My Favorite Bit of Yesterday

Heads up, this first one doesn't really count as a DIY project. I did "Do It [My]self" but it was more of a follow-the-pictures-and-put-it-together project. I am still proud of myself though. ;)

Yesterday I snagged this bookshelf from Big Lots for only $19! I was pretty thrilled. Of course, when I opened the box, it looked like this:

I sent this photo to the hubs at work. The text just said "Help."
He called me a pansy, so of course I had to prove him wrong by
building the thing.

About an hour later (sorry, no in-progress photos- I was focused!), I had a bookshelf! It is certainly not the sturdiest thing (come on, what do you expect from Big Lots), but it works perfectly for what I bought it for: holding movies, Xbox games, and so living room paraphernalia:

When my husband got home, he reinforced the 

shelves so now it is much better :)

Other than the bookshelf, I did some other- more legitimate- DIY crafts: I hung some cork tiles in what I affectionately call the "Hobby Closet" (it is a desk in a double doored closet type thing-- pictures later), repainted a pegged mini-coat rack, and built a craft shelf out of some leftover wood and plant hanger/hooks. Pretty successful day as far as crafting is concerned.

Today I need to get some brackets to hang the shelf, and finally purchase a glue gun- I really need one. The project of the day is these fabric covered storage boxes from a blog I discovered yesterday called "Make It, Love It". A happy little coincidence since I was out yesterday looking to buy such boxes and couldn't find any I liked. These homemade ones will be perfect! Can you guess what I'll be using for the inner cardboard? Yup, the box the bookshelf came in! ;)

...Confession: I lied. I was claiming the success of my first putting-together-a-bookshelf was my favorite part of the day, but it wasn't. 

Favorite part of the day (for real) : Around midnight, my husband found me asleep on the couch and, rather than waking me up, just scooped me up and tucked me in bed. *Sighs* So sweet. (How do I know he did this if I was asleep? Well, first, duh, I woke up in my own bed rather than on the couch. Secondly, I am a pretty light sleeper and I felt him picking me up, but I decide to just lay my head on his chest and let him carry me. Can you blame me?). I love married life.

My Husband

I just wrote a rather bragging post about my amazing husband, but I decided- since he is, after all, part of the reason I am blogging anyway- he should get a page rather than just a post. See it up there on the top bar? It says "My Mr. Lt"? Yeah, that's new. Check it out and try not to fall in love. Man, I was so against having a relationship before I graduated college and, look at me, married at 20. Sheesh. What can I say... I was swept off my feet by my very own Prince Charming. ;)

Friday Night- Aunt Becca Style

"Aunt Bucca" (Ben's best pronunciation of "Becca") is babysitting tonight! Not the most glamorous Friday night, but definitely a busy one. I brought only a Spanish book so I would study once the boys went to sleep...so of course I'm blogging from my phone. Evie, who is now two months old, had juuuust fallen asleep (and I to blog, with her sleeping in my lap) when James yelled "Aunt Becca, I'm thirsty!" He's not thirsty, for the record, and I am pretty convinced he planned it so that he would wake her up. Because he did. This blog post is going to be sorrowfully cut short, I have a wailing baby to attend to. Luckily, she's a rental and I- unlike her parents who are enjoying a brief respite at the movies- will get to sleep later tonight.

Later...
As you can tell from the photo, those kids did a number on me... It is scary thinking this could be me with  my own kid in a couple of years (like ten). Anyway, Evie eventually fell back to sleep (with her mouth hanging wiiide open. haha) and I quit Spanish- which I managed to study for approximately five minutes- to watch the Olympic opening ceremonies. From then on, it was smooth sailing. All the kids stayed asleep and Evie and I cuddled. The London 2012 Olympic's had a great start- though the American announcers were a tad ethnocentric.

Good night overall. :)

"I Can Do That!"

Humans crave creativity.

