Happy Easter from Our Family to Yours!

Weekend Social Mix Blog Hop & BIG Giveaway!!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 
Welcome to the weekend everyone! 

   The Weekend Social Mix Blog Hop: 

Kick off your shoes, pull up your chair and let's get Social!
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<center> <a href="http://fgwl64.blogspot.com/" title="Marine Wife Home and Life"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/nevilleje/hop_zps57323c76.jpg" alt="Marine Wife Mommy and Life" /></a></center>

Grab Our Button!!
 
♥Please Follow the Hosts & Co-Hosts!
 
♥Link your blog post up using the linky tool below! It can be ANYTHING! 
Why? Because it's FINALLY the weekend! 

♥Visit 3 or more other blogs, say hello & make some new friends!

♥Add the Weekend Social Mix Blog Hop button in your post or on your sidebar.

♥Please leave a comment with how you're following and your bloggy address so we can return the L♥VE!

♥Most Importantly: Have a Great (and Safe) Weekend Everyone!♥

♥If you'd like to Co-Host we'd love to have you join in the fun, email us at MWML11@yahoo.com. 

Giveaway Posted Below the Hop!!!

♥Giveaway♥
 
We're Celebrating Marine Wife Mommy & Life's 
Lil' Marine's & From Grandma with Love's youngest Grandson's FIRST Birthday on 5 April!!

 (Yep, From Grandma with Love and Marine Wife, Mommy & Life are Mother & Daughter!)

 A group of Amazing & Sweet Bloggers have come together to wish the Mini Marine a Happy First Birthday and bring you the Weekend Social Mix Blog Hop with a 
BIG AWESOME GIVEAWAY!

Sally ♥♥ Jenni ♥♥ Holly ♥♥ Katie
Brittany ♥♥ Kristina ♥♥ Krista ♥♥ Kalyn
A Girl ♥♥ Alex ♥♥ Terri ♥♥ Kara ♥♥ Marquis

One lucky winner will win the  
ENTIRE Giveaway pictured below!!!

All Entries will be verified.

Be sure to enter all, some can be done daily to increase your chance of winning! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway: Milestone for Ramblings of a Marine Wife!! Celebrate with Her & Her Friends!!

Ramblings of a Marine Wife:
A couple weeks ago, I was stalking around on Facebook and realized my followers were at 1,001! I'm not exactly sure how that happened, but it's freaking awesome. Around the same time, my Google Friend Connect followers made it over 750. This just continuously amazes me. So, let's celebrate, shall we?

I'm going to giveaway a $50 Amazon GC and a month of ad space.

A few friends are going to help out too.

 Alex from Munchkins and the Military

Hey everyone! I'm a military wife and stay at home mom of two. I blog about our day to day life, along with the occasional Pinterest project or recipe. 

200 x 200 ad space for one month

Blog / Twitter / Pinterest

Melissa from After We Tied the Knott

Hi, I'm Melissa! A midwest mama married to her best friend. We're always on the go and I love every minute of it. I have a passion photography, cooking, laughing, and spending time with my family. If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart! Stop by and say hello!

200 x 200 ad space

Blog / Bloglovin / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest

Jen from Marine Wife, Mommy, and Life

I am the wife to a US Marine and mommy to two amazing boys. I enjoy scrapbooking, couponing, genealogy  cooking, reading, DIY projects and home improvements, shooting weapons, outdoor activities (especially if it involves water), sports, you name it and I've done it (and if I haven't, it's probably on my bucket list). 

$15 Starbucks GC and 200 x 200 ad space for one month

Blog / Bloglovin / Twitter

Krista from Army Wife Style

Krista is a 20 something Army wife and mother to a toddler. She likes Diet Coke, small dogs, nail polish, and vodka. In general....Awesome. 

1 month of ad space

Blog / Bloglovin / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest

A Girl from A Boy, A Girl, and the Marine Corps

A Girl is a 20 something, self proclaimed semi professional blogger who began blogging in 2008 as means of coping with a deployment. She is a Veterinary Technician by trade and loves her work in Emergency and Critical Care. She is married to an 11 year veteran of the USMC Reserves, whom she met shortly after he returned from a deployment. They have been married for 5 years, have three, very bratty dogs, and are currently trying to muddle through the aftermath of a difficult deployment for both. 

Large ad space

Blog / Bloglovin / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

Jane from Taingamala

Taingamala is a made up word my husband and I use with each other to say "I love you". On the blog you'll find the adventures of one wine drinking housewife's adventures in Hawaii married to an Army man. 

Large ad space and a Custom Design Signature

Blog / Bloglovin / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday~ Baby Attack & Daddy is Home from the Field!

Giveaway: Photo Bracelet from Hearts & Heroes!!!

I'm so happy to give A BIG welcome back to, Hearts & Heroes, that is owned and operated by Leanne a sweet and amazing Army Wife & Mommy!

