Letters From Santa

Santa sent Audrey a letter in the mail yesterday. Excited probably isn't even a good word.. maybe ecstatic! She was ecstatic when she realized that Santa had sent HER a letter. Addressed to her and everything. I love this Christmas because Audrey is to the age where she actually understands everything. Here is the kicker I have no idea where this letter actually came from so I also believe it was from Santa himself. The return address was from the North Pole so it has to be legit :) I am one of the old school Santa believers. Even as an adult you have to try to see that same magic in Christmas and some good in the world at this time of the year. I told you, I am obsessed. So I was even excited to find out that Santa had sent Audrey a letter! 

I love this!

Just shows the magic of Christmas and this time of the year.

With me having a day off yesterday that gave us plenty of time to work on a craft. And since Santa had sent Audrey a letter why not make a Santa! 

This was suppose to just be the head but Audrey insisted on a body for Santa. I remember making these with cotton balls when I was a little kid.

Easy project... I think we can do anything with construction paper and googly eyes!

Note the ice pack... yeah Audrey decided to touch a hot pan of Christmas cookies... its always something and she is definitely dramatic sometimes. 

But an ice pack fixes everything and quickly she forgot about her little burn and Santa's white beard was coming right along.

Finished product! "Santa needs his black boots!"
Audrey doesn't miss a detail

Don't forget the magic of this time of the year and I thank whom ever sent that letter it definitely made our day. Thank you for staying anonymous :) 

The newest addition... Cookie and Spunky!

Last Monday one of Audrey's teachers pulled me aside while I was picked her up from school and asked about Baby. Baby was our guinea pig that my brother and his wife gave Audrey for her 2nd birthday... yes they gave a 2 year old a guinea pig. Can you tell they don't have kids :) No it was really cute at first and fun for Audrey to squeeze but at 2 years old who do you think was taking care of the things.... me. They poop and pee a lot, eat a lot, squeak a lot, basically require maintenance that I did not have time and patience for. But Audrey loved it so we put up with it. Anyways Baby died about a year after we got her. We just woke up one day and Baby was "sleeping" as Audrey tried to convince me what was happening. No she was definitely dead. I knew as soon as I didn't hear that squeaking with my morning coffee that something was wrong. So we were in a bit of a predicament.  At 3 years old do we just go get another one and stick it in the cage and pretend like it was Baby? Or break the news that baby had died? Would she even understand any of this? So I knew we had to tell her the truth she is to smart. I remember that day I hurried her out of the house and we headed to school so I could come up with a plan. 

When we got home that evening I told her that Baby had died and that she was not just sleeping. She said, "Baby died?" I shook my head yes and as the tears welled up in her eyes she said, "Why?!" I didn't have the answer to that because Baby was completely fine the night before. She began to hysterically sob and by now we both sitting on her bedroom floor sobbing. I did not like that thing but Audrey loved it and she was absolutely devastated and it was awful for me to have to watch her cry. So we buried Baby and I told Audrey the complete truth about death at 3. This was Audrey's first encounter with death and it was awful. We buried her in the back yard and even stuck some fake flowers for her grave.

Haha this picture makes it look like Audrey was happy... she was far from that. 

So anyways we decided to not get another guinea pig then. Audrey was just to young to help take care of it and they really are a lot of work. Here we are about a year later and apparently Audrey had an absolute breakdown at school on Monday about Baby. Audrey remembers everything. I mean everything. So something as vivid as Baby's death she can probably recite every detail. Audrey had been talking with one of her friends and began to hysterically sob so her teacher began to talk to her and Baby was the reason for the metldown. Completely out of nowhere but all the feelings must have come rushing back. Audrey is very emotional and sensitive and I can imagine how this all happened at school. 

