I'm ba-ack!

(This is a little bit all over the place and back again. I could go through and try to group my thoughts more logically, but I decided not to. I hope no one gets dizzy.)

I feel like I've been gone for so long. I've posted a little here and there, but I haven't really been writing about my thoughts, feelings, personal problems, etc... I've missed me. LOL. Since I can't find the DVR remote to watch The Mentalist this morning, I figured I should get typing. (Kids are still asleep. I will harangue them about where they put the remote later.)

(me with a piece of chocolate, trying to look sexy. Ha! Actually this is a shot from aspiring camera phone photographer, Seth, who caught me induldging in a bit of Ferrero Rocher.)

Sooo, what's been going on? The same stuff that is always going on in my life. I'm still trying to make friends with the laundry. I'm still battling the buldges. I'm still trying to find the balance that will keep my family and me on a fairly smooth and straight path (or at least keep us standing when the bumps and curves come.) I'm still missing Dave, but grateful for all the good news that is coming from Iraq right now...

A friend texted me on Friday telling me to turn on CNN just in time to hear the official announcement from the President. The US troops will be leaving Iraq by December 31, 2011! Basically, Pres. O. is declaring the war in Iraq as over. Granted, the US has not been in combat in Iraq since 2010, but our role is going to be diminished even further and consist of only about 160 personnel working at the embassy. (This is all as I understand it, which could be completely erroneous.) So while I'm super happy 'cause I personally have a soldier that will be coming home, I am also happy for all of the military families because this should lead to less demands on our troops overall. Hopefully deployments to Afghanistan and other areas will be shorter and fewer and farther between.

(Dave during a tour of Saddam's former palace.)

Well, as Pres. Obama tells it, it sounds as if all of our soliders currently serving in Iraq will be enjoying hot cocoa around the Christmas tree this year, but Dave is giving me a hint of realism and hopes to celebrate Valentines Day together. Dave and his comrades will be moved to Kuwait before the end of the year. Then, 40,000 soliders will wait for flights home. It might take several weeks. Then again, we might be pleasantly surprised. Either way, I'm so grateful that his one year assignment is shaping up to be closer to 6 months.

I like fall. My favorite things about it are the cooler temperatures, scented candles, and pumpking cookies with cream cheese frosting. I'm not a big fan of Halloween and I do face greater challenges when it comes to anxiety/depression as our days get shorter and nights get longer. However, as I mentioned... pumpkin cookies! I can't really say this is a family tradition 'cause I'm the only one that gets super excited about these. Poor little Seth was unpleasantly surprised when he tasted the batter-- but he really likes helping to whip it up. Anyway, I make these at least once every fall. (I've made two double batches so far.) So, who eats all of these cookies-- well, since my kids aren't loving them, I give them to my visiting teaching ladies and save lots for me. Dave got several in his last package and has been showing his appreciation as he eats them in front of me via Skype.



And about Dave. He has more good news. He gets to go before the promotion board the first of November! This doesn't mean he will automatically be promoted, but he will be one step closer. He has been letting a sadistic roommate run him through some brutal workouts over there. He's making progress. :)

And back to the cookies... here's the recipe. I personally LOVE them with raisins and nuts too.



Pumpkin Cookies (handed down by Mom)

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)
cream cheese frosting

Mix together dry ingredients-- flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Mix well.

Add flour mixture and mix well. Add nuts and taisins if desired.

Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 min.

When cool, spread with cream cheese frosting.

