Look Deep Into My Eye...

I couldn't resist this unexpected shot I got of Ari when we were opening gifts Wednesday morning.  I'm not exactly sure what she was doing, but I'm so glad I got this capture!

Day 175... a funny for you

Forget Rednecks ......here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about New Englanders...


If your local Dairy Queen is closed from October through April , you live in New England.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in New England.

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in New England.

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in New England.

If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of New York City for the weekend, you live in New England.

If you measure distance in hours, you live in New England.

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in New England.

If you have switched from 'heat ' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you live in New England.

If you can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in New England.

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you live in New England.

If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you live in New England.

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in New England.

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 70 and everybody is passing you, you live in New England .

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in New England. 

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you live in New England.

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in New England.

If you find 20 degrees 'a little chilly', you live in New England.

If there's a Dunkin Donuts on every corner, you live in New England.

Day 176...

Oy!!  I'm really P.O.'ed right now!  Our street is a giant sheet of ice.  I wouldn't be so mad if all the other streets in our neighborhood were also icy, but it's only our street. Everybody else's streets are clear.  WTF is up with that??  Our street isn't "worthy" enough for plowing and salting?  Grr!!!  Idiots!!!

Okay... now that that is off my chest.  All in all, things are pretty quiet here on the homefront.  I need to re-shovel the driveway and sidewalk, and then I'm going to lay down a layer of salt.  After that, my butt is staying in the house.  I will not drive anywhere today.  Maybe I'll make a couple of batches of sugar cookie dough.  Hmmm...  maybe some "flavored" sugar cookies this year??  Amaretto or Orange?  I also need to make a couple of batches of mint brownies.

179...

Day #179 that is...

Mike left me a gift when he went on deployment... his germs.  Now, I've got a cold and it must be a whopper, because I usually don't get sick.  I'm just veggin' at home today and saving my energies for teaching class in the morning.  And I'm thinking that a pot of chicken noodle soup sounds like dinner.  Yup... a quiet Friday.

Here's a pic of Ari with Mike's tie.  It was on the sofa and when I asked her to take it upstairs for me, she put it on and said.... "Look Mommy! I look like Daddy!"  

More old email stuff...

Here's some more poems:

The Silent Ranks
Author Unknown

I wear no uniforms, no blues or whites,
But I am in the Navy cause I am his wife.
I'm in the ranks that are rarely seen,
I have no rank upon my shoulders.
Salutes I do not give.
But the military world is the place where I live.
I'm not in the chain of command, Orders I do not get.
But my husband is the one who does, this I can not forget.
I'm not the one who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line.
But my job is just as tough. I'm the one who's left behind. 
My husband is a patriot, a brave and prideful man. 
And the call to serve his country not all can understand.
Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free.
My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me.
I love the man I married. Soldiering is his life.
But I stand among the silent ranks known as the Navy Wife.

 If Daddy Says Goodbye
By Kathleen Iversen 

All daddies are special in their own way. 

Some daddies ride tractors and work on a farm. 
Some daddies drive fire trucks and sound the alarm. 
Some daddies are great chefs and can make dessert. 
Some daddies play the bagpipes and wear a plaid skirt! 

Daddies can do a lot of things. 

What does your daddy do? 

Some daddies drive noisy tanks that growl and grumble. 
Some daddies fly jet planes that roar and rumble. 
Some daddies hike in forests that are dark and damp. 

Some daddies march in boots that stomp and stamp. 

These daddies wear green and are in the Army or Marines. 
There are daddies in the Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force too. 
They fly planes and sail across the oceans and skies of blue. 
They all work hard keeping our great country safe and serene. 

Daddies can do a lot of things. 

Some daddies have to leave home and go far away. 
That's how they care for you, in their own special way. 
If your daddy leaves and he kisses you goodbye, 
remember these words and dry the tears from your eyes. 

When your daddy leaves and the two of you are apart
He places a tiny little picture of you in his heart. 
Everyday no matter where he is, 
His soul will whisper these words to the wind. 

I will always love you no matter where I go. 
I am part of you and you are part of me. 

That's something I'll always know. 
Try not to worry, don't be sad. 
You'll always be my baby 
And I'l always be your dad.

Day 181 - You might be military if...

1. <----  (Excuse this stupid #1, I can't seem to make it go away...)    So, I was going through some of my old (like from 2004-2005) emails in my yahoo acct and came across these.  Enjoy!