DIY projects are exploding in popularity, as is healthy cooking. Of course, this means blogs combining the two have popped up all over the internet. However, not all blogs are created equal. There seems to be some factors that directly correlate to a blog's success. In a nutshell, here it is:

Ingredients For A Good Blog:

1. Good, clear, bright photos (especially if they go with some sort of directions)
2. Something fun to do or make (example: wall art or a delicious meal)-- NOTE: Especially popular are easy things. What can I say, humans are lazy.
3. Good writing. Okay, this one seems obvious, but a good, engaging writer with a vivid writing style will do wonders for a blog's popularity.
4. Cute animals and/or children. What? We're all suckers for 'em and you know it.

There are other things of course (such as layout and minimal ads- we all hate scrolling through ads trying to find the real blog), but the above four seem to be at the heart of every good blog. As my husband told me the other day "You gotta have something to talk about." It's true. Nobody wants to read a random blog in which I do nothing interesting and do not relate to you in any way. We crave relationships. We want to relate to something. I talked about this earlier in my post about human heartstrings and what evokes emotion. The same idea goes for passion and popularity. We want to want what the writer has- crafts, projects, home improvement, yummy food- and anything that says "Hey, look at this wonderful _______! You want it? Here's how to get it/make it!" will naturally get attention. We like wanting things- we like it more when those things seem attainable, and DIY crafts and meals are exactly that: something you see, like, and can then make and have. Good blogs are a way to encourage you to CREATE SOMETHING. And, let's face it, we all need that.

Blogging has, in many ways, improved me: I have started cooking (and they are good meals!) and my apartment is looking lovelier every day with new DIY artwork and improvements, inspired by the blogs I follow. 

I love sharing in the creativity of people all over the country through their blogs (look at my favorites on the left-hand side of this post and you'll see what I'm talking about). Their blogs have inspired me and continue to develop my own creativity and skill as a crafter, DIY-er, baker, and cook. At the very core of every good blog lies one crucial element: Inspiration. We all want to be inspired; we all want to feel capable. Blogs that inspire us with good, clear ideas and pictures to follow, garner admiration and, therefore, popularity.

Humans crave creativity. Blogs that inspire creativity win our hearts. And that, my dear Watson, is simply elementary.

The Secret of Our Heartstrings

What pulls on our heartstrings? In light of the recent Aurora, CO shooting, I have been thinking a lot about what makes human emotions tick. What I am about to say may sound like a "duh" concept, but how many of us have stopped to think about, really, what is our general method of judging who- or what- gets remembered and labeled "tragic"? Dozens of people die daily of old age & disease and it's sad but okay, but when 14 die from a shooting, the whole world reacts. Why? Because we can relate. We don't understand, for the most part, what it is like to be old or diseased and dying, sure we sympathize, but it is with pity that we glance upon those stories-- and move on. The Aurora Shooting was different, why? Because we all go to the movies. It could have been us. My husband and I saw that movie for our Friday afternoon date. As I sat in the theater, I glanced nervously at the Emergency Exit door, glowing ominously from the corner. "It could have been here."  I thought. I realized then that our ability to relate to something or someone directly affects how- and how deeply- we respond. For things like the horrible Aurora Shooting, relating to the victims has fueled our hatred against the shooter, and our media coverage of the event. When we heard about the men in that theater who threw themselves on top of their female friends and ultimately sacrificed their lives for women, how many of you saw yourself in that theater and saw your dad, husband, boyfriend, or brother push you to the floor and shield you from death with his own body? I saw a victim interviewed on the news yesterday. Her boyfriend, a Marine, gave his life to keep her safe. I couldn't help the tears as I watched her 7 minute long interview. Yes, I was sad for the poor girl and her heroic man, but I cried because I know, had that been me in that theater, my husband would have been covering me in a moment, and I would be the girl on the news. The starving in Africa invoke momentary sympathy, but these 14 victims, and especially their lunatic killer, will be remembered. Why?

Because it could have been us.

