This past weekend, Dear Hubby and I went to see the movie, Red Tails. We’ve been eagerly anticipating this movie to come out for quite some time.

Dear Hubby met one of the original Tuskegee Airmen five years ago when he was away at training. Herbert E. Carter was his name and Dear Hubby was REALLY excited about the time he was able to spend with him. Dear Hubby got his autograph on a Red Tail Angel picture. He didn’t hesitate to get it framed and it is proudly displayed in our office to this day.

Dear Hubby also got a Red Tail Angel plane replica for our son, who wasn’t even born yet. I was pregnant with Little Man and I still remember the excitement in Dear Hubby’s voice when he called to tell me about how special his day was.

See, the plight of the Tuskegee Airmen is more than a good story for Dear Hubby. It’s deeper than that. To him, it’s about how brave men paved the way and opened doors for African American men in the field of military aviation.

George Lucas, executive producer of Red Tails, has publicly stated that Hollywood would not fund this movie because they didn’t think people would want to see a movie with an all-black cast. It would’ve been understandable if Lucas gave up. But he took some tips from the Airmen whose story he’s been so eager to tell. He pushed forward despite adversity, even though the odds weren’t in his favor. Lucas was so committed to this project that he invested $100 million of his OWN MONEY to get this movie made. Talk about dedication to a cause!

Please go out and support Red Tails. It’s not an African American film as hollywood executives supposed. It’s an American film, one that depicts an important part of our history. And if you are a military family, I would encourage you even the more to check out this movie. You’ll laugh, you’ll want to cry, and you’ll cheer. Dear Hubby and I liked it so much that we just might go see it again. This is definitely a movie that we’ll be buying for our Blue-ray/DVD collection!

So go ahead. Make plans to see this movie and let Hollywood know that movies about people from all backgrounds can be successful. Be sure to let me know what you think! I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Hi Everyone!

I hope that you’ve had a chance to check out the online book club for Faith Deployed … Again. I’ve been keeping up with the daily posts and have been blessed by the devotions I’ve read.

And guess what? My post, “The Battle Against Overboard Retail Therapy,” is being featured today! The post includes my experiences with retail therapy as a military wife and some tips to avoid the pitfalls that come with it. Be sure to stop by over there and leave a comment to join in the conversation.

Those who visit my post and leave a comment will be entered for their chance to win the book, Half Price Living: Secrets to Living Well on One Income by Ellie Kay.

So what are you waiting for? Come join the fun and let’s get the discussion going!

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Hello Everyone!

Jocelyn Green is hosting an online book club for Faith Deployed … Again: More Encouragement for Military Wives that begins on Tuesday, January 3rd! This is a great way for military wives and Blue Star Moms to start the new year!

If you are unfamiliar with Faith Deployed … Again, here’s a link with more information. This book has touched many lives and I know it will be a blessing to all that read it.

Here’s how the online book club is going to work.

1. Visit www.FaithDeployed.com every weekday in January and Jocelyn will tell you which devotion to read in the Faith Deployed … Again book.

2. After you read the devotion in the book, refer to the blogpost of the day, which will most likely be written by the person who wrote the devotion. The blogpost will be on the same topic as the devotion, but a little more in-depth.

3. The blogpost will end with a question that will stimulate conversation in the comment section. Feel free to chime in and share your thoughts.

4. Leaving a comment will automatically enter you for a chance to win a giveaway for that day!

And guess what? I’ll be participating in this online book club later in the month with a post that goes along with the devotions I wrote about finances! I’ll let you know more about that as the time gets closer.

If you would like to know more about the online book club for Faith Deployed … Again, click here.

I hope to see you over at the online book club!

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Hi Everyone!

The year is soon coming to a close and I must say that 2011 has been a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs for my family.

The first part of the year was incredibly stressful.  Dear Hubby was deployed, Little Man was diagnosed with Autism, and we received unexpected PCS orders across the nation.

But the sun started shining on the second half of the year.  We reached many financial goals, got settled into our new home, Little Man began receiving needed therapy, and we got a chance to take memorable trips to Dallas and Hawaii.  Dear Hubby even got to spend Thanksgiving AND Christmas at home with us, the first time since 2008.

God really turned things around!