1. You know you're a military wife if...... You call your husband by his rank, not his name.
   
2. You know you're a military wife if you call the local food stores commissaries instead of grocery stores.
3. You know you're a military wife if you keep the original cartons for all appliances and electronics safely stored for the next move.
4. You know you're a military wife if you talk about the new home you are going to have in three years.
5. You know you'er a military wife if you recall your kids milestones by where you were stationed at the time.
6. You know you're a military wife if you can set the table in three time zones with the same pattern.
7. You know you are a Military Wive if you recall the tough times you overcame by relating them to which deployment they occurred during.
8. You know you're a Military Wife if you call your pay stub an LES.
9. You know your a military wife if you only know your husband's friends by their last names.
10. You know you're a Military Wife if your luggage is all OD Green
11. You know you're a Military Wife when you know DEERS has nothing to do with Bambi.
12. You know you are a military wife when you children are each born in a different country or state.
13. You know you are a military wife when you have boxes from 2 moves ago that you haven't unpacked.
14. You know you are a military wife when you chase your husband out the door saying, "Honey, don't forget your Kevlar!"
15. You know you are a military wife when you can't recognize your spouse's co-workers out of uniform.
16. You know you're a Military wife if TAPs is a song, not a dance.
17. You know you are a military wife when you whip out your ID card everytime someone wants your drivers license.
18. You know you are a military wife when you pay $50 to have a baby. And you are offered a payment plan to pay it off.
19. You know you're a military wife when you can quote army regulations.
20. You know you are a military wife if you catch yourself humming cadence.
21. You know your a military wife if Tricare knows you by name.
22. You know your a military wife when you know your spouses SSN better than your own!
23. You know you are a military wife if you can tell when your husband's hair is "out of regs"
24. You know you're a military wife if you can cuss your husband out in three different languages.

You might have been moved by the Military if:

1. You move all trash cans out of the house to keep them from being packed. 
2. if you have to store boxes to be use for safe moving 
3. You set aside a room or space that's marked "Do Not Enter". 
4. You label bedrooms by numbers instead of words so the non-English speaking movers can mark the boxes easily 
5. You learn how to write "Keep Out" or "Do Not Enter" in the native language. 
6. You identify how long something has been packed by the name of the moving company on the box 
7. You have a variety of packing stickers in various colors and languages on your furniture. 
8. Your HHG's get here on the same day or before your unaccompanied baggage. 
9. You know what unaccompanied baggage means! 
10.Your kids friends are always excited to color at your house because you have huge pieces of packing paper and black markers.Furthermore; every drawing is held up by left over packing tape.

11. You've gotten used to having lawnchairs, boxes for tables, and sleeping bags as furniture a full month before you PCS.

OPSEC side note about the Countdown...

I just wanted to post that my countdown to Florida is in NO WAY, I repeat NO WAY indicative of when Mike will be coming home.  Due to operational security concerns, I will NEVER post any dates, times, or locations of anything Mike happens to be doing.  His (and his squadron's) safety is extremely important to me!!

The countdown is just a countdown to June 1st (for now... it could change), which is when I'll feel like I'm in the "home stretch" of our prep to move.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging... 

Countdown to Florida!!!

Well, the time has begun... Mike is now deployed and we are doing our final coutdown to Florida. I'm hoping to chart our day-to-day stuff on here. Not that it'll be very "interesting" stuff, but maybe pics and our daily life. Stay tuned if you wish...

update time...

Okay, so it's been a while since I updated this piece of the web.  Sorry.  I've gotten into using Facebook, so you can find me on there most of the time.  

What's new with us...  

Amanda and I got haircuts.  My hair is now 6 inches shorter.  (Back up to neck level and layered.)  I like it.  Pics are on Facebook.  The kids are doing good.  Report cards just came out for Tiff and amanda.  Tiff is A/B honor roll.  Amanda needs to bring up a few of her grades.  Ari should get her report card soon.  She's loving 1st grade.  Mike's getting ready for his upcoming deployment.  We're gonna miss him so much.  The only nice thing about his leaving... no one snoring as I'm trying to go to sleep.  LOL!!  But I would gladly keep him home and deal with the snores if I could.  Can't fight the military about deployments.

That's all for now.  Short and Sweet... just like me!  (YEAH RIGHT!!)

  Just a few more LOs:

Hugs - The girls being nice to each other (without being asked!!) while we were at the air show.

1st Day of School - The girls on the 1st day of school

Remember - A LO in honor of POWs & MIAs

9/1/08

Some LOs that I did today:  I took these pictures this morning.  (I'm definitely going to ask Santa for an early X-mas present because I NEED a tripod!!!)  About half of the pics I took this morning were blurry because I had to adjust the shutter speed to compensate for the lighting.  You just can't hand-hold the camera when the shutter is that slow.