Okay so after all of this where did Cookie and Spunky come from? We had no intentions on getting another guinea pig let alone two. A young teacher at Audrey's school had Cookie and Spunky and needed to find them a home and when she heard about Audrey's meltdown about Baby her teachers thought we would be a perfect home for them. They asked me on Monday and after thinking about it for a few days we decided to take them. Audrey is old enough to help with them now and that was part of the deal in getting them because she has been begging me for days since she found out. The teacher looking for a home (Miss Ashley) for them could not take care of them anymore, she had moved and her mom was trying to take care of them and couldn't. They are expensive and I think that was the main factor. So she sobbed as she helped put them in our Jeep but she was thrilled for them to have a good home. Miss Ashley had them for 4 years and you could tell they were as much a part of her family as Hudson is part of ours. She sobbed as she gave me their schedule and what each likes and doesn't like. What bedding they are allergic to and what they like for snacks. She knew everything about them and I know it was really hard for her to get rid of them but knew she had to. She said made sure you get them to the vet ( I didn't even know you took guinea pigs to the vet... maybe that's why Baby didn't fair so well) and sent home bags of supplies. She even had a leash for them... I'm telling you these guinea pigs were like her babies. But she was so happy that Audrey was so excited literally jumping around when she found out they were going home with us. And now that I see how well they were cared for I am glad we took them too. I know it was hard for Miss Ashley but they have come into a good home. Now that I am done with school I have a lot more 'free' time and this is something Audrey really wanted so I have no problem in the least taking them to help someone else out.

So this Spunky... He is huge! I did not expect them to be this big but I guess this is a full grown size. Baby never made it to that size.

And this is Cookie

So yes, they will be more work and something else to worry about but for Audrey it makes it all worth it :))

When life gives you lemons you make lemonade... right?

Initially I had this big whiny post in my head about how crappy things were lately. Normally I am one to keep a smile on my face all the time but lately its tough. Water heater blew up last week flooding the basement, my dad was in the hospital for 5 days, we had a absolute tragic and sudden loss of a young family member followed by Chris' truck blowing up and now we are down to one vehicle. Not to mention it blew up while I was driving... on I-75... and my phone was dead. Yeah.. I was that person walking down I-75 in the cold rain on Sunday morning. And then I thought yea this all sucks... bad. But not as bad as others. I always feel like someone has it worse than us so it is stupid to whine about things when you think about others misfortune. The tragic loss of my cousin was awful but even more awful for his 13 year old daughter, his mother and sisters who had to bury him. Thankfully my dad is now out of the hospital and after mopping up inches of water in the basement and changing a valve in the hot water tank we are taken care of. And the truck... well we are working on that today and although it is an inconvenience to only have one car for a few days it is not the end of the world. Yes, it was a rough morning that day I had to walk down I-75 but again it wasn't the end of the world. We got the truck towed and today hopefully we will have two vehicles up and running. So I guess where I am going with this is... I see people whining and crying on Facebook and in real life about trivial things while someones dad, brother, husband isn't coming home from Afghanistan. I guess I just sympathize more with military families because we've been there. I think daily about the soldiers not coming home and the ones who cannot be with their families during the holidays. So this morning while you are bitching on Facebook about how you had to get up for work or someone at Starbucks screwed up your coffee... this about someone less fortunate than you. I get it.. we all have bad days. But most likely someone has it worse than you.

Okay I am done with my rant. I just cannot take ungrateful people especially at this time of the year. Have a great Wednesday everyone. 

8 Year Plan: The Conclusion

Well it has been a long road but it is finally over. I have completed all of my coursework to graduate from college! It may have been an 8 year plan but at least it was a plan. That has been my motto for the last few years after becoming a wife, a mother and with Chris' military schedule, school took the back burner. I like to say "life happens" and it that is exactly what happened. After two years at Bowling Green I got married, had Audrey and then school was the least of my worries. After a few classes here and a few classes there when I had time to take classes I wasn't getting anywhere fast. But this was something I had to finish. Not for anyone else, not to prove anything to anyone, not to land that million dollar job but for me. It was something I needed to finish for myself. Plus I had a lot of money and time invested in this already so I was determined to get this done. So after bouncing around between majors and  transferring to Lourdes a more "non traditional student" 4 year school I got in the groove. At Lourdes I was one of the younger students in class of generally 15 people and I could go to campus 2 times a week and still keep a full load. Exactly what I needed with the schedule I was about to take on. 