Hearts & Heroes is giving one lucky gal the chance to win one of her Personalized Photo Bracelets. 
These sweet Jewelry pieces have 8 slots available to fill with pictures of your choice or quotes, sayings, prints, logos etc!

Please stop by and view her Business Page HERE Facebook Page HERE to see all that she has! 

Hearts & Heroes makes single & Double Sided Photo Dog Tags too, like the one below that my husband recently took with him to the field. :)

She also makes personalized photo key chains, personalized/monogrammed rings & sweet bows for that special little girl in your family!

Follow the Rafflecopter below and enter all of the entries for a better chance to win!    
Some entries can be done daily, Tweeting, pinning to Pinterest, etc. to earn more entries and improve your chance of winning!

All entries will be verified at the end of the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Introducing Staci from Luker Family Tales

 

Meet Staci. She is a strong woman, loving wife, mommy to an adorable little girl and a sweet Angel Baby, AND is expecting a bundle of joy later this year! I am so happy to bring her blog, Luker Family Tales, and her amazing INSPIRING story to light. 

Tears rolled down my face when I read her words.... I know myself and many others have Angel Babies..... And her writings show the pain, coming to terms, and accepting what God has thrown our way... 

 

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

 

Hello! I'm Staci and I blog over at Luker Family Tales. Mainly, I blog about life in general and things learned along the way--for me that is mostly my faith, my husband, my children, and our baby on the way.

 

My daughter Audrey is someone I blog about often as I have learned so much from her in four years. Just the other day, we were coming in the house and she stopped me yelling "Mommy! Mommy!" so excited. I turned around and she was pointing at some tiny, yellow buttercups by the sidewalk that I never even noticed. She said, "Mommy, aren't they the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?". So often she reminds me to stop and notice things--and to appreciate them. 

 

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

My son Barrett is a major focus on my blog--in fact he is probably the main thing I write about. He has taught me a lot too--or rather, God has taught me a lot through him. My son was born on August 23, 2012, at 6:05 a.m. He weighed 4.6 oz. It was a somber occasion--just my husband and I in a room speaking no words and trying to choke back tears to be strong for the other. At a routine anatomy scan on August 22, we learned that our son's heart had just stopped beating with no explanation. I chose to schedule my induction for that night, and he was born the next morning. He was the most beautiful little boy I had ever seen and I didn't want to give him back. I remember praying to God to please let me hold him forever--I knew that when I gave him back to the nurses I wouldn't see him again until we meet one day in heaven. As a mother, giving my boy back to them was the hardest thing I've ever done--deciding that I had held him long enough was a hard decision. I finally realized it would never be long enough, and I just had to do it. I cherish the pictures of us with him that day. We run a charity, Barrett's Blankets, in his memory to assist others in the grieving process (or just hard stays in the NICU) and as a way that God has allowed us to minister to others through his precious life. Barrett's life has impacted so many. One major thing I've learned through my son: God can use anyone. He has changed countless lives through my little boy who never even took a breath outside of my womb. I remind myself of that when I get to thinking that God can't use me.

 

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In the months since Barrett's death, I've often blogged about Audrey's intense love for her brother. She was just three when he died, but her comprehension blew me away. She still talks about him and asks questions. She has shed tears over him and that was hard as a mother. But I learned through her to love hard. She had a great love for a baby she never met or saw--surely I can love others around me just the same.

The loss of our son brought my husband and I so much closer. I have never loved him as much as I have on the days that our two children were born. Both days I saw my husband cry--happy tears for our daughter, and broken tears over our son--but each time I could see in his eyes the depth of his love for our children. Mommas, you know what I'm talking about. I've always heard that men don't get attached to a baby until it's born, but those people didn't see the love in my husband's eyes for the little boy I was carrying in my womb last summer.

In January we found out we were expecting again. The Lord had blessed us with another sweet baby due in September. This pregnancy has been a roller coaster of emotions. Baby has been 100% fine at every appointment, but Mom and Dad have been a wreck. Part of you doesn't want to get attached, but that's impossible. I was attached from the moment I saw two pink lines. I hold my breath at every appointment until I see the flicker of the baby's heartbeat. The ultrasound room carries an intense amount of anxiety for me, but God is carrying me through it. My husband and I purchased a Doppler with this pregnancy so we can hear baby's heartbeat every morning and that past week that we've been using it, I've been a different person. It has put my mind at ease.

 

I can distinctly remember the day that we found out Barrett died. I went to my appointment alone. It was just a routine appointment (I will NOT go to any alone now). I remember sitting outside the ultrasound room rubbing my belly and being so anxious to see him again. I remember when he popped up on the screen that I instantly felt like something was wrong because he was so still. I remember knowing something was wrong when the ultrasound tech didn't say a word. And I remember laying there begging God to take me instead when she went to get the doctor.