To sum up the year, I decided to share with you eleven of my most popular posts.  You may see a running theme…

11.  Prayer for the Navy Seal Community

10.  A Prayer for Japan

9.   Military Spouse Appreciation Day 2011

8.   The Mountain Moving Faith of Martin Luther King, Jr.

7.    Osama Bin Laden is Dead…What Does That Mean For Us?

6.   What’s the Best eReader?

5.   Texas Mansion Cookies – The Best Cookies Ever!

4.   “Army Wives” & “Coming Home!’ Season Premieres

3.   Should Athletes Thank God After Winning a Game?

2.   The Nook Color eReader…An In-Depth Review

And my  Most Popular Post of  2011?

1.   A Prayer for Children Going Back to School

It is my sincere prayer that you have been blessed by the words I have typed this year on my blog.  May God abundantly bless you and your family now and in the year to come!

Happy New Year!

Tonya

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Christmas is in less than a week.  But I’m not worried or stressed one bit. Surprisingly, I finished the majority of my christmas shopping on a three day weekend shopping excursion. Now I’m just sitting back, counting my blessings and doing some reflecting.

Back in October, I told Dear Hubby that I wanted a “real” camera this year for christmas.  I was totally oblivious to the fact that he had already bought me a Canon T2i Rebel DSLR camera, a week before I even mentioned wanting a camera for christmas.  He did the research and found a great deal while he was TDY.  When he came home with it, I was surprised because he knew what I wanted before I asked for it!

Dear Hubby had no idea that we were going to Hawaii when he bought the camera.  Boy did it sure come in handy!  Taking pictures of the beautiful sights we saw made our trip so much more memorable.

Posing for the Camera with the Camera! LOL

I’ve probably taken 2,000+ pictures since I received the camera. I even took some engagement pictures of a family member and their fiancée.  Some of those pictures came out really good if I must say so myself!  I’ve really been utilizing my early Christmas gift.

I’m very thankful for my camera, and anything else that may come my way for Christmas, but my Pastor said something at church that made me do some soul searching. He said:

“Quit thinking about what you want God to give you and think about what you can give God.”

Wow.

That resonated with me.  I don’t know about you, but I can certainly give more to God.  More of my time, more of my worship, more of me.  It’s better to give than to receive. Besides, Christmas isn’t my birthday anyway.  It’s Jesus’s birthday.

I encourage you on today to consider what you can give to Jesus on his birthday.  He’s certainly worthy since he gives so freely to us all throughout the year!

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Hubby and I signed up for a day long tour with Polynesian Adventure Tours. I highly recommend tours because it helps you to see things that you may miss out on while exploring on your own. Here are the highlights from the places we visited.

Pearl Harbor – I posted about this earlier. Click the link to read about it in detail.

Windward Oahu at Nu’uanu Pali Lookout – This was a scenic view on top of a very high cliff. I certainly understand why it is called “windward”. The winds had to be close to hurricane force on the day we visited. Any hope of having a reasonable hairdo was done after the wind had my hair going north, south, east, and west.

Dear Hubby and I at Nu'uanu Pali Lookout

Being afraid of heights, I was afraid that I would be blown off the cliff! But Dear Hubby had no fear. He went and looked over the edge. The cliff was VERY steep and it was a long way down. Here’s a picture of the view from the top of the cliff.

The incredible view!

It started raining while we were on top of the cliff, but as we got back on the bus and went back down, the rain ceased.

Byodo-In Temple – This temple was built to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. It is a replica of the Byodo-In Temple in Japan. The temple has been featured in several TV shows, such as Hawaii Five-O, Lost, and Magnum P.I.

Byodo-In Temple

Tropical Farms Macadamia Farm Outlet – This wasn’t a regular stop, but the driver introduced this place as one of the well-kept secrets of Hawaii. This store offers free sample coffee and macadamia nuts.

Home of the best macadamia nuts EVER!

The macadamia nuts come in different flavors, such as caramel, onion, garlic and more! Dear Hubby and I sampled the caramel macadamia nuts and couldn’t believe how good they were! We bought a bag of them, but later wished that we bought a case!

Polynesian Cultural Center – This is one place in which I wish we had more time. There was so much to see here and it was very interesting to learn what little I did learn about polynesian culture.

Polynesian Cultural Center

Sunset Beach – This area is famous for the waves. During the winter months, waves are known to get as high as 20 – 40 feet! It’s a surfer’s paradise. Unfortunately, the day before we visited, a surfer went missing. There are many signs on the beach about the dangerous shorebreak and strong current.

