4.30.2011

Royal Randomness

{Don't worry, I'm not going to talk about the royal wedding...much. ;-)}

From the Royal Wedding to royal pains, this day has been interesting...

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I had every intention of doing a "1 year of Aloha" post yesterday. Obviously, that did not happen. My regular Thursday shows came on and as soon as they went off, Joe got online and coverage of the Royal Wedding started! So I didn't have time to think about much else. =) Joe and I had a good conversation and then when he went to get food, I glued myself to the TV!


This was by far my favorite moment. {Well, not this exact one.} When he told Kate she was beautiful, I melted. There was a big 'ole puddle of Sarah on the couch. ;-) I loved the entire ceremony. Sure, the readings were a bit boring, but I enjoyed the pastor's {or is it reverend?} message. And, oh, the choir!!!! They also turned me into a puddle. My husband would have loved that too, but I highly doubt he would have stayed up with me to watch it. =P

And to all of those Royal Wedding haters out there, all I have to say is this: I witnessed history today. Sure it was "just a wedding." Maybe there are more important things going on in the world. However, this is a world event too. William will one day {most likely} be the King of England and Kate will be the Queen. Also, isn't it nice to think about something other than all the bad in the world for one day? How could you not be happy when you see how happy this couple is?!

{via Google images}

{via Google images}

I went to bed right after this. It was around 0230 my time and I was exhausted. Not to mention that Jasper was severely annoyed that we weren't in bed yet. He kept sighing every time I moved on the couch. =P I did watch them leave the palace later in the Aston Martin. love!

Oh, and just for your reading pleasure, did you know that royal brides are required to cover their arms and shoulders? Interesting, no? And - courtesy of my MIL - did you know that most brides wore colored gowns before Queen Victoria wore a white gown? I find that even more interesting and I think it sheds a lot of light on the Victorian Era as a whole. Yeah, yeah, I sound like a history nerd. Oh wait! I am! ;-)

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I was a lazy bum this morning and didn't even realize what time it was until Melissa and I were Skyping and she was talking about dinner. Which means it was lunch time for me. So, I attempted to put my contacts in and grab lunch. Didn't work out so well for me. 

Apparently, my allergies were in "attack mode" today. My left eye kept watering to badly I couldn't keep my eye open with my contacts in. =( After having them in for maybe 10 minutes, I took them out. If you know me at all, you know that I really don't like wearing my glasses except for at night and in the mornings. I just don't see that well with them, plus it's a little annoying to have them on your face all stinkin' day. Anyway. I finally got lunch, and then Melissa got online again. While talking to her, my stomach decided to revolt too. It's the worst I've felt in a while... I won't go into detail {because, ew} but it wasn't fun. Luckily, I had some "drugs" handy and was feeling better in about an hour.

The allergies haven't let up no matter what I've done today. It's a tad better right now, but it's still not fun around these parts. I haven't sneezed so much in I don't know how long!! I'm hoping Joe will get online soon so I can take a Benadryl and go to bed. =P

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I also worked on the quilt I'm making for my nephew today. Between sneezing, wiping my nose and washing my hands, I was lucky to get 4 rows (out of 6) sewn together. I know y'all are going to be disappointed, but I'm not showing a picture just yet. Not until the little mister gets it anyway. =) Speaking of... I have a picture of him and a name!!!

Meet Harrison Daniel:


Isn't he just the cutest little thing?! My FIL posted this picture and another one on FB yesterday. The other that he posted had a caption of: "Prince Harry." Haha!! I just love it!! He may not be an actual prince, but that's ok, he's still really cute! =D I just can't wait to meet and snuggle him!! 

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In repetitive news, I'm so over this deployment. Being sick today hasn't really helped that. I always miss him more when I don't feel well. {Even if it's because I don't want to cook or go anywhere and I know that he would gladly go get me some pizza. ;-)} In a few days, we'll only have a short time left but I can already tell that those last weeks are going to drag by! 


"Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming, swimming..." ;-) Yes. I just quoted Finding Nemo...and I don't have children. Haha! 

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Well, that's it from me! I hope your weekend has gotten off to a better start than mine!

4.28.2011

A Cure for the Blahs

Ok, maybe it's not a cure but it definitely helps.

I've had a serious case of the blahs tonight. I don't know why... I've sort of being feeling that way a lot lately. Joe and I have been...discussing {yeah let's go with that} something that both of us are equally passionate about. Unfortunately, we're both passionate about the opposite side. It's not every day that we disagree so whole-heartedly. We're a lot alike so we don't really disagree too much. Anyway, I'm sure that's what's really effecting my state of mind.

As I was going through my memory bank of songs tonight, I really wanted to pick one that lifts my spirits and makes me feel like I can conquer the world. This is one we sing at church, and it always leaves me feeling hopeful and powerful. =) My favorite lines of the song are this:

"And if our God is for us then who could ever stop us?!
And if our God is for us then what could stand against?!"

