4 Weeks Down!

Week 4 has come and gone very quickly. Chris has made it to his final destination in Afghanistan and the communication has been much less frequent. His phone does still have service and we have been able to talk to him intermittently. A few phone calls, a few text messages but his days are our nights and our nights are his days so we have not talked to him that much. Although it is wonderful to talk to him, now that he has finally made it in country I feel like we can finally start moving on with life here. It may sound crazy but for awhile now it seems as life has been on hold here. Now the countdown begins until he gets home and finally we can get this over with. So we take no phone call or text message for granted and they mean so much more now. It is wonderful when we hear from him but we have to go on with life here. So that is what Audrey and I must do no matter how hard it is without him home.

This week has been another busy week and add in my car in and out of the shop makes it 10 times more stressful. I would like to thank EVERYONE who has helped or offered to help me this week trying to keep up our busy schedule with the car fiasco! The outpouring of love for our family from people who are offering to help us is amazing!! I cannot name the amount of people that have done even the small things to help us out while Chris is gone. It is so wonderful to know how much support our family has during such a hard time.

Also, all the mail and gifts sent to Audrey has been wonderful. She is so blessed to have people like you in our lives. The amount of people who have asked for our address and Chris' address to send things is amazing. The outpour of love for our family is more than I ever imagined and we are very thankful. We are truly blessed for the support we have while Chris is gone.

 This week Audrey and I made Valentines Day cards for Chris and sent him out a quick envelope of some love from home. We also received a hand written letter from Chris this week! What a wonderful surprise to get that! It was better than any email, text message or facebook post!

Glitter makes everything more fun!

So does paint!

Sending some love for Daddy!!

Sending some love from home :)

Audrey also spent some time with her friends this week!!

We hung out with Cheech and Taylor on Friday where playing with a box is way more fun than toys.

We got lunch with McKenzie, Lucy and Baby JoJo on Sunday at our work. Our schedule is so busy but it is nice to make some time for friends and for me to have some adult interaction.

We got out another package this week too. I have been keeping a journal since the beginning of January to write down anything that happens during our days here. Now it is even more crucial since I cannot talk to Chris about our life here on a daily basis. I was going to send it to him in bigger chunks but I have accumulated quite abit of writings so I decided to send it to him now. We added in a little coloring from Audrey into that package.

Also, this week our friend Jeramiah was in town and stopped by my work to visit! I met Chris through Jeramiah when they were in the Marine Corps so it is always so nice to see him... I also made him write Chris a letter while he was in town. Which was a struggle for him but I am sure that Chris will enjoy that!

As for our letter project this week fittingly we chose "C is for Car"! She had to paint it red like Daddy's car!

Add on some tires..

Note the "Army Guys" (as Audrey calls them) driving the car. She even made me draw on seat belts. We found that picture in a magazine and she said, "It is not my dad but they can drive his car because they are at the Army."

 C is for Car

Also, this week while driving to the store Audrey seen an American flag flying and asked me if that was where dad was (as in the building where the flag was). I began to sob. Literally. The reasoning and thinking of a 3 year old is amazing. She doesn't understand where her dad is all she understands is that, "he is at the Army." But when she seen the American flag she correlated the two and wondered if Dad was simply down the road where this flag was flying. This statement made by such a naive mind made me so proud that unbeknown to her she knew what that flag stood for! I quickly regained composed because I rarely cry around Audrey now and explained to her that no her dad was not in that building. But how important that flag is to us and how proud we are of her dad!!

God Bless our Troops.

To finish up week 4 Audrey and I had a girls night! We took bubble baths, did deep conditioning treatments on our hair, painted our nails, ate junk food, and drank hot chocolate. It was so nice to just relax and not do anything. I think we deserved it and I feel much more refreshed to start another week. Hopefully my car will be finished this week and the weather says that it is suppose to reach 50 degrees this week!