The Semester Storm Approacheth

Boy! What a crazy flip-flopping couple of days it has been! Thankfully though, I finally have my degree plan sorted out and classes for this Fall. This semester I will be taking only twelve hours (four classes) BUT I will also be working full time and all four are hard classes...especially Spanish. This will be Spanish 3. I still don't know any Spanish. By some miracle, I made an "A" in Spanish last Spring- I think it was because I baked the teacher and her assistant pinata cookies for Cinco de Mayo. It is not sucking up. It isn't. Anyway, I'm going to be quite busy this coming semester. I hope to continue blogging, but, we'll see, this project may be put on hold for awhile-- like all the DIY crafts that are waiting for me on Pinterest.
I think I will go read my dogeared copy of Spanish For Dummies (best $5 I ever spent on Amazon).

Also, prayer appreciated, I have a dentist appointment on Thursday for ex-rays. My wisdom teeth are coming out! Wooo baby! (*terrified*)

News! 2

Okay, people, I'm back.
So I think I need a new laptop. Mine is about 3 years old and is acting really strange lately. I need to backup all my files, just in case.
Other news though, first off, I am a failure. I tried to make one of those "melted crayon/umbrella silhouette" pictures. Major Fail: my crayons wouldn't melt and kept breaking. I used generic crayons though, and I think that might be the problem. I may try again this afternoon with some good ol' fashion Crayolas. Pictures to follow.
Best news of the weekend: I GOT A JOB! (**happy dance**) Good hours, good pay, for a company with opportunity for upwards mobility. I am excited. (I also fell in love with a bunny at the pet store. She is so precious. This dog savings plan is taking longer than I thought it would and I grow impatient. My little sister in Dallas wants a rabbit so here is my plan: I could have a rabbit while I save money for a dog, then when I go to get my dog from my parents, I can trade the rabbit for the dog. It is brilliant: I get something furry to dote on, while I still keep my promise of "no dog before the savings goal" and "no more than one pet at a time". Plus, all animals involved have good homes. What's not to love? Anyway, that is neither here nor there, so on we press.)

Hubby enjoying the view. He was there at 7 to fish and got
a lovely farmer's tan in the process. Gotta love 'im. :)

The squadron picnic was yesterday. Despite the slightly incliment weather, it was fun. I met a bunch of military families, had some bbq, and- my favorite- saw a dolphin! A bunch of the guys were fishing (the picnic was by the bay) and spotted a dolphin enjoying herself of their would-be catches. I was thrilled, but the men weren't so happy. Unfortunately, my pictures didn't turn out that great because she was too far away and I never knew where she'd come up for air.

Little Miss Dolphin, eating all our fishes. She was pretty though.
Great, now I want to be a Sea World Trainer (mostly kidding).

News!

Okay, it has been a few days since my last post, but I honestly just didn't have much to talk about. However, now it is Saturday and I have a few announcements:
1. This is a sad one. I feel it would be wrong to go one without at least mentioning the tragic shooting and the movie theater in CO. My heart goes out to those poor families and, as for the shooter, may God have mercy on his soul....though the vengeful, angry side of me hopes the courts aren't so merciful (is that terrible of me?). This event will be remembered. I am at a loss for words, but my prayers go out to the poor Colorado citizens. First the forest fires, now this.
 I promise, the rest of this post won't be depressing, but I felt I had to at least mention it. In fact, I will continue this message on a separate post; the rest of my news is upbeat and it feels wrong to combine them with the 7.20.2012 news.
  (Join me at News! 2)

Hot Stuff

    There are several hot things in my life (like my husband and the weather here), but this post is about two in particular- one nice, and one not. The first is hot tea (this is nice one), and the second is reoccurring, high temperature fevers. These past few days have been filled with both. On Monday, the husband wasn't feeling so hot (pun intended), and, over the course of the night, developed a very painful migraine. Ibuprofen and lots of Chamomile tea (which treated his chills and was just plain yummy)

took care of it and we thought that was the end. Boy were we wrong. Tuesday night, the body/headaches returned, along with even worse chills and extreme coldness (despite the July heat and five blankets). So I did what any reasonable wife would do. I called his mom. She actually has her Master's degree in nursing, plus 20+ years of nursing experience, so this was a valid move. While still on the phone, I headed to the store for her prescribed list of medicine. By the end of the call, I was armed with Extra Strength Tylenol, Vitamin C, and an oral thermometer...and she was convinced he had leukemia. Well friends, he probably doesn't have cancer, but he was suffering from a 102.6 degree fever. 

