Anxious

Thursday I'm leaving for five days/four nights and flying to Montana to see my little sister graduate. I'm so stinkin' proud of her and thanks to my parents I can be apart of this joyous day. 

The reason why I titled this post "anxious" is because I can't seem to stop thinking about being away from my two precious kiddos. Yes I know I will be away from my husband - but honestly - this military wife is use to being separated from him for years on end. Don't get me wrong, I always miss him when he is gone, but it's nothing new.

However, with my kiddos, I have only been away from them maybe 15 days of their little lives. Cut the cord, right? Because Rande's job is so unstable, I try to be the stability for them - their constant. I feel as if I'm going into the doctor to have my arm or my leg amputated.

Today God laid a verse on my heart, Philipians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God". So I prayed and I petitioned to God to give me the peace he promises in the following verse (7).

So today I have a peace. I know that this weekend away will be good for the kids and for me.

I couldn't resist and had to share this picture of Ashlee. She was probably 3 years old and dressed as Hannah Montana for Halloween. Too cute.

This guy has the best smile and looks so much (and acts) like his dad.

4th of July in 2009 right before Afghanistan deployment. Their smiles just melt my heart.

Can I have a redo?

So I've been such a horrible blogger, but I don't know if anyone has noticed. I would love for my blog to be great and for thousands of people to read it and be inspired, however, when you DON'T blog, it's difficult to attain a faithful audience.

Honestly though, I am so busy with school work I just want to "veg" my brain for a while and not have to think. I guess those moments I can simply share a picture, song, anything simple, right?

Anyways, let me update you on "THE HENDERSONS" and what's been going on since October.

In NOVEMBER:

I ran my first 1/2 Marathon. I don't remember the time, but it wasn't anything to brag about. I did finish and that's all that matters (I also ran without stopping - except for one potty break). 13.1 miles ran.....check! Here are some pictures of me and my neighbor who was my running buddy and trainer.

Before and After

The day after my marathon we had family pictures taken, as you can see by my new banner. It had been a couple years since we had a  professional family picture. Needless to say I was extremely sore and in some of the pictures you can see the uncomfortable look on my face. We had a good time though and had an amazing photographer.

My baby girl turned 8. We had an "Evening in Paris" birthday. It was so much fun to put together and decorate. The kids painted, played traditional games like musical chairs (with French music) and pin the butterfly on the Eiffel Tower. Thanks to my parents for help, we had "French food" which included: French dip, french fries, and crepes.

DECEMBER:
We stayed home for the first time since joining the Army for Christmas. Rande's parents came down and we had Christmas with them. It was very relaxing with no pressure and we were able to truly enjoy the holiday.

Rande, the kids, and I went to Florida and hit up LEGOLAND and SEA WORLD for an "after Christmas vacation". Thank you to Busch Gardens for the free tickets to Sea World.

JANUARY-MARCH:
Crazy January, heading back to school (the kids and I). Grandma and Grandpa visited since Grandpa had a meeting in Atlanta. Nothing super significant in February and March. We live a boring life (ha ha).


APRIL:
Best Ranger Competition was this month. Congrats to the team who won. They are from our very own 4th RTB.

Tiger turns 2. The kids made me put that in there for our April happenings. Here are a few pictures of Tiger when we first got him. He is part of the family as you can see by the pictures.

Hopefully I will do better about blogging. A dear friend of mine has given me some ideas, I think that's why I do not blog as much - just plum out of ideas and things to talk about. Thanks to those who have stayed faithful in reading!

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

It's been a while since I've posted something into the recipes label. I found on pinterest this amazingly yummy and easy Saturday morning breakfast. I will and cannot take credit for the picture, however, It was so pretty I had to share. Here is the link to the blog which originally posted the recipe and below you will find the recipe. Enjoy!

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 C. pancake syrup

1/3 C. packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional

1/4 C. chopped almonds, optional

Instructions:

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired). Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top. Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring. Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter.

Undecided Voter

Has anyone seen this SNL clip about the Undecided Voter (click to watch)? Some have said it is too harsh, but I think it's still funny. American's should take the time and decide their vote. I think a little humor should be added once in a while on the subject of politics, since it seems to get people's blood boiling.