Oh yeah, sing that several times and see if it doesn't pump you up!!!


Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones


I think I may have to listen to it again before I feel sufficiently excited. =) Or maybe I'll just stare at pictures of my niece and nephew(s).


No denying they're siblings!! Although I think the new little mister is going to have much crazier hair than his sister or mom. Haha. =)  I can't wait to meet the newest little one!! I also can't wait for them to pick out a name! This auntie is going crazy!

Oh, and make sure you go check out the rest of the songs linked up with Goodnight Moon. Hope you're having a good week!

4.27.2011

Day of Babies!!!

This morning, I woke up to two texts. The first one was from my BIL:

Your nephew was born at 8am! 6 lbs 5 ounces. Pictures soon!

The one from my MIL was about the same. Needless to say I couldn't go back to sleep after that. Luckily, I didn't check my phone until 0800 my time. =) I have mastered the art of sleeping through texts. This is actually a good thing because I get texts all hours of the night...and I've lived here for a year. You'd think people would learn...but no. In this case, texts at all hours of the night are allowed. ;-)

Allow me to introduce you to Baby C! 
{My poor little nephew still doesn't have a name. Poor guy.}



He has a full head of hair!!! I'm curious as to whether or not it really is curly. Anna has curly hair and Eden's (his big sister) is kinda curly but is more curly when it's wet. So I'm wondering if those curls are water-induced or not. =P And those cheeks are just perfect for auntie squishing!!! {Don't worry. I haven't done that...yet.}

After I found out about this little guy, I learned of other babies arriving today. In fact, I know of at least two more. One of Melissa's family members had her baby today, and another lady from FRG had her baby (though it was really early) today too! And I know of two babies who were born last week. Crazy, crazy!!!

As a side note, did anyone watch The Voice tonight?! I think I'm in love. ;-) I'm curious to see what the outcome of this show is and if these stars can really help someone "break into the business." 

I hope your week is off to a great start!!

4.26.2011

Life & No Sleep

Okay, so I haven't been getting no sleep (hello, double negative!) but I haven't been sleeping well either. For the last week and a half, I've barely been able to sleep. And when I do get to sleep (around 0100) it's not very restful. Tossing and turning, wacky dreams... It's really hitting me hard. 


On Saturday, I attended the birthday party of a very cute 2 year old. =) I don't usually make a point to go to birthday parties, but...I figured since I'm good friends with his mama (Miranda) I would go. It was actually kind of fun... Especially since I wasn't required to take any hyper kids home! Haha! Really, though, it was nice to get out of my house and go to another part of the island. Not to mention hanging out with people I don't usually see. 


After the party, I came home and started working on the valance for the kitchen. On Friday I went to Ross and bought a rug and curtain rod for the kitchen. Then, I went to WalMart to purchase a valance that cost more than the rug or curtain rod. When I got home, I ever so nicely asked any FB friends here if I could borrow a drill. {Seriously, we have got to purchase one.}Saturday morning before the party, one friend dropped it off for me. Anyway... I fought and fought and fought with the stinkin' drill and screws. It literally took me about 2 hours to get it all straightened out. At one point, I really thought I was done. I went to put the rod up on the brackets and whaddaya know? They were too far apart. See, if I had actually looked at how big the rod was when I bought it [instead of focusing on the price tag: $6], I might have noticed that it wasn't quite the right size. Fail. So, I took the screws out again and moved the brackets closer together. It wasn't the ideal situation, but it's up there and it's done. Good enough for me.




I guess it doesn't look so bad after all. =P After that, I all but collapsed on the couch. Joe and I had a Skype date set, so I didn't want to fall asleep because I knew that I wouldn't wake up. In the meantime, I watched Date Night. Super cute movie!! I didn't laugh quite as much as I usually would have {hello sleep depravation} but it was freakin' hilarious. Highly recommend if you haven't seen it yet. 


My Easter was pretty good... As I told Joe, doing holidays solo is weird. This one was no different. I went to the 0945 service {way earlier than usual for me} because I knew that the 1130 service was going to be jam-packed. The one good thing about going to church solo is the good seating. It's much easier to find one seat up front than it is two or more. I was in the center of the second row. Yes! It was a really great service, and I was lucky enough to see a woman in front of me accept Christ. When she raised her hand during the "altar call" her family looked over at her and just started crying. Of course I started crying too. It just made me wonder...how long had her family been praying for her and asking her to go to church? In my service alone, 52 people were saved. That is one awesome Easter service if you ask me! 


After church, I called the fam. I talked to both my MIL and FIL for a little while... My mom called me later that afternoon to chat about the crazy weather. This is what's been going on there for like the past week. 