Credits: 

Rina Kroes: Almost Midnight bkgrd ppr, Bling on Strings, Glass Pebbles
Miki Ferkel: Princess Hearts ppr and hearts and Peace on Earth ppr
April Rieff: Word Art Quote (recolored)

Just a quick update...

We are all doing good here for the most part.  Fran, Charlie, and G.G. Sichko left yesterday from their weekend visit to soggy Maine.  Thankfully we had a nice weekend, without too much rain.  We took them to the Portland Head Light and to Bailey Island.  They also went exploring Freeport, but I Mike and I weren't able to go with them due to other commitments.

Mike is back in school again.  He's got a lot of reading to do, but I think he's happy to be back in school and working toward his degree.  He only needs a few more classes to get his Associates.  Yeah!!  

I'm looking forward to the kids going back to school in a few weeks.  Ari will be gone all day!  YEAH!!  It will be so nice for her to be there.  She loves school!  Tiff starts Jr High and Amanda starts HS this year.  Oy!  3 kids in 3 different schools.  

Another nice thing about school starting back up is more free time for me.  I'm thinking about going back to school or working on a new fitness certification, like ACE, AFAA, or ACSM.  I would also like to get a part time job working at the gym on base, but that may not be feasible because of Mike's schedule.  We'll just have to wait and see what comes up.

Well, that's all that's going on here for now.  I'll post some pics and stuff later!  

Brewing Pgs 3 & 4

Brewing Pg 2

Another page to the Brewing Album, explaining some of the equipment.

A new album in the works...

The cover and first page of Mike's "MIKE-ROBREW" album.  

Credits:  Be You Kit, Sweet Sody Pop Designs

Here's one of my latest LOs.  It's about our trip to the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.  Credits:  Purple papers from Atomic Cupcake, and everything else is from Correen Silke's "Cool Spring Day" Kit.

Navy Wedding Vows

Dear family and friends, we are gathered here today in the sight of God and the Department of the Navy, to witness this exchange of vows, and see the love that these two dedicated, loving people have for one another.

"Wilt thou, __________, take ___________ as your dependent, to dwell together in so far as the Department of the Navy will permit? Wilt thou love her, comfort her via the postal service, E-mail, or over the phone, make sure she knows where the commissary, Exchange, and church are, and what pier your ship is docked at and your department telephone number (so she won't bother the Messenger of the Watch on the quarterdeck) the day she arrives, wherever you are stationed?"

"Wilt thou attempt to tell her more than 24 hours in advance that you will be pulling out for two weeks or more, beginning the next morning?" This especially applies to the years you will live in Virginia, California,Washington State, and Florida!

"Wilt thou ____________, take this Sailor as thy wedded husband, knowing that he is depending upon you to be the perfect independent Navy wife,running the household as you see fit, taking part in established Navy traditions even if no one can explain them anymore, and being nice to the Captain's wife? (though she may remind you of your new mother-in-law.)

Furthermore, you understand that your life with your husband (little that you may have together) will not be normal, that you may have to explain to your children, not once, but twice, and more often in the same day, that mothers do have husbands, and that children do have daddy's, and that the picture of the man on the refrigerator is the same individual who tucks them in at 2200 hours, long after they are asleep. This Sailor is their daddy, who loves them very, very, very much.

"Wilt thou love, respect and wait for him, preparing and mailing his favorite cookies (including some for his shipmates) and pictures of yourself and the kids, so he can remember what you look like? And last but not least,always pick him up at the pier when the ship pulls in (or the day after i he is in the duty section) and put on the outside of your door a 'Welcome Home sign"

"I, _________,Take thee_________ as my wife, from 1900 to 0430 hours or as long as allowed by my duty section leader and the Captain (subject to change without notice), for better or worse, earlier or later, near or far, and I promise to look at the pictures you send me, but not until after my watch is over, but before I turn the lights out in my rack. I will also send a letter or E-mail (if I am allowed access to a terminal), if time permits, and if not, to somehow, some way, make the time by sleeping even less than operational tasking permits."

"I, _________, take thee,_________as my husband, realizing that your comings and goings and 0530 musters are normal (although absurd to me) and part of your life as a Sailor. I promise not to be shocked or taken by surprise when you inform me that, although we've just arrived at our new duty station, we will be leaving within the month because of a detailer mistake or a CNO priority billet. Yes, I'll have you as my husband as long as while your are away my allotment comes through regularly, that you leave me a current power of attorney and the checkbook at all times. I am a family member and proud of it, dependent upon myself and my resources. Although I miss you when you are away, I know I can handle whatever comes across my path and make you proud."

