Usborne Books & More: A Giveaway!

Hey, friends!

I'm super excited to share this giveaway with you today! My best friend, Melissa, is a consultant with Usborne so I've been able to see first hand just how awesome their books are. They have books for babies all the way up to Young Adult titles. They have books on learning how to draw, coloring books (even for adults! ;)), wipe-clean books that are perfect for tracing letters and numbers (and many other things), and some of the best quality (and cute!) board books I've ever seen. 

We have probably a handful of Usborne books in the house, mostly because of Melissa. ;-) I've seen my kiddos fight over the That's Not My Fox book and Touchy-Feely book quite a few times. 

Around Christmas I talked my mom into buying the Nutracker book (with music) for the kids...mostly because I love the Nutcracker so much! Charlotte loves the music, too, and I love the fact that the pages are durable enough to withstand these two crazies. I also gave my niece and nephew two of the sticker books for Christmas, because, what kid doesn't love stickers?!

So anyway, today I'm sharing with you a giveaway for a Brain Bag! 

If you would like to create your own bag, you can select one of each of these categories:

• A set of Activity Cards or an Activity Book
• A Coloring or Drawing Book
• A Sticker or Wipe-Clean Book (LOVE these!)
• A Chapter, Non-Fiction, or Phonics Book

Honestly, I kind want one of these for my girls!! They would be great for the never-ending road trips (either to see family or for when we move...again...), plane rides, long doctor appointments, when you need a little bit of quiet time (*wink*), etc. 

So. Go forth and ENTER! Giveaway will be open for 1 week, starting NOW. Winner will be selected randomly by Rafflecopter, will be contacted via email, and then announced here on the blog no later than Friday of next week. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Was It You?

Thanks to everyone who entered in the giveaway! I had a fun time hosting it, and I can't wait to send some happy mail to one of my reader friends. Everyone could use some happy mail, am I right?!

Without further ado..... Drum roll, please......

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Congrats, Katy B!!! You should be getting an email from me soon, if you haven't already!

For those of you who didn't win my totally awesome giveaway, I still have some good news! 

I created a little coupon code just for you. From now until the end of the month, you can get 30% off your order from my shop! And if you order, you might get a little something else from me in your email inbox. Just sayin'. ;-) And of course, you can always order Jamberry nails from Jes! (Or host a party in hopes of getting all the free things!) I have a feeling I might be doing just that here pretty soon.

I'm so excited to see where my little Etsy shop will take me! I hope y'all will stick along for the ride, and enjoy handmade goodies while you're at it.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Etsy Launch Giveaway!

What better way to start a new week than with a giveaway, am I right?! =)

In case you didn't know (*wink wink*), I opened an Etsy shop last month. It's something I'd thought about doing for a while, and just kept putting off. Mostly because of the babies, but also because I just wasn't sure. And then....I just started thinking about it all the time. Out of nowhere, I was itching to sew again, and not just for myself and the kiddos.

This new blog was born partially out of my desire to create an Etsy shop. I wanted to have a blog and a shop with the same name - and ultimately, a space that reflected who I am. If I had really planned well, I would have done this giveaway when the shop opened. For some reason, that was the one thing I didn't think of! But that's alright, because giveaways are good pretty much all the time. Right?! =)

My friend Jes also started a new business this month. She's started selling Jamberry nails, which I'm pretty much in love with! When I decided to do this giveaway, I contacted her to see if she'd like to donate to my cause. Thankfully, she said yes! 

So, in honor of both of our brand new businesses, here's what I'm/we're giving away today:

A wipe-clean/waterproof cosmetic bag + goodies

&

One free sheet of nail wraps (of the winner's choice)!

The giveaway begins today and ends Sunday night. Winner will be chosen randomly, using Rafflecopter, and will be contacted one week from today. Good luck! =)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday Walkabout #50!

A few weeks ago, the other co-hosts and I decided 2 things:

1. After 1 year of hosting this linky, it's time for us to say goodbye.
2. As a "going away gift," we're doing a giveaway!

It's kind of sad to be ending this, but all good things come to an end at some point, right? Plus, I'm sure those of you who have linked up faithfully have found bunches of new blogs and friends by now. That was sort of the goal for this, and if that's happened, I'd say it was a success! Wouldn't you agree? So in two weeks, we'll have the last linkup and announce the winner of the giveaway. Good luck!! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


✽✽✽

In other news, I have an ultrasound this afternoon. Be on the lookout for a gender reveal post tonight or tomorrow! We can't wait to find out! In the meantime, who wants to try and guess Rainbow Baby's gender before I post it?! 


✽✽✽

Welcome to the Wednesday Walkabout! Thank you so much for hanging out with us, linking up, and reading new blogs. 