This is completely normal for the spring in what we like to call Tornado Alley. Luckily, no tornadoes have touched down where our families live. However, there was some rotation near my parents' house yesterday which is always kinda freaky. Like good Tornado Alley citizens, my parents (and probably my brother) were out on the porch. Oh, who am I kidding? I probably would have been on the porch too. =P


My favorite part of yesterday was after I posted a little Happy Easter photo of myself on FB. Ironically, the one springy skirt I own is a Hawaiian print. =P I didn't notice that until I took the photo. Anyway, I posted it and received a few compliments... Particularly one from Goodnight Moon about how great I looked. Safe to say that compliment made my day. ;-) My mom texted me later agreeing, so I started looking through pictures... 




I guess I knew that I've lost weight {since, you know, I've gone down a size} but it never really sunk in. Safe to say that I definitely look thinner these days. I guess I'm so focused on "Ugh, I need to lose weight!" that I haven't stopped to realize that I actually have! Well, not so much pounds, but I've definitely lost inches. Here's a fun fact for you: I weigh the same now at a size 8 (ish) as a did at a size 12. 'Cause that makes sense. So I give up on losing pounds. I focus on the inches.


In other news, my SIL posted some fan-freakin-tastic pictures of my niece and nephew today. Her bestie does a little photography...she's actually taken a lot of photos of my niece and this time she did a "cousins" photo. Anyway, I just want to brag that I have the cutest niece and nephew ever. ;-) And I get another nephew next month! 




Aren't they cute?! Kellan will be 11 {at least I'm pretty sure} this week, and Eden is 16 months. Eden looooooves her cousin. =) It's really cute. If my kids look even a tiny bit like these two, well, then I will have the cutest kids ever. Haha!

Well, that about covers my weekend. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go wait for a Skype date and then pass out. I don't know if I'll ever catch up on sleep!

4.22.2011

Thursday Things

Ah, the day of the week when randomness is okay because it has a nice title. ;-) I'm pretty sure I had a great coherent post thought up yesterday, but as usual it's already forgotten. Oh well!

First things first, I am finally getting to talk to Joe on a mostly regular basis again. His internet got fixed (and by "fixed" I mean it cuts in and out when it wants to and makes Skyping interesting) a few days ago and we've been able to chat a few times and Skype once. I'm just glad I can talk with him in "real time" instead of waiting for emails. Though there were days that all I wanted was an email. =P Funny how that works isn't it?


Just another super-blurry, delayed Skype chat brought to you by The Sandbox.


In even better news, we have dates!!!!! These are always subject to change, but they've been the same for about a week now so that's good. It's really, really coming to an end and one day in the near future, my hubby will be home! I so can't wait.


Woop, woop! =D

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I have been crafty to the max lately!! It's almost a little scary. =P First with those towels for the kitchen on Monday... And the fabric basket... And yesterday, I made two more fabric baskets and a headband for myself!! 

I ended up not being able to volunteer yesterday because as soon as I got to the museum, the power went out! I swear, Hawaii has the craziest power outages. Anyway, I went to the commissary and then I came home to be crafty. And I am really loving the results!


See the two baskets on the left and right ends of the table? Oh, how I love them!! I wish I'd made the one for mail a little bit bigger, but it works well enough. I am too tired of making them to want to make a larger one, so that's just gonna have to do.

Closeup of the keys/sunglasses basket

This is my favorite one. =) It's a really nice catch-all for the junk I'm carrying when I walk in the door. And it'll be even better once Joe's home. He likes to take his phone, keys, wallet and whatever else he's carrying out of his pockets as soon as he walks in. Sometimes, they end up all over the house and he's searching for whatever item the next time he needs it. I'm hoping this will solve that problem. 

Now for the headband. =) Since I did so well with my first ruffles, I decided I'd try one for a headband. My hair is at that not-quite-short-but-not-quite-long-either stage which will all know and love. {sarcasm} Most of the time I'm fighting with my hair to stay back out of my face...so enter headband. =) I made this one with some elastic, but I'm wanting to experiment with gluing it onto a plastic one next.


I think it turned out well, don't you?! I wore it today, but no compliments (except from my Twitter friends!) were received. Oh well. =P I still like it. Even if it did make me look a few years younger than I really am. 

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Continuing with Operation: Pretty House, tomorrow I will be visiting Ross (and possibly WalMart) for a valance for the kitchen! I also might be purchasing a drill if I find one for the right price. We really do need one... I know I can always ask friends to borrow one, but it would still be nice to have one here. 

Also, hubby has given me the "go ahead" to start purchasing Americana decor from Etsy! I still can't decide what I want my first purchase to be. Should I get prints to frame?

{found here}

Or should I get some wood art to place on shelves?