I cannot believe we are done with our 4th week already! This week we will welcome February and before we know it we will be welcoming October and Chris home!

A Special Breed of Women

This guy can be kind of obnoxious but this video makes me smile and he has some very good points. Military wives are a special breed. 

Who Doesn't Know How To Spell Their Own Last Name?!!

Today I received a text message from my friend Jacq wondering if I spelled our last name wrong on our Valentines Day tree from my post yesterday. I literally looked at the text message, laughed (thinking how could I screw up such a simple name) went back and looked at the tree and responded, "No, it is right." Then jumped on the blog and scrolled past the picture and then stopped and looked at that picture. Crap, Oh my God! It is spelled wrong! I spelled our OWN last name wrong... and did not even notice! I feel like for the last week I have been living in a fog! Chris has officially made it into Afghanistan, my car has been in and out of the shop, and carrying on our busy life here has been rough. I finally wanted to sit down and have some craft time with Audrey last night and I cant even keep that straight!

There it is "The Milliers"! Oh my I am cracking up!! Just goes to show you how crazy life has been here... who doesn't know how to spell their own last name?!

But I am leaving it... simply so I have something to smile about when I see it :)

Our All Seasons Tree

Tradition and family are two very important things to us. So when Chris would not be home for the holidays until December 23rd we refuse to let that get in the way of our traditions. Every year we drive down to Bowling Green and cut down our own Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving as a family. Well since he was not home for Thanksgiving that tradition would have to wait. We decided to wait until he got home on the 23rd to go get our Christmas tree... so we could do it together, as a family :) Anyways long story short my Christmas obsession took over and I could not wait until the 23rd to have a tree in the house. So I bought a little 3 feet fake tree so Audrey and I had a "tree" until Chris was home. Well Christmas has come and gone and I have become a bit attached to this little tree and just couldn't put it back into the attic with the other Christmas stuff.  So we will make it an "All Seasons Tree"! I kept some winter/snowman stuff on it but we are ready for February so bring on Valentines Day!

I stuck it in the kitchen and it already has prelit colored lights I added some heart garland stuff I found at the dollar store but the "real decorations" Audrey and I made!

Lots of cut out hearts..

Some practice with scissors...

"This one looks like butt cheeks!"

-Audrey

 Some lips..

And of course PAINT!

After letting the hearts dry I punched a few holes in the top and strung them on fishing line. You could use ribbon or string but I used all things we had at the house. Plus, we have tons of pink stuff around the house so this one was easy for us!

I used some tulle and pink ribbon for "garland" and our Valentines Day tree was finished!!

And yes, that is a tutu for the tree shirt! I made that 2 Halloweens ago for Audrey's costume but came in handy for our tree!

And just a picture I thought was cute of Audrey...

"I Love You Because..."

Since Chris left I have been so worried about Audrey and her adjustments that sometimes I forget about myself or even Chris' feelings sometimes. I started a countdown for myself! I got original idea from my friend Jess when her boyfriend was in Iraq recently and put a little spin on it for a better visual. "I Love You Because..." Everyday I take a piece of paper and write, "I Love You Because..." then date it and tape it to that date on a large wall calendar. Once each month is over I will take them off and send them to Chris. Helps to countdown the days since he has left but also will give us something to talk about, laugh about and maybe even cry (well at least me of course). 

Over half way through January already!!

Can you tell 2 girls live here with these colors?!

3 Weeks Down!

It has been 3 weeks since Chris left after New Years Day. The adjustments are coming easier and a life is starting to settle in a bit. This last week was a long and sometimes stressful week but also a week I knew would come. Classes started this week which I actually really enjoy them! It is kind of nice to go to class rather than to work a few days a week. I also got my new camera this week that I love! It is defiantly going to take some time getting used to it but I think it will be so fun. Tickets for the Miranda Lambert concert are bought for our girls night out in March! We seen her over the summer in concert and I cannot wait to see her again in Toledo. March will be such a busy month for us :) But we need to be busy so why not do as many things as possible!