It was January 2, 2012 and Chris left again for deployment. He was home for Christmas on leave and it was great but now he was leaving again for 9 months.  We all know how that went down as I believe it was my first blog post. So I laid in bed for a day feeling sorry for myself but had to get back up and that's exactly what I did. Two weeks later I started back at school after taking a year off. I had a full school load, worked part time and had a very energetic 3 year old all while Chris was deployed. Here is my 8 Year Plan blog post from almost a year ago when I first started classes... 8 year plan. While it got kinda messy sometimes going back to the school was the best decision I ever made! That semester while Chris was gone I made the Deans List and the groove continued into my accelerated summer classes where I also banged out 3 A's. Still not sure how I did all of that! Through a lot of tears and determination I think. 

Anyways here it is almost a year later and Chris is home from deployment, I just finished up my fall semester (probably on the Dean's List again) and I have my bachelors degree! Well, not officially yet but all of my coursework is finished and here within a few weeks I will have my bachelors degree. So for now, I have it! Chris supported me and my decision to go back to school all along. He knew that this was something that I needed to do for myself and although there were times he had to listen to me whine and run on only a few hours of sleep he was my biggest cheerleader! Along with my parents and their support I finally finished this up... maybe 8 years later but at least it is done.

So now what you ask? Well, now I am excited to spend the holidays with my family and concentrate on them without having to do research or work on homework. For a year straight now this has consumed my life and now I am excited to just work and spend time with Chris and Audrey. I may start looking for a job here coming in the new year but for now I am content where I work. It may be a serving/bartending gig but it pays great and the hours are amazing and I don't have to work at night. But that won't last forever and soon enough it will be time for that 'big girl job"! Also, now that school is over we would love to add onto our family so we will see where 2013 takes the Miller family. And eventually I would like to go to grad school... all in good time though. For now, it is time to enjoy the holidays and enjoy Chris being home :) Thank you everyone for all of the love and support during one of the most hectic years of my life! 

Welcome December

Welcome December and the Christmas season! I can't believe that it is December already. I can't believe Chris has been home for over 2 months and Christmas is right around the corner. And again, we are so lucky to have him home. Gets me thinking about the troops who are not home with their families this time of year even more. And the sacrifices those soldiers make along with their families. For our family we just have to be thankful to have Chris home so this will not be a sad post but more of a thankful post. You know, after deployment you take nothing for granted. I mean nothing. Having your spouse in a foreign country for almost a year at a time makes you appreciate life and your family even more. 

So this December I refuse to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Of course Santa will come for Audrey and we will do our family gift exchange but I want take it back to when it was about being together rather than the amount of money spent at the mall. This is not a tradition most of us are accustomed to anymore with Black Friday craziness and the million "have you got your Christmas shopping done yet?" questions. This probably sounds lame to most but this year I want Audrey to appreciate Christmas for what it's about and appreciate time with our family rather than ever toy commercial. Well, that's just me and our Christmas. Merry Christmas! 

All Crafty and Pinteresty

 Yesterday while at work I got a request from my brother, "You should have Audrey make us a star/angel for our Xmas tree. I know you guys are all crafty n pintresty." Okay we could do this! Since is almost December  and I knew that they already had their tree up I figured we should get going on this. Then I got home from work, made dinner, picked up the house a little, Chris was already falling asleep on the couch and I was exhausted to say the least. Could we do it tomorrow? No I work late tomorrow...so tonight it was. I had no plans of doing crafts tonight. Audrey was excited but I was not prepared or organized. Normally when I sit her down for a craft I have a plan, a clean work area, and newspaper laid if paint is involved. Obviously I had no plan, we were winging it (no pun intended) but it was a Christmas craft so we could figure it out. The digging began through the craft shelves and containers to include anything that we may need for a tree angel (which is what we decided to do). As I dump an arm load of supplies on the island where we work on crafts now I quickly realized that there is crap all over the place. Some of my school stuff, paper work, laptops, cups, just stuff that had accumulated from the day. I am tired by this point. So with one big arm motion I move everything over. Yes, we were getting this angel done but it was not going to be pretty. 