*sigh* I can't decide! I love just about everything I come across on Etsy...which is a problem all by itself! Haha! =)

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Well, I guess that just about covers everything! I'm off to go watch my DVR'ed episode of Bones since I was talking to Joe when it was on. That and I'm still bitter that Grey's was a rerun again this week. I hope there's a long string of new episodes coming up, because I'm really getting frustrated!! {end rant}

Smile, it's almost the weekend!!! 

4.21.2011

The Little Things

Do you ever let the "little things" get to you? You know, like you're already having a rough day, can't seem to get things together and now you can't freakin' find your keys/phone/wallet/purse/insert item here?! Or you're running behind and you get behind Grandma Moses driving 25 in a 35. 


I let those kinds of things get to me all the time. Recently, I let our little *ahem* discussion about getting a new couch really get to me. It was a little ridiculous, if we're being honest. I had to stop and remind myself that it's just a couch; it will be there tomorrow and it's not the end of the world if I can't go and get it right away. 


I love this song for that very reason. She talks about all the stuff that goes on in our lives that drives us absolutely nuts. But she also mentions....


"In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff
That gets under my skin
But I've gotta trust
You know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff you use

To break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world"

Powerful and insightful, yes? Really makes you think... That, yeah, God really does use all of the "little things" to teach us and grow us. 

Plus, it's a really fun song. =) I get the urge to dance every time I hear it. I guess I should let you listen to it too, huh?  Playlist.com failed me today, so you get a good 'ole fashioned YouTube video. Aren't you excited?! ;-)


Hope you enjoyed my song choice this week! Head over to Goodnight Moon to hear more songs and to link up your own {if it suits your fancy}.

Now, I leave you with my newest little ruffle creation. =) I'm a little proud of myself. 


But now the question is, can I wear this without looking like a 12 year old?! Help?

4.20.2011

Happy Mail

Have I ever mentioned that getting packages in the mail is like the best thing ever?! If not, let me say it again: best. thing. EVER! ;-) Now that we've gotten that out of the way...


I got some very happy mail today. Somehow, I'd kind of forgotten that my MIL sends us Easter packages/gifts. Usually just little, cute things. Sometimes they're more like things that are "awww, cute" but end up getting chunked as soon as Easter's come and gone. Fortunately, this year's is pretty awesome. =)




Peanut M&M's!! And in pretty colors!! Pretty sure I said "Oh, I love that woman" when I opened the package and saw those. Haha. =) Can you tell that I love chocolate and that Aunt Flo is hanging around?! Not only are they yummy, they also look good in a jar. Hehe.


Aren't they cute?!

The other two egg thingies are actually little plants!! The directions say to crack the top of the eggs with a spoon and remove it. Then, you water it and place it in the sun. The pink one is an impatient and the purple one is a pansy (the flower, people ;-)). I can't wait to see them grow!! I'm also a little worried that I'll kill them, though. I have a bad habit of ignoring plants and letting them die after a while. But, since I really want to make our yard look nice, I guess I might want to think about changing that, huh?!

I also bought myself a little goodie today...before I knew I had the goodies from my MIL.


I have seriously fallen in love with macadamia nuts since we moved here. Especially chocolate and macadamia nuts. I expected these to taste exactly like what you'd think Hershey's Kisses and macadamia nuts... Except that they taste pretty much like chocolate covered macadamia nuts from Mauna Loa or any other Hawaiian company that makes them and they're just shaped like Kisses. Oh well. Still a win for me. ;-)

I think some happy mail and a little bit of chocolate was a great way to finish off my day. =) And don't worry, I think I'm going to make a call to my MIL tomorrow to make sure she gets proper thanks.

Hope you're having a great week so far!

4.19.2011

Nesting?

Earlier today, I asked this question to all my Twitter and FB peeps:

Is it still called nesting if I'm getting the house ready for my husband to come home?


I swear, it's like a caught some spring cleaning/house redecorating bug! All I've wanted to do since Friday is overhaul my house! And yesterday, I caught the sewing bug again. =) I spent yesterday afternoon with two of the most fabulous ladies on the island, Annie and Miranda! Annie made some extremely yummy enchiladas, and we spent the afternoon sewing! I worked on a quilt for my nephew, Miranda worked on a baby bib and Annie made a camera strap cover. I think my project showed the least progress, but quilts are kinda that way sometimes especially when you're a procrastinator like me. We had a great time being crafty, eating yummy food and chatting. And of course, I left wanting to do a thousand sewing projects of my own. =P


After I chatted with Melissa on Skype this morning, I decided I needed to do some things around the house. Since I spent Saturday afternoon hacking at my back yard {and killing my arms in the process}, I didn't do the usual Saturday laundry. So I started some laundry and worked on the dishes. Then I got to looking around the kitchen... Suddenly I was really annoyed with the setup. It really just wasn't working for me. 


