Today we are adding the word Broccoli
Broccoli- (Bra-co-ly) as in a woman's undergarment. I was informed by Pop's while folding laundry "Mom, that's your broccoli" and I laughed out loud.
~in NOT of~ Dictionary
Ashshore- Dinosaur- from Pops (sounds like something I can't type here)
Bracolli- Bra- from Pops
Calligator- Microphone- from Pops
Feeking - Sword Sheath-from Boy
Hipperoso- Superhero- from Boy
Hold Her- Pick me up- from Peanut
Hold You- Pick me up- from Pops
TeeTee - Blankie- from Guys
Thirsty Mountain- Drinking Fountain- from Butter
Up and Down- Pick me up- from Butter
Uppie - Pick me up- from my first two children
12/13/10
St. Lucia Day!
We studied Christmas around the world last year and discovered this sweet celebration from Sweden. This is only our second year celebrating St. Lucia Day, but it is already a warm tradition in our home and a much enjoyed morning!
Guys plays a bit shy, but she sure did a wonderful job this year. She prepared last night by getting the coffee pot and tea kettle ready. Bright and early (really early, dad needed to be at work at 7am) she was up to prepare cinnamon rolls and serve everyone in their beds.
Christmas in Sweden!
Around Christmas time in Sweden, one of the biggest celebrations is St. Lucia's Day (or St. Lucy's Day) on December 13th. The celebration comes from stories that were told by Monks who first brought Christianity to Sweden.
St Lucia was a young Christian girl who was martyred, killed for her faith, in 304AD. The most common story told about St Lucia is that she would secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who lived in hiding in the catacombs under the city. She would wear candles on her head so she had both her hands free to carry things. Lucy means 'light' so this is a very appropriate name.
December 13th was also the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, in the old 'Julian' Calendar and a pagan festival of lights in Sweden was turned into St. Lucia's Day.
St. Lucia's Day is now celebrated by a girl dressing in a white dress with a red sash round her waist and a crown of candles on her head.
Guys plays a bit shy, but she sure did a wonderful job this year. She prepared last night by getting the coffee pot and tea kettle ready. Bright and early (really early, dad needed to be at work at 7am) she was up to prepare cinnamon rolls and serve everyone in their beds.
(we are camping out at our dear sweet friends' house for the rest of the month, what a blessing in this cold weather!)
What a fun morning! It is also a great way to remember what Christmas is all about...
Share some of your family traditions with us, leave a comment! (please remember to keep our names out of it, so I can post it for everyone to see)
He's Done It!
Soft Wings for Mr. Pilot!
He is unofficially a Naval Aviator!
Thank the Lord for a warmer day! We waiting very excitedly for Mr. Pilot's final landing as a student.
There we are, time for the traditional Hose Down! We have been waiting for this moment for what seems like years.
Can you see the dread anticipation on his face? I said it was warmer, as in 40 degrees instead of 32. It was awfully chilly!
This is incredibly priceless to me. Sheer Joy was on almost everyone's face. I said almost.
Pops was SO upset, he did not like this idea one bit!!!
Whew, glad that is over!
The guys said he had to hug me with his wet coldness. It was worth it!
XO-"Do you want your wings?"
Mr. Piot Shivering- "Why yyyyes, Ssssir. I think I do!"
We were prepared though, and handed daddy over a fresh flight suit to warmly wear his new set of Wings.
Just a small little happy to celebrate the moment. I am so proud of my dear husband!
A special dinner for a deserving man.
Guess he thought it was good ;~)
Cheers!
Congratulations Daddy! What a blessing and an honor to be along for this journey with you.
May God always bless your Wings of Gold!
12/8/10
The spaghetti of my mind.
I am typing this with my thumbs. I've been waiting for days for the Internet to be fixed but I am giving up hope. So, I am typing with my thumbs on a phone that thinks it's smart. So smart it types mr when I mean me. And zooming when I mean spinning. Why yes, smart phone, I meant to say Minch instead of meant. Whatever that means. So sorry you might have to guess what I'm talking about... ;-)
It's cold out. So cold that anything touching an outside wall of the trailer is wet. Like my new feather pillow. And a brand new package of now soggy 24 rolls of septic safe (not cheap) toilet paper and whatever is under the couch and in the cupboards that I am pretending don't exist since we are moving soon. Even though we may not be moving for a month and stuff will be Milton- no, oh smart phone, I didn't mean Milton. I meant molding. But I can't see it so I'm pretending it's not happening...