After a rough couple of hours-- in which I convinced him to turn the AC back on, take off his fleece sweater, crawl out from under a heavy quilt, and drink some water-- the Tylenol had brought his fever down to 101.3 and he was able to squeeze in some studying before bed. 
This morning he was up at 5:50 a.m. to run a 5K.

My man is such a trooper.

I saw him at 8 when he came home to shower after his run. He seemed fully recovered, but I packed him some Tylenol and Vitamin C pills, just in case. Hopefully, we are through with whatever this (virus?) was- and we made it! Thanks to hot Chamomile tea (and modern pills), my hot hubby is now just hot by human standards, and not by the thermometer's. ;)
Personally, I like him best that way...speaking of tea though, I think I'll make myself another mug.

Happy Wednesday! 

P.S. Did anyone else think "Happy Winds-day, Piglet!" from Winnie the Pooh?

Thank You Soldiers

If this doesn't break your heart, I don't know what will. Just wanted to pause for a moment and appreciate the sacrifice of our men and women in arms. Looking at the old man's face, I can't help but wonder what horrible things he is remembering. Thank you, soldiers, and God Bless America.

"War is Hell"    ~William T. Sherman

Home Decor Like a Boss

I am a self-declared Pinterest addict. Lately, my pins have been honed into Home Decor. I have an ever-growing list of things I want to do in my house, from kitchen organization and paint color, to library shelves and cozy reading nooks. I can't wait to have a yard to garden and a place to really "make my own".
All that said, I am bit by bit making this apartment home. I need more pictures on the walls and I have yet to hang curtains (I've decided to make them, but more on that later), but the furniture is settling into a design I like and I am getting a familiar, comfortable feeling ever time I walk in the front door. I do really like it here. I love the ducks, the roominess of the apartment, the "pet friendliness", the chatty neighbors, and the convenience of shop locations... however, I AM SO EXCITED TO BUY A HOUSE ONE DAY! We won't anytime soon, because of moving so much with the military, but I can't wait to remodel, paint, and decorate. Until then, I will practice on this apartment (except not the remodeling part).
In other news, had another great weekend with the husband. We woke up early Saturday to hunt for antiques at garage and estates sales.  But bummer: it rained. Only one of our stops was actually operational. I guess everyone else decided to wait until a sunnier weekend. So we bought donuts. And I fabric hunted at five different stores (still no luck finding the material I need). Then, we napped. All afternoon. It was glorious. Do you see why we can't have children anytime soon??

Every weekend is fun when you
marry your best friend. ;)

Today was equally pleasant: taught Sunday School (we brought Krispy Kreme donut holes. We are fantastic teachers...or perhaps bribers.), went out to lunch at a cafe type place and spent the better part of the afternoon there studying, then went home to bake some cookies for the church family dinner tonight (which was great fun- met some new people and generally enjoyed ourselves). Home again for an evening hanging out together, studying off-and-on, chatting, laughing. Mmm, relaxing weekend.

Whew, life is busy. Life is exciting. LIFE IS GOOD. Ready for Monday?

Duckling News

I saw the duckling today! He is doing well- and now has a little sister! You can tell them apart by her white "bow" of fluffy baby feathers on her head.

His name is Herman.

His sister is Ellie

The only trouble is they are too brave! These little babes have no fear! Not even of a big (to them) dog they met on the path! Luckily this dog was friendly, I worry not all animals they meet will be as nice.