What's a girl to do in a time like that? Move things around, of course!! After I pulled almost everything off the counters, I had to clean them! And then I cleaned off the coffee maker and toaster... And the stove... I also had to wash the vase thingy that holds my cooking utensils. Then I put everything where it needed to be. Finally, I was satisfied. =)


Then I set off to complete my kitchen's "new" look. I had to embellish some tea towels!! I'd actually used these for the same project around Christmas. Honestly, I didn't like them that much... So I repurposed them! I ripped out the seams for the Christmas fabric and started anew. Then I pulled out the coffee fabric I bought at Hobby Lobby back in December {I still can't believe I let it sit in my drawer that long!} and got to work.




The finished product. =) But the more I looked at them - pretty as they were - they still seemed to be missing something. After switching out some laundry and folding the clean clothes, I went back to work. This was the end result. 


Ruffles!

Cute, right?! There were a few things I could/should have done differently, but I think they turned out alright! They definitely make a nice addition to my kitchen. =)


Ah, sweet reorganization and decoration! It really amazes me that some new towels and reorganization can make such a difference! 

After some more laundry folding {I really waited too long to do laundry this week} and a quick snack break, I went back to sewing. =) Next up on my list was fabric baskets. I only ended up making one because it took me so stinkin' long. My machine was being a bit of a pain and I think I was getting a little tired. I even settled for a little fabric glue to finish it off, but only because I just knew I'd break a needle...or the sewing machine if I attempted to sew through that many layers. Anyway, here was the final [tiny] result.


See? Tiny. It would probably be fine if I didn't put things other than keys in it. I'm going to make 2 more sometime soon. This one may end up on my desk for sticky notes or something once I have the bigger ones. I want one of them to hold our keys, sunglasses, and pens and then another one on the other side of the table for mail. I'm always dumping it somewhere, so at least this way it would have its own little space.


Isn't the other side just begging for its own little matching basket?! I thought so. ;-) I also need to get a valance for that silly window and then the kitchen will be done!

After that I need to work on the redo of the living room... Like ordering Americana decor from Etsy (where else?!), getting a slipcover for the couch, and making some covers for our pillows. I'm going to be a busy girl!! Plus, I have a quilt and scrapbook to make! Those have to be done by next month! This is what I get for being crafty. =P

Yes, I think it's safe to say that I'm nesting. I don't think that term should just be reserved for pregnant ladies. It should be for military wives prepping for homecoming too!

4.18.2011

Operation: Pretty House

I've been pretty...bummed about the state our house is in lately. Not because it looks bad, because that's not really the case. It's really more a case of "I'm tired of my house looking this way and need a change." =) I've been living with the same decorations and furniture since we got married. Not all of it is bad, but after a while anyone can get the "meh" feeling about things you see every day. A while back I decided that our living room needs to be redone in Americana decorations, but I haven't started working on it. There's so much that I want to do, but it can get really expensive. I've made some progress in the last few days, but I want to do so much more.

It all started with a little text message to the fabulous Annie on Friday. I wanted to go shopping for a weed eater/whacker but I needed a little push to get out of the house. Why not text a friend?! She had some errands to run too, so it worked out pretty well. We drove to the Marine Corps base so she could order a new couch. While we were there, I decided I would look around too. Well.... Of course I would find a couch and fall in love. It was a really good deal... I took a picture and emailed Joe later, praying he would be okay with it. Sadly, he didn't agree that it was a necessity. Since I'm still a little bitter about not getting it, I don't even have the heart to post a photo and make myself fall in love with it all over again. 


After the furniture store, we went to Ross. If you've never been to a Ross and have one near you, run - do not walk - to the nearest one and start shopping! If you've never heard of it, it's kind of like a TJ Maxx. They have great deals on clothes, shoes, bags and household items. I'm not sure how long we were there, but I ended up with a new set of canisters for the kitchen, an accent pillow for the bedroom, curtains and a curtain rod for the living room. My total was like $60. I got two curtain panels for $16. It really doesn't get better than that. 


Then we fought traffic and went to Home Depot for my weed eater! Luckily, one of the employees spotted us standing in the lawn care aisle just staring at weed eaters. =P He gladly helped me out and I got the cheapest weed eater they had (seriously, my back yard is like 10 feet), a power cord, and some extra line for the weed eater. 


I had a really successful shopping day, even if I hadn't planned on getting most of it! Annie was nice enough to let me borrow her drill since we don't have one. I seriously think I need to purchase one since I've put up curtains in two rooms and had to borrow other people's drills. Anyway. If you know me, I'm really impatient. As soon as I had dinner, I took the stickers off the canisters and put them in the sink to soak. Then I started on the curtains. =) They gave me some fits, but I finally conquered them!