Some dear friends are out of town for Christmas and have so graciously loaned us their house for the rest of the month. I am so excited, never mind we need to feed their goats and chickens that sometimes sneak in the house. There is an oven, a shower, a bed, and Internet. Oh, and a refrigerator that is above 32 degrees and it will make me feel like I am with friends even though they aren't there. We said goodbye to them last night not knowing if we will still be here when they get back or not. That makes for a very anticlimactic farewell to some very close friends. I am sad.
Mr. Pilot has 4 more flights before he gets "soft winged." that is where he is unofficially a pilot and gets to wear wings on his name tag but isn't quite yet a pilot. We are supposed to spray him with the fire hose when he lands that last flight. It's 38 degrees. That would be awfully cold. But, it's tradition, right?
We find out a week from today where we are going. The same day my mother-in-law flies in and my mom and step-dad drive in.
A week from tomorrow my family will get all dressed up to go on stage and pin daddy's wings on him. I will cry. It will be amazing.
Then there will be the after party. Apparently it's being planned by some single guys because it starts at 8:30 pm on Thursday and consists of a band, 3 kegs, $1,800 of booze, and $100 of food. And we have to pay for it. Even though we won't be going. Because it starts at 8:30. And 1800 dollars worth of alcohol. And no food. I see nothing good coming out of that situation. I find it an incredibly tacky way to celebrate something my husband has been waiting for many years to achieve. It's high-schoolish and in my opinion completely infantile and lame. Just sayin.
A week from Sunday is Daddy's birthday. What a busy week!
I have tons of pictures to share with you, if the Internet man ever comes around. I've called the front office three days in a row now, and she assures me they are working on it. She sounds just as annoyed as I am. I hope she's annoyed at the Internet man and not me.
The weather is bad today. So bad we got a serious weather warning. It might snow. And leave a light dusting on metallic objects. That is what the report actually says. 4 years ago the serious warning we got was 5 feet of snow in less than 5 hours and the city shut down. We couldn't open our front door for the snow and had to admit defeat in our challenge of going the whole winter without turning on the furnace. Of course that was Colorado, not Mississippi. Either way, it's bad enough I just got a text from my husband that he was canx. That means canceled. Don't the clouds and dusting of snow know that he must complete those 4 flights or nothing can happen next week?!
Enough rambling like noodles in a bowl of spaghetti for now. If you've kept reading this far, pray for sunshine and warmer days, you know, so my husband can get his wings and my pillows won't get moldy.
11/23/10
Following Through, The Quiet Heart
My BFTKC friend recently pointed out that it isn't nice to start a series on your blog and not follow through... So I thought I'd let you know that I have every intention of following through on my series about contentment. I am just doing some more field research, you know, so I can give more accurate and practical advice on how to have a quiet heart.
When I told dad my great idea to live in a travel trailer he laughed. I couldn't possibly have been serious, right? Well, my idea was to live in a trailer for a year. (In the beginning I wouldn't even call it a trailer. I preferred to call it something more much more refined. Like RV, so it sounded more like a vacation home than trailer trash, but I am so over that. I totally live in a trailer and I have junk in my yard to prove it.)
We have had an amazing time in this trailer. We have grown so close as a family. Our lives have changed completely. I know we will refer back to this time over and again for the rest of our lives. I can already hear my children telling their children "We had the best time the year we lived in the travel trailer, we learned..."
But.
A year came.
A year went.
We aren't too far off from a year and a half.
And there is no end in sight.
I read an article some time ago about how most Americans wash the outside of their body at least once a day, sometimes even twice, but almost never wash the inside. That was true of my family, the only time we spent in the Word was on Sunday mornings. Not any more. Nope. We wash in the Word every morning and every evening and usually once or twice more during our school day. And we no longer shower every day. Not even every other day. (Yes, that is what you were smelling, lol) I never knew I could be so blessed by being stinky. HA! I digress.