A little info about the Walkabout:

This is a weekly linky party with myself and 3 other co-hosts. The idea? Just put your URL in the linky (it can be a specific post or your "homepage"- whichever you prefer), visit a few other blogs, and possibly make some new friends. Easy peasy, right?!

Oh, and you only have to link up with ONE of the co-hosts. =) 

There are just a few quick rules we've set for the linky party...

1. Please follow at least ONE hostess, and let us know you're a new follower and how you follow!

Sarah - G.I. Joe's Wife (That's me!)

Chantal - Scattered Seashells 

Jane - Poppiness 

Jamie - Handling With Grace

2. Try to visit 3-4 blogs that interest you. Take some time and let them know where you came from.

3. Grab the button from my sidebar and spread the word! (Not required, but just cool if you do.) The more, the merrier.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy blog-hopping!

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

All the entries are IN for my Thirty-One and organizer giveaway! Turns out this giveaway was a total success with over 300 entries!!! WOW! You guys must really love some organizing. ;-)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Laura!!!

And thanks to everyone who entered my fabulous giveaway! If you didn't win and would still like to have a piece of Thirty-One, please check out my online party here. It's open until the 20th and all orders will be shipped straight to your door. (That includes APO addresses!) And if you'd like to order a fabulous organizing wallet, go check out my bestie's Etsy shop and/or Facebook page.

Thanks again to everyone who entered! Hope you're having a fantastic week!

Thirty-One Party + A Giveaway!

Hello, my lovely readers!! I have a super-special treat for you today. First, I'm hosting an online Thirty-One party and YOU are invited! {Click here to start shopping!} =) Second, I'm hosting a giveaway!!

In case you haven't heard of Thirty-One, it is a direct sales company that sells every woman's favorite thing: bags. Tote bags (including a rolling tote that would be perfect for traveling), storage bags, organizing bags and purses. Love! You can see the whole catalog here.

{photo via}

I already have 2 of their bags: the skirt purse and organizing utility tote, which I use for a diaper bag. Works wonders, by the way! Before Charlotte was born, I carried the skirt purse all the time. They have so many more products that I'd love to have, which is kind of why I'm hosting a party! ;-) 

I also have good news for all of my OCONUS milspouse readers and friends: Starting Sept. 10th, Thirty-One will begin shipping to APO addresses! When booking my party, I wanted to make sure that all of my lovely OCONUS friends could purchase something if they wanted. So please don't let being OCONUS stop you from joining in on the fun and ordering! =) 

Parties are always more fun when freebies are involved, so today I'm offering you guys the chance to win these lovelies:

A mini utility tote, found here.

Good for little people's toys, car storage, books, newspapers, etc.

And an organizing wallet from my bestie's Etsy shop!

Perfect for organizing cash or coupons.

Thanks in advance for checking out my party! (Go here to start shopping now!) 

The Thirty-One party ends September 20th. Because a giveaway that lasts 2 weeks would be a bit much for anyone, I'm ending the giveaway next week (September 11th). 

Happy shopping and giveaway-entering! =)

P.S. Isn't this a great way to start the 4 day week?!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MyMemories Giveaway WINNER!

Today I bring you the winner of the MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software! Only a few people entered {much to my dismay}, so those of you who did enter had a great chance! Yay for you, right?!

Before I get to the winner, I want to remind you that even if you didn't win you can still get a discount on the software by using my special coupon code {STMMMS86011} at checkout. With it, you'll get $10 off the software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories store! {And if you play your cards right, you can get a lot for $10!}

Now, for the winner!! I used the trusty random.org to choose the winner of this giveaway.

And who is lucky number 7?!

Jane!!! Congratulations!!! If you will just send me an email or leave a comment {making sure your reply-to email is set!} I will make sure you have what you need to get your free software. Enjoy!!

My Memories Giveaway!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the lovely people at MyMemories to review their digital scrapbooking software. I was pretty darn excited because I've been wanting to try out this whole digital scrapbooking thing for quite a while, but never could justify spending so much just to try it out. Not only have they provided me with the software to try, they are also allowing me to give away one free copy to my readers! =D

I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure if their software was Mac friendly or not. Good news: it is! They have a PC version and a Mac version! It's really easy to download and doesn't take too much time. I was also surprised at how easy it is to maneuver. Some programs aren't so easy for me to find my way around, but this definitely is. So easy that I've been able to start a few albums already. =)

I've been wanting to do one for Joe and I yearly, but haven't really done anything. What I love about this software is that you can easily add your photos to it. It's not like regular scrapbooking {which I still love doing} where you have to purchase everything, print out the photos, decide which to use and then cut them if need be. Just click and add. Easy peasy!