A surfer enjoying the waves at Sunset Beach

Shrimp Trucks are very popular on the North Shore, which is the area that Sunset Beach is in. The dinners prepared are supposed to be very good. I wanted to try some of them, but there wasn’t a shrimp truck near our stops during the tour.

Dole Plantation – I’m not sure how I thought pineapples grew, but I didn’t think they grew like this:

Growing Pineapple

Dear Hubby and I bought some pineapple ice cream here that was very tasty! There was a pineapple maze, but we didn’t get a chance to explore it.

Taking a day tour is a great way to discover things about a new area you are visiting. The only negative thing about it is that there may be times that you want to spend more or less time at a certain spot than is allotted. But the good definitely outweighs the bad by far.

A few other things I want to mention about Hawaii is that if you want to buy souvenirs, be sure to check out the International Market in Waikiki and the Swap Meet at the Aloha Stadium. You can often negotiate prices with the vendors. Also, on the strip in Waikiki, there are many places to go shopping that include designer stores and a duty free shopping mall.

I hope that you enjoyed this Hawaii series. I had a wonderful time there, as you probably can tell!

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Since we are a military family, a visit to Hawaii wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Pearl Harbor. As a matter of fact, it was one of the first places we visited.

Unfortunately, we got there about 30 minutes before closing time. Disappointed, we decided to try our best to see what we could in the short amount of time. There were several rooms with artifacts and videos describing the 20th century’s September 11th. There were several outdoor exhibits. We could see the USS Arizona Memorial across the harbor, but tours had already ended for the day.

Things eventually worked out for us because four days later, we signed up for a day long tour of Oahu and Pearl Harbor was the first stop! Dear Hubby was so excited because he loves military history and really wanted to take in everything that the memorial site had to show us. It meant a lot to him as a military member to pay his respects to those who lost their lives protecting our freedom.

At the beginning of the tour, we watched a video about the attack. We then took a boat ride commanded by the US Navy over to the USS Arizona Memorial. This is what it looks like.

USS Arizona Memorial from a distance

Seventy years ago on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, which led to the United States getting involved into World War II. The Japanese mission was to destroy the United States Pacific Fleet and aircraft. During the attack, the USS Arizona was hit and a fiery explosion broke out, killing 1,177 sailors. In total, 2,390 people were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The USS Arizona Memorial is built on top of the remains of the battleship. There were several other ships that suffered high casualties, but the USS Arizona Memorial commemorates all who died in the Pearl Harbor attack. The ship was filled with oil the day before the attack and oil still leaks from the ship to this day.

Oil leaking from the sunken USS Arizona battleship

Inside the memorial, there is a wall with the names of all who died in the attack. Sailors that survived the attack have the option of having their ashes interred within the battleship with their fellow comrades. Their names are listed on the square box on the left hand side.

Those who died on the USS Arizona

After the tour was over, three Pearl Harbor survivors were available to sign autographs. The men were very nice and I enjoyed talking with them.

Pearl Harbor survivors: Capt. Robert Kinzler, Ret.; SKC Alfred Rodrigues, Ret.; & SGM Sterling Cale, Ret.

SKC Rodrigues, Ret. talks to someone in line while Capt. Kinzler, Ret. gives a smile for the camera!

If you are ever in Hawaii, I highly recommend that you visit the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Just like we shouldn’t forget 9-11, we shouldn’t forget Pearl Harbor. To keep the memory going in my own family, I bought a USS Arizona christmas ornament to hang on my tree. May God rest the souls of those who lost their lives on the “date that will live in infamy.”

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Hubby and I were told that we couldn’t go to Hawaii without going to a luau. I’ve always been curious about what a real luau was like, so I didn’t need much convincing to check it out.

In Oahu, there are two luaus that you can attend. When Dear Hubby and I were at the International Market, a local resident told us that Paradise Cove was the one we wanted to attend. We took his word for it and we weren’t disappointed!

Dear Hubby was able to get us discounted tickets from the Navy Exchange ITT (Information, Tickets, and Tours) office. We were picked up at 4pm at a designated area very close to our hotel. The bus ride over to Ko Olina Resort, where the luau took place, took a good 45 minutes from Waikiki Beach. Traffic was heavy, but the tour guide helped the time pass away by telling jokes and getting everyone on the bus involved and hyped for the event ahead.

Upon arriving at Paradise Cove, you are given the choice of an alcoholic or non-alcoholic Mai Tai. I had the non-alcoholic one and it was fabulous! Dear Hubby drank about three of them. No, seriously, he drank about three of them. That’s how good it was.