So now we have a work area... sorta. I grab a piece of card stock. That will suffice for newspaper. Dab a little blue paint on a napkin. Yes, we are out of paper plates which I normally use for painting but she's happy and this will work. She may be painting in her school clothes which is a big no no because normally we just use regular acrylic paint. But tonight I was not following any rules I was to tired for rules. She began by painting a styrophome cone blue for the body. Okay, in the meantime I will start cutting out some felt for the face and cutting pipe cleaners for the hair and halo. Now the wings... how in the world were we going to come up with wings from the supplies we had (which need some stocking by all means) I believe this will be under the tree from the big guy come Christmas. Anyways, Audrey was already on it! She took popsicle sticks and wrapped them with pipe cleaners... whatever works kid, this is your craft. And after burning both of our hands with the hot glue gun while trying to affix its face and wings our angel was done. 

And she will be the most beautiful tree angel ever.

 I was not pulling out my camera for this one. To much work to get it out, I believe the memory card was in my computer, the counter/house was a... well I already told you about the mess. So there are no fancy pictures for this one. Just a nice craft that ended in a quick tantrum because by now Audrey is tired to and she's full of paint, its getting late and she hasn't had a bath. Well, all in all it was a good night! Nothing a few cartoons won't fix and she's happy while I try and pick up a little bit of the mess.

So thanks for the great craft idea Ann, Andrew and Mom! I'm thinking this lovely art project by a 4 year old will not make it through until next year so if you will let us make you one ever year for your Christmas tree we would love that! 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Anyone who knows me knows my obsession with Christmas. It spans far beyond most. I love everything about Christmas but one of my favorite things are traditions and continuing traditions with Audrey. Since Audrey was 1 we would spend an afternoon at this cute little Christmas tree farm in Bowling Green cutting down our Christmas tree for that year. 

Here are the years past.. .just so I can reminisce :) 

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2010

I remember this year being ungodly cold. It wasn't much of an afternoon more of "pick one so we can get back in the car" lol Either it is always fun!

December 2011

This holiday season had a little hiccup that most know about. Chris spent September through December 23rd of 2011 away training for his deployment. Every year we go the day after Thanksgiving to get our tree but we couldn't go without him. So we waited until December 23rd to cut down our tree. The military can interfere with a lot but I refuse to let it interfere with our tradition especially when it comes to Christmas! So we waited until he came home on leave and he cut our tree down like every year in the past! 

And that takes us back to 2012 and cutting our tree down on the day after Thanksgiving! A tradition I hope to continue as long as the cute little tree farm is there!

I photoshopped this one a little bit for my Facebook pic... don't mind that :)

Hoping to get these framed or on a canvas soon!

What a great afternoon getting our tree. I think this is one of my favorite parts of the holidays. Making the drive to BG listening to Christmas music, walking up and down rows of Christmas tree, finding the perfect tree and spending the evening decorating the tree in the warm house. I love it all! And as Audrey starts to get older I think it is something she looks forward to as well. 

Weekend up North and the Nature Mobile

Last weekend before Thanksgiving we took a mini road trip up to my dads. We spend the weekend hunting, relaxing and enjoying the lovely fall weather. Audrey only lasts so long tromping through the woods so a lot of the time the boys left us behind. That was okay with us we stayed close to the house and went on a nature walk to gather materials for a craft.

So quiet and peaceful

We could have stayed out here for hours

A nice collection of leaves, sticks, grass, and whatever else would fit into our bucket

Once we got back to Ohio we added a few other things we had laying around. Fake pine cones because we didn't make it far enough back into the woods to find any, bells, and some yarn for our mobile.