For these, I chose to select a photo layout and then my own "paper" background. You can also make your own photo layout, or choose from papers they have. You can also purchase backgrounds and paper kits from their online store. Some layouts are free and others are a few dollars. Here is what I've done so far:

A homecoming page for the Joe and Sarah album...

And a little page for photos we had taken about a week ago by the lovely Annie. =)

Not only will I be able to use it for our yearly photo album, but I'll also be able to use it to document the life of our little one once she gets here. I can only imagine how many photos we'll be taking... For this one, I chose a ready-made layout. Here's a little preview of what I'd like to do with her album.

So cute and girly. =)

You can also use their software to create Christmas cards, announcements and pretty much anything you can imagine. I just like the easy scrapbooking function. 

Yeah, yeah, but how do I enter, you ask? If you would like to win one copy of MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software, here's how:

1. Visit MyMemories and choose your favorite digital paper pack or layout. Then come back and tell me which one you chose. {Mandatory, 1 entry}
2. You must be a follower of my blog. Be sure to leave me a comment! {Mandatory, 1 entry}
3. Tweet about it, mentioning me: @gijoeswifeblog. Limit 1 tweet per day. Be sure you leave me a comment each time you tweet!
4. Blog about it, linking your post back to mine. Be sure to come back and comment with the link! {1 entry}

The giveaway starts today and will end Wednesday, December 7 at midnight EST. If you haven't gotten the memo yet, please make sure you comment for each entry. 

If you would like to purchase MyMemories software now or after the giveaway is over, please enter my special coupon code: STMMMS86011. This code will give you $10 off the software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories store.

Go forth and enter!! =) Good luck!

Winner, Winner!!!

We interrupt this vacation to bring you a brief message. =)

The winner of the Handmade Giveaway has been chosen! One lucky reader will win this lovely cash/coupon organizer and coin purse made by none other than my bestie, Melissa. 

The winner has been chosen via random selection {duh}. Without further ado.... The winner is:

Who is number 20, you ask??

Congratulations, Jennifer!!!! =D

I'd say you need to contact me with your address, but... I will see you soon! {For those of you who don't know, Jennifer lives in Hawaii too. =)}

If you like this coupon/cash organizer, you can check out Melissa's Etsy shop and Facebook page. 

I'm still on vacay with my hubby but I promise I'll be back soon! Thanks for sticking with me!

Handmade Giveaway

That's right -- a giveaway!


You may or may not remember me mentioning last week {I think} that my bestie, Melissa, started a Facebook page selling cash/coupon organizers and just about anything else you can think of. Well, as of a couple days ago, she is also on Etsy!! I know I'm her bestie and everything, but she's awesome. I can honestly say I pretty much love whatever she makes. =) Aside from being an awesome crafter and a great bestie, she's also a stay at home mom and blogger. You can check out her crafty, awesome self here:

>

To publicize opening her shop for business, she asked if I would like to do a giveaway. Um, of course!!! Everyone loves a giveaway, right?! So, Melissa's Custom Sewing is offering one of my followers a cash or coupon organizer and coin purse!

I think they're stinkin' cute!! And for those of you who are starting to coupon or do the envelope cash system, this will be very helpful. In fact, that's why Melissa first started making them. Now, I know you're all wondering what you have to do to win this so I'll stop blabbing. =)

Giveaway Entries:

1. Be a follower of my blog. Leave a comment telling me you follow. {1 entry} As always, please don't just follow because you want to win something.

2. Go "Like" Melissa's Custom Sewing Facebook page. Come back and leave a comment. {1 entry}

3. Go to Melissa's Custom Sewing Etsy shop and pick your favorite fabric. Come back and leave a comment. {1 entry}

4. Tweet it by copying and pasting this: "Check out @gijoeswifeblog to win a cash/coupon wallet! http://gijoeswife.blogspot.com/" {2 entries, one time ONLY.} Come back and leave 2 comments.

5. Blog about it, linking to my blog and Melissa's Etsy. {3 entries} Leave 3 comments.

This giveaway will stay open until Friday, July 22 at 10p.m. ET. Winner will be announced shortly after. Remember, you are responsible for your own entries so make sure you leave enough comments! I will not be checking to make sure you left all that you should have.

Now, go forth and enter!! And spread the word. =) Best of luck!

WINNER & Manic Monday

Oh my gosh, y'all. I had a fantabulous (but very busy) day! First though, I have to announce the winner of my 400th post giveaway!! =D 


This actually took more effort on my part than I was planning. You see, I just noticed that my blog doesn't have those handy-dandy numbers next to each comment. *sigh* So, I had to copy and paste them into a doc so I could figure out who the winner was. =P After that and hitting up trust random.org, we have a winner!!!!

So who is lucky number 37? Let's see...