Mai Tai

Next, you are ushered through a walkway and given leis made out of shells or flowers. Your picture is taken, which is available for purchase at the end of the luau. There are several events that you can take part in while you are waiting for the official festivities to begin. Several vendors were around so that you could purchase souvenirs. There was also an area where you could participate in arts and crafts.

My handcrafted headpiece!

The area in which the luau was held was beautiful! It was beachfront and on a lot of land. The weather was perfect and a slight breeze continually flowed off the ocean.

Some of the luau attenders got to participate in a canoeing event. Dear Hubby and four other guys were picked to participate in a special ceremony. They had to put on a grass skirt and dance around in front of everyone. But Dear Hubby didn’t mind. He enjoyed having permission to clown around and have fun.

After that, we went over to the Imu ceremony, which included the removal of a pig that has been cooked underground. Here’s a picture of them removing the pig. We didn’t have this pig for dinner though.

Removing the Pig from the Underground Oven

The dinner was buffet style and the food was good. The only thing about it was that if you wanted to go back for seconds, you had to go back quick because the buffet didn’t last too long after the last person was served. But I had no problem with that because I got everything I wanted the first time around.

The live performances started after most people were done with dinner. It was very entertaining! The performers had several different routines that included sticks, maracas, and even fire! Here are just a few of my favorite pics from the event.

Dancers with sticks

Group performance with maracas

Fire Dance Performer

Overall, Dear Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed the Paradise Cove Luau. It was lots of fun and we made memories that will last a lifetime!

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Hi Everyone!

I haven’t been posting much lately, but I have a legitimate reason. Dear Hubby and I got a chance to take a trip to Hawaii!

The trip was short notice and a lot of things had to fall into place in order for it to happen. But God smiled upon our trip plans and moved mountains so that our dream vacation would come true.

Earlier this year while Dear Hubby was deployed, I wrote him a letter about how wonderful a trip to Hawaii would be for our 10 year wedding anniversary in 2013. Surprisingly, our trip to Hawaii ended up being on the weekend of our 10 year dating anniversary! I just can’t believe that was a coincidence. God will give you the desires of your heart!

I’m so thankful that we did the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University program. It taught us how to structure our budget and pay off bills quickly so that we could later capitalize on opportunities like this that come our way.

We spent six wonderful days in Oahu, which is one of the most beautiful places on Earth in my opinion. It truly is an island paradise.

Here are a few pictures that I took to prove my point.

Waikiki Beach

View of Waikiki Beach Hotels

Statute of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'Ole

Over the next few days, I’ll be blogging about our Hawaiian Adventure and some of the things you’ll want to be sure to see/do whenever you visit America’s 50th state.

Have you ever been to Hawaii?

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays!

It’s a time of reflection, a time to be thankful, and a time to focus on family and friends.

My thanksgiving experience has varied over the years. Growing up, I often spent it with my mom’s extended family. When I got married, I started spending Thanksgiving with my husband’s family.

One year, my husband and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner with friends. I now look back at that year and laugh because everything I cooked seemed to be a challenge or not come out the way I wanted it to! The turkey took forever to cook and my jalapeño cornbread turned out to be too hot and spicy for my reflux issues. But I was thankful for the time we spent with our friends.

This year is special to my family. Dear Hubby is going to be home for the entire holiday season! This will be the first Christmas in three years that he has been home. We are so excited and thankful!

I’m also thankful because I had a great IEP meeting this week with Little Man’s teachers. They all spoke well of him, raving about how much he has improved since the beginning of the school year. I am so proud of my Little Man!

And last but not least, I’m thankful for God’s unconditional love and for the ultimate price that Jesus paid on the cross for you and me!

So what are you thankful for?

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Hello everyone!

I have two articles that are featured in the December 2011 issue of Military Spouse Magazine. God has been blessing me with one writing opportunity after the other and I’m so thankful!

The first article is about a remarkable Marine wife named Kimberly Herman. She gave the gift of life in a unique and selfless way. You have to read the article to see how she did it, but I’m sure you’ll be inspired by her story.

The second article is about a topic dear to my heart: faith-based resources for military wives. The article features Jocelyn Green, Emily Smith, and Sara Horn. These three women share a similar story of stepping out of their comfort zones and reaching out to others to create thriving communities of faith for military spouses.