Herman leading Ellie away from Mum for some adventure...
(Look at those precious little duckling behinds. I love the little waggling tails!)

...dangerously far away from mum!

Their mother is all too calm about it. I can't help but morbidly wonder how many babies she has lost to turtle and cats and other dangers. I happened to have my camera with me while I checked the mail (in case you were wondering at the sudden flood of photos).

All's well that ends well I suppose. Back with Mum, safe, for  today.
Me and my camera are going to keep an eye on these two. Good luck ducklings!

Friday the 13th!

I knew it was going to be a good day! I cleaned house, reminisced as I read a book that was my favorite as a kid (Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, Buy it, read it, love it!), then I heard about something wonderful: FREE STARBUCKS. Today, July 13th, from noon until 3 p.m. (hurry! you can still make it!) Starbucks is giving away FREE "Starbucks Refreshers".

I like the Berry Hibiscus. So much so that I drank it all before I could snap a picture. There's my empty, delicious, free Refresher, and a military member's ABU pants leg in the background-- an ever reminder that I live near base. ;)
To top off my brilliant day, I bought a pair of new shoes with a gift card, and found three jobs with the school district that I am applying for (while at Starbucks). AND I have quite nearly sold my first item on Craigslist, and am going fabric-shopping on the way home for my latest DIY project. It is a secret project but, if it goes well, I will blog all about it! Friday the Thirteenth, you have been good to me.
Oh, and I have a freakin' fantastic husband who is so good to me! Married life is awesome, life in general is awesome, God is awesomer!

"This is the day that the LORD has made; I will REJOICE and be glad in it!"  ~Psalms 118:24 

(paraphrased with my own emphasis)

Musical Mornings

It is a hairbrush-microphone morning. 
With Jason Mraz, and One Republic,
Let's raise our glasses (of fat free milk and Carnation "Breakfast Essentials"- a personal morning favorite) to a happy and productive day!


P.S. It is Friday the 13th- I feel lucky! ;)

Too Late for a Green Thumb?

I love gardening, I really do; it's just that, well, gardens don't love me back. In fact, when I am around they'd rather just shrivel up and die, no matter how hard I try to nourish them. Potted plants are like goldfish for me: they look pretty for a day or two, but then they are dead....and some people claim they can

keep theirs alive for decades. What am I doing wrong here?? No clue. BUT I will persist. My newest venture is herbs. I found this article on a blog (See link here) about growing your own herbs. I want to try it. Now that we are moved into our new apartment, I've been casting a scheming eye of the somewhat barren patio. I think some fresh herbs would liven up both the patio and my cooking! (Not to mention saving me some grocery money!)
I have some errands to run tomorrow; I think I'll stop by WalMart's garden section and see what they have-- you know, just to look....
I wonder if it is too late in the summer for herbs though.
      I know nothing.

Wildlife & Thunderstorms

It's a popcorn kind of day. The sort where I wish I had a cold so I would have an excuse to lie in bed all day, watch movies, and listen to the glorious thunderstorm outside. Instead I've been job-hunting and article-reading online.
I was leaning on the railing of our second-story porch a little while ago, just enjoying the gentle rain and rolling thunder, when suddenly I saw something run across the path from the lake to the bushes. My first thought was "rat!", but I had to know for sure, so I ran inside, grabbed my tennis shoes* and headed out in the rain. Wouldn't you know it, I saw the little creature again! This time he nearly flew back across the path in a panic to the lake-side bushes he started at. A Google search confirmed that he wasn't a rat but a "vole". Still, I am glad I live high above him on the second floor.
The wildlife in my neighborhood is not limited to voles, but also includes a variety of doves (who like to coo in the early morning), ducks (who patrol in their highly territorial cliques), and turtles (who like to eat the baby ducks). I met my newest neighbor yesterday, a teeny, solitary duckling. Either the ducks her just lay a few eggs, or all the babies are quickly killed (by turtles or local cats) because I never see more than a couple ducklings at a time. I'm rooting for this little guy and hoping the turtles don't get him. While I was out investigating the vole issue, I wandered over to where I last saw the duckling. His mother was doing a great job camouflaging them both in the brush, but he gave it away by "peep peeping". All the ducks are enjoying the weather today. I am too. 
 Now I am damp, making tea, and wishing I had a cold so I could climb in bed and watch black and white movies for the rest of the afternoon.

