Now that the deployment is coming to an end, one would thing we would have the timing of phone calls down, unfortunately we do not. I know he thinks that I have spent the entire time he’s been gone stressing out, yelling and generally being annoyed with the girls.

Yes, there have been a lot of those type of moments, but not all the time, just every time he calls.

I’ve written before about the morning of dog diarrhea that followed a night of kid-puke; he called at the exact moment that I discovered the dog diarrhea, so yes I was stressed.

Then yesterday we were at WalMart. We were fine wandering around looking at things. The girls were fine. Then he called just as we got to the frozen pizza aisle. So as I am trying to talk to him, the Big One is darting in between people trying to open every door and whining that she wanted every kind of pizza in the cases.

Meanwhile I am trying to maintain a conversation with him, while assuring that the Big One didn’t completely disappear into the abyss of people that is a Super WalMart on a Saturday morning. So yes, I was a little stressed and annoyed all at the same time.

Of course then he gets angry that I am not devoting 100 percent of my attention to him, so he ends the conversation and then I feel guilty for the rest of the day. It’s a great cycle.

Then this morning, I took 20 seconds to walk out the front door and halfway down the driveway to get the newspaper. Guess who called during those 20 seconds? I swear the phone must have started ringing the millisecond that I closed to front door to go out and then stopped ringing the millisecond I opened the door. I didn’t even hear it. Of course the girls were yelling, “Your phone was ringing!” as soon as I got in the door.

So now I sit and wait for him to call back. I know as soon as he does, he will make some smart comment about me still being asleep at 8 a.m. Then I will get annoyed because I haven’t slept that late in ages. Ahhhh, I love the drama of morale phone calls.

So we were all excited to put the Christmas tree up.  It’s been hard enough for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year. I am just not quite feeling it.  It’s very sad because the girls are both really into it and I am not.

I started playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving (horrific I know!).  But I knew that I was going to need all the motivation I could muster.  I know that we will still have a wonderful Christmas.  I know the girls have no real idea what it means for Daddy to not be here.  And I know that we will get through it.  I just hope and pray that we can enjoy the holiday season, and not just survive it.

So anyway, the outlets were working and I dragged the 200-pound fake Christmas tree into the house.  I have never been a fake tree person, but when we were at Wright-Patt  we found this great tree at a great price and bought it.  It’s made things easier to not have big fights over what real tree looked best!

So I pull out all eight zillion branches, sort them all by color (with my trust 2-year-old assistant).  And was ready to start the assembly process.   I look in the box, pull out the four-legged stand, set it up and then picked up the main support for the tree.

I tried to put it into the stand and it wasn’t working.  Clearly something was missing.  I set the tall branch down, go look in the box and find it’s empty.

I ask the Little One if she took anything out of the box.  No, she didn’t.  I am missing a rather important part to my tree. So now I cannot put the tree up.

The problem is the Big One is so excited to decorate the tree after preschool, I have to do something.  We live in the middle of nowhere, pretty much. We have an Albertson’s and a Rite Aid for shopping choices. I don’t have time before the Big One gets picked up from school to drive the 20 minutes to Wal-Mart and buy another one.

So we headed to Rite Aid figuring we will get whatever they have. It’s a good thing I didn’t have my heart set on having a big huge full tree.   The one green tree that they had claimed it is 6-feet tall. I knew it was going to be bad when I saw the size of the box.  I am not exaggerating at all, it is about 1/8 the size of our regular tree’s box.

The Little One and I bought it and then headed up to pick up the Big One from preschool.  I didn’t say anything to the girls about a tree, just fed them lunch and put them upstairs for resting time.  As I took the 12 minutes to set-up the new tree, it took everything I had to not cry.  This tree was not going to help me get into the Christmas spirit.  It was sad.  It was pathetic.  It was a cheesy, skinny tree like you’d see in a bank lobby.

Oh well, I put one strand of lights on it and called it done. When the girls got up from their naps and came downstairs, the look on the faces defied the $20 I paid for the tree.  They were thrilled to have a tree in the house.  They were over the moon excited to put the ornaments on it.

It was a good lesson in perspective for me.  They don’t care how big it is, or how full it is, they just knew we had a tree to decorate.

We have been so blessed over the past year.  And my girls helped me to remember that focusing on what we have instead of what we don’t have is going to be the key toward getting through and enjoying the Christmas season this year.

Of course, the Husband’s presence will be missed enormously. But he will be home shortly after the New Year. YAY! We are getting closer!

Murphy’s law is an adage that broadly states: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

So I had been having challenges with the computer, as I’ve told y’all.  The other day, I came downstairs to check my e-mail before the girls got up.  The 10 minutes in the morning with a hot cup of coffee is usually an indicator of how the day will go.