Get your copy of the December 2011 issue of Military Spouse Magazine and let me know what you think!

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Hi Everyone!

Today I have a post that is being featured over at Semper Wifey’s blog. She’s a fellow Christian military wife that is hosting a series called, “God in Our Military Lives,” which features the testimony of a different military wife every day.

Yesterday’s post was from Marine Wife Unplugged. She shared a powerful testimony of how God kept her family together after her husband suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury while deployed.

My featured post deals with how God blessed my family to become debt free with the help of the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University program.

Feel free to stop by over there, check out the posts, and leave a comment. And tell her Tonya sent you!:-)

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Last week, I called a rehab center to arrange occupational therapy services for my son. The lady who answered the phone told me that it would be months before my son would be seen and that they were the only facility in our area that provided occupational therapy for children with autism. I couldn’t believe it, especially when this base was approved as an appropriate provider for military families with special needs.

In an attempt to find a solution for the lack of services, I suggested that the rehab center try to hire more people so that they can meet the demand. The lady then told me that they had problems recruiting people to move to the area. I didn’t doubt for one minute that she was telling the truth. I wasn’t overjoyed about moving here either. But then I had an idea…

“You should look into hiring a military spouse. I bet there are many qualified spouses out here that could do the job,” I said.

“But they don’t stay,” said the woman.

I was caught off guard by her response. She then proceeded to blame the current backlog of patients on a military spouse that previously left the job. Maintaining my composure, I informed her that I too was a military spouse. I gave her a nice, but firm response as to why military spouses are valuable employees.

Surprisingly, military spouses are not federally protected against hiring discrimination. Situations like the one mentioned above explains why a majority of military spouses are either underemployed or unemployed. Currently, the unemployment rate for military spouses is 26%, almost triple the national unemployment rate!

Let’s examine some common misconceptions about hiring military spouses:

Misconception #1: It’s better to hire someone that is native to the area.

The Truth: Hiring a military spouse will give you an employee with a very diverse background. Their worldview will be a lot broader than someone who has lived in the same place all of their life. Many military spouses have had the unique opportunity to live in different parts of the world, working for all types of organizations. Employers often value work/study abroad experiences and the military experience should apply as well.

Misconception #2: Military spouses are too preoccupied and will miss a lot of work.

The Truth: Military spouses are experts at multi-tasking, a skill that is highly desired in today’s workforce. We juggle many tasks while our spouses are deployed or TDY. We know how to respond whenever inevitable change knocks at our door. We are efficient, practical, resilient, and able to make sweet lemonade out of the most sour lemons. Sounds like the perfect employee to me!

Misconception #3: I support the troops. I offer a 10% discount to military members with an ID.

The Truth: It’s great that you offer a military discount for the troops. Thank you! But please understand that military spouses sacrifice for this country too. The hard truth is that if you won’t hire a military spouse, then you don’t support our troops. A working spouse can take some of the financial pressure off our troops so that they can focus on the mission of protecting our freedom. Show your appreciation for the sacrifices made by hiring military spouses when qualified ones are available.

Misconception #4: Military spouses don’t stay on the job long enough.

The Truth: All military spouse situations aren’t the same. Some active duty military spouses move every 2-3 years. On the flipside, there are military spouses that have been at their current duty station for more than 4 years. National Guard and Reserve spouses rarely move. Some military spouses choose not to move around in order to advance their career. Please keep in mind that it’s not a guarantee that civilian employees will stay on the job long term either. If a military spouse is hired and has to move, employers have the choice to offer a telecommute option. In the right circumstances, telecommuting could be a win-win for both the employer and employee.

If you would like more information about how to support military families, check out the public awareness campaign started by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden called Joining Forces. Also, if you are a military spouse looking for a job, or an employer looking to hire military spouses, visit the Military Spouse Employment Program website.

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

There is a serious problem going on in America. We can’t agree on anything!

Republicans are arguing against the policies of President Obama. The Democrats are blaming the Republicans for holding up progress. The Tea Party is bickering with everybody. Government shutdowns have loomed over the heads of the American people at least twice this year, with many in danger of not receiving much needed income because of it. Every political party wants to blame the other for the social and financial ills our country faces.