Don't they look great?! I love them. =)

Since I can't get the new couch [insert pouty face here], I've decided that I'm going to get a beige/tan slipcover for the couch. I really just can't deal with the green couch and Americana decorations. No can do! And I'm pretty sure that the recliner is going to find its way to the curb soon. The rocking chair will most likely take its place. 


Don't you just love the canisters?! I definitely do. They're a nice pop of color in my drab kitchen. =) I was a little bummed that they only had 2 sizes, but I think it works out pretty well. Who needs the traditional 4 sizes anyway, right?! Most of all, I'm glad to be getting rid of my old, black, WalMart canisters. They were definitely "blah" and didn't really seal that well. These are much better and easier to use. I've also decided to make a valance for the kitchen window. I bought some coffee themed fabric when I was home over Christmas, and I think I'm going to use one of those for it. Now to find the right tutorial! And another curtain rod. =P


Not much left to do in the bedroom. I want to get two London prints (and frames) to hang up in here and it'll be done. Isn't it crazy what one little pillow will do to bring the room together?! I think the best part about it is that I spent a whopping $3.50 for it. =)

I did the hardest part of this whole house beautifying thing yesterday. Oh. My. Word. I'm proud of myself for buying the weed eater and actually using it. I still can't believe I did it. Y'all, I'm pretty sure that my backyard hadn't been touched since before Joe came home for R&R and December. Yeah. My grass doesn't grow too quickly, but...that's still a really long time. It was basically a jungle out there. It was getting to the point where Jasper would hardly go out to use the bathroom. That's how you know it's bad... Even the dog won't go out there. =P 

I'm not going to show a picture because, frankly, it's a little embarrassing. I spent probably an hour out there hacking away at all the "treeds" (tree/weeds). I stopped only about a bazillion times because my arms and back were so stinkin' tired. By the time I was finished, I was covered in grass...and sweat. Ick. I even had grass in my hair!!! The good news is that I can see my fence now and Jasper isn't terrified to go out there. The bad news is it still doesn't really look like grass should. =P I'm fairly certain that's because I'm a novice weed-eater. Haha! 

More bad news: my arms are KILLING ME!! After I stripped on the patio {thank God I have a fence!} and came in, I wanted nothing more than a shower to relax my arm muscles and rinse off the ick. I raised my arms to wash my hair -- instant pain. I haven't been able to lift a gallon of milk with one hand since then. Or anything heavier either. It's really stinkin' sad. But at least it's done. And now, of course, I want to buy plants to put out on the patio and front walk. Of course. =P

Since we're on the very downhill side of this deployment, it's safe to say that Operation: Pretty House is in full swing!!


Oh, and we have flight dates!!! Those are, of course, always subject to change but at least we have them! If I can make it through this month, going home next month, and our anniversary in June, he'll be home soon after that! Good thing I ordered my welcome home banner early!

4.15.2011

Death Screen

Yesterday when I got to the museum, K told me she had some bad news for me. Considering I can't be fired or lose pay, I couldn't really think of anything too bad that could happen. =P Then she told me maybe I should sit down, and that I shouldn't kill the messenger. Lol! Apparently, she was trying to make it sound more awful than it actually was so that I wouldn't be upset. {Which actually worked.} =)

D had turned on the computer I use for scanning and editing archival photos to do a backup of it and then change some things. The computer, however, had different plans.

Enter: blue screen of death.

Computer completely crashed. Well, not completely. Some of the files were still there, others were deleted. Random, right? The database I was getting information from to add to the photos (metadata: date, location of the photos) completely got "fried." All of the photos that I had been scanning, editing and adding metadata to for the last...2-3 months was gone. *sigh*


It gets better. D had to completely replace the hard drive, add some RAM and reload the operating system. We had been using Vista on the 2 volunteer computers, but they didn't have any more codes to load Vista on any others. What did they have codes for? XP. So now, we have XP on both volunteer computers. Not so bad, right? I mean, XP has far less issues than Vista...


Do you have any idea how DIFFERENT XP is from Vista?!


Instead of going back to the recently deceased and revived computer and dealing with what was no longer there, I decided to start working on my easier organization project. All I needed to do was print out some labels on the other volunteer computer and go label some maps. Easy peasy, right? Wrong. D had loaded XP on this computer the day before. But apparently, no one had reloaded the printer on it. *sigh* On Vista, you don't need the driver CD. On XP you apparently do because when I tried to add it, I got this hilarious screen.




Floppy. disk. Seriously?!?!?! Bahahahaha!!! Does anyone still even own floppy disks?! Or computers that use them!? Congratulations XP, you are officially outdated. I won't even start on how insanely...different Microsoft Office is on XP. FAIL.


