maintenance

I called maintenance yesterday to have them come and look at my stove. When I turn on my oven the kitchen smells like gas, sometimes I can smell it in other rooms. So this morning a guy came out to look at it. I turned it on, and left the room ( I had just poured a bowl of cereal, so had to eat it before it got soggy). A couple minutes later, he told me to come in and sign the work form. When I walked into the kitchen I smelled the gas right away. so I was relieved that he would know what I was talking about. Unfortunatley the next words out of his mouth were "you dont smell anything right?" I was dumbfounded! Of course I smelled it!! What the heck was he thinking? Well of course I get the guy that I dont think can smell anything!! His nose is stuffed up. Good grief. So he calls the office to see if they can bring someone else to smell, well they inform him that they have a tool to check for gas. so he went back to the office and picked it up and came back. This was a small gadget, that looked like something you could pick up at the dollar store. After he checks around it shows there wasnt gas, but honestly it still smelled of gas. He couldnt tell me what it was though, then he says "well if you have any other problems please call again". Wait a minute, you're not done!!! I told him that I am not going to have this smell in the kitchen even if that cheap little thing says its not gas, I dont know what it is and I dont know if it is dangerous. So grudgingly he calls his office and has his supervisor come to look, he decides it is from the breeze coming in, and I say no that cant be it because I dont have the door open all the time. So he decides it is the propane burning off. I wanted to know when they were going to fix it. Of course the answer is "I dont know" they have to get approval from the community center to see if they can replace it. So until then who knows what chemicals we are being exposed to. I love renting.

Back to school

Today I had the priviledge of going back to junior high. Oh yes the joy! I got a call from Jeremy's teacher today saying that he was acting up in class, so I told her I would be right down to surprise him. And surprised he was! He thought I came to pick him up early, but I told him I wanted to speak to him outside. then he knew he was in trouble. So I talked to him about how he should behave and be respectful to people in authority. The teacher came out and told me that I could stay in class, Jeremy liked that idea, and I went into class to sit next to him. His friends thought it was hilarious. But Jeremy actually seemed to like the fact that I was there. Well I have to admit that the class was poorly taught, and the teacher had no control. She was a substitute, and basically left the kids on their own. I must say the kids really did get obnoxious, but it was obvious they needed more structure and guidance, and I think they would have been more respectful. I was close to the point of standing up and teaching the class.
Jeremy wanted me to go to his next class, which was science. This teacher was much better. The kids responded to her and listened to her. It was interesting to sit in class and be an observer.
Wow I dont envy middle school teachers at all. I wouldnt survive a week I dont think. I went to a private school so maybe I was a little secluded, but my goodness the kids are so obnoxious, I dont know how many swear words I heard, and how many inappropriate comments. You really have to have a thick skin to get through that. I am thankful to be done with that, I dont know if I could handle that!!

food donation

I was amazed by our little church last night. We were leaving to go home after biblestudy, and our pastor came up to us and said that he had a food basket for us. I was excited about that, and he opened the back of his van and it was FULL of food!! He pulled box after box of food out to give to us. I was amazed. I guess he was given the food to pass out to families and need, and he picked us as a family. Now let me clarify before i have people freaking out and thinking that the kids and I are starving to death. No, that is not true, we have always had food to eat. I have a talent for making a meal with a few items, and stretching the food dollar. I am amazed by the amount of food my kids can consume. What a relief to have so much food lying around, it wont by lying around for long, but it is a relief to me to have an abundance of things to choose from, and not think about going to the store every other day when the cupboards go empty.

Help for a spouse of a deployed soldier

Okay I must admit that I didnt write the next part, but someone sent this to me, and I thought it was so funny and so true that I just had to put it on my blog.


I appreciate the offers of help. I really do.
However, it’s fall, and the grass has pretty much stopped growing, so I don’t really need the lawn mowed.
And that general, “So do you need anything?” question just begs for the answer “no.”
But if you REALLY want to help?
Here are the top ten ways:
10. Come over at 6am on Saturday and tell the kids that it’s too early to wake up.
9. Then stay and make breakfast (from scratch) while I sleep in until at least 9. Preferably 10.
8. Run to the store at 11pm when I discover I’m out of diapers and can’t move because I’m holding poopy baby legs.
7. After a hard day, run to the store at 9pm to buy me ice cream.
6. And chocolate.
5. Come over at any time of day or night to kill a spider.
4. And a cockroach.
3. And anything that scurries and has a tail.
2. Figure out how to hook the new DVR up to the tv, dvd, soundsystem and ipod player thingy.
1. Run out and get me some cold medicine and a box of tissue, righthisverysecond before my head explodes and I am forced to wipe up the mess with leftover Chik-fil-A napkins because we are out of tissue, napkins, paper towels, and have only enough toilet paper to last for one more day, but only if no one uses it to blow their nose, and none of my children poop in the toilet, which would require us to use our reserve supply of Chick-fil-A napkins, which would stop up the toilet and then you’d also have to come over and plunge the toilet for me.