Back to the point. We hit a year in July. It didn't make any sense to move out of the trailer at a year we were supposed to be outta here in October. It's closing in on December. It's cold. (Not today, today feels like I'm in the Amazon) It is wet. My Pickles are frozen again. I have no running hot water. The roof leaks onto my "closet/dirty laundry room/storage room" I want to take a shower and I'm not even talking every day. Every other day would be quite nice. I want a bed I can walk around instead of crawling over. I would like to bake bread in an oven instead of contorting a bread pan to fit inside a crock pot and guessing how many hours it will take to bake.
Dad is set to get his selection about a day or so before he gets his Wings of Gold (as long as nothing unforeseen happens). That is sometime during the week before Christmas (they have already changed the date a time or two) and in that we only find out where we are going. We won't find out when we have to be there until a week before we have to be there. We could have to be there before Christmas. Or we could have to be there in February. But we won't know until it's time to pack and leave.
So today we decided we are going to decorate for Christmas. So I have to go to the storage unit and dig for the decorations box that I smartly buried in the back because we were going to be outta here in October. I have no idea where our cold weather clothes are located. I am thankful for our friends who have graciously blessed us with some warm dresses for my girls for the days it dropped below freezing.
I have learned more than I could ever post here. I will cherish this time forever. I am not complaining.
But I wasn't prepared to spend another cold, wet, yucky winter in thistiny little tin can humble home.
So, I am practicing Contentment. I am trying to focus on the blessings of this home. I am keeping very busy with school, healthy eating without an oven or stove and with a refrigerator that is actually a freezer, planning a celebration for Dad's winging, and preparing for Christmas. Christmas that might be in Mississippi in a trailer or somewhere else in this Great Country in a trailer or house. Do not feel sorry for me. I am not complaining. I am growing, stretching, learning. I am being made flexible, pliable, teachable. And I am rejoicing in the growth of my children, my husband and myself. Thankful for all we have been blessed with. God is good.
When I told dad my great idea to live in a travel trailer he laughed. I couldn't possibly have been serious, right? Well, my idea was to live in a trailer for a year. (In the beginning I wouldn't even call it a trailer. I preferred to call it something more much more refined. Like RV, so it sounded more like a vacation home than trailer trash, but I am so over that. I totally live in a trailer and I have junk in my yard to prove it.)
We have had an amazing time in this trailer. We have grown so close as a family. Our lives have changed completely. I know we will refer back to this time over and again for the rest of our lives. I can already hear my children telling their children "We had the best time the year we lived in the travel trailer, we learned..."
But.
A year came.
A year went.
We aren't too far off from a year and a half.
And there is no end in sight.
I read an article some time ago about how most Americans wash the outside of their body at least once a day, sometimes even twice, but almost never wash the inside. That was true of my family, the only time we spent in the Word was on Sunday mornings. Not any more. Nope. We wash in the Word every morning and every evening and usually once or twice more during our school day. And we no longer shower every day. Not even every other day. (Yes, that is what you were smelling, lol) I never knew I could be so blessed by being stinky. HA! I digress.
Back to the point. We hit a year in July. It didn't make any sense to move out of the trailer at a year we were supposed to be outta here in October. It's closing in on December. It's cold. (Not today, today feels like I'm in the Amazon) It is wet. My Pickles are frozen again. I have no running hot water. The roof leaks onto my "closet/dirty laundry room/storage room" I want to take a shower and I'm not even talking every day. Every other day would be quite nice. I want a bed I can walk around instead of crawling over. I would like to bake bread in an oven instead of contorting a bread pan to fit inside a crock pot and guessing how many hours it will take to bake.
Dad is set to get his selection about a day or so before he gets his Wings of Gold (as long as nothing unforeseen happens). That is sometime during the week before Christmas (they have already changed the date a time or two) and in that we only find out where we are going. We won't find out when we have to be there until a week before we have to be there. We could have to be there before Christmas. Or we could have to be there in February. But we won't know until it's time to pack and leave.
