Unexpected, unplanned

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This two week visit with my brother has deviated vastly from our intended plans. After he returned from deployment, Josh was assigned slightly shorter than normal work days. He hasn’t had a day off since he returned from Iraq. Josh working was the only planned, expected part of this trip.

Monday through Thursday of last week, we had no internet access in the apartment. I brought my laptop with me so that I could complete my contract work and had told my employer that I would be available starting Tuesday. Unfortunately, we were missing a modem and it took a couple days for the apartment to provide one (we’re staying in two executive suites, since my brother’s two bedroom apartment wasn’t ready yet).

My mom was sick on Tuesday last week with a 24 hour stomach bug. My niece was sick on Wednesday. By Thursday night, since no one else had come down with it, we thought it might have run it’s course. Wrong! I got sick very early Friday morning and it lasted through Sabbath morning. I was running a fever and had typical stomach bug problems. Not fun whatsoever. Due to being sick, I missed out on visiting the local church. That was also a bummer.

Yesterday, I was feeling like my normal self and was finally able to finish a contract assignment. I am genuinely surprised I haven’t been fired yet, as I missed an unplanned week in December (snowed-in in Michigan) and last week due to no internet and being sick.

It looks like things are slowing down now. Last Wednesday, I was lucky enough to see my hubby for a few hours, as we had to take my niece back to Phoenix. I’m really looking forward to going home this Wednesday so we can be together again. It’s been almost three and a half years, but I don’t like being apart from him. Being away from him, with unscheduled days, on someone else’s timetable, and staying in an unfamiliar home or hotel, makes me even more thankful for my hubby and the life we have together.

This week, I’m planning on completing some additional contract assignments, finish reading a couple books, packing my stuff, and returning home to my hubby! I’m excited to settle back into being a homemaker. I love spending time with my biological family, but there really is no place like home.

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I love the internet!

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I have internet now!! I am so excited. I’ve missed four days of work this week due to ongoing internet issues at this apartment. Quick update…

My brother flew in Monday afternoon, safe and sound. He’s been working part time this week and our family has been spending the rest of the hours together. My dad, mom, and I are here all week. My niece was here earlier this week for a few days but had to go home last night. I’ll be here with my brother until sometime next week.

And I have internet now! The furnished apartment we’re renting was missing a modem and it took a couple days to get one delivered. But I have internet now! (Can you tell I’m excited?) Now I can get back to helping my hubby job search plus keep up with my contract job.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

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Soon and very soon…

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… my brother will be here! His flight arrives in seven hours. My mom is coming to pick me up in two hours and I haven’t even packed.

Supposedly we’ll have internet at the apartment we’re staying in, so I should be able to keep posting this week. I hope so!

Have a great day everyone!

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Preparation day

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Today has truly felt like Preparation day. I baked two loaves of bread (one for us and one for lunch at the pastor’s house tomorrow). Then I made two jars of homemade spaghetti sauce, also for tomorrow. I wasn’t too impressed with the sauce, but I’ll reserve judgment until I eat in on spaghetti noodles. It just didn’t have that much flavor, even though I spiced it and let it simmer for 3 hours.

Our church clothes are pressed and hanging in the bedroom. We have clean sheets and clean towels. The entire apartment has been vacuumed and the kitchen is spotless! My hubby was incredibly nice today and washed, dried, and put away all the dishes while I completed other housework. I love my hubby!

In the middle of all that, I completed a rush assignment for my contract job. Whew!

Happy Sabbath, all! I hope your day of rest and time spent with the Lord goes well.

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13, NLT).

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Brief update

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Early next week, my mom, my niece, and I are headed down to southern Arizona to meet my brother. He’s on his way home from Iraq! We’ll be staying in his new apartment for 11 days until his leave starts. Then, my dad and brother will be staying at my house for two weeks or so.

I am so overwhelmed with preparations! I was just given another work assignment, though it will only take a couple hours to complete. I also have to pack for the trip. I have to pack my brother’s stuff, as he left all of his civilian clothes and personal belongings at my house. Plus, hubby and I are attending evangelistic meetings Thursday night, Friday night, and all day Sabbath. I have to go shopping and cook for the meal on Sabbath afternoon. And I have to clean out the spare bedroom so that my brother and dad will have a place to stay when they come back to Phoenix for Josh’s leave. I thought I would have more time to clean the spare bedroom, but we didn’t originally plan on staying with him for 11 days first!

On top of all that, I still have to help hubby with his job searching. My work and hubby’s job searching are more important than anything else on my to do list, but I’m going to try to fit everything in. I am going to be very happy when Sabbath arrives.

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Free Quiznos sub

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I wasn’t sure if I was going to post today, but when I found this offer, I had to share.

Visit this Quizno’s site and register for their email list to receive a free small sub. The first million people will receive a printable coupon which can be redeemed at their stores. Hubby and I each signed up so we’re getting a free lunch tomorrow!

Thanks to SwagGrabber for posting about this deal.

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Praise report

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Praise the Lord! I just received an email from Half.com to let me know that $150.13 will soon be deposited in our checking account. It’s not easy selling off your belongings, but the sacrifice is worth it. Less to clean and more money available to pay bills.

I know we will survive this period in our lives. It’s a great learning experience to watch the Lord work in your life. He is definitely working in ours.

“But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill” (Psalms 3:3-4).

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Books, books, and more books

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I love to read. I’m addicted to books. If we could afford it, I’d get a job at Barnes and Noble just so I could reinvest in their store by cashing my paycheck and then shopping for books. 😉 That’s how much I love to read.

Unfortunately, my budget does not support my book habit. I love libraries, but the two nearest us have a very minimal selection. They don’t carry 95% of the books that I’ve looked for. Earlier this week, hubby and I decided to visit the public library in the next town over. We signed up for library cards and came home with a huge stack of books.

I have developed a system to organize my future reading lists. Whenever I read a book recommendation on a blog, I visit Amazon’s website or the author’s website. If the book looks like one I will enjoy, I add it to my Amazon wish list. On Monday, I printed off my wish list and then searched the library’s website to find the call letters for each book. When we visited the library, I just had to go through the rows and pick up each book. Simple!

I’ve thought about requesting the library to pull the books for me, but I enjoy browsing. That way, I can pull any additional books that look promising. This last trip, I only allowed myself a couple extra books, as my reading list was already quite long. As I continue reading blogs and receiving recommendations, I’ll add titles to my library wish list on Amazon. This way I’ll always have a list of highly recommended books to read!

This is the stack of books we brought home this week. The pile on the left is mine and the right stack is hubby’s. The book standing upright is the one I’m currently reading. Have I mentioned that I love books?

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Baking day

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Today was all about baking. Well, mostly. I baked two loaves of Amish White Bread and one loaf of banana bread. I was going to make two loaves of banana bread, but then I realized that the recipe called for three bananas per loaf instead of two and I only had four total.

I really like my banana bread recipe. It’s very simple and pretty healthy in that it’s dairy free and low fat.

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Mix bananas and applesauce together. Fold in dry ingredients. Add walnuts and coconut. Bake in greased pan for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

The only disappointment today was that I realized two of my bread pans are rusted. I had to throw them out. I’m not sure how safe rust is, but I really didn’t feel like eating it. During the week, I usually hand wash all of my dishes. But over the weekend, I let dirty dishes pile up and then ran the dishwasher. Now my bread pans are ruined.

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