Another week has gone by....better sale for you!!

Ok...so on with my "anticipation sale" in my Etsy shop. You can now save 20% on every order. I will send a refund via paypal or you can wait for a revised invoice from paypal. This week went by faster than last. I can't believe in just over a month I will see him.....my husband. I am more nervous, excited, giddy by the day! Ok...that's enough of that. Let's see...what else?? This weekend includes a birthday party, preparing my step daughter's room for her summer visit, baking dessert for a neighborhood pizza party, and church. Father's day will be spent with an older couple at church that are almost like surrogate grandparents for my kids. I encourage everyone out there to find an older couple that can serve as mentors, grandparents, shoulders to lean on in times of crisis, etc. They are so important to us as a military family. We have no family near us, so to have found people like them is a literally a "God-send". Have a blessed weekend!!

He still has it worse

Ok...so, today was one of those horrible, rotten, no-good days.  It started that way and ended that way with hardly anything in between.  The kids were just awful.  They were disobedient, mischievous, mean, etc.  So...what did the day end like?  We ate dinner outside because I didn't want to clean up any more messes and they were given baths at 630pm. At 730pm they were out cold.  On these types of days when my husband is deployed and I think I have it way worse than he does....I have to think again.  I still get to go to sleep in my own bed and I get to use a real bathroom.  I can sit outside in the wonderful southern CA weather and enjoy the sunset.  I can wear whatever I want and I can eat whatever I want.  I can still enjoy all these things and more on my worst days.  He can not.  So....I leave you with a request.  Take a moment to enjoy your freedoms...especially on your bad days and please remember to pray often for what these men and women are giving up so that we can have an abundant life.  I also leave you with what I call my "Top Gun" photo of my husband and a photo of my daughter learning to read.  My main reason for the picture of my daughter is to remind me that there are highlights of a week even if there are bad days throughout it. :) 

Anticipation

Wow...2 posts in a week....this might be a new record....or rather a new beginning.  :)  So, my husband has been deployed now for close to 6 months and in a short time (sometime in July) we will be reunited in Hawaii!!!  Yes, Hawaii....aghhhhh the epitome of tropical paradise....right?  I'm just guessing because I've never actually been there!!  My first time in Hawaii will be with my husband of almost 6 years and WITHOUT kids!!!  Yikes...it's almost too exciting to think about.  It has been consuming my every thought.  We try to have a date night every month when he's here, but this will be 4 nights in a row without children and post-deployment.  I don't think I've been this giddy since high school about an upcoming event.  So...in honor of my fast approaching trip and my endless thoughts of walking on amazing beaches and just being with my man I am going to have a progressive sale in my Etsy shop.  Starting tonight, Friday, June 12th and continuing with each Friday until I leave on my trip, I will be discounting my entire shop by 10%.  This will be like an exciting count down for me and hopefully fun for my customers as well.  Whatever I add to my shop between now and then will be included in the sale at whatever the current discount is.  Don't worry...I will let you know when it's the final week.  All prices will return to normal after I return from my trip!  Oh yeah...don't forget my shop name is Becaruns.  

FRESH START

Ok...since my last post, my husband left for deployment, my step daughter has been gone from our house longer than I've ever experienced before, I've started to home school my daughter, I've planted my first flowers in the garden, and I've finally opened my Etsy shop!  Whew!  Where has the time gone??  Oh yeah...and I turned 31 yesterday!!!  Yikes!!  For some reason 31 really seems to emphasize that I'm in my 30's now.  I can't say I like it yet, but every woman in their 30's say it's way better than their 40's.  I'm waiting for that.  :)  So...my husband is now almost home...yay!!!  I'm going to meet him in Hawaii and spend a few days alone before flying back together.  We haven't spent a single night alone since before my 4 yr old daughter was born!!  Too long, huh?  Please give my Etsy shop a visit.  Shop name is Becaruns.  Yes...tacky, but if I had known I was going to open a shop when I registered with Etsy I would have picked a better name.  Oh, well.  I'm going to work on putting some new stuff in there.  I know my photos aren't great...working on that too. :) Well, here's to a fresh start on my blog and daily posts...I hope. :)  Thanks for stopping by!  Oh yeah...just a pic of my little ones first thing in the morning admiring their garden outside....and each other...sweet, huh?  They're not always like that with each other....keep in mind this was the very beginning of the day.   

WE LOST

Ok...this is officially the hardest day of my life.  I question my faith, my purpose, my entire life.  We went to court this morning with a renewed hope in our argument to keep custody of my step-daughter.  We fought all day yesterday in court and argued our point the best we could (well, our attorney did).  At the end of the day, the judge couldn't make a decision and he thought it best to return this morning for his decision.  Because of that we thought we had a 50/50 chance even though the psychiatrists' report had been in her (my husband's ex-wife) favor.  I wonder if you ever can prepare yourself enough for the worst.  I don't think if I had expected the worst possible scenario this morning that it would have been enough to handle what was dealt to me/us.  The judge had us wait until 1045am in order to start his ruling.  He said things about me that characterized a person that I am not familiar with.  Some of it was complete lies and other parts were a description of who I used to be.  At what point do we consider someone to be "rehabilitated" or better than their former self?  At what point does society say, "ok...that is enough to show that this person has changed?"  If we continue to shove people's faces into their past mistakes and/or shortcomings, how will they ever feel confident enough to move on and/or believe in themselves enough to work on their character flaws?  If I've learned one thing out of all of this it is not to judge someone for who or what they did an hour ago, a day ago, a week ago, or years ago.  It serves no purpose.  WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES - some more extreme than others, but nevertheless mistakes.  It is impossible to live a life free from judgement?  Probably not, but the way I was judged today gives me a new perspective.  The sadness that I feel is great, the remorse I feel for my actions in my youth are great, but I must trudge on.  I have two other beautiful children that depend on me everyday.  There is only one being that matters that will hold me accountable some day and that is God.  He knows I am a good mother to my children and he knows how much I love my step-daughter.  I don't know why this happened.  I don't have the answer to why bad things happen, but I know that somehow God will use this.  I know I began this post saying I question my faith - and I do...but not enough to let go of it.  I know there has to be a higher purpose to all of this - I just couldn't go on without that hope.  Proverbs 23:18  There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.  

AWESOME GIVEAWAY...and a short update.

Ok...I have found the coolest site...there are giveaways all the time and this one in particular caught my eye and I really want it!!  Go check it out at kiddio.org.  

I also wanted to let people know what is going on with our court stuff.  Tomorrow morning at 9am we will know what the judge will decide about custody of my step daughter.  We had court today and it wasn't pretty.  Both sides got attacked by the judge and I had to hear all about the sins of my youth as if I am still that person.  We had the support of a few close friends that stayed all day with us in court and if it weren't for them I don't know if I could have handled the words that were being spoken.  At the end of the day the judge was unable to come to a decision so we were told to return tomorrow morning.  If you happen to read this tonight or in the morning, please keep us in your prayers as this has been emotionally exhausting and we are trying to be open to whatever God's will is.  

VISIT THIS GIVEAWAY - ENDS TODAY!!

Please visit Kiddio.org...she has some great giveaways!!  I especially love the one ending tonight for the rocker...so cool!!  Check it out at kiddio.org.