If I get to enjoy 10-15 minutes of coffee, it’s generally a good day.  If I don’t well, it’s usually a long day.

So I made some coffee and sat down in the computer chair.  The monitor was black, as usual.  It goes to sleep at night. So I jiggled the mouse to wake it up.  Nothing happened.  And it was silent.  There was no chugging coming from the self-destructing hard drive.  Then I saw that the power lights were not illuminated.

So I figured we must have lost power during the night and I just needed to reset the power on the surge protector.  I crawled under the desk and fought with the 6 inches of dust (living in the desert is miserable!).  I turned the switch off and on and off and on and off  and on. Nothing.  No lights, no chugging, no nothing.  Then I noticed that the wireless router had no power either. I thought that was strange because it’s plugged into a different plug.

So I grabbed my jacket and headed out to check the circuit breakers.  It’s about 35 degrees outside and I was struggling to get the freezing cold metal box open.  My neighbor was leaving for work and came over to help me open it.  He had a tough time too, but managed to pry it open.

Everything was on.  So for good measure we flipped all the ones that say, “lights and plugs” (nice and vague, huh?) Figuring that solved the problem, I thanked my neighbor and wished him a good day at work.

I came back inside, still no power.  So I went out again and flipped all the switches that were marked for places downstairs.  I came in again.  Still no power.

So I grabbed the baby monitor (it’s the smallest thing around that is plugs in).  I took it around to all the outlets in the living rooms.  I found three outlets not working.  Well technically, 2.5 outlets not working.  One outlet is split between a wall switch and just a regular outlet.  So the half controlled by the wall switched works fine, but the other doesn’t.

It makes no sense to me. There is another outlet five feet away on the same wall as the one the computer is plugged into that works fine.  The half an outlet and another non-working outlet are on different walls.

Frustrated with it all, I got a big extension cord from the garage, plugged the computer into a different outlet and went about my day. I figured I’d deal with the outlets later.

By this time both kids are up and whining.  My coffee is cold and I am crabby.

Just for fun, I check later in the day and miraculously one outlet and one half of the “broken” outlets are suddenly working.  So now I have two outlets that are only half functional.

Did you follow that? The one split on the wall switch is still not working.  And the one the computer was originally plugged into is not working.   And to be honest with you, I don’t care anymore.  It’s at about the same spot as the lawnmower in terms of my priorities.

Murphy’s law is an adage that broadly states: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Chalk it up to another one of those things.  Yes, computer crash.  I know it will happen that’s why I back-up frequently. It’s again just one of those timing things.  We are fortunate that our deployment is short.  It’s only four months so one would think that the number of “Murphy’s Law” entries wouldn’t be that long.

I mean yes if we were subject to a 12- month deployment, I can see how lots of things might break or need repairing within a year, but four months?  C’mon.

So it started a few weeks ago, I was playing some dumb game on Facebook when the computer froze.  It happens often (but not often enough for me to stop playing dumb games!).

I tried to close my browser, all I got was that loud chugging sound.  You know the one that indicates the hard drive is working way too hard in there for a simple task like closing a browser.  As I sat there waiting for smoke to come out of the CPU, the screen went blue.

AHHHHHHH! The blue screen of death. The problem is that I hadn’t backed the computer up in about three weeks.

I went into panic mode.  I booted up the laptop and got a “registry” error.  Are you freaking kidding me?  Yes, we bought them both at the same time, on the same day but it cannot be possible that they would both self-destruct at the same exact moment.

I went to work on the laptop figuring it would be easier to fix than the blue screen of death.  It was.  I googled ways to get around the blue screen of death, without much success.

I couldn’t even get the thing to start up in “safe mode.”  So I turned it off, then turned it back on.  I then sat on the couch and started praying.  It didn’t seem to do any immediate good.  So after an hour of blue screen I went to bed.

I kid you not, when I came downstairs the next morning, my computer had re-booted and looked just fine.  The computer fairies came in the middle of the night.

I immediately backed everything up and waited.  It was slow, but still working.  Periodically the hard drive would start making the horrible chugging sounds as it seemed to be eating away at itself.  (at least that’s how it sounded!).  I proceeded to back up new files every day for about 2 weeks.

I gave up on it two days ago and now am still in the process of reloading all the important programs and drivers on the new one.   The silence coming from the new machine will take some getting used to.

Murphy’s law is an adage that broadly states: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

This time it’s not so much that it’s broken, but the timing of the need for a new battery.

This week has been tough. There has been a lot of puke and diarrhea.  There have been too many hours of crying and fussing and not enough hours of peaceful sleep.

So after getting everyone medicated and down for the night, I was optimistic that I, too, would get some well-needed sleep.