I don't know why I thought that if I bought a new camera it would somehow make Audrey smile :)

This was last weeks picture. No cooperation lol

We had a mini "vacation" this last weekend when my car decided to not start while leaving work in BG on Friday. I had to leave it and that left me without a vehicle all weekend so we stayed at my moms to have use of her car so I could at least go to class Saturday morning. What a stressful time when you have car problems so hopefully the car will be back in action today and the search for a new car will begin. Although I should have started this search months ago. It was nice to see everyone this weekend but I was ready to be home. I do not have time to be without a vehicle especially when Chris is not home. He drives a stick or I would just drive his car but I am sure it is not a shocker that I do not know how to drive stick. So hope for the best today :) Thank you to everyone who helped us out this weekend during this stressful time!

We stayed busy this week with school, work, and crafts! Audrey received some mail this week (Thank You Megan!) and she has been adjusting well. What I have noticed is that she isn't asking about Chris as much lately unless I bring him up. So I have made it a priority to look at more pictures and videos. I try to keep her busy but I do not want her to be to busy to forget about Chris. She did talk to him last night for a second but lately the adjustment is taking a different form. This week I am hoping to get a "Daddy Doll" ordered for her and once he gets his new computer he will be able to skype more. All of these visuals are a must for Audrey and to help her with coping.

Chris left Mississippi yesterday and when I talked to him for a second this morning he had made it to Germany on his way to Afghanistan. What another stressful aspect of my weekend! But it sounds like he should have internet access and use of his phone for awhile so hopefully we will be able to talk to him. This morning I woke up feeling alot better than last night (refer to previous post) Homework, coffee, workout, and the day begins. I at least heard from him this morning which gave me a bit more motivation to get moving this morning. Week # 3 is over already and now we countdown the days until he is on a flight coming home.

He Left Today

Since Chris left back for Mississippi 3 weeks ago I knew this day would come. Although subconsciously I thought they would continue pushing back this day due to bad winter conditions in Afghanistan. But the day finally came where he had to get on that plane to leave the states and it couldn't come at a more stressful time (my car took a crap on Friday) All weekend he had been packing and been in contact with Audrey and I but I knew I would get that inevitable last text message that said, "the plane is going to take off, I will call you when I can." He will make a few stops in the US but then head oversees through the night tonight. He was able to call earlier and Audrey was able to talk to him but she doesn't understand what is going on now. We looked at some more pictures of Chris and maps to try and show her what states and countries he will stop in on his journey to Afghanistan. While in Mississippi it has been wonderful to talk to him but already as night 1 slowly starts I can see it beginning to get harder as the communication begins to diminish as he travels. If anyone would like Chris' address in Afghanistan to send packages or letters please email or message me. Anything you would be able to send would be wonderful I am sure he would appreciate it very much as the months go on.  As he leaves the states today, we all know it won't be long until he is on a flight back to the states and back home for good :) As for us here, we will keep busy with our schedule and after a hectic weekend I am ready for things to settle down a bit. We are so very proud of what Chris does and will be counting down the says until he is home again with Audrey and I. God Bless Our Troops <3

Becoming More Domestic: Chicken Ranch Lasagna

One thing we do love here at the Miller house is ranch! We put it on everything so why not give Chicken Ranch Lasagna a shot!

 Ingredients:
-Lasagna noodles
-Chicken breast cut into cubes
-Dry ranch packet
-Evaporated milk (2cans)
-Shredded mozzarella and shredded cheddar cheese

 This is so simple... even for me!

First, boil the noodles...which I almost forgot to do. I mean the box said "oven ready lasagna" not sure if that means not to cook them prior but the back of the box had boiling directions.. so I just covered all ends. I even began to layer them in the pan prior to boiling. Sad, I know. I told you I am blind in the kitchen!