JG!!!! Congrats, girlie!!! =D And be sure to email me because I don't think I have your new address. =)

❊❊❊

So, now that we've covered that, I can tell you about my awesome day! =)

I started off the day with a nice little Skype chat with my bestie and her little one. Then, I got ready to go to a little sewing party at Miranda's! She's been wanting to learn to sew and Annie and I were more than happy to help. Miranda offered to make us lunch (for 2 girls with deployed hubbies, this is pretty much amazing) and Annie made some amazing cupcakes. I brought myself and my sewing supplies. =P Go me. Haha!! 

Quite possibly the best cupcake I've ever had.

The best part? I got to take one home with me! Score! ;-)

It was so much fun! We were all wearing our comfy clothes (aka yoga pants) and pretty much lazed around. We had lunch, we chatted, we played with Miranda's little boy...and finally we got to sewing! Well, Miranda got to sewing. We took her machine out of the box, showed her how to thread it (which I think is almost the hardest part of sewing) and helped her get started. She chose to embellish a burp cloth with some yummy Amy Butler fabric for her first project. So stinkin' cute! It took her a while, but it turned out really well. =)

Miranda workin' hard! =)

I worked on a little blankie for my littlest nephew today too, but I didn't get very far. Must. work. harder. Seriously. The kid is going to be here next month! Auntie Sarah needs to get to work! =)

After my fabulous sewing party date, I headed over to California Pizza Kitchen for Chantal's birthday dinner! {Happy birthday, Chantal!} It was so much fun. =) All of our/her friends got together for a very yummy dinner. I was instructed by my hubby to eat pizza for him. Since I had such a, um, carb-heavy lunch I wasn't too hungry but I did manage to eat 2.5 pieces of pizza and almost a whole slice of her Reese's+chocolate ice cream cake from Cold Stone. It was soooo good! 

Needless to say, I'm going to have to seriously work out tomorrow. I was so bad today!! Actually, I think I said earlier that I've been "such a fatty today." =P When I finally got home, I found these on my doorstep when I let Jasper out. (I felt bad for him too. I left at like 1100 and got home around 1930... Sorry, puppy!)

Yup, the hubby sent tough boxes! I was super excited until I remembered that he didn't send me the keys that open the locks. *sighs and shakes head* You just gotta love him though. He did say that he was going to send them to me, but who knows if he really did? =P I should probably send him an email and ask, huh? I even got out the keys we have to other locks that look the same to try to open them... We bought a set of three, so I was really hoping these were the other two. No luck. Here's hoping I get them soon!

Oh, and my mom sent me a picture of her. She just started working at an elementary school as a paraprofessional and got her picture taken. Now, when she asked me if I wanted one I was like, "Really, Mom? A yearbook pic? Great." I was pleasantly surprised by this one though! It's a great picture of her, and she rarely poses/likes to be in pictures.

It's great, right? [Insert "you look just like your mom" comments here.] This might be the best picture of her I've seen in a loooong time. If only because she always protests when anyone tries to take a picture of her. =P

So, that was my day. Now I think I'm going to take my sugar-overloaded self to bed. 

The Big 4-0-0!!

Hello all!!! I honestly can't believe I have been blogging this long/so much!! 400 is kind of a big number. I think it needs some sort of celebration, don't you!? And since doing something like this would take too much work...

I figured we might want to celebrate in a different - but still fun - way. =)

As most of you know, I've been doing a whole lot of reading lately. About a month or so ago, I fell in love with a certain series of books of the "chick lit" persuasion. And goodness knows I have loved every single book ever written by Nicholas Sparks. (Yes, even Three Weeks with My Brother which was not even fiction...or romancey.) I also "blame" him for getting me to love North Carolina even before I met my husband and moved there. I've read many other books, including ones about the lives of milspouses, but I always come back to "chick lit" for good, easy, fun reads. So, when I was trying to decide how to celebrate my big 400th post I finally landed on a pretty darn good idea.

Why not do a book giveaway?! =D

After much consideration, I decided that I would give away these lovely books:

If I were all of you, I would be pretty darn excited right now!! =D I chose the Bride Quartet mainly because they're just really fun reads. The Guardian is my absolute favorite of Nicholas Sparks' books. And, of course, we can't forget the Milies! The Ocean Between Us is a really great book about a Navy family. I have loved each of these books. I thought I would share some of my favorite books with one of you lucky readers!!


Now, I bet you're all wondering what you have to do to enter. I'll try and keep it simple for you, ok?


1. You must be a follower. {And please don't just click the "follow" button just because you want to win something! I find that very annoying.} Leave me a comment letting me know you follow me.


2. Tell me (in another comment) the name of your favorite book.


3. Tweet about it! Just make sure you mention me (@gijoeswifeblog) and come back here and leave me a comment. Limit one tweet per day.