If you are undecided, or even those who are decided, let me ask you this. Why are you voting for that particular candidate? The reason why I ask, is so many americans are uneducated on the "issues" that our country faces. They look strictly too the news media to tell them what they need to hear. However, did you know that the media is bias?....gasp! Growing up I thought that the news was suppose to bring fair and balanced information to us. Many news stations have become anti-rebublican or anti-democrat over the years. So educate yourself peeps, this stuff is important.

Oh and don't forget to take my poll. I'm trying to get a little interaction, so please don't leave me hanging.

Who are you?

I can see you!   Yes I know who looks at my blog and doesn't leave comments....ha ha. Just kidding. I don't know who you are, but I can see on my stats the views, where they are from, what operating system they use, etc.   I've been wondering lately who are the people from Malaysia, Germany, Russia, Latvia, UK, Poland, Switzerland, and Slovenia looking at my blog? I'm not super techie, but are they creeps or just people who want to know about the baseball themed birthday party? It has made me start thinking about going private.   What should I do? I don't want any creepies looking at my kids or anything or taking my identity. No one has said anything, but it still is weird to me.

Forks over Knives

Several months ago my sister-in-law recommended a documentary to me, Forks over Knives. I would like to encourage you to watch it as well.  The the movie examines the claim that most, if not all, diseases that affect us can be either controlled or reversed by rejecting animal-based and processed foods. What is your opinion? If you have netflix, you can watch it free.

My opinion:
I couldn't agree more. I think our culture eats WAY too much animal based products and uses it for fillers in our processed foods. With Christian and his food allergies ,  have been re-examining what I put into my body and my family's. A few years ago I watched another documentary called, Food Inc. I'm sure some of you have seen it as well. I was not able to eat meat for three days upon watching it, but the ideas have stayed with me.
     side note: Maybe I will pursue a second degree in homeopathic nutrition? hmmm.....

I just find these concepts very interesting. God made the things of this earth to eat, but are we over consuming? Do we really need to have milk for breakfast with our bacon and eggs, then deli meat for lunch, with cheese and for dinner, how many chicken breasts do you really need in that casserole? Why has the government allowed such chemicals into our food? Could these chemicals be part of the cause of cancer?

here are the links to the two documentaries I shared with you.

Forks over Knives
Food Inc.

I'm too old for homework

In January I made the decision to go to college. My reason was because Christian and Ashlee were in school full time. There was also very little chance of me getting a decent job for three reasons: I only have a High School education, I have not worked in over eight years, and I am a military spouse. So my thought was while we were stationed here, I would pursue my degree and go back to work.

I began this long journey by enrolling at Ashford University. In July I took a two week break. The way Ashford works is the classes are condensed into five weeks and they do not offer a break until December (for two weeks). I really enjoyed the school, never had a problem. However, I discovered their accreditation was being threatened. Two major factors were; they pushed enrollment of new students so much they went from 10,000 to 90,000 new students in one year. However, their retention rate is only 37% or so. The other factor that leads to possible loss of accreditation is, the instructors to student ratio is completely overwhelmed. Instructors are given, sometimes, 70 students per class, and that does not allow for them to grade and spend adequate time on each student's work. So with all that being said, I decided, since it was early in my education, I would transfer.

I discovered that Liberty University had online degrees. With Christian and all of his appointments and therapies I need online so I can be available to take him. The kids also have no other means of transportation to school and we can not afford after school care. Liberty offered the degree I wanted to pursue (Finance in Business). I actually considered going to Liberty when I wa 15 years old, but the distance and cost was too much.

I am really enjoying the school so far. It has, and still is, taking me some time to get use to the layout, expectations, etc. I also am adjusting to doing two classes at a time rather than one. In fact, by two subterms run together for about two weeks, and I will be doing four classes at once. I don't know how I'm going to survive those two weeks, but I will. Currently I am taking an apologetics class and learning so much about the beliefs and cultures of others and how to defend the Bible. I may make a few posts on something that interested me, and feel free to comment and disagree. I am very curious to hear what others have to say.

So that is what I've been up to lately and why I have not blogged. I miss blogging and I have a few more posts over the next couple of day, so check back peeps!