So today we decided we are going to decorate for Christmas. So I have to go to the storage unit and dig for the decorations box that I smartly buried in the back because we were going to be outta here in October. I have no idea where our cold weather clothes are located. I am thankful for our friends who have graciously blessed us with some warm dresses for my girls for the days it dropped below freezing.
I have learned more than I could ever post here. I will cherish this time forever. I am not complaining.
But I wasn't prepared to spend another cold, wet, yucky winter in this
So, I am practicing Contentment. I am trying to focus on the blessings of this home. I am keeping very busy with school, healthy eating without an oven or stove and with a refrigerator that is actually a freezer, planning a celebration for Dad's winging, and preparing for Christmas. Christmas that might be in Mississippi in a trailer or somewhere else in this Great Country in a trailer or house. Do not feel sorry for me. I am not complaining. I am growing, stretching, learning. I am being made flexible, pliable, teachable. And I am rejoicing in the growth of my children, my husband and myself. Thankful for all we have been blessed with. God is good.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. ~Amen. Philippians 4:4-20
11/16/10
Picking Up Daddy
We decorated the Buffalo.
Soap Box is Mr. Pilot's call sign. They guys don't get to pick their own. Some guys have some pretty awful call signs. I like what Daddy is preaching, so I don't mind this one.
Waiting at the airport
Watching for the plane to land... They flew home commercial flights because other guys were still using the jets.
Some friends of ours were waiting for their Daddy too.
"Hooker" is what the guys are called right after they qualify because it is actually a hook that catches and stops the jet on the ship. You can imagine the play on words some people get with that. In base housing the windows will often read "Welcome Home Hooker." Good thing they live in housing where everyone knows what they mean, lol!
There he is!
I don't know if he even got a chance to see his sign, they just couldn't wait!
But, that is understandable. He is a really cool guy, and we really missed him!
Doing their secret hand shake...
The amount of excitement was amazing. We missed him terribly. I almost wonder what the reunion will be like after he is gone for more than half a year. But I don't really want to think about that right now.
I'll just enjoy having him home now.
I'll just enjoy having him home now.
11/14/10
Awaiting Daddy's Arrival.
Boy, I really dropped the ball on y'all. I sure hope you aren't waiting to hear what happened to Mr. Pilot with the same anticipation as I was. I am sorry I left you just hanging...
He Qualified! I didn't have any doubt what he would, but still, He QUALIFIED! I am married to a Pilot Guy who lands jets on ships. That is completely crazy awesome. In my opinion.
It was intense. For me.
So I can't even imagine how intense it was for Mr. Pilot. But I'll have to let you all know later this week how it went for him because we are going to pick him up from the airport in a few hours and I will be too busy soaking up all the quality time I can get to post here.
I am sure you understand.
We CAN'T wait!
He Qualified! I didn't have any doubt what he would, but still, He QUALIFIED! I am married to a Pilot Guy who lands jets on ships. That is completely crazy awesome. In my opinion.
It was intense. For me.
So I can't even imagine how intense it was for Mr. Pilot. But I'll have to let you all know later this week how it went for him because we are going to pick him up from the airport in a few hours and I will be too busy soaking up all the quality time I can get to post here.
I am sure you understand.
We CAN'T wait!
11/6/10
Think Positive.
No news is good news.
No news is good news.
No news is good news.
Right?
No news is good news...
No news is good news.
No news is good news.
Right?
No news is good news...
11/5/10
We Miss You, Daddy!
Life is just not the same with out him...
He will be landing on the ship today at about 3 Central time, if you feel so inclined to pray. He didn't know if he'd be able to get a call out from the ship to let us know how it went, so I may not get to post until tomorrow. Hopefully I'll still be sane by then :~) I know he will do great. He is awesome!
11/4/10
What we read in the Trailer July 2009-October 2010
Dad says it is time to start a new reading list... So here is what we read last year since moving into the travel trailer. This list is not exhaustive either, it just includes what we remembered to add to the list. I'll start a new list on the side bar for this new year. We just got some great new books, so I can't wait to get started!
TRAVEL TRAILER BOOK LIST (*FINISHED)
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