4. Blog about it! Link your post to this one and then leave me a comment.


That's it! Please leave me a comment for each entry!!! I will be using random.org to select the winner, so you are responsible for all of your entries. 

This giveaway will end on Monday, April 4th at midnight, EST. The winner will then be selected and announced here on the blog either that night or the next day. 


Go forth and enter!! =)

Happy Monday!

Something Fun

A few days ago, I saw this on a friend's blog and thought I would do it too. =) It's a little handwriting game. Since we're all on the typing side of life here in blogland, I think it's fun to see everyone's handwriting styles. Mine is not the best... And if you look closely, I even misspelled a word which is very rare for me. =P Here are the questions/prompts:

1. What is your name/blogger name?

2. What is your blog's URL?

3. Write: The quick fox jumps over the lazy dog.

4. Favorite quote?

5. Your favorite song?

6. Your favorite band/singers?

7. Anything else you want to say?

8. Tag 3-5 other people

Katie (who I "stole" this from) was all cutesy and used a legal pad. You know, since she's a lawyer and everything. ;-) I thought I'd go old school and use a spiral bound notebook I have lying around. The teacher in me hates spiral bound notebooks (unless they're being used for journals, in which case I actually prefer them) but they work well for random note-taking and the occasional blog post. =P So, if you've been tagged please feel free to do the same ASAP whenever you please. And if I didn't tag you and you still want to do it - go for it!

And while we're on the subject of fun... I have purchased some books for the giveaway to celebrate the big 4-0-0! =) I have no idea when they'll get here, but I will post the giveaway as soon as they do! I'm also keeping the names of the books a secret until then. (But if you're a smartie and have been paying attention to my blog at all in the last few weeks, you may already know. ;-)) I have about 16 posts before I hit 400, so I hope they get here before then!

A Halloween History Lesson

The semester before I did my internship, I was observing at a local high school in world history classes. I thought this would be good for me because my knowledge of world history (and how to teach it) was/is severely lacking. Just as I thought, I learned a thing or two. If you didn't know this, teachers learn so much more simply because they have to teach. I always learned something new while I was teaching.

Anyway. I was observing during the fall semester and just happened to be observing on Halloween. Teenagers all hopped up on candy and dressed up...yay. I did find it interesting how the teacher I was observing managed to tie in history to a holiday like Halloween. He showed video from the History Channel: The History of Halloween. I'm not sure if the kids enjoyed it that much (if they were even paying attention), but I certainly did. I had no idea the history of Halloween - where it started and why.

Halloween was known to the Celtics (A group of people who lived in England before it was England. Years later, it was referred to as Brittania and then later became England when the Anglos and Saxons joined forces.) as Samhain. They believed that one night a year, October 31, spirits were able to roam free on the earth. Ancestors were welcomed and honored, but some evil spirits also roamed about. The evil spirits were warded off by --- wait for it --- wearing masks and costumes.

Are you surprised?!

Tomorrow is All Saint's Day, for Catholics {correct me if I'm wrong; my sources say different things}. It is a day when the Saints are honored and recognized for their deeds here on earth. I read somewhere {can't remember where now, of course} that going to houses and requesting food originated with All Saint's Day. If this is true, it seems to me like two things have been meshed together, the way they often seem to be.

Christmas -- Winter Solstice (Thanks, Constantine.)
Resurrection of Jesus Christ -- Easter (Thanks again to Constantine and the Roman Church.)
All Saint's Day [also Reformation Day - Martin Luther, 1517] -- Halloween

Concerning Halloween, some people say that devil worship and acts in his name take place. I suppose it is possible, but given the history of the "holiday" - if you want to call it that - I wouldn't necessarily say that it's an evil day. It's definitely not a Christian day though. It's anything but.

This is where I have a hard time... To celebrate or not celebrate?

I always dressed up and went trick-or-treating as a kid. Every year until I was a teenager. My brother and I enjoyed dressing up and getting candy. What kid doesn't?! When we were old enough, we'd watch vampire movies with my mom. We always knew that Halloween was just a time to play dress up. It wasn't real... There were no such things as ghosts, goblins, vampires, werewolves, etc. We were brought up in church and my brother and I both knew Jesus at an early age. We went to activities at church, when there were activities.

Joe's family did not celebrate it. One day, this is going to come up. He's not really against it - he dressed up as a vampire when we were in college - but the question is do we expose our kids to that? I haven't decided yet. We've still got a while, but it's still something to think about. We'll see, I guess!!