I had someone ask me after he was born "How do you trust in a God who allowed your son to die?" and responding with this:

In response to your question, I have one for you. How could I not trust Him? Before I got that terrible news, He was right beside me in my joy. When I lay there crying on the ultrasound table, He was still there. I could feel Him all around me. How was I able to compose myself to make decisions? How was I able to hold my head high as I walked to my car? How was I able to drive an hour to my house to pack my bags without completely losing it? On my own, I wouldn't have made it out of the room. But that same God who walked beside me in my joy, carried me in my sorrow. My world was rocked, but my Jesus was the same. 

 

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

My world was rocked last August. But God has been with us all the way--carrying, leading, guiding. I now look forward to seeing how He will continue to use all of my children and love blogging about it on the way.

 

 

What is a Military Wife?

I had a friend message me this poem to share on my FB page. It is far too long for a status and far too perfect to simply post as one! This poem says it all! 

What do you think?

From the Author:

I wrote this polyphonal reading (i.e. “many voices”) while stationed in Minot, North Dakota for a wives’Induction Ceremony. Every line is inspired by real Air Force Wives who, along with other military spouses, are a breed of their own. We don’t all want to be “married to the military,” but we are, defacto, and no matter how involved or not we are in “his” world there is much we have in common.

To the spouses who are men, my apologies for leaving you out of this piece. Your own sacrifices include ours plus some, and we are grateful for your brave and humble presence among us.

The piece is designed to be read by four ladies, reader’s theater style. The form reflects the delightful variety among Military Wives as well as the spirit of cooperation and community that binds them together.

If you aren’t military, I hope it gives you a window into our lives, and inspires you to reach out to that new neighbor who is “just temporary.” You will be richer for it.  ~Jane

  

What is A Military Wife?

By Jane Hubbard Hyde~2005

What is a Military Wife 

A Military wife can be tough to describe.

She is a southern belle,

 a Northeastern Mets fan, 

a California 3rd generation recycler, 

a Pacific Islander.

She is short or tall

a tomboy

a fashion diva

a physician’s assistant

a Republican

a Democrat (yes, even THAT!)

A Military Wife is a career gal

a home-schooler

a scrap-booker

an accomplished cellist

an auto mechanic

So many

many 

many kinds

What is a MILITARY Wife?

They may look different 

and each is wonderfully unique

But they have THIS all in common.

lots of moving—

moving, 

moving, 

moving far from home

moving two cars, 

3 kids and 1 dog

-all riding with HER of course

moving sofas to basements 

because they won’t go in THIS house

moving curtains that won’t fit

moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours

moving away from friends 

moving toward new friends

moving her most important luggage; 

her trunk-full of memories

often waiting-

waiting, 

waiting, 

waiting for housing; 

waiting for orders; 

waiting for deployment; 

waiting for reunion; 

waiting for phones calls;
waiting for the new curtains to arrive;

 waiting for him to come home
for dinner -AGAIN!

They call her “military dependent”, but she knows better

she can balance a checkbook

handle the yard work

fix a noisy toilet.

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors, and toggle bolts.

She can file the taxes, 

sell a house, 

buy a car, 

or set up a move, 

–all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don’t welcome her.

Reinvents her career with every PCS; 

locates a house in the desert,
the arctic, 

or the deep south 

and learns to call them all “home”.

She MAKES them all home.

She is fiercely IN-dependent.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty

They leap into decorating, 

leadership, 

volunteering, 

career alternatives, 

churches 

and friendships.

They don’t have 15 years to get to know people.

Their roots are short but flexible.

They plant annuals for themselves 

And perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other.

They connect over coffee, 

rely on the spouse-network 

accept offers of friendship and favors 

and record addresses in pencil.

ALL Military Wives have a common bond.

The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands

 his commitment is unique 

He doesn’t have a job, he has a “mission” 

he can’t just decide to quit 

he’s on-call for his country 24/7 

but for you, he’s the most

UNreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign

TDY

PCS

OPR

ACC

BDU

And so, a Military Wife is a translator 

for her family and his.

She is the long-distance link to keep them informed, 

the glue that holds them together.

The Military Wife has her moments—

She wants to wring his neck, 

dye his uniform pink, 

and refuse to move to Siberia.

But she pulls herself together.

Give her a few days 

a travel brochure 

a long hot bath

a pledge to the flag

and a wedding picture,

And she goes.

She packs.

She moves.

She follows.

Why?
What for?

How come?

You may think it is because she has lost her mind.

But actually it is because she has lost her heart.

It was stolen from her by a man

who puts duty first

who longs to deploy

who salutes the flag

and whose boots in the doorway remind her 

that as long as he is her Military husband,

She will remain his Military wife.