleep, I had to get up out of bed and look everywhere again. I looked in the closets in the bathrooms, and again in the laundry basket, but I couldn't see him. So finally I said to myself, he has to be in this house, and I turned on the lights in my room and started digging through the clothes and there he was laying snug as a bug under a pair of jeans. I let him stay there most of the day and kept the kids away from him.

This is Javier at a dog park. He had been rolling in the grass just moments before. He sniffed at some big doggies through the fence, peed three times, drank some water and laid down to nap the entire thirty minutes we were there. I think we have adopted the laziest dog in the world.




Stand fast in the faith... be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13

 

 

The Adoption of Javier the Chihuahua

 

One day in January my husband says that we need to adopt a dog. I took him at face value, fully expecting that the next day we would not go to the animal shelter to find a dog. I found myself walking among rows of windows looking at dogs the very next day. It was quickly determined that something small and not hyper would be the best fit. I had the biggest say in the type of dog since I will be the primary care giver.

We spotted this little Chihuahua that was just being placed into a cage. They brought him out to us and we decided he should come home with us. We had to wait exactly one week and one day to bring him home. My son and I were the most excited about bringing this little guy home.

 

As soon as I knew for sure that we would be adopting Javier I headed to the store to buy a few things for him. We actually waited on the dog food and bowl until the morning of the day we would be picking him up.

 

 

The actual afternoon that I picked him up, I had to bring him home and leave him all alone because my son had an appointment. I felt really bad about that, but I had his stuff all laid out for him. He seemed really happy about the food and water and didn't really notice when I left. My husband came home from work early that day, so it worked out. When I came home I found our little Javier sleeping on the couch with my husband. By the second day we had him, he had found his favorite place to sleep, which is on my daughter's toddler bed.

 

 

This is what Javier does the most, lay on the couch. If he isn't on the couch he is on his little bed, or hiding under my bed. At night he is sleeping with my daughter. The funny part of that is, my daughter chases him all day long. She is finally after two weeks petting him softer. I still have to watch her because she likes to hold his feet to hard, pull his tail, and hold him too tight. I really don't let her pick him up. All day long I am shooing her away from him when she isn't using nice hands to pet him. Our son loves this little guy. He likes to sit and pet him. Javier will often sit on the couch next to my son while my son is playing his game. It is really sweet how much he loves the little guy. My daughter calls him baby, and she gets so sad when he runs away from her. Maybe a year from now they can be friends all of the time.

 

 

It has been cold in the mornings, and he isn't too keen on being outside in the cold. I make him go outside multiple times a day. This is one of the times I had him outside. He will run out into the grass and do his business and run as fast as he can to get back in the house. He doesn't bark. My husband has heard him bark twice. I think he barked at me one night when I had my back to him. He came house trained. He is very well behaved. Our little guy even tries to avoid hard dog food preferring instead the mushy stuff. The Veterinarian told us that was really bad for his teeth, so we have been finding creative ways to get him to eat the hard dog food.

 

 

This is him trying to catch a break from my daughter. As you can tell he is less than amused with her attention and affection. I am fairly certain that he puts up with her only because he doesn't want to end up alone at the shelter. He does like to cuddle. One day my daughter will figure that out. He doesn't bite her or growl at her. I whisper in his cute puppy ears that he should at least nip at her. Maybe some tough love will straighten her out.

 

 

I think he looks so cute with his ears perked up. I grabbed the camera to get a picture of him, but then he laid them down. He makes the cutest mad faces, but there is no anger in them. He is very calm. I have never met another Chihuahua like him.

 

 

He likes to be in the kitchen when I cook, and he was standing there so still and cute but he didn't want his picture taken. He seems to like people food, but we are only giving him just itsy bitsy bites. Mostly he eats the hotdogs that Nena doesn't eat. He also likes it when the kids let him lick their forks or throw food at him.

 

 

This is our little Javier. I am sure you will see and hear a lot more about him.

 

 

 

The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. Psalm 103:13