"Now then, let no man or woman put asunder what God and the Department of the Navy have brought together. The Navy hereby issues you this lovely,dedicated, independent woman, knowing that she'll be an asset not only to your marriage, but also to the mission of the United States Navy, which is, as you all know, to remain in a high state of Readiness. By the authority vested in the Bible, elaborated in the regulation and subject to current directives concerning the aspects of marriage in the Navy, you are now a Sailor with a Dependent. Best Wishes and good Luck.

This is a LO I did with some pics I took in March (around the beginning of spring as a matter of fact...) and again today (just a few days shy of summer).  I absolutely love the contrast of the pics!!  Each season has it's own beauty and I hope I've captured it.  Maybe I'll do another set of pictures in the fall and see how they all come out.  The LO could be a "Trio of Seasons in Maine".  LOL!!  We'll see if I remember.

I didn't mean to whine

After re-reading my last post, I noticed that I sounded like I was really whining.  I didn't mean to.  Hope no one takes offense.  Lots o' Love!!  Oh, and I just saw that we did move on to the next round!!  YEAH!!

An update on us...

So, it's the last "week" (2  1/2 days actually) of school!!  YEAH!!  It's going to be nice to sleep in and not have to worry about getting anyone off to school.  I'll also be teaching Jazzercise classes in the mornings instead of the afternoons and belly dance classes are almost over.  tonight is the last class and then we have our recital on Thursday.   I'll be so glad when it's over!!  

I've been working on some scrapbooking LOs lately as well.  I like to do the challenges at the www.scrapshanty.com and I'm even in a So You Think You Can Scrap contest.  As of this moment, I don't know if my partner, Mel, and I have moved on to round 3 or not.  We got slaughtered this week in the voting.  We only got 1 vote.  Last week we only had 2.  (Unfortunately, not many people have been voting.) This week, only the top 6 groups move on to the next round.  Here's the LOs I've done for the contest:

  

Week 1 - Forever Sisters:  Scraplift of my partners LO:  http://www.scrapshanty.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=10353

Week 2:  Mike's Re-enlistment:  For this LO we had to follow a design sketch.

You know, I think part of my problem is that I'm a "Simple Scrapper".  I don't like lots of fussiness on my LOs.  I don't want to see how much "stuff" I can use on the page.  I just want to tell the story of the pics and let that be my focus.  Oh well.  

For the Scrapable Snaps Challenge at www.scrapshanty.com

Where do I find beauty?  Other than in the faces of my family, I find beauty in the world of nature.  The wind blowing through the trees, flowers in bloom, and the flowing of water.  Sometimes it's peaceful.  Sometimes it's powerful.  But it's always beautiful to me.

Credits:  Stitching by Ivonne @ www.scrapbookbytes.com

Frames by Kim Higueria @ www.scrapbook-elements.com

Latest LOs...

Cover LO for Mike's Italy Album

Credits:  Father's Love Collection by Monja @ www.scrapbookflair.com

Royal Sun Hotel in Suda Bay, Crete

Credits:  Kiki Halbert, Fresh Whites Kit @ www.scrapbook-elements.com

Credits:

Template by Nicole Setlier @ www.Scrapshanty.com

Yellow lace ppr:  Vintage Floral Collection, www.shabbyprincess.com

Brown ppr:  by Pepeetje (12 Classic Papers) @  pepeetjedigiscraps.blogspot.com

Bling on a String by Rina Kroes @  www.scrapbook-elements.com

Bob the Hamster

Bob the Hamster

Journaling says:  Bob the hamster became part of our family on January 1st, 2008.  He came to us as a "rescue" from one of amanda's friends.  Bob had a tendency to be an escape artist and his previous family couldn't keep up with him.  We decided to take him in and love him.  He has yet to escape from us.

Credits:  

Bkgrd pprs, cardboard frame, frame w/ ribbon, star brads:  Lindsay Jane Designs, Memories Kit

Notebook ppr - LJD, Little Divas Kit

Scribbled Alpha by Kim Higueria (www.scrapbook-elements.com)

Chipboard paper frame from Favorite Frames Kit by Kim H.

Make-Up

This is what happens when Tiffany gets a hold of the make-up and decides to "practice" on Arianna.

Credits:  

Digital Template:  Nicole Seitler

Everything else (except alphas) from Kim Higueria's

Lavender Blue Kit

Alphas - Paperbage Princess Alpha Set by Kim H

www.scrapbook-elements.com

Forever

Here's a LO I did this morning while waiting for the coffee to brew.  Journaling says...  