Congress isn’t the only ones bickering. Professional sports leagues have been going back and forth within their ranks. The NFL had a feud that lasted the whole summer over the distribution of revenues between the owners and the players. Thankfully, they were able to come to a compromise before it affected the football season. The NBA is still unable to come into agreement on their financial negotiations and are now talking about the possibility of Christmas games being canceled. I’m a big Oklahoma City Thunder fan and I’m irritated about the possibility of a canceled or shortened basketball season.

Can’t we all just get along and come into agreement?

No good comes out of constant disagreements and dissension. Just look at how things are now. Our educational system leaves much to be desired. The unemployment rate is at a record high. Morale and confidence in our government is at a record low. Nothing gets accomplished in an atmosphere like that.

Dear Hubby is in the military. In order to accomplish the mission, military members have to come into agreement and walk in a spirit of unity. If they aren’t able to come into agreement, it can wreak all kinds of havoc that could even cost someone their life.

The benefits of being on one accord are numerous. Let’s look at a few biblical examples.

Genesis 11 describes the story of the Tower of Babel. All the people in the world spoke one language and came into agreement about building a city with a tower that reached to the heavens. Their unity caught the attention of God.

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. – Genesis 11:6 KJV

Think about how unified the body of Christ was in the book of Acts. In Chapter 2, the disciples being on one accord set up the atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to come. Further down in the chapter, you see how God added to the church daily because they were of one accord. In Chapter 4, the people had all things in common. There was none that lacked among them. Every need was met and great grace was upon them.

I don’t claim to have the answer to all of America’s issues, but I know that we can at least start with getting on one accord. Unity is important. The Bible says in Psalm 133:1 that it is a good thing whenever God’s people are unified. Everyone benefits when unity takes place. Miracles happen and doors are opened for new opportunities. Our elected officials have to get to a place in which they are more concerned about the well-being of our country than about their political ideations. We have to get past the all too common idea of “Me, my four, and no more” and seek out the greater good.

God has a promise to his people that are in need. If our country will follow the advice of 2 Chronicles 7:14, I believe things will turn around for the better.

Please join me in praying for a spirit of unity to fall upon our country in every area. America can’t continue to be the great country it is without it.

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Make sure you check out the October issue of Military Spouse Magazine!

I have an article in there entitled, “For the Love of Cupcakes.” It’s about two military spouses that partnered with another lady to create a cupcake business. I had a great time talking with these ladies and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the article.

Military Spouse Magazine can be found at the BX/PX/NEX and at the Commissary. I’ve also seen it at bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.

This is my 7th published article with the magazine. It’s a great way to meet awesome military spouses and share their story with the world.

I have a few more articles that will be published in future issues. I’ll be sure to give you a heads up when they are published!

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

The world has lost a great innovator and technological genius.

Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. In case you don’t know, Steve Jobs was the CEO of Apple and visionary for the Mac Computer, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

I was sad when I heard that he had passed away. It’s funny because I didn’t know him personally. But Jobs (who is being compared to Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford) has made an incredible worldwide impact with the innovative products he and his team created. Dear Hubby and I have been fans of Apple products since 2005. However, I must admit that I jumped on the bandwagon a little late.

Dear Hubby stood in line for hours to get the 1st Generation iPhone. I thought he was crazy. He raved about the phone before it came out and he couldn’t wait to be one of the first to get it. I was perfectly happy with my Palm Treo. When Dear Hubby brought the phone home and started playing with it, I decided that I didn’t like it. “It’s not Microsoft friendly and it doesn’t have a real keypad,” I complained.

Things all changed when we got lost trying to find the location for the repass after my Aunt’s funeral. I tried to look up the location on my Palm Treo, but it was taking too long. Dear Hubby looked it up on his iPhone and within a few seconds, we had directions. That definitely caught my attention. Then Apps became available that would let you use Microsoft documents on the iPhone. I secretly became fascinated with the phone and began sneaking off to use my husband’s phone because of all the cool gadgets, bells, and whistles.

Dear Hubby surprised me with an iPhone of my own after he started getting tired of me using his all of the time. I’ve been hooked ever since. Dear Hubby and I now have a house full of Apple products and we haven’t missed PCs one bit. As a matter of fact, I’m typing this post on my beloved MacBook Pro.

I’m thankful for the willingness of Steve Jobs to push the limits of technology. His products have been a blessing to Little Man, who learned how to use the iPhone very quickly. He actually taught me how to use some aspects of the phone at just 2 years old. Little Man’s skills on the iPad are just as good. The iPad has helped him so much with his communication issues.