After that, I decided I'd attempt the computer that deleted everything. First, I couldn't remember where to go to access the scanner. Then, we had to find a program to edit the photos that wouldn't change their file size or dpi. I swear, if it wasn't one thing yesterday it was another. While D was trying to figure out what program we could use to edit photos (that we had the CDs for) other than the evil Photoshop Elements, something more hilarious than the floppy disk screen happened. I don't know what he clicked to try to edit the photo, but Windows opened it in this handy program that we've all been familiar with since childhood:




Yes, Paint. I died laughing!!! Paint?! You gotta be freakin' kidding me!!! I have absolutely no idea what the heck XP paint was gonna do to help us edit a photo, but that's what we got.... 


Luckily, we figured out how to edit the photos so that I can do what I need to do. It seriously took up 75% of my afternoon there though. I barely got anything done. I still can't believe I'm having to revert back to XP. FAIL. D says that the museum is supposed to get copies of Windows 7 soon, but I'm not holding my breath. I'd just like an upgrade to a computer system that I don't have to revert back to high school knowledge to operate. 


K joked that it might be BYOC (bring your own computer) soon. I told her I'd be totally okay with that. I own a Mac. No random crashes, viruses, trouble editing or finding information for me! 


Reason number 5,989 I own a Mac. =)




Please excuse me while I hug my computer. Hehe.


Here's hoping all of you have a computer problem free day especially if you own a PC! ;-)

4.14.2011

Music-Induced Flashback

After the afternoon I had, I'm kind of thankful for something else to focus on. Nothing like good 'ole fashioned computer deaths to make your day wonderful, right?! {Not my computer - thank God - but the museum's. Reason number 9,987 I own a Mac.}

So, today's song is another one from the Joe & Sarah archives. ;-) Joe used to write down lyrics to songs and give them to me. Oddly enough, we both are lyric lovers. Me the history major and he the music major. Interesting, no? To make it even better, the lyrics are still pretty relatable to our current situation: deployment.



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"And I have to speculate that God himself
Did make us into corresponding shapes like
Puzzle pieces from the clay
True, it may seem like a stretch, but
Its thoughts like this that catch my troubled
Head when you're away when I am missing you to death
When you are out there on the road for
Several weeks of shows and when you scan
The radio, I hope this song will guide you home"


Perfect, right? The best songs are the ones that stick around for a while and relate to whatever situation. Then it was sweet and cute...now, it's part of our history but still fits with who we are. =) And I don't think you can really go wrong with Postal Service. They're not exactly a popular band, but I love them. Even better, Joe won't listen to Owl City because they're a "Postal Service rip off." =P Haha!

Rainy Day circa 2006

Now, pick out your favorite song this week and go link up with Goodnight Moon!

Hope you're having a fantabulous week so far!

4.13.2011

A Few Things

Yeah, I just can't get my brain together enough to write a post on one topic. It's just not possible right now.  I think deployment brain is to blame...yet again. I even have proof. Well, sort of. You remember way back when when I said that I have an uncanny ability to remember dates? Deployment brain really screwed with me last week. I forgot two birthdays. Not one, but two! Granted, I did send the birthday cards in advance, but I never called/texted them! That is so not like me. Even better, I didn't realize until about two days later. Thanks, deployment brain.


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This morning I realized something. Everyone will find something to complain about. Even the people who have what I like to call "the dream life." You know, the ones unlike milies have. They have their husbands home, their own home (one that they can decorate!) a good career, friends and family close by, but yet they find something wrong with their life. Personally, I have a hard time understanding it. How can they complain when they "have it all?"

Then I thought that the same could be said of me. I definitely don't have "the dream life" but it's not like I don't complain about living in Hawaii. I should be thankful for that. And the fact that I do have a sweet husband...even if he's not here. I can be thankful that God's been keeping him safe, even if he isn't with me. 

Jealousy is a rough one for me, though. And I feel like the longer this deployment goes on, the more jealous I am of...pretty much everyone whose husband is home. One of my friends texted me a couple weeks ago, complaining about her job stuff. After a few texts, she asked if I wanted to switch places with her for a week. My response? "Gladly! Wanna live by yourself while your hubby is deployed?" Hers: "Ummm no." Yeah, that's what I thought. {Side note: she'd be one of the people I claim have "the dream life." I still *heart* her, but it's hard for me.}

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Last Friday, I updated my FB status about the whole government shutdown thing and how the Democrats were holding military paychecks so they could get Planned Parenthood funding. Among the comments, I wrote that PP only does abortions. Out of nowhere, a guy I used to go to church with attacked me. (Not gonna lie, I was shocked.) He corrected me by letting me know that PP does counseling for pregnant teens, people with STDs and other things. I really wanted to ask him why they only picketed about abortion instead of the things he listed, but didn't. 

Well.... Yesterday I got a little curious. So I hopped over to their website. What I found was nothing other than appalling. I shouldn't have been surprised, though. The first thing I spotted that cut me was this:

(From PP's site)

Do you see how it lists the options? Abortion is #1. As if saying that's the best option. This is found under the "info for Teens" link on their site. I think that's not quite as subtle as they want it to be. 