What else? Well, same old stuff as far as the fitness challenge goes. I need to exercise more and eat less. I try to make it to the gym 2x a week. The classes there are great, but people have come and gone and it's not the motivational pool of strength it once was. I know I need to just get out with the kids more as it will benefit us all. If someone could please come over, open my door, and push me out it... I'm committing right now to get out there TODAY! A walk or a bike ride will be done! I do have my 32 oz water bottle sitting beside me and I've thrown back 8 oz so far. Progress. :)

When I told the kids about Dave coming home I told them I had an announcement and that it was a good announcement. Paul said, "it's a boy?" That was funny. When they learned the real news, the kids were all smiles, and I do believe they each had a twinkle in their eye for the rest of the evening. When I was watching the official announcment via tv, I had to ask Seth to calm down the ruckus he was currently making. I told him I was watching some news about Daddy. So he quited and listened with me. After Obama said "the rest of our troops in Iraq will be coming home by the end of the year," Seth went "Hooray!" I couldn't believe he was actually following, so I asked, "What did the President say?" And he told me that Daddy was coming home soon!

Olivia and I had a girls night out on the 11th. We went to the Grand Olde Opry for the first time. The performers that we most enjoyed were Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery, and Trace Adkins. Did I mention Trace Adkins? It was fun to go out with my tweenager and made for a nice memory. The miracle of it all was that we followed the mapquest driving directions and drove straight there! That good fortune was negated by being stuck in traffic for 1 1/2 hours on the way home. Apparently there was an accident a couple of miles ahead of us- and poor Olivia needed to use the facilities. Again, a memory made. :) (I will try to pull some photos off of Olivia's camera.)

What else? Paul is doing a great job at being Paul. He's been doing well with his schoolwork, keeping up with mowing the back yard, playing plenty of video games, and taking no responsibility for his less than courteous actions to his brother and sisters. Paul has apparently gotten lots of my genes as evidenced by the fact that he's been quickly growing out of his jeans. I remember it was around 34th grade that I started to be a little chubby. Paul has gone from from skinny kid to big guy over the last couple of years. This is one of the motivating factors for me to get our family moving and making better eating choices. If I can't do it for me, I can do it for my kids.

Faith has been busy with girl scouts. We enjoyed a trip to the pumpkin patch with her troop. It was a lot of fun. Paul told Faith, "thanks for joining the Girl Scouts!" He couldn't get enough of shelling corn and feeding it to the cows and goats. Faith has seen friends come and go but we are very happy that she has a new friend across the street that she plays with almost daily. And Faith did a great job playing "deer" in her class play "Who is the strongest?"








Seth is growing so big. I got out the size 3T pants I'd put away for fall and they were much too short. He enjoys going to "school" usually once a week. It's really hourly care. Since we are no longer doing preschool, I think he enjoys going now and then and it gives me a little break too. He is basically fully potty-trained. Next up-- goodbye to the pacifier that he uses for naps and bedtime. I'm not ready for that yet.

I think I've said pretty much what has been bottled up. Except there is one more topic I must address or it wouldn't be me. Photography. Sigh... Last fall I had the perfect season businesswise. Just the right amount of sessions to be busy and make some cash that made Christmas shopping pleasant. My last session of 2010 was so ideal that I wanted more of them. I loved that the family not only ordered the disc of images (as everyone does) but they also ordered lots of prints. It was such a thrill to get their 16x20 in the mail and look at it and say, "wow, that looks awesome!" I felt like I had "arrived" in a way. Business was where I wanted it to be, and I felt my skills were at the point that I was giving high quality product. So what did I do? I raised my prices at the beginning of 2011.



Business has been very close to nil this year. Sigh... Such a struggle to price yourself at what your time and talent is worth, but still be able to be affordable to the people you know. (I'm not trying to say I'm awesome. But I can say that I have a quality product and it's one that takes a fair amount of time and effort to produce.) I'm not really into trying to break into the high end market right now, and I don't know rich people. The people I know are like me, and spending 300+ on family photos is certainly a stretch. Anyway, another thing I've noticed is that I think the number of "photographers" has quadrupled over the last year. I swear, everyone I know probably not only knows me but also at least one other photographer who is most likely peddling their wares at a lower price. Sooo.... for now, I'm just trying to let the business alone and concentrate on improving my skills and taking pictures for my own enjoyment. I'm having a great experience participating in a 4 week critique with one of my photgraphy idols. More on that later.