It’s sad that Jobs passed away at the age of 56. And all because of cancer, a disease that has affected my family more times than I care to think about.

In 2005, Jobs gave a commencement address at Stanford University. Below is a quote from the speech:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

Those are wonderful words of encouragement to live by.

Thank you Steve Jobs. Rest in Peace.

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Little Man reached a wonderful milestone in his educational journey this year: He started Pre-K. It should’ve been a time of joy and excitement, but it ended up being one filled with stress and anxiety.

I’ve blogged a few times over the years about Little Man’s speech and language delay. But communication wasn’t Little Man’s only issue. After being tested several times, Little Man was diagnosed with Autism, the day after my birthday and while Dear Hubby was deployed.

Words can’t explain the pain and despair Dear Hubby and I felt after the diagnosis. We first noticed issues with Little Man when he wasn’t talking or waving bye at 15 months. Deep down, we felt like something was wrong, but nothing slaps you in the face like an official diagnosis.

Dear Hubby was hurt because he couldn’t be there for me during the testing phase and results. His unscheduled extended deployment robbed us of that. I felt all alone and totally overwhelmed. My friends and family rallied around me in support.

Being an Active Duty military family and having a child with Autism creates many challenges. Little Man was seeing a wonderful speech therapist and occupational therapist at our last base. He made good progress with them and they loved him. Since we lived in a large metropolitan area, there were many opportunities to get the support and help we needed for him.

But as you know, we received orders this summer and moved to a small town with limited resources. Social interaction and communication are some of Little Man’s biggest issues, so Dear Hubby and I felt that Pre-K through the local schools would be a good option for him. Little Man did okay at our last base in a regular preschool setting, so we felt that it wouldn’t be a problem at his new school.

That decision turned out to be a disaster. I received calls from the school on an almost daily basis. Every time I turned around, Little Man was in the Principal’s Office for taking his shoes off or for crying. I was so frustrated and at a loss for what to do. I prayed and prayed for God to work this situation out. And after two weeks of an endless nightmare, He did.

The School Psychologist got involved and told me about a pre-k inclusion class that was offered at another school. The class allows “normal functioning children” and children with developmental delays to all be in one class together. There are more teachers in the class, so Little Man would have more assistance. It sounded like a great idea.

I visited the class and felt comfortable with the school and teachers. Dear Hubby and I had an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting with the school and set things up for Little Man to be transferred to the new school.

Things are going better now. Little Man goes to his inclusion class for the first half of the day. During the second half of the day, he goes to an Autism class, receiving speech therapy and occupational therapy. We are slowly but surely getting referrals and connections to qualified individuals who can help Little Man reach his full potential.There are still a few issues that have to be worked out, but I’m praying that these issues will get resolved very soon.

Dear Hubby and I would certainly appreciate your prayers of peace, comfort, and wisdom as we continue to advocate tirelessly for Little Man. God is in control and I know that He will work everything out for our good.

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

I’ve been making homemade cookies left and right for the past few weeks. Here’s a new recipe that I just have to share with you!

My husband’s birthday was last week and he loves macadamia nut cookies. Whenever we would go to Silver Sands Outlet Mall, he would always want to go by Mrs. Fields to get a box of macadamia nut cookies. I decided that since I had so much success with the Texas Mansion Cookies, that I would try to make some homemade macadamia nut cookies for him. Below is the recipe I found from allrecipes.com.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
4. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture.
5. Mix in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate.
6. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Here’s my finished product!

Tonya’s Sidenotes:
1. I used 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of crisco baking stick.
2. I did not use almond extract. I only used 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
3. I used a cookie scoop to drop the dough. The amount that I used was definitely larger than a teaspoon.
4. I baked the cookies longer than 10 minutes. Why? Because the bottom was too soft and when I picked them up, they started to fall apart. The longer bake time was probably a result of my making the cookies larger.

The cookies came out really good! They were a hit with my husband. I’m not a big macadamia nut cookie fan, but I liked how these came out. The recipe made about 3 dozen cookies.

This recipe is definitely a keeper! Try it out and let me know how it worked for you.

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

I wrote the below post last year, but it’s worth reposting. Check it out…
Tonya

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The morning of September 11th was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly and the weather was perfect. When I walked out of my apartment that morning, I had no idea that my future would be altered by the events that took place on that day.