I do have to say that it was kind of fun to hand out candy to kids. I ran out of candy super early, though. 3 bags does not last long in a military community! One little boy went as Optimus Prime. Personally, I thought that was pretty cool. =) He was cute, too. He took off his mask and introduced himself. Super, super cute. I also saw Batman with his mom... She was wearing an Army PT shirt, the orange safety belt, dog tags {I could SEE them! Big no-no.}, and denim shorts. I guess Batman's mom doesn't like standard PT uniform? ;-) I thought later that maybe she wasn't attempting to dress up and just wore the orange belt so people could see her. In that case, serious props to that mom.

❊❊❊

In other news, Mrs. S is having like the best giveaway ever! She teamed up with a fellow blogger/jewelry maker and is giving away a super-cute milspouse necklace of your choice! Seriously, I have wanted to have one of these necklaces forever! I'm not excited about this or anything. =) So, if you'd like to enter the giveaway head over to Mrs. S's blog and check it out!

Hope y'all had a good [and safe] weekend!

Me and My Emotions

I'm not good friends with them right now. They're making me all sad and grumpy. Who knew it was possible to be both of those at the same time? *sigh* I think I'm going to blame Army Wives. Yup. I got disc 1 of season 2 in the mail today, thank you Netflix!

I fixed some very, very yummy Broccoli and Cheese Soup (thank you, Campbell's soup!) and popped in that DVD. Big mistake. Disc 1 is a seriously emotional one. In case you don't remember, (SPOILER if you don't watch Army Wives) Claudia Joy's daughter dies. =( And the subsequent episodes are mostly centered around that and Roxy's husband, Trevor, who is deployed. Insert lots and lots of tears here.


I don't know why, but I'm just feeling so...overwhelmed {maybe?} right now. I don't want to be here, in Hawaii. I want to be home. Wherever the heck that is. It's sad that I don't even know the answer to that question. And we've only been a military family for a year! A year! Oklahoma/Arkansas or North Carolina? Definitely not Georgia or Hawaii. Most definitely not Hawaii. Living here is almost like living in a different country. I feel like an outsider every time I go somewhere that isn't an Army post, Airfield, etc. The beach is pretty welcoming, though. Always tourists roaming about there. I'm sure they just assume I'm a tourist too. Unless, of course, they see me pull up in my car with my "Army Wife" license plate cover and post decals.

I don't really hate it here. It's just not home. I don't think it ever will be. It's a nice place to visit, for sure. But living here? I just don't know. It's not like I thought it would be. I thought it would be like when I moved to Georgia. Same stores/restaurants, different mix of people. Oh, sure I knew that some of my favorite stores are nowhere to be found within 2000 miles [of ocean]. It's a total culture shock, living here. I didn't expect that. I mean, who would? It's freakin' part of the US, right? Suuuuuuuuuuuuure it is. The people are different, their language is different, prices on everything off post are ridiculous, and every time I walk into a building I feel like all the Hawaiians are staring at me.

I don't think everyone who is native to Hawaii hates us military folk. But, we're not exactly welcomed here either. I kid you not, I have walked into a restaurant with Joe and not only were we the only "white folk" in the room, we were also the only ones speaking English. Half the time, I can't understand people. It's not always that bad, but sometimes it really is. There are only a few names of towns on this island that I can pronounce without fearing I'm going to be laughed at: Honolulu, Pearl City...no, that's it. I feel like shouting when there's a road name I can pronounce too. I love trying to give my address over the phone. I have to spell it out every. single. time. Even when I'm calling on the island.

I feel like I live on a completely different planet!!! Part of the US? Suuure. No wonder it's considered OCONUS. Hawaii is totally OCONUS. Actually, I think it should be this: FROCONUS - Far Reaches of the Outer Continental United States. I think orders to Hawaii should be all-inclusive - classes on Hawaii's culture and language for every family member.

Ugh. Maybe I just feel this way because the Army snatched my husband from me before I fully adjusted to living here. Or maybe it's just my hormones getting back at me for going off the pill. Why, oh why did I think it was a good idea to 86 the birth control while my husband is on the other side of the planet?! *sigh* Maybe I just have a really bad case of the Mondays. {Hey, it's still Monday here for another hour!}

The upsides to living here: the beach and new friends. That's all I've got for now.

I had a good weekend... On Saturday I met up with Miranda, her hubby and cute little monkey for lunch and a trip to the beach. For some reason, I didn't quite think through the "trip to the beach" part and wore a super cute outfit...to sit in the sun and bake in. Way to go, Sarah! There's that deployment brain again! Despite my deployment brain issue, I had a really good time. =)

Sunday, Miranda and her fam joined me at church! It was a little different than what they're used to, but I'm hoping they come back!! It's always nice to have another friendly face around. =) Afterward, they went home and I went over to Mrs. C's house for some super-yummy food and hilarious games. I didn't get back home until around 1900! Considering I left my house at 1030, that's a pretty big deal. Nothing like good friends and good food. =)