Next, cook chicken (which I DO know how to do) and then mix evaporated milk and ranch packet and heat over medium heat until it begins to thicken. My first time ever using evaporated milk... ever. For anything. So I was a bit apprehensive and had no idea where to even find it at the grocery store. But it mixed wonderfully with the ranch and thickened nicely for the lasagna.

Possibly the only time I have ever had 3 pans going at the same time.

.

Then simply layer the noodles, chicken, ranch mixture, and cheese until you pan is fun.

Cook for 30-35 mins at 350 and it turned out perfect!

I cannot say that this is probably the healthiest dish but it sure was good on a cold January day!

The only thing I would change for next time is maybe adding some Red Hot into the mix and making it like a Spicy Ranch Chicken Lasagna!! Not so kid friendly because Audrey doesn't like hot stuff but I am sure Chris and I would enjoy it! Week #3 recipe was also a success short of the noodle fiasco but hey, I am learning! Thinking maybe trying a dessert for week #4!



How did I not know about this?!

While at the grocery store a few days back I noticed this carton of Iced Coffee near the coffee creamer. I have never seen it before nor had I heard of it but once I seen it I threw it in my cart because I knew must try it! I drink ALOT of coffee during the day... maybe a bit to much but its the only way to keep the motor running.



 I couldn't tell you how much it was because I didn't check all I knew is that it may become a staple item at the Miller house. I can tell you however I bought it at Meijers and am very impressed. You do not have to add anything to it... simple shake and pour over ice. I am all about turning that mornings left over coffee into an iced coffee in the afternoon or blending it up with vanilla ice cream but this is so simple!No need to do anything and a perfect afternoon "pick me up" after work or class!! Granted, there is a bit of sugar and if you are more of a black coffee drinker it may not be for you. The carton says there is also Original as well as Mocha flavors... so I may be giving those a shot soon.

Today I mixed in a little bit of cinnamon and a bit of whip cream because I was feeling festive! I can see this being a must come summer time!

Deployment Details for Daddy

I did this when Chris was gone in the fall for training but on a much smaller scale. We saved everything that Audrey did. Coloring pages, crafts she worked on at school and home, cards, school evaluations... pretty much everything.

We put it in an envelope and wrapped it in Christmas wrap and it was one of the first things he opened when he got home for Christmas.

Audrey was very excited to show her dad all the things she worked on while he was away and I think he was excited to see the projects.

So I figured we would do this again but since the time away is much longer we will need to go bigger..

A roll of white paper and a big plastic tote.

I did the big words and Audrey colored the rest...

 Then we just taped it to the tote.. added a yellow ribbon and done!

Now anything that Audrey works on, things that are to big to ship, projects that come home from school as well as evaluation from school will go in this box. Even tickets or fliers from things we do together like concerts, the zoo, and movies. That way when Chris comes home and has time to look at this stuff he can. Even if he looks at one thing Audrey worked on everyday to readjust to being back home.

The 8 Year Plan

Anyone that has known me for awhile knows that my college career wasn't exactly "traditional". Well maybe my first 2 years at Bowling Green were traditional depending on who you ask. I lived on campus and friends, partying and spring breaks were more important than class and studying. I was young and stupid and although I had fun, I wish I could go back and redo the beginning at BG. After the partying started settling down and never taking school very serious I quickly became a wife and mother (and racked up a lot of student loans).... and that's when "life happened." Anytime someone would ask me about school I would say, "life happened" because it did. Being a wife and mother took precedent over school. For almost 4 years now I would take one semester on, one semester off, go part time never really finding the time to put priority into school. After many major changes and a few school transfers I found a "home" at Lourdes. And finally, after much deliberation I have decided to go back full time this semester and finally bang out this bachelors degree that will ultimately have taken me 8 years. Something I am not proud of but something that happens when you have a family and school takes the back burner. Now as Audrey gets older  and Chris is away I am finally able to make school a priority. So I started today and have a goal of at least a 3.5 GPA these last two semesters! Chris will be home around October and I will graduate in December and so life will be crazy until then but I need to keep busy, so why not add one more thing to my plate?! I may be crazy but this will be the only way I will finish up my degree. So I am plunging in head first and for once making school a priority... and I am REALLY excited about it :)