Forever:  The time it takes to brew the first pot of coffee in the morning.  - Author Unknown 

Credits: Paper and elements by Brenda Johnson/Sweet Sodypop Designs;  "Be You" Kit @ www.scrapbook-elements.com

Apple Picking

Here's a LO of our first "outing" in Maine... Apple Picking, Oct 13th, 2007.  

Credits:  All papers and elements from Brenda johnson/Sweet Sody Pop Designs, Be You Kit @ www.scrapbook-elements.com

Biker Babe

Ari learns to ride her bike without using her training wheels.

Credits:  Most papers and all elements from Lindsay Jane Designs, May Day Kit (for NSD) @ www.scrapbook-elements.com

Green Paisley paper from:  A Work in Progress, Citrus Berry Kit @http://vicki20.blogspot.com

Pink Paper (was originally yellow paper) from correen Silke's Cool Spring Day Kit @ www.computerscrapbook.com

Googin's Island

Googin's Island Osprey Sanctuary

Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park

Freeport, Maine

Papers and elements from "Citrus Berry" Kit 

by  A Work in Progress

(http://vicki20.blogspot.com)

I created this page to test out a tutorial on blending & lifted frames.

A Kiss...

A Kiss... LO

All papers and elements from "Charmed" Kit by Robyn Gough @

www.scrapbook-elements.com

My hubby rocks!

These are the flowers that my hubby sent me for Mother's Day. Aren't they beautiful!! I LOVE YOU Mike!!

I've made a decision...

Well, after mulling it over for a while, I've come to the conclusion that my days of belly dancing are coming to an end.  Although I'm not a "pro" dancer, only a "hobbyist", it's time to let this part of my life go.  I think part of it has to do with my move to Maine.  When I originally started dancing in Virginia, I danced with my friends.  Here, I'm not as involved in the dance community and it has made my passion for it dwindle.  For 4 years I've danced, but the energy is gone from it. I also feel like I gave up other things when I started to dance, and now those things are working their way back into my life.  I'm evolving and finding new paths to follow.  Life is a journey, and all journeys involves change.  Sometimes for the worse, and sometimes for the better.  Which will this be?  Who knows... but I'm willing to give it a shot and see where the new roads take me.  

Mother's Day Tea Party LOs

Here's the LOs I made from the pics we took before the Tea Party today.  I used:

Bracket Album by Marcie Mariziali, Alabaster Box (http://alabasterboxca.blogspot.com)

Green background paper from Citrus Berry Kit @ A Work in Progress (http://vicki20.blogspot.com)

Celebrate the Arts Through Song

Layout of last night's Kindergarden Concert...

 All papers and elements from www.theshabbyprincess.com  (Sweet Serenity Kit)

Attitude

Papers, frame, and gold ribbons (transformed in PSE6) from

www.theshabbyprincess.com (Dinner Party Kit)

"Attitude" gel sticker letters from

2008 NSD Grab bag by

Rina Kroes

www.scrapbook-elements.com

Daffodils...

The beauty of Spring come in many colors... even those that are artificially created.                                          

Kit Papers and Brads from TheShabbyPrincess.com (Sweet Serenity Kit)

Opaque Daffodils by:  ME!!

33:45!!!

That's my 5K time for today!!!  It's definitely easier to run outside in the sunshine!  I can hardly believe I took almost 3 minutes off my time.  Woo-Hoo!! 

My first digital LO

Simple.  I'm definitely digging this!  I used a video tutorial from TheShabbyShoppe.com and the kit pieces were from TheShabbyPrincess.com (Vintage Florals)

ran 5k today

Well, in prep for my first official 5k race on sunday, May 4th, I ran the full 5k today on the treadmill at a 0.5% incline.  It was pretty slow going as I was only averaging about 5 mph, but I did it.  I finished without stopping.  At one point I had to take it down to 4.5 mph for about 45 seconds, but then I brought it back up again.  My time was 36:36.  I'm hoping to actually do it faster on Sunday when I am surrounded by all those people and can feel the energy and excitement.  I just hope I'm not hurting too much tomorrow, because I'm running the actual 5k course tomorrow to get a feel for it.  Then Saturday is yoga to stretch out all these tired muscles.  I just wish Mike was home to give me a victory rub-down after the race.  I guess I'll just have to settle for a nice hot bath instead.  LOL!!

Long time, no post!

Damn, it's been a hell of a long time since I updated this thing!!  But, now that I have figured out to get back into this blog, I'm planning to start use it again.  I'm switching to digital scrapping as I don't have the space to pull out all of my supplies.  Maybe when I move to Florida I'll be able to paper-scrap again.  Who knows??  I might just switch permanently.  LOL!!  We'll se how well I adjust to digital artistry.