The biggest thing that I found to be a problem was their info for parents talking to children about sex. Basically, they want you to start talking to your child about sexual relationships and orientation at age FIVE. FIVE. What freakin' 5 year old needs to know that?! I'm pretty sure that when I was 5 I was more concerned with my baby dolls, ponies and my little brother breaking my toys. Here's what they list on their site about what you should talk with your 5-7 year old about.

  • that all living things reproduce
  • how plants and animals grow and reproduce, what they need, and how we care for them
  • that all people, including our parents and grandparents, are sexual
  • that we all live through a life cycle that has a beginning and an end and includes sexuality at all ages
  • that people experience sexual pleasure in a number of different ways
  • that everyone has sexual thoughts and fantasies and that having them is normal
  • that families are structured in different ways
  • the roles and responsibilities of different members of their families
  • how to live outside of stereotyped gender roles — for example, that women can be good leaders and men can be good at taking care of children
  • that sexual identity includes sexual orientation
  • that we must all take an active role in protecting our health
  • that health care providers support our health and well-being
  • the basic facts about HIV/AIDS
  • that a friend is someone we enjoy being with, someone who shares, listens, encourages, and helps us think through our problems
  • how to develop, maintain, and end friendships
  • how to recognize and protect themselves from potential sexual abuse and its dangers — for example, sexual predators may seem kind, giving, and loving. They may be friends or family members.


Frankly, I find it disturbing. Is it any wonder that children are being "sexualized" and reaching puberty at such early ages these days? We don't let them be children! We don't let them dream, play, imagine. We worry about their test scores, putting them into every activity known to man, making sure little girls look pretty, little boys act the way they should. Why do children need to know these things so early? Shoot, 100 years ago most women didn't know how "things worked" until their wedding night! Sometimes I think we're a little too educated for our own good. 

And just so I can make a point here, PP only dedicates four paragraphs on their website about breast cancer screening, self breast exams, mammograms, and cervical cancer. Their are many pages on their site dedicated to abortion and educating children on sex. And as JG has posted before, Planned Parenthood is not what it seems to be from the outside looking it. Not only do they knowingly help sex traffickers, but they also have spent millions of dollars helping electing your "family friendly" Democrats. (Yes, I really did read that but for the life of me I can't find the site right now!!!)

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I have been a really bad girl lately. On the dieting/weight loss side, that is. Remember when I got sick a few weeks ago? Well, the whole asthma situation keeps me from being able to work out. Not being able to breath = no workouts. And we all know what happens when we're sick. Junk Food City. I know that I always use the "Well, I'm sick so I deserve it" excuse. Don't you? Of course you do. So, about a week and a half of that, followed by continued use of inhaled steroids... I wasn't doing much good. I suppose that I was at least keeping the calories low. Lean Cuisines are pretty much staples in my house these days and when I'm sick I especially despise cooking. And soup isn't worth very many calories either. 

Still, though, I wasn't working out. I realized sometime within the last week that I haven't exactly reached my weight loss goal in this deployment. Sure I have a few months left, but that's not very much in the grand scheme of things. Plus you have to add in the one week trip home in May for my BIL's wedding. That's definitely going to include a few trips to Chick Fil A and maybe a trip or two to Olive Garden...and who knows what else. The things you miss.... What does that mean for me?

I gotta get my butt in gear!!! This morning I did 20 minutes of my Zumba game (which is an entire beginner's class) and oh. my. word. I'm sure you want to know this, but I was extremely sweaty and completely exhausted. Score one for Zumba! I really need to get back to Pilates too. But I feel like I burn more calories by doing Zumba...which is probably very true. Anyway, I really need to do both: core strengthening and cardio are very important. Now...to actually put it in action...

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In other news, I'm loving the new additions to my wardrobe. =) As if I wouldn't, right?! 


I love blue. And I'm really loving the rosettes. Yeah, I could probably do them and add them to my own shirts, but who really wants to dedicate that kind of time and effort? Not me. Maybe one day. ;-)

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Last, but not least, I got to Skype with this handsome soldier yesterday!!!


Not an especially great picture of either of us, but oh well! =P It had been around 2ish weeks since the last time we got to Skype. It was really nice...but it didn't last too long. His connection got all wonky and we had to just stop trying to reconnect after a few minutes. But I'm glad I got to see him and hear his voice. It had been far too long!!! I was hoping we'd get to Skype again later that week but someone cut the lines to his router!!! I really, really hate people sometimes. Who would do that?! Grrr. So now, there's no telling how long it will take to get fixed. Which means I have no idea when we'll get to chat, let alone Skype. Sad face. 

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I hope y'all are having a good week so far!