I had to go to work at my Graduate Assistant job and I had class scheduled for that night. While on my way to work, I stopped by an office store to buy a planner. As I walked around the store, I saw something on TV that caught my eye. Some plane had crashed into a building in New York. I thought it was just a random event.

I found a planner that I liked and went to the cashier to pay. We talked about how strange it was that the plane crashed into a building. I left the store and headed to my job. When I arrived, I realized that this wasn’t just a case of a misguided plane.

My co-workers already knew what was going on. They had been listening to the radio. Our country was under attack. There were four separate sites that were targeted by terrorists. The Twin Towers and the Pentagon were hit by passenger planes and another plane went down in Shanksville, PA.

I listened in horror, shock, and sadness as my co-workers filled me in. But soon, my mind wandered off to my dear friend that was in the military. He had recently moved to his first duty station after a year of training at another base.

I immediately called my friend to check on him. He told me that they were on lockdown. Plans for war were imminent and I knew it. I was so afraid for him! My friend and I were spending a lot of time together. I knew that he liked me, but I had fears about dating a man in the military. This incident gave validation to my fears.

The terrorist attacks was a topic of discussion later that night in my Health and Aging class. My fellow classmates were deeply disturbed. Some had family members in the area that they hadn’t heard from. I talked about how I feared for my military friend and how I would NEVER date or marry a military man because of this kind of thing.

I spent the next few weeks glued to the TV, praying for those trapped in the rubble and for those that lost family members. It was a real life horror story…I wanted to stop looking but I couldn’t. It was just too awful to ignore. The prospect of war made me afraid and nervous. We’re not even going to talk about fear of future attacks.

September 11th helped me to realize how much I cared about my friend. I had been repressing my feelings for him because he was in the military. I tried to keep the friend boundaries up, but Dear Friend was relentless. I’ve never seen anyone with a sales pitch so strong. I finally decided to let go and let God. Things started happening very quickly. In less than 2 years, Dear Friend graduated to Dear Boyfriend to Dear Fiance’ to Dear Hubby in 2003. Marrying him was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.

Awful events occurred on September 11th, but it helped me to realize that the perfect one for me was right under my nose. I quickly got over him being in the military. Besides, it’s an honor to serve our country and protect our freedom.

Life is short in the big scheme of things and whenever love comes knocking at your door, it’s a good idea to answer it and hear the sales pitch. You never know, you might want to buy stock in the company some day.

What’s your September 11th story?

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.

I was on Facebook one day when one of my friends posted that she ordered a custom military plaque made by a company called MyHomeBones.com. She posted a picture of the plaque, which contained a painted picture of a house. Below it was a list of every place they were stationed. I loved it and immediately went to the website to check it out for myself.

Matt and Bridget Breden are the owners of MyHomeBones.com. They are a fellow military family stationed in the Virginia area. They got their start in making custom military plaques by trying their hand at making their own back in 2000. They received many compliments and started making them for their friends. In July 2007, they launched an online website to start selling their plaques.

Below is a sample picture of a custom military plaque from their website. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

A Sample Custom Military Plaque

I found the website to be easy to navigate during the ordering process. They have a database with almost 2,000 military installations you can choose from to reflect your military travels. You can also customize what you put for each base, such as adding custom painted wedding rings and pink or blue footprints to reflect life milestones achieved at each base.

I placed my order and received an email “proof” of my completed plaque before they mailed it to me. They wanted to be double sure that it was right and that there were no typos. After I sent back confirmation that everything was right, they mailed the plaque to me. The cool thing about it was that I was sent an email with tracking information so that I could keep up with my order and when it would arrive.

I ordered my plaque on the evening of August 8th. It arrived on August 13th and I was so excited! It was easy to put together and everything looked great, just like the proof they emailed me. I immediately hung it on my wall with pride.

I emailed the Breden Family after receiving my order to express my excitement and also to get a little more insight into their business. My first question?

Where did the name “HomeBones” come from?

Here is Matt Breden’s humorous account:

Matt also shared with me that the business has brought he and his wife Bridget closer together. He handles the technical side and deals with the customers. She handles the artistic side of the business. For military families thinking of starting a business, Matt recommends attending a small business seminar to learn all the ins-and outs.

If you’re looking for a unique way to document your military travels, check out MyHomeBones.com. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the end product. I certainly was!

*By the way, I was not paid for this review or given any items in-kind. I just like to support fellow military families that are doing great things!

©2012 Reflections from a Christian Mommy Writer. All Rights Reserved.