I headed up to bed and read for a while, then drifted off into sleepy bliss.  I will admit that I did get a very good chunk of sleep.  I slept for close to six hours, which is practically unheard of for me.

Something woke me up.  I heard a *chirp*.  In my brain I tried to rationalize that I was imagining it.  Or that it was the yippy dog that lives behind us.  *chirp*  There it was again.  Still in a sleepy fog, I thought maybe it’s a cricket.  *chirp* I can sleep through a cricket.  Nobody is awake.  Nobody is crying.  The dog is blockaded in my bathroom where there is only tile.  I am not getting up to chase a cricket away . *chirp*.   So I counted to see how often it was making noise.  *chirp*  Twenty seconds.  There is no way I can fall back asleep in 20 seconds.  By now I am awake and keenly aware that it is cold outside of my flannel sheets and blankets.   *chirp*  I am now fairly certain it’s not a cricket, rather it’s the smoke detector.  *chirp* CRAP!  I have to go change the battery.

So I roll out of bed and stand in the hallway trying to determine which one is chirping.  *chirp*  It’s not the one outside my bedroom.  Please dear God, don’t let it be the one at the end of the hall by the girls’ rooms. *chirp*

WHEW! It’s on the one downstairs.  So I head downstairs, get the stepstool.  Climb to the top step and try to figure out how to open the darn thing.  There is writing on it, with directions I presume.  *chirp*  DAMN! It’s loud when it’s 12 inches from my ear.  I don’t have my glasses on so I have no idea what the directions say.  *chirp*  I know I need to get this figured out.  My toes are frozen by now standing on the metal stepstool.  I can barely reach the thing anyway. *chirp* By the grace of God I pushed something and a little door opened and there was the battery compartment. *chirp*

I go back down the stepstool, find a 9-volt battery and pray that I remember which way it’s supposed to go.  *chirp*  I put the battery in, close the trap door and count.  *chirp*  Are you freaking kidding me?  So I climb back down the stepstool, go upstairs get my glasses on, go back downstairs.  *chirp* SHUT-UP, stupid smoke detector.  Climb back up on the step stool and find the button that says, “Push to Hush.”  Seriously, was someone trying to be cute with that one? It doesn’t even rhyme for pete’s sake.  *chirp*  I push the dumb button and count.  Wait! I got to 30 and there was no chirp. Hallelujah!  No more chirping.

I put the stepstool away, climb back in bed, just start to snuggle in and then I hear, “Mooooommmmmmyyyyyyyy… Mooooommmmmmyyyyyyyy… Mooooommmmmmyyyyyyyy”  Oh well at least nobody can take away my almost six hours of sleep.

And yes, if we are healthy enough I will be going to the store to buy more 9-volts and changing all the batteries today.

Poor guy. As if he wasn’t already worried about my stress level, then I dump that one him.   I really am okay.   But some days are better than others, there is no doubt about it.

Today is one of the not-so-good-really-crappy-rotten-miserable days.  I am not going to sugar coat it.  Today sucks big time.

It started yesterday with the Little One puking.  At least I am finally getting smarter and have realized that for the Little One, puke generally equals ear infection.  So we only dealt with 18 hours or so of puke before getting her in to the doctor.

So in addition to her throwing up and fussing off and on all night, the Big One was having “scary dreams.”  So the small amount of time that I was actually in my bed, I had a four-year-old kicking me, pushing me and grabbing my arm to make sure I was still there.

Finally around 4 a.m.,  I couldn’t take it anymore.  I had started my 9^th load of laundry and decided I needed to kick the Big One out of my bed.  I reassured her that things were okay, and that there were no giants that were going to eat her. We made a pact to dream about the playground at La Jolla Shores.  We’d imagine the sand, the salt air, the waves rolling in and all the fun we’d have next time we went to San Diego.

I crawled back into bed and heard the dog get up and head downstairs.  It was odd;  she generally stays up in my room all night.  For a split second I thought I better go downstairs and check on her.  But I was so tired that I decided I would cleanup whatever she was chewing up once the sun came up.

Big mistake.

Oh how I wish I had to clean up a destroyed toy.  Instead I was greeted with doggie diarrhea all over the playroom. Honestly could she not have done it in the kitchen on the tile, or right by the door on a rug?  Nope, right there in the middle of the playroom.

Of course, the Husband called, just as I discovered the diarrhea.

So I was on the edge. Of course he assured me that things would get better.  Yeah right if that’s the case why did the Little One puke all over me at the doctor’s office an hour later?

So now I have more laundry to do and I need to finish scrubbing the carpet.  The good news is that the Little One has actually kept her medicine down for an hour now.  I am dreading the next phase of her recovery.  It’s time to introduce some food and see what happens. Wish me luck.