*Note: Do you say "Tennis Shoes"

       "Ten-niss Shoes"

        "Ten-niz Shoes" or

        "Ten-na Shoes"

I'm a "tenna shoe" type myself. I think it's a yankee thing.

Motherhood

I've always considered motherhood a noble job, but after last night my respect for mothers has increased dramatically! My brother-in-law is going out of town for the week, leaving his wife home with their four small children (the oldest is three and a half). I agreed to watch the kids from Sunday to Monday, so the couple could have an overnight date at a hotel before his trip.

    I had no idea what I was getting into.

The youngest is 6 weeks old. She sleeps on her tummy. I did not know this, which explains why she would not stay asleep any time I put her down (which was always on her back). The short version of my night is this: I did not sleep. Oh I dozed, certainly. Nearly dropped the kid once (don't tell her mom), but mostly just cuddled, fed, rocked, and changed her...all. night. long. A particularly low point of the night was at 2:30 a.m. Let me set the stage:

    I had been awake, pacing, for the past 45 minutes, trying to get little Evie to fall asleep. She had just closed her eyes when I hear crying from the boys room. It is James, the oldest (3 1/2), in the top bunk. I rub his back with my free hand, still holding Evie with the other and somehow balancing on the second rung of the ladder so I can reach the top bunk. I coo to James, "Go to sleep, honey, it was just a bad dream..." Of course, he does no such thing. Instead, he sits up...and pukes. Lovely. I took him downstairs for some water, and, after ten minutes, a mid-night call to my mother in Texas (who confirmed my belief that he could go back to bed seeing as how there was no more puke and he was cheerful), James was back in bed with a fresh blanket. Then the two year old on the bottom bunk needs to go potty...then they both need to go potty... then Evie wakes back up.

   And so my night continues. 

James helping give Evie her bottle. He lasted about 1/2 a bottle. I was impressed actually.

James helping give Evie her bottle. He lasted
about 1/2 a bottle. I was impressed actually.

   The day starts at 6:30. I'm still holding Evie, but give up on trying to go back to sleep. Ironically, she finally lets me put her down- and stays asleep!- ten minutes before the three boys get up. Not long enough for me to nap, but just enough time to finally use the bathroom, change clothes, and throw my hair up. No shower this morning.

   The rest of the morning becomes a juggling circus act the various needs and screams of a 3, 2, and 1 year old, and a six week old who mercifully sleeps nearly three hours (Geez kid, you couldn't have done that last night?)

   When their mother gets home at noon, the kids are fed and ready for their naptime. I leave them in her capable hands, say a quick prayer thanking God that I am childless, and drive home to my quiet, quiet apartment where sleeping is actually an option.

     While I could still use a dog, I will be content to wait many, many years to add children to my family. Whenever I feel Baby Fever coming on, I will march myself over to my brother-in-law's and volunteer to babysit.

     Now, don't get me wrong, these kids are great as far as toddlers go, and I love 'em to death, I am just very, very thankful that I can sleep through the night, and sleep in on weekends.

 Mothers, you are all superheros in my book.

Sunday Afternoon

We're talking more and more about being a career Air Force family-- that is, with the husband staying in 20+ years. He is young enough that he could retire Air Force and still have a career in education or politics or law later on. This idea of staying in the military for the long haul means a few things.

