Finding harmony in family, finance & military life

 I know it has been a long time since you all have heard from me, well no fear all is well in my world and I hope all is well in yours! I admit it has been crazy with recovering from Lyme disease, going to college full time online, breast reduction surgery and then we started homeschooling all five of our littles so you can see why I have not been posting. That does not mean I have not wanted to because I have just way to much going on to unclog the writers block or perhaps not enough to inspire it free.   The reason I am writing a post today is to share something big, really big, that we are getting ready to do. This month despite all of our normal chaos we have been led to host a huge fundraiser for a friend of ours who just happens to be as crazy as me right down to the house full of kids, hubby in the military and homeschooling to boot! What is the fund raiser for? Why to add to their family tree of course! You see she and her husband both felt the call to adopt a d...

It is breast cancer awareness month. We are commanded to love not only others but ourselves and part of loving ourselves is to take care of our bodies. Schedule your mammograms, do self breast exams, eat well, think positive, laugh a lot, and pray often. If you are called to give this month please research before doing so, this will ensure your money is going where it is most needed.

My brain is killing me but I could not leave all of my faithful readers hanging so here is a quick update: I PASSED!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!! I AM GOING TO COLLEGE!!!!! FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I passed my placement test. I stomped reading and writing, then did well (not my best, but well) in computer and pre-Algebra. Algebra I did not do so well in and will be taking a review class in that this semester. Honestly I was expecting that I was screaming at my computer and banging my head on the desk while studying. Algebra is not my friend! Enough about that stinky subject though the important thing is I passed, I am going to college!! I applied for a bunch of grants after I filled out my FAFSA and got my award letter today too. I will not have to pay anything praise the Lord! I feel so blessed, I just can not believe it! Ok I am gonna go now I feel like mush that test is killer. Thank you all so much for praying and believing!

I wanted to post a link to the new commissary coupon policy. No more stacking of any kind will be accepted even on coupons that do not exclude the stacking of coupons which I have never had a problem using in the past. I am not happy but I don't make the rules I just have to follow them. Here is the link.  Will I still shop at the commissary? Yes, I earned the right to shop there you better believe I am gonna use it! They will still have great sales that I can take advantage of without stacking coupons. Will I start watching sale prices at other stores a little closer to get a better deal then DeCa? You better believe it!  I have watched prices rise and fall at the commissary enough to question the "law" they claim keeps them from charging above cost and does not allow them to make a profit. Why else would they charge up to 10 cent more per pound for bananas then other stores in the area? Grab your note books ladies and start tracking prices if you find a bette...

My application to be a student at Wayne Community College has been received along with my instate tuition application.  Military and their dependents living in the state of North Carolina can apply for in state tuition rates which is a huge money saver. My GED transcripts have still not been received. There is still no word on where my VA paper work went, but that is part of the joy of being a veteran. Multiple applications for scholarships have been filled out, essays written. I have scheduled my placement test and official class registration for August 9th at 1:30pm. Please pray for me especially on that day, during that time and all the days leading up to it. I have not stepped foot in a class room setting since Tech School twelve years ago prior to that I was home schooled. Tech school was a whole new world and I thrived in the class room, now college is a whole new world and the unknown scares me just like it did in the days leading up to Basic Training and Tech School. At...

I love waking up early, I really do. The shower is always hot, the house is always quiet, I can be perfectly content in my own little world at 5:15 am. Often my early morning routine has me heading out of the house for the gym then heading home to work out some more. I do my best to cram in my Bible reading and prayer time in the minutes between Brent leaving for work and the kids waking up in a wave of "mommy I am hungry"s and "mom there is no more toilet paper" oh and my favorite "mom I have nothing to wear!". On days the wave hits before I find time to just be with the Lord I make a mental note to find that moment later in the day, often I forget completely. I have been working hard to let that happen less. I want that moment! I crave that moment! Ok in all honesty I need that moment! I have noticed over the years the days with that moment have a much easier current almost like that "moment" is my blow up raft that gets me through th...

Exciting news on the front!! I am in the process of enrolling in college!! Woohoo!!! I bet you all thought you were reading a blog written by an educated woman but that is not the case. Let me rephrase that I am educated of my own accord I research, I get info, I retain it and share it so in that sense I am educated. I have just never pursued a college degree and I am so excited. Now I had no idea the application process involved with enrolling in higher education. I have applied to get into the college, applied for GED transcripts, applied for GI Bill benefits and applied for FAFSA because I will only get 50% of the GI benefits I applied for. Long story on the GI Bill thing but that is for another day.  I have applied my butt off and it isn't done yet. Currently I am applying for scholarships and grants pretty much anything that will help cover costs beyond what I should have covered using the Post 9/11 GI Bill. At first it seemed everything out there was closed out for the ye...