I suppose I should stop being a Negative Nancy. I did get some good news today: Jasper is OFFICIALLY ready to come to Hawaii!!!!! =D He had his last vet's appointment today (shout out to my wonderful, amazing SIL for dealing with all that) and everything is lookin' good! One week from today, Jasper will be here with me, keeping me busy! I sooo can't wait! My cuddly puppy will be back! =D Let's just pray he makes it through his plane ride without being completely traumatized. He is crate-trained, so it shouldn't be a big deal. He gets motion sick {I somehow feel like he inherited that from me, but that's just not possible...}, so I'm kind of worried about that. And he'll be stuck in that crate from about 0500 to about 2030 (eastern time...Hawaii time would be...2300 to 1430). That's a long time. =( But, as long as he makes it here in one piece I suppose I can deal with the rest. Lord, help me! ;-)

Before I end this incredibly random, venting, emotional post go, I have to remind you that JG is having a Scentsy giveaway! Her ONE requirement is that she have 30 people enter the giveaway. I have no idea how this happened, but she STILL doesn't have 30 people entered!!! So, please, please, please get yourselves over to her blog and enter!! And while you're there, tell her that I sent you. Please and Thank You!!! =D

This, That and a Giveaway

Thanks for all of your input on my new 'do!! I'm going Friday to get it cut! Mrs. C is going to go with me. You know, for emotional support. =P Either that, or she's going to document the moment by taking copious amounts of pictures. Hehe. I was kind of on the fence about it when I posted last, but after yesterday I decided I'm most definitely going to cut my hair. After nearly sweating to death blow drying and then straightening my hair, I made the decision. Didn't take long, did it!? I told my mom today that I was going to cut it short...apparently she pictured a pixie cut. She should know me better than that! She chopped my pretty hair off when I was little - giving me the "mushroom cut" - because I was always sick and my thick, thick hair would hold in a fever real nice. I was stuck with that cut from age 5 to 12, when I finally convinced her to let me grow it out. And now she's the one begging me not to cut it. Oh, how the tables have turned! After all of your input (and my hubby's of course) this is the cut I'm going to get:

Thoughts?

Yesterday was a busy day! I "worked" at the museum for 3 hours, came home and then headed off to my first real FRG meeting. The last one I went to was attended by about 5 people, so I don't count that. Although, maybe I should because only 7 wives from Joe's company showed up to the battalion FRG meeting last night. *sigh* At least I did meet a few other ladies, though. Our FRG leader (company commander's wife) is enlisting us for help. I think she's determined to get me to be her "second in command," but I'm not about to do that! When she said, "I just need someone to help me out and be at meetings when I can't make it," I instantly pictured me leading meeting after meeting because she "couldn't make it." You know the people in group projects in high school/college who always ended up doing 80-90% of the work? That was me. Well, ladies, this ain't high school and I'm not about to play that game anymore! I'll be more than happy to help her out, but I'm not leading meetings. Am I being too...overdramatic about this? I mean, what do I know about the Army? Zilch. What do I know about the FRG and leading meetings? Nada. So, how on earth am I supposed to lead a meeting?!

Besides that, there was a smidgen of drama. I'd been IM'ing the aforementioned wife I met at the deployment ceremony back in June. Before I left, apparently she'd asked me if I could give her a ride. I totally missed that one. Not to mention, I thought I'd sent her a text when I got there but I didn't hit the "send" button. Well, I thought I did but apparently my iPhone didn't think I did. So, when she arrived, I got a go-to-you-know-where look and the cold shoulder. Great. After a few minutes of chatting with the other ladies at the table, I finally got her to speak to me. She invited me to work out with her at the gym today, but I couldn't. =( I'm afraid that's just going to cause more drama. *sigh*

But, the good news is that when I got home last night, I was able to Skype with Joe!!!!! He finally got internet in his room, so we can talk! I'm actually waiting for him to get on right now. =D Hehehe. It's sooo nice to be able to see his face and know that he's ok. You know? One more thing that makes deployment suck a little bit less. =) That's what it's all about, right? Finding things that make it suck less - aka the silver lining. 

Now, for the giveaway. =) One of my favorite bloggers, {who I hope to meet soon!} JG, is having a giveaway!!!!! =D She's giving away a Scentsy plug-in and 3 scents to go along with it! I don't know about you, but I'm thrilled about this giveaway. I love all things Scentsy! I have one large one and one plug in. I'd absolutely love to have another plug in for my bathroom! So head on over to her blog and enter! To be able to win this, she's requiring that 30 lovelies (aka bloggers) enter her giveaway. So click on her button {above} and get your toosh over to her blog! =)

Oh, and please leave a comment telling her I sent you there! Pretty please!!! 

Exhausted

Oh. My. Goodness. I am so tired!!!!