     1) I should take great care when choosing a career and make sure it is something that can travel- a "portable career", ha!ha! the idea! But, seriously, I need a marketable, useful, and somewhat popular degree and career field. Something that is needed everywhere, yet is not being satisfied everywhere. Currently, my degree is heading in the direction of Marketing/Finance with a minor degree in English. Not terribly exciting, but useful perhaps. My first job needs to be that of a willing wife with a "whither thou goest I go" attitude.
     2) We should learn Italian. I have taken beginner's classes in Russian (Kak dela?), ASL, and Spanish (Como esta?), so Italian would be the fourth language I have studied. And, no, I am not fluent in any of those- though I can communicate pretty well in ASL. I know I sound like I just can't see any of them through to fluency, but listen to my reasoning- or justification, whichever you prefer to call it: if we know Italian, our chances of being stationed in Italy go up by a significant margin. Italian is a lovely language and, even if we don't get stationed there, we have been planning our "honeymoon" for next summer-- a month long trip to southern Italy. It is still in the dreaming/maybe stage, but if everything goes according to plan (and I find a job!) we should be able to swing it. Bottom line: Italian would be useful. Very useful. He would have to have military Level 2 fluency to be considered, which is near-native speaker- ie, very hard to achieve, but the way I see it, if someone offered you the chance to spend three years living in Italy, would you learn Italian?
                         I thought so.
     3) I must resign myself to the idea of deployments. I hate this one.
For now though, I will simply enjoy today- which happens to be a slightly drizzly and overcast Sunday- sitting at a cafe with my Lt, sipping coffee and blogging while he studies for his master's degree (Go babe!).

                          Happy Weekend!

Emily Grace

Emily Grace

Found a picture of Emily (I call her Emmy Gway- a baby-talk shortened form of her name Emily Grace) on my desktop. She is a cutie, isn't she?
We still aren't any closer to our savings goal (it is harder on one income than it would be if I had a job) so I am trying to put dogs altogether out of my mind, but anyways.
We may have her for a "trial" period this fall. I haven't talked to my Lt yet, but my family is coming to visit this fall for a few days, and I am thinking, if they bring Emily, we could keep her until Christmas time, when we will head to Dallas to visit them. That way, if it works it works, but if she isn't suited to apartment life, she can move back home and we can move forward with the puppy plan.
But my, my, what a darlin' doggie.

Comfortable Afternoons & Home Decor

     I think I may be getting sick. 
     Remember how I babysat my nephews? Well, they were getting over a virus and, while I don't think they were contagous at that point, their mom is now ill and today I feel bad: bodyachey, tired, slightly sore throat Hopefully it is nothing. I am taking a break from the day to do one of my favorite things: 

Curl up with a Cup of Hot Tea & My Laptop for some Research/Blogging

     Today I have been unpacking the last of the boxes (YAY!) and curtain shopping. I am planning on doing the living room in shades of blue. Blue is calming, would flow well with my chocolate colored couches, and happens to be my husband's favorite color (win + win + win!). This is my first time curtain-shopping. Are Target's prices competitive or should I shop around?
    This week we built a bookshelf for the study. It is 6'x3' and about a foot deep. My husband is excited because it is a "solid" bookshelf- not flimsy like the ones you buy at the store. We spent about $100 total in wood and supplies, but the bookshelves we were going to buy were $120 + and not sturdy at all.  I am really stoked though because this apartment is slowly feeling like home! 
     Now if only I could find a job.....

July Bucket List

Today is July 3rd. Which means of course that everyone and their mother is clogging the roads and every store is sold out of BBQ items and getting low on watermelon and Popsicles. What it also means is that this month is brand spankin' new and needs a purpose in life. So, July, my gift to you. Here is what we will accomplish together.

