Wednesday What-Nots

Nick has been gone for nearly a year and will be coming home in less than a month.  While he's been in Afghanistan, I try to stay off the news, I try not to worry, and I try to remain strong and independent.  All things that I feel are important being a military spouse while your spouse is serving our country.  I'm anxiously awaiting his departure dates and know it'll take at least a week to get home once he leaves.  We can't wait to see him!

The house is almost done being painted.  The painters are coming next week and I can't wait!  I hated the gray color in the foyer and couldn't imagine it in the other spaces in the house, so I hired it out.  Best decision ever!  Not to worry, there will be plenty of spaces to paint when I feel up to it again.  Probably never, ha!  I'm loving my new "happy" wall.  I love, love yellow walls.  Back in 2007, we painted our entire living room yellow.  I settled for an accent wall here.

The kids and I discovered a new cookie shop.  We've been on a hunt for a good cookie shop since we left Nebraska.  Well, we found it!  Totally worth the trip and we can't wait to take Nick.  Although they're not healthy enough for him.  So good!

I placed an order on Bath and Body Works and my candle came broken.  So, we took it in and exchanged it.

I love finding the kids in random places reading.  Sterling is a book worm and is flying through chapter books.  Xander used to be, but lately he's slowed down on reading.  To get him back into reading more, we decided to use money as an incentive.  He loves money.  We want him reading.  Win-win.

During Hurricane Dorian, we had to take shelter for a little bit.  We had a few tornadoes pop up, so the kids made themselves comfortable until they passed.

You guys.  I've had my Apple Watch since they were made.  My 1st generation watch finally bit the dust last week.  I'm not really sure what happened, but I noticed the top was wobbly.  Well, it comes right up.  I'm still trying to decide if I want to get a new one or go without.

Sterling has been loving her baby dolls lately.  She came down one night and was matching one of them.  So cute.

I don't get down and play with the kids as often as I'd like (or they'd like), but we played beauty salon and had a great time one day.

Anytime I get a haircut, Sterling loves playing with my hair.  She spent at least 30 minutes tinkering with it.

After doing hair lead to doing makeup.  Sterling put makeup on me and I had to test it to make sure it was on right 😂

The kids took their first end of unit test in school and they both passed without missing any questions.  

We went back to their first day of school test and Sterling had 1 correct.  Now, she had all 8 correct.  Yah for retaining math!

Sweet little messages keep me going.

Sterling chose dinner from her cookbook, a cheese omelet.  Only she didn't want cheese.  She served it along with a side of pineapple and toast.

This was the sky hours before the hurricane blew by.  It's the most beautiful sky I think I've ever seen.

After our school days are over, we are struggling.  Basically Xander.  Sterling goes with the flow and doesn't complain much.  Xander is constantly complaining.  We get done with school about 2 hours before the neighbor kids come home and he's "bored."  I don't want to sign them up for activities because we have some trips planned and then with moving, we'd be missing more than being there.  I've got to come up with something to keep him from complaining.  It drives me nuts.  The crappy part is that he's the kid that wants to be doing something all the time or else he's "bored."  But, I'm also the parent that believes I don't need to be entertaining you all day long.

My life motto:

Use your imagination.  Be creative.  And don't complain.