I drove down to GA today (woopee) and almost as soon as I got here, started getting stuff ready for unaccompanied. *sigh* I had no idea how long it was going to take!!!! I so should have put my foot down and made Joe wait until last Saturday to go to NC. We could have gotten a lot taken care of. Oh well. Too late now.

Joe and I did Skype for a while before I started working on this heap of stuff, so I suppose I can blame him for my lack of working. He did help me with the list while we were talking, so I can't complain too much I guess. "The list" ended up being a little over a page long, which I thought was really good. Now, there's a big 'ole honkin' pile of our stuff in the floor of the living room. I have no idea where else to put it, so that's where it's staying.

I'm getting a little nervous too. I don't know when the unaccompanied baggage people are coming, though they should be here tomorrow. I feel certain that the lady from transportation told us that it was a different company, and we haven't heard anything from them yet. :S Then again, I did talk to a guy last Tuesday I believe about all the moving and packing and he did mention unaccompanied baggage, so maybe they'll just come get all of it at once? Oh, that would be soooo great!

I'm really sorry if I'm rambling. I'm tired and nervous and I needed to get all this off my chest...so to speak. =) I still have a few things to get together in the morning...which is quickly approaching. Oh, I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a VERY long day. I hope that they'll come at a decent time and get the heck outta my house so that I can get some other things done...like, uh, breaking my lease. I'm really nervous about that too. I wish we could have given them more time, but Joe thought it best to "ambush" them since there wasn't much we could do while we were in NC. *sigh*

If you think about it tomorrow, please say a prayer for me. I know God is in control, but I feel very out of control right now and just need some peace about everything. There's also a lot of drama going on in my family - on both sides - so I think that is just adding to my stress.

And don't forget: I need 100 followers by May 1 so I can do a *fabulous* Hawaiian giveaway!!!!! Help me out, and you get an extra entry! =)
 

MIA

I know, I know. I've totally been MIA for several days. But, be on the lookout for a regular post or two this week. =)

This week is going to be extremely psycho, so I probably won't be around much. I'm trusting you guys to keep this "follower drive" going so I can do a giveaway!!! I've decided that any follower who gives me a shout out [or two] will get an extra entry for the giveaway. =) So, y'all better get to workin'! Just make sure that when we actually do the giveaway you leave me a little reminder. I'm probably going to be scatterbrained for a while. My week is going to look like this:

Sunday (today): Head back to GA and prep for packers/movers to come
Monday: packers come/ break the lease
Tuesday: movers come, head back to NC
Wednesday: take Jasper to the vet at Ft. Bragg
Thursday: breathe, get ready to head to Charleston, SC for the weekend
Friday: say goodbye to everyone. =( head to Charleston, ship the car

Meanwhile, I'm trusting my hubby to get everything ready for us to ship the car. Please, please, please be praying for us!!!

Oh, and if you love anything about Kirkland's, head over to The Survival Guide for the Young, Fabulous, and Newlywed for a Kirkland's giveaway! Better hurry, it ends tomorrow!!!!

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.

 - Thomas Jefferson

Ah, well said, TJ. Unfortunately, the wisdom of our forefathers has often been ignored and written off. "Frugal government?" What is that? What does frugal even mean? Our government loves to spend money.  In fact, if we have a problem, we should just throw money at it and see what happens! Yeah, that's a good idea. 

***

I have some news of great crafty things for you today! 

Tomorrow, my bestie's blog is being featured on Sew it to Me! She makes all sorts of crafty things...most of which she sews. And she is awesome. She's made me a potholder and a key chain thingy. She's made a blankets for her nieces and nephews...and the list continues.

Recently, though, she's made a coupon organizer and a cash organizer (for the envelope system). She is now selling them on her blog for a very reasonable price. =) No, I'm not just saying this because she is my friend. Deep down, I'm cheap. I hate to pay full price for just about anything...seriously. =) So, when I say I'd pay that much for it, it's a deal. Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Coupon Organizer:

Cash Organizer

If you're wondering what the difference between the two is, the cash organizer is smaller. =)

***

Alright, so in my last post, I presented an idea of a giveaway. Since JG from Me and My SoldierMan was nice enough to give me a shout out in her blog today {love her!}, I thought I would go ahead with this idea! So here is the deal:

If I have 100 followers by...oh, let's say May 1st, I will do a giveaway. This won't be just any giveaway, it will be a Hawaiian giveaway. =) If I have 100 followers when I get to Hawaii, I will find something that is uniquely Hawaiian. Something you just can't get here in the states. Mrs. C has already offered to help me shop for the perfect Hawaiian item from one of those little great boutique-y places. =) So, your job is to help me get 100 followers! That is, if you really want something from Hawaii... =)