The Inevitable First Fight

You know those days when you wake up and just know it is going to be a bad day? Well yesterday was NOT one of those days!! Coffee, running, news, all in before 7am! Already off to a good start.... then Audrey shocked me by walking into the front room up and moving at 8:30am. Breakfast, hair, and dressed by 9am... this is fantastic! Then the meltdown started because we could not find her "pink blankie" to take to school. Turns out we left it at Donna's and she was not up yet that morning so I tried to talk her into taking her "good blankie" to school. She wasn't having it! Which I get it, she takes this pink blankie to school everyday and now I am expecting her to go without it. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty. She walked into school with an attitude and on the brink of tears but I had to leave for work. I mean I guess that is why we pay them so much money for preschool is so they can handle a 3 year old with an attitude. And she is so wonderful at school turns out the attitude was just a show for me because she was fine as soon as I left... go figure. Even with the meltdown I felt like it was going to be a marvelous day! I mean it was 51 degrees and the sun was out in the middle of January!! I could NOT have a bad day!

That was until the evening came around. We had dinner with Cheech and the kids and they were absolutely wonderful at dinner! Which is sometimes a hit or miss with a busy 3 year old and a curious 11 month old. But it went off without a hitch. Came home and jumped on facebook after Audrey went to bed where I caught wind that a soldier's family had made a trip to Mississippi to visit their soldier. And I was devastated. I didn't even know this was possible and I was so upset that Chris did not tell me. And this turns into a fight. Our first fight since he left 4 months ago. Married is a lot of work, any married couple will say that (and if they don't they are lying) and add in these excruciating circumstances and it will send you into stress overload. Chris tells me that he didn't couldn't do the "goodbye" again because it is easier for him...but it is not easier for me. I think it would have been good for Audrey and for myself to see Chris again before he leaves the states but he had other plans. So quickly my devastation turned into anger which escalated the fight even more. Then I was upset that we were even fighting in the first place... it felt so wrong considering the circumstances. He is about to leave for 9 months and here we are fighting about something that at this point I have no control over. He didn't tell me because he knew that Audrey and I would have been on a plane that day heading to Mississippi! But to me, at the time it seemed as if he did not want to see us. I know this is NOT the case but in the middle of my breakdown that is how it seemed. And I didn't take his feeling into consideration when I flew off the handle and got so upset but I guess this is what stress will do to you. The circumstances we are in right now are excruciating and exhausting on both him and I. They say "distance makes the heart grow fonder" but I think that is a bunch of crap. It is not easy spending everyday without your husband. And even though I am still able to talk to Chris that does not make this any easier and by this weekend the frequency of communication will end quickly.

I reached out to my friend Heather who has 3 teenage boys and whose husband got back from deployment last year. I just begged her to tell me that it was normal that we were fighting because it just felt so wrong. And she said it is normal, how to deal with it and what to do in future situations. Thank god for her because with not living near a military base there are not a whole lot of military families around here.

So after a emotional evening I went to bed and feel much more refreshed this morning. Chris and I will not agree on anything and I'd be crazy to pretend like we will. Marriage is hard work, but it its worth working hard for!

Update!!

For an update on the two recipes tried last week both were a success!

The only issue I ran into with the baked oatmeal was once the bananas were "stained" as Audrey calls it, she would not eat it anymore. Just from exposed to air the bananas on top started to brown a little bit. I still thought it was wonderful but Audrey was freaked out by the "stained bananas"! So next time I will only put the bananas into the dry ingredients that way she will not see them and will continue to eat it!