And the finished product... Audrey practiced tying and we had a Nature Mobile with a collection of goodies!

The weekend up North was just what we needed. A little break for work, school and the city. Traded in for hunting, fires, country livin' and relaxation. I'll take that any day over the hustle and bustle of life here in Ohio. And it was the first weekend Chris had been up to my dads since returning from deployment I know he had fun and we were so happy to have him home with us :)

2 months later

Well Chris has been home from deployment for officially 2 months! What?! Seems like he has been home forever. During the deployment 2 months seemed to just drag on but now it seems like we have done so much in 2 months. And it's almost the holidays and things could not be better here. Like I have said before of course we have our arguments it's not always perfect but no marriage is. And overall things are great! The last 2 months we have went on vacations, concerts, just making up for the last year and it has been wonderful. After a nice little break from work I had to go back and shortly after Chris' leave was over he to went back to work. So add in school for me, gymnastics and swim class for Audrey on top of prepping for the holidays and life is, well... crazy. But I would have it no other way. Although sometime I feel like I am going to have a nervous breakdown it is nothing compared to while Chris was gone. Now he can help me with Audrey's schedule, housework and helping with the dog. And he really does! The adjustments have come easily and I think life is better now than pre-deployment. I think this deployment changed both of us.. but in a good way. Neither of us are the people we were before deployment but I think this change is a good thing. Things couldn't be better! And now, 2 months later I don't think we are still in that "honeymoon stage" as they call it after deployment. I think life is falling into place beautifully after deployment.

Okay, enough of what I think. The holidays are coming up... my absolute favorite time of the year and with Chris home this year I nearly tear up everything I think about it! This weekend we are headed North to my dads for a weekend of hunting, fishing, and trapping in the cold, fall weather of Michigan.We are so excited! This is Chris' first trip up to my dads since coming home from deployment and he has been talking about this weekend for weeks. I am glad we were able to fit this in among our busy schedule. 

And before we know Thanksgiving is next week. We will be hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year and I am nervous and excited all at the same time. My mom is still cooking the turkey because that's what she does. But maybe this year I will be assisting her with it so I can begin to learn the process of this wonderful art she has perfected. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because our family gets together, eats, drink, plays board games and just relax... something we don't get to do much.

The day after thanksgiving we go cut our Christmas tree down and the enjoy the day together, just the 3 of us. And the Christmas season is in full force! So with the madness and craziness of our schedule we will continue on this journey after deployment. Sometimes it seems as if he was never even gone.. I like it that way :)

Water Color Turkeys

Audrey and I made these one night last week and of course I'm just getting them posted. School is consuming my life... rightfully so, it is my last semester before I graduate and it is the last 4 weeks. But it is almost over and I will have my sanity back and a little "free" time. With all the madness we do still find time to squeeze these little projects in I just don't always get them posted as I would like. So here we go... watercolor turkeys!

Since my lovely hubby got me a Keurig for Mother's Day last year I have a whole stack of coffee filters for my old machine that I no longer need. Great, we will use them for crafts! Just color with markers for this one!

Any design or colors you want

Then comes the fun part which I have no pictures of. Take the coffee filter and fold it in half and then half again and keep folding until it looks like a piece of pie. Run just the tip under water... hence, the reason I have no pictures. Because I couldn't wrangle Audrey in the sink with this and snap pictures so you'll have to take my word for it. Anyways once you get the tip wet move the water across the entire surface getting as much water out as possible. Then set out to dry. Note, in the left of the picture.

While your filter is drying make your turkey body! You can do this however you want using whatever you supplies you have to make it look like a turkey.

And once the filter is dry just glue it to the body! Easy Peasy Thanksgiving Turkeys! Although our Thanksgiving crafts have been fun we are about to head to Christmas crafts because with Thanksgiving next week and my love for Christmas it is time! Have a great weekend everyone!