July Bucket List:

1. Mail Thank you cards (This is a must. It has been two months, people! I don't remember what you gave me for my wedding but you don't remember either. Just know, I pretty much loved everything-- of course I did: I registered for it-- and I appreciate you buying it. I will send you a note to officially declare my gratitude. It is coming soon, I promise. I need stamps.)
2. Get a job (also a no-brainer. I really need a job if I am ever going to reach that savings goal! Plus, it would be a good idea to be contributing to our family's income-- weird that me + husband = new sub-family. "Family" no longer means "my parents  + siblings + me)
3. Make play-doh (Oh come on. You know it is amazing.)
4. Hang curtains (I'm thinking a shade of blue. It would go well with my brown couches-- especially once I get the new blue and cream pillows!)
5. Reupholster dining room chairs (Pinterest will be called upon to assist with this. I am a DIY newbie)
6. Visit a nursing home (I love talking with old people. Their lives were cooler than mine has been so far, plus they are adorable.)
7. Go kayaking (YES! I think I will love it. Not sure though, because I have never been.)
8. Read three complete books (Good, educational, classic ones. They can be fiction, but they must somehow better my character.)

Musings of the Afternoon

How crazy is this: I was just doing a little light research about joining the Air Force. Do I want to join? No. Do I want to wear a uniform everyday, get up early to work out, and have to salute often? No. Do I want to deploy or be told where to live? No. Then why, you may ask, are you looking into it? The answer is simply that I am frustrated with this job hunt. I want a career that gets me respect and gives me a good income. Something business related and steady. Air Force, unfortunately, meets those requirements. No worries though, I won't join-- yet. I mean, I already am military by marriage, that's enough. For now, the hunt continues.
This is for when I lose my patience with the job search:

DO NOT JOIN THE MILITARY. ONE MILITARY MEMBER PER MARRIED COUPLE IS PLENTY. THINK OF FIELD TRAINING, YELLING, SWEAT, AND BLOOD. DON'T DO IT!

Disclaimer: Not the military isn't fantastic, because it is, but it is certainly not for everyone. I want to be a wife and mommy first, not a soldier. I love our military and come from a long line of military families. So God Bless America and, if it is right for you, join the Air Force (or other branches)! But I shouldn't. I would be joining for the wrong reasons.

As a side note, we are done moving! And guess what, our new neighbors have a baby... a loud one. And the people in the apartment above us like to run herds of elephants across their floor, apparently. Yay for apartment living!

Overall best news of the day? I have a fantastic, supporting, and good-looking husband..... who will be home in an hour and a half and I have some cleaning to do before he gets home! Ooops.

My life is so blessed; though it is not perfect by any means, I am happy. Blissfully happy. :)


John 10:10
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The Great Migration

Today is Day 6 - yes, you read that right, Day SIX - of our self-move. May I just say we were idiots to do this ourselves-- especially without boxes. The apartment manager said a lot of people just carry things from their old apartment to the new and we shouldn't worry about packing things. Yeah.right. Tell that to my bruised and sore arms and legs. My poor husband hurt his knee (which was already damaged from an old running injury) and his back. Not to mention his ankle. Poor guy is too young to be falling apart like this. To be fair, he has worked like a horse until almost midnight every night for the past six days.
The GOOD news is: we are moved out of the old apartment! All that's left is to clean out the old fridge (thankfully each apt comes with its own fridge so we don't have to move that thing).
The BAD news is, without all this cardio in my daily regime, I'm going to have to start going back to the gym.
                                                      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
P.S. A side note on the puppy plans:  I was chatting with my dad yesterday and apparently he is expecting me to take Emily- remember, my dog that stayed behind when I moved out and has been living with my
family for the past year? So this may necessitate no puppy and just readopting Emily. I don't know how I feel about this.  On the one hand, I love Emily and she is a sweet dog that is already well mannered well, at least housetrained. On the other hand, she would need to be re-trained in a lot of things (like "come", for example) and retraining is harder than training a puppy. Then again, I haven't been able to find "the Perfect Breed" anyway, so maybe this would be a good thing. Anyways, I am still a-ways from my savings goal, so no use thinking about it now. Emily is a great pet, so we'll see how this goes.


Now, one to apartment cleaning and, oh yeah, the Job Hunt.