God's provisions

Part of Sarah's homeschooling curiculum is Bible time. The other day we were reading in Luke about How Jesus tells us that we are to ask God and that he will provide for us. I was pointing out to Sarah that God does want to know the desires of our hearts, but that doesnt mean that he will provide everything we ask, and that we shouldnt use God as a wish list. And that he will give us what is good for us, we just have to trust in Him. Anyways, I asked Sarah if there was something that she wanted, but didnt feel like she was going to get. She said that she really wanted a pair of Heely's, but didnt think she would get a pair because they are expensive, and we havent found a pair that we could afford. So I told her that she just needed to pray and trust that God would answer her prayer, and I told her that he might answer no because He didnt feel that was best for her. Well yesterday after church I took the kids to the Goodwill, and told them we would see if we could find some treasures. Well what would be on the shelves waiting for Sarah? A pair of practically new heelys in her size!! Afterwards on the way home, I was talking to her about how she asked God and he supplied. I told her that even though it wasnt something that was necessary, God felt she should have them. It was neat to see God work, even when it comes to a pair of skate shoes.

17 and counting

I am sure a lot of people have heard of the family that has 17 children and counting. Well I have watched the show a few times, and honestly everytime I feel like such a failure!! this mom has so many kids, but she doesnt raise her voice I doubt ever, and her kids are so well behaved. She took all her boys to a thrift store and didnt even yell when the boys got carried away, and she was pregnant!
The last episode I watched I found out that they have zero debt, they budget everything. they even make their own soap!!
Well of course i know that we are all made different and God has given us our own talents, but my goodness how they handle all of that is amazing. I know for a fact that I would never agree to have a camera crew follow me around during the day, it would not be a pretty sight.
I feel like it has helped me to realize that somethings I need help with.
I have gotten to the point now that I do most of my shopping through thrift shops, that has become a family event to "treasure hunt".
But I am definetly a person that once I thnk I need something , I must go out and get it right then and there.
I guess it is a growing thing and a wisdom thing, I know that God loves me still, and he sees that i have a heart to change, even if it is a very slow process.

Praise the Lord!!

Since moving here to Hawaii, our family has suffered many nights of noisy neighbors. It started the first night we were here, and has continued many nights since. I have the number to the MP station memorized because of all the noise complaints. There are quite a few neighbors around us that are to be blamed, but one family in particular have made many sleepless nights. They are under the impression that they are meant to be singers, and well to anyone with ear drums this is SO not true!! Unless of course you enjoy the sound of cats screaching, then you should check them out.
Well tonight while we were eating dinner we looked out the window and could see them setting up to move!! OH Praise the Lord!! I am curious if all the phone calls finally led to their move, but regardless of why, it is happening.
I told the kids we should buy some confetti and toss it in the air as they pull away. :)

This sucks!!

Derek told me last night that he was told that he has to attend BNCOC training from the end of January to the end of March. I believe the training is in Virginia. Which will mean that he is to come home in December and then leave a little over a month later, then go to Virginia for two months THEN do a 7 month deployment in Iraq! We were so hoping to have a few months together before he leaves again, but now he will be gone an extra two months.
I truly am thankful that he will be here for Christmas, that is such a blessing. And I know there are so many families that suffer through 15 month deployments, so I should be thankful I dont have to do that, but still 9 months without my Derek?!! It is so hard for the kids with dad gone, especially poor Matthias, I dont know what he will do when dad has to go again.
I just have to keep my faith and trust in God, and believe that this is the best for us.
But I must say "This Sucks!!!"

church

Today being Sunday we had church. Now I love my church, I dont just mean like it, I literally love it. I honestly believe that we werent sent to Hawaii that we might attend this church, and get our lives refueled and on fire for God. As soon as I walked into the church, I felt like I had come home. It was felt by all the children too. It amazes me to see God work in our lives. Completely floors me sometimes.

This morning the pastor called Jeremy forward and told us that he had something that he wanted to say. Turns out that Jeremy went to the pastor and wanted to be baptized. Jeremy said that he had done some bad things in his past, but knows that God died on the cross for him, and he wants to be baptized to show his commitment to Him,and to top it all off, he said that he is thankful that he came to live here, and feels like this is his home and he wants to stay here. I ended up crying. It was nice to hear, and I am so thankful for him. He amazes me with his wanting to follow God at only age 14. He tells all his friends about God, and asks them to come to church. Which amazes me even more is the fact that he decided that he wanted to live here, after he had gotten into serious trouble and wasnt allowed out of the house (besides school), for the last week. I thought he would resent it, and hate it more, but as it turned out it gave him time to think he said and he realized he would do a lot better here.

So I think he is going to be baptized next month when Derek gets back. He wanted to wait so Derek could see him. and the cool part is that he gets to be baptized in the ocean!!