As for the Chicken Tortilla soup... it turned out wonderful! As it cooked in the crock pot all day the chicken began to fall apart. Giving it just a little stir was all that was needed when I got home from work that night! What a simple recipe for a cold January day. Add some shredded cheese, fat free sour cream and eat with tortilla chips and Audrey was happy. She never noticed the onions and if you add cheese and sour cream to anything she will eat it!! It was just a touch thin so less water or chicken broth next time but it is all about trial and error for me. The soup was a great lunch at work the next day also!

Becoming More Domestic: Baked Oatmeal

As we finish up Week #2, I was able to give 2 recipes a shot! First, was baked strawberry banana oatmeal and let me tell you it was AMAZING! I eat oatmeal about everyday and Audrey eats it a lot as well so I had to give this a try:

Dry ingredients:
2 cups Quick Oats
Cinnamon
Peanut butter chips
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking power
sliced strawberries
1 banana

Wet ingredients:
2 cups of milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons of melted butter
2 tsp. of vanilla

The original recipe I seen suggested using chocolate chips but we were all out so I threw some Reese's peanut butter chips in instead and I think it was probably better than the chocolate! Gave it just enough of a peanut butter taste with the strawberries and the bananas.

Audrey mixed all the dry ingredients excluding the banana into a greased pan. While I worked on the wet ingredients. After the dry ingredients are settled into the pan, slice up the banana and add some more strawberries to the top. I also threw in some more PB chips for fun!

Then added the wet ingredients over the top and let it settle into the bottom of the oats. Bake for a half hour and voila! I added some more brown sugar to the top and put it back in the oven and set it to broil for a few minutes. My first time ever using the Broiler on the oven. Chris would always use it when he would make stuff but I never knew what it was for (I know, I know, this is kids stuff!) Anyways that just took this from good to great! The brown sugar caramelized over the strawberries and bananas and it was like heaven!

Couple things I will change for next time:

1. Cut up the strawberries into smaller pieces that are in the dry ingredients. Big slices are good for the top for presentation but smaller pieces in the oats would be easier.

2. Add sliced bananas into the dry ingredients. Remember the sliced bananas are only on the top and Audrey and I love bananas so why not spread them throughout the oats!

This dish is almost like dessert and am considering making this for my sister's baby shower. How good would this be with a cup of coffee in the afternoon at a shower?! I am actually surprised how good it turned out. I will possibly always have this on hand for our busy mornings here rather than a package of premade oatmeal. Takes just as long to throw this into the microwave to heat it up!

I also tried out Chicken Tortilla Soup! I love it when we eat out but figured I would give it a shot in the crock pot!

Throw all of the following in the crock pot and stir:

1 onion

1 can of Ro-tel

1 can of corn

Chicken Broth

1 cup of water

1 taco seasoning packet

Then add 2 chicken breast.

How simple?! This is my kind of recipe!

 

I decided to leave out the beans because I want Audrey to eat this. I may have even crossed the line with the onions... next time I will chop them up much smaller so she will not even notice them.

Now I made this last night, put it in the fridge and will turn the crock pot on while I am at work today. Now look at that planning! Very unlike me! I will post a follow up after dinner tonight!

Put Your Rock Star Jacket On!

Scored tickets to the Fresh Beat Band Live in Sandusky in March! Unless you have a toddler you have no idea what I am talking about. I tried to tell my mom and sister about it and they thought I was off my rocker. Oh well, me and the kiddo will have fun! Hoping to stay in Sandusky that night and find something fun to do out that way the next day :) Every time the commercial comes on TV Audrey busts out these crazy dance moves and she insists I do the same. So I had to get tickets... they really are good when it comes to advertising! Replay the same commercial 75 times during one episode of Dora and they will break me down until I buy tickets. Should be a fun weekend for the Miller girls! March will be such a fun but busy month for us. Gives us something to look forward to as the months go on here.... plus we will be on the brink of Spring by then!