The problem is she also threw up and had a low-grade fever.

So as a result, she and I have not been sleeping well. I am tired, there is no doubt about it.

Today it may have come to a head. I have a Keurig single cup coffee brewer. I love it. It’s fabulous. It’s awesome. I know that I grabbed a K-cup (the thing that holds the coffee) and put it in the appropriate place. I then selected which size cup I wanted to brew. I pushed the button and walked away to feed the dog.

After feeding the dog, I went to the refrigerator, retrieved the Gingerbread Spice creamer and returned to the coffee pot. There was no cup. So I looked across the kitchen, thinking maybe I grabbed it and put it on the counter. No cup.

So I went back across the kitchen, replaying the last two minutes in my brain. I knew I pushed the button. I ever heard the coffee pot brewing. Yet there was no coffee. I was ready to pinch myself to make sure I was truly awake when it dawned on me.

The receptacle that the cup rests on while the coffee is delivered is a few inches thick. I gently popped the top off and there was my coffee all pooled together in the bottom receptacle.

Yes, I am losing my mind. But the amazing thing is there was not a drop of coffee on the counter. I may try it again, just to watch it!

So today “it” caught me off card. It, of course refers to how much I miss him.  Like many people I have different ringers on my cell phone for different people. When my sister calls, it plays, “We are Family.” When my niece or my mom friends call, it plays “The Wonder Pets” theme song. And when the Husband calls it plays, “Good Morning Beautiful” which was our first dance song at our wedding reception.

Yes, it’s sappy. But it makes me smile every time I hear it. It’s been a good two months now since I’ve heard it.  It’s really strange to go from hearing it at least once a day to never hearing it.

Now I know he is gone and I know that my father-in-law is using the Husband’s cell phone while he is gone. {We are trying to convince FIL that it’s good to have a cell phone, so before taking the plunge himself, he is “testing” out the Husband’s).

As I was hanging out with the Little One while the Big One is a preschool, my phone started playing, “Good Morning Beautiful.”

I can’t explain it very well other than to say, my heart skipped a beat and my face began to smile. It was a nice, but bittersweet moment.

It took just a split second for my smile to fade and change to worry though, because I knew that it meant FIL was calling and I also know that the Husband’s Grandpa is having surgery today.  Fortunately he just had a silly question for me. And Grandpa is just now being prepped for surgery.

• If you send brand new desert tan colored combat boots, do not use newspaper to pad the box. The newsprint bleeds onto the lovely tan boots.

• Writing your spouses name and address directly on a box will make your spouse very cranky. They have a 100% shred policy so anything with names or address has to be shred. It is apparently very difficult to shred a box by hand. So write name and address on a piece of paper and tape that piece of paper on the box. (do not write or draw anything on the boxes that you send!)

• Contrary to what I read on-line, a Pringles can is not a good means of sending cookies. I suppose if I had used A LOT more saran wrap around them to pad them it might have worked.

• A coffee can, on the other hand provides a great means for protecting cookies. If you wrap two or three together in plastic wrap and then strategically pack your little bundles in the coffee can they will travel very well.

• If you are gong to send brownies, do not cut them. Send a giant brownie so that when they arrive they can be cut and will not be all dried out.

Murphy’s law is an adage that broadly states: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Are you freaking kidding me? Is about the only thing I can say about this one.   I have been so good about starting the Husband’s car at least once a week. He harasses me about starting it and honest to goodness, I really have been good about it.

It’s parked up on the top side part of our driveway.  Our next door neighbor’s are putting in some cement right next to where the car is parked.  So I’ve told them when they needed it moved to let me know and I would gladly move it so they can get the wheelbarrow up where they need it to be.

So today was the day.  I started the damn car last Friday.  It’s been 6 days.  My parents were here, they can vouch for the fact that I started the car and that it did in fact start.

So just a bit ago, I went out to start it.  I was chatting with the neighbors.  They were giving me a hard time about when I was going to wash it.  The Husband is religious about washing the cars.  He does it at least every other week.  I don’t wash cars.  So they haven’t been washed in the seven weeks he’s been gone.  His car is filthy.  You can barely tell it’s black, it looks more tan with the dirt coating on it.

Anyway, I put the key in and tried to start it.  Nothing.   I tried again.  Nothing.  It was not turning over for anything. Seriously, it’s been SIX days since I started it.

So the neighbor moved his car over, jumped the Husband’s car and I moved it to the other side of the driveway.   Not sure what I am going to do now.  I don’t want to leave it where it is.  Our driveway is on one nasty slope and I don’t want it sitting there for the next three months.  But going and getting a new battery doesn’t like much fun right now either.  UGH!